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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: whopper on May 15, 2012, 11:51:30 AM
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As its quiet thought id ask who people think should start up front for england without rooney??
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Colin Little and Damien Reeves.
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I suspect it doesn't really matter. England are awful.
Hodgson is a bit cautious, so he might go 4-3-3/4-5-1 with someone like Welbeck as the spearhead. Maybe Young and Milner on the flanks?
I look forward to the brief period of hysteria when the press decide England should make the semis at least, before crushing disappointment, followed by months of unpleasant ad hominem attacks on Hodgson which centre on the fact a) he has a speech impediment and b) he happens not to be Harry Redknapp.
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Oh, and Middleton Alty is right. Clearly Reeves should play. Although I'd assign Col the role of striker coach ;D
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FAO The Administrators, please can we move this onto the non-Alty page? Thanks
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Tunna
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FAO of the Aministrators, please move this thread to the NON football section.
England and football go together like Chalk and Cheese.
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Super Pippo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYbrKRX2pKo
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Why take it off? not doing any harm and there are some good points being made
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I apologise, England will win it
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Jacko,
Roy Hodgson can play you up front for all I care...!
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I apologise, England will win it
Shouldn't there be a "sh" in front of that "it" ?
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Dont even like england but like everbody else when the tournament comes i get behind them and enjoy it
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Welbeck and Sturridge.
nothing like two pacey strikers to scare cultured european defenders who are use to the slower paced spanish / italian leagues.
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nothing like two pacey strikers to scare cultural european defenders who are use to the slower paced spanish / italian leagues.
Like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNTBjKb3hbA
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Think my first choice XI would be something like this:
Hart
Walker Cahill Jones Cole
Walcott Scholes Barry Young
Sturridge Welbeck
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Grant Holt.
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Think my first choice XI would be something like this:
Hart
Walker Cahill Jones Cole
Walcott Scholes Barry Young
Sturridge Welbeck
replace jones with terry, and welbeck with crouch and we have a balanced team, apart from barry and scholes being the slowest players in the tournament!
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Aside from his severe personal flaws, John Terry will be crucified by any top European striker.
The man shouldn't be in the squad, let alone the starting XI.
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Aside from his severe personal flaws, John Terry will be crucified by any top European striker.
The man shouldn't be in the squad, let alone the starting XI.
utter rubbish, you dont beat barca over two legs and not have a world class centre back
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Aside from his severe personal flaws, John Terry will be crucified by any top European striker.
The man shouldn't be in the squad, let alone the starting XI.
utter rubbish, you dont beat barca over two legs and not have a world class centre back
Terry spent a good hour of it in the bath!
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if john terry is in the squad i wont be watching....I like milner and johnson but they may be suffering lack of match fitness....I'd also have micah richards in the side...I am unconvinced by wellbeck and would also like to see holt given a go...I like the centre back pairing of cahill and jones and would definetly go with that....
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Dan mate the guys a good centre back and puts his head on the line, look at us last tine against germany bloody upson, johnson, barry and james all totally out of their depth! terry will play im sure
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Oh and another thing, i dont think rooney should be involved in the freindlys as its right to give the starting strikers time to work together, also if.... and its a big if.. we play well against france and sweden then rooney can wait his turn unlike some fans who think we are a one man team
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I have 2 teams Alty and England neither are world beaters but i love them both
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just to continue the
argument debate, Upson's central defence partner against germany in that 4-1 humiliation was one Mr J Terry who got equally pulled to pieces and indeed stepped forward instead of goalwards to allow the 2nd goal.......just saying....he can also be seen strolling (and i mean strolling) into the penalty area out of position for germany's 3rd....
and the last thing england need is for some hothead to get himself sent off coz some spaniard gets him all upset.....hence I also agree Rooney should not be in the friendlies and should have to fight to get into the team if we start well and should be chomping at the bit on the subs bench....
incidentally what rooney did to get himself sent off and banned was not that different to joey barton's behaviour at the weekend...
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I have 2 teams Alty and England neither are world beaters but i love them both
Three lions could quite easily be about akty
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I understand he has pace issues, but as long as you have pace either side of him ie not upson and maybe instead cahill he can be a talisman and protect joe hart well.
Tottaly agree with you on rooney, its hardly fair on the strikers that start for him to come straight in against ukraine
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I support England and want us to do well, but I know we will fail. We will get out of the group and as soon as we play a decent side,we'll be out.
As for playing, Rooney should go, though agree he shouldn't be used in the friendlies. Terry is a horrible, horrible person. Brilliant captain, but such a horrible person he doesn't deserve to wear the shirt. We have plenty of centre halves who can do a job in the group stages, and potential world class players that need the tournament experience (ie Jones). Upfront, he's not everyones cup of tea, but Crouchs record speaks for himself and should go.
Thank God for the Euros though, a summer with football before the main business starts again.
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I support England and want us to do well, but I know we will fail. We will get out of the group and as soon as we play a decent side,we'll be out.
As for playing, Rooney should go, though agree he shouldn't be used in the friendlies. Terry is a horrible, horrible person. Brilliant captain, but such a horrible person he doesn't deserve to wear the shirt. We have plenty of centre halves who can do a job in the group stages, and potential world class players that need the tournament experience (ie Jones). Upfront, he's not everyones cup of tea, but Crouchs record speaks for himself and should go.
Thank God for the Euros though, a summer with football before the main business starts again.
and the bit above is enough for me, as a bit of an old fart, to say "Sorry John, you're not playing. You're not in the squad, and the reasons are..."
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Christ! Do people on here live in a church or something :D
john terrys just a dirtball but its not like he's a murderer or rapist like some sportsmen, lets put it in perspective...maradona is a cheating little druggie but in his hayday i would of defied anyone to not pick him on morales alone, thats football im afraid
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You'll not find me in a church!
Fully accept the point that players get picked because of their skills, (so long as they're not serving a prison sentence). That's not going to change soon. I just wish there was somebody with the nadgers to say to repeat scumbags like Terry that enough is enough. John Terry isn't fussed about a fine, he's not too bothered about his public image by the way he behaves (though I think he had a secret super injunction????). The only thing that can affect his life in a way that would make wake him up is not being able to represent his country. It may even do him good.
oh well - back to the real world.
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Sorry to troll on as usual but are we gonna have the games on in the bar like old times?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18081125
Ferdinand to be left out of squad, Terry to be included???
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Sorry to troll on as usual but are we gonna have the games on in the bar like old times?
Perhaps we can have another beer festival ? ??? Hic !!!
