UEFA Euro 2012 - Quarter-finals - ** spoilers **

nicktay2605 said:
Chris Waddle on BBC absolutely spot on regarding England:

"Hodgson has played defensive football and we have had the rub-of-the-green in a lot of ways. We are no further forward than we have been in the last four or five years. Nothing has changed since South Africa. We have had an enormous amount of luck. We cannot pass the ball. We've said it all along, let's see what is produced from Burton. It is basics, we haven't dominated one game at this tournament with the ball. Why do Italy do it? Why do Spain do it? We cannot pass the ball."

Spain might play boring football at times but we could learn a heck of a lot from them. From a technique point of view, our players just aren't up to it. In my opinion, the sooner we can start blooding players like Wilshere and Cleverley the better. It won't make us a way better team, but they do seem to have more technical ability on the ball than our current CMs.
Click to expand...

I don't agree, they can pass, sometimes they can even receive the ball, but they are always eager to take the no chance / half chance to get the ball forward rather than pass it around and wait for an opportunity.

Spain do this, it's tedious, but they just pass it around until they open up some space to play into.

Germany do this too but also have the ability to make fast decisive moves more familiar to the premiership which I think will give them the edge over Spain. I really hope Germany can beat Italy, I really wouldn't bother to watch a Spain/Italy final.
 
This game really highlighted the problems with the English game; we were out-passed and out-classed by what is a very average Italian side. None of our players look comfortable on the ball and until we manage to develop young players such that they are able to match the best teams from Europe and South America in terms of technical ability we have no hope.

For years we have been blaming the manager but it is time we started look at the way we develop and coach young players. I think the manager did the best he could and the players gave all they could but the gulf in class in terms of ball retention between the 2 teams tonight was just embarrassing. In the last 20+ years we have only produced 2 players who had a level of technical ability able to match the average level in the top international sides; Gascoigne, and Scholes.

But hey, no need to worry because we have the self proclaimed 'Best League In the world'! Why should the FA care? We have one of the most lucrative leagues in the world as the average fan is willing to spend so much cash on his season tickets and sky TV packages!
 
Milner was bad but Young who alongside Rooney was touted as being a God that would lead us to victory was just pure *****.

Milner did a lot of work and helped Johnson defensively quite a lot.

Young did nothing. No shots, runs or crosses that i can remember.

Milner actually tried to put crosses in and a few of them fell for players but didn't get put in.
 
UiwWN.gif
 
Tom84 said:
Yes he was. In fact he was a lot worse. A lot lot worse.
Click to expand...
Naaah he wasnt, not seen a more consistently poor performance in a tournament, one that pretty much guaranteed Young should have been subbed off every game he started. Pretty much every RB we played against made more chances than he did on the same wing :p

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
regulus said:
Because we have no real world class players, regardless what the media and idiots in this country think. With England it's just hype hype hype but **** all substance. We're good enough to scrape through a group stage, but when it comes to knockout stages, the other teams pray to get England first.
Click to expand...

But we could have a good team if we just didn't bother with Rooney. I hoped Roy was past this Rooney is England's talisman nonsense but we persisted with him and paid the price.

We had our chances and wasted most of them with either nerves or looking for rooney
 
Biz.Kid09 said:
Milner was bad but Young who alongside Rooney was touted as being a God that would lead us to victory was just pure *****.

Milner did a lot of work and helped Johnson defensively quite a lot.

Young did nothing. No shots, runs or crosses that i can remember.

Milner actually tried to put crosses in and a few of them fell for players but didn't get put in.
Click to expand...

Utd/City fans will have their own bias for both, but both were equally as ****, it's just Milner took two ****'s instead.
 
Tom84 said:
Yes he was. In fact he was a lot worse. A lot lot worse.
Click to expand...

Can't say I agree. For me Young was the worst player on the pitch 4 games out of 4, without exception. His penalty miss was just the icing on the turd that was his tournament performance.

It's even more irritating as I really rate him... His confidence was completely shot to pieces so Christ knows why Hodgson allowed him to take a penalty.
 
It is frightening that any manager advocating 442 is employed for the England job. I said it after the Ukraine matcb- you cannot play 2 central midfielders against 3 unless you want a performance like tonight.
Snax said:
I do not understand the well organised defensive yarn pundits keep spinning. Parker is at his best when he is not making lunging blocks but stopping the shooting opportunity from ever arising
Him and gerrard look dead on their feet trying to close down 3 man midfields. Ukraine played much better than us and but for some dodgy keeping and some woeful finishing from them, they would have won.

If we stick with this set up, better teams will play through our middle at will and we will be troubced

On the positive side, I think Woy conducts himself with extreme dignity and intelligence and I hope he caries on being manager.
Click to expand...


The players are not great but that system is a guaranteed loss against what Italy were always going to play. Italy collapsed back to 451 whilst defending and went straight through the middle when attacking because Gerrard and Parker were chasing shadows,.

This complaints about technique and ball retention are all systematic of never having a pass on because we were completely overwhelmed in the midfield. Gerrard and Parker look up and see midfielders surrounded and strikers 40 yards away.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom