[Football] An apology

[Cotton Socks]

For a scary moment there I thought you were going to say you were wrong about everyone on your ignore list!
Edit to add. Who the f**k is ben that's been brought to your attention?

 

[Justice]

You’ve gone too early. Once England face a top side in the knockouts GS will go defensive again despite having some of worlds best attacking talent at his disposal. You know the script he’s had three chances of going all the way and blown every single one of them.

 

[maltaseagull]

Wine. Red, red wine

And there was I thinking it was an apology for all the posts of obscure bands that I've never heard of!

 

[essbee1]

Just for the record

UB40 done it first

 

[Norman Potting]

Are u anywhere near the Shepherd & Neame brewery??

 

[Horses Arse]

I'd go as far as to say that you cannot underestimate Gareths tactical awareness and talent as a football coach and manager.

 

[dadams2k11]

One swallow doesn't make summer.

Still not forgiven him for losing against Italy in the Euro's.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Southgate is going to remembered as one of the most successful England managers of all time and most people will forget things like picking Maguire and Phillips when they don't kick a ball for their clubs instead of players like Dunk and JWP, but I won't be one of them.

Massive asterix next to his tenure for me, successful despite himself.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I made the mistake of watching it. We have some wonderful players going forward.

But for some reason Southgate has made Henderson and Maguire the hill he will die on. The result being that we struggle to pass out from the back, and we lose speed of passing and thought at the back and in midfield. It's baffling. However, I am reconciled that I will be that old geezer in the pub that when the subject of our champagne Euros success comes I will be saying the equivalent of "should have played Greavsie". And is then ignored. I can live with that.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Are u anywhere near the Shepherd & Neame brewery??

That close I can smell it.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

You’ve gone too early. Once England face a top side in the knockouts GS will go defensive again despite having some of worlds best attacking talent at his disposal. You know the script he’s had three chances of going all the way and blown every single one of them.

Other apologies are (and will be) available.

 

[Commander]

Southgate is going to remembered as one of the most successful England managers of all time and most people will forget things like picking Maguire and Phillips when they don't kick a ball for their clubs instead of players like Dunk and JWP, but I won't be one of them.

Massive asterix next to his tenure for me, successful despite himself.

If he wins a tournament he will have been proved 100% right in his decisions. Nobody moans about Alf Ramsey playing Geoff Hurst over Jimmy Greaves in the 66 World Cup, do they?

If he doesn't win a tournament then it will always be a case of what might have / should have been. I for one, hope he is proved right.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Steady on.

I'm a Southgate Fan Boy. But I do acknowledge he is no master tactician. My liking for him is his ability to bring the team together as one and make them hungry to do well.

Half the battle, perhaps more than that, in international management is being liked by your players. And I don't think England have had a manager so clearly appreciated as he is. He has top man management skills.

For me, Capello was the best tactician of our time. And we all know how that turned sour.

But unlike Capello he‘s tactically inept.

 

[Seagull58]

You’ve gone too early. Once England face a top side in the knockouts GS will go defensive again despite having some of worlds best attacking talent at his disposal. You know the script he’s had three chances of going all the way and blown every single one of them.

Go defensive? He was playing two DMs last night. Admittedly, Rice can drive forward into advanced positions but, as with the blessed Kalvin of the Manchester bench, his primary role is to sit deep and protect Maguire & co or, in last night's match, sit deep and fail to protect them by missing the ball and not dropping back to cover the cross.
When you have Maguire getting beaten at the near post and Stones standing trance-like by the far post for the Italian goal, I have to question the comments from HWT and others that they did well.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I can't criticise GS for failing to win a tournament. 30 odd teams are in them and only 1 of them wins. In none of the tournaments have we been so far the best team that we should have won. In all of them, we got well into the tournament and lost a tight game. Fair enough. s*** happens in football

Nor will I criticise his qualifying record. It is exemplary

I do think though that his stubbornness over selection is fair game. Henderson has basically retired, but still gets to play internationals, all the time we have players playing well, playing every week in the toughest leagues. What sort of message does that send? Enough has been said over Maguire, but as a Brighton fan I'm massively disappointed he's not committed to Dunky who deserves an extended run of internationals much more than Maguire

 

[Seagull58]

Watching Maguire putting his studs on the ball, then pushing it a yard or two in a vaguely forward direction (even he was not sure in which direction it would go), then, with a look of nervous tension on his face, passing a few yards sideways to Stones or Rice with an implored "please don't give it back", or threading it 10 to 20 yards forward between England players to pick out an onrushing Italian, did not fill me with confidence. I dread to think what the likes of France, Argentina and Brazil will do to him after another 9 months of Southgate coaching him how to play out from the back. It reminded me of Mings but without the left footed 40 yard slice into touch that he has made his trademark over the years.

 

[Questions]

How would a ball playing centre half help you Gareth ? Lump it.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

I think he has a lot of talented players at his disposal at the moment, and any half decent manager could do what he has done, I still think he failed to react against Italy in time and threw the young kinds under the bus bringing them on for penalties another mistake.

I am still on the fence.

 

[nwgull]

I don't think his ability to get a diverse set of club players performing as a team and playing as well for England as they do for their clubs should be underestimated.

His record speaks for itself. In days of yore, we'd have huffed and puffed our way through that qualification group, probably needing a result in the Ukraine v Italy game to go our way to eventually qualify on GD. This time we've qualified as group winners with two easy games to spare!

 

[Guinness Boy]

I don't think his ability to get a diverse set of club players performing as a team and playing as well for England as they do for their clubs should be underestimated.

His record speaks for itself. In days of yore, we'd have huffed and puffed our way through that qualification group, probably needing a result in the Ukraine v Italy game to go our way to eventually qualify on GD. This time we've qualified as group winners with two easy games to spare!

Yep. That was, in no way, an easy group.