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We need to look forward and hence, no matter what they have done in their careers of varying lengths the following, amongst others, should not appear in an England squad ever again
Terry
Ferdinand
Lampard
Cole (A)
Cole (J)
Gerrard
Scholes
Johnson (G)
Crouch
Defoe
Bent (D)
The front two for the games where Rooney is unavailable should best reflect the percieved weaknesses of the opposition and may involve Andy Carroll, Danny Wellbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Grant Holt
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I don't really rate Terry, but if Ferdinand isn't going who else is there?
Lescott has done ok this season I suppose, and Cahill isn't bad but neither are that far ahead of Terry and neither have his experience.
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Well, we all knew Ferdinand and Terry wouldn't both be in the squad. But I thought Terry going and Ferdinand staying was the least likely option, notwithstanding Hodgson's preference for 'no nonsense' defenders (Hangeland, Hughes, etc).
The positive stuff about Terry in this thread is largely bollocks. His powers have been on the wane for years, and even at his best his was massively overrated by media idiots talking about 'captain marvel', 'die-hard spirit' and worst of all 'passion'. The fact is he's slow, positionally naive and at times impetuous.
I accept a sprinkling of experience is required even if you're looking to the future with a young squad. But John Terry? Oh dear.
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I would say terry is up there with most of the centre backs for the contenders for the trophy, mertesacker with germany, chellini for italy etc,not forgetting the guys in the champions league final, proof there that he is a good player
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We need to look forward and hence, no matter what they have done in their careers of varying lengths the following, amongst others, should not appear in an England squad ever again
Terry
Ferdinand
Lampard
Cole (A)
Cole (J)
Gerrard
Scholes
Johnson (G)
Crouch
Defoe
Bent (D)
The front two for the games where Rooney is unavailable should best reflect the percieved weaknesses of the opposition and may involve Andy Carroll, Danny Wellbeck, Daniel Sturridge and Grant Holt
Scholes has been the best player in the premiership in 2012.
if he wants to play, he should be the first name on the team sheet.
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Dan, yaya toure devoured paul scholes consistantly in the league :)
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Agree with ATS about leaving out all the past failures. How about,
Hart, Richards, Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Jones, Shelvey, Oxade, Walcott, Young and Rooney/Wellbeck plus Sturridge, A Johnson, Carroll, Kelly n Ruddy
Shame many of our quality young players are injured,Walker, Rodwell and Wilshire
Would probably get hammered, but at least it's fresh and new. Honestly don't think I could stomach Barry, Lampard and Gerrard failing again.
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England squad for Euro 2012:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), John Ruddy (Norwich)
Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton)
Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
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Hardly a top drawer front line...
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Grant Holt should be in the line-up
also what are the chances of a few wba players turning up? Nicky Shorey for example?
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Downing omg! Wheres sturridge???
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Honestly don't think I could stomach Barry, Lampard and Gerrard failing again.
Indeed!
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Grant Holt should be in the line-up
also what are the chances of a few wba players turning up? Nicky Shorey for example?
I'd rather have had a WBA theme to the Liverpool players who performed so well for Roy - Downing, Johnson, Carroll, henderson as standby what is he thinking?
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I would say terry is up there with most of the centre backs for the contenders for the trophy, mertesacker with germany, chellini for italy etc,not forgetting the guys in the champions league final, proof there that he is a good player
EBJT is nowhere near the man who has lead an unbeaten Juve defence this season.
No Michael Carrick, despite him completing the highest number of passes per game of English players in the Premier League this season. The FA can moan all it likes about a lack of technically gifted midfielders, but both Carrick and Leon Britton fit that mould and exist now.
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Whats chellini won compared to terry??? No contest
dislike him all u like but hes a winner
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The life of an internet troll...
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The life of an internet troll...
u made a dvd of yourself? :D
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Giorgio Chiellini has won the Scudetto this season at the heart of an unbeaten defence. He also won the award for Serie A defender of the year, as voted for by his peers, in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Of course Terry has won more trophies and personal awards, but he is on the slide now whereas Chiellini is at his peak - he had an unbelievable season this year.
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Whats chellini won compared to terry??? No contest
dislike him all u like but hes a winner
winners can still be muppets- JOHN TERRY IS ORVILLE !
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Whats chellini won compared to terry??? No contest
dislike him all u like but hes a winner
winners can still be muppets- JOHN TERRY IS ORVILLE !
Who wasn't a muppet...
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Whats chellini won compared to terry??? No contest
dislike him all u like but hes a winner
winners can still be muppets- JOHN TERRY IS ORVILLE !
Who wasn't a muppet...
:D
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think i would have picked 17 of the 23.
The inclusion of Downing is shocking.
OUT
Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal),James Milner (Man City)
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
IN
Defenders: Micah Richards
Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes
Forwards: Peter Crouch, Daniel Sturridge, Grant Holt
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Cant understand how carroll has got in ahead of crouch, he wants a big hustling bustling team with a warrior spirit like the old days, but in reality old fashioned players like him barry, parker get outdone by technically beeyer players, our centre midfield looks like a care home
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The one name in there that totally staggers me is Stewart Downing, who's just had a season so downright bad that I'd pick Nicky Clee in front of him !
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The one name in there that totally staggers me is Stewart Downing, who's just had a season so downright bad that I'd pick Nicky Clee in front of him !
0 goals and 0 assists all seasons speaks for itself
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The one name in there that totally staggers me is Stewart Downing, who's just had a season so downright bad that I'd pick Nicky Clee in front of him !
0 goals and 0 assists all seasons speaks for itself
does he still get paid for that sort of return?
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Imagine the slating Michael Twiss would have got if he'd returned that this season...
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Oh well, weve got a good keeper and arguebly one of the best defences there, greece won it with average players
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Cant understand how carroll has got in ahead of crouch, he wants a big hustling bustling team with a warrior spirit like the old days, but in reality old fashioned players like him barry, parker get outdone by technically beeyer players, our centre midfield looks like a care home
Love that! Spot on too!
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Tim Howard has had a better season up front!
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The one name in there that totally staggers me is Stewart Downing, who's just had a season so downright bad that I'd pick Nicky Clee in front of him !
0 goals and 0 assists all seasons speaks for itself
Surely he'll be credited with an assist for the sacking of Dalglish
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Just told my boss i will be on half day for the france game 5pm kick off not missing that one!
we have to mark ribery out of the game to win and im not sure any of our full back are capable
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Just told my boss i will be on half day for the france game 5pm kick off not missing that one!
we have to mark ribery out of the game to win and im not sure any of our full back are capable
we'd be better off sticking a 15 year old prostitute on the tough line. I'm sure he'll be adequately distracted.
