http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html Some ****er was smoking some serious crack when he rustled up this table. I know we haven't been great but ffs we are miles better than USA, Chile, Columbia, Greece, Switzerland etc.
I don't know?- We have won 4 games in our group, these against Moldova and San Marino. Then there are 4 draws. I think the rankings are based on current results. Personally, I think we will struggle to win the group and might not even come 2nd. Poland are by no means out of it either. There was a time, when I was younger, that I would never miss an England game. I still have 2 England shirts, (as well as my 9 different city shirts) but today can raise little enthusiasm to watch them. I'm not sure why, if its the champions league causing this( I don't really watch that either) as teams like Spain and Germany also play in the Champions league. Personally, I'm more than happy coming 90 miles to a home game and at least watching live football and a team that I have followed through good times and bad (too much of the latter) since I was 9 years old.
I just don't get with this "we are england, therefore we are fantastic" attitude. England are way WAY off the pace with the rest of the world and are probably on a par with the likes of Norway,Sweeden, Croatia, Belgium and any other "smaller" country you can think of. Just because we won the WC a generation or 2 ago does'nt mean we have a right to win it again. As for watching England?....perhaps if they get to the world cup and I have nothing else to do, then probably. As for these qaulifiers.......rather watch stricly with the mrs or play with the cat litter.
We are English. We are the best. Simple as, It's in our blood. We will win the WC next year! 3 Lions On The Shirt
Caldi - we are nowhere near Belgium, as the next 8 months will illustrate. They are dark horses for the WC in my humble... No Shiny, we have to earn the right to say we are better than Switzerland etc, and frankly most of us in good old blighty would admit we have well and truly lost the plot. Take Wilshere out of the midfield and we have no-one with the guile and confidence to run a game. Even with him its touch and go, what with his injury record. No, England will never feature genuinely in the top ten teams until the FA start to do justice to its public and take action Too many teams in the Prem Too many foreigners in each team Too many games in the season Too many cup competitions A lack of serious youth academies teaching kids the right way to play No mid winter break, resulting in exhaustion for the players when June comes around Not enough incentive for kids to want to leave the warmth of their X-Boxes and learn the beautiful game. We are one level up from Wales and N. Ireland, and that says it all
Same here city every time for me,England today i can take it or leave it.not worth watching like 20 years ago.
Can't agree about the right number of teams in the prem I think it's about right now Agree about european cup games wish it would go back to straight knockout Midseason break waste of time the clubs would go off on tour and play even more games they don't care about England why should they how many owners/managers in the prem are English? Yes too many foreigners in the Prem but Scotland tried imposing a quota system and look where that got them now worse than before. Agree about xboxes etc but thats what the kids want now too lazy to watch football let alone play it many of them - I watched a school game recently after 10 mins there was hardly a player on the pitch who could walk quickly let alone run mind you I saw several smoking after the match whilst they were waiting for the bus doubt if they were older than 11
Good point Hawk, you here Wenger and Fergie constantly moaning about playing 38 Prem games per season, yet you never hear a word that to win the Champions League you have to play at least 13 games depending where you enter the tournament. Says it all really, it is all about money, it is money that has ruined the English game.
Far far to many foreign players in the prem,this is the single biggest factor why our four nations are rubbish.
Although at least having a foreign presence has upped the quality from the Vinnie Jones era, when even getting to a world finals was a forlorn dream. Its at grass roots level where the game here has to be rethought, thats where the change that matters will be made
Sorry to sound like its you I'm having a pop at Shiny. But this is one of the major issues with the England team IMO is that you lot can't understand why you're ranked 17th? You need to accept that you are in this position because that's where you are ranked not because someone in FIFA decided. I've always been a believer that you lot do well when qualifying but struggle to make an impact because of the pressure everyone makes with the press etc. it's like you need to find someone to blame, in Africa it was Rooney's fault because in didn't try hard enough. Like Fontaine with us, if you put you're expectancy's too high but will blame at the drop of a hat, players get nervous to make a slight mistake so looks like they are shirking responsibility. You won the WC but that was 47 years ago, this does not give you the automactic right to get to every final since. So maybe if you took the pressure off, you might find that the players respond and play without fear. Like SoD says if you fail trying is better than not trying at all. I would like to see England go to a final without the press continually hounding them and trying to pick the team for everyone, saying everyone wants to see player X but he constantly picks player Y, player Y goes into the game thinking **** me I better not make a mistake, then concentrates on this too much, not playing what they are good at. Anyway essay over, you're ****, and once Wales gets 10 more players like Bale we will take over the world.
I am sure you will get 10 more players like Bale Rodders.....but with a 10 year gap between each one!
by the way if we win our next 2 group games we go up to 8th in the ranking. Which in my opinion is our place. No way are we a 17th ranked side
