Can't make some people out.For years we've been crying out for an England team that has a couple of players with a pair of bollox. Now we've got eleven big pairs, they're still not happy.
Looking at the table, as nobody on tv mentioned it, I presume the only way France could have gone out is for Ukraine to beat England (say 1-0) and Sweden to have beaten France heavily, say 3-0, as that way Ukraine would have topped the group (on points) and England would have had a better goal difference.
Feck me, I can't believe people are scared of playing the Italians.
This is the same Italian team that drew 1-1 with Croatia - who we have monstered the last couple of times we played them - and scraped a 2-0 win against an Irish team that would just about compete in the Championship.
The Italians are a good side, probably have more talent than us, but this is a one-off game and I would sure as shit rather be playing the Italians in the QF's than Germany, Spain or even France.
As for tonight, scrappy performance but then again this was a tough ask playing against the hosts who had to win to stay in the tournament.
Still totally unconvinced by Rooney for England, Carroll would have been far more effective in relieving pressure because Rooney could not make the bloody ball stick up front at all.
To be fair, not one team has looked decent in this tournament (Apart from the Russians in their opening game and look what happened there). Much rather Italy than Spain as their tippy tippy football eventually would get the better of us. The Italians are slower and are a lot more suspect at the back at times. Fancy us to win on pens though. COME ON ENGLAND!!
Well no it wasn't a sparkling performance but hey who f*cking cares?
For years I have watched England teams full of so called stars completely under-perform.
For once I am watching a less than star-studied England give professional, disciplined performances. Yes we had a bit of good fortune along the way. About time I would say.
This was not an easy Group and we've won it.
People say we should have trounced Sweden. Sweden were a difficult opponent as they have shown tonight.
Ukraine were always going to be difficult on their home patch especially when they had it all to play for against us.
For me its great to see Parker throwing the kitchen sink at it. He may not be the best midfielder to have ever worn an England shirt but please tell me a player in that position who has ever given more.
By default, we have solved the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum that has dogged successive England managers.
For once we have three strikers, Rooney, Welbeck and Carroll all with different qualities all scoring goals.
In Terry and Lescott we have an excellent centre back pairing that frankly most wouldn't have picked if Cahill was available. Who needs Rio?
In Cole and to be fair, Johnson we have full backs who can defend.
In Walcott and the Ox we have impact players who could start if required.
Neither Young or Milner have had particularly good tournaments going forward but they have to a greater extent put shifts in for the team.
Finally we have an English Manager who has the experience and the nous on the international stage.
Work in progress? - Yes.
Will we beat Italy? Who knows but it won't be from a lack of effort and application. That is key ingredient that has been missing for far too long.
Well no it wasn't a sparkling performance but hey who f*cking cares?
For years I have watched England teams full of so called stars completely under-perform.
For once I am watching a less than star-studied England give professional, disciplined performances. Yes we had a bit of good fortune along the way. About time I would say.
This was not an easy Group and we've won it.
People say we should have trounced Sweden. Sweden were a difficult opponent as they have shown tonight.
Ukraine were always going to be difficult on their home patch especially when they had it all to play for against us.
For me its great to see Parker throwing the kitchen sink at it. He may not be the best midfielder to have ever worn an England shirt but please tell me a player in that position who has ever given more.
By default, we have solved the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum that has dogged successive England managers.
For once we have three strikers, Rooney, Welbeck and Carroll all with different qualities all scoring goals.
In Terry and Lescott we have an excellent centre back pairing that frankly most wouldn't have picked if Cahill was available. Who needs Rio?
In Cole and to be fair, Johnson we have full backs who can defend.
In Walcott and the Ox we have impact players who could start if required.
Neither Young or Milner have had particularly good tournaments going forward but they have to a greater extent put shifts in for the team.
Finally we have an English Manager who has the experience and the nous on the international stage.
Work in progress? - Yes.
Will we beat Italy? Who knows but it won't be from a lack of effort and application. That is key ingredient that has been missing for far too long.
THIS.
and this...
Knees up mother Hodgson, this is what we sing we are England we are England Roy is our king!
Team was pretty poor tonight. Loving Gerrard atm. Parker, Terry, Lescott are good. Milner has to go. Young doesn't look brilliant either. Like to see Rooney go just because he's poor. Want Azza Cazza back instead. Welbeck looks poor too. Ah well, still chuffed we won. No idea how France lost to Sweden! Their disallowed 'goal' wasn't a legitimate attack anyway, the assister was offside so shouldn't have even happened.
But onwards and upwards. Reckon we'll have a tough chance against Italy but right now reckon we'll lose
That was one of the luckiest performances I've ever seen on a football pitch. But we still won and we deserved our slices of luck after whats happened to us at major tournaments.
Roll on the azuri and Balotelli (Who will get sent off).
