England and you

[Antynwa]

I'm sitting here, really, really, really, really, really annoyed at how shit we where. How shit Rooney was, how much of a twat Green was, and how Jamie Carragher nearly got his arse handed to him on a plate.

 

Now about 12 months ago my attitude was this.

 

'We're not English we are scouse kidda, f.t.m'

 

Now I'm really, really pissed off at a combination of how shit Liverpool how, how Gerrard might leave, and how Torres might leave and how we might go into oblivion.

 

And England are shite.

 

Football is proper shit.

[Hooch]

"Look at me"

[George Costanza]

England are not shite.

 

Neither are they one of the best teams in SA. Once in the kock out stages it becomes cup football and they have the individual players and manager to cause and upset and win the fucker.

 

Spain are without doubt head and shoulders above the teams, so were Barcelona yet they didn't win the Champions League.

 

I really don't think many people actually understand football anymore

[Gary Mac Legend]

Remember in 2005, when we needed a 90th minute Gerrard stunner to get past Olympiakos in the Champions League. Believe.

[Rocky Sullivan]

I'm sitting here, really, really, really, really, really annoyed at how shit we where. How shit Rooney was, how much of a twat Green was, and how Jamie Carragher nearly got his arse handed to him on a plate.

 

Now about 12 months ago my attitude was this.

 

'We're not English we are scouse kidda, f.t.m'

 

Now I'm really, really pissed off at a combination of how shit Liverpool how, how Gerrard might leave, and how Torres might leave and how we might go into oblivion.

 

And England are shite.

 

Football is proper shit.

 

Yeah they should sack the manager. The multi trophy winning know nothing prick.

[gkmacca]

England's sheer witlessness never fails to bemuse me. It's one of life's great puzzles. Compare England to, say, Italy. Now, Italians aren't typically more intelligent than the English, and Italian players aren't typically more intelligent than English ones, but at international level the Italians look smart, crafty and disciplined, while the English look like knuckle-dragging dullards. Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, etc - all really sharp-witted players for their clubs in HUGE matches. For England - clueless. I really though Capello, of all managers, would get them looking bright, organised and imaginative. He must be baffled.

[Antynwa]

Someone mentioned it in the match thread, that our players look completely null and void of any ability to make the right decision, as opposed to when they do when they play for their respective clubs.

[torahboy]

England and me?

[ChunkyBarcode]

Someone mentioned it in the match thread, that our players look completely null and void of any ability to make the right decision, as opposed to when they do when they play for their respective clubs.

 

This.

 

Glen Johnson was probably one of the few who seemed to know when to cross and when to try and beat the man infront of him.

[RED Tezza]

The reason why England will continue to fail at tournaments isn't anything to do with quality of player or lack of ambition. it's to do with the weight of expectation. the pressure placed upon shoulders by the media in this country is unbearable. Oh you can say but there professionals blah blah blah, but the fact is they pull on the shirt and are expected to deliver a performance of a standard acceptable to the press, not the masses.

 

Too long our squad have been told they are the "golden generation" that they'll never have a better opportunity to win the trophy. We all have been told that by the written and visual media muppets who tubthump there way placing untold pressure on players based on nothing but the attitude of "We're England" blah blah blah. We are now suffering from the same problems that plagued Spain for 40 years which was weight of expectation.

 

Denmark won Euro 1992 after the majority of there squad were sitting on a beach a few days before, completely relaxed, Ireland in 1990 reportedly went out on the piss night after night during the World Cup exceeding expectations and got to the Quarter Finals. Yet Tournament after Tournament the pressand media in this country assume becuase we are England we will win the competition.

 

England will never win anything whilst this practice continues no matter how good our players are because not only do they have the pressure of performing to win, they have the added pressure placed on certain individuals by the media of "you are our only hope"

 

Our players cannot handle the pressure and will be perienial under achievers until this stops, which it won't. so get used to being disappointed as England won't win a trophy in our lifetime.

[Faustus]

England's sheer witlessness never fails to bemuse me. It's one of life's great puzzles. Compare England to, say, Italy. Now, Italians aren't typically more intelligent than the English, and Italian players aren't typically more intelligent than English ones, but at international level the Italians look smart, crafty and disciplined, while the English look like knuckle-dragging dullards. Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, etc - all really sharp-witted players for their clubs in HUGE matches. For England - clueless. I really though Capello, of all managers, would get them looking bright, organised and imaginative. He must be baffled.

 

Itz cuz we invented da game innit, guv?

[The Dude Abides]

The reason why England will continue to fail at tournaments isn't anything to do with quality of player or lack of ambition. it's to do with the weight of expectation. the pressure placed upon shoulders by the media in this country is unbearable. Oh you can say but there professionals blah blah blah, but the fact is they pull on the shirt and are expected to deliver a performance of a standard acceptable to the press, not the masses.

 

Haha, they all have that pressure mate. It's no excuse at all. You have to even wonder how aware they are of it given how detached from reality most of them are. they just aren't very good and have no divine right to win tournaments against teams that bring a much better calibre of player along with them.

[RedKnight]

I would have thought it was because the English media and, for the most part, fans, demand passion and lots of effort which usually translates into conceding the ball too readily and lumping it forward rather than taking their time.

[RED Tezza]

They don't all have that pressure though do they. There's various degree's of pressure applied by a country's media.

