[Archived] Northern Ireland 1-0?

[Verminator]

You clearly have never watched Bayern. The mans like Makelele.

345558[/snapback]

Well I'll take your word for that mate but regardless as someone else has already pointed out - playing NI why would we need a stopper like Makele. We needed an attacking midfield.

Credit to the Irish, they came with the right game plan - one England don't like, i.e. where the opposition really get into their faces and give them no time on the ball. In the first 20 minutes we got bullied off the park. I have to say there were a significant number of rash challenges which the ref should have acted on. His leniency was the perfect vehicle for Sanchez's strategy to pay off. Upfront we had skill and pace but little physical presence. Capaldi dealt with SWP marvellously - full credit to the guy. The Irish were always going to put men behind the ball and hope for a sneaky breaking chance which they got. Great finish - was it a slightly offside? England stood off the Irish as they grew in confidence. IMO we need more physical presence to counter sides that are going to come with the intention of knocking us about, the ref last night should have taken more control, Rooney lost it due to a combination of being out of position but mainly I'd say being roughed up with impunity every time he got the ball and yeah maybe Sven's run out of ideas but can't see him going so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed about next month's games and expecting nothing from next summer.

[andy82]

Hargreaves is like Makelele?

He came on v Wales and gave the ball away in the centre of midfield with a nothing ball, then last night he came on and gave 2 stupid free kicks away and lost the ball everytime he got it.

Your not telling me he is one of England's best midfielders? In fact, he's bloody Canadian anyway!

345561[/snapback]

He IS Englands best midfielder, with Lampard. You have to remember that England are probably, in terms of organisation, about the furthest you can get from FC Bayern right now. If your manager doesnt tell you what to do properly, especially as a sub, you are screwed.In Munchen if he puts a foot wrong, Beckenbauer or Matthaus will say something, and he won't do it again. It also cant help that the whole of England is on his back - everytime England play i say this, and i still feel the same way - you will win NOTHING whilst the tabloids are ripping you apart like this.

He wasn't the player Sven should have been using last night, granted - the formation was all wrong, but blaming a guy that was on the pitch ten minutes, come on.

[Verminator]

I don't think anyone's blaming Hargreaves as such. Sven seems to stick the guy on whatever the weather so to speak without giving consideration to the opposition or the way the game is going. Readin the thread, people are saying we should have both had a different bench (including on form attacking players like Defoe ) and also instead of Hargreaves maybe used Bent and changed things round a bit. At least he'd have given more goal scoring options.

[SuperStella]

Complete rubbish about Hargreaves...

Anyway, I am not blaming him for last night; I am blaming Eriksson. If you cared to read my 6 paragraphs I posted about last night you would know that!

Here; I'll post it AGAIN;

What on earth were England doing last night? They looked like they distinctly lacked any passion, belief & didn’t look too bothered about even being there – playing for their country; the highest honor a player can get. These players are on £60k-120k+ a week and ply their trade in the worlds top league (Spain & England) and regularly play consistently well. However, as soon as they are under the command of Eriksson it turns to sh*t?

How can an international side, packed full of world class players play 4-5-1? David Beckham is a top player in his own right, because of his position on the right wing with excellent passing. So why on earth play him in a midfield anchor man role against Northern Ireland? A team who had players from Peterborough, Plymouth and even Burnley in their squad?

Yet again Eriksson showed his tactical naivety at half time when things weren’t going right. He didn’t change the system, the formation or make any substitutions? Michael Owen was utter rubbish, yet he left him on with an in-form, pacey Jermaine Defoe sat on the bench until Northern Ireland scored?

With 10 minutes to go you would think we would throw everything but the kitchen sink to get an equalizer… so who does Eriksson bring on? Owen Hargreaves!!! He gave 2 free kicks away in dangerous areas and on my count lost the ball 3 times out of 3. Why is he picked?

What happened to the days of 4-4-2??? I can’t ever remember an international side, playing 4-5-1 winning anything? It begs the question – why is Eriksson messing about with the formation of his side just 3 competitive games away from a world cup? Does he still not know his best side?

Its time for Eriksson to go…. We can’t afford to wait another 4 years for another crack at the world cup. We’ve got a good side, with players like Lampard, Gerrard, Terry in their prime. Will they have the same hunger in 4 years time? When they are 4 years older? Don’t let this Swedish moron, who sits on the bench motionless when things aren’t going right ruin our dreams.

Sven out!!!!!

[Presty On Tour]

even if englands team was #### lastnight, ian wrights performance as a tv pundit is useless!!

fannying about like a little school boy, sack him!!

ian dowie celebrations when n.ireland scored woz funny tho

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

ABSOLUTE DISGRACE.

When a football team is picked it should be one that allows it,and its player's, to play to their best strength's.....Wayne Rooney on the f'kin wing!!???

Michael 'I deserve my England place' Owen was clearly not fit and hardly touched the ball.Too many player's did not perform on the night and coupled with a ludicrous formation that they clearly do not understand an upset was never far away.My abiding memory last night was of Mr M Burns captured on tv biting his nails with a look of complete bewilderment on his puss....clueless.

Well done to NI,a team on paper no match for our beloved England 'superstars' but by sheer hard work and utter determination fully deserved their win.There was another winner last night in the bookies who must have made a killing with that result.

COME ON DOWN STUART PEARCE

[rover6]

Michael 'I deserve my England place' Owen was clearly not fit and hardly touched the ball.

