England Vs Sweden

[Rinrada]

2-2...maybe beat them sometime in the next 40 years......Zats it..

[visita]

England for the World Cup? I don't think so. All the opposition have to do is stand on the sidelines and throw the ball into the net. Was that international football, or a bunch of amateurs down the park on a Sunday?

[britmaveric]

2-2 Draw???? That teaches me to turn off the tele.

[Sing_Sling]

i know you got to beat the best to win it, but surely both teams would really want to avoid Germany in the next round.

Germany the best team? They haven't played anyone yet. I reckon they'll fall like a pack of cards when they meet a team of substance. No disrespect to anyone of course but bring em on.

Famous last words from a friend of yours . . . ?

Terry world class . . . .

Lordy,lordy . . . England as serious Wold Cup contenders? Sorry lads - not one really good and convincing game so far.

Again the hyperbole . . . again the rise of hopes and then crash and burn like Francois the fighter pilot!

Come on, let's see a really good England game!

[ProfessorFart]

Well it was a sight better that the previous two games but I was troubled at how every time the ball was crossed into the area they looked like scoring.

England fell asleep again when they should have knocked Sweden off the park.

Unless something drastic happens then it'll be back to the Manor house by July for the bone idle passionless set of tossers.

[jackr]

I'd have to agree, but I don't think you will see a really good one from them - only flashes of brilliance. They were lucky to get a draw from the Swedes at one point, what with all the close calls with the woodwork in the 2nd half. They did their typical thing of sitting back; they can't help themselves. You're never going to win tourneys doing that.

On a sadder note, looks like Owen's out and if Mr Rooney doesn't get match fit pretty soon, that leaves Crouchbot and Walcott, the former of which is far from impressive and the latter... well, who knows? I reckon they'll stumble past Ecuador and then probably Holland in the Quarters.

One thing's for sure, Germany won't have it all their way against Sweden, who, although a tad boring, are easily a match for them.

[OneeyedJohn]

There were no excuses (Owen aside ) this time,

<deleted> half time talk did they have.

It's shit or bust from now on so I'll' reserve judgement til after the Ecu game.

If we dont do something bett er for 90 mins then we can kiss it all Bye Bye

[lampard10]

Yeah shame about England

We only came top of our group......................we only came through undefeated. You bunch of so called England supporters are talking more <deleted> than the worst team that has played. I say well done England. Good on you.Lots of teams would have wilted far more with the barrage of fantastic corner kicks that were flying over.

Still who knows we might beat Ecuador 26-0, then you shower of <deleted> can say " We nearly got it now"

[Sing_Sling]

Yeah shame about England

We only came top of our group......................we only came through undefeated. You bunch of so called England supporters are talking more <deleted> than the worst team that has played. I say well done England. Good on you.Lots of teams would have wilted far more with the barrage of fantastic corner kicks that were flying over.

Still who knows we might beat Ecuador 26-0, then you shower of <deleted> can say " We nearly got it now"

Fly the flag, lampard, and let no-one dare utter a word of concern or critique of England . . .

Goodness knows where blindly following something will lead . . .

I happen to think England supporters are one of the most one-eyed fans around - and that's a good thing . . . but, if things start to go downhill due to pathetic coaching choices or lacklustre performances by players who seemingly can't give a toss, then surely it's their right to vpice their concern.

It's people like you and the Sun writers who lift hopes and promise gold at the end of the tunnel only to raise them too high.

Chill, mate - - - England will do well against Ecuador - - - but let the frustrated fans air their views without you belting them inthe mouth for doing so and calling into question their faith and patriotism.

[finninuk]

Yeah shame about England

We only came top of our group......................we only came through undefeated. You bunch of so called England supporters are talking more <deleted> than the worst team that has played. I say well done England. Good on you.Lots of teams would have wilted far more with the barrage of fantastic corner kicks that were flying over.

Still who knows we might beat Ecuador 26-0, then you shower of <deleted> can say " We nearly got it now"

Fly the flag, lampard, and let no-one dare utter a word of concern or critique of England . . .