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Just told my boss i will be on half day for the france game 5pm kick off not missing that one!
we have to mark ribery out of the game to win and im not sure any of our full back are capable
we'd be better off sticking a 15 year old prostitute on the tough line. I'm sure he'll be adequately distracted.
She'd be a better defender than Glen bloody Johnson, whose only rival for right back is the badly out of form Phil Jones >:(
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COME ON ENGLAND.
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COME ON ENGLAND.
here here ! Come on you whites !!!!!
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Its coming home its coming home its coming!!!
Balls to rooney lets use his omission to find a strike pairing that can do damage.... Somehow :-\
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Its coming home its coming home its coming!!!
Balls to rooney lets use his omission to find a strike pairing that can do damage.... Somehow :-\
Since that'd be perm any two from Carroll, Welbeck, and Defoe I am, to say the least, sceptical.
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I wanted crouch and sturridge ::)
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How anyone can suggest Crouch amazes me tbh.
Okay he has scored a wonder goal this season but IMHO, given that we will have Continental Opposition and Continental Officials he just gives far too many free kicks away AT BOTH END OF THE FOP
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How anyone can suggest Crouch amazes me tbh.
Okay he has scored a wonder goal this season but IMHO, given that we will have Continental Opposition and Continental Officials he just gives far too many free kicks away AT BOTH END OF THE FOP
Say what you like about Crouchy, but that fact remains - the 6'7 freak has a great scoring record at international level.
If bagging a goal every other games (22 goals in 42 appearances for England) is not proof enough for you, maybe you would like to compare his scoring record at international level with a few other household names:
Rooney (28 goals in 73 games)
Tevez (13 goals in 59 games)
Messi (22 goals in 68 games)
C. Ronaldo (32 goals in 88 games)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Peter_Crouch_Russia_vs_England_17_oсtober_2007_training_one_day_prior_to_a_match.jpg)
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That picture was taken on his return from winning the "Worlds Longest Shins 2011".
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Crouch has played in europe this season too, nobodys saying he's brilliant bit one things for sure bar rooney he's played best this season
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Whatever squad/team England have in Poland/Ukraine they'll flatter to deceive as usual. England are sh*t,simple!
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Whatever squad/team England have in Poland/Ukraine they'll flatter to deceive as usual. England are sh*t,simple!
I'm not even convinced we're going to flatter unfortunately.
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Whatever squad/team England have in Poland/Ukraine they'll flatter to deceive as usual. England are sh*t,simple!
I'm not even convinced we're going to flatter unfortunately.
Fraid they're going nowhere fast in this competition, time to support my 2nd team ROI !
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Positives = I would definatley put money on us conceding the least in our group as sweden and france are frail and have average goalkeepers imo,
Maybe young can get us some pens and walcott can singe a few full backs.... thats the only positives.... hang on get crouchy in he`s always got a goal in him for england!
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Can I just take a moment to guide you through those 22 goals
1 against Uruguay, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Macedonia, Estonia, Ukraine, France, Mexico, Andorra, Austria and Croatia
2 against Greece, Andorra (again), Belarus and Egypt
3 against Jamaica
So just 4 of them goals have been scored against 'proper' opposition- Uruguay, France, Mexico and Croatia, which isn't good enough to even get us close to winning the Euros
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Can I just take a moment to guide you through those 22 goals
1 against Uruguay, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Macedonia, Estonia, Ukraine, France, Mexico, Andorra, Austria and Croatia
2 against Greece, Andorra (again), Belarus and Egypt
3 against Jamaica
So just 4 of them goals have been scored against 'proper' opposition- Uruguay, France, Mexico and Croatia, which isn't good enough to even get us close to winning the Euros
hold on at least u could say they were all open play international goals not like rooneys penalties,
try all u like but crouch should start on paper
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Can I just take a moment to guide you through those 22 goals
1 against Uruguay, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Macedonia, Estonia, Ukraine, France, Mexico, Andorra, Austria and Croatia
2 against Greece, Andorra (again), Belarus and Egypt
3 against Jamaica
So just 4 of them goals have been scored against 'proper' opposition- Uruguay, France, Mexico and Croatia, which isn't good enough to even get us close to winning the Euros
hold on at least u could say they were all open play international goals not like rooneys penalties,
try all u like but crouch should start on paper
But not on grass.
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Can I just take a moment to guide you through those 22 goals
1 against Uruguay, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Macedonia, Estonia, Ukraine, France, Mexico, Andorra, Austria and Croatia
2 against Greece, Andorra (again), Belarus and Egypt
3 against Jamaica
So just 4 of them goals have been scored against 'proper' opposition- Uruguay, France, Mexico and Croatia, which isn't good enough to even get us close to winning the Euros
hold on at least u could say they were all open play international goals not like rooneys penalties,
try all u like but crouch should start on paper
But not on grass.
so would you start carroll and defoe then........ Are they going to score more for england?
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Oh and dont get me started on paul 'prick tease' scholes!!! Get your boots back on and earn your money, zidane rates you but puts you to shame in his spirit!!!
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Will Rodders be with the England party?
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Can I just take a moment to guide you through those 22 goals
1 against Uruguay, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Macedonia, Estonia, Ukraine, France, Mexico, Andorra, Austria and Croatia
2 against Greece, Andorra (again), Belarus and Egypt
3 against Jamaica
So just 4 of them goals have been scored against 'proper' opposition- Uruguay, France, Mexico and Croatia, which isn't good enough to even get us close to winning the Euros
You can only score against what's put in front of you. Look at some of the defences he's scored against this season, and turn try and make your point again.
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Will Rodders be with the England party?
He is,as is Mark Sertori.
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Whatever squad/team England have in Poland/Ukraine they'll flatter to deceive as usual. England are sh*t,simple!
I hope that your are right ;D
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Should have a poll on where people believe we'll finish
Are the club (or this forum) running a sweepstake
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Good idea, i think we should do a pridict winner/topscorer on here,
i'll start.... Winner germany/Top scorer jelavic
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Would anyone else like to see some raw talent in our forever boring side? thomas ince???
Looks like roy is going to build the side around gerrard but i think he's half the player he used to be!!
Meanwhile here's an all english european cup winning team
http://differentgame.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/an-england-team-of-champions-league-winners/
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Would anyone else like to see some raw talent in our forever boring side? thomas ince???
