Can we PLEASE stop blaming the bloody WEATHER ?

[Lammy]

I do get annoyed with people on here who think that if we won we should simply post or and be done with it. I'm chuffed to bits with the result and I actually think it's a sign of a good side when you grind out results even when you're playing shit. HOWEVER, this does not mean I can't offer an opinion on how I thought we played and how I would like to have seen thing done differently. I would liked to have see Owen play 90mins as long as we were winning no matter how shit he was playing. He needs to match time to get fit. It also helps them to get used to playing in summer. I would liked to hav seen us with a lot more possesion in the second half. Football is twice as tiring without the ball. Let the opposition run around and get affected by the heat. We have arguably the best midfield in the world. Against Paraguay this should not be too hard. I also accept that the first game will always be a bit nervy and generally a bit shit. However because we got such an early goal that really shoudl have relaxed our players (who are all used to pressure games) and allow them to play their football.

Shit game, Great result, well done the lads but let's us this as something to learn from.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I do get annoyed with people on here who think that if we won we should simply post or and be done with it. I'm chuffed to bits with the result and I actually think it's a sign of a good side when you grind out results even when you're playing shit. HOWEVER, this does not mean I can't offer an opinion on how I thought we played and how I would like to have seen thing done differently. I would liked to have see Owen play 90mins as long as we were winning no matter how shit he was playing. He needs to match time to get fit. It also helps them to get used to playing in summer. I would liked to hav seen us with a lot more possesion in the second half. Football is twice as tiring without the ball. Let the opposition run around and get affected by the heat. We have arguably the best midfield in the world. Against Paraguay this should not be too hard. I also accept that the first game will always be a bit nervy and generally a bit shit. However because we got such an early goal that really shoudl have relaxed our players (who are all used to pressure games) and allow them to play their football.

Shit game, Great result, well done the lads but let's us this as something to learn from.

Fine, but the result was the all important thing and we got that.

What is important is that the weaknesses are worked on and we improve. Finding form in a tournament is key and often it is the slow starters that are still there towards the end.

 

[Lammy]

Err they did have a training camp in Spain.

Did we?

If that is the case then they SHOULD be used to the heat and they sholdn't have even mentioned it!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Did we?

If that is the case then they SHOULD be used to the heat and they sholdn't have even mentioned it!

They had a week or so out there and then came back to England for the friendlies.

 

[Lammy]

Fine, but the result was the all important thing and we got that.

What is important is that the weaknesses are worked on and we improve. Finding form in a tournament is key and often it is the slow starters that are still there towards the end.

Yep totally agree. We always start slow. All first games are generally crap. However, it still interesting to analyse and discuss what happened without being accused of wanting us to fail. I'm expecting a much more confident display against T&T with probably a Rooney sub after about 75mins for Owen. If only to piss off Fergie.

 

[Lammy]

They had a week or so out there and then came back to England for the friendlies.

So I guess that would have been about three weeks ago? I would have preferred them to do all their prep there and fly over to Germany from spain a couple of days before their first game. It would be like stepping out of a sauna.

 

[Easy 10]

Its the Terry Butcher mentality. Asked about Svens tactics, he said "England won so you can't question them". Oh, everything was obviously perfect then.

OK, opening games are never classics, and the result is obviously the most important thing. We scraped a 1-0, rarely looked like conceding, and thanks to Sweden screwing up we're now in a great position. I'm not expecting a complete goal-fest against Trinidad, but I'd like to see, and expect to see, a good 90 minute performance with England in complete control and dominating the opposition. Looking like they can play a bit, rather than playing for one half and then grimly hanging on in the second. That'd be encouraging.

 

[Lokki 7]

It would be like stepping out of a sauna.

I always play my best football straight after a good sauna.

 

[Lammy]

Its the Terry Butcher mentality. Asked about Svens tactics, he said "England won so you can't question them". Oh, everything was obviously perfect then.

