Euro 2024

[Fosse69]

Wasn't that long ago that we had the clear daylight rule for offside, or whatever it was called. No reason why var can't be used to implement that rule. Would certainly create more goals and less frustration at being called off by a toenail.

A more realistic definition of unfair advantage than a toenail.

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[valefan16]

Great mentals when the goals went in, especially the equaliser but they made that hard work... that said could that be the moment that wins a tournament? Teams that win tournaments more often are more functional than anything like your Italy's in 06 and 21, Portugal 16 for eg, Even the French in 2018 largely.

One of the big performers in Spain or Germany for example are out come the weekend.

Odd tournament though France have been largely awful, Portugal hit and miss, Belgium terrible, Holland terrible, Italy beyond terrible,  the best performers have come from those second tier nations like Austria and Switzerland, even Georgia have impressed with their blistering counter attacking football.

No easy games in the Euro's like you often get in the World Cups.

[Shropshire_Valiant]

Thinking about it with Southgate it's an interesting one. The stats do suggest he's done a half decent job(stay with me here I'm not insane, at least not yet I think😂), if you take England's tournament history pre and post 1966 we probably avg. quarter finals. Yet people will probably hold Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and even Sven in much higher regard as our national team manager.

So has he done that bad a job with a semi, a final and a quarter? Probably not on the face of it.  There are obviously variables to take into account with other eras i.e. was there an outstanding team(s) in the tournament(s) or was it there for the taking for a good side, plus there are now more knockout games as there weren't Euro's until the late 60s/70s and the tournament has gradually grown from 8(maybe even 4 in it's early days) to now 24. The World Cup too was only 16 when we won it '66 and is now 32 so it can be argued of course he's won more knockout games because he's had more opportunities.  I'll be honest like many I don't like his style of football it reminds me of how Vale played last season under Crosby(on a lower scale obviously) and we all saw how that ended! Some will also say we've only beaten average-poor teams then largely when we've come up against a traditional international power side have come up short. 

He also managed to get us relegated in the nations league(do we care about that? clearly it will never have the prestige of the WC or Euros but it's been set up as an international tournament to cut down on meaningless friendlies) with some pretty mind numbing performances.

All that said I thought he did a good job in 2018 and did galvanise the nation behind England and it was probably the most I'd enjoyed watching a tournament since Euro 1996. At the time I didn't think his football was that bad. Sadly we just ran out of steam against Croatia in the semi, I suspect we wouldn't have beaten France in the final as they were probably the best team in that tournament.   Much of the 2020(2021 in the end) Euros as well we did what was necessary but that was I thought the tournament we/he had the best chance of winning during his tenure and could(should maybe) of won it.  There was no outstanding side and I don't think Italy were brilliant in the final either, better tactics on the night 2nd half may have seen us over the line but we shall never know.

Since then imho it's gradually got worse as a spectacle, yet seemingly the players Southgate has at his disposal have got better and some should be more experienced? Although I thought we were well in the game against France at the last world cup and but for Kane uncharacteristically putting a penalty into orbit would have taken that to extra time at least(you can't blame Southgate for that as bad as his tactics maybe) but you win nothing for being galant and unlucky. 

The last set of nations league games/some of the qualifiers/recent friendlies and now the first 4 games in this Euros would honestly send a glass eye to sleep for the most part.  Is he truly that tactically inept or stubborn he can't see what everyone else does? Whilst it was great to get a last minute equaliser and then the winner this style of football will surely/inevitably only end one way and lead to him being sacked/having to resign pilloried in the press when his record probably doesn't deserve that on the face of it.

Edited Monday at 08:27 by Shropshire_Valiant

[kevin_struggles]

16 hours ago, MelbourneValiant said:

When did Harry Kane come on? I missed that sub.

 

I honestly don't get you Kane haters do you actually watch the game or just hate him to start with and look for evidence to support it? Have you seen the kind of balls we have put into the box in the games we have played so far? There have only been about ten in four games and most of them Kane couldn't have got to if he had taken a stepladder onto the pitch with him but he has been sharp when anything comes anywhere near him and he has scored two very important goals and except for a worldie of a save he would have 3 which given our total lack of decent forward play is pretty amazing if you ask me. There is nobody in our squad that I would prefer to have in there when when the ball comes into the box than him.

 

Toney and watkins are useful subs and cover if kane gets injured but their stats are nowhere near as good as his at domestic or international level and I don't judge strikers on how much they run about or how many touches they have I judge them on how many goals they score and nobody has scored more than Kane. It is his job to get on the end of things but for him to do his job we have to give him something to get on the end of.