Looks like roy is going to build the side around gerrard but i think he's half the player he used to be!!
Meanwhile here's an all english european cup winning team
http://differentgame.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/an-england-team-of-champions-league-winners/
Interestingly, they don't have a goalkeeper. Is this a new tactical ploy? ;)
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For the first time in my lifetime i would say our goalkeeper is the best player in the england squad
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I just can't understand how Glen Johnson is an automatic squad member when Micah Richards can't even make it onto the standby list. I'd love someone to explain that to me.
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
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We're gonna piss this tinpot trophy
SEmi finals Atleast
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
He could have and should have declared for Ireland ;)
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Now Football @Now__Football
#eng snubbed/retired XI: Foster; Richards, Ferdinand, King, Gibbs; Lennon, Carrick, Scholes, A Johnson; Sturridge, Crouch. (@henrywinter)
Now Football @Now__Football
#eng injury XI: Ruddy; Walker, Cahill, Dawson, Smalling; Wilshere, Huddlestone, Lampard, Barry, Rodwell; Bent. (@henrywinter)
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
He could have and should have declared for Ireland ;)
The FAI are too busy stealing from the North to bother with English cast-offs ::)
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
He could have and should have declared for Ireland ;)
The FAI are too busy stealing from the North to bother with English cast-offs ::)
So true (but why not if the rules are in their favour? )
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
He could have and should have declared for Ireland ;)
The FAI are too busy stealing from the North to bother with English cast-offs ::)
In fairness, not much in the way of stealing necessary. They come running. James McClean the latest, has been quoted as saying that no catholic can truly feel at home playing for NI seeing all the Union Jack flags and hearing the sectarian songs and chants. A point neatly underlined by the morons who sent him death threats after he declared for the Republic.
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One of the first tournaments ive seen us in where we are not getting carried away, would be great if it turns out we dont need rooney in the third game and our system is working as that would show we are not a one man team,
The spine still looks good but im afraid parker/peter reid is just an average dog, we say he has lots of passion but guess what at the top level you need a lot more than that
other than that..... come on england!!
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In fairness, not much in the way of stealing necessary. They come running. James McClean the latest, has been quoted as saying that no catholic can truly feel at home playing for NI seeing all the Union Jack flags and hearing the sectarian songs and chants. A point neatly underlined by the morons who sent him death threats after he declared for the Republic.
The IFA have done absolutely everything they possibly could to create the right atmosphere for Catholics to play for the national team. And there aren't sectarian songs sung at Windsor Park. Pro-British, perhaps. But nothing overtly anti-Catholic.
The Football For All programme is about eradicating sectarianism from the game at all levels. The current manager of the national team is a Catholic. I really don't see what else they're supposed to do...
The IFA invest huge amounts in training and nurturing these young players, only for the FAI to come in at the last minute ans say "Yeah, we'll have you. The North don't want you anyway. They're all sectarian bigots."
It's Northern Ireland who are trying to work towards a pluralist national team in which people from all traditions take pride. But it's f**king impossible when the FAI are acting so dishonourably, appealing to the inbred sectarian impulses of young lads from Catholic communities. Heaven forbid they should actually help us move on from the bad old days when there might be a couple of decent players to steal ::)
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One of the first tournaments ive seen us in where we are not getting carried away, would be great if it turns out we dont need rooney in the third game and our system is working as that would show we are not a one man team,
The spine still looks good but im afraid parker/peter reid is just an average dog, we say he has lots of passion but guess what at the top level you need a lot more than that
other than that..... come on england!!
It's all doom and gloom at the moment but I think in a few years time England could actually have a fairly decent team. Hart, Cahill, Jones, Wilshire, AOC, Cleverly, Welbeck, Sturridge will all be about for many years yet. I think this tournament should have really been used with Brazil 2014 in mind and to blood young players. As it is, we might bore our way through to the Quarters but we lack the creativity and attacking nous to do anything against the better outfits. The utterly baffling decision not to take Michael Carrick will rebound on us I fear.
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The IFA have done absolutely everything they possibly could to create the right atmosphere for Catholics to play for the national team. And there aren't sectarian songs sung at Windsor Park. Pro-British, perhaps. But nothing overtly anti-Catholic.
The Football For All programme is about eradicating sectarianism from the game at all levels. The current manager of the national team is a Catholic. I really don't see what else they're supposed to do...
The IFA invest huge amounts in training and nurturing these young players, only for the FAI to come in at the last minute ans say "Yeah, we'll have you. The North don't want you anyway. They're all sectarian bigots."
It's Northern Ireland who are trying to work towards a pluralist national team in which people from all traditions take pride. But it's f**king impossible when the FAI are acting so dishonourably, appealing to the inbred sectarian impulses of young lads from Catholic communities. Heaven forbid they should actually help us move on from the bad old days when there might be a couple of decent players to steal ::)
All fine words Banbury, but not exactly true. Sectarian bigots exist on both sides of the divide and phrases like the FAI "appealing to the inbred sectarian impulses of young lads from Catholic communities" hardly does anything to forward the cause of integration. NI is still largely protestant and there still exists a large undercurent of anti-catholic sentiment from a large swathe of the protestant community, no matter how much you may wish to package it differently (and yes there are percentage head of population wise just as many morons from the catholic side).
Neil Lennon decided to quit playing international football for NI due to death threats received after he made the criminal decision to play for Celtic. Only last year Lennon along with NI players Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt were sent death threats (again their crime being employed by Celtic). The authorities may be well intentioned and attempt an all inclusive approach, but the reality on the ground is not so politically correct. Sadly it will take a long time for inbuilt hatred and mistrust on both sides of the divide to fade away.
You can rant all you wish about the Republic stealing players, but certainly in the case of James McClean, he chose not to respresent NI at senior level and WAIT for a call up to the Republic squad (nothing was promised and in fact Trappatoni almost did everything he could to overlook him for some bizarre reason known only to himself).
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Despite the two 1-0 friendly wins I remain downbeat about our chances and think qualification from the group will be regarded as success.
Fortunatly Lampard's injury will prevent Hodgson from attempting to make a lampard/gerrard midfield combo work.
The wrong chelsea central defender is now injured and hodgson's decision to bring in someone who's name I can't even bring to mind now from liverpool is baffling.....it would make sense to have bought in micah richards who can play right back and central defence as that would make 3/5 of the defence from the english premiership winners rather than 5 strangers.....
I remain baffled by the inclusion of downing.