OK, opening games are never classics, and the result is obviously the most important thing. We scraped a 1-0, rarely looked like conceding, and thanks to Sweden screwing up we're now in a great position. I'm not expecting a complete goal-fest against Trinidad, but I'd like to see, and expect to see, a good 90 minute performance with England in complete control and dominating the opposition. Looking like they can play a bit, rather than playing for one half and then grimly hanging on in the second. That'd be encouraging.

I like to see a few more clear cut chances being created without resorting to long range efforts which seems to be the fashion since Germany scored a cracker.

 

[Hannibal smith]

The difference in those games you mention are that England were behind in both and NEEDED to score. Our problems seem to start when we take the lead !

France 1-0...turned into a 1-2 defeat
Brazil 1-0...turned into a 1-2 defeat
Portugal 1-0...scraped a 2-2 draw

France is a strange one. We had a penalty to make it 2-0, Gerrard passes back to James from the halfway line and all of a sudden we are beaten 1-2. I wouldn't say we were hanging on, just victims of circumstance. That game really could have been different.

Brazil and Portugal are a different matter. Brazil, although we were winning 1-0, the real dissapointment was not coming back into the game when we went 2-1 down against 10 men. Portugal, we certainly were defending too deep esepcially towards the end. Sometimes you pay the price. What though would have been the reaction if we were bombing forward when we were 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go?

It will be a big dissappointment if we go out in the same way this tournament but only time will tell on that one.

 

[Gritt23]

Why wasn't the team out training in Spain or somewhere to condition themselves a bit. It won't make you immune but it must help them to understand what they can and can't do in that sort of heat. Also how about changing some tactics so that we don't burn out so fast. The English game is high tempo but we will always come unstuck on major tournaments which are ALL held in the SUMMER if we try this when it is hot.

That is EXACTLY my view. It's all about the planning. Sod friendlies in Manchester for crying out loud, Sven got the extra week of preparation that he said he needed after the last tournament, but what has he done with it?

Training should be done in more extreme conditions than you will face, as that is all part of aclimatisation. Nigel Benn used to train for big fights at altitiude in the mountains of Tenerife, Lennox Lewis used to do similar in the States somewhere. Not because either were going to fight in those conditions but because the altitude got their lungs stronger and the heat of the auditorium would be less than the conditions they'd got used to.

What have England done? I bet we didn't even have a meaningful training session in the afternoon heat. Light jogging, few set-pieces and a light-hearted 5-a-side kick around, probably all in the morning. That's awful preparation Sven, and you've done it everytime.


Trigger - of course Easy's rants are sounding very familiar, the failings of the pillock we have in charge are the same time after time, therefore the criticisms remain the same time after time.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Getting on my soap box, did anyoneelse get annoyed when the game in ITV finished and instead of going over highlights, we had to watch heaps of adverts...some crap about games coming up, and then a plug for a dreadful show on ITV4 which most people cant get.

BTW Hasslebaink said England were fine and it is rediculous expecting England to peak straight away. Sounded good in my books.

BTW2 Were people booing hargreaves or was that the Germans in the crowd?
If it was England fans they ought to be ashamed

 

[Hannibal smith]

Its the Terry Butcher mentality. Asked about Svens tactics, he said "England won so you can't question them". Oh, everything was obviously perfect then.

Terry Butcher talks utter bollocks. I'm sure you could get someone from off the street to talk more sense than him, probably a woman who only watches games to see 'David' and doesn't understand the offside rule.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Trigger - of course Easy's rants are sounding very familiar, the failings of the pillock we have in charge are the same time after time, therefore the criticisms remain the same time after time.

Is that the pillock that keeps getting us to major tournaments?

I am amazed the Sven bashing was only simmering prior to the first game.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Terry Butcher talks utter bollocks. I'm sure you could get someone from off the street to talk more sense than him, probably a woman who only watches games to see 'David' and doesn't understand the offside rule.

But Butcher can drink.

 

[Gritt23]

Err they did have a training camp in Spain.

