Love the positivity, love the sence of pride. How desperate are we as a country for any success that we will cling onto any hope that our national team might come good? Southgate et al will now be hailed as heroic and smothered in plaudits. REALITY CHECK The fact is we under archived again. Our run of games should have been laughably easy. We didn’t play a single decent team, excerpt perhaps the Belgian reserves, although to my mind, that game didn’t really count, and we lost anyway. Last night we lost to a national team six places below us in the FIFA rankings. A team from a country with a population 1/12 of ours. What is telling is how many of the other World Cup teams players we recognised as having played in our premiership. Yet, none of our team seem to play overseas. We just do not produce players that are good enough in the world stage. I really wish I was wrong here but I think the media is creating a National delusion.
I totally agree iwas. We have no world class players that make the difference between winning and losing. We had a comfortable run to the semi-final. The two half decent sides we met we lost to. Some very average players in that team last night
Gutted but also proud as I never thought we would get that far before the tournament started. Should have had it won by half time. Kane missing that sitter was the omen for me. Croatia grew as the game went on. Walker should have headed the ball instead of slicing it for the winner but if he had headed it and they scored I would have said why didn't you hoof it. The team has got my liking England football again.
I feel the exact reverse. With the players we have available to us we massively over achieved, that’s why I have huge respect for them and Southgate. Last 16 is our natural level, last 8 at best, however ‘easy’ the draw. A look at who he had on the bench, the likes of Wellbeck, Jones and Cahill (good players, but World Cup winners? I think not) shows how shallow our talent pool is at the moment, I’m guessing he stuck to the players he had on the pitch at the start, some of whom were obviously injured to some degree, because he had no alternatives. Lallana and Oxlade Chamberlain would have helped us freshen up midfield, but every team has injuries. The good news is that we have proven world beaters at younger age groups and must hope that a good few of them kick on. Where I agree is that the PL is harmful to the development of young home grown talent, because they don’t get to play enough in big games. The FIFA rankings are a crock of ****, as Poland’s manipulation of them to get seeded shows, and population has always been a dodgy guide to sporting success. Fact is that Croatia have two world class players, one of them, Modric, has been the best in this tournament, whereas we have a couple with potential, and they were prepared to use everything they had for the shirt - as were our players, but they had more - more class, more determination, more experience and more guile.
For me, the biggest positive about this tournament is that we can have some pride again in the national team. Not because they are the best, but because they are a group of decent, likable, modest, down-to-earth people. They came up short in the end, but they gave everything. Football has come home.
I had a big issue with Ashley Yound since the Derry incident. But he has been solid respectable and disciplined. Time to offer the peace pipe.
Had a chance to contemplate now without the end of game frustration kicking in and for my tuppence worth.... We played well first half utilising Sterlings pace up front to pull their defenders into places they didn't want to be in, also we used the wing backs to stretch Croatia wide...…..and should have been 2 up at least. 2nd half Croatia cut out the wing back supply so we had to play to their strengths, through the middle and into areas marshalled by Luvren and Vida...….mind how Luvren was still on the pitch for the 2nd half I don't know as the ref should have given him 2 yellow cards in first half...…… For their 1st goal IMO Walker should have attacked the ball instead of waiting for it and swooping trying to head clear, possible dangerous play with a high boot, but hindsight is wonderful...… From 60 minutes on there was really only one side that looked like winning ass England just couldn't get control of the ball, that's something that will come in time and in 2 years time for the Euros they should be capable of wrestling control from opposition...… All in all the whole group has done the Country proud and there's no shame in losing to a more accomplished & savvy side no matter how much it pains to say it...…. Maybe the Final is not a foregone conclusion after all as I'd be quite content for Croatia to win it...…..
To an extent you're right on most of this. We didn't beat anyone who we wouldn't have been expected to on paper - but it was all a lot better than going out to Iceland. We have an effective team playing mostly average football spiced up by the odd bit of magic from a set piece. We went out later than normal due to being on the fortuitous side of the draw and avoiding everyone that matters until the Semi. As a result of that the media had us as certainties to win the competition and football was, finally, coming home. But it was a start - a stepping stone for future competitions with a young squad, and lots more coming through. We need to avoid what has happened in the past ie. that young talented players burn out prematurely (remember Michael Owen) and really nurture them positively. We also need to bury this 52 year draught either by winning something, or by forgetting those barren years altogether - at the moment this history is like carrying a millstone around their necks.
Some people are never happy though.... Fiat workers strike over Ronaldo signing please log in to view this image Image copyrightAFP Workers at a Fiat Chrysler plant in Italy are to strike after its main investor decided to pay €112m (£99.2m) to sign footballer Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus. Both the football club and the carmaker are controlled by the Agnelli family through their holding company. For the USB union, the decision means Fiat is missing out on investment. It said the firm needed to guarantee the future of thousands of people, "rather than enriching only one". The union added that it was "unacceptable" that while Fiat Chrysler workers were making "huge economic sacrifices", millions of euros were being spent on the purchase of a player. The four-year deal to woo Ronaldo from Real Madrid was announced on Tuesday amid concern that Juventus might have overpaid for the 33-year-old forward. Full article... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44807281
turns out the "bunch of thugs" was a drunk aussie Newshub's Lloyd Burr reacts to assault by 'drunken Aussie'
I commiserate after game. England many chances in 1st half and if one goes in I think Croatia struggled. If England win I cheer for the 3 Tigers against France. Unlucky but good performance for tournament and this team has young player and will for surely get even better.
And the woman who jumped on the London Ambulance Service car was Scottish. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-who-danced-london-ambulance-12892565
any excuse for aussies and sweatys to get pissed they take any excuse to blame england also taken was there much trouble after the game
I am not being annoying, but, all this seeded nonsense and on paper we should beat them rubbish I just don't get it. Southgate started and played most of this tournament with a very young team, most who probably never played together before as a team that much and most certainly not that often with Pickford as the keeper! So how can anyone say we should beat any other team? No one knows what they can do as a team it's an unknown! There are no givens in sport and certainly not football! And all those other teams we played qualified under the same rules we did so deserved to be there too! Yes we seemed to have an easier route to the semi finals, but you can only play the team in front of you and as a young untried team how can that be easy? All these teams that, if nothing else have played together for longer and know each other better must be a bit scary! I for one was surprised and delighted by this unknown team! And I look forward to watching them play together again for many years to come. This unknown quantity that Southgate has made into a 'team' have done so much better than any overpaid bunch of 'individuals' that were previous England teams have done for a long time! And yes they made me believe and I enjoyed every minute of it! Apart from the losing bit! Actually I even had pride in them losing cos at least they tried for most of the game! Didn't hang heads and blame each other! They got overwhelmed for some parts but still tried! I don't give toss what the press says, it for me is what I see and what it makes me feel! I have this World Cup encouraged two work friends who have never followed football before to watch this tournament, they didn't even know what the World Cup was! And sadly that took some explaining! They have thoroughly enjoyed watching this England team play and gone through the highs and lows of what supporting a football team is about and are now looking forward to, in their words the anguish of doing it again! Oh dear that was a ramble! Best sign off now cos after this week I might need another vodka!