That's partly it, but also bear in mind that a lot of those players are playing for big clubs and earning a king's ransom week in, week out. Frankly when it comes to pulling on an England shirt these players should be determined to reward the fans and the sport that has made them rich and famous. The fact is England teams, with rare exceptions, always look like they are going through the motions and playing under duress rather than actually playing for fun or with any kind of discernible team spirit. Even when given a lifeline, first by Israel beating Russia and then coming back to 2-2 England were incapable of grinding out a result against a team that man for man isn't better, just organised and motivated and playing for each other - it ain't rocket science.
As manager McClaren has been a disaster, the wrong tactics and so on hasn't helped, but really his job should be about scouting the opposition, working out who plays in which position and how to counter the opposition and then finally motivating the team. He's failed on all levels, he has to go and for his sake I trust he'll resign rather than be sacked.
[cite]Posted By: Harry Gregory[/cite]Sven got the best out of a poor bunch of players and now people who knock him realise what a good coach he was. Lampard, Gerard, Shithard! At least I will enjoy Euro 2008 without that shit raising our expectations artificially. No wonder why managers in this country buy overseas, we produce shit players and tell them they are world-class!
I'm not so sure he was a good coach, he always played defensive football first, grinding out results. Very good tactics for qualifying but once his teams needed to step it up a bit they fell apart. Even some of the qualifying matches under Eriksson were painful to watch - Macedonia and Lichtenstein amongst others looked better than England and Greece nearly knocked England out of the WC qualifiers until Beckham scored in the last minute. Generally once England teams fell a goal down there was nothing, no flexibility and yoo much prediction about the way they'd play. Friendlies under Eriksson were a farce with players playing for ten/fifteen minutes, out of position and never appearing again. McClaren just tried the same tactics but was too poor a manager to see them through properly.
Very, very, very poor defensive display from Players all playing regular football for the top six sides in the country, Lampard and Gerrard. I do not want to commit to screen what I think about these two at present. I cannot believe I am saying this but I think Crouch was the only player today (and that includes Bent and Carson) who stood up and was counted.
Out of the three forwards we had on the park at the end none of them are playing regular football for they're clubs. Cole and Wright-Phillips along with a lot of other players, in fact the whole team decided they did not play on a muddy pitch and would not.
Croatia played very well and deserved to win more comfortably. Beckham's cross was superb for Crouch's goal which was equally well taken but did anyone else get hints of deja vu and last season watching us???
McClaren must go, I think now everyone who demanded an English passion scream machine got what they hoped for in him and now realise that perhaps Sven wasn't as bad as he was labelled and perhaps the media just got bored of him??
I am for some reason nowhere near as gutted as a fiercely patriotic Englishman should be. Don't know why, I feel a real sense of helplessness as I have seen this coming for years in a culmination of things.
1) The gradual disappearance of top sides with a British backbone and a sprinkling of foreign talent
2) The Adulation of the few remaining English players at top clubs as their saviours.
3) The absolute strangling control SKY have over English football
4) The lack of real English talent to break through. If an African at 17 is good enough who (without sounding patronising) probably learnt how to play the game in his bear feet on a sand pitch can get into Arsenals first team why can't a 17 year old English lad who has probably learnt the game in very good facilities and with good coaches?
5) Dare I say it purely and utterly too many foreign players in our game??
[quote][cite]Posted By: DJ Davey Dave[/cite]Sven was not a good national coach. Get real, he failed us many times. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we need an experienced international ENGLISH footballer as manager to kick some bloody arse, and pick some different players who have a bit of heart and pride. McClaren stop saying "WE". The buck stops with you fella.[/quote]
whos this experienced english manager you speak of?
1) The gradual disappearance of top sides with a British backbone and a sprinkling of foreign talent
2) The Adulation of the few remaining English players at top clubs as their saviours.
3) The absolute strangling control SKY have over English football
4) The lack of real English talent to break through. If an African at 17 is good enough who (without sounding patronising) probably learnt how to play the game in his bear feet on a sand pitch can get into Arsenals first team why can't a 17 year old English lad who has probably learnt the game in very good facilities and with good coaches?
5) Dare I say it purely and utterly too many foreign players in our game??
To which I'll add if I may, too much money for odinary players at club level meaning that playing for your country isn't the thing it once was, in fact it becomes a disincentive. The Clubs are too powerful and the players know which side their bread is buttered.
The only English experienced manager I can think of is Redknapp, who to my knowledge has not managed higher than the UEFA cup if that??
Mourinho being free and available is the only option for me.
Allardyce may well have been found out at Newcastle, Curbs has now found his niche, They can keep the fuck away from Pards ;-), Venables has had his time and as the recent trend suggests, promoting a number 2 is not a bright idea.
Neither mate, Mourinho or bust in my eyes. If that fails then my opinions are null and I will wonder in bemusement at the latest catastrophe by our forward looking football association
You are missing the point. We do not need a MANAGER, we need an experienced footballer to sort them out. Players don't need managing or coaching they need someone to show them what representing their country is about. Terry Butcher, Tony Adams, Gary Neville. Alan Shearer. Someone like those.
