UEFA EURO 2024 (27 Viewers)

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
I’m no Southgate fan but are we sure it’s all about the manager. I mean it’s not a new thing that we fail with a team apparently “the envy of the world”. It’s happened under numerous managers. We fawn over Bellingham and Foden but other countries have half a dozen players of that calibre. Maybe what we think is great is what other countries thing of as the standard
The manager has prevented us from seeing the real upper limit of the players we have available. We may well have lost the final anyway, but based on what I saw when we actually tried attacking the goal, I’m not sure.

He centred his knockout strategy on penalty shootouts. That’s just inexcusably passive and is more risky than going for the win in 90 minutes.
 

Jamesimus

Well-Known Member
100% correct

we move on, we need to



I dunno man, I still don’t buy this! I agree that our tactics seem to restrain some of the players, but do the following players get in that Spain team…
Rice, Mainoo, Palmer, Saka, Kane, Bellingham? I’m not digging those players out, as some of them have been good this tournament. Based on club form you’d be expected to pick them, but would they replace Rodri, Zubamendi, Yamal, Williams, Morata, Olmo? I think all of those players and Carvhal (probably spelled that wrong) get in our first 11.

Other than Bellingham they play in the Prem, is the Premier League the issue?
 

Macca

Well-Known Member
I don't think we can look away from Southgate really .. let's take turkey or Georgia and even Romania.

They played better attacking football than England , as I said last night we play like a team trying to survive more than one trying to thrive it's so boring and negative

Watching my kids football I’m more optimistic about the future. Way more time being spent on skills and general balance and coordination instead of just kicking a ball around a big pitch. Watch how awkward even England internationals look when they take the ball, it loses that split second advantage. Even the players in the so called lesser nations look more comfortable
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
A few players come out of this tournament with a bit of credit for me; Palmer, Mainoo and Guehi mainly.

We need to find a way to integrate Palmer into the side full time, he’s a gem and still so young. Should’ve had at least one start this tournament

Guehi is a brick wall at the back, still a little raw, but he’ll be top class in time.

Mainoo will be different level in 2 years time.

I wouldn’t give Southgate another tournament. He’s hit his ceiling, his negative football gets found out against better sides, and only reacting when things go wrong, which is often too late. He also looks checked out.
And yet for 5 mins after we equalised there was only one winner
He needed to get fresh legs on for foden and or shaw
Then as soon as Spain switched back on we were once again hanging on a bit
Could easily have won
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I dunno man, I still don’t buy this! I agree that our tactics seem to restrain some of the players, but do the following players get in that Spain team…
Rice, Mainoo, Palmer, Saka, Kane, Bellingham? I’m not digging those players out, as some of them have been good this tournament. Based on club form you’d be expected to pick them, but would they replace Rodri, Zubamendi, Yamal, Williams, Morata, Olmo? I think all of those players and Carvhal (probably spelled that wrong) get in our first 11.

Other than Bellingham they play in the Prem, is the Premier League the issue?

Morata couldnt do it in the Premier league is very average , olmo has looked better in the tournament than at his club , in reality he is NOT better than what we have .

England have good players being held back by a scared tactically inept manager whose had us playing some of the worst tournament football you will ever see .. I don't care that we reached a final we've won 2 matches In 90 minutes , were 30 seconds from disaster against Slovakia and probably should have lost earlier in atleast 1 of the group games.
 

OffenhamSkyBlue

Well-Known Member
Why did he bother taking a 26 man squad? He only played 16 players, most of whom looked knackered as a result. What does that tell the guys who sat around scratching their balls for 4 weeks? You ain't good enough? Or you don't fit with my "tactics"?
 

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
I’m no Southgate fan but are we sure it’s all about the manager. I mean it’s not a new thing that we fail with a team apparently “the envy of the world”. It’s happened under numerous managers. We fawn over Bellingham and Foden but other countries have half a dozen players of that calibre. Maybe what we think is great is what other countries thing of as the standard
Bellingham improves all other national squads at this moment in time. The problem is that most of the team isn’t as good as some think and definitely not the envy of the world.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
I dunno man, I still don’t buy this! I agree that our tactics seem to restrain some of the players, but do the following players get in that Spain team…
Rice, Mainoo, Palmer, Saka, Kane, Bellingham? I’m not digging those players out, as some of them have been good this tournament. Based on club form you’d be expected to pick them, but would they replace Rodri, Zubamendi, Yamal, Williams, Morata, Olmo? I think all of those players and Carvhal (probably spelled that wrong) get in our first 11.

Other than Bellingham they play in the Prem, is the Premier League the issue?
Kane doesn’t. Also find the comments on Mainoo to be plainly absurd for someone who only really started playing for Man Utd in the second half of the season and stood out in a faltering team. He will be brilliant in a few years if he’s given the time.
 

Jamesimus

Well-Known Member
Kane doesn’t. Also find the comments on Mainoo to be plainly absurd for someone who only really started playing for Man Utd in the second half of the season and stood out in a faltering team. He will be brilliant in a few years if he’s given the time.

Forgot about Kane! Oh I agree. Mainoo looks like he is technically gifted enough to be a great forward thinking centre mid. He wasn’t great last night, but he’s 19 and other than that game, was good in all the others and it was clear from his first start, he should have been in there for the first game. The clamour to start Wharton for me, would only have been if he replaced Rice!

I was more trying to show that even our best performing players this tournament wouldn’t make the Spain team.
 

