UEFA EURO 2024

He should have taken Branthwaite over Dunk or Guehi, he's better than both of them, Gomez and Konsa are too versatile to not take. The more I reflect, the more I feel how ridiculous it is he didn't select Branthwaite. I'd have even taken Eric Dier over Dunk as he's experienced and been with us in big moments. Truly a woeful decision.

Grealish not going is a joke, we don't have any other player like him. When you're against the top top teams, especially leading, there's not many players you'd rather have. Can drive the ball, passes well, excellent composure and almost impossible to take the ball from him. Won't see that from Gordon or Eze, and they aren't getting in ahead of our other creative options. 

Also not sure on Rashford, on his day absolutely unplayable and it was only last season where he was in phenomenal form. I would trust him to come up with the goods more than Eze, Gordon or Bowen. 

He's taken a few players with injury issues as well. Shaw, Trippier, Guehi, Stones, Toney (betting stuff). His hands are probably a bit tied with the defence, as we dont have many good defenders. Out of a possible 190 appearances, the ones I've listed made 93, they almost missed half the games. It's decisions like that that make me think he's not the man for the job. 

Hopefully he starts Mainoo cause that lad has potential to be the best midfielder in the world, ridiculous potential. Hopefully he doesn't play his Crystal Palace mate Wharton over him 

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

Braziliance said:

Can tell we have a stripey Nigel as a manager. 4 fkn Crystal Palace players picked. 

Part of me doesn't even want us to win to save myself having to read all the spunking their fan base will do over having so many representatives in the team. 

We are being massively overrated and probably won't win anyway. Italy, Holland, Spain and particularly, Germany all being overlooked, and if we match France we probably won't beat them. 

Team lacks the manager to get the job done and the leaders in the team. I look at Kane, Bellingham, Stones and maybe Walker. Beyond that I don't see us with enough experience to win a major tournament. Ironically he has decided not to bring a player who is a big part of one of the most successful sides in club football.

3 of them probably won't even get a kick. Maybe they might if we've won the group and make changes for the 3rd game.

It is obviously tongue in cheek that I don't want us to win, I'd see Eze score the winner with Wharton assisting if it meant we lifted the trophy, especially as I see them as QPR and Blackburn products, especially Wharton.

But 4 Palace players have no business being called up for England, 2 at most and even that's up for debate currently. If we didn't have a Palace manager, they wouldn't all be there.

ValleyGary said:

🤣  it’s always the ‘we are massively overrated’ people that are the actual extremists. 

Never ever associate clubs with the national team either. I couldn’t give a fuck if the starting XI were Palace, when they represent England they are England players only, and I want them to win. Plastic support thinking otherwise.

Exactly, the whole club issue was a large reason why past (going back to Beckham, Gerrard etc era) squads did so poorly in tournaments, whether it was players or fans obsessed with it. 

Well west ham did win the world cup so there's been a precedent. 

We are definitely overrated by the bookies. 3-1 favourites is a joke . It should be at least double that . I don't feel an overriding sense of optimism from the fans this year as there was in the last two tournaments.  

ValleyGary said:

Braziliance said:

ValleyGary said:

🤣  it’s always the ‘we are massively overrated’ people that are the actual extremists. 

Never ever associate clubs with the national team either. I couldn’t give a fuck if the starting XI were Palace, when they represent England they are England players only, and I want them to win. Plastic support thinking otherwise.

We are massively overrated though. France work us all over the pitch except maybe midfield, where even then it's neck and neck. Holland have a superior defence/defenders to us. Germanys team is of a similar calibre, the likes of Wirtz, Rudiger, Kimmich and Musiala walk into our team, Spain and Italy will cause us problems if we play them, particularly Italy who almost always have our number when it matters.

Kane and Foden are exceptional, and two of the best players in the world, I'd also have Jude in there and maybe Saka. After that, none of the players are up to much if we are talking a world level. So all the talk of 'this squad has to win something' across social platforms is wide of the mark for me.

On your last point that's each to their own I'd say. You can't determine who is a plastic supporter just by your own reckoning

Overrated by who?

You're overrating other nations. That Italy squad is shite, in fact we beat them twice in a competitive fixture last year.

Musiala doesn’t walk into our team, unless Foden and Saka have got crap over night? 

Kimmich/Walker, Rice and Bellingham/Wirtz, Stones/Rudiger…

Holland are welcome to a decent defence, their strikers are Gakpo and Depay!

England have serious cause for concern defensively, especially on the left hand side of CB and LB, this is spoken about regularly on social media (so hardly overrating), however we have some of the best attacking options in international football at the moment and if that doesn’t excite you, I seriously don’t know why you bother…

We would find a way to make space for Musiala, he's one of the best midfielders in the world, so is Wirtz. Either way there's not much in it, and they match us better than some people think.

