Adkins? He seems like he'd be a great England manager. Shame he left the Premiership before he had the opportunity to build his reputation.
There's a few English managers I'm willing to make an exception for That number does not include Alladyce, Redknapp, Jewell, Pearce, Lambert (Paul).... Pretty much 99% of English managers.
Sadly no, Q. To both questions. The better team won. England feigned to play well, but there was hardly ever a moment when I genuinely thought England would score, despite some pressure. It actually came as a slight surprise when the ball skewed towards the Uruguay keeper and Rooney dashed in to score. It didn't need a World Class player to finish it off, and several players could have done it, but Rooney has at last broken his duck. Sadly, that will mean he will never be dropped, even if he loses a leg. He wasn't England's best player, but it was hard to think who was. Nobody put in a stonking performance. It was team mediocrity.
I would say that the Saints team from last season would comfortably beat that England team. If you accept that, then you have to blame the whole set-up of English football because a team finishing 8th in the Premier League should be stuffed by the national team. Regarding Lambert, if you are going to put him on for 5 minutes and stick him up-front then really Carroll would have been a better selection.
The set-up/culture/whatever of English football is a problem. But there is enough talent in England to get past the group stage. There was enough talent to beat Uruguay just using the squad that was taken. The team was just poorly organized. In years past there were not enough creative players perhaps, but this team has some. The defense was poor, but there are a lot of poor defenses that are winning games. I don't think it's so much that the selections or tactics are out-dated but rather that there doesn't seem to be any thought put into it at all. What actually was the game plan against Italy, or against Uruguay? Pirlo and Suarez are fantastic players, but at least make them beat you. Do *something* to try and stop them and maybe it doesn't work or perhaps it backfires. But to just allow Pirlo to sit in the middle and play the game he likes to play, or to leave Suarez unmarked... that's just crazy. Hodgson actually picked a better squad compared to past managers. But it's not enough just to pick players, you have to use them correctly. The frustrating thing to me was watching him randomly swap out attacking mids. It's almost like they were so impressed they actually had some decent "modern" attacking players that they thought that's all they needed to win. Just let everyone run around however they want because hey, Sterling!
I was working so missed the game! Anyone want to give me a nice update, i am guessing we were dreadful, but any players particularly useless and why? Did anyone actually play well. Thanks people!
None of the 'future hopes' passed to anyone, selfish *****. Grandard was crap again. Suarez was good.
Same old same old. We couldn't establish any rhythm, we couldn't keep hold of the ball, we had no luck, we didn't defend with any cohesion, and yeah, Suarez was ****ing brilliant.
Cheers guys, im reading a lot about Gerrard, was he really that bad, i just saw how he kind of caused the last goal, im guessing that just rounded of the night for him
Last goal was actually a bit unlucky for Gerrard. Partially his fault, I guess but also the defenders fell asleep. The attack was generally mediocre. A few good moments, but not enough. Defense + Gerrard was a pile of poo.
He was more at fault for the first goal. Cavani was all on his own in precisely the area Gerrard should have been. His general play was also very poor.
Two things wrong with the first goal. AS PTF says above, Gerrard partly to blame as he bottled a tackle on the half way line and then secondly a striker making a slight movement off the shoulder of the CB to find an Amazonian rain forest sized space to have a free header.
I am beginning to wonder why Lambert is there. It is clear that he was never going to start and to bring him on for 5 minutes in a must-win game in which we are creating next to nothing is a complete waste. Same with Lallana really. I said after the Italy game that Sterling's performance was completely overrated. A couple of early flashes and passes seems to have blinded people to the rest of his performance. Well, yesterday was just more "headless chicken" from him. Lallana from the start would have offered a lot more. The whole match was screaming out for someone to use the ball intelligently. L and L can do that. Incredibly, if other results go our way, we still have a chance so, lets drop Rooney, lets not assume that the Liverpool and Man Utd players are best simply because they play for Liverpool and Man Utd. Radically, lets have some tactics. Maybe there is still hope, although you can bet that Italy will go and lose today!
That would still keep us in though. Italy will be winning 1-0 and then Buffon will make a howler and knock us out.
If Italy lose that would put Costa Rica on 6, and Italy and Uruguay both on three. With Italy and Uruguay then playing each other, at least one of them has to get more points, making it impossible for us to qualify on three points. Italy have to win today or we're out.
