England v Slovenia

I expect England to flatter to deceive tonight make heavy weather of it all but ultimately the opposition is average enough for England to scrape a 1 nil win, finish top of the group and face a third place team in the next knockout stage.

GS does have an incredible knack for avoiding what
you'd consider to be quality opposition until the later stages of tournaments and I expect that to continue with England getting another average European side in the next round. Then I think it will be a slightly above average Italy side in the Quarters and that is where finally GS's amazing skill for making a pigs ear out of a silk purse will play its part.

England hopefully can then realise their potential and appoint a new manager that can see what 99% of. supporters can see and by 2026 finally after 60 years the wait is over but until then just 3 more games at the very most of this turgid anti football excrement to endure.

comment by Macca & The Metal Hips: fka Wheelchair Dave (U8194)
posted 17 minutes ago
I expect England to flatter to deceive tonight make heavy weather of it all but ultimately the opposition is average enough for England to scrape a 1 nil win, finish top of the group and face a third place team in the next knockout stage.

GS does have an incredible knack for avoiding what
you'd consider to be quality opposition until the later stages of tournaments and I expect that to continue with England getting another average European side in the next round. Then I think it will be a slightly above average Italy side in the Quarters and that is where finally GS's amazing skill for making a pigs ear out of a silk purse will play its part.

England hopefully can then realise their potential and appoint a new manager that can see what 99% of. supporters can see and by 2026 finally after 60 years the wait is over but until then just 3 more games at the very most of this turgid anti football excrement to endure.
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Brutal.

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Macca & The Metal Hips: fka Wheelchair Dave (U8194)
posted 17 minutes ago
I expect England to flatter to deceive tonight make heavy weather of it all but ultimately the opposition is average enough for England to scrape a 1 nil win, finish top of the group and face a third place team in the next knockout stage.

GS does have an incredible knack for avoiding what
you'd consider to be quality opposition until the later stages of tournaments and I expect that to continue with England getting another average European side in the next round. Then I think it will be a slightly above average Italy side in the Quarters and that is where finally GS's amazing skill for making a pigs ear out of a silk purse will play its part.

England hopefully can then realise their potential and appoint a new manager that can see what 99% of. supporters can see and by 2026 finally after 60 years the wait is over but until then just 3 more games at the very most of this turgid anti football excrement to endure.
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Brutal.

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Very accurate, I'd say. If anything, WeekendOffender held back.

How may back passes to Pickford will there be ?

comment by Macca & The Metal Hips: fka Wheelchair Dave (U8194)
posted 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
I expect England to flatter to deceive tonight make heavy weather of it all but ultimately the opposition is average enough for England to scrape a 1 nil win, finish top of the group and face a third place team in the next knockout stage.

GS does have an incredible knack for avoiding what
you'd consider to be quality opposition until the later stages of tournaments and I expect that to continue with England getting another average European side in the next round. Then I think it will be a slightly above average Italy side in the Quarters and that is where finally GS's amazing skill for making a pigs ear out of a silk purse will play its part.

England hopefully can then realise their potential and appoint a new manager that can see what 99% of. supporters can see and by 2026 finally after 60 years the wait is over but until then just 3 more games at the very most of this turgid anti football excrement to endure.
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This is a myth

We got Belgium in the group in 2018 who went on to finish 3rd in the tournament.

We got the Croatians in the group in 2021 and had Germany rd 16

We admittedly had an easy run to the quarters in 2022 - but then hit France.

It’s very few sides that play top quality oppo the whole way through.

Brazil from 94 to 2002 made 3 World Cup finals, and in terms of top quality along the way they played the Netherlands twice and England once.

I get what you are saying Strike and if it was Leeds I wouldn't give a monkey's if playing with the handbrake on won us a trophy but for me it's a different kettle of fish supporting England with the players we have at this moment.

At the end of the day all of us enjoy watching attractive skilful exciting football and the opportunity to watch that with most of the teams we support is rare but occasionally in my case supporting Leeds, Bielsa used to try and incorporate his attack minded phylosophy to the team he picked, it wasn't perfect, sometimes we got walloped but more times than not it was a joy to behold.

