Ousted England are World Cup 'idiots' - press

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Ousted England are World Cup 'idiots' - press

England were left looking like smiling idiots just happy to be at the party, Britain's newspapers said Saturday after their humiliating early exit from the World Cup was confirmed.

With England's tournament in Brazil over -- Costa Rica's 1-0 win over Italy on Friday making their survival mathematically impossible after two defeats -- the press began casting about for scapegoats.

Newspapers vented anger at the Football Association, the national governing body, for giving manager Roy Hodgson the green light to carry on in charge -- 35 minutes before England went crashing out of the tournament.

The Daily Mail said it was "bloody insulting" for the FA to declare Hodgson safe in his job so quickly.

Greg Dyke, "the erratic FA chairman, decided it should be the very day for him to declare his public support for his manager in what looks like a Sepp Blatter-esque display of disengaged buffoonery.

"He might as well have said: 'Who cares about the fans anyway, I'll just do what I want and sod the lot of you'.

The paper added: "This is as good as it gets. This is what we must expect. This is who we are now. The smiling idiots just happy to be at the party.

"Dyke talks blithely of winning a World Cup in 2022 but his is an organisation devoid of ambition."

The Daily Telegraph said the FA should apologise to England's fans.

"They think it’s all over. It is now. How those words haunt England," the broadsheet said.

"The national team's latest failure... demands an apology from the FA, Roy Hodgson and the players.

"The fans did not expect much, but they expected more than this; at least give them the inevitable pain of penalties. But this was humiliating, being turfed out of this wonderful party before they had hardly tasted their first caipirinha."

- More John Major than James Bond -

The Guardian said the "familiar search for scapegoats and answers" was under way as it tried to work out how to apportion blame.

"England's biggest names failed to ignite," it said.

Meanwhile "the Premier League paradox -- its huge success as a global product having squeezed the chances of young English players -- is only getting worse".

The Times said there was a lesson to be learned somewhere in the debacle, and it was hard to argue that English football's structure was better than Costa Rica's.

"Some problems are not solved by money, by state-of-the-art facilities, by flooding the country with coaches," it said.

"Some problems, such as a failure to conserve possession, are more deep-rooted. Until those issues, cultural and knotted, are solved, the country can kiss any hope of success goodbye."

The Independent said the FA was using the only tactic it hadn't tried yet: standing by an England boss.

However, Hodgson had the "classic demeanour of the diminished England manager: the colour drained from his skin and the grey FA suit evoked an Englishness that owed more to (1990s prime minister) John Major than James Bond."

The Sun said it might be the end of the World Cup, but it was not the end of the world, urging readers to sing Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-06-21

[evadgib]

We need a British team as our no1 choice followed by England, Scotland, Wales & NI as our second 11's. The British team should be the best 11 regardless of where in the union they come from & not plagued by political correctness ("you haven't got any jocks" etc).

I'm glad I didn't waste time watching any games this time around, indeed I gave up 4 tournaments ago:)

[boomerangutang]

The home press corps are always gonna savage their own, if they fall below expectations. The Spanish press are doing it. The Italian press, etc. There are dozens of good national teams worldwide. All are vying for a spot. England can't always harp on past glories, like the Egyptians do with their Pharoes and the Mongolians with Genghis Khan. Time moves forward and it's time to move forward. Burma could be the world champs in 50 years, who knows?

Rather than shed tears and pull (what remains of) my hair out pining for past glories, I'm getting excited about budding power houses, like Costa Rica and Bosnia. I always root for the little guy. Maybe I'll be rooting for England in a few years, as they may well be among 'the little guys' or underdogs.

[kurnell]

Nothing like the support you get from your national press.

[evadgib]

...I should add to post no2 that the home team should enter in an honorary capacity & not be able to win the competition (home advantage an' all that)

[NeverSure]

I'm surprised by the British press. Talk about eating your young. Anyone can have a bad day. I think the English team is better than that. For whatever reason, I don't think the real English team showed up.

Like in 1980 when a motley group of US college kids and amateurs beat the Russian National Hockey Team at the Olympics. Russia had won 6 out of 7 Gold Medals in hockey in the prior 7 years. Not likely to happen twice in a row. It's still called "The Miracle on Ice."

I don't know what was wrong with England. They just didn't seem to be all there on that particular day.

[Travel2003]

Dinner for Schmucks?

