Has the PL football fan lost all or most interest in the National team? England have played 2 games in the last week and all I noticed on this Board was one oblique comment to how Scharr got on and not one comment about England. Is it because one was a friendly and the other in yet another two bit competition manufactured by FIFA to raise money? For me I hate International breaks with a passion. I have always been a Newcastle fan first and an England supporter second. I didn't watch either of the two games but I think that is much to do with football having reached saturation levels on television as much as apathy to the National team. What about you lot?
I lost my passion for watching England play was when no matter who the manager was the exact same players played when clearly either they could not work together or they just weren't good enough and other players missed the opportunity.
I personally think there are to many international matches. I don't like watching friendlies and this new tournament is ****e. I do however like the World Cup and the Euros. What I hate about England right now is this love in for Gareth Southgate. He is being touted as some genius who has got us playing a brand of football. We are in fact a BANG average side with an obsession about a system and style of play as opposed to playing to your players strengths and picking players in form rather than who they play for. For example, THAT England team is crying out for is a creative passing type player who can unlock defense's. We have one at our very own club but he is getting over looked because he maybe does not fit in with this nicey nicey you look after me i look after you stereotype that all the other average midfielders seem to have in the England squad. Ah show me the love....... NOW lets see that wonky donkey hand thing again Delli. GG
I think the Nations League is a good idea, friendlies are meaningless piles of boring garbage. It will allow for nations to properly rise and fall in rankings on their credentials, not beating Albania 6-0 in a friendly. However, completely uninterested in England. They play crap football, pick crap players and everyone with a vested interest plus a few deluded southerners think It's brilliant. Even as a leftie, I do to a certain extent think multiculturalism and the general criminalization of the right tends to curb nationalism, and I just think with history tending to repeat itself we are probably moving closer to a decentralised system of independent city-states and hence a lack of overall patriotism. That may well feed club football like never before, and may lead to a regional type collective like the North East United playing against Lancashire Men... I think I might give more of a toss if it was 11 North East lads playing.
Love my national team and always want them to win. However the game against the swiss was a waste of time. Spain showed us in the game at the weekend there is still work to do!
I would normally watch England for 10 minutes then get bored and turn over . Neither game was on normal telly so I didnt even get the option this time.
Twenty years since I've looked at an England team and genuinely thought "yep, that's right." Since Gerrard/Lampard set a precedent, England's modus operandi has been to ensure we always have at least one player out of position and a couple of players who are identical. Southgate's breaking new barriers with Sterling as a striker, Walker as a CB and Lingard/Alli in the same team. Then there's the inexplicable Manchester love-in - Delph has NEVER been an Intl footballer, let alone in CM (as he's only picked at wing back for City) - with repeated selections of bang average lumps like Smalling, Jones and Young. It's easily summed up by Walker. Rather than just thinking "I've got three excellent right backs", he shoehorns one into a position he's not familiar with. Why not just play Walker, Jones, Maguire/Lascelles and Shaw? The country doesn't owe Trippier or Alexander-Arnold anything. I remember when Andy Cole was at the top of his game, rarely got a cap because of one Alan Shearer. He wasn't then picked alongside Shearer, but I bet he would be now! Also fairly mystifying that every England manager since Hoddle/Venables has really lacked a clear idea, or when they've had one subsequently haven't picked the players to deliver it. Southgate's got all these direct, pacey players yet doesn't pick anyone to pass to them. Change your personnel, or change your style.
Have to say I generally agree and probably at about the same time. I may have been one of a few but I was never convinced either Gerrard or Lampard were the supposed "world class" players the media kept calling them. If they were genuinely "world class" then they would or the one who was would have been able to adapt their/his game to accommodate each other. They never did. Nor was it the "golden" generation either. They were simply the generation playing when hyperbole went into overdrive with the media. I still watch and support during the "Finals" be it World or European but stil don't feel the same attachment I have for NUFC or England back in the day.
That young Maddison , Should be in the squad. Not Fooking welbeck. The horse has he favs, Already. Oh by the way he ,is a genius , for beating Panama and a old Sweden Team. Last saturday, Spain Could of stepped Up if they wanted, total different class His system don’t work. You end up getting caught ,behind the wing backs against the good sides. Lastly. That Ali Is pure **** does nothing. rant over
Trippier ahead of Walker now all day for me. Quality of delivery is key in the way we play and Walker can't lay a glove on Trippier in that respect. To be honest I was against the Walker at centre back but he's done ok. I think the problem is more down to a complete lack of quality centre backs. Strikers are the same. We just lack quality.
Sure, I'd be happy with Trippier. What I meant was I don't think we have to find a way to play Walker just to fit him in. I also think when we're so weak at CB playing 3 of them is just idiocy. CB weak, LB not great, CM a complete loss, strikers are also poor. Issues run far deeper - we should be talking about, for example, RLC, but can't 'cos he's in Chelsea reserves waiting for Jorginho to be dropped. But then this is my point - I think there's this mentality that says the PL is one of the best, therefore England must be one of the best. We then MUST select players who play at our biggest English clubs, because...erm....that's what happens. The reality is we're very much a second rate International team and have been for, as I say, over 20 years. We need to realise this and look at a better system. The FA and England team also have a duty of care to look at the loan/youth systems and change them. Unless there's some kind of reform we'll just go over the same mistakes of believing we're great, selecting from the big, square pegs/round holes and some genuine talent will pass us by.
I think your point about English players struggling to get into the starting XI of English clubs is the real issue. We have to look at the bigger picture, the reason the Premier League is hard for them to break into, is because there tends to be a lot of players from other countries occupying the starting XI places. Many of these players haven't just played in their home nations leagues, but have gained experience from playing in various leagues across Europe. This has improved their own game and enabled them to grow their reputation and earn the big money deals that the Premier League offers. I don't see many English players moving around European clubs looking to gain experience. Platt, Gascoigne, Ince in the 90's all played in Italy (Yes there was a £££ factor), but when they returned to England they were arguably better players (Gascoinge possible exception due to injuries) because of the different cultures and experiences gained.
Love international football but not really sure what the purpose of the Nations League is. If its just a way of ensuring better class and more competitive friendlies then all for it. Don’t see why you couldnt use it to scrap qualifying competitions for World Cup and Euros and use positions in NL for qualification.
Well I will expose myself for ridicule again. I quite like the England games. Enjoyment if we win, lack of real pain if we lose. The team selection recently has been quite interesting as it has ditched a lot of deadwood and brought in a bunch of relative kids and players that I didn't know much about even if they aren't kids, like Trippier. Southgate is willing to drop big names like Walker if he doesn't fit the system, as he did in the Spain match. He also will pick from outside the "top clubs", unless we are calling Everton, Leicester and Stoke top clubs these days. As for the level at the moment, it isn't bad. They desperately need a creative midfielder but nothing besides club loyalty would make me think Jonjo is the answer. They didn't quite draw with Spain but should have, and Spain look a lot better than they have for a few years. The second string beat the Swiss fairly convincingly once they woke up. Even without Foden or someone turning out to be the answer to the creativity problem, they should be a lot better in 2020 than they were in 2018, maybe good enough to reach a semi-final the proper way. All in all, an enjoyable holiday from the repetitive injury syndrome that supporting the toon has become.
Nothing to be ridiculed there mate, all about opinion. Modern times have ruined a lot of it for me. Too much coverage and a general bitterness that my club will almost certainly never be well represented at International level again.
