Good result. Won the group, and some promising performances. Areas to improve upon, good to see the youngsters playing well. Looking forward to the next stage.
Fucking hell there are some miserable people on here. The aim was to win the group - we’ve done that. We haven’t looked great, but we’ve done the job. Let’s see what happens when the completion really begins.
Mate it’s fucking pathetic. The negative shit around England is tiresome. We ain’t gonna beat teams playing open expansive football. We will beat good teams keeping clean sheets and playing on the counter. First half was good. Second half was shit but the opposition were worse. Everyone wants to win 3-0 every game, it ain’t happening.
Delighted with Saka and Grealish. Henderson was good when he come on. Maguire bringing the ball out is what we need. Think of the positives.
Watch the goalposts move every time as well. Plenty pissing and moaning about Sterling playing and screeching that we won't win with that line up. But then Sterling scores and we win so it's the performances that get moaned about, despite them being objectively good enough, We win the group, so it's the familiar 'we'll lose when we come up against a good team' story that comes out. Some people are far more determined to be 'right' about all their predictions of doom than they are to actually enjoy the fact there's weeks of free football and England haven't even conceded a goal yet. It's weird, must be exhausting.
Prawn sandwich brigade because you criticise a football performance, on a forum designed for football discussion 😂
Because it's the constant criticism of being boring. Who cares we won, we're unbeaten with 3 clean sheets in the group (which I have to keep reminding the defence was the worry before the tournament). Progressing was all that mattered and we've done that top of the group. Will people moan if we win 1-0 in all the remaining games? I'm quite enjoying, for once, an England team looking well organised and not running round like headless chickens chasing a goal.
I remember when people used to say why can’t we close out 1-0 victories like the Italians would.
But we don’t close out games like the Italians. The Czechs had chances and a lot of the ball. We give the ball away cheaply and invite pressure. We have played very average teams thus far. Against the real teams 1 goal leads will not be enough. France or Germany will take us to the cleaners if we keep giving them the ball. But 7 points from 3 games, topping the group and the bonus of the Scottish reverting to type, happy days, I’d have taken that before the start.
What people forget is that Croatia, Scotland and the Czechs set out their campaign with the thought that a point against England would be a good result.
The way the fixtures fell ment when we played them none of them needed to beat us.
Yes they all had half chances but none of them came at us. This team will look better when they do.
Having watched the Portugal Germany game, if we go one up against either of them we will pick them off on the break.
Now is the time to "keep it tight" for an hour and see where you are.
Tricky one in that you can’t on the face of it argue with being group winners, esp without conceding.
However, I’ve spent money watching them for years, was there Fri and will be there next Tuesday and beyond, so I’m entitled to a “but...”
Baring a few very bright sparks where we showed what we can be capable of (and that was very impressive and refreshing - Saka and Grealish in particular) but that aside it was so, so negative and uninspiring.
We had an opportunity to make a real statement, not by being reckless, but just by continuing to do the good things we had shown at times in the first half, but we just went into a complete shell. Good teams will punish that.
I lost count of the amount of times we passed backwards (often to the keeper), due to either no option, outlet or no confidence to carry with the ball for Christ sake. Maguire tried more as the game progressed. It was painful to watch the lack of ideas at times.
I also thought we looked very suspect at the back in the rare times the Czechs went forward with intent.
The hope is that we can be better and more expansive, but will we? If we don’t I fear we’ll go out with a wimper.
Lastly, Sterling well done for being in the right place but never has a player frustrated me so much with his touch. Huge potential but the goals are papering over some absolute gash given his undoubted quality.
Just imagine Saka, Grealish, Foden & Sancho under a different manager.
Imagine getting knocked out in the group stages or not even qualifying under a different manager.......
I would accept that if the team looked like they wanted to attack & score goals. I've seen most of the games so far & all the other teams at least give it a go.
We will get mullered next Tuesday, no matter who we play.
Tricky one in that you can’t on the face of it argue with being group winners, esp without conceding.