But apart from that i look forward to seeing the younger players gel and give hope for the future.....it is worth a note that the two strikers who scored the goals are not the old guard golden generation.
I just fear cahill's injury has ruined the chances of us winning our way to the final 1-0......but I don't care coz it looks like terry will be playing so i wont be watching with anything more than a casual glance at the younger prospects, his inclusion even makes me want us to get humiliated and hammered every game....just wondering what the FA and Hodgson will say afterwards when he is found guilty of making racist comments?....
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All fine words Banbury, but not exactly true. Sectarian bigots exist on both sides of the divide and phrases like the FAI "appealing to the inbred sectarian impulses of young lads from Catholic communities" hardly does anything to forward the cause of integration. NI is still largely protestant and there still exists a large undercurent of anti-catholic sentiment from a large swathe of the protestant community, no matter how much you may wish to package it differently (and yes there are percentage head of population wise just as many morons from the catholic side).
Neil Lennon decided to quit playing international football for NI due to death threats received after he made the criminal decision to play for Celtic. Only last year Lennon along with NI players Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt were sent death threats (again their crime being employed by Celtic). The authorities may be well intentioned and attempt an all inclusive approach, but the reality on the ground is not so politically correct. Sadly it will take a long time for inbuilt hatred and mistrust on both sides of the divide to fade away.
You can rant all you wish about the Republic stealing players, but certainly in the case of James McClean, he chose not to respresent NI at senior level and WAIT for a call up to the Republic squad (nothing was promised and in fact Trappatoni almost did everything he could to overlook him for some bizarre reason known only to himself).
I won't go on and on for fear of ruining the thread, but just briefly...
Sectarianism remains a problem in Northern Ireland. Of course. But the IFA are striivng to tackle it and should expect a bit of support from the FAI, in my humble opinion. Some things are more important than getting a decent full-back into your squad.
When England had serious problems with racism they didn't have any rival associations exploiting the situation and hurting their fight to combat it. It just irks somewhat that a country as small as NI has been shat on here. Life's difficult enough for a country as small as us.
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May I also point out that Martin Kelly joining up with the squad is demonstrative of just how lacking the current crop of English players is.
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Also not wishing to derail completely, but would just like to point out that when you use phrases like "Yeah, we'll have you. The North don't want you anyway. They're all sectarian bigots." in quotes as if that was actually said by somebody and then accuse the FAI of attempting to exploit sectarian divisions you are being more than a little disingenuous. There is absolutely no proof of any of your statements and the players that are commonly mentioned with respect to this all made their own decisions for various reasons (whether that be not feeling British and standing for God Save the Queen or simply playing for a team that had better chances of qualifying for major tournaments).
Being born on the island of Ireland entitles these players to Irish nationality. Unless FIFA introduce a rule whereby players who play schoolboy football for one nation can never play for another I do not see anything that you can do about it. The FAI NEVER appointed anybody to specifically target players who could possibly declare for the Republic. NI did however do this and in fact appointed an ambassador (in the shape of Gerry Armstrong) to target players who were thought to be potential 'defectors'.
Ultimately, whilst the rules allow it's a players choice. Like it or not.
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Oh great, now Cahill is out while Terry looks to be fit enough!
WE'RE DOOOMED! DOOMED, I TELL YOU, DOOMED!
He could have and should have declared for Ireland ;)
The FAI are too busy stealing from the North to bother with English cast-offs ::)
Firstly on your accusation of stealing, most Irish people view the annexation of the six counties as nothing but that. However, in the Good Friday agreement, in exchange for the Republic removing claim to the six counties from its constitution, Paisley made one of his very few ‘concessions’ and agreed that ANYONE born in the six counties has the right to claim Irish or British citizenship. Not all Catholics claim Irish Passports and I know of non-Catholics from the North that claim Irish passports as when it suits their purpose they are Irish, when it don’t they are British. Example, those ‘Loyalists’ that attend Scottish Universities and produce an Irish Passport in order to avoid paying tuition fees.
It’s the same with the IFA who sit on the fence. Unless it has recently changed, to play for Northern Ireland you had to have a British Passport – which excludes players who claim Irish Nationality and also contravenes the Good Friday agreement. Unlike Wales and Scotland the IFA insist on playing the official British Anthem, yet even some England players have not/wont sing it, yet you expect Irish people to. However, the IFA were not so quick to be British when they opposed Team GB.
The FAI have not stolen players. They are entitled to play their own Citizens. Maik Taylor played 88 times in goal for Northern Ireland having had no connection with Ireland whatsoever (north or south) either by heritage or residence. He was born in Germany to a German mother and claimed a British Passport through his English Father. I suggest that you get your own house in order before pointing the accusing finger.
And if you dont like the current rules, I suggest you should be having a go at Rev Ian Paisley not the FAI.
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Can anyone point me in the direction of the England Euro 2012 thread please?
:)
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Can anyone point me in the direction of the England Euro 2012 thread please?
:)
PMSL. It's been annexed. COME ON IRELAND. 15000 poles turned up to watch an open training session last night in the host town of Gdynia.
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Firstly on your accusation of stealing, most Irish people view the annexation of the six counties as nothing but that. However, in the Good Friday agreement, in exchange for the Republic removing claim to the six counties from its constitution, Paisley made one of his very few ‘concessions’ and agreed that ANYONE born in the six counties has the right to claim Irish or British citizenship. Not all Catholics claim Irish Passports and I know of non-Catholics from the North that claim Irish passports as when it suits their purpose they are Irish, when it don’t they are British. Example, those ‘Loyalists’ that attend Scottish Universities and produce an Irish Passport in order to avoid paying tuition fees.
It’s the same with the IFA who sit on the fence. Unless it has recently changed, to play for Northern Ireland you had to have a British Passport – which excludes players who claim Irish Nationality and also contravenes the Good Friday agreement. Unlike Wales and Scotland the IFA insist on playing the official British Anthem, yet even some England players have not/wont sing it, yet you expect Irish people to. However, the IFA were not so quick to be British when they opposed Team GB.
The FAI have not stolen players. They are entitled to play their own Citizens. Maik Taylor played 88 times in goal for Northern Ireland having had no connection with Ireland whatsoever (north or south) either by heritage or residence. He was born in Germany to a German mother and claimed a British Passport through his English Father. I suggest that you get your own house in order before pointing the accusing finger.
And if you dont like the current rules, I suggest you should be having a go at Rev Ian Paisley not the FAI.