[SweatySock]

It never ceases to amaze me how, after England have exited a major tournament, how quickly the media turn into a cannibalistic frenzy searching for a scapegoat.

The answer is simple, be a bit more realistic about the teams chances before the tournament then the disappointment isn't so extreme.

The media build England into world beaters before every tournament when in reality they are a lightweight outfit making up the numbers.

Mind you, they could do with a few more Gerrards or Rooneys, guys who play with a bit of fire, passion and at least let the opposition know they are in a game and less of the Welbecks and Hendersons. Plus Laurel and Hardy at the back were a bit of a joke,

All this coming from a Scotsman who can hardly keep the smile off his face.

[stevenl]

It never ceases to amaze me how, after England have exited a major tournament, how quickly the media turn into a cannibalistic frenzy searching for a scapegoat.

The answer is simple, be a bit more realistic about the teams chances before the tournament then the disappointment isn't so extreme.

The media build England into world beaters before every tournament when in reality they are a lightweight outfit making up the numbers.

Mind you, they could do with a few more Gerrards or Rooneys, guys who play with a bit of fire, passion and at least let the opposition know they are in a game and less of the Welbecks and Hendersons. Plus Laurel and Hardy at the back were a bit of a joke,

All this coming from a Scotsman who can hardly keep the smile off his face.

But that doesn't sell papers. It has to be hyped, good or bad, in order to sell.

[landtrout]

I'm surprised by the British press. Talk about eating your young. Anyone can have a bad day. I think the English team is better than that. For whatever reason, I don't think the real English team showed up.

Like in 1980 when a motley group of US college kids and amateurs beat the Russian National Hockey Team at the Olympics. Russia had won 6 out of 7 Gold Medals in hockey in the prior 7 years. Not likely to happen twice in a row. It's still called "The Miracle on Ice."

I don't know what was wrong with England. They just didn't seem to be all there on that particular day.

For another (and perhaps more pertinent...) account of a ragtag group of American amateurs and part timers taking down an overwhelmingly favored opponent, you might want to Google the "Miracle on Grass".

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2009/05/27/the-miracle-on-grass-remembered/

That was sixty-four years ago a week from tomorrow, and also happened in Brazil, which was hosting its first World Cup.

Going into that match, the English had a post-war record of 24-4-3, and were 3-1 favorites to win the tournament.

The American "team" (comprised of mail carriers, high school teachers, dishwashers, etc) had lost its previous seven matches by a combined score of 45-2, and traveled to Brazil at odds of 500-1.

Sometimes, the ball just bounces your way!

I don't have any way of knowing how that afternoon's events were portrayed in the English press, but I would be very surprised to find that those reports included the word "idiots".

[bigbamboo]

We need a British team as our no1 choice followed by England, Scotland, Wales & NI as our second 11's. The British team should be the best 11 regardless of where in the union they come from & not plagued by political correctness ("you haven't got any jocks" etc).

I'm glad I didn't waste time watching any games this time around, indeed I gave up 4 tournaments ago:)

So you want a British team......... that's 10 Englishmen and Gareth Bale.

[stevenl]

We need a British team as our no1 choice followed by England, Scotland, Wales & NI as our second 11's. The British team should be the best 11 regardless of where in the union they come from & not plagued by political correctness ("you haven't got any jocks" etc).

I'm glad I didn't waste time watching any games this time around, indeed I gave up 4 tournaments ago:)

So you want a British team......... that's 10 Englishmen and Gareth Bale.

But at least the talk about an Englishman having to manage the team can stop

[LuckyLew]

Ripping the team apart after an early exit sells more copies

than praising them for there efforts to at least make it to Brazil

Oh well England can start preparing for the EURO qualifying games

[losworld]

Looks like the coach should be ripped. Not playing the younger guys. This team looked totally out of sync. I think there is talent there but they are like a car without a clutch.

[NongKhaiKid]

It never ceases to amaze me how, after England have exited a major tournament, how quickly the media turn into a cannibalistic frenzy searching for a scapegoat.

The answer is simple, be a bit more realistic about the teams chances before the tournament then the disappointment isn't so extreme.

The media build England into world beaters before every tournament when in reality they are a lightweight outfit making up the numbers.