So this is what is frustrating for a lot of England supporters who have for years been served up pretty meagre portions of entertainment is we see a crop of extremely skilful, exciting talented players being guided to play to their few weaknesses instead of their many strengths and therefore producing a boring overly cautious style of play that is ugly on the eye and even if it gets us far in this tournament which I think is realisticly to the quarter finals and I will be amazed if we go any further playing like we are, it totally turns me off watching England and not what I think any of us deserve to witness with the array of talent that GS has at his disposal.

GS seems to be masochisticly addicted to a double holding or I'd say choking midfield that just bores the bejesus out of everyone... Just because few International sides have won tournaments in swashbuckling style the whole way through doesn't mean we have to accept these low bar setting borefest performances.

I think there was a real opportunity to have been one of
the few international sides that entertained from start to finish in a major tournament and given us all memory's that the Brazil side of 1970 gave but alas it wasn't and isn't to be but hopefully there is still an opportunity for a new England manager to give us something uniquely similar to that great 1970 Brazil side in time for 2026.

The double holding role that Southgate is obsessed with wouldn't bother me so much if we used players to get the best out of that system. Kane, Bellingham and Foden pretty much want to play in the same position so we don't have the outlets to turn teams around when we're pressed, but Southgate doesn't have the guts to drop any of them it seems.

comment by Macca & The Metal Hips: fka Wheelchair Dave (U8194)
posted 28 minutes ago
I get what you are saying Strike and if it was Leeds I wouldn't give a monkey's if playing with the handbrake on won us a trophy but for me it's a different kettle of fish supporting England with the players we have at this moment.

At the end of the day all of us enjoy watching attractive skilful exciting football and the opportunity to watch that with most of the teams we support is rare but occasionally in my case supporting Leeds, Bielsa used to try and incorporate his attack minded phylosophy to the team he picked, it wasn't perfect, sometimes we got walloped but more times than not it was a joy to behold.

So this is what is frustrating for a lot of England supporters who have for years been served up pretty meagre portions of entertainment is we see a crop of extremely skilful, exciting talented players being guided to play to their few weaknesses instead of their many strengths and therefore producing a boring overly cautious style of play that is ugly on the eye and even if it gets us far in this tournament which I think is realisticly to the quarter finals and I will be amazed if we go any further playing like we are, it totally turns me off watching England and not what I think any of us deserve to witness with the array of talent that GS has at his disposal.

GS seems to be masochisticly addicted to a double holding or I'd say choking midfield that just bores the bejesus out of everyone... Just because few International sides have won tournaments in swashbuckling style the whole way through doesn't mean we have to accept these low bar setting borefest performances.

I think there was a real opportunity to have been one of
the few international sides that entertained from start to finish in a major tournament and given us all memory's that the Brazil side of 1970 gave but alas it wasn't and isn't to be but hopefully there is still an opportunity for a new England manager to give us something uniquely similar to that great 1970 Brazil side in time for 2026.


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The game has simply moved on, Brazil 70 would get murdered by ordinary international sides these days.

There is no doubt England are going through the motions at the moment, I suspect it will be similar tonight and possibly so in the last 16. But I’m confident we will play better from the quarters onwards - I see us growing into the tournament

comment by Zein Mayassi (U21076)
posted 57 seconds ago
The double holding role that Southgate is obsessed with wouldn't bother me so much if we used players to get the best out of that system. Kane, Bellingham and Foden pretty much want to play in the same position so we don't have the outlets to turn teams around when we're pressed, but Southgate doesn't have the guts to drop any of them it seems.
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Southgate, rightly or wrongly believes we only need a good game from one of those front 4 to get through these early games - that and staying solid at the back. It’s working.

People keep projecting to later rounds - I think we will open up in later rounds and be more daring.

For now, he has got us qualified with a game to spare. The target will obviously be to win the group with 7 points - same as Germany got, the same as Group D and E will get. Only Spain and Portugal will go into the next round with a 100% record. Spain have impressed - Portugal have not been pushed

Problem with England is having one of the best teams in the competition and not setting them up to play the best they can!..

Holding back until the later rounds could be a big mistake, surely its better to play the players to their strengths and let the others see what they're up against, experts here have been saying they were waiting for more from England and are surprised at how crap and boring they've been!..

Play to your strenghts from the start or you'll see what you're now seeing, a team that have got through but if they loose today and Dänmark win it will have been a very lucky England!..