Football 2015/16

[ad_orientem]

Embarrassing. I might burn my England shirt.

Woy had no idea. The manager takes the responsibility. What Wilshere was doing on the pitch I'll never know. Kane really is the worst freekick taker ever and Sterling is shite an' all. Too direct. What Sturridge is doing on the right I'll never know.

[Hope]

Embarrassing. I might burn my England shirt.

Woy had no idea. The manager takes the responsibility. What Wilshere was doing on the pitch I'll never know. Kane really is the worst freekick taker ever and Sterling is shite an' all. Too direct. What Sturridge is doing on the right I'll never know.

Where was Rashford?  Why bring him if you're not going to play him properly - especially when you play a joke like Sterrling and someone who has had such limited pitch-time as Sturridge.  Why not bring Defoe or even Crouch - at least the latter would have given us a height option!!

[Gonnagle]

Dear ad o,

I blame the Tories, Roy Hodgson, another manager falling on his sword, Mr Cameron and Mr Hodgson can be found in a quiet little pub somewhere in the eastend of London saying, well we did our best.

Gonnagle.

[Maeght]

Embarrassing. I might burn my England shirt.

Woy had no idea. The manager takes the responsibility. What Wilshere was doing on the pitch I'll never know. Kane really is the worst freekick taker ever and Sterling is shite an' all. Too direct. What Sturridge is doing on the right I'll never know.

Hodgson made some odd choices but even so the basic inability of the players to move, pass, cross and shoot on target can't be down to him surely. There is something about the structure of English football which produces teams like this because it happens all to often. Too much (easy) money? Too many foreign players perhaps?

[ad_orientem]

Where was Rashford?  Why bring him if you're not going to play him properly - especially when you play a joke like Sterrling and someone who has had such limited pitch-time as Sturridge.  Why not bring Defoe or even Crouch - at least the latter would have given us a height option!!

Of course being a West Ham fan I think Noble and/or Antonio should have been there. Maybe even Carroll. Would have given more options. Wilshere didn't deserve to be there but Hodgson has a thing for him. Defoe was on form but not considered too. Hodgson went for reputation over form, a criticism of Shearer. Shearer was right. As well as a lack of killer instinct from our top men who have been knocking them in for their clubs all season we lacked proper width. At the end of the day though Hodgson has to take the blame.

[Nearly Sane]

Lots of very funny stuff out there tonight though it might have been won by Kerry Katona saying she may have to hide out in Farm Foods. Though this runs it very close, the genius comic styling of Steve McLaren

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7rXwLBapg

[jakswan]

Embarrassing. I might burn my England shirt.

Woy had no idea. The manager takes the responsibility. What Wilshere was doing on the pitch I'll never know. Kane really is the worst freekick taker ever and Sterling is shite an' all. Too direct. What Sturridge is doing on the right I'll never know.

Ahhh England fans, truly embarrassing.

Why aren't Holland at these Championships?

A good well organised driven team can win football matches against opponents with better players, its football.

[jeremyp]

Embarrassing. I might burn my England shirt.

Woy had no idea. The manager takes the responsibility. What Wilshere was doing on the pitch I'll never know. Kane really is the worst freekick taker ever and Sterling is shite an' all. Too direct. What Sturridge is doing on the right I'll never know.

The worst thing is that we knew all that by the end of the Russia game.

Hodgson made six changes before the start of the Iceland match. Iceland have used the same team all of their games. I think this tells us that the winning strategy is to field your best team.

[jeremyp]

Hodgson made some odd choices but even so the basic inability of the players to move, pass, cross and shoot on target can't be down to him surely. There is something about the structure of English football which produces teams like this because it happens all to often. Too much (easy) money? Too many foreign players perhaps?

Several members of the Iceland team play in English football, in the Championship.

Hodgson didn't know what his best team was, that's why he twice made six changes to his starting lineup.

[jeremyp]

Ahhh England fans, truly embarrassing.

Why aren't Holland at these Championships?

Because they are even more shit than England.

[Maeght]

Although I agree that Hodgson didn't seem to know his best team I have to say nor did I or anyone else. When professionals can't pass to each other, get a cross or corner beyond the first defender or shot on target it can't all be down to the manager.

[jeremyp]

Although I agree that Hodgson didn't seem to know his best team I have to say nor did I or anyone else. When professionals can't pass to each other, get a cross or corner beyond the first defender or shot on target it can't all be down to the manager.

He's made significant changes of personnel before every game in this tournament. Do you think that helps in a team game?

I agree that the players were hopeless, but they were essentially Premier League players against (in some cases literally) Championship opposition. These are players who performed exceptionally well in the EPL (except Sterling and Wilshire) and who won the qualifying tournament with a 100% record (yes, with Hodgson).  You don't just become rubbish over night. There has to be a reason why they were collectively so woeful and, from where I stand, the fact that Hodgson kept changing the team stands out.

[ad_orientem]

I think this tells us that the winning strategy is to field your best team.

