World Cup 2006

[Harbottle]

Originally Posted by Merton Park England were poor throughout the Tournament, playing prehistoric football, like something out of the 1940's and 50's. All long ball, hit and hope, the World has moved on since then, unfortunately England hasn't. It's very depressing watching the rubbish dished up by players earning millions a year and supposedly worth it! Only in their's and their Agent's minds. Listening to John Motson, Mark Lawrenson and the twats in the studio, Alan Hansen excepted, prattling on and on about nothing, apart from the obvious, just like me now! Sorry,enough!! Even Ghana showed more skill, style and flair.

Hmmm I don't think "hoof it up" was played in the 40's and 50's that has been a much more recent style of play. Thankfully on Freeview you have the opportunity to view while hearing commentary from BBCR5, listening to Mike Ingham, Alan Green and Terry Butcher was a delight. Unlike the rubbish spoken by Hansen & Lineker who when I caught them at half time were still managing to find fault with the England man of the match Owen Hargreaves!

I’ still think that the so called best generation of players were greatly overrated, but I do think with a competent manager we could have played better and certainly have progressed further.

The only good think to come from this sorry tournament is that Sven-Boring Eriksson has now departed…… to be replaced by Sven McLaren :-( We can but hope that he can do better, starting one hopes with 4-4-2!!

[Wolfgang]

Well who knows - if Rooney had not been sent off I think you would have scored eventually. Would Sven be so harshly judged if he had got England into semis, equalling England's 2nd best ever performance? Even though England have not been creating many opportunities they have been effective in stopping other sides playing well against them.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang Well who knows - if Rooney had not been sent off I think you would have scored eventually. Would Sven be so harshly judged if he had got England into semis, equalling England's 2nd best ever performance? Even though England have not been creating many opportunities they have been effective in stopping other sides playing well against them.

That's the way the newspapers work nowadays. They buyild someone like Sven up as a saviour of English football and heap praise on him for the skills he brings - whenever his team wins. As soon as they lose, no matter how well or badly they've played, he's demonised and it's all his fault.

Steve

[Freddy]

I think the press have always had doubts about Sven but IMHO it is very difficult to play one up front and win. Often a mark of a good team is to be able to play ugly and win which England did, but in their case I simply couldn't see them being capable of going up a notch to progress further. Portugal just brought the inevitable sooner than later.

Freddy

[DB7]

It went wrong from the moment they selected the team; 4 strikers (one rookie and two injured) was an accident waiting to happen. The tactics were poor and ir soon became apparent Gerrard and Lampard can't play together, there was no pace on the flanks and Rooney is too small to lead the line as a lone striker. Imho we should have gone 442 and dropped Beckham and the out-of-sorts Lampard.

Sven was just too negative and chose a squad based on reputation.

[Steve Crook]

Was it also a squad of superstars - rather than a team?
How often had they all played (or even trained) together?

Steve

[David Brent]

Sven was one of the most laid back coaches on the sideline. As one reporter said, he was sitting on the bench looking like a bloke who knows he's missed the bus.
He didn't exactly inspire confidence in his team.
Compared to the more animated style of other more successful coaches Sven always looked second best.
When Sven first got the England job the FA tried to make everyone believe that he was one of the worlds best coaches and paid him millions and millions of pounds to prove it.
I think everyone, including the FA, have been had.

Dave.

[DB7]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook Was it also a squad of superstars - rather than a team? How often had they all played (or even trained) together? Steve

Yeah, to quote Alf Ramsey: "Jack, you must understand, my job is not to always pick the best players. It is to pick the best team." Of course one notable absentee from the '66 final was the great Jimmy Greaves.

Sven took the opposite approach, pick his best players and somehow try and fit them on the pitch.

[Johnny Rico]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook Was it also a squad of superstars - rather than a team? How often had they all played (or even trained) together? Steve

They were introduced in the Tunnel and played like the Dog and Duck.

I was trying to think of a Hero in all of this - certainly not Beckham who is just not the Leader of men England need. Not Rooney , who needs to Grow Up fast. At least Hargreaves , a player I never rated , played with his heart .