Goodness knows where blindly following something will lead . . .

I happen to think England supporters are one of the most one-eyed fans around - and that's a good thing . . . but, if things start to go downhill due to pathetic coaching choices or lacklustre performances by players who seemingly can't give a toss, then surely it's their right to vpice their concern.

It's people like you and the Sun writers who lift hopes and promise gold at the end of the tunnel only to raise them too high.

Chill, mate - - - England will do well against Ecuador - - - but let the frustrated fans air their views without you belting them inthe mouth for doing so and calling into question their faith and patriotism.

Got someting against lampard have we? the last few things hes writte you have cut him down. I for one agree with him. We are not in it, finland that is, but can you imagine an australian supporter talking like some of the english. They would not be allowed back in their country. Or course he lift hopes. You have said it in one.

[jackr]

Yeah shame about England

We only came top of our group......................we only came through undefeated. You bunch of so called England supporters are talking more <deleted> than the worst team that has played. I say well done England. Good on you.Lots of teams would have wilted far more with the barrage of fantastic corner kicks that were flying over.

Still who knows we might beat Ecuador 26-0, then you shower of <deleted> can say " We nearly got it now"

So no England supporter can voice the slightest bit of concern that England aren't quite getting it right or voice their outlook on the game?

[ProfessorFart]

Yup! Chill Lampard! They need a rocket!

They could be playing so much better (especially your namesake!) and its only because its so frustrating that England are underachieving again that I'm having a pop!

I hope they do stuff Ecuador and regain some of the rhythm they showed in the first half this morning because when you see the way the likes of Spain and Argentina have started we're going to have to.

[konangrit]

Yeah shame about England

We only came top of our group......................we only came through undefeated. You bunch of so called England supporters are talking more <deleted> than the worst team that has played. I say well done England. Good on you.Lots of teams would have wilted far more with the barrage of fantastic corner kicks that were flying over.

Still who knows we might beat Ecuador 26-0, then you shower of <deleted> can say " We nearly got it now"

Well said, this happens every tournament, don't know why the press and some "supporters" like to bash England so much. Sure, it was a bad second half performance, but there were plenty of positives from the match, especially the first half.

Hargreaves had a good game, which hopefully might shut up those ignorant tossers who were booing when he was brought on off the bench recently. What type of fans do that? Totally disgusting. Excellent goal by Cole too, he's in great form at the moment. Rooney's back a lot earlier than anyone could have hoped for. It's a real shame about Owen, but he really wasn't up to match fitness, obviously with a fully fit Owen, Crouch wouldn't get a look in, and whilst Crouch may not be aesthetically pleasing to watch, he has been scoring. No-one on a yellow picked up another, so we now have a full squad (bar Owen) for the Ecuador match.

As for winning the World Cup, well if anyone ever thought it was going to be easy, well, that's just as stupid as the people who are now saying we have no chance. At the end of the day there are maybe half a dozen teams capable of winning the World Cup this year, and England are certainly amongst those six. We now have an excellent chance of making the semis, if we had lost last night then we would be facing a much trickier route to get that far.

As for the negatives, we were sloppy, especially concerning passing and the defence, a lot of that is probably due to the fact that we had already qualified, and only needed a draw to win the group. There were also concerns about getting players booked, sent off, or injured. Obviously they decided to sit back a bit too much and some of the players switched off. It's no excuse, but none of this applies to the next match as all the cards from the group stage are now wiped clean, and it is a completely different set up now, you can't just decide to sit back and take it easy in the knock out stages, and England won't.

Personally I think we'll beat Ecuador easily, and as Lampard points out, all the fair-weather fans will suddenly go to the other extreme and say it's in the bag.

[lampard10]

So no England supporter can voice the slightest bit of concern that England aren't quite getting it right or voice their outlook on the game?

