Re: The EPL thread (I)

[JKLever]

This was Graham Taylor type football with defenders hacking it anywhere up field Everton style rather than playing from the back.

It sounded totally awesome

It were great

I could've organized the team just as well.

'Look lads just sit back all game, don't try and pass through midfield and at the first chance you get whack the fooker as far as ye can and let Mickey Owen battle 3 defenders all by his self'

Super,smashing,great....

[Ash]

the euro 96 side was our best one in my time certainly. the 98 side played with a lot of passion aswell. 2000 onwards, theres been no flair, no passion and generally i dont expect us to win anything which is a shame because a good generation has gone to waste

[Gary 111]

So, are England definitely out?

Almost certainly unless Russia blow it in Andora and Israel and Macedonia all win as well ... basically, we're in the hands of others even if we win all our remaining games.

Ah its Andorra rather than Macedonia? Forked then!!!

Russia need to beat Isreal away (which will be tricky) and Andorra away (which won't be) to be guaranteed of qualification while England can also catch Croatia if (and its a big if) they lose in Macedonia. Although this would be a surprise it is not impossible either.

But England relying on other countries with nothing to play for to do them a favour either way.

[holcs]

Fark me, how sh1te are we at this gayball game?

Surely a country with so many farking oiky football players and fans like England can produce someone better than farking Lescott to play at left back? He was as bad in that game as Chris read is in tests at batting...

And yet, all the 'great' players we have will still be lauded even though they cant qualify for the Euro's...

FFS, Scotland may qualify and they had France and Italy i their group, all we had to do was overcome Croatia and Russia.....

Paul Robinson is a ****** also. Fully at fault for not pushing the ball away from a simple save for the second goal.

[JKLever]

Paul Robinson is a ****** also. Fully at fault for not pushing the ball away from a simple save for the second goal.

He's been doing it all season.

We're not shite or indeed average. You're not average to keep getting with SF's on penalty kicks.

We're just not as good as the top sides IMO and wont be till our international side passes the farking thing properly or at least attempts to play that way.

[Gary 111]

Everyone has been saying for a while that it was only a matter of time before Robinson did something like that for England. It was blatently obvious, he does it nearly every week for Tottenham, he's so slow to react to long range shots.

But no, every time he kept his place due to clean sheets often gained against countries that barely even got within range of our half-way line, never mind our goal.

So now when we really needed a good solid keeping performance he produces the basic error.

There aren't many alternatives at the moment, but at least Carson or Green aren't letting in so many soft goals every week. Surely they would have been more likely to either catch that shot or parry it wide.

[JKLever]

Sadly thats a reflection on the PL, where they don't give a crap how many English players they bring through so our pool of available players is as low as its ever been.

Joleon Lescott FFS?

Believe me when we keep producing the likes of Tony Hibbert as full backs in this country rather than Gael Clichy we're not going to get better.

Been saying it for years, youth coaching in England, infact in the UK as a whole is shockingly bad.

[LeFromage]

Sadly thats a reflection on the PL, where they don't give a crap how many English players they bring through so our pool of available players is as low as its ever been.

Joleon Lescott FFS?

Believe me when we keep producing the likes of Tony Hibbert as full backs in this country rather than Gael Clichy we're not going to get better.

Been saying it for years, youth coaching in England, infact in the UK as a whole is shockingly bad.

And that is the point.

No doubt the papers and countless 'experts' will be having a go at the number of "foreigners" in our game, taking the places of our players, hampering the development of our lads.

But it's bollocks - a smokescreen.

European clubs poach young talent from all over the world, from Japan to Jamaica, Mali to Moldova. But none of them - outside of England - bother to sign up English kids. Why is that?

It's because the overwhelming majority of youngsters in this country are utter shite, lacking in basic ball skills and technique and are developmentally behind kids who play on dirt tracks in Africa with a cabbage. And no shoes.

When a player like Shaun Wright Phillips, whose second touch is always a 50-50 tackle, is getting sold for £26 million, you know you're in a country that champions mediocrity like no other.

[LeFromage]

Personally, I think it'll be nice to have a summer tournament without England stinking out the place.

I'm sure their "world class" players won't be missed...

[JKLever]

And that is the point.

No doubt the papers and countless 'experts' will be having a go at the number of "foreigners" in our game, taking the places of our players, hampering the development of our lads.

But it's bollocks - a smokescreen.

European clubs poach young talent from all over the world, from Japan to Jamaica, Mali to Moldova. But none of them - outside of England - bother to sign up English kids. Why is that?

It's because the overwhelming majority of youngsters in this country are utter shite, lacking in basic ball skills and technique and are developmentally behind kids who play on dirt tracks in Africa with a cabbage. And no shoes.

When a player like Shaun Wright Phillips, whose second touch is always a 50-50 tackle, is getting sold for £26 million, you know you're in a country that champions mediocrity like no other.

Got it in a nutshell...

I can only think of 1 person in any authority who has said something similar and thats Trevor Brooking.

[Chivalry Augustus]

Joleon Lescott's a good player. But he's not a left-back. Square pegs in round holes doesn't work no matter how good the player is.

[LeFromage]

And it's really saying something for Brooking to get off the fence on any subject...

[beamer]

European clubs poach young talent from all over the world, from Japan to Jamaica, Mali to Moldova. But none of them - outside of England - bother to sign up English kids. Why is that?

It's because the overwhelming majority of youngsters in this country are utter shite, lacking in basic ball skills and technique and are developmentally behind kids who play on dirt tracks in Africa with a cabbage. And no shoes.

When a player like Shaun Wright Phillips, whose second touch is always a 50-50 tackle, is getting sold for £26 million, you know you're in a country that champions mediocrity like no other.

