Why are England so toothless as an international team?

[give it to gordon]

Just send a advert for Google at half-time of the Holland game. Southgate is coaching walking football.
That might explain Englands slow build up !

 

[bluemoon32]

Utter nonsense.
Every Italian, Spanish, Belgium, Portuguese, German etc., etc., player is minted.
They put on a performance.

It was a tongue in cheek post i made but Englands football is rarely played with a smile, it's always so serious

 

[mad4city]

A lot of good points in this thread but something that appears obvious to me, from the outside looking in (in just about every sense, being Irish during these Euros) is that getting capped for England appears to be an end in itself for a lot of these guys.
They'll do all the interviews, say all the right things, tick all the boxes - then go out on the field and and play without any sense of jeopardy. It's like they hope to piggyback dumb luck or the occasional extraordinary talent into being part of a legendary win.
Young players coming in have the enthusiasm knocked out of them because it's harder to get off the team than it is to get on it. And while they're sat on the bench they have plenty of time to ponder how well Danny Mills and even our own, Micah Richards, (to pick just two) have done on the back of very mediocre international careers.
So the cycle continues.

 

[KentBlue]

We’re not toothless, we’ve got Gareth Colgate in charge…

 

[Josh_D]

Stems from the very top (FA) and culture of football. Technically, a lot of the players aren’t a cut above some of the other lads from the other countries.

Nothing wrong with having your Milners or hard tacklers but a lot of the players are average if we’re being honest. Before Pep came, how many managers or teams attempted to play out from the back or take it as part of a requirement for the keeper to be good with their feet to help with build up?

Isn’t some of the football in PL still lump it to the striker for a knock down and have your midfield hassle the opposition for the ball? Imagine not having a competent midfield for so many years? Even with the ‘golden generation’, they still couldn’t make it work (I know club rivalry played a part).

That conservative mindset has festered for so many years that it’s affected things down to the roots. Had a mate when I was a kid have trials from Chelsea all the way to Macclesfield. One of the most technically gifted people I knew but they always chose someone either big or stronger than him. I mean we’ve all heard the ‘he’s too small for the league’ mantra until players like Silva and similar have disproved that.

The culture of football here in England is stuck in its ways and there’s an arrogance that our game is more than what it is...stiff and behind the times. All of what I’ve said may be bullshit but the change has to come from the very top.

 

[Grassland Blue]

Melchett...

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Even with Southgate’s tactics we should be doing better with the players we have. However, one of the issues is when every kick of the ball, each run and positional play is critiqued to nth degree then it sticks in the players minds and rather than getting hammered by the media the next day they go back into their shell and play the ’safe’ option.

 

[madloaf]

The press, the fans, the lack of balls.

 

[Gray]

When he starts a player who has been well below par for his club side, you have to wonder how he thinks he can get him playing when the best manager in the world can’t.

 

[ctwrd]

Unlucky under Sven
Woeful under mclaren
Turgid under hodgson
Unadventurous under this clown
Each side a reflection of the manager