Great article Brix. I hope you don't mind me making a few comments as a non Englishman. I really think that England have consistently underachieved over the last number of years. While many will say that most English players are not as technically gifted as their continental counterparts, I disagree entirely with this. England has produced enough good/great players over the years to have contested European and World cups, but yet always come up way short. Why is this? As an outsider looking in I think there are three main reasons; 1. England has consistently appointed poor managers. Erickson for example was more interested in courting the media and his own image than developing a legacy for English football. McClaren was the pitiful experiment of employing a "young and promising" manager who just did not have the experience or personality to create a footballing dynasty. I feel many of your managers did not have the personality/charisma needed to succeed at the top level. Managers need to inspire and lift players. Capello/Erickson/McClaren all had the personality of a wet fish. A good manager can be the difference. Look at what Trappatoni has achieved with a very very poor Irish team. 2. English players are not comfortable on the ball. I won't accept for one second the argument that English players are not technically good enough. They are. It's the coaching and mentality that's inadequate. If a Romania, Hungary or Switzerland etc etc came to Wembley tomorrow, I would bet that they would knock the ball around the pitch nonchalantly and keep possession. English teams just give the ball away far too easily. Players look uncomfortable on the ball and sometimes even hide on the pitch. If England are going to compete at major championships they must learn to keep the ball, have patience and make the opposition work harder. 3. The British media is unforgiving and puts huge pressure on English teams before during and after every tournament. The British public are almost worked into a frenzy pre-tournament with ridiculous talk of "minimum semi-final" , "world class" players etc etc. I'm not sure how this can be better managed, but a low key build up would undoubtedly help your teams. I really am at odds to understand how your teams have just not delivered over the last ten years. Let's hope Hodgson is the man to lift spirits and drive England on to success. Look at that German team. They are second favorites and nobody can tell me that they have eleven superstars. They have 2-3 top class players and a fantastic work ethic and organization. You know they will play for their country. England can achieve with this group of players if they play for each other and for the jersey. Let's wait and see.
I prefer tapa tipa tupa topa tepa bang meself with lots lf running off the ball. Greece are the masters, you never know whats coming next. COLIN LEDGEND W*NKER should have been appointed England or Greece Manager. With him both would be in the Quarters already - in fact I'm sure he could be manager of both teams if he were allowed and both would be in the Quarters. He speaks excellent Greek.
I don't like the derogatory use of this term 'tippy tappy.' At it's best - ie Spain and Barca - it's relentless possession. This means technique, awareness and hard work. After Messi Xavi is the best player in the world. If you give Spain the ball you won't see it for 10 minutes and that's exhausting. And it works too - (before anyone says the obvious how many golden chances did Barca miss against Chelsea. ) Nope, I like my football on the deck, skillful and graceful - Brazil 1970 was the template. Also, fluidity. The game last night was soo static. Hopefully now the FA FINALLY seem to understand this is learned very early and are planning to transform how kids are taught - in 10 years maybe we'll have a chance of winning another major tournament
Great post Peter. The Brazilians, then the Dutch in the early seventies were the definition of what I love about football - all the things you say and fast. They also inspired our team, proof below [video=youtube;ePXxVYFzBC4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXxVYFzBC4&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Agree with most of what's said above but the thread's about expectations and our general lack of quality management at national (and club) levels. My contention is that the best international sides look at the quality of their management options first. From there on in, vision, player selections, styles of play and game plans follow. In this competition Woy has already shown the difference between what we've become used to and what we need to succeed. If it turns out that we fail against Ukraine or Spain, so be it and preparation work will continue regardless. The man certainly has a visible plan - and that's a first for England since Venables.
Yeah but yeah but RECENT-ish winners can afford a bit of swagger. 66 and all that just doesn't justify the levels of hype we've been subjected to for so long. Great to do without it these days. If we were to win something, it'd be a bit different - for a while!
I think you can add to the above that we haven't appointed the right manager since Venables and Hoddle who both left for non-footballing reasons. Both had the technical vision to produce a team that played proper football with good tactics. Sven and McLaren were both managers that didn't have the balls to assert themselves and Cappello proved in South Africa that he couldn't cut it tactically with the best. I hope Hodgson does have success but think he is a little too conservative to try and introduce a new style. He strikes me as a man who is happy to do just enough cautiously rather than set a bold tempo. It may be that he sees what most of us see, a team that is not as good as they think they are and is applying the tactics to suit. The Sweden game showed that when he went bold we actually did look capable, perhaps he will surprise us now Rooney is back and continue in that vein against a poor Ukraine side...
Agree sooper. I really liked Hoddle. I thought he had huge potential. Shame he backed the FA into a corner with those comments.
