England Russia WC 2018

[AucklandRover]

But you can only beat the team in front of you, Champs. In the past, we've often failed against teams that were weaker than us on paper.
The problem with the team for me is the midfield - apart from Henderson. I didn't think Alli, Sterling and Lingard provided enough creativity against Colombia. We look most likely to get behind defences through Trippier and Rose (when he comes on).
I've never seen Maguire play so well.
Creating chances was hard for England, anyway, because of Colombia's disgraceful behaviour.

[champs95]

But you can only beat the team in front of you, Champs. In the past, we've often failed against teams that were weaker than us on paper.
The problem with the team for me is the midfield - apart from Henderson. I didn't think Alli, Sterling and Lingard provided enough creativity against Colombia. We look most likely to get behind defences through Trippier and Rose (when he comes on).
I've never seen Maguire play so well.
Creating chances was hard for England, anyway, because of Colombia's disgraceful behaviour.

Finally!! It was killing me that. I was trying to play the negative/glass always half full/never back down character I find so frustrating over a domestic season.
The lads have been excellent. I was so impressed last night. We kept our heads, despite disgraceful cheating from Columbia. I have no doubt England would have have lost that sort of game in the past, once they equalised. I agree with every thing you say. MCGuire was fantastic. I didn't believe he had that in him. Kane was brilliant. And best of all, is cool on pens. We are very dangerous on corners, but I do agree, we aren't creating enough. 2 goals from open play so far tells you that. Southgate is doing a brilliant job. He has created a team unity. And that collective confidence is better, than relying on individual brilliance in the past. I still don't think Sterling is good enough, and I'd play either Rashford, or even Vardy. I dint particularly like him before, but he too has looked like he gives them something different to think about. A different test vrs Sweden, but I'd much rather be playing them, than Brazil. Let's try and keep going, and hopefully grow as we play. We really needed a test, and we got that last night. Plus now we have confidence.

[AucklandRover]

You got me there, Champs!!! Didn't spot it.
On Sterling, he seems to be one of those players who has gone downhill since he first burst onto the scene. Oddly, it tends to be wingers this mainly happens to.
Incidentally, is it my imagination or are there an unusual number of shots ballooning over the bar? My wife has noticed it too. Could it be this particular ball, or is just that players are so often trying to put swerve and dip on their shots?
Going back to Colombia, we surely can't go on with this business of players arguing and delaying free kicks for minutes on end. When Kane was fouled for the penalty, almost all the players were facing the other way - yet they protested for three or four minutes.
I would love to see the rugby rule introduced: argue excessively with the referee and the free kick point gets moved forwards 10 metres. That would shut the buggers up!

[Saxo1man41]

Damn.. Champs has posted positively about England.. Were goosed!

[Saxo1man41]

Sweden 0 England 2.. Proud as punch..!

[AucklandRover]

Sweden 0 England 2.. Proud as punch..!

What's more, the three I thought had been average - Alli, Sterling and Lingard - all had decent games.
I'd still prefer Rose to Youngs in terms of attacking threat, but AY did defend well.
If Neymar had taken the hit in the ribs that Kane suffered, he'd still be rolling now!

[champs95]

What's more, the three I thought had been average - Alli, Sterling and Lingard - all had decent games.
I'd still prefer Rose to Youngs in terms of attacking threat, but AY did defend well.
If Neymar had taken the hit in the ribs that Kane suffered, he'd still be rolling now!

They have a huge chance of winning this. We are in form, most of the others aren't in great form. One of the best 2 sides goes out on Tues. We have a tough game vrs Croatia. But a winnable one. I'll bet right now, they will be more worried about playing us, than us playing them.
Nobody expected us to go this far, so we have no real pressure. If we go out, so be it. They'd still return having mended alot of the crap over the past 28 years. Just I feel we are on a roll. Very similar to Rovers last season. Once your on a roll and confidence is high, it's tough to stop you.

[AucklandRover]

It's Modric who worries me, Champs. He is just a brilliant all-round player, and not a prima donna.

