What would you have done different?

[Royal Lady]

Surely Roy is just trying to bring in far younger players, give them the experience of a few world cup games and work on them in readiness for the Euros and the next WC? We were never going to change the team as we did and suddenly be world beaters - it all takes time. A bit like people saying RFC should play some of the U21s this season. Stick with the younger up and coming players and ditch Rooney and Gerrard for a start. Rooney always seems disinterested, and like he's doing us a favour just turning up, so relieve him of his England duties I say.

Sterling looked good and was really getting stuck in, like he actually appreciated being give the chance and actually enjoyed representing his country. IMO.

[melonhead]

Having performed well in the first game I would not have changed the formation to accommodate an underperforming 'star' player, thus moving the man of the match in the first game and losing his impact

Probably means I would have left out said 'star'

Raheem stirling, who played the ten role in the first game, and everyone creamed themselves over was also tasked with man marking Pirlo in that game.
which he did by following him around at a distance of about ten yards, and not ever getting anywhere near to hampering his play.
he then went on to have a terrible game in the second, despite rotating in and out of the hole.

Rooney on the other hand set up one, and scored one, and was probably our best player in the tournament.





one thing had me worried going into uraguay, and that was gerrard and Roy starting to talk about it not being a game we could lose, rather than going all out for the win.
and thats exactly how we performed, we looked scared stiff.

[melonhead]

Bollox to the Cole & Terry debate.

They're the past, and a very sh*t and unsuccessful one at that.

Baines did a great job, didn't he?

Not especially.
But why woulld sticking to past players that have been an integral part of previous failed teams have been progress?

because they are better than the alternatives.

with a more solid base, that england team would have got through that group. imo

that doesnt mean we wouldnt have still gone with the progressive youthful midfield and front line.


that said id never have gone begging terry to come back, so thats down to him.
i wouldnt have taken cole either till i saw him at the end of the season in the champions league.
Hes still probably one of the best left backs in the world, AND Shaw would have benefited more from going to an underage tournament and actually playing.

all of that said we were probably a penalty and sending off not given away from going through anyway. fine margins innit

[No Fixed Abode]

- Taken and started John Terry
- Taken and started Ashley Cole
- Dropped Gerrard after the Italy game, Woy didn't have the balls. (or even hauled him off at half time in the Italy game)
- Put Lampard on with about 20/25 mins to go in both games instead of players with no big game experience like Lambert and Lallana etc.
- Played Rooney in his preferred position and play Sturridge out wide v Italy.

[TBM]

- Played Rooney in his preferred position and play Sturridge out wide v Italy.

Thats all very well but our goal came from Rooney putting a great cross in, from the left, and Sturridge tapping it home.

I personally would have put Milner on the left for the 2nd half of the Italy game - moving Rooney in centrally

[Mr.Swainey]

Bollox to the Cole & Terry debate.

They're the past, and a very sh*t and unsuccessful one at that.

Baines did a great job, didn't he?

Not especially.
But why woulld sticking to past players that have been an integral part of previous failed teams have been progress?

Cole was part of a team that achieved 3 Quarter-Finals on the bounce, not that bad an international record. He was also the best left back in the world for many a year. However, talking about the present, he would have offered that experience and expertise that Baines is lacking. Baines has never played in the Champions League, he doesn't have that knowledge of the big occasion. Cole does.

[Big Foot]

Baines did a great job, didn't he?

Not especially.
But why woulld sticking to past players that have been an integral part of previous failed teams have been progress?

Cole was part of a team that achieved 3 Quarter-Finals on the bounce, not that bad an international record. He was also the best left back in the world for many a year. However, talking about the present, he would have offered that experience and expertise that Baines is lacking. Baines has never played in the Champions League, he doesn't have that knowledge of the big occasion. Cole does.

^ This

I also think that with Baines being what, 29? He's hardly one for the future, so better to take Shaw as the out and out understudy to Ashley Cole

[Extended-Phenotype]

I don't understand the point of having an U21's team if all we are going to do is pull out the odd player for the first team meaning we end up with two national teams of strangers cobbled together.

Use the U21's team to forge a national team of players used to playing together. Promote the lot to the first team and build a new U21's team.

We focus too much on supposedly 'star' players and seem less bothered with building a side. Use the U21's properly or don't bother having it at all.

[BR2]

- Taken and started John Terry
- Taken and started Ashley Cole
- Dropped Gerrard after the Italy game, Woy didn't have the balls. (or even hauled him off at half time in the Italy game)
- Put Lampard on with about 20/25 mins to go in both games instead of players with no big game experience like Lambert and Lallana etc.
- Played Rooney in his preferred position and play Sturridge out wide v Italy.