It wasn't the greatest match in the world, but hey we have topped the group with hard work and guts rather than so called stars who in the past were more worried about their own inflated ego's and got us nowhere. Yes I agree we need a bit more 'flair' but as @bingaddick said we have an English manager with a team that's prepared to work hard for each other and not give up.....now which team does that remind me of last season!!
What a tough game that was. Proud that we managed to get a result. Not sure what some people on here were expecting but I guess it's just the same old England attitudes that come out every tournament.
I thought we did OK. We won an away game against a team that were ready to give it their best shot. We restricted them mainly to long shots and, besides one or two scares, looked comfortable. Maybe, a draw would have been a fairer result, but we would still have won the group, which is an achievement in my book.
It gets harder now, but we look the most organised side in the tournament from what I have seen. Whether this is enough to get us past the Italians is hard to say. One thing you can be assured of is that we will have a game plan and the team will stick together.
Can't be arsed to do the research, but how many contributing to this debate were in the "I don't care about England" camp before the tournament started?
funniest moment was when Shevchenko booted Young up in the air, all season he's gone gone like a sack of sh*t at the slightest of brushes, he gets absolutely walloped up in the air and gets straight up no problem!!
funniest moment was when Shevchenko booted Young up in the air, all season he's gone gone like a sack of sh*t at the slightest of brushes, he gets absolutely walloped up in the air and gets straight up no problem!!
Knowing a draw was enough made us over-cautious, whereas Ukraine had to win so they just went for it. Final Group games are always nervy and before we slag England off, just look at how Germany, Spain, Italy and France played in their last games - none were very impressive.
Under the circumstances we played well. There is a lot we can take from that performance people under-estimate us.
It's fantastic knowing we have not played brilliantly but STILL topped the group.
Even though our players are probably getting tired e.g. Scott Parker, you can say the best is still to come from us in terms of performance. Rooney will be delightfully confident when we face the Italians.
There is sometimes a fine margin between winning and loosing in football, and we have, on this occasion, got it right.
Comments
Some people need to get a life, this team is a work in progress. They will improve.
Now we've got eleven big pairs, they're still not happy.
First pundit I can remember doing that. Most of them are obsessed with Gerrard. That said a great cross to be fair.
This is the same Italian team that drew 1-1 with Croatia - who we have monstered the last couple of times we played them - and scraped a 2-0 win against an Irish team that would just about compete in the Championship.
The Italians are a good side, probably have more talent than us, but this is a one-off game and I would sure as shit rather be playing the Italians in the QF's than Germany, Spain or even France.
As for tonight, scrappy performance but then again this was a tough ask playing against the hosts who had to win to stay in the tournament.
Still totally unconvinced by Rooney for England, Carroll would have been far more effective in relieving pressure because Rooney could not make the bloody ball stick up front at all.
For years I have watched England teams full of so called stars completely under-perform.
For once I am watching a less than star-studied England give professional, disciplined performances. Yes we had a bit of good fortune along the way. About time I would say.
This was not an easy Group and we've won it.
People say we should have trounced Sweden. Sweden were a difficult opponent as they have shown tonight.
Ukraine were always going to be difficult on their home patch especially when they had it all to play for against us.
For me its great to see Parker throwing the kitchen sink at it. He may not be the best midfielder to have ever worn an England shirt but please tell me a player in that position who has ever given more.
By default, we have solved the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum that has dogged successive England managers.
For once we have three strikers, Rooney, Welbeck and Carroll all with different qualities all scoring goals.
In Terry and Lescott we have an excellent centre back pairing that frankly most wouldn't have picked if Cahill was available. Who needs Rio?
In Cole and to be fair, Johnson we have full backs who can defend.
In Walcott and the Ox we have impact players who could start if required.
Neither Young or Milner have had particularly good tournaments going forward but they have to a greater extent put shifts in for the team.
Finally we have an English Manager who has the experience and the nous on the international stage.
Work in progress? - Yes.
Will we beat Italy? Who knows but it won't be from a lack of effort and application. That is key ingredient that has been missing for far too long.
and this...
Knees up mother Hodgson, this is what we sing
we are England
we are England
Roy is our king!
But onwards and upwards. Reckon we'll have a tough chance against Italy but right now reckon we'll lose
Roll on the azuri and Balotelli (Who will get sent off).
Win is a win,
It gets harder now, but we look the most organised side in the tournament from what I have seen. Whether this is enough to get us past the Italians is hard to say. One thing you can be assured of is that we will have a game plan and the team will stick together.
I wish I was scottish, welsh or british - anything but English.
It's fantastic knowing we have not played brilliantly but STILL topped the group.
Even though our players are probably getting tired e.g. Scott Parker, you can say the best is still to come from us in terms of performance. Rooney will be delightfully confident when we face the Italians.
There is sometimes a fine margin between winning and loosing in football, and we have, on this occasion, got it right.