THE England thread

[Kadilo]

1 hour ago, Aforek said:

Sorry to correct you, we say "  moi aussi " 

 

I have seen England-Sweden yesterday and I admit that England is better than I thought ; I have liked Sterling, and the English goalkeeper is very good 

You can adopt Sterling and give him French nationality if you want. 

 

[Aforek]

14 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

You can adopt Sterling and give him French nationality if you want. 

 

No, England needs him ; we don't take all the heroes ?

Edited July 8, 2018 by Aforek

[BobBKK]

3 hours ago, AlexRich said:

 

I'm not sure you're right about that. This England team are different from the teams of the past. No superstars or attention seekers like Gascoigne and Beckham, a quiet sensible bunch, and the tabloids have been noticeably absent of distracting scandals. They always seemed to have two or three stories that they released during a tournament. England looked solid last night, Croatia less so. This "under the radar" team might just surprise everyone. 

I don't disagree and you're not really disagreeing with my post. But dont tell me it's not tremendous luck top have Croatia, Russia and Sweden in our group. This is our chance a weaker group until we get to the final.

[AlexRich]

19 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

I don't disagree and you're not really disagreeing with my post. But dont tell me it's not tremendous luck top have Croatia, Russia and Sweden in our group. This is our chance a weaker group until we get to the final.

At a knock out stage I don't think it really matters ... Belgium were unlucky draw-wise but dispatched of Brazil pretty easily. France won't have an easy time with them. Croatia won't be easy ... I think it will be a case of who wants it the most ... together with a bit of luck.

[3 minus 2]

We're gonna find playing croatia a completely diferent story/level   from ANY team we-ve played b4. Our system with lingard and alli WILL/does leave gaps in behind and in around the defence, thats its weakness  no one so far has had the abilty to exploit them.  croatia s have it in abundance .southgate obviously knows that.. so it'll b interestin .. stick with the winnin team/system  or adapt,  cos as eggs r eggs croatia will be lookin at thw way we've set up so far and wouldnt say they'll b  rubbin their hands in glee cos its a w/c semi and we've got kane  and other factors least of all nerve will play its part .. however ..

[alfieconn]

Crikey, i bet even the Lefties on here are nearly getting Patriotic !

 

 

[StevieH]

20 hours ago, Kadilo said:

You can adopt Sterling and give him French nationality if you want. 

 

 

why would anyone do that? sterling has terrified three opponents so far this world cup and pulled their midfields and defences about with his movement and direct running.

 

seriously, anyone who doesn't rate sterling or doesn't recognise what he does probably doesn't really understand football very well.

[Kadilo]

6 minutes ago, StevieH said:

 

why would anyone do that? sterling has terrified three opponents so far this world cup and pulled their midfields and defences about with his movement and direct running.

 

seriously, anyone who doesn't rate sterling or doesn't recognise what he does probably doesn't really understand football very well.

Firstly it was a tongue in cheek comment. 

Seondly “terrified three opponents?”......seriously?

Thirdly, with the quote  above I love the irony of the final patrionising comment. 

 

I actually thought he had he had his best game against Sweden despite his glaring lack of confidence in front of goal......but he hasn’t “terrified” anyone up to now. 

 

 

 

 

 

[3 minus 2]

3 hours ago, alfieconn said:

Crikey, i bet even the Lefties on here are nearly getting Patriotic !

 

 

Alfie i was half way hoping you'd grown a brain in the time i'de gone walk abouts ... but with ignorant  comments like that seems i'm to be disapointed. 

[alfieconn]

19 minutes ago, 3 minus 2 said:

Alfie i was half way hoping you'd grown a brain in the time i'de gone walk abouts ... but with ignorant  comments like that seems i'm to be disapointed. 

Ha ha ha, a leftie talking about growing a brain how ironic !  in fact the only leftie comment you've missed off of there is calling me a racist ?

 

Anyway please explain how my comment was ignorant.

Edited July 9, 2018 by alfieconn

[carmine]

51 minutes ago, StevieH said:

 

why would anyone do that? sterling has terrified three opponents so far this world cup and pulled their midfields and defences about with his movement and direct running.

 

seriously, anyone who doesn't rate sterling or doesn't recognise what he does probably doesn't really understand football very well.

I think theres a media created perception that Sterling is there purely to score goals!!  its b*llocks of course.