Maybe we need to get them playing on dirt tracks with a cabbage and no shoes then...

On the other hand, we've made the rugby final not by trying to play like the All Blacks, but by doing what we do best. Should we be trying to develop footballers with Brazilian-style skills, or stick to what we're good at which is pace and power, which could still win us a tournament one day given the right coach, the right system and the ability to put a few penalties away?

[JKLever]

Joleon Lescott's a good player. But he's not a left-back. Square pegs in round holes doesn't work no matter how good the player is.

He might be 'good' but can't pass a ball to save his life. I've said we have some decent defenders, but none of them are technically gifted bar Ferdinand.

[JKLever]

Should we be trying to develop footballers with Brazilian-style skills, or stick to what we're good at which is pace and power, which could still win us a tournament one day given the right coach, the right system and the ability to put a few penalties away?

We may not be able to have the skills of the Brazilians/Portuguese but there is fark all wrong with trying to be like the germans IMO

They combine pace and power but they add technical ability too. They should be our role model.

has anyone ever sat and watched the 66 & 70 World Cups when English football was at its peak? We sure as hell weren't launching balls from full backs to midget centre forwards.

[JKLever]

And it does rather gloss over the fact that coaching is crap too, if we just accept the status quo.

[Geoffrey Trueman]

And yes, despite all the claims of "flair" in the Engerlund side, they become clueless on how to apply it when attempting attacking runs at the opposition defenders.

Aye, apart from Gerrards miss my biggest disappointment was watching SWP bottle two late goal scoring opportunities when all it needed was a bit of self-belief and the ability to put your foot through the ball.

It doesn't surprise me though. Scoring goals and supplying 'killer' through balls isn't something football club coaches look for at junior and youth level. So what you end up with are blokes like David Nugent and Wright-Phillips, who, while ticking all the right boxes in the FA coaching manual, lack the flair and nous (Nugent), or instinct (SWP), to score goals at the highest level. It's to be hoped the rest of the world have the same training methods as us, because if they haven't, Englands days as a force in world football are well and truly over.

[beamer]

Also most of our young players seem to be complete twats, just chavs with an attitude that they're untouchable because they've been signed up by whatever Premiership club and are guaranteed to be the next Beckham/Gerrard/Rooney etc. They get carried away with the lifestyle, get into the headlines for all the wrong reasons and then wonder why they don't develop into world-beaters.

[Gary 111]

Should we be trying to develop footballers with Brazilian-style skills, or stick to what we're good at which is pace and power, which could still win us a tournament one day given the right coach, the right system and the ability to put a few penalties away?

We may not be able to have the skills of the Brazilians/Portuguese but there is fark all wrong with trying to be like the germans IMO

They combine pace and power but they add technical ability too. They should be our role model.

has anyone ever sat and watched the 66 & 70 World Cups when English football was at its peak? We sure as hell weren't launching balls from full backs to midget centre forwards.

No we were launching them to Jeff Astle...

[LeFromage]

On the other hand, we've made the rugby final not by trying to play like the All Blacks, but by doing what we do best. Should we be trying to develop footballers with Brazilian-style skills, or stick to what we're good at which is pace and power, which could still win us a tournament one day given the right coach, the right system and the ability to put a few penalties away?

Yes, we should eschew the teaching of basic ball skills - as it's obviously not taking - in favour of developing a bunch of knuckle-dragging prop forwards to bulldoze their way to victory against all of these namby pamby, technically astute girls' blouses.

That's the key to success in football - surprised no-one has thought of it before. They were probably too busy winning things...

[beamer]

Like those Greeks who won it with all that flair, skill and hatfuls of goals last time you mean...

[Gary 111]

Should we be trying to develop footballers with Brazilian-style skills, or stick to what we're good at which is pace and power, which could still win us a tournament one day given the right coach, the right system and the ability to put a few penalties away?

We may not be able to have the skills of the Brazilians/Portuguese but there is fark all wrong with trying to be like the germans IMO

They combine pace and power but they add technical ability too. They should be our role model.

has anyone ever sat and watched the 66 & 70 World Cups when English football was at its peak? We sure as hell weren't launching balls from full backs to midget centre forwards.

But being serious, we should be trying to play to our strengths - but I think this is by being more adventurous and attacking. English players tend to have great fitness, strength and pace - and we do manage to find some players like Rooney, Gerrard, Joe Cole, etc who are skillful and creative as well.

I think the way Man Utd played around the time they won the treble combined the best of the English game, pace, a dynamic midfield, resolve and determination with an attacking flair. And they won the European Cup with a nucleus of English / British players - the Nevilles, Scholes, Butt, Cole, Beckham, so it can be done.

[JKLever]

Sorry but the ball was not being rolled to the full backs who pinged it up field for bloody Jeff Astle to scrap for it!

[JKLever]

But being serious, we should be trying to play to our strengths - but I think this is by being more adventurous and attacking. English players tend to have great fitness, strength and pace - and we do manage to find some players like Rooney, Gerrard, Joe Cole, etc who are skillful and creative as well.

I think the way Man Utd played around the time they won the treble combined the best of the English game, pace, a dynamic midfield, resolve and determination with an attacking flair. And they won the European Cup with a nucleus of English / British players - the Nevilles, Scholes, Butt, Cole, Beckham, so it can be done.

Man United were about the only team in England who played this way at the time though.

[holcs]

Like those Greeks who won it with all that flair, skill and hatfuls of goals last time you mean...

Those Greeks could trap and pass the ball at least.

We sometimes struggle to do that, and those that struggle to do that get 20k a week. And we wonder why we're carp!!!

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