Reports that the England v Italy pitch is piss poor.
Same for both teams so doesn't bother me. Bad from the Brazilians though. Expected better at a World Cup.
If that's the case, I would argue that it favours us.
England at World Cup 2014
- Thread starter gooDevil
- Start date
If that's the case, I would argue that it favours us.
Reports that the England v Italy pitch is piss poor.
Same for both teams so doesn't bother me. Bad from the Brazilians though. Expected better at a World Cup.
Wow I hope that's not real. Would be a disgrace.
I agree. Back to the 80's
The second picture looks less bad, it seems that's brown grass not dirt.
I agree. Back to the 80's
I hope not. We were shit in the 80s whereas Italy were champions in '82!
It's worse towards the goals. It's not mud or sand just dry grass.The second picture looks less bad, it seems that's brown grass not dirt.
Rooney wasn't fussed according to Sky.
Maybe not then. Back to the 60's anyone?? Well before my time.I hope not. We were shit in the 80s whereas Italy were champions in '82!
First it was Rooney and now its Welbeck. Cannot understand why the press go on a campaign against a player who is representing the country.
You get the impression that no matter how Welbeck plays he will never be appreciated. In fact the press already have their scapegoat - its ALL Welbeck's fault
You get the impression that no matter how Welbeck plays he will never be appreciated. In fact the press already have their scapegoat - its ALL Welbeck's fault
Where in the press is the campaign against Welbeck?
I think this is the worst England squad i have ever seen but somehow I have this gut feeling England can do well. Hope so anyway.
England have good players. Whether they have good tournament or a bad tournament is all down to Woy. Same for all the other 31 teams. I would be excited if someone like Hiddink was England manager, because he is a master at getting underdogs to perform above and beyond. What could he do with England, a sleeping giant who constantly underachieve?
Worse than 2010 and 2012, really?
Yep
This has been going on for 40 years now but the penny just never drops. England dont produce enough quality players to win it and when things go wrong the manager gets blamed every time. Blaming Woy has already kicked in. The absolute ugly truth is England dont have the depth of quality of players to win it. It wouldnt matter who the manager was, England wont win it.
I don't blame the manager. But I do blame the FA which is more interested in lining its pockets than spending money at the grassroots level so our young players can play football like the continental players do.
How difficult is it?
How difficult is it?
Its a simple thing to want to do but it is a difficult thing to get to happen. It means changing the ideas and perceptions of all the dads and coaches out there and people who have been playing for years to a quite different mentality and approach. Its a slow process.
Anyway i really hope I am proved completely wrong and you English win this WC.
Slippy G does not approve.
How can this be the worse England team when in 2010 we took shite like:-
Gareth Barry/Matthew Upson/Shaun Wright-Phillips/Emile Heskey/Peter Crouch/Joe Cole & Stepehn Warnock
?
It's the best England squad since 2004 and the positive is it's young and we have other young exciting players coming through not just Ox/Sterling/Barkley in the likes of Ravel Morrison, so it's going to improve.
England are in a similar position to Germany 2006, where they took a bunch of kids to the World Cup, everyone looked at them, their potential and what they was doing at grass-roots and thought they could be a force in 4 years and look at what they did in 2010 (reached the final) and look at them now.
Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 - The likes of Ox/Barkley/Wilshere/Sterling/Shaw/Sturridge (hopefully Ravel Morrison) will all be established players and some of the best in their area of expertise and players like Walcott/Rooney will still be about + more will break through.
It's all positives for England right now, whereas a few years ago it wasn't.
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The BBC are previewing the WC tonight. Rio is on and absolutely owned Shearer.
Its amusing that you dont make any mention of the shite you are taking this time. What are the CM options again? and thats an amazing back line isnt it..... But hey be selective if it makes you feel better......
Oh yes Gerrard/Ox/Wilshere and Lampard are piss poor options arn't they?
Defense yes poor, but again i couldn't give a shit about this World Cup (England winning wise) all i want to see is progress as a team and players like Ox/Barkley ripping new arseholes, giving us hope for the future.
Keep hating though if you are from one the hater country's (Scotland/Ireland or Wales) if it makes you feel better, personally i think you should be loving England's progress just as much as me, you might get some half decent players who's not good enough to play for England on the great, great, great, great grandparent rule instead of shite like you usually get.