[Saxo1man41]

It's Modric who worries me, Champs. He is just a brilliant all-round player, and not a prima donna.

Feet firmly on the ground I have.. They've done brilliant, but Croatia are a formidable obsticle.. Let's just hope they perform and give a full account of themselves, and then what will be, will be..

[champs95]

It's Modric who worries me, Champs. He is just a brilliant all-round player, and not a prima donna.

He really is a top player and one I always enjoy watching. A lovely footballer who also has the correct attitude. How we deal with him and Rakatic tonight will be key. If they hound them both, hunt them down in packs and never let them settle, that will ultimately stop Croatia. They are a better side, but we are in form, they are knackered. I think that probably evens things up. It will be close, but we are in a great position. We cant lose tonight, nobody expected us to get this far, so we should play without fear or expectancy.

I'd personally say this lot tonight (all things considered) are beatable. France will be the huge obstacle.

[Despair]

Hi again chaps!
First and foremost I can openly confess I have watched some WC footie, and yes also egos have been subdued by GS for the betterment of squad / team spirit. That’s what has got this squad to where they are now.
LM aah yes , I recall way back when he was well out of favour at Spurs and it was touted almost anyone could have him for a song (relatively speaking). I was desperate to see us make a play for him and realise to some degree Tugay II !
Anyhow , not unusually I’m a bit with Champs on this in that I think that France are a far more difficult obstacle. Don’t get me wrong as I have immense respect for Croatia, but they are showing traits of ‘going off the boil’.
I am in two minds over this as I pretty much dislike nay detest the French (by and large), so it would irk me far more for them to ‘do us’ than the Croations’

[AucklandRover]

My son and I feel desperately down after that. (He said to me, "At least you've seen us win one!")
Two evenly-matched teams. Croatia took two of their chances. We missed several clear-cut ones.
Once Modric dropped a little deeper in the second half, he began to run the game again.
The key moment, which wasn't commented on much, was Kane's missed header. I think the ball was obscured from him for just that fraction of a second.
The referee was very harsh on England in the second period of extra time. Why was that NOT a free kick on the edge of the area? It was actually an off-the-ball yellow card incident!
All the same, I never for a moment expected us to reach the semi-finals before the tournament, so the positives outweigh the negatives.
Bit early for a drink, but...

[Saxo1man41]

I think experience told. With youth you get inconsistency, even within 90 mins(or 120). First half they were excellent, and even at times within the second period and extra time.

Still proud.

[Despair]

You really need to be the ‘finished article’, or as close to that as possible. GS has repeatedly said this is a team ‘in progress’.
Although knowing v few of those involved, I always felt from the off ‘lack of experience throughout’. When you match off against the likes of Belgium, Croatia, and now not to be France, you’re gona get found out.
But, as for effort and heart, top class. But also no little skill.
They did not let anyone down.

[champs95]

My son and I feel desperately down after that. (He said to me, "At least you've seen us win one!")
Two evenly-matched teams. Croatia took two of their chances. We missed several clear-cut ones.
Once Modric dropped a little deeper in the second half, he began to run the game again.
The key moment, which wasn't commented on much, was Kane's missed header. I think the ball was obscured from him for just that fraction of a second.
The referee was very harsh on England in the second period of extra time. Why was that NOT a free kick on the edge of the area? It was actually an off-the-ball yellow card incident!
All the same, I never for a moment expected us to reach the semi-finals before the tournament, so the positives outweigh the negatives.
Bit early for a drink, but...

We did well to get there. However, we found ourselves in a semi fibal playing a pretty average side. NOT World class, but very very beatable. But I am refusing to do this English thing of embracing failure. That is why we simply don't have the mental strength to get past a semi final. Last night was no different to the 2 previous times. only this time we had a side we could beat, as opposed to Germany.
We wont, not in my lifetime, ever have a better chance of winning a World Cup. 1 nil up at HT, mentally they had gone. We created chance after chance after chance.
In the final now is an average side, playing a slightly less average side. They are NOT 2 world class sides.

