England Thread - 2022/23

[Segga]

I’m predicting we get knocked out in the group stages. Beat Iran 1-0, and draw and lose against usa and wales and go out. Wouldn’t be surprised with 3 bore draws either.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

Belgium 14/1 for WC anyone

They’ll probably be most peoples “dark horse” for the 6th straight tournament, and flop
Not sure how a team ranked 1 or 2 in the world r labelled a dark horse

 

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

Didn’t watch the game but someone told me he played Walker at LB….is that true?

Did he also play with 2 DM’s as he did in the Euro’s…

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Nobody I guess. I'm indifferent to all international football, even England.

Yes, it's been a long journey towards something like indifference for me. I first got into football precisely because of the fever around ’66. Nobody in my family was a football fan, still less a City fan. So nobody whatsoever to take me to matches. Had to do it on my lonesome. And we weren't from the north — no uncle from Ardwick or Wythenshawe — although we moved to south Manchester shortly after.
I remember following the ’70 WC with fascination. I was, if anything, even more excited by it than ’66, because of course by that time I was a fully fledged City supporter, and we had “heigh-ho, heigh-ho, we're off to Mexico” echoing round the Kippax. And I knew a fair bit more about how football works. And I genuinely believe that was one of the most talented teams England have had in my lifetime. More than the ’66 team, actually. That group match with Brazil was huge, two teams at the top of their game. If only we hadn't had that donkey Astle up front… I think that was Ramsey's one area of weakness. He like the hard-working target men who were basically journeymen footballers. Hunt was another of that ilk.
I was devastated by that match against West Germany. I couldn't believe the sheer injustice of it.
At least the right team, unquestionably, walked away with the trophy.
I think the last time I was really, really excited by an England team was the 1990 one. Many times, I've asked myself whether my growing indifference to the national team is because we've got so many overseas players in the squad at City now. But I really don't think that's it. If they played exciting football, I could be as patriotic as anyone. But by and large, they just don't. Mind you, in recent decades the only national team from anywhere I've got at all excited about is the Spain one of the 2008-2012 period, frankly. That was football as she should be played. I hugely admired the Brazil team of 1982, too.
Sadly, the WC is quite like the CL. The most talented teams don't always win it. Far from it.
As for this upcoming obscenity, it's a matter of supreme indifference to me who lifts that trophy. I'm boycotting the whole thing. My own little gesture. Doesn't matter a toss, of course, to anyone except me.

 

[Zapcity]

It no doubt has been said countless times, but what really is the point of this Nations League(?) nonsense. To me it just gets in the way of proper club football.
Maybe have the odd midweek International friendly, but another 'International break' and no weekend games just as the season is getting going...FFS!.
Although I've not looked at lower division attendances compared to 'normal' weekends maybe they are higher ?
If lge 1 and lge 2 and non league clubs are getting bigger crowds and more revenue because people actually want to go to proper games this at least is a positive.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Didn’t watch the game but someone told me he played Walker at LB….is that true?

Did he also play with 2 DM’s as he did in the Euro’s…

No, Walker was played at right sided centre back in a 3, with Saka played at left wing back.

He played Rice and Bellingham as mainly 6s though, isolating the front 3, with only Foden able to hold the ball up occasionally.

We were slightly better when he reverted to a back four after we went behind.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

It no doubt has been said countless times, but what really is the point of this Nations League(?) nonsense. To me it just gets in the way of proper club football.
Maybe have the odd midweek International friendly, but another 'International break' and no weekend games just as the season is getting going...FFS!.
Although I've not looked at lower division attendances compared to 'normal' weekends maybe they are higher ?
If lge 1 and lge 2 and non league clubs are getting bigger crowds and more revenue because people actually want to go to proper games this at least is a positive.

They simply add some purpose to what would have been friendlies to help national managers finalise their World Cup squads.

We did pretty well in the first version of the NL, so people enjoyed it.

Now we’re rubbish again, it seems a pointless competition.

 

[give it to gordon]

Didn’t watch the game but someone told me he played Walker at LB….is that true?

Did he also play with 2 DM’s as he did in the Euro’s…

I think Saka played left back of a back 5

 

[BlueHammer85]

I thought about starting a new thread for this, but it doesn't quite seem to warrant its own one.

Here's my question.
When was the last time, in your opinion, that the England national team had a genuinely ‘big’ manager? I mean by this a manager of vision, of excellent tactical sense, and finely tuned man management skills. A manager equal to what is supposed to be the most prestigious appointment in the land?
N.b. this might includes managers who just didn't have a gifted generation of footballers to hand (which is emphaticaly not the present case, in my view). Their success might have been hamstrung by that.
My own view is that it probably goes back to Bobby Robson. Yes, as far back as that. He got us to a world cup semi-final, and we were desperately unlucky to lose it. I felt at the time, and I feel now, that that was a team that should have won the world cup. There was a good fit, for once, between manager and players. I honestly did not feel that about the team that Southgate got to the semi-final in Russia.

Capello and Erickson both won countless trophies all over the world

They ‘’failed’’

Only if we win a major tournament would any manager get some slack and even think nowadays they would have some still wanting them gone

We can dream up big name managers all day long, Wenger, Poch etc - end of the day, if we don’t win a Major tournament they get slated

 

[BlueMonkey79]

It no doubt has been said countless times, but what really is the point of this Nations League(?) nonsense. To me it just gets in the way of proper club football.
Maybe have the odd midweek International friendly, but another 'International break' and no weekend games just as the season is getting going...FFS!.
Although I've not looked at lower division attendances compared to 'normal' weekends maybe they are higher ?
If lge 1 and lge 2 and non league clubs are getting bigger crowds and more revenue because people actually want to go to proper games this at least is a positive.

Detest International breaks! Don't know if that's because we are spoiled with the sublime football played at City or whether watching England these days is just hard work.