[The Earl of Chesterfield]

I hate ITV...

[Misnomer]

I don’t like mondays, on 11 July 2018 - 08:43 PM, said:

Beaten by a better team, with better players. They have 2 or 3 world class players, we don’t.

They pushed on the full backs, stopped our wingbacks getting forward and allowed the Croat midfield to double up out wide. Our lack of quality meant it was hard to counter.

Southgate should have moved Walker out wide to full back, gone 442, and used the wing backs as wide midfielders and forced Croatia inside, played tight, denied them space and played for corners and free kicks. At 1-0 it was still there to hang on to.

Having said that, it’s a long long time since an England team got this far, even with a favourable draw. So some credit to the squad and management. They have done much better than most expected.

Said exactly the same, ref your 442 and tactical changes...

Personally, I think Southgate is out of his depth. But, tbf, he hasn't really got much in the way of players at his disposal.

What I find really annoying, is when Kane has a chance to shoot from outside the box, he doesn't...yet, in the Prem, he's smashing them at the target from all angles.

[Mr Mercury]

MDCCCLXVI, on 11 July 2018 - 08:51 PM, said:

I hate ITV...

Yep, they're shocking at live sport, always have been.

[SpireiteFitzy]

Mr Mercury, on 11 July 2018 - 08:49 PM, said:

This isn't meant to be a dig, but Southgate is a safe bet for the FA, he's well mannered, impeccably dressed, polite, says the right thing at the right time, cruised through a gimme qualifying group, then had a last 16 draw that meant we could almost win the lottery, and when push came to shove he couldn't change it. Sorry but he's not the answer.

He's put the passion for football back in the country in one tournament. We'll challenge at the euros.

[Wooden Spoon]

Mr Mercury said:

1531342144[/url]' post='1402701']
This isn't meant to be a dig, but Southgate is a safe bet for the FA, he's well mannered, impeccably dressed, polite, says the right thing at the right time, cruised through a gimme qualifying group, then had a last 16 draw that meant we could almost win the lottery, and when push came to shove he couldn't change it. Sorry but he's not the answer.

We don’t have the players.

We found a way to score, from set pieces, from corners. Everything else should have been to be tight. To not concede.


Neville just said the same, we became a 532, their full backs pushed on and we couldn’t get out.


Croats full backs won that for them

[Hoare (400)]

I don’t like mondays, on 11 July 2018 - 08:45 PM, said:

I’ve seen Croat school kids being coached. Believe me, skill is what they concentrate on. Touch, balance, ball skills etc.

The biggest Problem actually is that football in this country is run by people out of touch, and out of their depth, ie the English Football association. They need to make up their minds whether your United, City, Chelsea etc winning the champions league is what they want, or a good national side capable of taking on the better teams.



Hoare (400)

[Paragon of Virtue]

gordon_brittas, on 11 July 2018 - 08:50 PM, said:

One thing is for sure, we need a foreigner cap in the Premier League, get these young English lads into the top sides, and hopefully, hopefully, we may have a team capable of making a final in the next 10 years.

No fan of Brexit at all, but hope that one thing that comes out of it is getting the overpaid foreign mercenaries out of our sides. Man City and Chelsea do nothing to help our national side at all.

Tonight's eleven, Pickford and Maguire apart all play for top four sides

[gloucestershireblue]

Don’t think we were beaten by a better side. We lost due to shocking defending.

[Wooden Spoon]

Hoare (400) said:

1531342591[/url]' post='1402711']
The biggest Problem actually is that football in this country is run by people out of touch, and out of their depth, ie the English Football association. They need to make up their minds whether your United, City, Chelsea etc winning the champions league is what they want, or a good national side capable of taking on the better teams.



Hoare (400)

No, we need to change the whole football culture in this country.


I’ve said it many times, but we need to coach coaches, and lots of them, to coach kids to be artists, to be ballerinas not athletes.


We try to turn athletes into footballers, instead of footballers into athletes.



Sterling is a perfect example, it’s ok looking good when players like de bruyne are making runs off the ball that pick the pass for, but when you don’t, are you a sharper enough player, rather than a speed boat to see that pass yourself?

gloucestershireblue said:

1531342713[/url]' post='1402715']
Don't think we were beaten by a better side. We lost due to shocking defending.

You did see the game?

[Spireite-Karl]

SpireiteFitzy, on 11 July 2018 - 08:52 PM, said:

He's put the passion for football back in the country in one tournament. We'll challenge at the euros.