Agree about John Terry but hadn't he retired himself from international football?
My son, a bigger Chelsea fan than you, has never been impressed with Cahill but with so few options at the back I would have paired him with Terry if indeed Terry could have been persuaded to play.
Taking Lampard was a waste of time and it now appears that he will get his "farewell to England" game v Costa Rica which I think is sentimental tosh.
Ashley Cole-no, like Frank is past it and I respect Mourinho's assessment of the situation that he preferred to play a right-footed left back rather than risk the ageing , and forever injured, Cole.

Having had a bit more time to think about it all the papes posting probably says it all and our players really are not very good-they think they are but are not.
BTW what was the crap that Hart was saying about "sticking together"-the usual cliched player-speak that means nothing, as does the stuff about being a happy camp and well prepared when I expect that every team, apart from Cameroon, was "well prepared".
It does seem as though they are content to be brave losers which is something that badly needs addressing and maybe treat friendlies as just friendlies like most other countries do and then the players might realise that winning at tournaments is the end game and not getting carried away with self-congratulation when we win a friendly against the likes of Spain when the opposition are clearly there for just a run out.

[No Fixed Abode]

- Taken and started John Terry
- Taken and started Ashley Cole
- Dropped Gerrard after the Italy game, Woy didn't have the balls. (or even hauled him off at half time in the Italy game)
- Put Lampard on with about 20/25 mins to go in both games instead of players with no big game experience like Lambert and Lallana etc.
- Played Rooney in his preferred position and play Sturridge out wide v Italy.

My son, a bigger Chelsea fan than you
.

I didn't realise your son had been going regularly to Chelsea for over 26 years, even when we were in Division 2. Did he ever go in the old Shed, or West Stand Benches? I might have seen him if so.

[Ouroboros]

R

[melonhead]

ambles?

[Whatevs]

M

[Extended-Phenotype]

- Taken and started John Terry

JT is too slow and old. We only have to look back to the last WC to see how well Terry can play for England. and now he’s four years older.

- Taken and started Ashley Cole

Yeah, might go with this. While he wasn’t in form for club Cole has probably been one of our most consistent performers for as long as I can remember. Though hindsight is a wonderful thing; I thought Baines would be a lot better than he was.

- Dropped Gerrard after the Italy game, Woy didn't have the balls. (or even hauled him off at half time in the Italy game)

Didn’t think he was that bad against Italy but kinda looking forward to his retirement now. His one last chance to achieve something in an England shirt and he failed again. Thanks for the memories, Stevie but it’s time to move on.

- Put Lampard on with about 20/25 mins to go in both games instead of players with no big game experience like Lambert and Lallana etc.

Disagree. Lampard is not a game changer and lacks impact. He might have improved things in the middle but I can’t see him turning games around in short spaces of time. Lallana was a good shout for his pace against tiring legs, Lambert was a decent idea just to get a chancer on the ball in the box as we fired balls in. Neither as good as Lampard as a player but that’s not necessarily important. He’s also old, slow and gives the ball away far too easily in an England shirt. That’s why he was overlooked.

- Played Rooney in his preferred position and play Sturridge out wide v Italy.

With who upfront, then? Or are you saying Rooney as a lone striker?

[melonhead]

isnt that the position where he scored 30+ goals for united one season?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Wasn't criticising the suggestion - just wanted clarification. The common opinion seems to be Rooney behind Sturridge, rather than Sturridge out wide.

[Ian Royal]

....and was probably the best that we actually have

Possibly, if he'd actually played some football. Pathetic whining about Cole being left behind when he'd have made no difference what so ever.

It takes a while to build something new and you can't just drop it all and bring back the usual crowd who've consistently failed at the first sign of a set back. Especially when those players have virtually no chance of contributing at the next tournament.

Baines is nearly 30, so is it now time to play Shaw/Gibbs if that's what our future is?

It's time to bring them through so they're ready to replace Baines in a couple of years, possibly sooner. They're both certainly too untested to be first choice atm. This is going to be a good experience in Shaw's progress particularly if he plays against Costa Rica.

If Cole had played much, he'd have gone though.

[No Fixed Abode]

Hart

Cole
Terry
Cahill
Jones

Sturridge
Lampard
Carrick
Barkley
Wellbeck

Rooney

Would have been a much better starting XI - plenty of CL experience in that team.

[Ian Royal]

LOL @ replacing the very decent Johnson with PhiLOL Jones just to satisfy your Liverpool hate.

[jd82]

LOL @ replacing the very decent Johnson with PhiLOL Jones just to satisfy your Liverpool hate.

bigger LOL at thinking Johnson was decent