Michael W Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Out of interest, how come? I think he's put together a more impressive campaign than Capello ever did. He seems more tactically astute or at least certainly more aware of his team's limitations and plays to our strengths - something that can be seen by the fact we've lost just 3 times under him, a pretty impressive stat given we've came up against the likes of Belgium, France, Italy and Brazil and not been beaten by them (of course discounting the penalty loss). I think Roy's done a decent job so far and I'm quite looking forward to seeing what he can do under less pressure. I do agree that he is perhaps still liable to a hounding though. If he chooses not to 'have a go' given there is much less pressure than there seems to be usually, he might be in for a slating. Personally, I'd stick with what he's been doing. As exciting as Sterling & Lallana on the wings with Rooney & Sturridge up top sounds, it'd be defensively irresponsible against three sides with impressive attacking options. In honesty, it's why I'm a big fan (seemingly one of very few) of Welbeck at international level. In the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Roy seems to favour he has nailed how to play the left wing slot. Responsible defensively and still chipped in with 8 in 20 or something similar. There are still plenty of questions to be answered in the upcoming friendlies. Dilemma in central midfield with Henderson, Wilshere, Barkley and Lampard all seemingly realistic options there. Personally I'd like to see Henderson or Wilshere. Lampard hasn't impressed me much this season and while I rate Barkley, he seems prone to not turning up at all. For the amount of times he's ran the show for Everton this season, there's been the same amount of being subbed. He's probably not ready just yet but could be a fantastic option from the bench. Out wide the likes of Welbeck, Sterling, Lallana and Milner are likely to be battling it out, while if I remember likely Hodgson seems to quite like Oxlade-Chamberlain too. I'd personally prefer Welbeck on the left. Milner can do a job but I'd like to see Lallana in there. Sterling perhaps against Uruguay/Costa Rica. Up top I'd expect Rooney in behind Sturridge although some on here earlier in the thread said they'd be surprised if that was the case. I think Roy's got decent options to change it though. Barkley can slot in the hole, as can Lallana, while Sterling excelled there towards the end of the season. Defence is undoubtedly the weaker spot I reckon. It'll likely pick itself as Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill & Baines. Hodgson has plenty of problems but they actually appear to be mostly positive. I don't think England are in any position to slag Uruguay's defence off though. There appear to be quite a few of my pals who have seen Luagno is the captain and assumed their defence is woeful. Godin is a class act, Peirera and Caceres are no mugs either. He seems to be perceived as quite negative and uninspiring. Maybe the dreadful job he did at Liverpool is still weighing on people's minds, but of all the concerns over the campaign, Hodgson seems to be the main one. I actually think England have a fairly good squad. Many think it isn't as good as the squad of a few years ago, but then neither are the likes of Holland. There are much better squads, but despite the pessimism I actually fancy England to progress to the next round. Henderson probably has to start after the season he's had, along with Sterling given his form in the latter part of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 C'mon England... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandarilla Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 1401479856790.jpg C'mon England... What kind of lunatics run Asda these days? Did they not have the mental psycho-killer Halloween costumes last year too? http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/30/asda-wearable-flag-england-ku-klux-klan-kkk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heedthebaa Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Well after that convincing win against the very slick and well organised Peruvians, bring the World Cup the f**k on. We're ready !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shandon Par Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I am very much looking forward to England v Italy. Vittoria's on Leith walk, dinner at 9, private dining room at 11 for the match on the big screen, a few Stregas to loosen the vocal chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 http://m.scotsman.com/news/uk/stephen-hawking-thinks-it-s-all-over-for-england-1-3426032 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Bear Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 What kind of lunatics run Asda these days? Did they not have the mental psycho-killer Halloween costumes last year too? http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/30/asda-wearable-flag-england-ku-klux-klan-kkk Personally, I prefer the St George's Cross plastic bowler hats. Could you wear that with the KKK cape, or would that be too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 What kind of lunatics run Asda these days? Did they not have the mental psycho-killer Halloween costumes last year too? http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/30/asda-wearable-flag-england-ku-klux-klan-kkk His Maw will wipe the smile off his dish when she sees her table cloth. He'll get the back of her hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Personally, I prefer the St George's Cross plastic bowler hats. Could you wear that with the KKK cape, or would that be too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karpaty Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Well after that convincing win against the very slick and well organised Peruvians, bring the World Cup the f**k on. We're ready !!! They were absolute shite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepundit Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 They were absolute shite They started off well... and got progressively shiter as the match went on. Maybe the warm English climate was too much for them? England played well, but the team was clearly lacking a bit of width. Too often the play went through the middle. I'm not a fan of the 4-4-1-1 formation. Hopefully we go with a 4-4-2 with Rooney dropping back to help the midfield whenever necessary rather than being in midfield the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevthedee Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Sterling should be in for wellbeck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Given the lack of quality in the England squad, it'll be the old standby tactics of do-nothing-and-hope-for-the-best, tactics so beloved of our erstwhile leader, Craig Levein. They might scrape through the group, but someone will eventually show them up. It's one thing having a soft spot for England, but any Scotsman in an England top during the World Cup is a fanny or a Rangers fan. Probably both. They are our biggest rivals in a footballing and historical sense. You don't see, for example, Rangers fans supporting Celtic in the Champions League as they are from the same city or (he says guardedly) fellow Scots. Why should the World Cup be any different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Some people don't give a f**k about rivalries though. I don't care about St. Mirren for example, even though we're supposedly rivals. It's only football. Shouldn't come as a surprise that some people just see it for what it is, rather than take it super seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deky Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Some people don't give a f**k about rivalries though. I don't care about St. Mirren for example, even though we're supposedly rivals. It's only football. Shouldn't come as a surprise that some people just see it for what it is, rather than take it super seriously. Would you wear a St Mirren top though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 My comment was more about the rivalry than anything else. I wouldn't wear a St Mirren top, but in the same way as I wouldn't wear a St. Johnstone, Hearts, Aberdeen etc top. Nothing to do with rivalries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy boo Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Given the lack of quality in the England squad, it'll be the old standby tactics of do-nothing-and-hope-for-the-best, tactics so beloved of our erstwhile leader, Craig Levein. They might scrape through the group, but someone will eventually show them up. It's one thing having a soft spot for England, but any Scotsman in an England top during the World Cup is a fanny or a Rangers fan. Probably both. They are our biggest rivals in a footballing and historical sense. You don't see, for example, Rangers fans supporting Celtic in the Champions League as they are from the same city or (he says guardedly) fellow Scots. Why should the World Cup be any different? OF fans behaviour really shouldn't be used as an example of decent right thinking people......please find a different analogy. I have English friends and don't mind seeing them do well. I wouldn't wear their top though....unless I was really on the wind up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 OF fans behaviour really shouldn't be used as an example of decent right thinking people......please find a different analogy. I have English friends and don't mind seeing them do well. I wouldn't wear their top though....unless I was really on the wind up. OK....how many Hearts fans were willing their city neeburs to beat Hamilton in the play offs to boost the spirits of the citizens of our capital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Genius Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Sincerely hope Ingerland get humped in a brutal way in every single minute of every single game they play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy boo Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Can't see any channel showing the Ecuador game tonight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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