 

Never seems to be a mention of him stretching defenses and creating openings for others.

[StevieH]

49 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Firstly it was a tongue in cheek comment. 

Seondly “terrified three opponents?”......seriously?

Thirdly, with the quote  above I love the irony of the final patrionising comment. 

 

I actually thought he had he had his best game against Sweden despite his glaring lack of confidence in front of goal......but he hasn’t “terrified” anyone up to now. 

 

 

apologies kadilo, wasn't directed specifically at you. just gets on my nerves to see the masses in england querying sterling's contribution when he's responsible for upsetting defences and midfields and creating space for other players. particularly when it's almost certainly the end result of a tabloid hatchet job on the lad for reasons previously mentioned on here.

 

and that wasn't patronising by the way, that was just factual. there's loads of blerts always come out of the wardrobe at a world cup who don't normally follow football and who start parroting tabloid crap as expertise. again, not directed at you. 

 

 

[Kadilo]

8 minutes ago, StevieH said:

 

apologies kadilo, wasn't directed specifically at you. just gets on my nerves to see the masses in england querying sterling's contribution when he's responsible for upsetting defences and midfields and creating space for other players. particularly when it's almost certainly the end result of a tabloid hatchet job on the lad for reasons previously mentioned on here.

 

and that wasn't patronising by the way, that was just factual. there's loads of blerts always come out of the wardrobe at a world cup who don't normally follow football and who start parroting tabloid crap as expertise. again, not directed at you. 

 

 

No problem. 

I think he’s one of those marmite players. I agree with you to a point. He actually came bottom on the BBCwebsite ratings after the Sweden match, 5.8 I think it was when most of the team were 7/8’s so a lot of people don’t rate him or see his benefit to the team. That was a harsh reflection on his contribution on that match. 

The goal scoring thing will continue until he gets the money off his back and as others have said maybe he is being judged too much on his lack of goals. 

Had Rashford impressed when he played against Belgium I think Southgate would of had a dilemma but his performance made it easy for Southgate to stick with Sterling. 

 

[StevieH]

4 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

No problem. 

I think he’s one of those marmite players. I agree with you to a point. He actually came bottom on the BBCwebsite ratings after the Sweden match, 5.8 I think it was when most of the team were 7/8’s so a lot of people don’t rate him or see his benefit to the team. That was a harsh reflection on his contribution on that match. 

The goal scoring thing will continue until he gets the money off his back and as others have said maybe he is being judged too much on his lack of goals. 

Had Rashford impressed when he played against Belgium I think Southgate would of had a dilemma but his performance made it easy for Southgate to stick with Sterling. 

 

 

oh the bbc website is voted for by the general public and between the tories, trump and brexit we know what value to put on that these days. 

 

it seems to be working for southgate for now. sterling helps drag opponents about a bit, makes chances and space for other players. england's goals are generally coming from dead balls, so what part does sterling play in getting free-kicks and corners would perhaps be a better gauge of how much he's contributing than his actual goals at the moment.

 

 

 

[smokie36]

1 hour ago, carmine said:

I think theres a media created perception that Sterling is there purely to score goals!!  its b*llocks of course.

 

Never seems to be a mention of him stretching defenses and creating openings for others.

 

I hear these comments all the time regarding Sterling here in England.

 

Its useful in recognising who the muppets who worship the gutter press are.

[3 minus 2]

4 hours ago, alfieconn said:

Ha ha ha, a leftie talking about growing a brain how ironic !  in fact the only leftie comment you've missed off of there is calling me a racist ?

 

Anyway please explain how my comment was ignorant.

Some times alfie you'd do well to actually THINK things through b4 you type.. But whats that old saying ... oh yeah.. stupid is as stupid does..

 

And an explanation of the word  ignorant is v easy to find.. go look it up.

[3 minus 2]

Yep.unfortunatly perifial  England Football fans tend not to be  the brightest.. NEVER forget how shockingly they treated waddle when made the england team.. anyway sterlings performances for me have been excellent  caused endless probs for defences and willingly ran 4 the team till hes on the point of  dropping     theres an old sayin ish  that  still works for me when you players get into  scorin chances and miss NO WORRIES its when they dont get into scorin positions thats the time to worry... NO DOUBTS that the goals will come he just has to keep on doin what hes doin

[mommysboy]

On 7/8/2018 at 5:30 PM, 3 minus 2 said:

We're gonna find playing croatia a completely diferent story/level   from ANY team we-ve played b4. Our system with lingard and alli WILL/does leave gaps in behind and in around the defence, thats its weakness  no one so far has had the abilty to exploit them.  croatia s have it in abundance .southgate obviously knows that.. so it'll b interestin .. stick with the winnin team/system  or adapt,  cos as eggs r eggs croatia will be lookin at thw way we've set up so far and wouldnt say they'll b  rubbin their hands in glee cos its a w/c semi and we've got kane  and other factors least of all nerve will play its part .. however ..

