Bend Over Europe...

Mock Cuncher wrote:

AKA the Euro Championship thread.

This is our year!!!1!!one!!

Roy Hodgson = Descendant of Wellington himself.

Wazza will be back after the first two games and still be top scorer.

ROAR

You'll never pass as Mystic Meg.

Greenskin wrote:

This time,more than any other time,this time!

Back home,they'll be thinking about us and cheering every move!

Love put the world in motion!

It's coming home,it's coming home!

Quarter final again,i expect,knocked out on penalties.Maybe if World cup Willie was exhumed.........

You would pass as Mystic Meg.

Defend as a team, attack as a team. We did the first bit.

The Italians had worked out our only real threat was from Gerrard set pieces, so they wrestled England's aerial threat to the ground.

If the on pitch officials are not prepared to punish blatant holding and pushing, skippers should be allowed two or three reviews per game to the video ref and penalties awarded. That would soon stop the WWF behaviour that has developed over the last few years.

Give Arsene the job if you want an England team to keep possession.

Possession is a European airy fairy concept, is all we needed was 1 goal, a fluke, a lucky deflection, anything, just get the ball in the net once.

Iggy wrote:

Possession is a European airy fairy concept, is all we needed was 1 goal, a fluke, a lucky deflection, anything, just get the ball in the net once.

I disagree Iggy. Italy had dozens of attempts at goal, because they had loads of possession, something like 68%. If they had a striker who could finish it would have been a hiding last night.

If England, who only qualified from their group by the way, nothing amazing in that, did manage a fluked goal last night, do you honestly think against Germany their luck would hold and they could fluke another win? What then? Spain. It would have just papered over the cracks in my opinion. England caught Italy offside twice that I can remember, and they were the only times they did in the entire tournament. How many times did Balotelli almost get clean through? If his touch was as good as Cassano's, the England back four would have been floundering 10 yards behind him and he would have eventually scored. As it was Balotelli made countless decent runs but just couldn't control the ball.

Gerrard was Englands only threat, and then only from set-pieces. That's not the way to win tournaments.

Roy Hodgson might just be the man to be honest with the FA and tell them how far behind the best England are. The system needs gutting from top to bottom. Young talent needs to be identified and nurtured and not loaned out to crap like Argyle who will show them how to lump a ball 60 yards up to the strikers.

Loan the youngsters to Ajax if you have to send them on loan, or to Crewe and let Dario Gradi teach them a thing or two, but better still start investing the Sky TV millions in coaching and facilities here.

Italy might not have been brilliant, but they made England look third rate. Their touch and control was light years ahead of Englands, and England survived on fight and passion alone. Germany or Spain would have embarrassed England last night, as Sweden and Ukraine almost did as well.

Imagine if nothing changes before 2014 and any one of half a dozen South American teams, along with the best European teams, take on England in lung bursting weather conditions? You will understand how important possession is then when England are chasing round like headless chickens and Brazil are playing neat little triangles and having 68% of the ball. If you have the ball it forces the other team to try and get it off you, and that uses up energy.

2014...will be our year.

ROAR