I could take issue with a huge amount of that. But it's probably fair to everyone else if I don't, it'll massively clog up a thread that supposed to be about England
Suffice to say, bringing evangelical fundamentalist nutter Ian Paisley into things doesn't improve the chances of rational discussion taking place. And the Maik Taylor example is certainly a strange one, but is completely different. He wasn't someone a rival association wanted to pick. What's happening in the Irish case is young Northern Irish lads, trained by the IFA, picked for Northern Ireland youth squads, are then poached.
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Can anyone point me in the direction of the England Euro 2012 thread please?
:)
PMSL. It's been annexed. COME ON IRELAND. 15000 poles turned up to watch an open training session last night in the host town of Gdynia.
Chris, are you going to Euro 2012? I am going to the match on Sunday.
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Back to the Euros, I find it annoying the press continuing to claim that Ferdinand has been snubbed 'again' following Cahills injury. No he hasn't, Hodgson can't bring him up even if he wanted to I'm led to believe. Once the final 23 has been named, if a player gets an injury before the tournament you can only call up from the back up list, hence why Kelly has been brought in.
To be fair, I only knew about this rule when I heard Graham Taylor talk about it. Back in Euro 92, he had to go to the tournament with 19 players instead of 20 as Mark Wright picked up an injury just before the tournament, and UEFA wouldn't allow him to call up someone else.
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I don't get why Kelly's inclusion is that bad
he may make the bench at best!
It's not like he goes to the starting line up straight away...
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Chris, are you going to Euro 2012? I am going to the match on Sunday.
Lucky you. Unfortunately no, I had been advised of my financial priorities by my good lady wife and that if I was telling her we couldn't afford to do other things, then I certainly couldn't justify Poland ;-(
Should be a fantastic atmosphere, they estimate about 25000 Irish making their way out there by a whole host of methods.
I have created a new thread for the nationality issue so as not to clog this further:
http://www.altyfans.co.uk/index.php?topic=15048.0
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Fair play, I thought that was a good first 45 minutes of football from England. Generally quite compact and patient. No kick and rush sh*te as was the case in South Africa.
Things got a tad ropey after the French equaliser (Parker at fault IMO) but with H/T to compose themselves they might actually get out of this without losing.
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And it was followed up with a solid second half. The ref didn't do England many favours, did he!?
He's good at getting the best out of limited players, is Hodgson. He seems the ideal manager for this squad.
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Ref was baised great result
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Hodgson played a team that set out not to get beat and the plaers stuck at their jobs very well- there were several times where I looked at the England players and saw two clear banks of 4 set out perfectly, giving the French very little space to move in
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It's the first time in a long time that I've seen an England team set out with a clear gameplan and execute it quite well. We recognised our own strengths and weaknesses and, without setting the world alight, got a good result. Hodgson deserves a lot of credit for coming in and getting an injury-ravaged squad playing quite well together. Hopefully we can build from here and progress from the group, which for me would represent a decent achievement.
Come on England!
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Predictions for tonight?
Narrow England win for my money. Carroll and Welbeck up top.
It seems strange that of all countries that have ended up being perceived as unable to deal with the aerial ball, it's Sweden. I fully expect England to overcome Brazil at the next World Cup with rhythm, skill and technical brilliance.
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Nil Nil in a poor spectacle is my prediction.
I am watching it with young Tyler so I expect it to be dire and make him wonder why I watch football at all.
Slighly annoyed at losing my centurion helmet but it will turn up..
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Nil Nil in a poor spectacle is my prediction.
I am watching it with young Tyler so I expect it to be dire and make him wonder why I watch football at all.
Slighly annoyed at losing my centurion helmet but it will turn up..
not even close mr E
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Nil Nil in a poor spectacle is my prediction.
I am watching it with young Tyler so I expect it to be dire and make him wonder why I watch football at all.
Slighly annoyed at losing my centurion helmet but it will turn up..
not even close mr E
Couldnt have been much further away!! Thats why I gave up football betting about 3 years ago
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That finish by Welbeck was outrageous! At least we're playing with spirit and there appears to be a great sense of unity in the squad. Tuesday will be tough though....
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That said when Greece sneak past Russia tonight and qualify then its 350/1 tastic!
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Russia all the way..... Red army!!!
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That said when Greece sneak past Russia tonight and qualify then its 350/1 tastic!
:D
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That said when Greece sneak past Russia tonight and qualify then its 350/1 tastic!
:D
You shouldn't have given up betting, and put a tenner on the Greeks to win the group ::)
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That said when Greece sneak past Russia tonight and qualify then its 350/1 tastic!
You shouldn't have given up betting, and put a tenner on the Greeks to win the group ::)
Would've been a waste of money though because they finished as runners up to the Chezchs!!
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what the greece result does highlight is how england cannot be complacent about just having to get a draw V ukraine.
The only worrying part for me is that what seems to have been initially a tight defence, following cahill's injury is very fragile and John Terry is a very obvious weak link...
Good on roy for making a very sensible substitution.....I'd have rooney in for young for the ukraine match.
And glenn johnson seems to have discovered how to defend.
Has anyone met anyone who actually enjoys having the england band at matches......I can't stand the dreary drones of the great escape or rule britannia and I am convinced it has a tiring effect on the players....and I'd be livid if I'd shelled out to get to the championships and found myself anywhere near the selfish annoying egotistical musicians......they were bought in to drown out unsavoury chants for euro '96 and they are not needed anymore!!
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what the greece result does highlight is how england cannot be complacent about just having to get a draw V ukraine.
The only worrying part for me is that what seems to have been initially a tight defence, following cahill's injury is very fragile and John Terry is a very obvious weak link...
Good on roy for making a very sensible substitution.....I'd have rooney in for young for the ukraine match.
And glenn johnson seems to have discovered how to defend.
Has anyone met anyone who actually enjoys having the england band at matches......I can't stand the dreary drones of the great escape or rule britannia and I am convinced it has a tiring effect on the players....and I'd be livid if I'd shelled out to get to the championships and found myself anywhere near the selfish annoying egotistical musicians......they were bought in to drown out unsavoury chants for euro '96 and they are not needed anymore!!
I've not seen any evidence of this yet!
He got an easy ride over the goals, for the first one Young shouldn't have left Mellberg but seeing this had happened Johnson should have stepped up and not played him onside.
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I think music at international level is quite acceptable, christ are we the worlds dullest fans or what?
Vuvuzelas, trumpets, drums etc all widely accepted as atmosphere boosting instruments, apart from with a few moaning alty fans zzzzz
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I think music at international level is quite acceptable, christ are we the worlds dullest fans or what?
