Thank goodness we didn't spend a fortune on Butland! Another miss punch on a cross leading to the corner from which Norway scored.
3-0. FFS. We used to be really good under Stuart Pearce, we just aren't consistent and bottle it in tournaments. That 2009 tournament was a fluke - losing 4-0 to Germany justified that. This team could do with Cork and Shaw, and Clyne shouldn't have been dropped. We have no goals in the team, I swear our top scorer in that team is CB Dawson, who just scored.
Remember when he thought that toy horse was lucky? Then he got sacked. Now he's in charge of our next generation. Bra-****ing-vo FA.
He really is poor, yeah. He seems to be lacking in both tactics and team selection. When this country starts producing a higher quantity of good young players, which I'm sure it will eventually do, we'd better have a decent U21 manager by then.
5-7 years is the rough time for heavy modifications to youth systems to filter through to first team level. They've got 5 years to fire Pearce and appoint pretty much anyone else. They should be BEGGING Dario Gradi to be involved in the FA structure though.
I know he loves being at Crewe and it's kinda his thing now, but if they brought him, Hoddle and Wenger (his approach to coaching is still ahead of many others) in and just said "Hey fix this for us". They would put together a hell of a national system I'm sure. Or they could give the job to David Platt and Gareth pissing Southgate. **** me.
Look at this bloody list: 1977–1990 Dave Sexton 1990–1993 Lawrie McMenemy 1994–1996 Dave Sexton 1996–1999 Peter Taylor 1999 Peter Reid 1999–2001 Howard Wilkinson 2001–2004 David Platt 2004–2007 Peter Taylor 2007– Stuart Pearce Only a few acceptable names on there. And this one too: Current staff: Assistant Coach Steve Wigley - Oh **** off. Coach Brian Eastick - Developer of the Birmingham Youth Academy. But did that in 1998. 15 years ago. Goalkeeping Coach Martin Thomas - First coaching education in nineteen eighty bloody three.
I'm more surprised at people who are surprised that England & Pearce have done so badly. STILL the players are technically behind even Norway and if you can call what he selected as a "Plan A" well, clearly the players didn't know what it was, let alone a Plan B (which appeared to be to stick the centre half up front... wow). Didn't Pearce put David James up front once for Man City? Utter clown and even when he was the poster boy for England as a player (because he really cared apparently) I thought he was very over-rated as a player. Mark Dennis was not only a better "pyscho" he was also a miles better left back. Mind you, pretty obvious the players didn't really give a ****. Expect all arrived there with the words fresh in their ears from their club managers and agents... "don't get bloody injured". Internationals, killing football.
Didn't we win our last 9 games or so before this tournament? I've always quite liked Pearce as a manager, personally...