Harry Kane was always going to let us down, when it really counted. I said that pre-tournament, I stick by it now.
He scored a few pentalities, and a ball hit his heel 25 yards out. That was it.
He failed to turn up vrs Sweden. Luckily they where so woefully poor, we found a way around that, because we are good at set pieces. He failed to turn up last night, and missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0, and put is in the semi. He was greedy, didn't play in Sterling for an open goal, was greedy and fluffed an easy chance. That ultimately cost us. That was the turning point. A world class player would've made it 2. Or played in his teammate. They would have made the right decision. Its one thing scoring against Panama. Its another on that stage. I never truly believed that a bunch of Spurs players would take us that step further as a nation. Spurs are not winners. They celebrate failure. Like England.
We made defensive mistakes once we played a half decent side, and got found out, and where severely lacking in getting back into it.

It was not a glorious end, a glorious failure. It was just failure. Against a pretty poor side, who we invited back into the game second half, when they where dead and buried. Not because they where good, but because we were not quite good enough.

Maybe we will see this young side push on, we do stand a chance as we have a great manager, and they are young. But we still need a change in mentality. Last night was no different to Italia 90 or Euro 96. We have been here before. And mentally, we just don't quite believe. That's born from this 'you have failed at the ***** moment but yiu all return as heroes' mentality. That gives them an out.
They don't need to find that mental strength to get past a semi, as its acceptable to lose.
One day it would be nice to win. That's ultimately what football is about.
And in my lifetime England will never get a better chance.

[champs95]

My son and I feel desperately down after that. (He said to me, "At least you've seen us win one!")
Two evenly-matched teams. Croatia took two of their chances. We missed several clear-cut ones.
Once Modric dropped a little deeper in the second half, he began to run the game again.
The key moment, which wasn't commented on much, was Kane's missed header. I think the ball was obscured from him for just that fraction of a second.
The referee was very harsh on England in the second period of extra time. Why was that NOT a free kick on the edge of the area? It was actually an off-the-ball yellow card incident!
All the same, I never for a moment expected us to reach the semi-finals before the tournament, so the positives outweigh the negatives.
Bit early for a drink, but...

We did well to get there. However, we found ourselves in a semi fibal playing a pretty average side. NOT World class, but very very beatable. But I am refusing to do this English thing of embracing failure. That is why we simply don't have the mental strength to get past a semi final. Last night was no different to the 2 previous times. only this time we had a side we could beat, as opposed to Germany.
We wont, not in my lifetime, ever have a better chance of winning a World Cup. 1 nil up at HT, mentally they had gone. We created chance after chance after chance.
In the final now is an average side, playing a slightly less average side. They are NOT 2 world class sides.

Harry Kane was always going to let us down, when it really counted. I said that pre-tournament, I stick by it now.
He scored a few pentalities, and a ball hit his heel 25 yards out. That was it.
He failed to turn up vrs Sweden. Luckily they where so woefully poor, we found a way around that, because we are good at set pieces. He failed to turn up last night, and missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0, and put is in the semi. He was greedy, didn't play in Sterling for an open goal, was greedy and fluffed an easy chance. That ultimately cost us. That was the turning point. A world class player would've made it 2. Or played in his teammate. They would have made the right decision. Its one thing scoring against Panama. Its another on that stage. I never truly believed that a bunch of Spurs players would take us that step further as a nation. Spurs are not winners. They celebrate failure. Like England.
We made defensive mistakes once we played a half decent side, and got found out, and where severely lacking in getting back into it.

It was not a glorious end, a glorious failure. It was just failure. Against a pretty poor side, who we invited back into the game second half, when they where dead and buried. Not because they where good, but because we were not quite good enough.

Maybe we will see this young side push on, we do stand a chance as we have a great manager, and they are young. But we still need a change in mentality. Last night was no different to Italia 90 or Euro 96. We have been here before. And mentally, we just don't quite believe. That's born from this 'you have failed at the ***** moment but yiu all return as heroes' mentality. That gives them an out.
They don't need to find that mental strength to get past a semi, as its acceptable to lose.
One day it would be nice to win. That's ultimately what football is about.
And in my lifetime England will never get a better chance.