Of course they can............................when they play bad. I thought our first half showing last night was as good as any game/team in the cup. Coupled with what might well be 'The goal of the cup'

I thought we did pretty ###### well. Listening to everybody though, it was as though Sweden were a third rate team that had no right to be in the competition, and we should have stuck ten past them. Those corners and free kicks they were delivering were awesome. Just like Beckham at his very best. And not just one, time after time.

But I think the main thing that sends me potty, is what I hear every day. Right from the outset, before they even kicked a ball, all my barstool-footballers gave England no chance at all. And I'm talking about the Englishmen. Now I hear it on Thai Visa. Finninuk is right about the Australians. Why are they so good sportsman? Simple. Because even with the odds overwhelmingly against them, they believe they can win. Unfortunately with the English, even the most simplest of matches, they believe they can lose. That's the way it is, and the way it always has been.

[tom yum goong]

Got someting against lampard have we? the last few things hes writte you have cut him down. I for one agree with him. We are not in it, finland that is, but can you imagine an australian supporter talking like some of the english. They would not be allowed back in their country. Or course he lift hopes. You have said it in one.

an Australian supporter should be thanking their lucky stars they are in the world cup.

the situation for English supporters is quite different. England have a team of world stars (albeit overhyped and overpaid IMO), but very rarely play at the level we all know they can. This is why England supporters are always quick to criticise their team.

England should not be content with scraping a draw against an average Swedish team (who were missing their star player). They have the players but don't seem to be able to play decent football for more than 20 mins at a time.

[lampard10]

obviously with a fully fit Owen, Crouch wouldn't get a look in, and whilst Crouch may not be aesthetically pleasing to watch, he has been scoring.

That's something in my obvious anger I forgot.

Crouch. When the team were playing average football, he looked good. Take the first half yesterday. England were playing some amazing stuff, good, thinking football, and quite honestly Crouch looked as if he didn't have a clue.

[lampard10]

England should not be content with scraping a draw against an average Swedish team (who were missing their star player).

Yes, I admit they were missing thier star striker...................................but hang on a mo, wern't we missing ours as well?

[tom yum goong]

just wanted to add that i thought Owen Hargreaves had a blinder. He protected the back four from attacks through the middle and distributed with ball well after he won it.

Of course there were a couple of stray passes but all the best DMs are prone to this from time to time (look at Makalele).

I hope England fans will start to appreciate him more but somehow i think they would slate him even if he scored a hat-trick and set up 3 more.

[ProfessorFart]

I agree with that for once. Owen Hargreaves and Joe Cole were the best players on the pitch!

[konangrit]

I hope England fans will start to appreciate him more but somehow i think they would slate him even if he scored a hat-trick and set up 3 more.

Well, that's the poblem isn't it? It's not his job to do that, so he often goes un-noticed by the one month every two years "fan".

[tom yum goong]

Yes, I admit they were missing thier star striker...................................but hang on a mo, wern't we missing ours as well?

You could say that but England "should" have players that can come in to take his place. Of course when Sven decides to only take 4 strikers, 1 of whom he is not going to play, then you have to question his selection policy (or even his sanity).

England (as opposed to the UK) has a population of around 50 million. Football is the most popular sport in the country and the professional football league has much more depth and is better supported compared to any country in Europe.

I'm not saying that England should thrash Sweden every time, but beating them once in 38 years is surely not too much to ask?

[lampard10]

[i'm not saying that England should thrash Sweden every time, but beating them once in 38 years is surely not too much to ask?

I would like an honest answer here to put me out of my misery.

If the game had finished 2mins earlier, with a 2-1 win for England, would not England have been hailed as world beaters. Would not all the knockers have stayed in their shells, and the fence sitters marvelled at Englands performance.

I'll answer that myself actually...........of course they would have.

[tom yum goong]

by some perhaps, but i think the pandemonium that was England's defence facing set pieces would have come under heavy criticism no matter what.

don't get me wrong, i support England no matter how badly they're playing, but i just wish they would play to the level they are well capable of.