Mind you, they could do with a few more Gerrards or Rooneys, guys who play with a bit of fire, passion and at least let the opposition know they are in a game and less of the Welbecks and Hendersons. Plus Laurel and Hardy at the back were a bit of a joke,

All this coming from a Scotsman who can hardly keep the smile off his face.

Before every WC or Euro Championships the very same English media be it television or print more or less say the trophy should just be handed to the English team in advance but it is nice for the other teams to make up the numbers.

If anything goes wrong the media then have the luxury of ripping everyone and everything apart.

As a Scotsman I too am in celebration mode made even better by some of the ridiculous comments / excuses I've heard.

[marko kok prong]

I think we just have to face up to the fact,that whilst we do have good club players,we just cannot do it on the international stage,we can never hope to match the Dutch or germans,i don't know why,but it is obvious we can't,Uruguay are a good team with one outstanding player,but i could not see them beating Germany,or Holland,our defending was shambolic,personnally i think it is merciful we did not scrape through,to get well and truly hammered in the next round.

[slipperylobster]

I just had to wince a bit.....

Good luck next year......

Anyways, you gave it your best shot.

[uptheos]

Six weeks out, a knee operation 4 weeks ago plus rehab, hadn't played a competitive game, carried off after 86 minutes and yet he sent England home after only two games. Until we can find a defence capable of handling such a person, we will win nothing

No worries Roy will put it right.

[rixalex]

It never ceases to amaze me how, after England have exited a major tournament, how quickly the media turn into a cannibalistic frenzy searching for a scapegoat.

The answer is simple, be a bit more realistic about the teams chances before the tournament then the disappointment isn't so extreme.

The media build England into world beaters before every tournament when in reality they are a lightweight outfit making up the numbers.

Mind you, they could do with a few more Gerrards or Rooneys, guys who play with a bit of fire, passion and at least let the opposition know they are in a game and less of the Welbecks and Hendersons. Plus Laurel and Hardy at the back were a bit of a joke,

All this coming from a Scotsman who can hardly keep the smile off his face.

Before every WC or Euro Championships the very same English media be it television or print more or less say the trophy should just be handed to the English team in advance but it is nice for the other teams to make up the numbers.

If anything goes wrong the media then have the luxury of ripping everyone and everything apart.

As a Scotsman I too am in celebration mode made even better by some of the ridiculous comments / excuses I've heard.

There's a difference between talking a lot about the team and the competition, and talking about winning it. Whenever the English media talk about it all in the run up, start getting excited as is natural to do, it gets misconstrued as talking about winning it.

All the other nations' media does exactly the same sort of thing of giving their team and the competition a lot of coverage, and i'm sure if Scotland managed to qualify, you'd be no different.

[bigbamboo]

Six weeks out, a knee operation 4 weeks ago plus rehab, hadn't played a competitive game, carried off after 86 minutes and yet he sent England home after only two games. Until we can find a defence capable of handling such a person, we will win nothing

No worries Roy will put it right.

Our FA are unbelievable. Greg Dyke said he is on track with his target of "aiming to win the World Cup in 2022".

<deleted>...! I thought the whole point of playing in these tournament thingies is to 'aim to win them'. Mind you it would explain why England have been so piss poor for the last twenty years.

[salty]

Thats what I hate about the English media, always sitting on the fence.

[jellydog]

Thats what I hate about the English media, always sitting on the fence.

Sitting on the fence doesn't feed the bulldog.

[stephen terry]

Yes, it was certainly premature for the FA to confirm Hodgson's job was safe. A period of reflection and analysis should have been taken post tournament, before a statement was made.

[Lite Beer]

RT @Charles_HRH: For Sale. Only used twice. http://t.co/wpIjKSif6Z

[bkk_mike]

We need a British team as our no1 choice followed by England, Scotland, Wales & NI as our second 11's. The British team should be the best 11 regardless of where in the union they come from & not plagued by political correctness ("you haven't got any jocks" etc).

I'm glad I didn't waste time watching any games this time around, indeed I gave up 4 tournaments ago:)

Please carry on suggesting this loudly to all the British press.

I'm hoping for an independent Scotland after the referendum in September, and suggesting the end of Scotland playing as a separate football country would pretty much guarantee it.

[slipperylobster]

RT @Charles_HRH: For Sale. Only used twice. http://t.co/wpIjKSif6Z

Are the windows double thick/rock resistant? Needs new paint.