Is Roy right?

[wing commander]

When Poland beat Ukraine and Germany draw with N. Ireland people will start realising Roy's played a blinder and should be knighted.

haha I suspect if that goes wrong you might be reminded of that later Copps ;-)

[wing commander]

And that Copps is the difference...NI set up in a similar way to Slovakia..Sat behind the ball asking the Germans to break them down...half hour gone and Germany have created more good chances than we did all night..Hit the bar twice and winning 1-0

[Copps is Magic]

As much as they have been under the cosh they've been in the Germany box on three or four occasions which is more than Slovakia achieved all game.

[Jonathan]

It's a very subjective thing. I get that some people have been worn down by decades of 'failure' and / or no longer care how the national team get on as a yardstick for enjoyment of the tournament. But people are also entitled to look for and pick out the positives. It may be considered delusional but so what? This is a game of hopes and dreams and delusion.

Some may think it a better and more pragmatic approach to chastise the lack of cutting edge, pre-empt the ultimate and inevitable disappointment and dismiss the territorial dominance based upon the unheralded nature of the opposition. There are reasons for that and a history behind it, as explained, but it does come across as revelling in the predicted failure before it's been confirmed. Whether it's meant that way or not, I can only say how it reads to me. Perhaps it strikes me more as I'm one of the delusional, substandard accepting buffoons that has got some enjoyment from watching England in this tournament so far.

It got frustrating as the game wore on yesterday, and it's hard to evaluate the good and bad in the performance without that being jaded by the way it fizzled out into a disappointing result. But if we are so shit then that should've been expected rather than blown up into an issue. I side with those that saw something different in the majority of the performance against Russia, the majority of the performance against Wales and at least the first half of yesterday. I'm not blind to the fact that there's room for improvement, but the energy and intent in this team gives me hope.

I don't care that in a week or two's time I'll probably look a clown for showing enthusiasm and belief in my disappointingly English country. This is a team and a set of players that I want to get behind and I intend to enjoy doing so.

[wing commander]

As much as they have been under the cosh they've been in the Germany box on three or four occasions which is more than Slovakia achieved all game.
[/quote

Your clutching at very wispy straws there...lol 😉

[steve@dcfd]

I'm wanting these set of players to do well. But changing  six of the side was wrong. Roy and his staff do not set the team up to win in tournament football.
I hope he can get the side right, the mid field is the most important to provide chances for the strikers. Diet in front of the centre halves as been very good. Walker and Rose are the best two fullbacks.
So now the attacking five are the layers Roy must get right

[BillyStubbsTears]

You read WAY too much into my posts Jonathan.

You've ignored the several times I say "I hope I'm proved wrong". Not sure how much clearer I can make it.

[Filo]

The current group of players should be a real force in two years time at the World Cup

[Jonathan]

You read WAY too much into my posts Jonathan.

You've ignored the several times I say "I hope I'm proved wrong". Not sure how much clearer I can make it.

It has been a while since we've disagreed on a point. This was inevitable eventually.

[Bentley Bullet]

BST

I hope you're proved wrong too. I've got £20 on England to win it, based on your prediction. 

[grayx]

In hindsight Hodgsons biggest mistake was resting Rooney. I can live with the other changes,resting full backs and replacing an ineffective Kane and sterling, but without Rooney there was no creativity. WILSHIRE isnt fit and was poor. Roy should have started with Rooney then subbed him when we had the game won.
He was trying to do too much when he came on as sub and struggled to pick up the pace. Id have probs brought Rashford on instead of Kane who is woeful at the minute.

[Copps is Magic]

I just don't get why people keep saying we've made mistakes. We've qualified. We've played well. You can't deny any of those things.

Why is it fashionable to criticse England at the wrong times?

Wet flannels the lot of you.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

 He and we can argue the team he put out was good enough to win the game. He referred to hindsight might have done it different but when the majority of us have the foresight to suggest he made too many changes, it shows he's not the man for all seasons.

You put your best team out and if the game goes well, then you can juggle your subs.

Continuity means alot to players in any game, so to deprive Rooney, Alli, Walker and Rose to continue their top form was poor management imho.

Now, he should know his best XI and stick to it through the rest of the tournament. Those starting players should be good enough to be able to adapt and change shape during a game if necessary. 

[Chris Black come back]

Usual story. Bright for first 20 minutes of tournament then quickly revert to clueless and aimless dirge, limp through group and then go out at first whiff of a credible nation.

Someone has told them that international football is all about possession. As a result they fanny around with the ball passing between centre backs and defensive shield for just long enough so that two banks of four get back and we then amble into this treacle like morass at the pace of an arthritic slug and wonder why we can't get see the goal let alone have a shot.

Either attack at pace or be good enough like Spain or Brazil to pass through teams. We ain't going to be latter so FFS play to type and do the former.

[dickos1]

Missing one on ones, having shots cleared off the line means you have broken teams down, I agree possession stats don't always mean much but when you're creating chances its daft to suggest we didn't manage to break them down

[BillyStubbsTears]

Plural Dickos?

[drfchound]

We'll, the Germans scratched a win against the Irish and the invincible Spanish list against Croatia.
I guess their media people  will be bashing them but it bet it isn't nearly as hard as our lot do to our team.
We finished second in our group and are going about how crap we are.
To flip that round, I wonder what the likes of Hungary or Portugal are thinking about now that one if them is likely to play us now instead if Wales.
I expect some responses on here to be "great, we can play England now" but in reality I bet they would rather have played Wales.
Oh and to compare our national team to Sunday league is daft beyond belief.