How much actual training in the heat of Spain was done then? From the looks of Saturday's performance we probably avoided running around in the heat, and just had a bit of a wind-down in the sun and all chatting about how tough the season had been.

We were quite simply not getting used to playing in the heat, and that is one of the lessons I can't believe we haven't learnt from previous tournaments.

Surely we can't be so amateurish that we just said "Ah Germany, that won't be hot at all, it'll probably be cold and wet. We'll be ok."

 

[Lammy]

Getting on my soap box, did anyoneelse get annoyed when the game in ITV finished and instead of going over highlights, we had to watch heaps of adverts...some crap about games coming up, and then a plug for a dreadful show on ITV4 which most people cant get.

BTW Hasslebaink said England were fine and it is rediculous expecting England to peak straight away. Sounded good in my books.

BTW2 Were people booing hargreaves or was that the Germans in the crowd?
If it was England fans they ought to be ashamed

All good points Dave and well made. But what have they got to do with the WEATHER?

 

[Gritt23]

Is that the pillock that keeps getting us to major tournaments?

I am amazed the Sven bashing was only simmering prior to the first game.

Yep, that's the fella. The guy who watches us crashing out the moment we play a decent team.

Nah, I've been Sven bashing for 4 years now, since that feeble tactically inept, exit at the hands of 10 man Brazil.... however, it was hot that day, and not all of our players were fully fit.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Its the Terry Butcher mentality. Asked about Svens tactics, he said "England won so you can't question them". Oh, everything was obviously perfect then.

OK, opening games are never classics, and the result is obviously the most important thing. We scraped a 1-0, rarely looked like conceding, and thanks to Sweden screwing up we're now in a great position. I'm not expecting a complete goal-fest against Trinidad, but I'd like to see, and expect to see, a good 90 minute performance with England in complete control and dominating the opposition. Looking like they can play a bit, rather than playing for one half and then grimly hanging on in the second. That'd be encouraging.

I'd like to see a much better show against T & T, but I do believe we will get it. If we don't, maybe then it's time to start worrying.

But what can we do? We could all go on and on about how Sven has left us badly and unnecessarily short up front, as we did at the time, but now we've just got to get on with it.

Sven's cautious tactics, especially in second halves and when we're ahead, can drive me mad but I do recognise that he a) gets us to these tournaments, and b) can deal with the pressure they bring. I do genuinely think we have lacked a touch of luck over the years, and you don't win a competition like this without it.

If you draw a form line with Poland (in our qualifiying group) and Ecuador (finished level with Paraguay) the lot we played aren't a bad side, perhaps it's a half-decent result.

 

[Easy 10]

France is a strange one. We had a penalty to make it 2-0, Gerrard passes back to James from the halfway line and all of a sudden we are beaten 1-2. I wouldn't say we were hanging on, just victims of circumstance. That game really could have been different.

Brazil and Portugal are a different matter. Brazil, although we were winning 1-0, the real dissapointment was not coming back into the game when we went 2-1 down against 10 men. Portugal, we certainly were defending too deep esepcially towards the end. Sometimes you pay the price. What though would have been the reaction if we were bombing forward when we were 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go?

It will be a big dissappointment if we go out in the same way this tournament but only time will tell on that one.

I wouldn't have said we were bombing forward in the 1st half against Paraguay. We were just doing exactly what we needed to do - putting them under pressure, competing for the ball in their half, passing and moving effectively and asking questions. The 2nd half we did the opposite - sat off them, let them have the ball, let them dictate, and whilst they wern't good enough to pose any real threat, you're only a free kick or a dodgy pen away from conceding and then the trouble REALLY starts.

I just feel this team is good enough to dictate the play to teams like Paraguay, we proved it in the first 45. But if Sven is them telling them to drop back and protect what we have, thats when it turns into a right old scrap of a performance, and we ARE better than that. We didn't need to be so negative, and the heat would've been far less of a factor if we'd simply done what we did in the first half, ie kept hold of the ball and make THEM do the running.

I'm not trying to be negative. Just calling it as I saw it.