My England

[Martin Eddy]

England has let me down for more years than I care to mention. But I am both so proud and gutted with this squad. Let's be honest when he was appointed who would of predicted Gareth Southgate would have got us to a final. But we have a young squad,one of the youngest in this competition, that can only be good because they have got to a final and know what it takes. The future looks bright let's get behind the manager and support this group of players. Hope is all we can ask for.

This is England 

[100%cornish]

I feel really sorry for the England lads who missed the pens especially the young lad Sako he shold of never of been put in that position it showed he had guts but the senior players should of stepped up but they did not have the bottle Sako ,Sancho and Rashford need to be praised not abused like some idiots on Social media will do these people are just sick in the head .England played brilliant in the 1st half but 2nd half they where a different team. We didnt really wont a little cup like the Euro cup we want the big un The WORLD CUP 

[Ian Pethick]

So close, but so far away. England lost on penalties (predictably) to an Italian side that were the best in the tournament. The lingering doubts about Gareth Southgate came back again, he has done an incredible job for England and picked them up off the floor post Euro 2016, but he was out managed and coached by Roberto Mancini last night. Just as in the semi final in 2018 v Croatia, he took too long to make changes when the match was going away from him. The wingback formation was superb in the opening stages, but Italy got to grips with it and changed their plan to counter it with the assistance of timely substitutions. The Rashford/Sancho changes were made far too late, and the completely ineffectual Harry Kane only appeared to be left on the pitch to take a penalty at the end. The new world of five and six permitted subs brings about a whole new game in terms of tactical thinking, innovation and changing of plans. Not saying for a moment that Gareth Southgate should be sacked, but I'm not convinced he is at the elite level required to do this and win tournaments .He may have reached his ceiling.

Two downsides, the crowd scenes at Wembley were disgraceful. Not just the storming of the gates by ticketless yobs, but the general drunken behaviour outside the ground and fighting amongst England "fans" on the concourse inside. The atmosphere where I live (North London) was pretty intimidating with people in states of total inebriation on the streets and outside pubs by mid afternoon. A group of Italians (including young women) was surrounded on the high street after the game, it could have got pretty ugly if the police hadn't arrived. My wife had to get a bus back home from Central London yesterday afternoon, and said it was not a pleasant journey. Yet again, we need to take a pretty hard look at ourselves as a nation and see how other countries look at us.

The second thing was the terrible quality of the TV coverage. In one word, awful. Pure cheerleading and boosterism. Very little in the way of insight and analysis beyond "C'MON ENGLAND", even when it was obvious that the game's axis was shifting towards the Italians. Find it remarkable, that in amongst the endless ranks of the old boys and vested interests that make up the commentary/celebratory backslapping team, not one English speaking Italian footballer could be found (Gianfranco Zola, Carlo Cudicini or Roberto Di Matteo?)

[fenman]

I probably won't be allowed back in Cornwall for saying this BUT ... I didn't want to see England win . Way of  you've highlighted one of the reasons , so called fan's behaviour . Also all the mass hysteria surrounding the game , 50 years of hurt and all that rubbish , supermarkets pushing the alcohol sales implying that you have to have a few pints in order to watch the game , people who haven't watched a game or supported a team in their life festooning their cars , vans , houses etc with the highjacked Cross of St. George that they will throw on the floor when the game is over . What is it about  a football match that raises such hysteria ? Why is only football where fans abuse national anthems  , fight amongst them selves and the opposition . Why is it only football matches that require a huge Police presence   because of fans behavior Why can't we accept  defeat gracefully ?  I can't recall such mass hysteria around the cricket and rugby World Cups .As for the social media abuse regarding the players who missed the penalties , well that sums up why  I'm embarrassed sometimes to be English , and a member of the human race .

Didn't watch the game Older , I was still looking for swallows !!!!!!

 

[Ian Pethick]

7 minutes ago, fenman said:

I probably won't be allowed back in Cornwall for saying this BUT ... I didn't want to see England win . Way of  you've highlighted one of the reasons , so called fan's behaviour . Also all the mass hysteria surrounding the game , 50 years of hurt and all that rubbish , supermarkets pushing the alcohol sales implying that you have to have a few pints in order to watch the game , people who haven't watched a game or supported a team in their life festooning their cars , vans , houses etc with the highjacked Cross of St. George that they will throw on the floor when the game is over . What is it about  a football match that raises such hysteria ? Why is only football where fans abuse national anthems  , fight amongst them selves and the opposition . Why is it only football matches that require a huge Police presence   because of fans behavior Why can't we accept  defeat gracefully ?  I can't recall such mass hysteria around the cricket and rugby World Cups .As for the social media abuse regarding the players who missed the penalties , well that sums up why  I'm embarrassed sometimes to be English , and a member of the human race .

Didn't watch the game Older , I was still looking for swallows !!!!!!