[jackr]

don't get me wrong, i support England no matter how badly they're playing, but i just wish they would play to the level they are well capable of.

Exactly, same here... it's frustrating when they sit back and end up playing negative football, no matter who against.

I know where Lamp is coming from regards the tossers on the bar stools knocking every move they make. There was a young lad in a bar in Chiang Mai during the T&T game who couldn't help himself but constantly knock England whatever they did - <deleted> this, <deleted> that, we are so <deleted>, blah blah. There were a few different nationalities in there with eyebrows raised. Pretty embarrasing to be honest and he only shut his trap when Crouch scored that corker, although he was back on his pedestal a few minutes later laying into em again. That I can't stand and we all say "What was that? my granny could have done better type thing!", but you wouldn't see an Aussie or American berating their team in the same way. What does get up my nose, however, is when they just seem to get all tangled up when they're up and don't seem to know what to do next.

[rainman]

no england-germany game for another 4 years at least. and surely neither of these teams will make it to the finals for a meet..so..

[tom yum goong]

no england-germany game for another 4 years at least. and surely neither of these teams will make it to the finals for a meet..so..

I wouldn't put it past the Germans to somehow get through to the final.

I mean, no one dreamt they would do it in Japan/Korea. This time around they have home advantage.

[jackr]

no england-germany game for another 4 years at least. and surely neither of these teams will make it to the finals for a meet..so..

Euro 2008

[ProfessorFart]

I see where Lampy is coming from but I still say the defence last night was risible. Four consecutive crosses led to one goal, two crossbar strikes, and a goal line clearance. England were lucky last night and you can rest assured what Ecuador will be practicing for Saturday and England's future opponents as well!!

I don't, and never have, bought into this 'lets get behind the lads no matter what' way of thinking if they are under-performing but agree it should be left until the final whistle has blown. As soon as the whistle blows again everyone should get behind them 100% but in the meantime if I think some overpaid stuffed shirt is making a laughing stock of my national side and not playing with the passion he should be, then I'll say so.

At the end of the day some of the defending last night would have seen a player dropped from a pub side let alone an International side.

On a different note I just hope Campbell got a bit of fitness out of last night's game as he looked rusty but is still 5 times the player Ferdinand is, and hurry up back Gary Neville! I'm sure a back 4 of Neville, Campbell, Cole and Terry will be a bit of a stiffer proposition later in the tournament.

Apologies if this seems a bit disjointed but every noisy squawky <deleted> in here is talking at the same time!

[mrbojangles]

To me, in the first half we would have been equal to anyone. The second half we where total <deleted>. I also loved the way Rooney threw his boots off. A bit unsporting i suppose but at least he's showing passion.

On sunday there are some serious options to look at. We are now down to 3 strikers, if anything happens (red card, injury etc.) we are knackered. I'd start Walcott (otherwise what was the point of taking him) with Rooney. I'd drop Lampard and move Becks a bit more central and put Lennon on the right.

Just my 2 satang

[tom yum goong]

On sunday there are some serious options to look at. We are now down to 3 strikers, if anything happens (red card, injury etc.) we are knackered. I'd start Walcott (otherwise what was the point of taking him) with Rooney. I'd drop Lampard and move Becks a bit more central and put Lennon on the right.

Madrid played him there in his first season and it didn't work. After he went back to RM he has been one of their best players. However, I think its a real dilemma as Beckham has not been on form for England this tournament. He can't beat anyone with pace, can't stay in position and always drifts infield, and can't hit a rolling ball.

Sure, he has contributed to a couple of England goals, but those were the only times he put in good deliveries. 95% of the time his corners and free kicks go to waste. By waste i don't mean they don't lead to attempts on goal, i mean they fly over for goal kicks or go straight to the first defender, giving the ball back to the opposition. Other than that i don't think he contributes anything else to the team. (shirt sales perhaps?)

What about his amazing freekicks? He hasn't scored one for England in 3 years.

But you can't drop your captain in the middle of the WC.