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Reply | Paul Hall Gone
at 00:47 3 Jul 2024
All this seemingly positive and well organised behaviour from the club is quite unsettling. |
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Reply | General Election Thread
at 08:44 2 Jul 2024
Bookies now have a Reform majority at lower odds than a Tory one (both still at very long odds though). The Tories really have massively hit the self destruct button and you wonder if they will ever recover. |
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Reply | England v Slovakia last 16 Match Thread
at 04:02 2 Jul 2024
2018 was a fortunate draw, although if you win your group you will generally get a better draw.
We were unbelievably lucky in 1990 v Belgium and Cameroon. Germany was our only really good performance. Group stage was awful.
In 1998 we screwed up the group by losing to Romania (special mention to Phil Neville) and therefore ended up with a tough draw as a result. Same in 86 where we finished second to Morocco (who were not the team they are now) in the group.
2004, second in the group again. Also Greece were able to beat Portugal so why couldn't we?
2010, finished second below USA. Result, tough draw.
Win your group and its generally easier. If we could somehow stumble our way to the final, whoever we play will have been through some tough games. Regardless I think Southgate's time is up. |
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Reply | England v Slovakia last 16 Match Thread
at 03:35 2 Jul 2024
You also don't get to work with the players day in day out on tactics etc, so very different indeed.
Southgate is very good at many of the aspects of international management, like culture, bringing players from different clubs together (a huge problem in the past) and the relationship with the media. He's made great strides in these areas and taken England deep into several tournaments.
However, its clear he's reached his ceiling and his lack of tactical ability, seemingly stubborn resistance to making changes and poor use of subs etc is a problem. These aspects are often the difference between winning things and not winning them in a sport of such fine margins. We should have won the last euros, end of. Southgate's conservatism is a big part of why we didn't. I'm not having a bar of claims that Italy were much good. They missed both world cups either side of that euros, and have limped meekly out of this one. A massive opportunity thrown away.
Maybe with the right technical assistants/partners this could be fixed. Southgate could then concentrate on the areas he's good at and defer to others in that area. But who is the technical coach. Mr "it is what it is" who failed at QPR! We simply need a much higher calibre of person in that sort of role or otherwise a much better tactical/technical person than Southgate in charge.
You have players in the squad who work with Pep, Klopp, Ancelotti etc at their clubs. The best of the best among coaches. And then they are coached by Southgate and JFH with England. I can imagine they can get very frustrated at what they are being asked to do.
England has a very talented squad that is good enough to be winning tournaments. To seem them paying as poorly as they have is so frustrating. Many of these players are still young and therefore it is time for a change so we start to see the best of them. |
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Reply | England v Slovakia last 16 Match Thread
at 23:46 1 Jul 2024
And apparently it took two hours to get away from that ground when we played there before. Given how depressing the performance had been, and how unlikely it seemed that we would score, I could forgive people for wanting to get away.
That said, I wouldn't do it. I didn't leave at half time when 0-4 down to Newcastle either! |
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Reply | General Election Thread
at 07:07 1 Jul 2024
Might not be a bad thing for them to win. They will then actually have to do/achieve something and will be exposed if they can't. |
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Reply | England v Slovakia last 16 Match Thread
at 07:03 1 Jul 2024
I don't buy this stuff about the fans at all.
Sorry, but who goes into every tournament expecting to win when the country has only won one thing ever and that was nearly 60 years ago? England fans are very passionate and desperate to see some success, so go in with hope and by and large get right behind the team every time. That isn't the same as expecting to win.
The media are a different story and put far too much pressure on with the narrative they create. Self interest and getting clicks for more ad revenue is their only concern.
The fans have a right to vent after a bad performance. They've paid good money to be there. They also have a right to wonder why Southgate isn't getting better performances out of a very talented group of players and why he doesn't seem to have a system. You can only wonder what the right boss might do with this squad. We looked far better at the last world cup.
