EngLands ranking in world football

[fenman]

Thank you Stevieb I enjoy reading the various forums on this site and seeing different opinions about their league rules and football in general .

As an old man my views on the modern game are much different than younger peoples , who's right and who's wrong I can't say but I do believe the game is dying from the premiership down and the premiership is largely a foreign league played in this country .This is only my opinion , based on the fact that most of the top clubs are foreign owned , managed by foreigners and played by mostly foreigners . As a result the British teams England , Wales etc have fallen down in the world rankings due to lack of experienced players . Also I think that many of the younger English players have been ruined by their instant celebrity status and as a result have lost their way a bit .In any sport youv'e got to have a desire to win , also ( in my view ) youv'e got to have a hurdle or two put in your path , such as shortage of money , a geograhical problem such as training facilties , to push you along .Most English footballers don't have this life is reasonably easy for them so they don't push too much . This is why we excell in minority sports and some athletic events , people have to battle the odds and make sacrifices in order to get to the top .Many footballers because of the money etc. don't have that desire and their career stagnates .

I'll stop now and dodge the flak .

[MOUNTAINEER]

I too am an 'old' man but prefer to think of myself as being 78 years young, I think society has changed more in my lifetime than in anyone's lifespan in history, progressing from the abacus we used at St Mary's school in Pydar street (Truro) to technology that is bypassing us today, unfortunately along with technology there are other changes affected mostly by the cost of living, transportation whereby we all have the opportunity for world wide travel, work etc, as they say the world get's smaller all the time, whereby in my youth people marveled when living in Truro I worked in places like Penryn, St Austell etc you would think I was going on an expedition, nowadays I have done the nigh on 600 miles return trip from Buckinghamshire to Truro in a day as indeed Truro's travelling support does regularly, we are no longer country bumpkins the world we live in has become international therefore our sports teams have done as well.

fenman - When was the last time you saw an international football match? Have you ever seen one? one player Man U haters (I'm a Spurs fan) love to slag off is Wayne Rooney but having seen all the England HOME games in the World Cup qualification competition the guy is what you appear to believe England players lack - FIT, Rooney is ever on the move linking up as a play-maker, he plays where the manager dictates, as such his scoring opportunities in some games are limited, our players are fit and the young players coming through are special. International class club players are entitled to the rewards top earners in their chosen profession deserve, they have a SHORT career where their earning levels are high. With top club football becoming more International I think there is a need to adjust our outlook and separate our prejudices, enjoy the spectacle and support the clubs I can afford/choose to follow.

Top sport will only survive in the big towns and cities because numbers are important, with them there is a hard core of support supplemented by the attendance of those making the occasional visit by way of a family treat.

The world has changed in many ways, in industry now some are earning unbelievable amounts of money, far in excess of anything I would have imagined when I was employed and for only doing a fraction of what I did when I was working, we need to enjoy our retirement and reflect on our achievements during life despite all the obstacles that littered the path through that journey. No longer do I change a penny for two halfpennies to lay on the railway line for the train to flatten to get two pennyworth of gas from the meter, that or sit in the dark.

LIFE now is wonderful if it is approached in a positive manner.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Love your last sentence.....well said.

[fenman]

I think you misunderstood some of my post "mountaineer ". I totaly agree with you regarding Rooney , I'm not a fan far from it ,however for all his faults , fitness and hard work are not 2 of them .The same applies to the majority of the England team I believe . It's the fringe players who I believe fall short I can't think of many names off the top of my head , but Bently is one who at one time was a player of promise and has disappeared , Huddlestone is another nearly man .

In answer to your question , yes I have watched the occasional England game recently but they don't excite me . Mind you I've watched Barcelona a few times , they should be prescribed by the NHS as a cure for insomnia .

In the past I've watched your team at White Hart Lane in the 60's and 70's quite a few times as well as Chelsea . You probably won't agree but it's a pity games from the 60's were'nt broadcast live in those days so we could have appreciated how good many of them were . Blanchflower , Cliff Jones , John White , Charlie Cook , Alan Hudson etc . what would players like that be worth today .?

I accept that todays players are fitter but theres very few who are exciting to watch .

