What the fuck is the matter with England they SUCK BIG TIME lampard gerrard , shooting high and Crouch missing a open goal . beckham is all over the field best player john terrys goal line clearance in the last minute .
score 0-0 we are lucky we arnt a goal down .
Second half same as first missed chances ( how many times can lampard missed a shot until he is pulled ) never it seems ?
then ROONEY came on and the game changed last 8 mins after roooney had warmed up were all england .
a header by crouch from a cross by beckham , and later a hot shot from gerrard to make it 2-0 'England goes thou to the 2nd round whatever happens in the next games .
man of the match a tie between beckham and terry imo
So we went 169 minutes without a goal of any kind, and still won 2 games.
The other teams will be dreading what happens when we start playing well.
France drew with Switzerland.
Germany needed injury time to beat Poland.
Not everyone is firing on all cylinders yet.
I liked our 3-4-3 after the subs came on with Beckham playing as a right-sided quarterback.
Can we put Walcott on instead of Downing next time? Downing is useless at this level, he's slow, has no moves, no pace, no nothing.
man of the match a tie between beckham and terry imo
I think your man Terry should get it. I think Beckham was poor. They looked like a different team when Rooney and Lennon came on.
I think they should switch to 3-5-2 with Lennon on the right, J.Cole on the left and Beckham, Lampard and Gerrard in the middle. They looked much better with Lennon wide and Beckham more central.
Definitley agree that the change of shape (not to mention the energy that came with Rooney's introduction) was a much different 'England'.
First half so poor and like John said, lucky not to be a goal down. I was all for subbing Crouch personally, until he scored of course which would silence just about any critic, although I thought he was a bit useless the rest of the game.
Like E17 says, not all teams are firing on all cylinders yet so as long as England progress, which they are, you can't be too disappointed so far.
We have got to play either Germany or Ecuador, I don't fancy meeting either of 'em at this stage. Ecuador are playing really good football and Germany are well...Germany, they have the ability to beat anyone on any given day. This is going to be tight. Heads down to June 25th.
We have got to play either Germany or Ecuador, I don't fancy meeting either of 'em at this stage. Ecuador are playing really good football and Germany are well...Germany, they have the ability to beat anyone on any given day. This is going to be tight. Heads down to June 25th.
I think Ecuador have been outstanding. I even think that the Germany - Ecuador game will be a draw and so Ecuador will win the group, meaning that we would take on Germany in the 2nd round if we beat or draw with Sweden, which I think we will.
Fuck me!!!
Lennon played well. Bring on Carrick for the next game. And they should have taken Defoe instead of Owen.
Oh, and that Crouch miss in the 1st half. Fuck me!!!
Fuck me!!!
Oh, and that Crouch miss in the 1st half. Fuck me!!!
Nor as long as there are dogs on the street, :lol: but I agree about the Crouch miss, did he think there was a defender next to him :?:
I was all for subbing Crouch personally, until he scored of course which would silence just about any critic, although I thought he was a bit useless the rest of the game.
My thoughts exactly.
My thoughts of the game basically are the same as everyone else here.
I thought Crouch was lucky not to get substituted until his goal. When Lampard shot directly at Hislop (I feel like a bit of a wally to admit this oops ) I shouted at the TV "How many fucking chances are you going to have before you score Lampard?" evil
The addition of Rooney and Lennon definitely upped the tempo of the game and was a lift for the team.
Ive been whining about the new Adidas ball, because players like Frings, Kaka and Rosicky have tried their luck from outside the penalty box and scored, and I just couldnt understand why it was that England wasnt trying to feed Gerrard passes around the box because he's got a great shot and I just thought that it might have been better than trying to walk the ball into the back of the net........
So I was pretty chuffed when he scored. 8)
From what Ive seen of England's group so far, both Paraguay and Trinidad have tried to flustrate both England and Sweden. Is it any coincidence that Sweden have had their problems too? Dont get me wrong I'm not giving England a free pass here, but theyve got to get better. I think that England can improve and whether they play Germany or Ecuador their opposition arent going to be easy. The obvious element here is the game against Sweden. Were going to see how good or bad both teams are.
I dont know if anyone agrees.........but have you ever seen an England team in the last few years go into the group stage playing great football? To me, they always struggle and get better as they go on?
Is anyone (watching the US coverage) else starting to get really fed up with the commentary and analysis on ESPN?
oh, and John...... I voted (texted) for John Terry for his goalmouth clearance 8)
Just woeful. I was so glad when Crouch scored but have a look at the replays today - he's got the Trinidad player's dreadlocks in his hand and his yanking his head back. Ah well. Here's my ratings -
Robinson - 5 - hasn't had much to do to be fair but is looking like James for crosses. I've always thought he was overrated.
A.Cole - 5 - looked unfit to me. T&T players were just running right past him.
Ferdinand - 5 - not his best, his passing was pointless and always long.
Terry - 6 - probably our best player but not exactly bathed in glory. Again, long balls over the top are pointless.
Carragher - 5 - did his job but never went forward.
J.Cole - 4 - did nothing after 15 minutes.
Lampard - 4 - if he'd scored I might say different but other than that he hardly touched the ball. He needs a holding player to play well.
Gerrard - 6 - Scored a cracker but someone needs to explain why Sven insists on wasting his amazing talent as what's basically a sweeper. It infuriates me to see the best midfielder in the Premier League being made to play a completely different position than he is good in.
Beckham - 5 - Not at his best and didn't seem to try and rally anyone else.
Owen - 3 - Looked unfit and not very good. Naff and deserves to be dropped. Yes it's Michael Owen, but if a fat Ronaldo has had more shots than him in just 50 minutes it says alot.
Crouch - 5 - Scored, but then he should have already. It's startling that he is our main threat at the moment. I think he's being asked to play like Duncan Ferguson but he can't. He's good when he gets it to feet but Erickson insists on 4o yard long balls to him which he's shit at.
Downing - 4 - Why? Sure he actually plays a wing-role but he's not good enough.
Lennon - 6 - Looked lively even if his crossing is crap. I think he'll struggle against decent fullbacks.
Rooney - 5 - I think he lifted the team being out there even if he only touched the ball twice.
We are far far better than this. I didn't think I'd recommend dropping Lampard but if we play a 4-4-2 he has to make way for Carrick. If they play a 3-5-2 then Hargreaves or Carrick can replace Ashley Cole and Lampard can stay on and do what he's good at. For the Sweden game I think Owen needs to come on at half time - he'll be fired up, angry and with something to prove. But this is Sven's doing by not picking 5 strikers and picking a mare of a player like Jenas. Add that he more or less admitted last night that Walcott isn't up to it. The minute we meet a team with any attacking prowess we're screwed. I don't think we'll beat Sweden unless something drastic changes. It is important to remember here that these are some of the best players in the world - the problem is how Sven is asking them to play. Never in a million years would 8 out of the 11 players opt for 40 yard long balls to Michael Owen unless they had it demanded of them.
More practice needed....we can't keep relying on luck. I agree somewhat with BoardsofCanada about us playing quite rubbish early then getting better. I hope that's the case anyway.
Is anyone (watching the US coverage) else starting to get really fed up with the commentary and analysis on ESPN?
Yeah, 'shutout', 'two to oh' (2-0), 'Deefense',....and the 'experts' (the guy and the girl) are really getting my goat.
Never thought I'd say this, but bring back Gary Lineker, Alan Hansen, Trevor Brooking and Andy Gray. :mrgreen:
Our next team
Robinson
Ferdinand Terry A.Cole
Beckham Gerrard Lampard
Lennon J.Cole
Rooney Crouch
I liked our shape with 3-5-2 (or 3-4-3 if you count Lennon as a winger) and I think this would work for us against a Swedish team that relies on counter-attack.
Subs
Owen - Give him a runout for the last 20-30 minutes and rest Rooney
Carragher - Replacing a midfielder to shore up defence if we need it, or as a more defensive alternative to help Gerrard get forward
Walcott - If he can't play in this one when will he?
Downing? Send him home.