Well, that’s the outcome we wanted, but this tournament is the least excited and most angry I’ve ever been watching England *ahem* “succeed”.
It doesn’t matter how far we go in this tournament, I will now forever despise Gareth Southgate as a manager. He’s lucking his way through this tournament. Everything he does strangles the life out of this England side, yet he keeps getting away with it. The one time we looked any good was when the Swiss forced him to change the system.
I don’t blame the players. They’re playing to his system and some of them are in the wrong positions or just aren’t right for it. The system is fucking shit, not the players. He may have got to finals and semifinals, but with the quality players we’ve had at our disposal, I reckon Mike Bassett could have done as well. Linker and co keep saying “You’ve got to give Southgate credit” too for some reason, but I honestly can’t fathom what for?
I hope we win the whole thing of course, but even if we do, Southgate really needs to fuck off the moment this tournament ends.
Liew on France. Applies staggeringly well to England too
France, on the other hand, have the feel of a team being held together by success alone. Get enough talent in there, and maybe the teamwork takes care of itself. No wonder they finally seemed to free up when penalties arrived: a series of simple individual battles, a test of personal skill, no tactics, no complications.
You could tell the difference from how we finished normal time to how we played in extra time. Southgate told them to cut out all that footballing stuff and get back to being ponderous and negative
It'll never happen, but I'd start with Toney on Wednesday. Tell him to give everything for an hour to soften the defenders up, then bring on Kane, as Kane looked so sluggish.
i'm just going to put this out there; 3 THREE major semi finals now for Southgate; Bobby Robson and Tel Venables over achieved to get us to one, Eriksson et al squandered our last "golden generation" with none. But 3? At some point no matter how boring we are, no matter how "shit" we play or draws going for us... you gotta say thats pretty good and deserves respect.
I garauntee one day, perhaps decades from now we will be looking back and whistfully saying "in the southgate days"
Maybe. And as you say, his record tells a story of relative success. But for me his legacy will just be that he didn’t fuck up a golden generation as much as Sven did. 😉
I mostly agree with this, much more so if we actually win something He's had the good fortune to have such an array of talent at his disposal yet not really taken the best advantage of it. His playing style and excessive caution do not endear him to fans while we struggle to put away less talented teams with turgid football.
However, he did well shedding the previous cliques of past it players and bringing the current lot through. Above all, I think he's been lucky, but you need that.
i'm just going to put this out there; 3 THREE major semi finals now for Southgate; Bobby Robson and Tel Venables over achieved to get us to one, Eriksson et al squandered our last "golden generation" with none. But 3? At some point no matter how boring we are, no matter how "shit" we play or draws going for us... you gotta say thats pretty good and deserves respect.
I garauntee one day, perhaps decades from now we will be looking back and whistfully saying "in the southgate days"
Maybe. And as you say, his record tells a story of relative success. But for me his legacy will just be that he didn’t fuck up a golden generation as much as Sven did. 😉
for the record, I didn't say success, I said respect. I will admit that that has been severely lacking from me. I'm just holding my hands up.
It'll never happen, but I'd start with Toney on Wednesday. Tell him to give everything for an hour to soften the defenders up, then bring on Kane, as Kane looked so sluggish.
Watkins for me. Will run in behind and that’s what we are sorely missing from Kane.
The idea of being able to bring on both Kane and Toney for a penalty each as well.
i'm just going to put this out there; 3 THREE major semi finals now for Southgate; Bobby Robson and Tel Venables over achieved to get us to one, Eriksson et al squandered our last "golden generation" with none. But 3? At some point no matter how boring we are, no matter how "shit" we play or draws going for us... you gotta say thats pretty good and deserves respect.
I garauntee one day, perhaps decades from now we will be looking back and whistfully saying "in the southgate days"
Maybe. And as you say, his record tells a story of relative success. But for me his legacy will just be that he didn’t fuck up a golden generation as much as Sven did. 😉
for the record, I didn't say success, I said respect. I will admit that that has been severely lacking from me. I'm just holding my hands up.
Kane's having a similar effect on this England team as Stockley had on Charlton a couple of years ago.Start Toney and see how we do with a more mobile striker up front feels the way to go.
It'll never happen, but I'd start with Toney on Wednesday. Tell him to give everything for an hour to soften the defenders up, then bring on Kane, as Kane looked so sluggish.
Watkins for me. Will run in behind and that’s what we are sorely missing from Kane.
The idea of being able to bring on both Kane and Toney for a penalty each as well.
That would be a good option too.
Watkins isn't as good a finisher as Kane BUT his mobility means that he'll get to crosses and through passes that Kane won't now.
