Cabaye trying to convince Cabella to join NUFC

100%. But were we ever realistically going to get him?

 

Exactly. Roy has done a terrific job. He has been brave enough to take the short term pain of getting exposed defensively by playing an attacking style with young players. Spain. Holland and Germany all had similar things. The difference is they work through it with a view to building something over the long term. He has done what the likes of Sven and Capello weren't willing to. Two excellent managers with excellent records who did well with England. However it was about achieving their own goals as much as it was England's.

We want to chane the culture, coaching and way we approach football. We just don't want all the dirty work that comes before it. You can see we are now producing a better standard of technical player. To enable that culture to flourish you have to change it from the very pinnacle of your sport. The national team. It has to start with grass roots and coaching, it clearly has. Those young players and the coaches who nurture them need to see an end place where they can play in a system/style which is going to allow them to display their talent.

The easiest thing to do is to say "ah **** it we lost, its all Roy's fault, sack him, scrap it and start again" I laughed when Mourinho was suggested. Does anyone truly believe he would do something for the long term good of English football? He'd do whatever it took to get as far as possible. He wouldn't win anything because we don't have the players, but he'd probably rough his way through to quarter finals like others before him. That wasn't enough for most people. We wanted our football to have a DNA and have hope of actually winning. We have taken the first steps but its a 6-10 year process. I just hope we don't bottle this and give in to the masses who will set us back.

 

No. Our owner wouldn't pay, he'd have too much sense to come to nus in present state, their owner and our owner hate each other, Everton wanted him, there is a whole stack of reasons why he would never have ended up here.

 

Agree entirely.

I am hugely more optimistic at the end of this World Cup than I was following the 2010 debacle. Roll on the 2016 Euros.

 

I'm not convinced by this whole rebuilding argument. They want to change philosophy, do it in the U17-21s. Fair enough. Put money into those setups, get better managers, better coaches. But making it a necessity that the senior England sucks for the long term... I don't see it.

Germany had a stinker at Euro 2000. They cleared out their team and in 2002 they were back in the final. They had a stinker at euro 2004, got rid of Völler and in 2006 they were in the semi final and played a great tournament. In 2008 they were good again, only losing to a very dominant Spain. In 2010 they showed everyone up, only losing to Spain, humiliating us and Argentina in the process. Not hard to predict Germany will go very deep again in this tournament. Because they do what is necessary.

At least Prandelli had the decency to resign.

Spain were underachieving for years. They've always had fantastic players. They finally got it right after a long time, and they will do better again next time because there was only one reason why they failed this time, Puyol retiring.

This belief that the manager of the england team can somehow singlehanded save england football is naive. You go to the tournament to win it. Most players get one chance to play this tournament so claiming "this is great experience" for next time is utter tripe. Garry Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Gerrard, Milner, Rooney, Johnson, none of these guys will be at the next world cup and if they're at the euros it's questionable whether they'll be key members of the squad. They had one shot and they collectively blew it.

The manager of the england team doesn't make other managers through the league suddenly play and coach english talent better. All he can do is take a team to a tournament and go as far as he can. I couldn't get a rats ass if Mourinho did nothing for English football in the long run but he'd probably get us to a final or a semi, a respectable achievement.

As I see it, Korea, Algeria, Costa Rica... all footballing minnows played much more attractive, faster and more attacking football than we did. USA are now a better side than England. Now they've been developing their football, we should be asking them for advice on how it's done

That's the other ridiculous notion being blown up by our press: that there's a lack of talent. There was an 18 year old kid playing for Uruguay who had no competitive caps. He kept Sturridge and Rooney quiet for most of the evening. Half of Costa Ricas/Honduras team plays in 2nd divisions. Would you back England to beat any of those teams in a competition right now? I wouldn't. I don't.

Nah. The issue with England is:
1. Managers not picking players that fit a system do a job and have the bottle and nerves to keep it together.
2. Press and public getting on the managers back so much that the managers aren't brave enough to do what they surely must know is necessary.

For instance Barry played a blinder in DM for Everton all season, he would have kept this team tight in a way Gerrard Henderson never managed to do.

 

Me too. Its strange. We come home with one point, but the progress made has been unbelievable. None of the sat watching other teams pass the ball around us while we tire ourselves out running around like headless chickens. Over the three games we've had the majority of the possession. We have been incredibly naive and we undoubtedly lack a bit of quality in defensive areas (Hart, Cahill, Jagielka).

We need to stick to our guns and keep on this path. If we see it through, maybe at the Euros we can look to progress to quarter finals or semis. We have oung Stones, Flanagan, maybe Van Gaal can help Smalling/Jones, and maybe Jack Rodwell will take the splinters out his arse by leaving City. We will still likely be a little behind but we are getting better at long last.

I have no interest in us stepping back to the archaic days or putting our faith in some new coach who is out for himself as much as helping us develop. I rate someone like Mourinho highly (how can you not), but then Capello had an unbelievable record too. They take a job like England with no eye on the bigger picture or long term view. I got bored of us being stuck in that time warp.

 

Pretty much how I feel. I am resigned to Pardew as manager until he is eligible for his OAP or he gets a stroke, whichever comes first. And even then I am not sure.

 

I can see a situation where Ashley just gets his lifeless body emptied and stuffed like an animal. Then attaching his arms, mouth, legs to some strings and operating like a...........................puppet