However, I’ve spent money watching them for years, was there Fri and will be there next Tuesday and beyond, so I’m entitled to a “but...”
Baring a few very bright sparks where we showed what we can be capable of (and that was very impressive and refreshing - Saka and Grealish in particular) but that aside it was so, so negative and uninspiring.
We had an opportunity to make a real statement, not by being reckless, but just by continuing to do the good things we had shown at times in the first half, but we just went into a complete shell. Good teams will punish that.
I lost count of the amount of times we passed backwards (often to the keeper), due to either no option, outlet or no confidence to carry with the ball for Christ sake. Maguire tried more as the game progressed. It was painful to watch the lack of ideas at times.
The hope is that we can be better and more expansive, but will we? If we don’t I fear we’ll go out with a wimper.
Lastly, Sterling well done for being in the right place but never has a player frustrated me so much with his touch. Huge potential but the goals are papering over some absolute gash given his undoubted quality.
‘More expansive’…. No we won’t. We will approach a game like Germany or France where we defend well and look lethal on the counter, which we are completely capable of.
Playing at Wembley is very positive. If I was Germany I wouldnt be looking at playing us away and thinking I fancy that.
I don’t think we defended well tonight, it was sloppy and I felt worried whenever they got near our box in the first half. After that they offered nothing. Maybe it was where I was just nervous and desperate for us to win to ensure Wembley in the next game.
Germany have usually beaten us in the head before we even start mate 😉 I hope you’re right.
I do think playing a better, stronger team may benefit us though, which was why I was desperate we win the group.
Certainly feels like people are afraid to get behind the team incase we lose so would rather be negative now and get the 'I told you so' posts ready.
Ok it was boring at times but its tournament football and we just topped our group very comfortably. Can't really compare us to the likes of Holland or Belgium as they both had far easier groups imo.
3 clean sheets and I look forward to our knockout games. I think we will surprise people against better teams. I am genuinely intrigued to find out how this England side fairs against a proper side.
Tricky one in that you can’t on the face of it argue with being group winners, esp without conceding.
However, I’ve spent money watching them for years, was there Fri and will be there next Tuesday and beyond, so I’m entitled to a “but...”
Baring a few very bright sparks where we showed what we can be capable of (and that was very impressive and refreshing - Saka and Grealish in particular) but that aside it was so, so negative and uninspiring.
We had an opportunity to make a real statement, not by being reckless, but just by continuing to do the good things we had shown at times in the first half, but we just went into a complete shell. Good teams will punish that.
I lost count of the amount of times we passed backwards (often to the keeper), due to either no option, outlet or no confidence to carry with the ball for Christ sake. Maguire tried more as the game progressed. It was painful to watch the lack of ideas at times.
The hope is that we can be better and more expansive, but will we? If we don’t I fear we’ll go out with a wimper.
Lastly, Sterling well done for being in the right place but never has a player frustrated me so much with his touch. Huge potential but the goals are papering over some absolute gash given his undoubted quality.
‘More expansive’…. No we won’t. We will approach a game like Germany or France where we defend well and look lethal on the counter, which we are completely capable of.
Playing at Wembley is very positive. If I was Germany I wouldnt be looking at playing us away and thinking I fancy that.
I would. Germany will be aware that we leave all our best players on the bench when it matters.
I see the BBC are leading with Scotland going out and "going home"
1) last time I looked England has 10 x the population size of Scotland. There are more people inside the M25 than in Scotland. Can you imagine any other country running their main story about another country, especially as the majority watching the news item support a team that won & actually qualified !!
2) the game was at Hampden Park....in Scotland. They are already "home". They dont have to go anywhere now they are out. They wont be flying home anytime soon.
Grrrrr.
MOTD leading with the Scotland match.
Have I fallen asleep for 10 years & the Scots have not only won an Independence vote but now also rule the UK ???
Unless we can find a 30-40% improvement we have no chance against a better side and if we go a goal down then we are sunk.
That was a piss easy group and we won it, fair enough, but if people are being really honest we have shown absolutely nothing so far.
