England v Moldova/Ukraine - WCQ

[stealthpapes]

^Terrific thread this, great to see some proper football discussion on here, interesting reading.

General football - real potential for comedy videos and decent insight into all levels of the game.

REALITY - MY CLUB IS BIGGER THAN YOUR CLUB nonsense. And endless Kes.

[Maguire]

2010 was a proper low point. The Sun's backpage after the draw was made was EASY (England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks).

Remind me how that worked out?

We qualified from the group unbeaten.

[Maguire]

Not suggesting he's world class, just took issue with the claim that he's 'barely a Premier League standard player'. His goal and assist record doesn't really support this. In fact he's a very effective Premier League player.

TBH saying Theo Walcott is "barely a Premier League standard player" is such a noddy comment i'm surprised you even bothered replying to it

[Dave the rave]

Over the last 20-30 years I think England have been unlucky to not actually be in a WC or EC final and I'm not being controversial here.
There have been penalty shoot outs, disallowed goals which were perfectly fine and opposition handball goals which have gone against us.
England always seemed to produce entertaining games, proper excitement and coupled with some WTF moments leading to that well worn path of not quite making it. Although I accept that some of the more recent years have been a bit turgid.

I much preferred watching the exciting England not quite making it rather than the tippy tappy stuff we're getting from Spain right now which, if I'm honest, I admire as a footballer, but bores me to death as a spectator.
When England try and play this way they are too much for teams like Moldova, they'll struggle against teams like Ukraine and will never compete with Spain/Germany.

[Ouroboros]

Over the last 20-30 years I think England have been unlucky to not actually be in a WC or EC final and I'm not being controversial here.

Well maybe you should try.

[Royalclapper]

Milner will be in for Welbeck and is probably going to have to put a shift in tracking back to help out and stifle Ukraine's wing threat. They're usually quick out of the blocks so please no defensive/keeper bloopers in the first 20-30 mins otherwise we'll be under considerable pressure. If England have to go hunting for goals they'll all have to have their shooting boots on being as Lambert and Defoe are the only forwards available - an early goal for us would be most welcome.

[ayjaydee]

oxf*rd me Hart could have been off inside a minute.

[stealthpapes]

They're both a little bit shit.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Poor midfield display from England. All Wilshire does is fall over while Lampard may as well not be playing.

One of them needs to go off, move Gerrard into a more attacking role and get some edge in that final third.

[Sanguine]

Ashley Young actually can't kick a football where he intends to.

[Maguire]

Dire, dire game. Just haven't got going in midfield at all.

I remember singing Ashley Young's praises at the start of 2011/12 and he ended it having a woeful Euros. Doesn't seem to have got any better since.

[Super_horns]

Roy got his point...going have to be much more open and attacking in the home games.

[stealthpapes]

When he was at Villa, he had one job. Wang it onto Carew's head.

[Sanguine]

Fwank you FAT CNUT.

[Maguire]

Point will do. That game was uglier than Royal Lady though.

[sputnik]

that was shit

[Extended-Phenotype]

All it takes is a very mediocre opponent to show that English players, old and new, just don't have any creativity or flair.

Those qualities are always taken care of by foreign players at club level. Kicking the ball hard or running fast. That's pretty much it for our skill set.

100 caps for Lampard: goes to show how weak England have been when a player so narrow in qualities can reach a century in the midfield of our national side.

That said, the score isn't a disaster and the team were rather short of options. But England still haven't really moved forwards and still lack the cutting edge midfield that real cup contenders dictate games with.

[Ouroboros]

I wish I was a foreign.

[winchester_royal]

Good grief that was naff. Totally pedestrian up the middle, and lacking any kind of penetration on the flanks. Looking at the team on paper though, it shouldn't really come as a surprise.

Lambert's done his job, but was found predictably lacking tonight. Milner was Milner. Lampard and Gerrard in midfield together looks about as out of sorts as always.

Depressing evening of football.

[Royal Rother]

Nothing I can say that I haven't said many times before.