I know it's the wrong topic but I wonder if Brum might have made the wrong decision in holding onto him...when I looked over their boards they had already mentally spent the £6m. He's no Oxo to them either because he's never played for the first team. Anyway good luck to the team tonight.
No one can claim GB are hiding...decided to measure themselves against a top side (or even the top side).
Well, the first half was pretty dreadful for GB but the second half was better. Thought Cork brought a lot of composure to the midfield, and Butland did his growing reputation no harm at all, I'm sure he will now start in goal. Other stand out players for me were Allen, Taylor and Caulker (not a closet Swansea fan, honest) and Rose looked a lot better at left-back. Need to see a bit more from the likes of Giggs and Richards. Brazil looked very impressive, they are the favourites, with good reason. But it's encouraging that they didn't really create great chances and their two goals came from set pieces. I think with another week of training and the best players in the starting line-up, the next two games should be much easier. I'm quietly confident that we will get out of the group, not expecting much else though.
I missed the first half but in the second half we seemed to play well and created a lot of chances against Sweden who are a really good side, and we even hit the post! So overall it was an alright result I think!
Brazil were a class apart. I'm confident we can beat Senegal and UAE. With Allen, Ramsey, Cleverley, Cork and Giggs, we look better on the ball than England usually do.
I watched the first half out of sheer combined FA curiosity, and after noting the Team GB kit and the Brazil goals, and quickly realising that Jack Cork wasn't playing from the start, I became distracted with something genuinely interesting and didn't go back to the 2nd half. Football will be just a tiny part of the Olympics, and frankly, I'm slightly more interested in the Cycling, Sailing, Rowing, and other individual sports where GB are very strong. I'll watch the Football if I know young Jack is in there, playing. Otherwise, I'll probably give it a miss. To make use of an old and well worn factoid in football - Jack Cork plays for Southampton FC, or whoever they are, and therefore should be grateful that he even gets talked about being selected at national level, for as we all know, they do boaty things and have picnics on the edges of village cricket fields down in Hampshire, and don't compete well at manly things like playing football. In fact, do they know what a ball is..? Another thing - where is Southampton..? Jack Cork's only advantage is that he was born in London, which we do know does exist as it is that big place south of Birmingham. Do excuse the cynical rambling. I got on one there. Hello, I see the visor's up again..!
Had a little look on twitter when Cork joined the action, there was not one positive tweet (unless it was from a Saints fan). But by the end of the game, there was plenty of praise. Stating how composed he was and made everything look so easy. Some even mentioned he probably deserves to start the next game. All I can say is, Cork was up against some of the best in the world and played with players he hasn't played with before, he just got on with his job and put a solid performance in, Well Done Mr Cork!! Doing the South Coast proud.
All I will say is: Pearce is a ****ing ****e manager. Why the ****ing **** is he in charge? Tactically inept, poor judge of talent... Basically just not a good manager.
Maybe Hope Powell should manage both teams? Hope Powell's blue army! To be fair, the WSL is currently in full-flow so the players will have match fitness and sharpness which may be lacking in the Men.
If I didn't realise the team GB game was on tonight and flicked onto BBC1, I would've thought it was Saints playing in last season's away kit
With Spains depth and Brazil strike force these two have to be favourites. Mexico and Uruguay are probably outsiders.
The sad thing is that while Pearce is a motivator he is not a tactician and nor is Hope Powell who screwed up massively in the last tournament with her subs against France, leaving an injured player on the pitch while bringing on a rookie full-back for no reason.
The GB side is hampered in the same way as the u21s...you can't get the best players. This time Pearce was hampered by the Euros, because it limited his choices. Brazil, who admittedly would be good anyway, have been playing as a team for a long time. The best we can hope for is to get out of the group, then wait and see. Just like every other tournament really. Little chance of a medal I would think.