After the first ten minutes tonight after we had scored we had precisely one shot on target - and nothing at all in the second half.
The only consolation I can see is that we might be far better sitting back and hitting the better teams on the break as we have pace going forward.
However, if the better teams sit back in numbers then we don't seem to have the quality to break them down.
It's pretty frustrating because in 2018 we seemed to have a system that the players understood and you could see how we were trying to play but now, while we do look solid at the back, we are a shambles going forward, I can't see any shape or structure to our attacking play.
In 2018 you could see the likes of Alli and Lingard breaking from midfield and getting behind Kane but we are not really doing that now and we are struggling to get in behind teams as a result.
Kane doesn't help matters with his indifferent form, he was mediocre again tonight and looks listless and ineffectual.
Great night, we played some lovely football in first half, another match watched down the pub and seeing mates not seen since last February.
No matter who we play in second round, it’s going to be very difficult for Southgate to justify not starting Saka and Grealish after tonight’s performances.
I wouldn’t have thought any team wouldn’t be looking forward to playing us at Wembley and having to get a result but we do need to improve our 2nd half tactics if that’s our game plan; attack early hopefully score and defend the game out. 2 goals would make our matches a little more enjoyable and less stressful.
Tricky one in that you can’t on the face of it argue with being group winners, esp without conceding.
However, I’ve spent money watching them for years, was there Fri and will be there next Tuesday and beyond, so I’m entitled to a “but...”
Baring a few very bright sparks where we showed what we can be capable of (and that was very impressive and refreshing - Saka and Grealish in particular) but that aside it was so, so negative and uninspiring.
We had an opportunity to make a real statement, not by being reckless, but just by continuing to do the good things we had shown at times in the first half, but we just went into a complete shell. Good teams will punish that.
I lost count of the amount of times we passed backwards (often to the keeper), due to either no option, outlet or no confidence to carry with the ball for Christ sake. Maguire tried more as the game progressed. It was painful to watch the lack of ideas at times.
I also thought we looked very suspect at the back in the rare times the Czechs went forward with intent.
The hope is that we can be better and more expansive, but will we? If we don’t I fear we’ll go out with a wimper.
Lastly, Sterling well done for being in the right place but never has a player frustrated me so much with his touch. Huge potential but the goals are papering over some absolute gash given his undoubted quality.
Agree 1000% mate - especially about us looking very shaky at the back in the period before half-time.
People are out there asking the question, would we take boring 1-0 wins all the way to winning the tournament?
A lot of people will say yes, and will point to Greece in 2004 and Portugal in 2016, as examples of how that can be done as an example of playing 'tournament football' - but I can't agree.
Firstly, you have to have a LOT of luck to win like that, if you go a goal down in a knockout game you are bang in trouble.
Secondly, sorry, but England has just gone through a fucking nightmare 18 months with COVID and people would love to see something special, something they will remember for the rest of their lives, that's what these tournaments are about, the special moments.
We look about as likely to create a special, romantic moment as a twenty-stone middle-aged bachelor at a family wedding.
Absolutely gutted after tonight. I jacked in supporting the spineless, spoilt England and the clueless Southgate. I switched to the heroic Scots lads who bravely give it their all. Really disappointed that England scraped through and my boy brave boys, my new team crashed out undeservedly. We even scored a goal.
It's really quite some achievement how Southgate has a squad featuring the attacking options of Kane, Grealish, Foden, Sancho, Rashford, Sterling, Mount, Saka and Bellingham, and has turned them into a painfully boring side.
I swear we don't get some of the negativity that this thread has after a 1-0 Charlton win?
England brings out the absolute weirdest of mentalities in some people. Its as if they can literally do nothing right.
Major international tournaments are one of the most fun things about the game, why spend it constantly looking for the negative (even when we've won!)?
Comments
"Yes, but she wore the wrong earrings hmmph"
But 7 points from 3 games, topping the group and the bonus of the Scottish reverting to type, happy days, I’d have taken that before the start.