Nobody in this tournament is unbeatable. Sure Spain look good and play pretty football, but lets see how they get on against the better sides. Germany are decent but nothing more than that. They do have home advantage though. France like England haven't played that well but you have to fancy them to go close. Portugal are average and playing a guy 3 or 4 years past his best.
We've been awful so far but still have very good players and maybe the Bellingham moment could be a turning point. Scotland got a draw with Switzerland so lets not be too scared of them. |
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Reply | England v Slovakia last 16 Match Thread
at 01:39 1 Jul 2024
This is the problem. Just pick the best players available in each position instead of trying to squeeze in the names. This tournament isn't that strong and we're likely to throw away the opportunity. |
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Reply | England v Switzerland Quarter Final match thread
at 01:34 1 Jul 2024
I know we've been poor so far but that ending is the sort of thing that can turn a tournament around. We've seen others do it. Teams have won competitions without winning any group matches in the past.
Getting to the business end you'd expect teams to attack more and not employ the low block we've seen so far from opponents. Maybe this will create more opportunities for the undoubted talent our forward players possess. Or maybe we'll be rubbish again and the Swiss will send us home?
Still in it. |
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Reply | New striker incoming?
at 13:21 29 Jun 2024
Frey has had his joints oiled and been through a full service. Ready to dominate the league. |
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Reply | England 🏴 v Slovenia 🇸🇮 Match Thread
at 13:52 25 Jun 2024
While it looked like Kane missed a sitter v Croatia, it was actually a fantastic save by the keeper who got a touch on it. Kane actually did everything right. Fine margins. |
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Reply | Shearer showing how he really felt. 😂😂
at 08:10 24 Jun 2024
Certainly when I was younger it seemed most England fans would back Scotland if they weren't playing each other. However I think we've all grown tired and bored of their constant sniping and fixation with England. Buying shirts of England's opponents etc, the ultimate in small time behaviour. So these days English fans celebrate their misery a lot more.
Still whining that the 3rd England goal in 66 wasn't legit (conveniently ignoring the 4th) while also celebrating Maradona punching the ball in in 86. Nothing if not inconsistent.
Then there's the recent media and social media w@nkfest about their fans. Ooh aren't they wonderful, ooh here's them playing the bagpipes, ooh they're holding an umbrella over an old geezer, ooh wasn't the anthem loud, ooh they're wearing kilts, ooh aren't they jolly (not so much now). Tiresome stuff. I didn't really care if they went through or not, but at least this should stop now that they're out.
Now they can get back to what they enjoy most, obsessively watching England. |
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Reply | VPN advice
at 02:46 23 Jun 2024
Nord VPN is very decent, seamless for watching Euros games on the BBC the last few days.
They also regularly do very good cashback deals which meant I got 2 years for almost nothing. I think it was a 95% cashback. |
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Reply | Denmark 🇩🇰 v England 🏴 Match Thread
at 00:41 21 Jun 2024
We were last time too but still nearly won it.
I've often defended Southgate as he has done a lot of good things in his time in the job. He's great with media (no easy task for an England boss) and clearly the players have loved being a part of his squads.
However, we seem to have come into this tournament with no idea what the best line up is and no system. We'll get maybe two more games unless this vastly improves and quickly. Its unforgiveable to look this clueless with the talent available.
That said it still took a worldie from Denmark to score despite how awful were were and plenty of teams have gone on to have good tournaments after being poor in the group stage. We'll see though, I have little confidence right now.
Also, why do we always look so bloody tired? [Post edited 21 Jun 0:43]
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Reply | Joey Barton
at 08:48 19 Jun 2024
The thing these grifters all have in common is that none of them actually believe what they are preaching. Its a means to an end, financial and fame. |
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Reply | General Election Thread
at 03:58 18 Jun 2024
Plenty of online experts with no scientific background (but degrees in facebook groups, "university of life" etc) convinced that it is all made up and climate scientists are in it for themselves. Meanwhile not a hint of the fossil fuel industry perhaps being slightly conflicted. Same here in Australia were the fossil fuel industry is very powerful and basically has the current leader of the opposition on strings. |
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