[MOUNTAINEER]

fenman, I use to meet up each Wednesday for a drink and a chat with Danny Blanchflower (soft drinks for Danny) back in the early 1960's, Spurs were one of many top London clubs I did work for back then. He was a real gentleman. You mentioned the name Bentley I accept you mean the modern day one, I had the pleasure of being coached by the ex England centre forward Roy Bentley when he was at Chelsea during my misspent youth, another gentleman.

Why didn't I keep an autograph book, I wish I had because in those days autographs were done using real writing not like the modern era's scribbles.

There are exciting times ahead, Roy Hodgson is bringing young players to the fore, where previous England managers turned up to watch the top teams with maybe only a couple of English players on the pitch, Roy has regularly turned up at places like Southampton, Stoke etc where he doesn't have a wasted journey because home grown players are on view, to me Roy is the media reporters nightmare, they tried to get at him when appointed but since being in the job he has proved them all wrong.

I admit I was amazed to hear England have a backroom staff with them of 72 (YES seventy-two) looking after the team in Brazil, me I look after myself.

[fenman]

I agree with you on that I think that Hodgson is a clever man , we know he is academically , but I think he's clever at football management . As I said earlier I hope he's left to pick his own players rather than having to pick players to satisfy the FA and sponsors which is what I understand has happened in the past . Your reference to Blanchflower , I've read some of his comments to other players and managers .What a clever man with words , I'm sure he would have put some of the press to shame today with their silly questions . Did he succumb to the dreaded dementia ?

[St Darren]

Let's hope he's better at England than he was at Liverpool

He's said that Barkly lost the ball to often last night. Is it good to publically slate young players, some need the carrot rather than the stick

With regards to picking younger players. I don't think he had much choice. The only older players in my mind he could have taken would have been carrick and cole, no one would have minded if he did take them.

I still believe we will do better than the majority expect but on the other hand when you stick the 11 out there as a team playing football they are not that good. Whether that is through fear of a manager not wanting to go for it or just other sides are better but as individuals I really can't see where many are going to be lacking in confidence.

Bar utd players (of which only Rooney should get anywhere near the starting 11) all the rest of the players have had successful seasons with their club so they should have confidence

[MOUNTAINEER]

Darren,

Re: Barkley You must have seen different Hodgson interviews than I watched because in those he criticized no one apart from Valencia for getting Sterling sent off.

We could never agree on team selection because I am in support of Roy's "tactical" selections as opposed to individual posers, for instance, many criticize Wellbeck but he does the job he is asked to do and he does it well, back in 1966 the same was said about Roger Hunt the man who kept Jimmy Greaves out of the team but Hunt had a job to do, he occupied the opposition defences making room for the West Ham "Academy" to operate, if played Lambert will be employed to do the same but Wellbeck is in pole position at the moment.

IN ROY WE TRUST - FOOTBALL'S COMING HOME. - TIME TO DECORATE THE STREETS.

[MOUNTAINEER]

Darren, I have now seen the Hodgson interview, I find NOTHING wrong with it, all he said was he didn't want people to overload the teenagers by expecting too much from them, Barclay as a 19 year old cannot carry the burden of the nation. Barclay was selected on his form playing for the City of Liverpool's top team, it would be unreasonable to expect more.

The Sun never shines in St Agnes.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

After that first half against Honduro-who? our ranking is zero - sh#te

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

And..... after that second half against a team that would not win a game in the premiership, we won't be getting out of the group stages.

[MOUNTAINEER]

Practice sessions are designed to lead to better things - KEEP THE FAITH.

I admit to being a little disappointed we did not win the TWO practice games but we gained more from what we saw last night than we would have done playing almost the same and being satisfied with winning. The most obvious failing was players who play in similar positions for their clubs taking each others space, we have a week to put that right. There were too many bad tackles from the Honduras players that were not clamped down on by the referee, with only a week to go I am sure the players were instructed not to risk injury, what looked like weak tackles by England in last nights game will have more bite to them when the real thing comes around. Leave Roy to hone the team towards success.

FOOTBALL'S COMING HOME!

I think I am happier being H-A-P-P-Y than those who think they are happy being M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E.