Scroll up a few posts and you will see I would love to see England do well.
I have been watching England for over 40 years now and there is a single common theme, England dont produce the quality of players and types of players capable of winning the world cup but the fans are blind to it and always blame the manager. The blaming the manager excuses are kicking in now before the tournament has started.
Last 10 years we've had players like Gerrard/Terry/Lampard/Beckham/Scholes/Rio/Owen/Rooney/Carrick/Cole all play for England, players who have won the Champions League/scored in the Champions League finals/Won MOTM's in Champions League finals and several who have captained their team out in a Champions League final/a former Ballon D'ore winner (Owen), Beckham the face of football (globally) for a decade and players internationally regarded as some of the best in the area of expertise.
In that time no country have that experience or that acclaim, apart from maybe Spain, so what do you mean England don't produce quality players?
England have always produced quality players and will continue to produce quality players.
England have also produced the most expensive footballer recently (Bale), just because he doesn't play for England doesn't mean he wasn't English produced. Gareth Bale 'the footballer' was taught/grew in England by an English club/by English coaches funded by England money.
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And right there in what you posted is the problem. An over inflated view of just how good the England players are. Scholes was magical, Rio in his pomp a superb defender but after that none of the inventiveness, skill and flair that the other teams that keep winning the world cup have in the teams they put out is there. Thats the other problem, you dont understand that the teams that win the world cup or even get to the final all have players such as Zidane, Ronaldinho, Henry, Bergkamp, Ronaldo, Maradonna, Baggio, Iniesta, Pirlo, Hagi, Socrates, Zico, Francesoli, Laudrup, etc etc etc. I could go on and on but hopefully you get the picture. You wont win a world cup until you start to produce and utilize the more creative style of player. If you think in the list you gave of players outside of Scholes that you have that type of creative player needed then you are in lala land.
Seriously, Beckham.......
It's not a over inflated view when players have won these awards/been recognized in the past by UEFA as some of the best in their area of expertise, it's called reality!
And what do you mean Beckham? How old are you really? Beckham wasn't the face football globally just because of his looks you know, he was the face of football because he was just little bit good!
England's problem as been coaching, a Jose Mourinho/Sir Alex Ferguson managing those players, things could have be different.
Luck hasn't also hasn't been on Englands side, we have the worst penalty record/hand of gods/goals that wasn't/goals that should have/red cards/broken metatarsals to key players.
2 semi-finals, if we won our penalty shoot-out we would have been in a World Cup and European final within 4 years in the 90's, late 90's and noughties its been quarter finals.
Put it this way, we are due for some luck and when we get it, no one will (or they shouldn't) say, ENGLAND ARE JAMMY BASTARDS.
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One of the problems with England is that they don't have a style of play that they can build upon year after year.
You see teams like Italy, Spain and Brazil , there's a certain philosophy behind their football. The system that matures with player getting used to it. Individuals are part of that system but it depends on individuals aswell to stamp their authority on the team, the team revolves around those individuals, you see Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo as an example, you know what to expect from them. They are the pillars, the foundation on which the team builds upon.
With England, you don't have that foundation at all, you have Gerrard who looks confused with his position when he plays for England. I never understood what's Lampard's role has been for England all these years. Scholes was wasted playing a different role than he was used to for United.
They needed new faces, it's good that the team is young this time around but I still don't understand what Roy is trying to do with these players judging from the warm-ups.
You see teams like Italy, Spain and Brazil , there's a certain philosophy behind their football. The system that matures with player getting used to it. Individuals are part of that system but it depends on individuals aswell to stamp their authority on the team, the team revolves around those individuals, you see Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo as an example, you know what to expect from them. They are the pillars, the foundation on which the team builds upon.
With England, you don't have that foundation at all, you have Gerrard who looks confused with his position when he plays for England. I never understood what's Lampard's role has been for England all these years. Scholes was wasted playing a different role than he was used to for United.
They needed new faces, it's good that the team is young this time around but I still don't understand what Roy is trying to do with these players judging from the warm-ups.
England have plenty of quality players. They don't have 23 world class players but no team has that, not even Spain or Germany. If Woy picks a strong balanced team with all players playing in their optimum position there is no reason why they cannot win the tournament. If we get Woy's wonky team then we have no chance of winning the World Cup.