[WV]

11 hours ago, valiant_593 said:

Not bothered by the performance today? We deserved to be knocked out and would have been if not for one moment of brilliance. Not making subs was criminal. I said it after Denmark, I wouldn’t be against him being sacked mid tournament. Ivory Coast did it recently and won the AFCON. Dreadful performance, set up completely wrong again, square pegs in round holes, picking players on their name, not making subs. When we play a decent side, we’re out. 

Are Switzerland a decent side? Just checking so I can decide whether to fly to germany or not for the semi 

[MelbourneValiant]

19 minutes ago, kevin_struggles said:

I honestly don't get you Kane haters do you actually watch the game or just hate him to start with and look for evidence to support it?

Definately not a hater, how can I hate the most successful striker in the history of our nation.  For his quality, it is a crying shame that he did pretty much nothing until he scored. I am thankful that he did score.

I could have said the same thing about many players that have gone missing for most of the tournament.

[philpvfc]

4 hours ago, Brian Johnson said:

I’m also a Club Wembley member which guarantees me a ticket for every England game in the U.K. 

I’m also in the top 30% of  cap earners which gets me now a guaranteed to every England game home & away including all the tournament games.

So, I have no need to try and go on secondary ticket sites or try to do a deal with somebody outside the stadium 

P.S. I have not missed an England game, home or away for a number of years now until yesterday that is.

[philpvfc]

4 hours ago, Brian Johnson said:

I’m also a Club Wembley member which guarantees me a ticket for every England game in the U.K. 

I’m also in the top 30% of  cap earners which gets me now a guaranteed to every England game home & away including all the tournament games.

So, I have no need to try and go on secondary ticket sites or try to do a deal with somebody outside the stadium 

P.S. I have not missed a England game, home or away for a number of years now until yesterday that is.

Obviously changed since I was a member but I used to go every home and away game for a few years but really struggled to get tournament tickets, only been the one for the full tournament (Germany) and then couldn’t get tickets for 2 of our games. Also been a corporate club Wembley member as the company I worked for had a box since the new Wembley was built.

I haven’t been to watch England play live for 2 years now. 

[philpvfc]

4 hours ago, Cocknocker said:

Wasn't that long ago that we had the clear daylight rule for offside, or whatever it was called. No reason why var can't be used to implement that rule. Would certainly create more goals and less frustration at being called off by a toenail.

Still have the same arguments as they really drill down to see if there is a millimetre of daylight plus that makes it impossible for the linesman to make a proper call. I’d say, keep it as is, some will moan but doesn’t matter what the rule is some will moan.

[Guppys left peg]

Theo Hernandez with an all-timer of a last ditch tackle to save France from going behind there.

France certainly the more threatening of the two sides overall.

[darren1810]

8 minutes ago, Guppys left peg said:

Theo Hernandez with an all-timer of a last ditch tackle to save France from going behind there.

France certainly the more threatening of the two sides overall.

Is it just a perception or is Lukaku bone. Just ambles around. 

[leedsvaliant]

Mbappe once again proving my point that he's vastly overrated. Both teams poor. It's Spain's to lose.

[leedsvaliant]

I must confess, I have never had the inclination to go to international games. I went to a couple of England games many years ago and found the whole thing very corporate and turgid. Unless I got a free ticket I don't think I'd bother. In fact, I don't watch qualifiers or friendlies.

There's too much of a detachment nowadays between these pampered millionaires and fans. Give me lower league club football any day of the week.

[philpvfc]

16 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

I must confess, I have never had the inclination to go to international games. I went to a couple of England games many years ago and found the whole thing very corporate and turgid. Unless I got a free ticket I don't think I'd bother. In fact, I don't watch qualifiers or friendlies.

There's too much of a detachment nowadays between these pampered millionaires and fans. Give me lower league club football any day of the week.

That’s why I stopped going. Always enjoyed going away with England though, didn’t see too much corporate side then, saw some great places which I wouldn’t normally go to and always fun with the locals. 

[darren1810]

40 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

I must confess, I have never had the inclination to go to international games. I went to a couple of England games many years ago and found the whole thing very corporate and turgid. Unless I got a free ticket I don't think I'd bother. In fact, I don't watch qualifiers or friendlies.

There's too much of a detachment nowadays between these pampered millionaires and fans. Give me lower league club football any day of the week.

I'm in my 50's.

Went Euro 88, 92, 96.

Been Ireland, Poland, Holland, Germany, Bulgaria away amongst others. Wembley umpteen times.

Didn't go a game for 20 odd years after son born and other commitments. 

I went September 2022 for a qualifying game v Andorra just to go to the New Wembley. 

A totally different experience. Wasn't for me. Hummus munchers and tree huggers aplenty. Found it all rather odd being such a relic of the past.