Of course Croatia are good, but I reckon this is a bit over-cooked.

 

I reckon win or lose this spate of results from England is not a flash in the pan, but rather the start of something bigger.  We'll be winning silverware sooner or later.

 

 

[mrbojangles]

8 hours ago, StevieH said:

 

oh the bbc website is voted for by the general public and between the tories, trump and brexit we know what value to put on that these days. 

 

it seems to be working for southgate for now. sterling helps drag opponents about a bit, makes chances and space for other players. england's goals are generally coming from dead balls, so what part does sterling play in getting free-kicks and corners would perhaps be a better gauge of how much he's contributing than his actual goals at the moment.

Spot on stevie. It's interesting how the "England fans" who watched it in the pub on a telly don't rate him but England fans and journo's who watch the team live at the stadium, aren't getting on his back and are actually supporting him. It's because at pitchside they can see all the work and openings etc he is creating off the ball. Southgate would also not play him if he wasn't seeing a positive contribution from him

 

Of course I'd like to see him being a bit more clinical in his finishing when he does get an opportunity though.

[mommysboy]

5 minutes ago, mrbojangles said:

Spot on stevie. It's interesting how the "England fans" who watched it in the pub on a telly don't rate him but England fans and journo's who watch the team live at the stadium, aren't getting on his back and are actually supporting him. It's because at pitchside they can see all the work and openings etc he is creating off the ball. Southgate would also not play him if he wasn't seeing a positive contribution from him

 

Of course I'd like to see him being a bit more clinical in his finishing when he does get an opportunity though.

Yeah, like everyone else I'm a bit dismayed by his lack of end product; he is our one class player though, and was important in defeating Sweden.

 

In case anyone hasn't seen it here's the guy who jumped through the bus shelter.  I imagine he gave Sterling a low rating.

 

https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/08/england-fans-attempt-to-jump-off-double-decker-bus-in-celebration-ends-painfully-7691733/

 

Edited July 9, 2018 by mommysboy

[3 minus 2]

1 hour ago, mommysboy said:

Of course Croatia are good, but I reckon this is a bit over-cooked.

 

I reckon win or lose this spate of results from England is not a flash in the pan, but rather the start of something bigger.  We'll be winning silverware sooner or later.

 

 

Yeah maybe, i'm far from thinking the result is a forgon conclusion.. their  c/d CAN be exposed and their keeper...??? And its footi we all know ANYTHINGS possible However there is NO denying they are .a .step up in class to what this team has  encountered so far and the weakness of our system IS where their strength lies.. so over to SOUTHGATE..imo  here's where he REALLY earns  his spurs ..

Edited July 9, 2018 by 3 minus 2

[mommysboy]

What a truly spectacular blunder!!  I think the pro England support just grew 50,000.

 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/ognjen-vukojevic-croatian-football-federation-domagoj-vida-croatia-russia-ukraine-a8438691.html

[RickG16]

2 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

Spot on stevie. It's interesting how the "England fans" who watched it in the pub on a telly don't rate him but England fans and journo's who watch the team live at the stadium, aren't getting on his back and are actually supporting him. It's because at pitchside they can see all the work and openings etc he is creating off the ball. Southgate would also not play him if he wasn't seeing a positive contribution from him

 

Of course I'd like to see him being a bit more clinical in his finishing when he does get an opportunity though.

And it's sad that no matter how well we are doing, these fans still need a 'scapegoat' figure to get on the back of.

[Mooner]

17 hours ago, StevieH said:

 

why would anyone do that? sterling has terrified three opponents so far this world cup and pulled their midfields and defences about with his movement and direct running.

 

seriously, anyone who doesn't rate sterling or doesn't recognise what he does probably doesn't really understand football very well.

Lets be honest apart from the last game he hasnt been great. Losing the ball, losing possesion.