What you been sniffing?? We are an average side and this was the best chance in 50 years plus of getting to a final and we fell well short, and this is off the back of having the best chance with the lucky side of the draw we ended up in. I've never know one so favourable as this and even Spain went packing early doors. We're a miles off the pace imo.

[gordon_brittas]

Spireite-Karl, on 11 July 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

What you been sniffing?? We are an average side and this was the best chance in 50 years plus of getting to a final and we fell well short, and this is off the back of having the best chance with the lucky side of the draw we ended up in. I've never know one so favourable as this and even Spain went packing early doors. We're a miles off the pace imo.

Sadly agree. Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Brazil will all come back stronger in 2022. We have a losing culture sadly. That Croatian side tonight we’re there for the taking and again we bottled it.

[calvin plummers socks]

Mr Mercury, on 11 July 2018 - 07:54 PM, said:

He's lost..no plan B tactically inept.

Oh dear

Spire-Power, on 11 July 2018 - 08:16 PM, said:

Fitness questions here

How so?

[essexspireman]

we needed somebody like Stevie G in midfield, Henderson is not in the same class

[Wooden Spoon]

calvin plummers socks, on 11 July 2018 - 09:12 PM, said:

Oh dear



How so?

Oh dear?



It’s was so obvious what the Croat full backs and wide midfield were doing 5 mins into the second half. Nothing came through the middle, everything was wide 2 on 1 and nothing to stop it. We had a spare CB marking space, and wing backs facing 2 players.

I don’t like mondays, on 11 July 2018 - 07:44 PM, said:

Croatia’s full backs are winning this for them, we’ve a spare CB, in a flat back 5, out numbered in midfield.
I’d Go flat back four, trippier and rashford as wingers to double up.

Everything the Croats are doing is wide.

See above

[Ernie Ernie Ernie]

gordon_brittas, on 11 July 2018 - 09:08 PM, said:

Sadly agree. Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Brazil will all come back stronger in 2022. We have a losing culture sadly. That Croatian side tonight we’re there for the taking and again we bottled it.

We’ll be stronger in 2022 but we need to find a couple of midfielders and another striker

[Ernie Ernie Ernie]

Spireite-Karl, on 11 July 2018 - 09:03 PM, said:

What you been sniffing?? We are an average side and this was the best chance in 50 years plus of getting to a final and we fell well short, and this is off the back of having the best chance with the lucky side of the draw we ended up in. I've never know one so favourable as this and even Spain went packing early doors. We're a miles off the pace imo.

We are average but I wouldn’t say we fell well short. Kane missed a chance to make it 2-0 and if Sterling has missed it he would have been crucified. It was a dolly of a chance. Had he taken that the game would have been over

[danblue]

I don’t like mondays, on 11 July 2018 - 08:54 PM, said:

We don’t have the players.

We found a way to score, from set pieces, from corners. Everything else should have been to be tight. To not concede.


Neville just said the same, we became a 532, their full backs pushed on and we couldn’t get out.


Croats full backs won that for them

I think we are a good 40min team.
If we don't capitalise on our possession and pressure in that 'golden' first half period, we seem to fade and let the other team in.
At times in the tournament, we should have been 3-4 nil up before half time.
We should have had at least 2 goals in first half today.
But, massive improvement on last tournaments and some thing to work and improve even more

[plannerj]

gloucestershireblue, on 11 July 2018 - 08:58 PM, said:

Don’t think we were beaten by a better side. We lost due to shocking defending.

I don’t agree. We lost because we had no threat up front. It’s fine being lauded as dead ball specialists but relatively few goals come from those situations. We never troubled their goal keeper after our early goal. When balls were cleared by the Croat defence, we had no-one in mid-field capable of “picking up the bits”. However, we were beaten by a (much) better side.

[kopblue]

essexspireman, on 11 July 2018 - 09:15 PM, said:

we needed somebody like Stevie G in midfield, Henderson is not in the same class

Henderson can't pass water

[Westbars Spireite]

Ernie Ernie Ernie, on 11 July 2018 - 09:21 PM, said:

We are average but I wouldn’t say we fell well short. Kane missed a chance to make it 2-0 and if Sterling has missed it he would have been crucified. It was a dolly of a chance. Had he taken that the game would have been over

Wasn’t offside given (even though it wasn’t)?