World Cup - Fans and fanatics thread.

[big soft moose]

Some credit where it's due to Algeria, though. They don't stand much of a chance of progressing any further than this but, as the birth nation of Zinedine Zidane, some of their players looked very comfortable on the ball, last night, and some of their possession and passing was excellent..

I wouldnt bet on it - if we lose to slovenia ( which is a given the way we are playing) and algeria manage to beat the usa then they would go through second in the group

on the topic of our formation i'd say leave hesky where he is and take rooney off and replace him with crouch.

 

[WoodAddict]

It doesn't fill you with confidence in the manger when you see him with his hands in his pockets and his head down when the half-time whistle blew. Even he looked like he'd given up. SWP and Defoe were the only positives to take from that game. They did make a difference when they came on. Barry looked good.

Capello talks about them having a club atmosphere in the england camp! They'll never play like a club because he still can't decide on a set-up, formation. system or starting line-up! He needs to make his mind up NOW for the next starting 11 and get them playing as a team against the others in training for 4 days. This is the only way we'll stand any chance against Slovenia.

I'm still saying that they'll go through because I honestly think that they CAN beat Slovenia and I would never give up on them until it's all over, but something has to change. There is well reported trouble in the french camp and it filtered through on the pitch. They didn't look like they cared at all.................... sadly - neither did we :roll: it makes you wonder what's going on behind the scene's that we don't know about.

Stuart Pearce needS to give Capello a slap and teach him a thing or two about how to get the players fired up!

FFS............COME ON ENGLAND!

Just a quick thought on Gerrard being a left-winger - The formation that that ITV displayed was deceptive. He didn't actually play as a winger. Ashley cole was a wing-back and Gerrard was drifting in and falling in behind Cole when he got caught short and Algeria broke quickly. Nice idea but it just didn't work! Rooney is one of the best strikers in the world, so why build a formation around making him perform better. He doesn't need help! Just put another decent striker on with him and not that donkey Heskey!

 

[big soft moose]

Rooney is one of the best strikers in the world,!

not by his performance so far he isnt - he may be one of the best club strikers in the world but his performance at a international level in this world cup has been pitiful (and his performance off pitch leaves a lot to be desired too , vis his comments after the algeria game)

imo hes a prima donna who needs a good kick up the rs - replace him with crouch in the next game and show the jumped up little chav that hes not indespensible then hopefully when he next plays he might put some oomph into it

 

[Gary]

FFS............COME ON ENGLAND!

Don't panic, another 0-0 drawer and they'll fly home Wednesday evening. :lol:

 

[barkwindjammer]

I nicked this from another forum, this guy 'gets it' and sums it all up nicely, and yes he's English, he's loud, wears a knotted hanky on his head when he's on holidays, rolls his trousers up at the beach, and he's a Norris dancer-you cant get any more English !, this is what he has to say

"I tend to agree with the Scots, perhaps not as strongly, but when they say that the England team is overhyped and in reality just average, they have decades of poor performances to back them.
I was even fooled this time into expecting at least a competent performance, maybe a semifinal appearance.
Instead I got a version made in Pinewood, that should have been called "Carry on being Crap". The Algeria Game was the worst performance I have seen in more than 50 years. No fight, no spirit and precious little ability. Against a team that couldn't compete in the 1st division.
I can forgive bad performances, I can accept losing to a better team. I can't accept players hiding and playing without passion and effort. They were a disgrace.

From now on I will adopt the Scotish approach "we are carp and know it", take defeat as normal and just enjoy the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJ2GZ0UWvw

 

[WoodAddict]

I can forgive bad performances, I can accept losing to a better team. I can't accept players hiding and playing without passion and effort.

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

 

[Lons]

It doesn't fill you with confidence in the manger when you see him with his hands in his pockets and his head down when the half-time whistle blew. Even he looked like he'd given up.

Capello talks about them having a club atmosphere in the england camp! They'll never play like a club because he still can't decide on a set-up, formation. system or starting line-up! He needs to make his mind up NOW for the next starting 11 and get them playing as a team against the others in training for 4 days. This is the only way we'll stand any chance against Slovenia.


Stuart Pearce needS to give Capello a slap and teach him a thing or two about how to get the players fired up!

I agree with all of that but how do you know what Capello is saying. I listen VERY carefully when he speaks and I can't understand half of it :?:

How the hell can we expect a manager who speaks poor english to converse properly with the English players (Unless they're all fluent in Italian of course) :roll:

I felt embarassed at the performance last night but silly enough not to have given up hope - ah well :duno:

Bob

 

[WoodAddict]

I've not given up on 'em yet and won't do until it's over, wether that be wednesday or in the final!

I've said it before and 'll say it again! we can still do it!

COME ON ENGLAND!

 

[Doctor]

Well I started this thread and here is my thoughts:

4 years of waiting for a major tournament, the promise, the feeling this could be the one, quarter finals a definate, semis maybe and a win possibly.

Now, I hope England qualify and go on to do better, but, last nights performance was the worst performance of an England team I have ever seen. I love Wayne Rooney, he's a star, but he's blown it, how dare he get all upset because the crowd are booing, I'd like to see how he felt spending possibly 1/2 his years salary watching his **** performance, and lets face it thats exactly what it was, by the end he wasn't even chasing a ball.