Does anyone's heart sink whenever Stuart Pearce says something? He was on today about Wilshere being in poor form, and it was a fair point but it's just how and from whom the words come that just makes me depressed. I don't know why, it just does. Maybe it's because he was once seen as the 'to be groomed' England manager.
Never said you needed 23 world class players. However the point remains, England dont have the quality or type of players needed to win the world cup and it wouldnt matter which manager was in charge that wont change. England dont have plenty of quality players relative to whats needed to win the world cup. Blaming Woy is part of the problem because England still after all these decades hasnt worked it out. 40 years of different managers and its always the same, its the managers fault. Wake up and smell the roses or another 40 years will pass with no success. Stop blaming the managers and start producing the right players so the managers have the required players to work with. You are completely and utterley deluded if you think this England squad have whats needed to win the WC. England needs to produce the right type of players to be able to win it.
BTW I would love to be proved wrong on this. I would love to see England win the WC, it would be great for football.
I'd be more worried about England getting out of the group than winning the WC
irish man wishing england a bit a luck in world cup. cant see them winning it but a quarter final appearance should be seen as success.
Italy game is massive. They need to win that game.
I think Danny Welbeck could be a key key man in that game.
----------------Hart---------------
-Jones--Cahill------Jageilka-Baines
----------Gerrard-Wilshire-------
-Sterling-----Welbeck------Lallana-
---------------Rooney----------------
Welbeck in that hole purely for the job of torturing Pirlo. United fans will remember the great job he done on Alonso before the nani sending off.
Keep sturridge on the bench for an impact sub when the ageing italians are tired.
Italy game is massive. They need to win that game.
I think Danny Welbeck could be a key key man in that game.
----------------Hart---------------
-Jones--Cahill------Jageilka-Baines
----------Gerrard-Wilshire-------
-Sterling-----Welbeck------Lallana-
---------------Rooney----------------
Welbeck in that hole purely for the job of torturing Pirlo. United fans will remember the great job he done on Alonso before the nani sending off.
Keep sturridge on the bench for an impact sub when the ageing italians are tired.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2014/mark-lawrenson-column-italy-uruguay-3663388
This sounds similar to the way Hansen, Shearer and co were writing off Germany in the prematch of WC 2010.
This sounds similar to the way Hansen, Shearer and co were writing off Germany in the prematch of WC 2010.
Team vs Italy
I think it's important that we (England) match Italy in midfield, otherwise we'll be looking at a repeat of the Euro's. We press high, don't allow Pirlo to get his head up, and keep the ball when we have it.
Prediction:
England 2 - 1 Italy
Hart
Johnson - Cahill - Jagielka - Baines
Gerrard
Henderson - Wilshere
Sterling - Sturridge - Rooney
Johnson - Cahill - Jagielka - Baines
Gerrard
Henderson - Wilshere
Sterling - Sturridge - Rooney
I think it's important that we (England) match Italy in midfield, otherwise we'll be looking at a repeat of the Euro's. We press high, don't allow Pirlo to get his head up, and keep the ball when we have it.
Prediction:
England 2 - 1 Italy
Hart
Johnson - Smalling - Cahill - Baines
Gerrard
Lallana - Rooney - Barkley - Sterling
Sturridge
Johnson - Smalling - Cahill - Baines
Gerrard
Lallana - Rooney - Barkley - Sterling
Sturridge
Old joke but still applies..
"England's national football team visited an orphanage in Brazil yesterday.
-It's heartbreaking to see their sad little faces with no hope" said Jose, age 6"
"England's national football team visited an orphanage in Brazil yesterday.
-It's heartbreaking to see their sad little faces with no hope" said Jose, age 6"
Seriously?
A back 4 of Johnson, Smalling, Cahill and Baines would frighten me. And letting old Stevie G cover up the entire defensive Midfield in 40 degrees heat isnt a good idea aswell in my opinion.
What do you think the other 4 midfielders are doing? Johnson is the only RB in the squad. Do you think Woy has any chance of winning the World Cup playing like that negative coward Gollum?
If you really think that England has any chance of winning the WC your in for a disappointing tournament.
Depends on Woy. I wouldn't be disappointed if England finish bottom of the group. Completely ambivalent to what they do.