O/T Qatar World Cup

I'm not that fussed by the World Cup or England tbh. But surely they must get rid of Southgate now? The last game I watched was the Euro Final against Italy, where an opportunity to win a final was thrown away by a complete lack of tactical understanding and poor team selection.

Whilst I sympathise with Kane's miss, I do wonder why a player who is paid £200K a week and whose job is to score goals, is seemingly unable to even hit the ****ing target with the ball! This old chestnut, that its the pressure that affects him, well yes maybe, though there are people who do jobs for far less who have similar pressures and if they ****ed up people might die!!

A professional footballer and especially a striker should hit the target, if they can't then I question why they are being paid a ludicrous sum of money to do the job!

Anyway, if one looks at Southgate's record, England have beaten a top 10 international side only 3 times during his time as manager and that includes a German side who are hardly world beaters themselves at the moment. His tactics are negative, his team selection predictable, should never have been an international coach IMO. Time to go!

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Originally Posted by Ramshank72

Hope the gig was a good'un.

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Tip top thanks. I often wonder why I invest the same time and money in football, with being generous a 50% happy days, as with music where it’s probably 95%

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Originally Posted by Andy_Faber

Tip top thanks. I often wonder why I invest the same time and money in football, with being generous a 50% happy days, as with music where it’s probably 95%

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Don't try to fathom the unfathomable Andy. £200 a year for RamsTV to see the games. £500 for every home game I attend. It'll be a grand for FGR next week as my dear lady wife is accompanying me.

Conversely, I paid a handsome €37 Euros for 13 45s at a record fair yesterday. A mix of genres, mainly for the secondary non-soul collection. Varying from Toni Basil to Nick Lowe to John Kongos to Spandau, Bruce, CCR ...... plus the Fiestas (Doo wop) and Brenda & the Tabulations (right on the tip...). I shall have fun playing them this afternoon.

All part of life's rich pattern.

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Originally Posted by swaledale

I'm not that fussed by the World Cup or England tbh. But surely they must get rid of Southgate now? The last game I watched was the Euro Final against Italy, where an opportunity to win a final was thrown away by a complete lack of tactical understanding and poor team selection.

Whilst I sympathise with Kane's miss, I do wonder why a player who is paid £200K a week and whose job is to score goals, is seemingly unable to even hit the ****ing target with the ball! This old chestnut, that its the pressure that affects him, well yes maybe, though there are people who do jobs for far less who have similar pressures and if they ****ed up people might die!!

A professional footballer and especially a striker should hit the target, if they can't then I question why they are being paid a ludicrous sum of money to do the job!

Anyway, if one looks at Southgate's record, England have beaten a top 10 international side only 3 times during his time as manager and that includes a German side who are hardly world beaters themselves at the moment. His tactics are negative, his team selection predictable, should never have been an international coach IMO. Time to go!

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I expect him to walk...
But I disagree, I think he's been great, especially in comparison with managers past. I used to watch international comps, and hope England might make it to the quarters or even semis... since Southgate took over, I'm expecting us to compete to be the winners.

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Originally Posted by Andy_Faber

Tip top thanks. I often wonder why I invest the same time and money in football, with being generous a 50% happy days, as with music where it’s probably 95%

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That's some good perspective; I often get put off going to see a concert when I see the ticket price, but in comparison with what I spend on the Rams in various forms, it's nothing, and nowhere near (usually) as disappointing.

Fair enough its an opinion after all. My view is that we have been lucky with the opponents and the fact we inevitably fail to beat the majority of the top 10 teams rather emphasises this fact.

Tournament football is a lottery, as we have seen in this world cup. One can't argue that England have progressed further in tournaments than usual, though this time we have again reached our normal stage, perhaps because we encountered a top 10 team?

As I say I watched that Euro final which we could and should have won and that did it for me watching Southgates England! I hope he walks, we won't win a major tournament with him and we have as good a group of players as we have ever had since probably Robson's era, who I may say was a great coach.

I like Southgate as a man and respect him as a person. Unfortunately, as a manager and a strategist, I’m not so convinced and suspect he seems like the proverbial ‘breath of fresh air’ only because of what we’ve had to put up with for decades now...with Robson and Venables being the rare exceptions imo.

His managerial experience was spectacularly limited before he was given the England job and, imo, his dreadful use of substitutes on Saturday evening, when loyalty seemed to win over logic and strategy, was another example of his limitations.

So...nice guy with decent values who was undoubtedly unlucky against France, but if the most talented squad we’ve had for years is actually going to succeed he may sadly have to be replaced imo. Then again...by who...I’ve no idea.

Nigel Clough?

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Originally Posted by ramAnag

I like Southgate as a man and respect him as a person. Unfortunately, as a manager and a strategist, I’m not so convinced and suspect he seems like the proverbial ‘breath of fresh air’ only because of what we’ve had to put up with for decades now...with Robson and Venables being the rare exceptions imo.

His managerial experience was spectacularly limited before he was given the England job and, imo, his dreadful use of substitutes on Saturday evening, when loyalty seemed to win over logic and strategy, was another example of his limitations.

So...nice guy with decent values who was undoubtedly unlucky against France, but if the most talented squad we’ve had for years is actually going to succeed he may sadly have to be replaced imo. Then again...by who...I’ve no idea.

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As attack is the best form of defence, why don't we start with a keeper and 2 defenders, just in case. In front of them we play Sterling, Foden, Rashford, Saka, Grealish, Bellingham, Mount and Kane.

Goals galore... at both ends.

If you think the 2 defenders sounds a bit short in numbers, look at most sides these days. Regardless of the system played, in possession there's a keeper, 2 CHs and everybody else is further forward. It's just that my front 8 are all players who go forwards.

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Originally Posted by Geoff Parkstone

Nigel Clough?

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Lol...I’d think the only English candidate would be Eddie Howe, unless we go ‘foreign’ again or Southgate stays.