I'm more surprised about people thinking this was going to be a good performance! WTF, why should it be? We are in the poorest group that there has ever been, that's why we will qualify. We have a crap squad & a guy without a clue telling them what to do. I don't really mind anymore, I find it funny. #notmyprob
I have painted an old piece of wood I have had in the garage for years. It has no useful purpose, But I'm watching it dry in preference to yet another dismal England performance. Its also very interesting to see how far the three ex saints players have regressed since going to "bigger" clubs!
Despite what we all may have thought, James Milner has shown that the gap between a £130,000 a week footballer and a part-time Fireman is not that great.
Reading all your comments above, I decided to have a wee look at the game, picking a passage of play here and there. Think I saw about 45 mins of play overall. Can't say I was that impressed. San Marino are a poor team. They can't help that as they only have a choice from a limited pool of players. But England treated it as a bit of a fitness game and tried not to expend energy. I saw very little running off the ball. Very little in the way of players trying to make space for themselves, or getting behind the defence, or finding little blind pockets, very little indeed. So I'm not that impressed with their attitude. They could have put San Marino to the sword and been really sharp and quick, in preparation for better opposition. But no. Nice result, poor attitude. Roy Hodgson's ball skill was the best thing I saw.
To be fair to the players, the pitch looked so dry, and was so filled in with sand and loose dirt, it was a serious injury waiting to happen, so I wasn't too surprised at the lack of energy put into it, by several players. They did the minimum required to do the job. Regarding the playing surface, I know San Marino is small, but surely, if they want to play in the big boys games, they should have to provide a better pitch, as a basic requirement.
We're only a few years since the last of the mud pools in the PL, so for the players being a bit circumspect about running around a sandy pitch seems a bit thin to me. It was reasonably OK. Besides, I don't think I've read any complaints from the players or managers. I think the media pay too much attention to this sort of thing. We can't have billiard tables every time.
Odd feeling - I'm 100% English yet far more interested and excited for the Wales game today than any England game recently.
Same here, though I'm 50/50% English/Italian. It's the infectious enthusiasm that this Welsh generation have for doing something great that draws me. In contrast, the English appear to be going through the motions. They could be incredibly enthusiastic, but I don't see it. The other aspect is that once Saints players reach England international status they are no longer allowed to remain as Saints players. I know that's a coincidence, but it still pisses me off. For me, the Italians seem a lot more enthusiastic than English players, and besides, Graziano plays for them, so I'm bound to be a little more keen.