[MOUNTAINEER]

Is there support for England's World Cup campaign in your area?

Today I walked through our estate and the village nearby about 500 houses, my next door neighbour and myself have decorated the whole fronts of our houses, even a St Piran flag among those of St George, two other houses have a single flag flying and that's it, yesterday I went into nearby High Wycombe about a mile and a half of built up area, no flags except an odd crumpled ones creased and shabby straight out of a packet in a shop or pub window, at least I ironed mine before getting up the ladder to hang them.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NATIONAL PRIDE.

[fenman]

What a co incidence I was going to ask the same question . Most of the football fanactics I know have little interest in the World Cup , this suprised me somewhat . There are a few people with flags but these arn't football supporters , they only come out of the woodwork for the World Cup or the Euro's .My neighbour is a classic example , she has no interest in football whatsoever until the World Cup , then the house and car are festooned in banners .

I think one of the reasons many of the football fanatics have lost interest is as follows . Until television decided that barring a World war or Forrest Gump getting another tatto football was the most important thing in our lives , people wanted to see the best players in the world in action . This only happened at the world cup . Now we can watch football at almost any hour of the day on a multitude of channels from all over the world . After a time like everything else saturation takes the magic away . So the World Cup is no longer the great showplace for world class players because we can watch them every week . Its not just the World cup though , a lot of club fans are questioning the point of supporting their club .For example a friend of mine is a Southampton fan and travels from Norwich to see most of their home games . They did well last season and he had high hopes of better next season , however, money has lured the manager and several players away . As a result the core of the team has gone so it is unlikely that be anywhere other than near the bottom ..So he's now questioning the point of supporting a team and having expectations when big money effectively destroys those dreams . This can't be good for the future of many clubs or any club out of the top 5 of the premiership .Is television slowly destroying its golden egg ?

[Gripper Stebson]

Eleven multi millionaires will take to the field tonight watched live in the pubs by a nation of lager swilling louts all spurred on by a media that is hell bent on social division.

As for me..I,ll be in bed come 11:00 kick off.

Zzzzzzzzzzz..........

[MOUNTAINEER]

Eleven multi millionaires will take to the field tonight watched live in the pubs by a nation of lager swilling louts all spurred on by a media that is hell bent on social division.

As for me..I,ll be in bed come 11:00 kick off.

Zzzzzzzzzzz..........

Yyyyyyyyyy aaaaaaaaaa wwwwwwww nnnnnnnnnn.

[MOUNTAINEER]

What a co incidence I was going to ask the same question . Most of the football fanactics I know have little interest in the World Cup , this suprised me somewhat . There are a few people with flags but these arn't football supporters , they only come out of the woodwork for the World Cup or the Euro's .My neighbour is a classic example , she has no interest in football whatsoever until the World Cup , then the house and car are festooned in banners .

I think one of the reasons many of the football fanatics have lost interest is as follows . Until television decided that barring a World war or Forrest Gump getting another tatto football was the most important thing in our lives , people wanted to see the best players in the world in action . This only happened at the world cup . Now we can watch football at almost any hour of the day on a multitude of channels from all over the world . After a time like everything else saturation takes the magic away . So the World Cup is no longer the great showplace for world class players because we can watch them every week . Its not just the World cup though , a lot of club fans are questioning the point of supporting their club .For example a friend of mine is a Southampton fan and travels from Norwich to see most of their home games . They did well last season and he had high hopes of better next season , however, money has lured the manager and several players away . As a result the core of the team has gone so it is unlikely that be anywhere other than near the bottom ..So he's now questioning the point of supporting a team and having expectations when big money effectively destroys those dreams . This can't be good for the future of many clubs or any club out of the top 5 of the premiership .Is television slowly destroying its golden egg ?

I think as a nation we are losing our identity, my father, three brothers and myself served in the armed forces - FOR WHAT?

Bring back conscription, the ports and airports wouldn't be able to handle the flood to escape.

[fenman]

I'm digressing from the subject here I know but when you've got politicians taking " selfies " and being in awe of celebrities and footballers ( or are they the same thing ? ) you know your country is near the bottom . Is it possible that one day the Queen will open Parliament with the words " hi guys ,welcome to London I'm a regular guy myself " .Unlikely I know , but I never thought I would hear those words from a British Prime minister .