Or play Watkins in place of Foden or Bellingham, and play Kane deeper. Like how Kane played with Son at Spurs.
i'm just going to put this out there; 3 THREE major semi finals now for Southgate; Bobby Robson and Tel Venables over achieved to get us to one, Eriksson et al squandered our last "golden generation" with none. But 3? At some point no matter how boring we are, no matter how "shit" we play or draws going for us... you gotta say thats pretty good and deserves respect.
I garauntee one day, perhaps decades from now we will be looking back and whistfully saying "in the southgate days"
I won’t.
We are getting to these semi finals / finals DESPITE Southgate - not because of him.
It’s all interestingly poised. Turkey, Netherlands, Spain all more attacking and look to have better team harmony/balance. France and England have bastarded their way to the Semis on a mix of defensive conservatism, individual moments, and blind luck.
Overall, it has been a tournament where defences have been more on top so perhaps grinding it out is going to be the way to win it. It wouldn’t be the first time at the Euros. Don’t rule out England vs. France being settled by penalties.
It’d be strangely dissatisfying if that’s how England finally break their tournament duck but ultimately the objective is to win not to win friends and the record books don’t record how well a team played.
I do hope that they can find some kind of spark but sensible money is on Southgate picking an unchanged team for the Semi.
It’s all interestingly poised. Turkey, Netherlands, Spain all more attacking and look to have better team harmony/balance. France and England have bastarded their way to the Semis on a mix of defensive conservatism, individual moments, and blind luck.
Overall, it has been a tournament where defences have been more on top so perhaps grinding it out is going to be the way to win it. It wouldn’t be the first time at the Euros. Don’t rule out England vs. France being settled by penalties.
It’d be strangely dissatisfying if that’s how England finally break their tournament duck but ultimately the objective is to win not to win friends and the record books don’t record how well a team played.
I do hope that they can find some kind of spark but sensible money is on Southgate picking an unchanged team for the Semi.
Agreed with everything up to the penultimate paragraph. If we win tournament (just saying!) it would be fucking magic.
It'll never happen, but I'd start with Toney on Wednesday. Tell him to give everything for an hour to soften the defenders up, then bring on Kane, as Kane looked so sluggish.
Watkins for me. Will run in behind and that’s what we are sorely missing from Kane.
The idea of being able to bring on both Kane and Toney for a penalty each as well.
That would be a good option too.
Watkins isn't as good a finisher as Kane BUT his mobility means that he'll get to crosses and through passes that Kane won't now.
Or play Watkins in place of Foden or Bellingham, and play Kane deeper. Like how Kane played with Son at Spurs.
Would be a very bold call for Southgate to drop his captain for a semi final. He hasn't made any bold calls all tournament and i can't see how he will start now.
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I don’t blame the players. They’re playing to his system and some of them are in the wrong positions or just aren’t right for it. The system is fucking shit, not the players.
He may have got to finals and semifinals, but with the quality players we’ve had at our disposal, I reckon Mike Bassett could have done as well. Linker and co keep saying “You’ve got to give Southgate credit” too for some reason, but I honestly can’t fathom what for?
I hope we win the whole thing of course, but even if we do, Southgate really needs to fuck off the moment this tournament ends.
Anyway, now I’ve got that off my chest…
YYYEEEESSSSSS! COME ON ENGLAND!
🤪
😉
He's had the good fortune to have such an array of talent at his disposal yet not really taken the best advantage of it. His playing style and excessive caution do not endear him to fans while we struggle to put away less talented teams with turgid football.
However, he did well shedding the previous cliques of past it players and bringing the current lot through. Above all, I think he's been lucky, but you need that.
Kane not getting in the right positions didn't help.
The idea of being able to bring on both Kane and Toney for a penalty each as well.
Watkins isn't as good a finisher as Kane BUT his mobility means that he'll get to crosses and through passes that Kane won't now.
Or play Watkins in place of Foden or Bellingham, and play Kane deeper. Like how Kane played with Son at Spurs.
I loathe the performances.
Players dragging themselves through the tournament with moments of magic because the manager hasn't set them up in winning positions.
Overall, it has been a tournament where defences have been more on top so perhaps grinding it out is going to be the way to win it. It wouldn’t be the first time at the Euros. Don’t rule out England vs. France being settled by penalties.
It’d be strangely dissatisfying if that’s how England finally break their tournament duck but ultimately the objective is to win not to win friends and the record books don’t record how well a team played.
And the bloke is so lucky he may even do it.
76% of penalties are scored: Palmer (87%), Bellingham (88%), Saka (96%) and Alexander-Arnold’s (98%) penalties were all comfortably above average.
The Swiss penalties by comparison were poor: 61%, 74%, 76% and 59%.