Yeah. Also to have a strategy. England didn't. In all the games the plan was, it seems, to pass the ball about and hope a gap appears in the opponent's defence. That's no strategy at all. Hodgson was too loyal to a few players as well. Why was Jack Wheelchair even there? And then bring him on to try and save the game? Hodgson must have been on drugs. No heart, no plan, not even mediocrity, just shite. That's the worst I've ever seen England play and I still remember the turnip head Graham Taylor days pretty well.

If England make it to the next World Cup I know I will probably support them (in my heart I know that) but I really do wish sometimes that I had the will power just to give up on them. It's just too heartbreaking.

[jeremyp]

Jack Wheelchair

That's very good, I'm going to steal it.

But you are right, he should not have been at the tournament.

If England make it to the next World Cup I know I will probably support them (in my heart I know that) but I really do wish sometimes that I had the will power just to give up on them. It's just too heartbreaking.

I don't have any choice. I suggest you switch your allegiance to Scotland. They are rarely in a position to be really bad in a major tournament.

[ad_orientem]

That's very good, I'm going to steal it.

But you are right, he should not have been at the tournament.
I don't have any choice. I suggest you switch your allegiance to Scotland. They are rarely in a position to be really bad in a major tournament.

No. I'm not supporting the Jocks. I'm half English, not half Scottish.

[jeremyp]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36647032

Captain Wayne Rooney insisted tactics did not play a part in England's loss.

That was manifestly obvious.

[Maeght]

He's made significant changes of personnel before every game in this tournament. Do you think that helps in a team game?

Of course not, why do you think I would? I said it can't all be the manager's fault - not that he was blameless - but to soley blame him when players couldn'tget the basics right and didn't even move around isn't correct in my view.

I agree that the players were hopeless, but they were essentially Premier League players against (in some cases literally) Championship opposition. These are players who performed exceptionally well in the EPL (except Sterling and Wilshire) and who won the qualifying tournament with a 100% record (yes, with Hodgson).  You don't just become rubbish over night. There has to be a reason why they were collectively so woeful and, from where I stand, the fact that Hodgson kept changing the team stands out.

How does changing the team mean a player can't get a cross or corner passed the first defender or pass 5 yards to someone in his own team?

[jakswan]

Because they are even more shit than England.

Maybe it was because they (Holland) lost to Iceland, twice, home and away.

I don't get England fans, it goes from stupid expectations of winning everything, to, 'shit'. Did well to get through groups, team changes meant the momentum was lost and lost to side that is really well organised on good form. It happens in football all the time.

I'd say England should expect to be top 12 teams in Europe, Top 20 in the world and that is, over years and years, where they tend to finish in major tournaments.

[jakswan]

How does changing the team mean a player can't get a cross or corner passed the first defender or pass 5 yards to someone in his own team?

Blimey do you not play sport? I used to play football some weeks I was great and other weeks I sucked, when I sucked I tried harder and ended up just sucking harder.

The players got the jitters, they are human, some of that is due to opposition, the management, the players themselves, the expectation, the crowd (great support Iceland!) and a load of other factors. 

[Maeght]

I have paid sport and managed football teams at local level quite successfully. Of course the players are human but they are also highly paid professionals - would you accept any other professional not being able to do the basics because they got the jitters? I would ask again, how does changing the team lead to not being able to beat the first defender from a corner - repeatedly?

[Gonnagle]

Dear England supporters,

Passion, England had none, they had a plan but no passion, Iceland had it in bucket loads and also had a plan.

Gonnagle.

[Sebastian Toe]

Let the jokes begin;

http://tinyurl.com/hz8jsk5

http://tinyurl.com/hctndg5

http://tinyurl.com/hr6hk5n

[Gonnagle]

Dear Seb,

Have you no heart   the country is hurting the third one is a cracker

Gonnagle.

[jakswan]

I have paid sport and managed football teams at local level quite successfully. Of course the players are human but they are also highly paid professionals - would you accept any other professional not being able to do the basics because they got the jitters? I would ask again, how does changing the team lead to not being able to beat the first defender from a corner - repeatedly?

So of the 7 England corners how many failed to beat the first defender at a corner?

England made 518 passes 86% accuracy, Iceland 248, 62%.

That is football, how can a team unbeaten at home in years and never conceded more than two goals under their manager lose 4-2 to a tier 3 team. Yet that is what Bradford did when they beat Chelsea.

Again, England should expect to be top 12 teams in Europe, Top 20 in the world and that is, over years and years, where they tend to finish in major tournaments.

[Maeght]

On many occasions over the years, when the pressure comes on, England's basics fall apart. Towards the end of the game a number of crosses and corners didn't beat the first defender and there were a lot of poor passes - you only have to listen to the comments of Glen Hoddle and the commentator for that. You saw those, yes? Delivery was poor, basics were poor and there was no movement. The manager can only do so much and the players need to shoulder blame too.