Aside from that am I the only person to think that England wern't that bad . I've seen many posts saying that they were utterly useless and the manager should be sacked , that Gerrard and Rooney were awful etc. etc . . I must be hopelessly out of kilter with the rest of the country to think that they wern't that bad .

[Brianmooreshead]

No - I don't think that we were bad at all - It's just that as soon as Italy went 2 -1 up I just knew that we wouldn't be able to break them down

They are masters of defending - It's what they do best. Their club football is still very defensive and as a result attendances are pretty poor and their TV contracts not as lucrative as some other countries. IE - Us.

The Premiership is wonderful entertainment and is high speed up and at em football, with ( in the main ) more emphasis on attacking than defending.

Along with the high value TV deals available it makes the Premiership the place to be and the football to watch.

However every couple of years we travel off to play teams that base their game on possession and defensive soundness.

We find it boring that teams are set up like that but we can't ( it seems ) have it both ways. We like our gung ho football week in week out whilst Italian sides are content to grind out 1 - 1 or 0 - 0 draws.

It will only take them so far because you need genuine world class strikers to win tournaments, but it will always be too good for us

[stevieb]

Roy has brought the media circus down to the right level and even fans expectations have become more realistic ,thought England deserved a point and what a breath of fresh air the young players brought to the team , more pluses than minuses , but as we all know Italy have the art of defending a lead to perfection , when England have lost at previous completions , I have felt utter despair but last night was different , with some better finishing and tightening up on the left side when defending it could turn out to be an interesting World Cup for the fans

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Losing the first game is a problem, but, maybe. Pirlo ran the game again, Gerrard was wasted playing in front the back line, he should have been roughing up Pirlo, then the game would have been different.

however, the young un's did show a bit of a future - I hope, I've been waiting since 66 for some sort of highlight.

[St Darren]

Roy felt that it wasn't to bad losing by only one goal to Italy!!! Could you imagine fergie ever saying that?

Personally I thought that England did ok and got at Italy but ran out of ideas. A game I thought that they should have won

[Nemesis]

Sterling was at his best when running at the Italians, whoever stuck him out on the right touchline for the second half, needs a rocket up the bum.

If you are playing Rooney, do so as one of a pair of strikers with a man just off the front two. Leaving Cole at home was clearly a mistake, we were exposed down our left far too often, you can't leave the best left back in the world at home then complain that we were being undone down that side. Henderson did very little wrong, but he did very little. full stop, needs to be dropped for Barkley or Wishire.

Onto Uruguay, any self respecting Man Utd player should take a yellow card for the Country, kick Suarez out of the game very early on.

[MOUNTAINEER]

One defeat isn't the end, read and be proud,
next time we'll WIN and emerge from the crowd.
-----------------------------------------------------------

England my England

Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend
Your days are numbered, being brought to an end
To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine
But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.

The French and the Germans may call themselves such
So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch
You can say you're Italian or maybe a Dane
But don't say you're English ever again.

At Broadcasting House the word is taboo
In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too

Even schools are affected. Staff do as they're told
They must not teach children about England of old.
Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw
The pupils don't learn about them anymore

How about Agincourt, Hastings, and Mons?
When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.

We are not Europeans, how can we be?
Europe is miles away, over the sea
We're the English from England, let's all be proud
Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud!

Let's tell our Government, and Brussels too
We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue
Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack
Let the world know - WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come July 13th 2014 we'll all be dancing in the streets

celebrating when we bring the World Cup back.

[fenman]

Ruled by Europe and speaking American , "wow" , " from left field " step up to the plate " every man being a " gentleman " etc etc . How did it all go wrong ?

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Because we're easy going and let every-one shat on us.

[SteveG]

One defeat isn't the end, read and be proud,

next time we'll WIN and emerge from the crowd.

-----------------------------------------------------------

England my England

Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend

Your days are numbered, being brought to an end

To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine

But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.

The French and the Germans may call themselves such

So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch

You can say you're Italian or maybe a Dane

But don't say you're English ever again.