As for the tournament, god its dull, why doesn't it feel like previous world cups, where are the stars the performances which you remember for years?
or is it just me?

The star of the show so far........... Maradonna... god that hurts :shock:

 

[WoodAddict]

it does seem to be missing the usual spark and excitement. no characters, no great games or individual performances. I agree about the maradonna thing though - the argies are the only team that looked like world class!

I'm on a course from monday to thursday, I'm lodging away in oldham with a colleague that isn't interested in football! :roll: I think I'll be finishing early on monday and finding the nearest boozer! :?

 

[Doctor]

I think I'll be finishing early on monday and finding the nearest boozer! :?

Thats what I call getting some booze in you prior to a game, its on wednesday :lol: :lol:

 

[big soft moose]

I think I'll be finishing early on monday and finding the nearest boozer! :?

Thats what I call getting some booze in you prior to a game, its on wednesday :lol: :lol:

but three days drinking is about right to prepare to see england lose to slovenia 18 nil after rooney has a nice kip on the sidelines shortlyly after kickoff

 

[barkwindjammer]

More cheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZq8A59N ... r_embedded

 

[WoodAddict]

I think I'll be finishing early on monday and finding the nearest boozer! :?

Thats what I call getting some booze in you prior to a game, its on wednesday :lol: :lol:

here's me slating capello cus he can't pick a team...... at least he turns up on the right day :roll: :lol:

 

[big soft moose]

course you could just go on monday and watch thrilling fixtures like portugal vs north korea, or switzerland vs chile

 

[Gary]

course you could just go on monday and watch thrilling fixtures like portugal vs north korea, or switzerland vs chile

And how would they's be worse than England v Slovenia? :roll:

 

[OPJ]

I agree with all of that but how do you know what Capello is saying. I listen VERY carefully when he speaks and I can't understand half of it :?:

How the hell can we expect a manager who speaks poor english to converse properly with the English players (Unless they're all fluent in Italian of course) :roll:

I've always wondered this as well and yet, there were a few times during the qualifiers where we played quite well. When he first took the job, I remember he had an interperater with him almost all the time - it didn't look very professional, to say the least!

It's not just the 'language barrier' either - for me, and as with Eriksson before, they have no understanding of the English game as they haven't managed in the Premier League. I bet they haven't come up against our sides very often in European club competition, either. The FA have bought in two managers now who've received great success in other countries but, not over here. They don't understand our game and how 'their way' won't always work. If you were to look at the statisctics, you'd see there haven't been many mangers who've come in to the Premier League from abroad and have achieved immediate success... Some don't achieve any (remember Jacques Santini at Spurs? )

That's why, at club level, a lot of managers with money to spend (Wenger at Arsenal, Benitez at Liverpool, Mourinho at Chelsea...) will bring in players they know they can manipulate from their previous clubs. Trouble is that, without forged documentation, you cannot easily do that on the international stage!! :wink:

Capello has to sort it out as this is one of only a few black marks on an otherwise highly successful career in management (though, I doubt the likes of Inter Milan would care about that much if they're happy to employ someone like Benitez!! ).

There's talk that Capello should be sacked if England fail to get past the group stages and I, like many others, agree with that. It ultimately falls on him. But, having penned a deal worth around £4m a year, you have to wonder what kind of compensation he's entitled to, in the event that his contract is terminated prematurely... Can the FA afford to sack him? Or, have we got another Eriksson situation on our hands? :roll:

(Then again, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a bit, here. )

 

[TrimTheKing]

...they have no understanding of the English game as they haven't managed in the Premier League. I bet they haven't come up against our sides very often in European club competition, either.

What is the Elnglish game though Olly?

Part of the issue is thet our league is so good because of the great foreigners over here (let's ignore all the totally average ones who should be replaced with English players) so there is no English game any more.

All our players are used to playing a more continental game surrounded by global players (Harry Redknapp aside, although he is still a quality manager even if he is a crook) so when they come together they should be able to bring any game to the table.

I am seriously starting to believe that there is a mental strength issue with these players. The way they played on Friday was absolutely NOTHING to do with tactics. They couldn't even make a 5 yard pass that they would normally make in their sleep.

Pressure of the occasion got to them, and there's nothing a manager can do about that. What he should be doing is playing more to their strengths, but no amount of tactical nouse could have rectified the fact that we couldn't find another white shirt regularly enough.

 

[ByronBlack]

More cheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZq8A59N ... r_embedded

Do you have to keep cross posting these in both threads?

 

[ByronBlack]

You only have to look at Spurs under Ramos to see that foreigners without a superb command of the language will find it difficult. As soon as he was booted out and Harry came in we went from relegation certainties to euro qualifiers, with pretty much the same players.

I think we qualified for the World Cup in spite of Capello, but now that he has had time with them, we are progressively getting worse, it all started with the friendlies and warm up games.

IMO he isn't cut out to motivate a squad in a tournament. I've never been a fan of foreign managers, we have plenty of guys who would do a decent job in this country and would be able to emphasise and motivate the players. Capello just seems like a task master without the man management skills or communication skills to sort this mess out.