Yes, although if we'd stuck our chances home in the first half we could have been out of sight by half time. Unfortunately that was the best we had, and Italy had another gear
If they put all their chances away we would have lost about 15-2. Fortunately for us, it doesnt work like that, hence why we were still in it after 120 mins.
I picked this up on the bbc web site from someone posting as "sam4palace". I could not have put it better! sam4palace 4 Hours ago It's not foreign players in the english league that hinder english players, it's english players not playing in foreign leagues. England are the only top nation to have no players in any foreign leagues. Until this is rectified, we will be unable to compete as the players only know one way to play, which is the Premier League way.
But you still never lost, yes Italy were the better side but fair play to your defence you defended that goal with pride. They might of huffed and puffed but they struggled to get through. Also under Hodgeson you are only beaten on penalties. You got further than a lot said you would. He only had a few weeks to work with the team. Your main striker not match fit because of the ban. Injurys before you left. If Wales got there and done that I would of been proud
I wanted them to fail. Moderate success, and this was a team over performing will prevent the sweeping radical changes needed in football happening in the near future.
I was a fan who travelled across europe to watch the national team. Now I see football for the crock of **** it is.. The English league is the richest in the world, the latest TV deal is worth three billion plus. How much of that money will be distributed into development of football below the top tier. Less than 1%? The elite performance plans who do they benefit? City? Rovers? Or clubs with money? Is there a general benefit for all? If the nation team flatlines, maybe, just maybe the game could have the shake up it needs.
There was no alterring in mindset. The richest league in the world is producing a **** XI via its top division. How good are the representatives of the German and Spanish top leagues? Richard Scudamore thinks the players the Premier League produces are of sufficient quality and numerous number enough to be successful at international level, its delusional, so I want them to fail. Because any modicum of improvement will allow those who control football in England to shrug their shoulders and deny youth development from a very early age is inadequate v other developed nations. There has to be a very long term focus and co-ordinated approach to produce better players. The Germans and Spanish do not do it by accident.
That's the price you pay for inviting all the foreign players over to play and sacrificing those positions that would usually be taken by our own grown players. Doesn't mean you should want England to fail on the possibility it might make England do things differently at grass roots. Anyway we do create players of sufficient quality to do well in international games. The squad we had recently (Owen, Beckham, Gerrard, A Cole, J.Cole, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand etc) would have walked into any team in the world going by their club form…. They just don’t perform for their international side and why that is is the main problem. Why don’t they preform when we know they had the quality, winning champions league medals and domestic cups and leagues and beating teams with flair, like the Germans and Spanish... I don’t think it has anything to do with our grass roots football, but more to do with their ego’s and money that they earn these days.
Exactly the type of attitude you expect from a fan of club whose hereos include Devon White. The models employed by Johnny Foreigner FA's are producing players with superior technique some of whom go on to make England look like a team of archiac dinosaurs. Spanish and Italian players also earn huge sums, so do those of Portugal. I cannot think of any player in their teams who look as uncomfortable with a ball as a Milner or Young. All well and good huffing and puffing when you just give the ball away like a Caroll or Parker. Englands % of ball retention was only matched by Eire. It was pathetic at times.
i have been saying for years the premiership has killed the national sides of Great Briton,Until change is made we will never move forward footballing wise. Three quarters of the players are foreign,Yes it is great to watch,but at the expense of the the National Teams.
As I said, they do it at club level, but not for the international side so its obviously not technical ablility but something else...perhaps money as the certainly dont earn the money they do for their club....or ego and as I said, maybe a clash of personality... who knows but its not about ability as some of our players have won trophies on the big stage..
The Premiership could introduce a voluntary cap on foreign players, but clubs are now foreign owned, and also the head of the EPL thinks his product is the worlds best and is a great success, so there will be no change until it fails. I hope it fails because all that is left to improve grass roots football in line with europe is government intervention. However the players we do produce lack basic abilities. The nations ahead of England use different models of youth devolpment, not just youth, but at ages three and four. The models are radically diffrerent. Time spent with coaches is higher, ratios of coaches is higher, and not suprsingly the standards are higher. Won't be long now before Ingerlund can't get the ball of Albania for ninety minutes. Send on Andy Caroll ...
Is it time to impose a minimum of 4 English players in every starting XI in the Premiership and Championship??
That helped back in the 70's 80's and 90's. England won everything then. It has nothing to do with foreigners playing, if you are English Welsh Scotish and good enough to play then you play.
So if your not playing how do you improve,the best form of learning is plying your trade at the highest level with the best players we produce. You improve by playing week in week out with players you play at international level with.
