England could get relegated from the top tier of the Nations League then. Don't see us getting anything out of the game against Spain on Monday then it will be down to the home game against Croatia. Pretty sure bottom team moves down to the second tier.
Who cares though? This is a side show before the proper qualifying groups start next year. I entirely expect all 3 sides in our group to qualify for the bloated Euros
Thinking about it some more, this game reminded me of a 0-0 draw we got with Norway under Terry Venables in 1995.
Prior to that we'd gone gung-ho against the very decent Norwegian team and got picked off on the break and lost 2-0 in Oslo on the way to non-qualification for USA 1994.
In that 0-0 draw Venables sat us deep and said to the Norwegians, "Come on then, break us down" - and they never looked like doing it.
Same for Southgate last night, he changed the approach and changed the outcome and that is what good managers are supposed to do.
I suppose 0-0 away to the World Cup finalists isn't terrible. Glad I missed it watching Bat at of Hell at the Dominion although I didn't think much of that!
Only watched the second half, but I was quite impressed. We were missing both Alli & Lingard who make a big difference. If they would have been fit Southgate wouldn’t have played Dier & Henderson. Everyone is aware that we don’t have a Modric in the team, so for the time being we have to do without one.
Always pleased to keep a clean sheet , especially away from home.
Rashford & Kane missed some easy chances. Barkley & Chillwell looked like they deserved to be out, and Sancho looked dangerous.
After Spain’s result against Croatia we were never going to have a real chance of finishing top. At least we have put ourselves in a better position to not finish bottom. Being relegated and playing Isreal next time around won’t help the development of any of our players. We have to being playing the best of the best.
Roll on Monday and let’s see how we do in Sevllie. ( No Stones or Henderson on Monday, big opportunity for Gomez you would assume)
If we're taking the positives from the last few months, then we reached the world cup semi finals, we've blooded a lot of youngsters, we should've got a draw with Spain and could've nicked a win against the world cup finalists away from home.
If you're a glass half empty type then we had a piss easy run to the semi finals, beating no one good, were shown up by Spain and looked clueless against Croatia last night.
On a side note, I am already getting pissed off at the hyping up of Jadon Sancho. He may or may not become a great player, but a couple of nice touches and a good cross doesn't make him Pele. And yet Martin Tyler and Alan Smith were virtually cumming over each other with excited overkill on his brief cameo. How often in the past have we virtually ruined a player with overhype and expectation based on a promising early impact (eg step forward Raheem Stirling, or actually don't bother). I don't suppose there is any chance of our media toning it down, but god forbid he fails to live up to his promise or is made to feel, like Rooney, that the fate of the nation rests squarely on his shoulders. Edit: Jadon (bloody auto correct)
England overachieved in the World cup. Southgate's preparation was a big factor in this. Notably our strength around set pieces. England should have made the final in my opinion when we got so far. The reason we didn't was that we were not flexible enough to respond to Croatia's tactic change after we went a goal up. Southgate should take some responsibility for this, but you are only wrong with the benefit of hindsight and we came out of the tournament doing better than we expected or in all honesty where we should have.
Teams are more prepared for our threats now and we benefited from the mistakes the video refs made in the Tunisia game which meant we got lots of subsequent decisions. We are missing an Erickson type player and are over reliant on Kane's form. I'm not sure we have made a giant leap but the success of our young players in recent years must give us reasons for optimism.
Isn't it worth being relegated if we aren't going to win? Easier group next time.
Do you get relegated or is it done on your fifa ranking?
You get relegated. Scotland for example should go all out for relegation, it's their best chance of ever reaching a tournament again, they might just be able to beat the likes of Kosovo and Gibraltar next time. Probably not though!
I don't fully understand it, but do not the places go to the highest team/teams that haven't qualified. So assuming most if not all of the top division will qualify, it is probably the best division to be in if you cock qualifying up. But that is with a limited understanding of it - happy to be corrected.
