[Football] Kosovo v England (ITV1 5pm)

GS has performed a bit above expectations

So far Southgate has got us to a world cup semi final and got us through to the euros, got us to the Nations League semis and topped the euro qualifiers with an absolutely thumping goal difference.

I agree that we had a kind route to the world cup semis. Though we have had numerous kind routes before and proceeded to bugger them up.

I'm not crazy about some of his selections and you get the sense that there are some people (one in particular springs to mind) that wouldn't get in the team no matter how well they played and some wouldn't get dropped no matter how badly they play ... however it's difficult to argue that Southgate isn't performing above par for an England manager.

The same will happen at the next Euros. We will get out of a friendly group with home games, come up against someone good, and then lose. The difference is, we might play some decent football.

I avoided this thread last night as I was watching on catch up "as live" - about an hour behind. It was a pleasant evening. We had a roast and opened my son's birthday presents and I had a couple of glasses of wine with the meal and another during the game. Happily relaxed rather than steaming, all I can really remember is an appalling quality game in which the ball seemed to be given away copiously by both sides. I am willing to concede that three glasses of 14.5% Malbec can affect one's tactical appreciation of a game though

Looks an easiyish route to the 1/4finals , then it gets interesting -

Spain (ROME) if we win the group

or

Germany ( ST Petersburg ) if we finish runners up then.


** PROBABLY**