The Official (And Quite Lonely For Those Who Contribute) England v Malta Thread...

[pasty]

How many cliches will we hear from that?

1. There is no such thing as an easy game in international football

2. We got the win, that is all that matters

3. It's incredibly hard to break down 11 men behind the ball no matter who they are

4. They parked the bus

Any more?

 

[atfc village]

Good effort by Malta tonight ,shame Mifsud isn't 10 years younger.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Couldn't check to verify it because the cameras seemed to avoid showing a full length shot of Southgate again, but was our brand new sparkling manager really wearing a smart three piece suit, collar and tie......with TRAINERS? At least he wasn't carrying a brolly, I suppose.........................................

You can take the boy out of Crawley but you can't take Crawley out of the boy.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Everything that's wrong with English football. 80,000 making less noise than we do at the Amex, dominated by the effing band. Team full of pace playing behind nine people most of the time. Lingard - good player with us - never a full international. Rooney playing in actual Malta. The FA counting the readies and ITV kissing everyone's peachy backsides. Very likely the last time I bother and I say that as someone who spent the last five minutes willingly doing the washing up.

 

[crookie]

Early evening Saturday tely is not what it used to be !!

Definitely, didn't bother turning the telly off, You've been Framed came on !! Realise why I normally go out to the pub on a Saturday night !!

 

[joeinbrighton]

Lingard - good player with us - never a full international.

Harsh. I thought he played well in the 1st half, was quite possibly England's best player in the first 45 minutes. He faded in the 2nd half, as did the rest of the team. I'd imagine he will get more opportunities though, as it's not as though David Beckham is available on the right flank any more. We're not massively blessed with options on that side.

 

[Stat Brother]

How many cliches will we hear from that?

1. There is no such thing as an easy game in international football

2. We got the win, that is all that matters

3. It's incredibly hard to break down 11 men behind the ball no matter who they are

4. They parked the bus

Any more?

Yes they are all cliches, but it's not like they are meaningless.

As said we fans need to get at damn sight better at this whole perspective malarkey.
If we were to treat this for what it is:-

'A game England should win, and have done so', and then carry on as normal 'we' might have a better relationship with the team.


All this should be smashing x passed them, we're England, raa raa raa, gets us nowhere in the long run.
Much the same can be said for the opposite side of the coin, 'we ought to me challenging with Jersey for the Non-FIFA trophy'.
Although at least with that argument, the team have had it coming!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Harsh. I thought he played well in the 1st half, was quite possibly England's best player in the first 45 minutes. He faded in the 2nd half, as did the rest of the team. I'd imagine he will get more opportunities though, as it's not as though David Beckham is available on the right flank any more. We're not massively blessed with options on that side.

Well he was playing most of the game on the left! I don't get this playing of pacy players fairly narrow in a 4-2-3-1. Lallana and Sterling must have been pissing themselves tonight.

Lingard made some nice runs and provided some good touches but we all know he can do that. When you're playing against postmen, builders and the second tier of the monkey tennis league you have to show a little more guile and composure.

 

[Pavilionaire]

My expectations from tonight were low and England didn't let me down.

 

[joeinbrighton]

Lingard made some nice runs and provided some good touches but we all know he can do that. When you're playing against postmen, builders and the second tier of the monkey tennis league you have to show a little more guile and composure.

He showed plenty of composure in the FA Cup final against that team of builders and candlestick makers from Croydon. ;-)

 

[Grombleton]

The one thing that annoys me about this current England side is the insistence on playing cute little balls or little flicks in and around the 18 yard box - playing for the camera. There were a number of occasions whereby (insert player here) had the ball in a bit of space around 20 yards out and having a go would have been a good idea - a deflection here, a spill by the goalie there and it not only gets chances, but increases the pressure on the defence/goalie. If the defence knows all they have to do is get behind the ball and wait for a misplaced flick then it's easy all night for them.

In short: ffs, just **** it.

 

[pasty]

All this should be smashing x passed them, we're England, raa raa raa, gets us nowhere in the long run.

We were playing Malta.

The international equivalent of something like Man City playing Whitehawk. Yes, we won, but come on, that second half was abysmal. If England cannot put more than 2 past Malta there is something very very wrong.

 

[joeinbrighton]

We were playing Malta.

The international equivalent of something like Man City playing Whitehawk. Yes, we won, but come on, that second half was abysmal. If England cannot put more than 2 past Malta there is something very very wrong.

Would you say England are a better team than Italy at the moment? Only they played Malta qualifying for the Euros and scored only 1 goal against them, twice.

It's not like you win bonus points for beating weaker teams 7-0.

Qualification tournaments are merely a means to an end. No-one really remembers anything that happens in them, save for the odd Germany 1, England 5 unless things go wrong and qualification doesn't happen.

 

[8th battalion East Lancs]

Well I woke up to see Hart claw a volley away for a corner.

In my mind Malta were unlucky not to get a point.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

How was it? I fell asleep during the National Anthem and woke up with the wife watching Strictly.....

Best move of the night !

 

[Stat Brother]

We were playing Malta.

The international equivalent of something like Man City playing Whitehawk. Yes, we won, but come on, that second half was abysmal. If England cannot put more than 2 past Malta there is something very very wrong.

Of course, but my point is... what's the point?

It's not as if smashing 390 goals passed Malta will mean the team will reach the last 16 of the World Cup finals.

Getting bent out of shape because to the nature of victory v Malta is completely dismissing the last 20+ years of abject failure, not to mention the last 20 days.


In an ideal world today's result would get the same media coverage as West Indies Women v England Women ODI currently being played.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Best move of the night !

 

[GT49er]

The one thing that annoys me about this current England side is the insistence on playing cute little balls or little flicks in and around the 18 yard box - playing for the camera. There were a number of occasions whereby (insert player here) had the ball in a bit of space around 20 yards out and having a go would have been a good idea - a deflection here, a spill by the goalie there and it not only gets chances, but increases the pressure on the defence/goalie. If the defence knows all they have to do is get behind the ball and wait for a misplaced flick then it's easy all night for them.

In short: ffs, just **** it.

I think you'll find that in fashionable circles that is now known as hoofball, a variation of kick and rush.

Those with greater intelligence, more discernment, and shedloads more of sophistication, much prefer to see the ball passed around from player to player, preferably for as long as possible, without some oaf hoofing it hopefully towards the goal!

 

[Ernest]

Back to normal, Jocks losing at home to Lithuania

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I'm not saying it was good, but if we didn't play such pointless,meaningless games we may see an improvement in the matches.

Have the players are trying not to get injured in a game we were never not going to win.

And we are not Scotland lol