Defence is what usually wins these tournaments though, when you play the top teams, your opportunities are more rare and you're fighting for scraps. Proper defences get you through tough games, I don't see that in our backline. They also have Malen who is a good player, and Depay is a different player for Holland imo. Much better at international level than club. 

I am of course excited for the Euros, just like I have been for every international England tournament my whole life. It's just this is one of the few times where I think it should be our time, as the competition is fairly weak (compared to the 90s and early 00s) and we have an array of talent, but I think it's going to be let down by an unambitious manager and a shaky backline. That's why I think our chances are overrated

If we have a shaky backline why should Southgate set us up to play really attacking football?

Scoham said:

If we have a shaky backline why should Southgate set us up to play really attacking football?

Because that's our only true chance of winning I'd say, play to the strengths. We aren't gonna shithouse it like Greece, and we aren't gonna cruise to it like Spain, keeping the ball doing so. So I'd like to see him make the line-up as attacking as possible, and go 2 clear of every team we play. We have a history of struggling with narrow leads, and I don't think that will change this tournament.

Scoham said:

Doesn’t there need to be a balance, even when your strength is your attack? Push too high up, play too openly and go with a midfield three that’s too attacking and you risk going a few behind early on and having to chase games.

Play 2 at the back, and smack this poster on the dressing room wall and be done with it.

IdleHans said:

Braziliance said:

Scoham said:

Doesn’t there need to be a balance, even when your strength is your attack? Push too high up, play too openly and go with a midfield three that’s too attacking and you risk going a few behind early on and having to chase games.

Play 2 at the back, and smack this poster on the dressing room wall and be done with it.

Why do you want to be smacked?

Any of the terrible Palace 4

Braziliance said:

ValleyGary said:

Braziliance said:

ValleyGary said:

🤣  it’s always the ‘we are massively overrated’ people that are the actual extremists. 

Never ever associate clubs with the national team either. I couldn’t give a fuck if the starting XI were Palace, when they represent England they are England players only, and I want them to win. Plastic support thinking otherwise.

We are massively overrated though. France work us all over the pitch except maybe midfield, where even then it's neck and neck. Holland have a superior defence/defenders to us. Germanys team is of a similar calibre, the likes of Wirtz, Rudiger, Kimmich and Musiala walk into our team, Spain and Italy will cause us problems if we play them, particularly Italy who almost always have our number when it matters.

Kane and Foden are exceptional, and two of the best players in the world, I'd also have Jude in there and maybe Saka. After that, none of the players are up to much if we are talking a world level. So all the talk of 'this squad has to win something' across social platforms is wide of the mark for me.

On your last point that's each to their own I'd say. You can't determine who is a plastic supporter just by your own reckoning

Overrated by who?

You're overrating other nations. That Italy squad is shite, in fact we beat them twice in a competitive fixture last year.

The general public. Have a look at social media or conversations at work and most people are saying 'he's got to win something with this lot' or along those lines. I think it's quite harsh on Southgate as although I think he's limited, so is the squad. Our crop of players in the late 90s and early 00s were much better, unfortunately the other nations also had ridiculous talent so we never achieved anything.  This time we are in a position where it's pretty open, and we do have one of the more talented squads but it's being wasted on a poor manager. 

Italy are the current reigning European champions. Happened 3 years ago maybe, but they still won a major tournament recently have a history of stepping up when it matters. We did beat them, in qualifiers. The same level of intensity just isn't there, neither are the stakes. We both would have been aware that those matches weren't the be all end all. They're glorified friendlies with how easy it is to qualify. Also us beating a side twice certainly doesn't make them shit.  

A squad that has the likes of Donnarumma, Bastoni, Di Lorenzo (bit poor this season) Barella, Pellegrini, Jorginho. 

I'm also expecting Buongiorno, Fagioli and Cambiaso to have decent tournaments.

They're not the Italy of old, and their attack isn't up to much, but you can never write off the Italians at a tournament. They've got a tough group, but should make it out, and then knock-out football is where Italy thrive.

They aren’t glorified friendlies. Italy would be itching to beat us considering the absolute horror show of recent qualifications. You can’t pick and chose what are important games. We beat Italy twice, and barring shaws red card, quite comfortably. 

Yeah. Pretty sure there’s only one Italy.

Gutted for Craig Gordon tonight, came on for his 75th (and probably last cap) with Scotland 2-0 up and conceded one because of a missing defence then gave away and conceded a penalty for a 2-2 draw