Sometimes its not that We Go out - it's the manner in which we Do. We expect to fail. I have had enough of this plucky loser nonsense. I want to see our players Go out there with the same Belief that the German Penalty Takers had . Ours looked like haunted men.

[Merton Park]

Sir Alf picked a style to suit the players, not the other way round. He started the tournament playing wingers, and quickly realised it wasn't working, thus birth was given to the wingless wonders. You know the rest.

Sven made mistakes, no Manager has ever been innocent of that crime, but the players just weren't good enough. Some of them cannot even control a football or hit a target 10 yards away. Feel a bit sorry for Mc Claren, you just know the press honeymoon isn't going to last long. What 90 minutes then the gloves are off?

People complain that Sven acts like the iceman but Mighty Mouse before him, acted as if he was being given electric shocks and that didn't help either. The truth is he lost 3 competitive matches out of 38 and gave England their greatest victory since July 1966. Not all bad.

As a ps, does anyone know which English Manager finished highest in the Premier League the season just before Sven was appointed?
When you work that one out,you will know why he got the job!

[Steve Crook]

As a non sports fan ...

Why is it that after a penalty shoot-out everyone always blames the player that missed or who's penalty was saved?

Why do they never seem to blame the goal keeper that let in all the penalties by the opposing team?

Steve

[David Brent]

Who in their wisdom said that cheats never prosper?
Well Italy are playing France in the World Cup Final, so that theory has gone out the window.
First Italy beat Australia with a last minute penalty that came from a players acrobatic dive in the penalty area that fooled no one except the referee.
Now France have beaten Portugal (known cheats themselves) after being awarded another dubious penalty, the result of a perfect Henry swandive, complete with double twist and pike. Worth 10 points in any gymnastic event but not worthy of Henry or the World Cup. Still, it again fooled the referee and had the desired effect.
Although it has no connection, the on going bribery scandal in Italian football and the recent match fixing charges laid against German referees certainly makes you wonder sometimes about the outcome of some of these cup games.

Maybe we should forget the football and just award points to the teams with the best onfield actors, mime artists and con artists.
Then we could choose the worst referee of the competition but that could be a fifteen way tie.

Every four years we get inundated with poor referees and a host of players that show more acting skills than football skills on the pitch. FIFA always promises to get rid of the divers and unsportsman like conduct but always fails to deliver.
It makes the whole World Cup a sham.

I respect Harry Redknapp who has been quoted as saying that teams like England may have to become cheats on the pitch themselves in order to win tournaments. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but while the guilty go unpunished FIFA devalues the World Cup and makes the world championship no more than an unsavoury free for all.

Dave.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by David Brent Every four years we get inundated with poor referees and a host of players that show more acting skills than football skills on the pitch. FIFA always promises to get rid of the divers and unsportsman like conduct but always fails to deliver. It makes the whole World Cup a sham. ... Dave.

And still some people think it's an important competition. Join me in the heretical church of "Football isn't important"

Steve

[djdave]

I'm not much of a football fan, really. I watch bits and pieces here and there. And I talk about football - insofar as my knowledge allows - to people I know who ARE football fans.

But I've watched a fair bit of this World Cup and was enthralled and excited by thre Germany vs Italy match. What an incredible ending.

But more importantly, germany were worthy opponents AND both teams played with great sportsmanship. No aggression, no petulance and NO faking of injury. The referee was restrained in allowing play to go on, where other referees may have issed a card, and this may have contributed to the atmosphere.

And to top it off, I learnt yeaterday from BBC local TV news that one of the Italian squad - Simone Perrotta - was born in Ashton in greater Manchester, and lived there for seven years or so before his parents moved back to Italy. How cool is that?

[bartonbank]

Dave,
I fully agree that the tournament has been remarkable for the swallow diving and poor refereeing, but the tenor of your post, that England don't do it but might have to, is just plain bull. Anyone watching the vitriol that was the BBC coverage of the France v Portugal game, and with a reasonable enough memory, would remember that the Gary Lineker fronting the programme and complaining about diving was exactly the same Gary Lineker who was doing it to win penalties, against Cameroon, in WC 1990.
Unfortunately, in the TV studios in this WC, the nationalism, rather than patriotism, has become too much to bear.