That's 6 Man Utd 4 Man City 3 Aston Villa 3 Chelsea 3 Everton 2 Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1 Brighton 1 Leeds 1 Sheffield Utd 1 Southampton 1 Tottenham 1 West Brom 1 West Ham 1 Wolves 3 Foreign 0 Championship 0 Burnley 0 Fulham 0 Leicester 0 Newcastle 0 Palarse
Nice Avatar. I recommend a poem called The Autumn Robin by John Clare. Sums up the friendly little chap very well.
Weird coincidences - I used that photo to do apainting of a robin for my sister - it's my avatar on ITTV. Great minds think alike!
Robins are wonderful. I was doing some gardening for my old mum a while back and one Robin began coming to watch me work. I realised of course he was on the lookout for tasty snacks on the ground I was disturbing with my heavy-duty weeding. Saw him plenty of times over several months.
The champions league final has given Southgate plenty to think about. Stones was poor. Indecisive, over hitting passes, looked a bit lost. Mount, James and Chilwell were good. I think Mount should start against Croatia in our first game. Sky Sports said we have four world class centre halves. I don’t think we have any. If Maguire isn’t fit to start against Croatia, I wouldn’t take him to the tournament. I don’t like changing centre backs. I’ve been scarred from Charlton doing that this season. We’ll find out more next week. The final squad is set to be named on Tuesday, then there are a couple of friendlies before the Euros start. England v Austria on Wednesday 2nd, 2000 kick off England v Romania on Sunday 6th June, 1700 kick off.
Absolutely spot on I'm sick and tired of England taking crocked & half-fit players to tournaments based on what they did two years or four years earlier. We deny ourselves any chance of competing properly every time we do this. We take a young, fit and hungry squad - or it isn't worth going.
I’m completely sold on Mason Mount. He’s definitely what we need in midfield. Energy and incision. Wrap him in cotton wool, he doesn’t need to play in the friendlies, he has nothing to prove. Id play Rice in there too, who I think has had an excellent season.
While I have a lot of time for Marcus Rashford, he looked absolutely blown out in the Europa League final, and has apparently been fairly off the pace this season. I'd rather have a lesser name who is on the boil, than a great player who is physically in need of a long rest, or out of form.
Agreed, and we’ve got a few options in that role. Sancho, Grealish, Foden, Saka can all play wide. There’s some question marks over fitness with a couple of them. The same argument could be made about Sterling, who was ineffective in the Champions League final. Taking too many touches in my opinion, but he was playing centrally, not his normal wide right position.
Is this Southgate's third tournament? All the fawning back in 2018, anyone would think England had won the World Cup. Anything less than the Semi's this time is going backwards. Not that I care too much either. Club football is the only real football But while we're in it we might as well cheer the lads on
Gone are the days when the First Division was full of British managers, and the best of the English ones would kill to get the gig. What successful English manager would want it now ahead of a club job?
I see Southgate is making the same old mistakes; CROCK Maguire CROCK Henderson Both doubtful for the opening game, Henderson may not play in the tournament at all. But there they are, taking up places in the squad while 100% fit players watch on the TV.
Ward-Prowse's dead balls alone are worth a place in the squad. It's utter madness that he didn't make the cut. If we have a poor tournament, it will all be Southgate's fault. He has the tools at his disposal, but will he utilise them correctly? Sadly, I have major doubts.
Time and again we get this. Promising, talented and hungry young players overlooked for older 'established' big names who are 70% fit, and in some cases have had a nothing season anyway. The England establishment makes the same mistakes over and over again. Personally I don't think England will get past the quarter-finals. Even Southgate has admitted that will be going backwards after 2018 (though not very far backwards in my view, since I don't think 2018 represented any substantial forward progress, despite all the hype. Italia '90 it wasn't). Still, GS is the gaffer. He'll have to learn the hard way rather than try anything different.
If England get knocked ahrt in the quarters Southgate will face a national clamour for his head; if the same happens to Scotland Clarke will return home a hero.
I hear Sven has backed Southgate picking big name crocks for the England Squad The randy Swede knows a fit bird when he sees one, but I don't trust his judgment on the fitness of England players.