[RED Tezza]

I would have thought it was because the English media and, for the most part, fans, demand passion and lots of effort which usually translates into conceding the ball too readily and lumping it forward rather than taking their time.

 

Sort of the point i'm trying to make in a round about way, if they were in a more relaxed frame of mind then it'd help. However as you pointed out the media and fans won't allow that.

[RedKnight]

And these days neither will the advertising companies, it's amazing how many companies can shoe-horn a football reference to try and sell their shit.

[23CARRAGOLD]

I've always been indifferent to England on a football basis. Mid 80s I always wanted Scotland to win because half the Scotland team was ours, I just couldn't make the connection with England.

 

I think the only time I seriously got into the whole England thing was 1990. I really was on the edge of my seat that one. It was a great tournament and possibly one of the greatest ever in terms of football and England hooked me. It might have been the Bobby Robson effect.

 

As for any time since, I haven't been arsed in the slightest. Over the years it has turned more and more into a thing that the London press uses to evoke emotion in people, some good some bad. We have the 'get behind your nation or get out of the country' attitude. And then theres the crucifying of players to the point where they become national hate figures, before the press decides said player has been crucified enough and starts slating the crucifiers.

 

I refuse to play the game what the press is putting in front of us nowadays and decide to take a step back. The world cup to me is now a spectacle of football that I'll watch from a distance and admire some of the worlds greatest players.

 

As for pinning my hopes on one team? Not for me I'm sorry, I'll leave it to others and look forward to some time mid August when the team I support actively, go and watch actively and absolutely love takes to the field again. The team incidentally who that same press I've just been talking about takes so much pleasure in writing disparaging and unsettling stories about for 9 months a year.

 

I guess you could say I am past being nationalised and now consider myself regionalised in terms of support. An English defeat to me is a kick up the arse for them same press reporters who run the national team and long may it continue.

[AmerScouse]

igurland are shit. face it, despite a wealth of individual talent, collectively they are garbage and have been for quite some time bar a 5-1 whalloping of germany many many years ago.

[Red Phoenix]

Watch Spain play 90 mins mate, it'll maybe convince you that football is still inspiring and keep some hope inside you.

[Newport]

It's ridiculous to even think they can win a tournament with such a limited squad plus injuries no matter who the coach is. Typical English arrogance just like before any tournament since forever.

[RobbieOR]

It's ridiculous to even think they can win a tournament with such a limited squad plus injuries no matter who the coach is. Typical English arrogance just like before any tournament since forever.

 

Agreed. England are crap. No two ways about it. How can a team with Ledley King at centre half win the world cup? Seriously?

[Nunavut Patrick]

England are not shite.

 

Neither are they one of the best teams in SA. Once in the kock out stages it becomes cup football and they have the individual players and manager to cause and upset and win the fucker.

 

Spain are without doubt head and shoulders above the teams, so were Barcelona yet they didn't win the Champions League.

 

I really don't think many people actually understand football anymore

 

Georgie is right.

 

South Korea made a SF. Bulgaria did in '94.

 

Football is loved by billions because you just never fucking know.

 

See North Korea 1966, USA 1950, Istanbul 2005, Canada 1986, Kaiserslauten, etc

[Red Phoenix]

Just woke up drunk and remembered I had onion bhaji's and spring roll type things in the fridge. YOU DO NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP if you wake up hungry and have Indian food downstairs.... (btw you should check some of my typing before I start editing...)

 

If we face Spain or Brazil later on :

 

 

edit : munchies have gone. Gonna have to do my own version of 'Go Time' vs the hangover demons.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Red Phoenix

[col68]

I've always been indifferent to England on a football basis. Mid 80s I always wanted Scotland to win because half the Scotland team was ours, I just couldn't make the connection with England.

 

I think the only time I seriously got into the whole England thing was 1990. I really was on the edge of my seat that one. It was a great tournament and possibly one of the greatest ever in terms of football and England hooked me. It might have been the Bobby Robson effect.

 

As for any time since, I haven't been arsed in the slightest. Over the years it has turned more and more into a thing that the London press uses to evoke emotion in people, some good some bad. We have the 'get behind your nation or get out of the country' attitude. And then theres the crucifying of players to the point where they become national hate figures, before the press decides said player has been crucified enough and starts slating the crucifiers.

 

I refuse to play the game what the press is putting in front of us nowadays and decide to take a step back. The world cup to me is now a spectacle of football that I'll watch from a distance and admire some of the worlds greatest players.

 

As for pinning my hopes on one team? Not for me I'm sorry, I'll leave it to others and look forward to some time mid August when the team I support actively, go and watch actively and absolutely love takes to the field again. The team incidentally who that same press I've just been talking about takes so much pleasure in writing disparaging and unsettling stories about for 9 months a year.

 

I guess you could say I am past being nationalised and now consider myself regionalised in terms of support. An English defeat to me is a kick up the arse for them same press reporters who run the national team and long may it continue.

 

my feelings too.

[Rico1304]

It was like watching us last season, no 'craft' at all. Players desperate to do well but just no idea how to change things. Someone needs to tell England that you don't have to win 2-0, 1-0 is fine.

 

(I think I may have said this last night but I was slaughtered. Being one of the few not bothered people in the pub can be hilarious and scary at the same time).