Vuvuzelas, trumpets, drums etc all widely accepted as atmosphere boosting instruments, apart from with a few moaning alty fans zzzzz
"Widely accepted"? By whom? Bollocks as usual.
Anyway, yeah, Ashley Young has been poor and should be out of the side. It'd be hard to leave Theo out for the next game too.
I'm not a Glen Johnson fan but more often than not when he's been called upon to defend he's done very well. Certainly better than in SA when every time anyone ran at him or he had to defend a high ball you fully expected him to get rinsed.
It's nice for Hodgson to have a few attacking players who seem to be in form and a settled defence/central midfield. Walcott, Welbeck and Carroll all did well, Rooney is the best player and is once again eligible. I still think Terry is a tad dodgy (at one point he looked out of his depth trying to deal with Ibrahimovic) but better to keep him in for the sake of continuity than break things up now.
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I think music at international level is quite acceptable, christ are we the worlds dullest fans or what?
Vuvuzelas, trumpets, drums etc all widely accepted as atmosphere boosting instruments, apart from with a few moaning alty fans zzzzz
"Widely accepted"? By whom? Bollocks as usual.
Anyway, yeah, Ashley Young has been poor and should be out of the side. It'd be hard to leave Theo out for the next game too.
I'm not a Glen Johnson fan but more often than not when he's been called upon to defend he's done very well. Certainly better than in SA when every time anyone ran at him or he had to defend a high ball you fully expected him to get rinsed.
It's nice for Hodgson to have a few attacking players who seem to be in form and a settled defence/central midfield. Walcott, Welbeck and Carroll all did well, Rooney is the best player and is once again eligible. I still think Terry is a tad dodgy (at one point he looked out of his depth trying to deal with Ibrahimovic) but better to keep him in for the sake of continuity than break things up now.
erm widely excepted by most of the football world as its part of most games to have a carnival atmosphere apart from your boring backward lifeless view.
Snore out with the john terry crap he's a top draw champions league centre back deal with it you chat so much sxxx
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Also have to say a stronger manager would leave rooney on the bench as a matter of principle, i could see the germans having this attitude with a talented but indiscaplined striker for sure
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Having a band in a big stadium at a tournament adds to the atmosphere. The England band can be bloody awful though, not least thanks to a tedious playlist that should be on the dad's army soundtrack.
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Really enjoying the tournament and watching England, watching the game in pubs has never been better! no to cool for school anti "Ingerland"types and much less happy clappy once a year face painted folks !!
The band is fine in the big stadiums and competitive matches , come on England!!!!!
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Russia all the way..... Red army!!!
Jacko,
Your tips never fail to entertain.
I'd stick to practising on your vuvuzela in preparation for the pre-season friendly at Abbey Hey if I were you...!
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Also have to say a stronger manager would leave rooney on the bench as a matter of principle, i could see the germans having this attitude with a talented but indiscaplined striker for sure
I'd be very inclined to leave Rooney on the bench, but he won't be. Suppose he'll be fresh, but how match fit he is is another matter.
(can you say "is is "? It sounds ok, but doesn't look it ??? )
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erm widely excepted by most of the football world as its part of most games to have a carnival atmosphere apart from your boring backward lifeless view.
Snore out with the john terry crap he's a top draw champions league centre back deal with it you chat so much sxxx
I don't think it is "widely excepted [sic]". But continue to believe as much on the basis that I have a backward lifeless view. It's certainly easier than finding any real evidence.
Top draw CL defender? :D :D He got sent off in the crucial semi, missed the final, then changed into a full kit to raise the trophy. What an utterly useless C**t.
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
Unless you're one of Roman's bestest mates!
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
Unless you're one of Roman's bestest mates!
cant imagine those two chillin tbh
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
Unless you're one of Roman's bestest mates!
cant imagine those two chillin tbh
He 'chills' on Romans yacht so they must be quite pally.
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I love this forum
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
Unless you're one of Roman's bestest mates!
cant imagine those two chillin tbh
He 'chills' on Romans yacht so they must be quite pally.
naa he's just got the same henchmen...
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Come on alty
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You dont stay first choice centre back at chelsea with romans billions for so long without being 'top drawer' sir
Unless you're one of Roman's bestest mates!
cant imagine those two chillin tbh
He 'chills' on Romans yacht so they must be quite pally.
naa he's just got the same henchmen...
The last time Portugal and Holland played, 20 cards were given out. That's nothing, John Terry got over 100 today alone
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my brother in moscow is stil in shock after that exit ; england have no fears underdog rules
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Nice to hear Rod Thornley get a mention in tonight's ITV commentary.
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If Milner is in this team for his defensive capability on the right wing then play a proper right back and put Johnson on the wing - he's better going forward than Milner!
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Anybody ready to believe me that we're gonna win it yet? (or make Semis atleast)
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Bring on the Italians, come on England!!!!
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Bring on the Italians, come on England!!!!
Hopefully we can pack the bar out!
Excited for Sunday now! (not bothered about my 9am exam on Monday...)
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Would like to see us have a proper go at them, walcott for milner would put us on the front foot straight away, if we play like we did tonight it will go to penelties at best
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Not seen much of the footy, but England seem to have gone about their tasks quietly, the press haven't been banging on about their chances, the ladies seem to have not shown up at all...it's all nice and quiet, just doing the job on the pitch. I like that. Such a refreshing change from the ludicrous mega-hype of South Africa and earlier tournaments.
Three games of footy to win. I don't think many would say England are favourites , but keep going the way they have been and who knows? It's eleven blokes V eleven blokes. Keep it calm, control the controllable elements. Keep it low key.
You never know...
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quietly doing the job in a thoroughly unconvincing way lulling the italians into a false sense of security.
the world must be scratching their heads at our obsession with rooney.....he was built up far too much....he should have started on the bench, carroll would have scored that first header and then bring rooney on to score the 2nd and it would all have been very comfortable......
it's great that uefa have finally woken up to goal line technology and employed the extra line officials to eliminate any controvesy...jeez!
Gerard is my england player of the tournament so far....finally without lampard playing like he does for liverpool.
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Gerrard's been excellent, very dynamic etc, but, for me, Lescott hasn't put a foot wrong.
Many are raving about Terry's goal line (!) clearance, but he was (AGAIN) caught out of position in the build up.
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Lescott has been absolutely outstanding. I would seriously consider dropping Terry as he is the weakest link in that defence with his lack of pace. Bring in Jagielka to play alongside Lieutenant Worf.