At Broadcasting House the word is taboo

In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too

Even schools are affected. Staff do as they're told

They must not teach children about England of old.

Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw

The pupils don't learn about them anymore

How about Agincourt, Hastings, and Mons?

When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.

We are not Europeans, how can we be?

Europe is miles away, over the sea

We're the English from England, let's all be proud

Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud!

Let's tell our Government, and Brussels too

We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue

Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack

Let the world know - WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come July 13th 2014 we'll all be dancing in the streets

celebrating when we bring the World Cup back.

Quite so.

Don't vote LibLabCon, everybody.

VOTE UKIP!

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

No, no......vote for older - I'd sort everything.

[MOUNTAINEER]

Still no flags on our estate only our road where my immediate neighbours have joined me with their decoration, we are an oasis in a desert. Today I did see the transport belonging to the funeral stonemasons who supplied my wife's headstone flying their flags.

My daughter lives on a massive estate about 6 miles away, she received a letter before the world cup telling her she was not allowed to fly any flags for the event, something to do with a covenant imposed when the estate was built on what was previously green belt land even though her property is freehold.

CRAZY ENGLAND

[stevieb]

One defeat isn't the end, read and be proud, next time we'll WIN and emerge from the crowd. ----------------------------------------------------------- England my England Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend Your days are numbered, being brought to an end To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine But don't say you're English, that's way out of line. The French and the Germans may call themselves such So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch You can say you're Italian or maybe a Dane But don't say you're English ever again. At Broadcasting House the word is taboo In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too Even schools are affected. Staff do as they're told They must not teach children about England of old. Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw The pupils don't learn about them anymore How about Agincourt, Hastings, and Mons? When England lost hosts of her very brave sons. We are not Europeans, how can we be? Europe is miles away, over the sea We're the English from England, let's all be proud Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud! Let's tell our Government, and Brussels too We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack Let the world know - WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come July 13th 2014 we'll all be dancing in the streets

celebrating when we bring the World Cup back.

Quite so.

Don't vote LibLabCon, everybody.

VOTE UKIP! please let's leave politics off this post.

[stevieb]

Could it be our expectations as a nation are more realistic? So people this time are playing down support , or do people have more pressing matters to spend their money on than flags and bunting ? Nothing wrong with being patriotic but the Union Jack and cross of st George have been linked for a long time with hooliganism and the far right , not right but it will take time to be proud to fly the flag again , this World Cup so far has been great to watch and us fans are getting a great spectacle and fingers crossed England can progress , who knows?

[MOUNTAINEER]

Could it be our expectations as a nation are more realistic? So people this time are playing down support , or do people have more pressing matters to spend their money on than flags and bunting ? Nothing wrong with being patriotic but the Union Jack and cross of st George have been linked for a long time with hooliganism and the far right , not right but it will take time to be proud to fly the flag again , this World Cup so far has been great to watch and us fans are getting a great spectacle and fingers crossed England can progress , who knows?

A 5ft x 3ft St George flag is one pound in Poundworld, the bunting is the same. I am flying 4 St George ones alongside my St Piran one also 2 strands of bunting and I must add my 4 Red and White Hanging Baskets, also a Scarecrow to represent the presence of a supporter. this 78 year old is going through his second childhood. He needs help.

.................................,,.................................. ................,,,.....................................................

[stevieb]

Good for you and great with the st piran flag , I am a proud Cornishman , but have never felt the need to display that , as well as being an Englishman , but that is my choice and perhaps others feel the same or maybe apathy has set in about football in general as it is now saturation point 7 days a week 24 hours a day , doesn't stop me being a fan but perhaps some , hope the flags fly true tonight for us as a nation come on England let's play without fear

[stevieb]

Flags low now played ok but cream always comes to the top suares top player , we as a nation don't have that sort of player, shame one game to go play the youngsters and build for the euros , our best player I thought was Cahill , we are a top ten side but can't yet break into the elite of world football ....... Just yet

[Brianmooreshead]

Well I don't know what you were watching Steve

What the **** was Cahill watching when Suarez latched to Gerrards **** up ( They seem to be ever more frequent now )

We really are clueless - At least we can watch the proper teams battle it out now

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Need a finisher, its that simple. Pick Jimmy Greaves, he'd score even now.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Well mountaineer, there's a covenant on my estate saying no fences, so I put up a 6 foot fecker.