The way the fixtures fell ment when we played them none of them needed to beat us.
Yes they all had half chances but none of them came at us. This team will look better when they do.
Having watched the Portugal Germany game, if we go one up against either of them we will pick them off on the break.
Now is the time to "keep it tight" for an hour and see where you are.
Please tell me next games on BBC….
However, I’ve spent money watching them for years, was there Fri and will be there next Tuesday and beyond, so I’m entitled to a “but...”
Baring a few very bright sparks where we showed what we can be capable of (and that was very impressive and refreshing - Saka and Grealish in particular) but that aside it was so, so negative and uninspiring.
I lost count of the amount of times we passed backwards (often to the keeper), due to either no option, outlet or no confidence to carry with the ball for Christ sake. Maguire tried more as the game progressed. It was painful to watch the lack of ideas at times.
I also thought we looked very suspect at the back in the rare times the Czechs went forward with intent.
The hope is that we can be better and more expansive, but will we? If we don’t I fear we’ll go out with a wimper.
Lastly, Sterling well done for being in the right place but never has a player frustrated me so much with his touch. Huge potential but the goals are papering over some absolute gash given his undoubted quality.
Come on, Golfie - that's not like you.
I do think playing a better, stronger team may benefit us though, which was why I was desperate we win the group.
Ok it was boring at times but its tournament football and we just topped our group very comfortably. Can't really compare us to the likes of Holland or Belgium as they both had far easier groups imo.
3 clean sheets and I look forward to our knockout games. I think we will surprise people against better teams. I am genuinely intrigued to find out how this England side fairs against a proper side.
Roll on Tuesday
Maguire looked fantastic and Pickford continues to prove his doubters wrong. Perfect for this team.
Have I fallen asleep for 10 years & the Scots have not only won an Independence vote but now also rule the UK ???
Uninspiring.
My only interesting observation is that our best players are usually those that haven't played for us before.
The more you play for England the worse you get.
Unless we can find a 30-40% improvement we have no chance against a better side and if we go a goal down then we are sunk.
That was a piss easy group and we won it, fair enough, but if people are being really honest we have shown absolutely nothing so far.
After the first ten minutes tonight after we had scored we had precisely one shot on target - and nothing at all in the second half.
The only consolation I can see is that we might be far better sitting back and hitting the better teams on the break as we have pace going forward.
However, if the better teams sit back in numbers then we don't seem to have the quality to break them down.
It's pretty frustrating because in 2018 we seemed to have a system that the players understood and you could see how we were trying to play but now, while we do look solid at the back, we are a shambles going forward, I can't see any shape or structure to our attacking play.
In 2018 you could see the likes of Alli and Lingard breaking from midfield and getting behind Kane but we are not really doing that now and we are struggling to get in behind teams as a result.
Kane doesn't help matters with his indifferent form, he was mediocre again tonight and looks listless and ineffectual.
People are out there asking the question, would we take boring 1-0 wins all the way to winning the tournament?
A lot of people will say yes, and will point to Greece in 2004 and Portugal in 2016, as examples of how that can be done as an example of playing 'tournament football' - but I can't agree.
Firstly, you have to have a LOT of luck to win like that, if you go a goal down in a knockout game you are bang in trouble.
Secondly, sorry, but England has just gone through a fucking nightmare 18 months with COVID and people would love to see something special, something they will remember for the rest of their lives, that's what these tournaments are about, the special moments.
We look about as likely to create a special, romantic moment as a twenty-stone middle-aged bachelor at a family wedding.
I jacked in supporting the spineless, spoilt England and the clueless Southgate.
I switched to the heroic Scots lads who bravely give it their all.
Really disappointed that England scraped through and my boy brave boys, my new team crashed out undeservedly. We even scored a goal.
England brings out the absolute weirdest of mentalities in some people. Its as if they can literally do nothing right.
Major international tournaments are one of the most fun things about the game, why spend it constantly looking for the negative (even when we've won!)?