I do think at times that some teams such as Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal actually use what they've got between their ears.....their brains. They seem at times to be able to use their intelligence and actually understand the system that they are playing and then adapt to what is happening during the game. England can only it seems play on one dimension....not able to work out the problems that come before them with their brains.....depending on their managers ability to re-programme them during the match. Last night Germany did actually try to break down the French defence by probing in different ways....although it didn't work in the end for them.....you felt it wasn't going to be their night.....when a softish penalty was given against them right on half-time. On the other hand watching England trying to break down Iceland was so painful....the same old moves that had kept failing time after time....the faith put in Sterling whose season peaked before the new year, some even wondered if he should have been picked for the squad in the first place seeing his lack of form and self belief. Joe Hart doing the Icelandic coaches job for him by his stupid comment as they emerged for the second half that 'we will have to play better than this against France'.....just made Icelands resolve that you wont be playing France because you ain't going to beat us you ignorant prat......(or the Icelandic equivelent)......brainless idiots that's England....uneducated morons earning obscene levels of money....just an embarrassment.
England watched the Argyle Wembley video as part of their training stuff and carried it out to the letter. They didn't turn up never mind trying to break down Iceland's defence. There was no method or plan or anything else that I saw.
Portugal have just scored....with ten minutes to go. Why was I disappointed at 90 minutes that the News would be late....lots of effort but rather boring.
So Portugal have won this competition for being marginally just better than England were. Terrible advert for European football and not really worth the watch. Didn't think either team particularly deserved the win tonight although the French did at least try for most of the game. Sort of glad this is over now as the excitement level would not have powered a battery for more than a few minutes throughout.
I always lose interest when England get knocked out although I do transfer my allegiance to any Home Country (plus the RoI) who last longer. The exposure that European club football gets nowadays and the global market for talent takes the shine of these international tournaments as we've seen all the players before. I think Shaqiri was the only one who made me sit up and take notice at the last World Cup as someone I hadn't been aware of. Pogba is the one this time around: I know he's famous but I'd never really seen him play 90 minutes. A beast of a player and with great skills too. I gather Man Utd are being asked for £100m for him, of which, wait for it, £20m, will go to his agent.
Agents do seem to wield a lot of power and do seem also to be needing sweetners even for them to advise their 'clients' (another word for players) to even consider another clubs 'approach' for their services. I've already mentioned elsewhere about McHugh's agent Sky Andrew....who was one of our top table tennis players....Uk champion...world championship player etc.....who coming to the end of his career discovered being a football agent/plus other sports could be the way ahead after chatting to pro-footballers.....with the escalating cost of football transfers plus the negotiating of contracts etc a percentage of the deal could turn you into a millionaire over night.....obviously McHugh would be small fry for an agent....but add all those contracts together and the drain on club resources would make professional sport even more expensive for the punter to watch surely ? When you hear a player eulogizing about the new club that he is joining....the great manager, the club wanting to push on etc....you just take their enthusiasm with a pinch of salt and just say....yea, yea.
Glad Portugal and Ronaldo won.. he was the manager for extra time?? he is a team man and has passion.. One of the greats? Well at least that is over, not the greatest Tournament.. I se Portugal won one game in normal time, finished 3rd in their group.. Well done..