I see exactly what you're saying DJDD but if any Englishman needs telling what wearig the national shirt should mean then they should not be anywhere a national shirt.
It seems unfortunately though that many of them need that proverbial steel toecapped size 11 up their arse.
Didn't anyone else think too many of the England players felt playing in mud was below them?????
"I'm very pleased for Scott but what is it about games against Croatia that leads McCrappen to experiment. I wonder what formation he'll come up with today 2-6-2?"
This is what I said before the game. Oh how I wished that my concerns would not lead to an ignominious defeat. Yes virtually none of the players (bar Crouch) played to anything like their potential. Indeed Bridge perhaps gave the worst performance I have ever witnessed in an England shirt. In the end the Organ-grinder has to carry the can for the monkey's failure. The sooner he goes the better.
Comments
As manager McClaren has been a disaster, the wrong tactics and so on hasn't helped, but really his job should be about scouting the opposition, working out who plays in which position and how to counter the opposition and then finally motivating the team. He's failed on all levels, he has to go and for his sake I trust he'll resign rather than be sacked.
I'm not so sure he was a good coach, he always played defensive football first, grinding out results. Very good tactics for qualifying but once his teams needed to step it up a bit they fell apart. Even some of the qualifying matches under Eriksson were painful to watch - Macedonia and Lichtenstein amongst others looked better than England and Greece nearly knocked England out of the WC qualifiers until Beckham scored in the last minute. Generally once England teams fell a goal down there was nothing, no flexibility and yoo much prediction about the way they'd play. Friendlies under Eriksson were a farce with players playing for ten/fifteen minutes, out of position and never appearing again. McClaren just tried the same tactics but was too poor a manager to see them through properly.
Out of the three forwards we had on the park at the end none of them are playing regular football for they're clubs. Cole and Wright-Phillips along with a lot of other players, in fact the whole team decided they did not play on a muddy pitch and would not.
Croatia played very well and deserved to win more comfortably. Beckham's cross was superb for Crouch's goal which was equally well taken but did anyone else get hints of deja vu and last season watching us???
McClaren must go, I think now everyone who demanded an English passion scream machine got what they hoped for in him and now realise that perhaps Sven wasn't as bad as he was labelled and perhaps the media just got bored of him??
I am for some reason nowhere near as gutted as a fiercely patriotic Englishman should be. Don't know why, I feel a real sense of helplessness as I have seen this coming for years in a culmination of things.
1) The gradual disappearance of top sides with a British backbone and a sprinkling of foreign talent
2) The Adulation of the few remaining English players at top clubs as their saviours.
3) The absolute strangling control SKY have over English football
4) The lack of real English talent to break through. If an African at 17 is good enough who (without sounding patronising) probably learnt how to play the game in his bear feet on a sand pitch can get into Arsenals first team why can't a 17 year old English lad who has probably learnt the game in very good facilities and with good coaches?
5) Dare I say it purely and utterly too many foreign players in our game??
I've said it before and I'll say it again, we need an experienced international ENGLISH footballer as manager to kick some bloody arse, and pick some different players who have a bit of heart and pride.
McClaren stop saying "WE". The buck stops with you fella.[/quote]
whos this experienced english manager you speak of?
2) The Adulation of the few remaining English players at top clubs as their saviours.
3) The absolute strangling control SKY have over English football
4) The lack of real English talent to break through. If an African at 17 is good enough who (without sounding patronising) probably learnt how to play the game in his bear feet on a sand pitch can get into Arsenals first team why can't a 17 year old English lad who has probably learnt the game in very good facilities and with good coaches?
5) Dare I say it purely and utterly too many foreign players in our game??
To which I'll add if I may, too much money for odinary players at club level meaning that playing for your country isn't the thing it once was, in fact it becomes a disincentive. The Clubs are too powerful and the players know which side their bread is buttered.
I'd like to see Beckham get his 100 caps then retire from international football but he should be given some sort of role in the new coaching set up.
Whoever comes in as manager should be someone with the bottle to pick players on form not name alone .
Myself I'd like to see O Neill but wouldn't mind Jose either ..
Mourinho being free and available is the only option for me.
Allardyce may well have been found out at Newcastle, Curbs has now found his niche, They can keep the fuck away from Pards ;-), Venables has had his time and as the recent trend suggests, promoting a number 2 is not a bright idea.
The knife is already stuck in his back and he will be slaughtered by the press.
Will the FA Have the bottle and buckle under pressure to get rid of McClaren
Gary Megson
Sammy Lee
Lawrie McMenemy
Graham Taylor
Joe Royle
Neil Warnock
It seems unfortunately though that many of them need that proverbial steel toecapped size 11 up their arse.
Didn't anyone else think too many of the England players felt playing in mud was below them?????
This is what I said before the game. Oh how I wished that my concerns would not lead to an ignominious defeat. Yes virtually none of the players (bar Crouch) played to anything like their potential. Indeed Bridge perhaps gave the worst performance I have ever witnessed in an England shirt. In the end the Organ-grinder has to carry the can for the monkey's failure. The sooner he goes the better.
Gary Megson
Sammy Lee
Lawrie McMenemy
Graham Taylor
Joe Royle
Neil Warnock[/quote]
dont forget Les reed