[AucklandRover]

You really need to be the ‘finished article’, or as close to that as possible. GS has repeatedly said this is a team ‘in progress’.
Although knowing v few of those involved, I always felt from the off ‘lack of experience throughout’. When you match off against the likes of Belgium, Croatia, and now not to be France, you’re gona get found out.
But, as for effort and heart, top class. But also no little skill.
They did not let anyone down.

I agree. As yet, Lingard and Alli cannot impose themselves on a match. They have good moments, but they flit in and out.
Modric has been player-of-the-tournament for me. He looks like a long-distance runner, and has that kind of stamina. His passing-range is wide and amazingly accurate. Above all, he has that apparently natural ability to make the right decisions. In that respect, he reminds me of Beckenbauer - but with a turn of pace.
I'm really happy now that my Uncle Shebby has told me Modric is the player TM is hanging out for.

[champs95]

I agree. As yet, Lingard and Alli cannot impose themselves on a match. They have good moments, but they flit in and out.
Modric has been player-of-the-tournament for me. He looks like a long-distance runner, and has that kind of stamina. His passing-range is wide and amazingly accurate. Above all, he has that apparently natural ability to make the right decisions. In that respect, he reminds me of Beckenbauer - but with a turn of pace.
I'm really happy now that my Uncle Shebby has told me Modric is the player TM is hanging out for.

I really do rate Modric. He is a top player. I still maintain in the first half, he was nowhere, and failed to impose himself, like he did in the previous game vrs Russia. Their defence had no way of handling us, and they where well and truly on the ropes. we are one nil up, everything is going our way, and we have chance after chance to settle it. And Modric, like the rest, have hardly had a kick. Instead of seizing the moment, we did the English thing. We folded. Invited them on, and made Modric look a lot better than he actually is. Like us, you have to remember they have not played anyone half decent yet. They will on Sunday. Sorry to mention it again, but I think we just missed a golden opportunity. Which is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. So it is a big thing. And I don't think its correct to celebrate failure. Lets find a way of finding a way through this semi final and actually experience that?
We have 2 generation of kids who have actually won a WC in their age groups. And a really decent manager. The time now ...imo ....is to build and ask questions.
Why did we fail?
How can we do everything to not fail next time?

By allowing them an 'out' here now, will affect us actually achieve anything moving forwards.

This is a huge, positive platform to build from. Will we do that? Or will we accept this and roll over the next time?

[Saxo1man41]

I'm not gonna rise to it. The youngest and least talented england side possibly ever just got narrowly beaten in the world cup semi final. Take that in and call it failure.

[champs95]

I'm not gonna rise to it. The youngest and least talented england side possibly ever just got narrowly beaten in the world cup semi final. Take that in and call it failure.

In no way I'm trying to get a reaction. Its just how I see it. I want to see England win a World Cup. This one was great fun. Imagine if we won it? Surely we should aspire to do that? If such a lack of talent (in your opinion) can reach a a semi at such a tender age, then let's encourage and support them to going one step futher, and winning it. That's not controversial is it?
It's just I don't believe the best way of going about it is telling them they've been brilliant. They are young professional athletes who should want to win. And as a nation we need to find a way of doing that. Blowing smoke up their arse isn't the way ....imo.
Jon Stones....excellent all tournament. Turns off for one moment in a semi final and we go out.
Do we tell him he's been brilliant and a hero?
No ....imo....He's been excellent and needs to really improve in the next 2 years as a defender so he doesn't do that in the next semi final of the next tournament.
Which I do think we have a good chance of setting our sights on. Not disappear off for 30 years in glorious failure.
I think we have a great young squad, and a really decent manager. And a great platform to build from.
But I also maintain that Croatia are pretty average and at 1-0 up we needed to put them away. We didn't. We invited them in, and blew a monumental chance of winning a WC. Because I also think France are beatable.
This may never be the case again in my lifetime?
Or we learn to take the positives of this and push on. But improve and figure out a way of getting past a semi.