[steve@dcfd]

We'll, the Germans scratched a win against the Irish and the invincible Spanish list against Croatia.
I guess their media people  will be bashing them but it bet it isn't nearly as hard as our lot do to our team.
We finished second in our group and are who gong about how crap we are.
To flip that round, I wonder what the likes of Hungary or Portugal are thinking about now that one if them is likely to play us now instead if Wales.
I expect some responses on here to be "great, we can play England now" but in reality I bet they would rather have played Wales.
Oh and to compare our national team to Sunday league is daft beyond belief.

Spain now play Italy in the round of 16.
The winner will play Germany in the QF if they win their round of 16.

So by finishing second we are in this side of the draw. All group F teams will be aiming to finish first to go into the other side of the draw.
Because the winner of our round of 16 will play France in the QF if they win their round of 16 game.

Therefore if we had won our group we would have avoided all the big hitters until the final. Therefore Roy's decision making last night was wrong and made our chances harder to get passed the QF

[dickos1]

Plural Dickos?

Clyne and vardy

[BillyStubbsTears]

One on ones?


Shots cleared off the line?

[dickos1]

One on ones?


Shots cleared off the line?

Clyne was clean through and so was vardy,

[Sammy Chung was King]

I see improvement from the last tournament, i see no point really going any further back. All three games have been of about the same standard. We have dominated possession, but in all three games the ice cool nerve to play the final ball, or finish with a goal has mostly not been there. We have averaged a goal a game over the three.
Against russia, we faced them first, they still had the chance to do well, we dominated them, we played attacking football, final ball, bad luck, finish let us down, plus poor substitutions. Wales faced them last, with confidence rock bottom, also teams play more open against wales, than against us, Wales deservedly won the game .

Against Wales same performance, was going the same way, until the substitutions won us the game.
Against slovakia, many changes similar performance, again final ball, bad luck, lack of finishing cost us, plus poor team selections and subs.
We could have faced northern ireland next round, instead we will get portugal.
 The fa have given him everything to do well, it was just a poor decision in hindsight. Against slovakia or anybody defensive minded, you need movement, pace and the ability to dribble past players.
The players don't believe in themselves enough to take chances, the manager suffers with inner caution that nags away at him!.

It's great we have made it out of the group, and unbeaten, but being in that half of the draw will need career best performances in each round to get through.
 The other half of the draw, we might have got away with the steady progress, needed because we have a new team, it puts instant pressure on, rather than being able to improve steadily.
Our best chance is to attack, under any pressure the defence will struggle. For me to beat the better teams you must have a centre half, that can bring the ball into midfield, Stones should be in the team.

We have the best full backs in the tournament for me, best defensive midfielder, plus we have Alli finding his way around tournament football.
Lallana has been reliable in all the games, though he looked tired in the last one. Rooney is improving in midfield, though i'd like to see him nearer the front players.
Hart is capable of being very good, but like all keepers is prone to a mistake. Upfront Sturridge and vardy are our best, get them in the right areas and they will score. On the bench good options for change.
We have a lot to be excited about, i just think it's now much harder for a new team like ours to have to dramatically improve. We are in the next round let's see what happens!.

[dickos1]

It's not very likely we can get Portugal

[drfchound]

We'll, the Germans scratched a win against the Irish and the invincible Spanish list against Croatia.
I guess their media people  will be bashing them but it bet it isn't nearly as hard as our lot do to our team.
We finished second in our group and are who gong about how crap we are.
To flip that round, I wonder what the likes of Hungary or Portugal are thinking about now that one if them is likely to play us now instead if Wales.
I expect some responses on here to be "great, we can play England now" but in reality I bet they would rather have played Wales.
Oh and to compare our national team to Sunday league is daft beyond belief.

Spain now play Italy in the round of 16.
The winner will play Germany in the QF if they win their round of 16.

So by finishing second we are in this side of the draw. All group F teams will be aiming to finish first to go into the other side of the draw.
Because the winner of our round of 16 will play France in the QF if they win their round of 16 game.

Therefore if we had won our group we would have avoided all the big hitters until the final. Therefore Roy's decision making last night was wrong and made our chances harder to get passed the QF

Yeah, well in our half of the draw the Italaians now play Spain then if the Germans win their next game they play the winner of Spain v Italy so that takes care of at least two of the "big hitters".
We have to play some of them at some time if we are to win the thing !!

[drfchound]

Wasn't Spain 96 a draw.

If you are saying that we didnt beat Spain (because we only got through on pens) then that makes our record quite a bit better.
I feel much better now knowing that the Germans didnt beat us in that 96 semi final  !!

[BillyStubbsTears]

That Slovakia defence is bloody hard to break down int it?

[Copps is Magic]

The Germans have made the mistake of peaking too soon.

[dickos1]

Billy you're well versed enough to know one game can never be compared with another

Belgium beat Ireland 3-0, Italy beat Belgium 2-0, Ireland beat Italy 1-0

[BillyStubbsTears]

Actually Dickos, Ireland beat an Italy side that had brought 8 second string players into the line-up.

[drfchound]

By the same logic then, Slovakia managed a draw against and England team with six "second choice" players in it whereas they played against a full strength German team.