A rather eloquent rant. It did make me laugh. Just 1 minute and 52 seconds long but worth a listen. Some pearls in there. http://audioboo.fm/boos/853801-606-...-they-re-like-a-market-stall-eloquentrantings To address what he says, I couldn't care less what his friends in Prague think of our football team and I don't mind if we have to play ugly or defensive to get results. We're lucky that Saints entertain us enough as it is. Thoughts on his rant? DTLW
I'm guessing he and his friends in Prague wear berets, drink chai lattes and pretend to enjoy modern art. That's the image he gives off to me.
Big time. I really can't understand how negative some people were. We got 7 points out of a group that was difficult on paper before the tournament started.
Unfortunately DTLW there is a not insignificant "I told you so" brigade who are happy to brand England as lucky until they lose in the knockout stages. They don't care about England so much that they just have to phone into their radio station to have a moan. Roy will get the usual stick if we don't win, but I don't think he signed up to the job to win any popularity contests.
So England didn't win gloriously. So what..? They played a European style, almost an old Italian style, of defensive football that was effective, made possible by an English manager who knows European football inside out. What do people want, boring and effective or entertaining and ineffective..?# Honestly can't see what the problem is.
I agree..we've had some talented players in good teams in the past and I would love us to win in a rampaging, exciting style, but I am fed up with losing. Can't we just win by being difficult to beat and put '66 behind us. It is time we won another trophy.
I felt the chap was right in some respects.... i wouldnt say a dour or unimaginative performance but while i was chatting to my friends in belgravia , i believe it was either tarquin or quentin who mentioned the fact we keep losing the ball from a goal kick. My old chum rupert suggested they play from the back like jolly old southampton do. One cannot help but get frustrated at times .... its enough to put one off ones polo !
his friends in prague were laughing at us? they won thier group with a minus goal difference- how **** are they?
If Milan Baros decides to get out of his lazy mode and play, they could be a decent team - really like Jiracek and Pilar.
And when is the last time that England fielded a terribly exciting squad for a major championship, anyway? They were dull-as-dishwater during the last World Cup, and scarcely survived a weak group. They were poor in 2006, making the quarters largely by virtue of favourable matchups, while turning in some decidedly underwhelming performances. In total, they scored a whopping nine goals in nine games between the two tournaments (while missing Euro '08, of course); negative tactics are nothing new, but the difference is that the side seems to actually be playing hard. That's an improvement to my eyes.
I was pretty young back then, but I recall the 1996 and 1998 squads being fantastic. We really could have won both of those tournaments.
Indeed. 14 and 16 years ago. I'd argue that in 1998 our squad was decent but not as good as the French or Brazilian's. Aside from that though, we were as good as anyone.
I'm old enough to remember the lack of enthusiasm for our style of play in the group games of '66. This has to be the first time we've qualified so relatively easily since then. I actually like some occasional so called "ugly" football - it has its own fascination - and if Saints stop City and United playing next season with a bit of tough defensive play I'll be happy. Incidentally, in '66 a "little team" from the South was preparing to make its debut in the top league and the manager paid a lot of money for a new striker from a second division team. None of it turned out too badly, I recall.