 

Agree totally. Throughout this tournament I have tried to separate this group of players and management from the crap that surrounds them. By this I mean the politicians that jump on the bandwagon, the media hysteria, the booing of national anthems and the drunken violence amongst the fans. Read a piece at the weekend in which someone who attended the 1966 World Cup Final was interviewed. No booing of German national anthem, no singing of the Dambusters theme, and no jostling or abuse of the German fans. And this is from a generation that were only 21 years removed from WW2, and knew people who had died, injured or held prisoner and possibly had their homes destroyed in the blitz. How far have we fallen and how did we get here?

 

[fenman]

Phew , someone agrees with me .One other thing that  was often quoted was that it united the country and gave " everyone " a feel good factor  . Again whipped up hysteria  by politicians and the media . With all the problems facing this nation , and they are serious problems , would a cup win solve them ?. It might hide the truth for a day or two  but reality bites .

I will always remember a man who drank heavily  he told me that it helped him forget his problems . He suddenly gave up (  albeit with a struggle ) and told me , although the drink helped  him forget  his problems , when he sobered up the next day  his credit card debts and all his other problems were still there .

Gloomy bugger arn't I 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

1 hour ago, Way Of The Park said:

How far have we fallen and how did we get here?

 

Cheap supermarket booze is how we got here, you can get alchohol anywhere these days...including motorway service stations.

Says it all really.

Lack of respect and having no discipline from parents is a big contributor as well. 

Beaten by the better side, and two subs who came on with 45 seconds left, not touching the ball and given penalties to take...REALLY!!! Gareths fault on that one.

[justanopinion]

I would agree Gareth must question himself on the penalty takers. It's one thing looking great on the training ground but another walking from the half way line in front of a packed stadium. Maybe easy to say in hindsight but it's not really rocket science. Experience was needed not a talented youngster.

[fenman]

Just one other thing that disgusts me following the game , I understand that most of the England players removed their medals straightaway . According to the experts this is "the American Way "  , the runner up being the first loser . In my warped world it takes 2 teams to make a game one will win , one will lose . I've always been brought up to play the game and  give your best and if you lose ( which I've done many times ) lose gracefully .In my latter years of running a team , this idea of refusing  to take your medals if you lose in a final  had crept in .

[Ian Pethick]

Been reading reports and watching videos of what went on at Wembley stadium before the match. Absolutely disgusting, a miracle that nobody was seriously injured or killed. Work with someone who lives in the Wembley area, said that in his 13 years around there, they were the worst crowd scenes he has known. Apparently on Sunday it got so bad that an order was put out by the police banning all sales of alcohol in shops, pubs and restaurants within a five mile radius of the stadium. He also said that there was a dress rehearsal for all this before the England v Scotland group game a few weeks ago in which ticketless "fans" from both countries stormed the gates. Went completely unreported in the media. Hooliganism , it's back with a vengeance (if it ever went away).

After only a second final of a major tournament in history for England, and coming within a few inches of Marcus Rashford winning it, in a matter of 24 hours the English disease is now top of the agenda again.

[Ian Pethick]

21 hours ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

Cheap supermarket booze is how we got here, you can get alchohol anywhere these days...including motorway service stations.

Says it all really.

Lack of respect and having no discipline from parents is a big contributor as well. 

Beaten by the better side, and two subs who came on with 45 seconds left, not touching the ball and given penalties to take...REALLY!!! Gareths fault on that one.

Couple of thoughts on this Older. In European countries, alcohol is cheap, plentiful and just as available (even more so in countries like France, Spain and Italy, a brandy and strong coffee is a regular breakfast thing in Madrid for example).

Lots of pictures I saw showed men in their 40's and 50's indulging in some of the worst behaviour. By no means kids.

[fenman]

I know that this has nothing , or very little , to do with the subject of this post , but it shows the level of intelligence that this advanced country has sunk to , and why we've seen this disgusting behavior .

An old sand and gravel pit up here in Norfolk has been converted into a country park , having been landscaped etc. Now as Older will tell you , sand and gravel pits are extremely dangerous places to swim in due to the tremendous variation in temperatures  in the water which causes cramp . Over the last few years there have been a number of drownings caused by this problem . Last week a 20 year old was drowned there , his mother and Aunt are demanding that the park be closed . They were interviewed on local t.v. making their demands , the interviewer said that there were over 40 signs stating that swimming was not allowed  due to the danger .Their response " well you can't expect young people to take notice of signs  they're out to enjoy themselves " . With this sort of attitude is it any wonder that racial abuse and rioting over a football defeat is deemed acceptable ?.  

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

4 hours ago, Way Of The Park said:

Couple of thoughts on this Older. In European countries, alcohol is cheap, plentiful and just as available (even more so in countries like France, Spain and Italy, a brandy and strong coffee is a regular breakfast thing in Madrid for example).

Lots of pictures I saw showed men in their 40's and 50's indulging in some of the worst behaviour. By no means kids.

But they still have the respect that they were brought up with. 

The age group you refer to are the first of the cheap booze era, and the lack of any discipline in them from the start of the being liberal era as well.