Perennial Lurker

Well-Known Member
I've never understood the blame of the players at international level. In club football when a side underperforms for a period of time the manager gets the sack and takes the brunt of the blame .
At international level you get fans saying it's the players fault ??
I'm sorry but he's had years with this squad and still there's no pattern of play or commitment to playing on the front foot and that's down to the manager not the players
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I listened to Southgate post match just now in the press conference and if you never knew who he managed and had to guess from how he was talking about us as a team , what we'd given , what we had available to us etc etc .. you'd think he was the manager of Iceland and they'd just lost to Spain.

Crackers really
 

PVA

Well-Known Member
I’m no Southgate fan but are we sure it’s all about the manager. I mean it’s not a new thing that we fail with a team apparently “the envy of the world”. It’s happened under numerous managers. We fawn over Bellingham and Foden but other countries have half a dozen players of that calibre. Maybe what we think is great is what other countries thing of as the standard

Which other countries have half a dozen players as good as Bellingham and Foden?

You're correct that we have had great squads before, but I would argue that at the time the many of the other big nations were much stronger than they are now.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
Which other countries have half a dozen players as good as Bellingham and Foden?

You're correct that we have had great squads before, but I would argue that at the time the many of the other big nations were much stronger than they are now.
Super Troopers Yes GIF by Searchlight Pictures
 

PVA

Well-Known Member
And as for this tournament , well you know it's coming but modern football is just wank isn't it ? . what a boring football tournament .. all the top teams barring Spain were atrocious to watch most of the time too .

Football at the top isn't in a great place

I am wondering if the number of games is starting to catch up with players.

Including the Euros Phil Foden played 65 games this year.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
I’m no Southgate fan but are we sure it’s all about the manager. I mean it’s not a new thing that we fail with a team apparently “the envy of the world”. It’s happened under numerous managers. We fawn over Bellingham and Foden but other countries have half a dozen players of that calibre. Maybe what we think is great is what other countries thing of as the standard

That may be the the case, but we’re good enough not to play every game like a non league team away to Man Utd in the third round.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I remember some fans saying " who could do a better job though " about Steven pressley .

I'd argue Steven presley could have navigated England to atleast the quarters here and he's a shite manager
 

stupot07

Well-Known Member
Forgot about Kane! Oh I agree. Mainoo looks like he is technically gifted enough to be a great forward thinking centre mid. He wasn’t great last night, but he’s 19 and other than that game, was good in all the others and it was clear from his first start, he should have been in there for the first game. The clamour to start Wharton for me, would only have been if he replaced Rice!

I was more trying to show that even our best performing players this tournament wouldn’t make the Spain team.
At the minute, Mainoo isn't disciplined enough to play against top quality sides, like you say he is very forward thinking, so in qualifying he will boss it. He pressed too high, leaving Rice to cover too much ground. The gap between the midfield and the defence was too big at times and Olmo had lots of space to play in particular in the first half. Everyone will say Rice played poorly but defensively for most of the tournament he's had to do two players work in there. Mainoo will absolutely boss it in qualifying.
 

Jamesimus

Well-Known Member
At the minute, Mainoo isn't disciplined enough to play against top quality sides, like you say he is very forward thinking, so in qualifying he will boss it. He pressed too high, leaving Rice to cover too much ground. The gap between the midfield and the defence was too big at times and Olmo had lots of space to play in particular in the first half. Everyone will say Rice played poorly but defensively for most of the tournament he's had to do two players work in there. Mainoo will absolutely boss it in qualifying.

Yeah that’s fair, I don’t even think Rice is that kind of player, defo seems to suit a box to box roll more, so I guess that’s on the manager.
 

Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
I am wondering if the number of games is starting to catch up with players.

Including the Euros Phil Foden played 65 games this year.
I’m think it has caught up with players of all the nations, it’s probably why it was such a poor tournament.
 

samccov1987

Well-Known Member
I think Southgate will go but at the end of his contract once we have the nations league/friendlies out the way in December.

I don’t see the need to make a rush decision on a successor.

Id also like to see some of the big names rested for the nations league. Kane, Foden, Bellingham, Walker all looked knackered after a long season.

Give Palmer, Gordon, Watkins, Toney a run in the team in matches that don’t matter.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I think Southgate will go but at the end of his contract once we have the nations league/friendlies out the way in December.

I don’t see the need to make a rush decision on a successor.

Id also like to see some of the big names rested for the nations league. Kane, Foden, Bellingham, Walker all looked knackered after a long season.

Give Palmer, Gordon, Watkins, Toney a run in the team in matches that don’t matter.

Well we can try anything in the nations league because we got relegated from the top league and now have to play absolute shite as a result

Ireland , finland and Greece

ideally we get a new man in to try new things against these teams , you would have hoped the FA have people in mind , a plan that they've had for some time in the event he leaves
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
We shall all see but in hindsight going into the 2038 World Cup having not got past a quarter final since 2024 I think we’ll have a bit more admiration for Southgate and England’s achievements with him as manager
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
We shall all see but in hindsight going into the 2038 World Cup having not got past a quarter final since 2024 I think we’ll have a bit more admiration for Southgate and England’s achievements with him as manager
We've not achieved anything , but the squad are now pally .. winner winner
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
We've not achieved anything , but the squad are now pally .. winner winner
As I say, if we’re still around in 2038 let’s see

Was very disappointed at 1-1 and on top we didn’t put some fresh legs on and go on to win the game

Robins is similar to Southgate it maybe an English manager thing. Always looking to not lose initially rather than playing to win
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
We shall all see but in hindsight going into the 2038 World Cup having not got past a quarter final since 2024 I think we’ll have a bit more admiration for Southgate and England’s achievements with him as manager
Nobody outside this country will remember getting to the finals and losing with meek, passive football.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
I wonder if holland fans are gushing over Ronald keoman taking them to a semi final ??? Their best euro results for 20 years
 

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