I don't fully understand it, but do not the places go to the highest team/teams that haven't qualified. So assuming most if not all of the top division will qualify, it is probably the best division to be in if you cock qualifying up. But that is with a limited understanding of it - happy to be corrected.
Yes I think so, so say all the other Pot A countries qualify and we didn't we'd be the highest non qualified team from that group.
Isn't it worth being relegated if we aren't going to win? Easier group next time.
Do you get relegated or is it done on your fifa ranking?
You get relegated. Scotland for example should go all out for relegation, it's their best chance of ever reaching a tournament again, they might just be able to beat the likes of Kosovo and Gibraltar next time. Probably not though!
They'd still have to win playoff games after winning their group anyway
That it may be but it’s better than a load of friendlies that the likes of Switzerland and Poland have been manipulating to game their ranking and get favourable draws for the tournaments that matter.
Give it a few iterations and I bet more countries will start taking it seriously. Don’t imagine too many loved the idea of a World Cup back in the 1920s.
Give it a few iterations and I bet more countries will start taking it seriously. Don’t imagine too many loved the idea of a World Cup back in the 1920s.
They didnt... thats why it took England for one 20-years to enter
Comments
Southgate is a terrible boring manager who will take us no where
Croatia barely threatened and we had the four best chances - and hit the woodwork twice.
Southgate and the team have learnt from the World Cup semi final that you have to be patient when you are pressed, hoofing it away is not the answer.
England controlled possession in a way they did not do in the game in Russia and therefore Modric couldn’t dictate things.
In these games you are not always going to be attacking and creating chances, the key is to be in control of the game and tonight we largely did that.
Kane was good second half, some excellent centre forward play but Sterling and Rashford still offer very little but who else is there?
Prior to that we'd gone gung-ho against the very decent Norwegian team and got picked off on the break and lost 2-0 in Oslo on the way to non-qualification for USA 1994.
In that 0-0 draw Venables sat us deep and said to the Norwegians, "Come on then, break us down" - and they never looked like doing it.
Same for Southgate last night, he changed the approach and changed the outcome and that is what good managers are supposed to do.
Always pleased to keep a clean sheet , especially away from home.
Rashford & Kane missed some easy chances. Barkley & Chillwell looked like they deserved to be out, and Sancho looked dangerous.
After Spain’s result against Croatia we were never going to have a real chance of finishing top. At least we have put ourselves in a better position to not finish bottom. Being relegated and playing Isreal next time around won’t help the development of any of our players. We have to being playing the best of the best.
Roll on Monday and let’s see how we do in Sevllie. ( No Stones or Henderson on Monday, big opportunity for Gomez you would assume)
GSTQ
If you're a glass half empty type then we had a piss easy run to the semi finals, beating no one good, were shown up by Spain and looked clueless against Croatia last night.
He may or may not become a great player, but a couple of nice touches and a good cross doesn't make him Pele.
And yet Martin Tyler and Alan Smith were virtually cumming over each other with excited overkill on his brief cameo.
How often in the past have we virtually ruined a player with overhype and expectation based on a promising early impact (eg step forward Raheem Stirling, or actually don't bother).
I don't suppose there is any chance of our media toning it down, but god forbid he fails to live up to his promise or is made to feel, like Rooney, that the fate of the nation rests squarely on his shoulders.
Edit: Jadon (bloody auto correct)
Teams are more prepared for our threats now and we benefited from the mistakes the video refs made in the Tunisia game which meant we got lots of subsequent decisions. We are missing an Erickson type player and are over reliant on Kane's form. I'm not sure we have made a giant leap but the success of our young players in recent years must give us reasons for optimism.
As things stand, Holland, Iceland, Italy and Croatia would be relegated, Ukraine, Denmark, Bosnia and Russia would come up.
Can honestly see the same countries (give or take 1 or 2) just yo-yoing between leagues.
For that alone, it’s worth doing IMO.