England vs Iceland - Euro 2016: Last 16 - 27/06/16

[Burtonblue]

Selecting Wilshere who had not completed a full 90 mins this season yet and getting your top striker to take all set pieces were cardinal sins.
How the fuck could anybody think these were good ideas is beyond me.
Clueless is putting it kindly!

 

[SpiritofBurnden]

We've cruised to this tournament against shit teams and against anyone half decent, we struggle to compete.

Switzerland are no worse than Iceland and yet we beat them home and away in qualifying. It's not the quality of the opposition that's the problem. The reality is that we struggle against everyone in the knock-out stages of tournaments because the players are petrified of failure and consequently fail to produce anything like their best.

 

[Metalartin]

No. Off the back of the tournament. We've cruised to this tournament against shit teams and against anyone half decent,
we struggle to compete.

Then I have a challenge for you: to back that up and show me another game in this tournament when they were making those same mistakes. You can't because they weren't is my point, they were doing the basics just fine in fact... apart from shooting and the final ball in some cases(but all teams struggle with this from time to time) which was crap. The Iceland game was a game on it's own that we should all try and forget.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Switzerland are no worse than Iceland and yet we beat them home and away in qualifying. It's not the quality of the opposition that's the problem. The reality is that we struggle against everyone in the knock-out stages of tournaments because the players are petrified of failure and consequently fail to produce anything like their best.

I get that. But our play is generally not up to scratch. We get away with a lot against lesser opposition (eg San Marino).
My main complaint is our passing and control. Our build up is so slow as our 2 CB's take 5 minutes to control the ball.
Most of the players either over or under hit simple passes. I've lost count how many times a pass is played behind the player
or the recipient of pass is fishing for the ball. This is not just at this tournament. Anyway i put a lot of the blame firmly
at Hodgson's door, with his whatever you do don't give the ball away tactics. It's him that instills the fear.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Then I have a challenge for you: to back that up and show me another game in this tournament when they were making those same mistakes. You can't because they weren't is my point, they were doing the basics just fine in fact... apart from shooting and the final ball in some cases(but all teams struggle with this from time to time) which was dreadful. The Iceland game was a game on it's own that we should all try and forget.

Well if you think that we played well in any of the previous games, then you're a lot easier to please than i.
Just that this game was particularly abject. I do think a lot will change under a better manager but there
are certain players that have never and will never have it and they are our 2 CB's. That's why we struggle to defend
and can't rely on them to get us going. It doesn't help that Joe's had an iffy couple of gaffs.

 

[mosssideblue]

There seemed to be a mandate that Rughead had to be in the team. IMO, whilst he is playing for England, we have little hope. I'm not saying that because I hate the rags with a passion but because I genuinely think he is so far past his sell by date.

Hopefully, with Roy throwing in the towel, many of his disciples will do the same and we can commence building from the bottom.

 

[IH8MUFC]

Where is this fact stated other than them topping the goalscoring chart? Even worse you use it to defend Hodgson. Whatever

The fact that they were basically 1st and 2nd in practically all of the other stats. And the fact I watched them play. Vardy was the best striker by far in the Premier league last season in my opinion.

So if you disagree with me that they were not the 2 best strikers last season who was better than them in the Premier league?

I try and analyse things logically about the job Hodgson has done. Sorry I'm not the typical knee jerk football fan. I don't agree with all of his decisions. Of it was up to me Vardy would have been up front and Barkley would have played another more. I'm just an armchair fan so unfortunately I don't get to pick the team.

 

[IH8MUFC]

I thought we were terrible, we totally froze again. Had we met Iceland at the qualifier stage we would have trounced them. The issue is obviously not that the players didnt try or that they cant be arsed. I didnt see that, in fact I saw them being to arsed, too nervous and scared of losing. Why is that? It's not tactics, we managed perfectly well in the qualifiers against similar teams and better. The only difference is the pressure.

I think the press add a lot to that, our press love a scapegoat and every tourny they do it. Other teams in the euros have their moaning press but ours love to hate. I think the players know that if they fail the press will slaughter them. It adds to the fear factor.

Of course it's not only that, the players are young, a lot of them havent got good experience of tournies, the thing of being away from home for a whole month is different too, maybe that adds to it. Being in the spotlight of majorchampionships too.

I am not sure, but it isnt :
They are shit
Joe Hart
Tactical naievty
Bad defence
The manager
Luck
arguments in the dressing room (According to the press again, why the fuck they report this shit I dont know)
Lack of good selection of players
players being shoe-horned in

Switzerland are no worse than Iceland and yet we beat them home and away in qualifying. It's not the quality of the opposition that's the problem. The reality is that we struggle against everyone in the knock-out stages of tournaments because the players are petrified of failure and consequently fail to produce anything like their best.

I think that is unfair to Iceland. They are a better than Switzerland. They are actually a lot better than people seem to be giving them credit for.

 

[chris63]

Sir Bobby Charlton was asked - how the 1966 England Football Team would have fared against Iceland national football team?
"We'd have won 1-0... (only 1-0?) Yeah.. Most of us are in our 70's now...!"