England v Scotland - Match Thread

cantersaddick said:

DaveMehmet said:

DaveMehmet said:

Had a couple of mates coming over to watch it but have had to cancel as my wife has to self isolate. Gutted but at least I’ve still got loads of beer and crisps to keep me company. Really looking forward to the game 

A space came up at The Volunteer in Bexleyheath, come on England.

Bunch of hard boiled eggs.

I've done a half-decent amount of travelling over the years. And one thing that is regularly said by people in other countries, and my foreign friends, is that the Brits are regarded as the ugliest nation on earth. "Fat and bald" is the general description of us blokes. Obviously, I dispute this and do my best to defend us. But photos like this really make it difficult. 

Henry Irving said:

Grealish not the panacea some thought.

Very poor although credit to Scotland, who did their jobs very well.

Slow, slow, slow.

You joking?

Grealish come on and immediately went forward. Draws fouls or at least puts the other team on the back foot. 

LawrieAbrahams said:

Covered End said:

Job done, we've qualified & if we play out a draw with the Czechs we guarantee 2nd avoiding France/Portugal/Germany.

Except we would play one of them in the quarters.

We won't get to the quarters

Happy to put it down as a blip. Spain lost their first game and won the WC. Learn lessons and come back stronger. We were fucking jank tho.

Wheresmeticket? said:

Just watched 5 seconds of that Peter Crouch programme.

Peter Ouch.

I watched the first 5 minutes, what a load of bollocks.

Southgate is a nice guy who has done a lot of good around the culture of the squad etc, but tactically he's not got it.

If he was available now he'd get the Palace job, not Everton or Spurs.  That tells you a lot about his level.

This isn't an out of the blue performance. 

We've looked bereft of creativity and haven't created chances in a lot of games under Southgate's managerial career. Lots of 1-0, 2-1 wins papering over cracks that have been there for years. 

ct_addick said:

Thought Reece James was woeful...slowed the game down every time he got on the ball and either pass the ball back or sideways 10 yards

It’s hard to believe that was the same player that Tuchel trusted in the champions league final.

Every single player is on a leash, and until that is removed and we start trying to win games by attacking then things are looking pretty ruff.

Absolutely no chance England get anywhere near the final.

The Scotland squad is a mid table championship side for me whereas England are top 4 premier league and aside from the Stones header we got nowhere near scoring.

I don't know what exactly needs to change but it's scary that Southgate has got this bunch of players to play such uninspiring, defensive football.

guinnessaddick said:

Covered End said:

Job done, we've qualified & if we play out a draw with the Czechs we guarantee 2nd avoiding France/Portugal/Germany.

Get beat and Scotland / Croatia win by a couple of goals, England become one of the best 3rd places, where do they go ?

That depends on which group the 4 teams are in. They would play one of the group winners.

I think the only positive of tonight is the tide has finally turned against Southgate. People have realised just how negative his football is and how it won’t win us a tournament.

English fans are impatient (I should know), if he doesn’t start showing intent agains the Czech’s the public might hound him out. 

Absolutely awful and very lucky not to lose a team to who are, after all, one of the worst sides in the tournament.

Do we actually have any tactics? Pattern of play? Rehearsed moves? If we do then they are stunningly well disguised.

Pickford - Very good.

James - Solid.
Stones - Fine.
Mings - Good.
Shaw: OK but would much prefer Chilwell.

Mount: Probably our best midfielder, at least he tried to make things happen.
Rice: Anonymous.
Yorkshire Pirlo: Didn’t last long, did it?

Sterling: Awful, offers almost nothing to the team.
Kane: Has he got COVID? He is ******** playing like it.
Foden: We have taken our best central midfield talent since Gazza and marooned him on the right wing where he has no options.

The defence is fine really but the link between the midfield and attack is shocking, no cohesion at all and little understanding of what we are trying to do.

You couldn’t fault Spain for their 0-0 draw with the ever boring Swedes because they created a hatful of chances, we created absolutely **** all.

If Southgate doesn’t admit he has got it badly wrong then and re-set the attack then we have got big problems ahead.

Always liked Southgate but that really pulled it for me. 

The point of having quality attacking options on the bench - if people are having a bad game, you get them off. You don't leave them on for 75+ minutes or the whole match, hoping they suddenly come good. Kane should've been off on 45, Sterling should've been off at some point. They were both having awful games. This is a tournament, every minute counts. 

No doubt Kane, who so far has looked like a 46-year-old hungover man out for a Sunday jog, will start the next game, too. Because he's Harry Kane. 

And why Rashford? They're sitting deep, is he supposed to dribble past everyone. Get DCL on. Southgate has his 'favourites' and it's infuriating.

The play just continually kept breaking down. Too slow, lacking tempo, no ideas, striker-less. Kalvin-Phillips clearly told to sit back in this one, did not venture past Rice. The full-backs offered nothing of note. The wingers were isolated from the striker and the midfield and up against 3 Scotland players at the best of times. Tactically clueless execution of a 4-3-3 against a 3-5-2.

Thought Scotland deserved the win, they had the much better chances. 

This game doesn't roll around very often. I've loved the memories of England v Scotland at Euro 96. What a letdown.