The fact is when you play that far up the pitch you need to be able to score. I know he has 20 plus goals for city but he should of scored 40.

For England he has been poor. We are judging a proffesional player on his movement and running. He isnt that much quicker than Rashford and even Wellbeck are almost as fast 0.2 and 0.4 mph less and have superior goal records at international level.

Id love him to prove me wrong and score the winner but as we go on the teams get better and chances fewer. We cant afford to play a forward who cant score or even assist.

Players who went out in group stages have better stats.

 

 

[sanemax]

I havent been worried this much about about a semi , since I watched Brokebrooke Mountain 

[StevieH]

11 hours ago, 3 minus 2 said:

Yeah maybe, i'm far from thinking the result is a forgon conclusion.. their  c/d CAN be exposed and their keeper...??? And its footi we all know ANYTHINGS possible However there is NO denying they are .a .step up in class to what this team has  encountered so far and the weakness of our system IS where their strength lies.. so over to SOUTHGATE..imo  here's where he REALLY earns  his spurs ..

 

croatia is probably about as winnable a semi-final as england could have hoped for pre-tournament, they're plenty beatable. excellent central midfield but not really shedloads beyond that. and a goalkeeper with a hamstring strain who should be stretched as much as possible with balls into the box to make him have to move.

 

think if england score the first goal they'll win it fairly comfortably like they did against sweden to be honest.

[Bredbury Blue]

7 hours ago, Mooner said:

Lets be honest apart from the last game he hasnt been great. Losing the ball, losing possesion.

The fact is when you play that far up the pitch you need to be able to score. I know he has 20 plus goals for city but he should of scored 40.

For England he has been poor. We are judging a proffesional player on his movement and running. He isnt that much quicker than Rashford and even Wellbeck are almost as fast 0.2 and 0.4 mph less and have superior goal records at international level.

Id love him to prove me wrong and score the winner but as we go on the teams get better and chances fewer. We cant afford to play a forward who cant score or even assist.

Players who went out in group stages have better stats. 

 

 

I don’t think you play Sterling to guarantee you goals. He’s never been a great goalscorer (never will be in my opinion) – he doesn’t look a natural in front to goal. He’s more of a winger who in recent seasons is learning to play inside upfront. He was a 1 in 5 games player for Liverpool and is a 1 in 3 games goalscorer for City – for England his record is terrible.

 

Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck – hands up who knew that – is a forward who can play out wide. At ManU he was a 1 in 4.5 games player and is a 1 in 5 games goalscorer for Arsenal which is poor – for England his record is good at 1 in 2.5.

 

Rashford is also a forward who can play out wide. At ManU he is a 1 in 4.5 games player which isn’t great – for England his record is poor.

 

With Sterling you get a player who’s busy, an irritant, rarely hides and helps the team a lot. Not sure you get that with Welbeck and Rashford and they don’t guarantee you that many more goals than Sterling.

 

Sterling is doing alright.

[mommysboy]

2 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

I don’t think you play Sterling to guarantee you goals. He’s never been a great goalscorer (never will be in my opinion) – he doesn’t look a natural in front to goal. He’s more of a winger who in recent seasons is learning to play inside upfront. He was a 1 in 5 games player for Liverpool and is a 1 in 3 games goalscorer for City – for England his record is terrible.

 

Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck – hands up who knew that – is a forward who can play out wide. At ManU he was a 1 in 4.5 games player and is a 1 in 5 games goalscorer for Arsenal which is poor – for England his record is good at 1 in 2.5.

 

Rashford is also a forward who can play out wide. At ManU he is a 1 in 4.5 games player which isn’t great – for England his record is poor.

 

With Sterling you get a player who’s busy, an irritant, rarely hides and helps the team a lot. Not sure you get that with Welbeck and Rashford and they don’t guarantee you that many more goals than Sterling.

 

Sterling is doing alright.

Yes.

 

With Welbeck you get a higher score rate, and a rather unconventional style consisting of knee goals and glancing headers.  If he is the player of old, then your defence starts where he is standing.

[StevieH]

plus welbeck is just kind of crap really if you're brutally honest. ?

[mommysboy]

1 minute ago, StevieH said:

plus welbeck is just kind of crap really if you're brutally honest. ?

Not really Stevie, no, I don't think that is true.  I wouldn't replace Sterling though. I think Sterling was one big difference between England and Sweden.