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Many are raving about Terry's goal line (!) clearance, but he was (AGAIN) caught out of position in the build up.
so out of position and didn't get there in time actually!!!
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i am no football technician and am surprised we have got out of the group , i may well be missing something that is beyond my footballing brain but we have gone further than i thought we would maybe if we had a small re think....
Milner works hard but has no end product going forward put in Walcot instead gives us alot more pace
Young looks light weight and loses the ball too much give the ox a run
just a thought that gives a lot more going forward which i think we will need against the pizza munching spaghetti bolognaise denying cowards
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i am no football technician and am surprised we have got out of the group , i may well be missing something that is beyond my footballing brain but we have gone further than i thought we would maybe if we had a small re think....
Milner works hard but has no end product going forward put in Walcot instead gives us alot more pace
Young looks light weight and loses the ball too much give the ox a run
just a thought that gives a lot more going forward which i think we will need against the pizza munching spaghetti bolognaise denying cowards
Did I watch a different game than you when we played France? The Ox has one of the worst toches I've ever seen for such a massive star as he's billed out to be, last night Young brought down everything that was sprayed to him
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The best ending England could've hoped for IMO. Battled bravely against a far superior side and losing on pens is no disgrace and it has saved us from the Germans ripping us a new arsehole!
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The best ending England could've hoped for IMO. Battled bravely against a far superior side and losing on pens is no disgrace and it has saved us from the Germans ripping us a new arsehole!
110 percent agree
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Aside from the fact that it cost me over £80 on my HT/FT bet, I'd have been happier if we'd had a BSN referee's asssistant. The offside goal would have stood, I wouldn't have wasted an hour of my life, we could have spent the two years up to the World Cup whingeing that we'd been the victims of a terrible injustice, and we wouldn't be a total laughing stock because half of our nominated penalty takers YET AGAIN couldn't get the basics right >:(
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We are what we are I'm afraid, and that is "average"
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The best ending England could've hoped for IMO. Battled bravely against a far superior side and losing on pens is no disgrace and it has saved us from the Germans ripping us a new arsehole!
A good summary. I'm just glad we gave it a good go and there was no controversial exit.
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I also feel that winning our group was an achievement in itself. Would have been lovely to go further but it was never really on the cards. I like Roy Hodgson and think he is capable of taking us further if he's given the chance.
What I'd like to see happen now is Hodgson start to bring the next generation through and dispense with some of the old guard. If only more young English players were playing top flight football week in, week out....
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I also feel that winning our group was an achievement in itself. Would have been lovely to go further but it was never really on the cards. I like Roy Hodgson and think he is capable of taking us further if he's given the chance.
What I'd like to see happen now is Hodgson start to bring the next generation through and dispense with some of the old guard. If only more young English players were playing top flight football week in, week out....
[/quote]Aside from the fact that it cost me over £80 on my HT/FT bet, I'd have been happier if we'd had a BSN referee's asssistant. The offside goal would have stood, I wouldn't have wasted an hour of my life, we could have spent the two years up to the World Cup whingeing that we'd been the victims of a terrible injustice, and we wouldn't be a total laughing stock because half of our nominated penalty takers YET AGAIN couldn't get the basics right >:(
Agree with both the above. we were average,Terry was terrible, and Rooney was all but invisible.
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all the ravings about how tight we were defensively is IMO rubbish....we conceded twice to the swedes, looked rocky V ukraine and were ripped apart repeatedly by italy and were lucky not to get hit for 6.
Terry may have thrown his body about in admirable fashion but looked very vulnerable to a simple ball over the top.
Wayne Rooney was not fit and I don't think he is a world class player ever capable of taking a game by the scruff of the neck like ronaldo (much as I hate him)....the world must be scratching their heads at our idolisation of a player who has never produced what he promised...mainly because I believe he is a smoker and has lost the yard of pace to go with his robust strength.
The new batch of player coming through do not look that promising.....we will probably have a very tough defence with richards, cahill, lescott, hart and probably ashley cole....johnson I thought has come on in leaps and bounds.
We have a bit of pace but not much quality up front, the midfield engine is on it's last legs and need replacing so rebuilding this side to make it better will be a tough call.
The main problem is that our english premier league cultivates foreign talent while stifling english talent...we are probably stuck with needing negative hard to beat tactics getting us to the next world cup and hodgson has done a good job wmaking the best of what he has available...although there were some gaps in his squad selection
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Don't know if I was watching a different game, but most of the time Terry was at right back covering Johnson going forward and the balls went over Lescott's head? I was also impressed with Carroll when he came on, won almost every ball in the air for us- more than Welbeck managed
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all the ravings about how tight we were defensively is IMO rubbish....we conceded twice to the swedes, looked rocky V ukraine and were ripped apart repeatedly by italy and were lucky not to get hit for 6.
Terry may have thrown his body about in admirable fashion but looked very vulnerable to a simple ball over the top.
Wayne Rooney was not fit and I don't think he is a world class player ever capable of taking a game by the scruff of the neck like ronaldo (much as I hate him)....the world must be scratching their heads at our idolisation of a player who has never produced what he promised...mainly because I believe he is a smoker and has lost the yard of pace to go with his robust strength.
The new batch of player coming through do not look that promising.....we will probably have a very tough defence with richards, cahill, lescott, hart and probably ashley cole....johnson I thought has come on in leaps and bounds.
We have a bit of pace but not much quality up front, the midfield engine is on it's last legs and need replacing so rebuilding this side to make it better will be a tough call.
The main problem is that our english premier league cultivates foreign talent while stifling english talent...we are probably stuck with needing negative hard to beat tactics getting us to the next world cup and hodgson has done a good job wmaking the best of what he has available...although there were some gaps in his squad selection
I'll stick my neck out and say the Premier League is part of the problem. Not a single member of England's squad plays overseas. The Premier League is a physical, high speed drama fest build around TV and a worldwide market. The Spanish and Italian leagues are, for me, slower tempo and more skillful. The German league plays less games and breaks for six weeks, and their domestic structure is better geared towards the national team.
Our players looked knackered last night and the gulf in skill, passing and technique was damning. The Irish depend heavily on English clubs too and were awful at times. Our clubs do well in the Champions League but it runs all season and the foreign players in my view strengthen the teams.
Hardly scientific I know, but there are 34 Spanish based players in Euro 2012, and 28 are still there. 45 players based in Germany, 19 left. 11 play in Portugal and all are still out there. 31 Italian based players,23 left. 77 English based players, only 9 left. 39 went out in the first round.