Yes, yes, all that.
You do realise why the thread has been singled out for a bit of schadenfreude, however, don't you?
No doubt it will be bounced for other reasons after we go out to the Danes.
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[Football] Gareth Southgate: 90 minutes to save his job?
- Thread starter Bry Nylon
- Start date
Yes, yes, all that.
You do realise why the thread has been singled out for a bit of schadenfreude, however, don't you?
No doubt it will be bounced for other reasons after we go out to the Danes.
It just feels different somehow this time. Once we got through the Germany game there doesn't seem to be this knowledge in the back of your mind that it will all go wrong. Whatever happens now, even if we lose to Denmark, it still won't feel like 'same old England'. Something has changed.
Why the hell is the final at 8pm on a Sunday night? It's such a shit time to have it. If England win after extra time and penalties it will be nearly 11pm on a Sunday. What are we supposed to do then? Go to bed? What about the millions of kids that would be watching? It's a ridiculous time to have it.
Iggle Piggle
Well-known member
- Sep 3, 2010
- 5,318
GS did a great job on Saturday. Taking off the players on yellow when we went 3-0 up and the game management throughout were superb. Alright, Ukraine were a bit spent after the Swedish game but we had to beat them and we didn't manage that against Iceland last time round. It was almost a German performance in its ruthlessness. To win it though, I think we will need to outsmart the Italians. The last 20 minutes were an absolute masterclass in shithousery (ball in play for just 9 minutes) against Belgium. Can GS change things for the better if we go behind? Will he outsmart Mancini? It's been great so far but the biggest tests are just about to come and Denmark have won a tournament more recently than we have.
Southgate has done a lot right - The unity of the squad, happy players on the bench, creating an atmosphere in the camp which we haven't seen since Euro 96 and all with the press onside is an acheivement which we don't give him enough credit for. I just worry about the tactical side still remembering the WC semi and how we got done. Here's hoping i'm wrong.
Southgate has done a lot right - The unity of the squad, happy players on the bench, creating an atmosphere in the camp which we haven't seen since Euro 96 and all with the press onside is an acheivement which we don't give him enough credit for. I just worry about the tactical side still remembering the WC semi and how we got done. Here's hoping i'm wrong.
- Thread starter
- #184
My exact thoughts. And of course for our continental friends it will be one hour later that that. Madness.
I naturally assumed that the final would be a Saturday night - I was amazed to see it was scheduled for Sunday night. Uefa always seem to drop the ball on things like this, where their understanding of fans, fan culture and just the absolute basics prove them to be utterly tone deaf. It would have been SO easy and entirely logical to make the final a Saturday night but no, for some reason known only to them - and their presumed desire for an all-expenses-paid Saturday night jolly in London on the night before the final - it's frigging Sunday. Grrrr.
And another thing. Should we get to the final and lose to Italy, if Uefa think I'm going to go out at gone 11pm on a Sunday night looking for Fiats and Pizza restaurants to vandalise, they can think again. I've got to work the next day FFS
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Or at the very least use the 5pm kick off slot they've been using for the Sunday night.
Football for me has always about being there in the stadium, rather than watching on TV. For England in tournaments the next best thing is watching on a big screen in a pub somewhere. I find it hard to comprehend the idea of England finally winning the tournament and me watching it on TV in my house and saying 'well that was good, bed time now'. It just doesn't seem right somehow.
Absolutely. Although with their "shenanigans" and the fact that Spain look far less convincing as a side, I'm hoping for a Spain win tomorrow night.
The Italians are absolute masters of sh!thousery
Lose to Denmark and the anti Southgate lot will have a boaner for Southgate getting the sack. In fact, lose to Italy or Spain in the final and they will still moan they he blew our best ever chance.
He's been proved to pick the players (bothe for the squad and for each match) he feels will work best together to do the job, irrelevant of how well they are doing for their club or how loud fans or the media scream for a player to be included. And it's worked, much to the annoyance of many on NSC but not a great surprise after the good job he did in Russia.
He's probably the best man for the job, I only write probably as we will never know what anyone else would have done should anyone else have agreed to take on the job after the BFS debacle. It will go wrong at some point, luck or injuries or just a better team with a better manager. No manager wins every match, although the Italians look pretty close to this. I just hope that the next manager is just as shit (as some would have it) as Southgate.
He's been proved to pick the players (bothe for the squad and for each match) he feels will work best together to do the job, irrelevant of how well they are doing for their club or how loud fans or the media scream for a player to be included. And it's worked, much to the annoyance of many on NSC but not a great surprise after the good job he did in Russia.
He's probably the best man for the job, I only write probably as we will never know what anyone else would have done should anyone else have agreed to take on the job after the BFS debacle. It will go wrong at some point, luck or injuries or just a better team with a better manager. No manager wins every match, although the Italians look pretty close to this. I just hope that the next manager is just as shit (as some would have it) as Southgate.
I'd absolutely love Spain to somehow squeak past Italy in 120 mins/pens. Because I'm certain we can beat that Spain team.
Italy? Yeah, that's tough. We'd have to dig VERY deep and hope a full(ish) Wembley can be a factor for us.
This is a spectacularly funny post.
This this and more this. It can't be overstated how monumental that Germany result was. It's nothing to do with the performance, all about what it means moving forward.
No more banging on about 1990 and 1996. It's not "same old England" any more. It just isn't.
- Thread starter
- #191
From what I saw (on TV) vs Germany, I reckon the Wembley atmosphere with 40k (60k for the SF) fans who genuinely want to be there was far better than a full stadium with thousands of corporates and football tourists diluting occasion.
- Nov 11, 2009
- 11,340
I'm def rooting for a Spanish win before we play, because I think they're more beatable, theyve struggled a bit against defensive set ups but more so, after watching the disgraceful shenanigans of the Italians against Belgium, I know I'm going to seriously lose my shit, if they get get a goal up and start the feigned injury/dives/time wasting which you just know they will.
Immobile should be sanctioned not just laughed at, and even the keeper Donnarumma whose had a great tournament did it, went for a high catch, ball skimmed next to his fingers and he didnt claim it, no player contact, no bad hands first fall. no nothing, went down pretending to have an injured hand, gloves off, medics on, spraying hand in last few mins, and 2 mins wasted........ The rules are a yellow for gamesmanship/acting, need a strong ref willing to enforce it and I just hope they get stricter with the Italians as their cheating is off the scale bad.
herecomesaregular
We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
Yes it was appalling and can't honestly remember a last 20 mins as bad as that in my lifetime. I have them E/W to win it but would prefer them out to Spain now. It's a shame because they were a joy to watch up until then.
No question this Italy team are magnificent, but I think in a one off game, with our confidence sky high at Wembley with 60k England fans anything is possible.
I've never quoted myself on here before, but God DAMN I was on point here. The real test comes against a very good Denmark side and now, as then, I think we should all be behind the team whoever he picks
dejavuatbtn
Well-known member
Well, other than calling us a “decent middling nation” perhaps you were. I’d put us a few degrees above that.
In terms of our success in international tournaments I think it's still probably right. We need to at least be getting to the final to challenge that notion for me - Something I'm sorely hoping we can do!
Randy McNob
Now go home and get your f#cking Shinebox
- Jun 13, 2020
- 4,449
Italy aint all that. They had a piss easy group, needed extra time to beat Austria, and Belgium were poor - their best players weren't fit
squad wise they aint on the same level as England, I can only think of 2 or maybe 3 of their players that would get into the England side
I really hope you're right.
Read Marca (Big Spanish sports paper) the other day, and they refer to us as "clear favourites" ahead of them, Italy and Denmark. It makes me uneasy seeing such things.