Boll..ks to authority.

[hoppit]

Don't worry, soon Rooney will be scoring a hat trick against Stoke and Burnley Cahill and Jagelka will do some class defending against Swansea and Palace and they will all be world class again. Johnson , Wellbeck , Sturridge, Gerrard Rooney, Baines, are just not good enough. Uruguay were bleddy awful.

[Martin McHugh]

Not sure if this link will work but interesting comments from Waddle on ??five live?? I think about why we are crap!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02191f7

Title:-

Waddle on England: 'We never ever, ever learn'

MQx

[Brianmooreshead]

I listened to that live last night

Thing is when Waddle played in those halcyon pre premier league days - we still didn't achieve anything

[Martin McHugh]

Very true and there are still more people willing to moan than step up and help out at grass roots level as well.

We cant keep under achieving without trying out new players/combinations and systems and for that reason I feel that Hodgson should be given a reasonable amount of time to experiment.

MQx

[Brianmooreshead]

There isn't a lot of point in removing the Manager. Whoever his replacement would be ( and there's no obvious candidate ) they still have the same players to work with.

You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear

[MOUNTAINEER]

I posted this in March but the tactic was repeated against Italy - We have to learn from our mistakes.

"All we need is for Roy Hodgson to come up with a winning formula, I have seen all England home games for the past 2 years and Rooney has been brilliant, the guy never stops, he's always on the move however I was disappointed in the last game against Denmark where he was asked to play a part unfamiliar and too deep for him that mean't his performance wasn't it's normal polished product and from the manager's actions a failed experiment that must never be repeated."

My main fear leading into the tournament has been our suspect defence and if the Football Association had any balls we would have taken JOHN TERRY the best organiser I have seen since Bobby Moore to wear the England shirt, Although Terry was getting older he along with Ashley Cole should have gone to Brasil.

Clutching at straws I am still flying the flags for this one until our exit is confirmed, however HAPPY in the knowledge that two years down the line our youngsters will have become international players good enough to win the European Championships.

It was good seeing more open football but not seeing the lack of knowledge of when to do it, our eagerness getting forward led to sloppy defending due to the lack of concentration.

ITALIANO - ITALIANO - ITALIANO

[MOUNTAINEER]

That's ALL Folks. - Still flying the flags.

We may be the only team to beat this years World Champions

Gearing up for EURO 2016.

That would be a welcome 80th Birthday present.

[Guest]

I personally think Hodgson has done a fantastic job for England. Both the games were there to be won. There is a terrific amount of young talent coming through and it will take time. The biggest problem is that the top of the game has been taken over by foreigners who only see what money they can make. They then go around and buy top players from around the world and inflated wages while the young England talent cannot find a way into the teams so we lose that potential talent. Unfortunately EU laws mean we cannot deny a foreign player from joining an English club. England is one of the top countries in the world at junior and youth level but where do those players go when a club is wiling to pay out millions for a ready made foreigner. The FA must impose a strict number of foreign players into our teams. The clubs have no loyalty to this country and neither do their players. It is a sad state of affairs but sacking Hodgson is ludicrous.

[baldy]

John Terry was the most loyal of players till the FA shat all over him.

[stevieb]

We are were we are because the truth is we have at present no world class players, potential yes but not close yet ,we had a glimpse last night of some of the young talent at our disposal , add to the youngsters Walcott oxlaide chamberlain Townsend , Rodrigues and one or two more I have overlooked and Roy to mould this group over the next couple of years and maybe we can be competitive at the next euro championship

[Brianmooreshead]

Dream on brother

We'll all be posting the same old shite in two years time

[stevieb]

As I said maybe , as one commentator. Said a lot of players when selected for their country ( Nigeria) they up their game perhaps proud to represent their country or putting themselves in the shop window? England youth now needs to regroup and play without fear , the next two years are vital for the future of England at international level , or it could be qualifying for a tournament is as good as it gets and this is what we will have to accept?

[Brianmooreshead]

I don't know if you've been living in a cave but that's all we've been doing for years