345593[/snapback]

Oh, so that world class player had yet another off night. At least if Rooney's having a bad game, he'll start roaming and looking for the ball. Owen just disappears. And since when has Owen ever excelled as a lone striker?

Sven is so spectacularly supine that he will play Beckham and Owen regardless of form, fitness and suitability for a particular formation. 4-5-1 was only adopted to accommodate a lacklustre Beckham.

The sad thing is, Sven will most probably be excused for his inadequacies if England qualify. I would have Sven out now - although the alternative options are limited.

[John]

I thought England played ok last night. Obviously not a top class performance but you have to be honest with yourselves over this.

Carragher has shown himself to be a sub-standard centre-half at international level.

Luke Young is average.

Ashley Cole is still dreaming of Chelsea (and his girlfriend no doubt)

Becks has been past it for a while now.

Can Gerrard and Lampard play together for the benefit of the team – does not look like it….

Owen has not played a lot recently – should get goals but will only deteriorate under Dean Saunders et al.

World Cup….. Brazil are top quality, England are not. Time to get real England fans; you are not as good as you would like to think. Your strongest team out will probably get you to World Cup quarters but the lack of World Class players is evident.

Edited September 8, 2005 by John

[Ronin]

England, as individuals, great players, but putting it all together as a team, not working (similar to the Real Madrid Galacticos maybe?). Add to that Sven's tactical ineptitude, and there you have it IMO

[USABlue]

I think we will end up sitting out the World Cup in Germany. I simply don't tink we will get there. I was against the appointment of the Swede from the get go and I've seen nothing to change my mind. OUr team is becoming just like him, emotionless, slow and void of any real passion or fire. We are grace with some real talent, perhaps as fine of a group individually as I have ever seen, pull on the three lions. As a group we are nothing. It is really saddening because we could acheive so much, sack him, give us some fire, someone suggested pyscho not a bad shout that.

[herbergeehh]

So who do you want to take over for Eriksson then?

Are there any English managers good enough atm?

[LeChuck]

Bobby Robson!

He'd give the whole country a lift, he has the experience, respect and passion to have an instant impact. Any of the young managers would be a big gamble, there's no-one anywhere near qualified enough for that job yet...we can look for a long term answer after the World Cup.

[bob fleming]

Are there any English managers good enough atm?

345623[/snapback]

Any of the Premiership, English managers could surely do a better job than that rubbish dished up last night by Sven. It's hard to think of how he could have got it so wrong, every tactical decision made was questionable. It was almost as if he was doing it on purpose

I'd take Big Sam but he'd have to grow the 'tache back as he would then remind me of Mike Bassett, England Manager in the film of the same name (and we'd play four four ###### two). Stuart Pearce is a good shout, although no doubt many would say he has little experience, I don't think that counts for much, at least he'd get them fired up.

[herbergeehh]

Well, Bob, the goal shouldn't just be to do a better job than Sven last night surely?

Stuart Pearce sounds like a good, but very unlikely shout.

Motivating players are, after all, a very big part of the job..

EDIT: In other words, it's a damn shame that Clough never became England manager.

Edited September 8, 2005 by herbergeehh

[Rovers_4_life]

Sven has to go if we want any chance of winning the world cup, he plays to negtively, changes formations needlesly and has completely lost the plot over the last few months. Stuart Pearce to replace him!

[thenodrog]

At that stage we needed a big lump a la Heskey or Crouch (or yes, even Davies Theno) to come on and give us a different option. 

345425[/snapback]

I thank you scotty....... although its taken a performance like this to convince you. Brazil did it for me.

btw Daft silly beggar Hanson got it diametrically wrong too. He said he must find a system for the players at his disposal. Baollox! Thats exactly where SGE is going wrong! What he actually needs is to find the players who can play to the system of his choice (and never mind reputations) a la Sir Alf!

[den]

Gotta say, the formation in the last quarter reminded me of Rovers under a certain ex-manager of ours.

[grizfoot]

Beckham playing the Tugay role. They stole our position

Edited September 8, 2005 by grizfoot

[John]

Most of you are directing all your anger at Sven and just him.

Aren't the players to blame at all. Even though it was a 4-5-1 formation, surely the players should still have performed better.

This is half the problem with the English team in my view, a lot of the fans think their players are better than they really are. I will repeat what I said earlier, the strongest England team would have a reasonable world cup but don't get carried away with how good you should be.

Edited September 8, 2005 by John

[Flopsy]

ID keep Sven, but id get rid of McLAren asap - get Psycho in as deputy, then watch as Beckham trys to get Sven to play him as a holding player

[Alan75]

Most of you are directing all your anger at Sven and just him.

Aren't the players to blame at all. Even though it was a 4-5-1 formation, surely the players should still have performed better.

This is half the problem with the English team in my view, a lot of the fans think their players are better than they really are. I will repeat what I said earlier, the strongest England team would have a reasonable world cup but don't get carried away with how good you should be.

345651[/snapback]

John, in my opinion the players think their better than they are, and asume that they can go out on the field and the oposition surrender.

Look at the difference in attitude from the cricket players.

[dannyboy1206]

I think it has to be an English manager Big Sam or Alan Curbishley someone with pride and passion someone to motivate them (if you need motivating when you are playing for your country) and someone to give the players a rocket at half time if they are playing crap. Sven was OK when he first come but i think he has let the players have to much say on tactics. We must have been the laughing stock of world football nearly as bad as Scotland getting beat by Costa Rica. Was it me or did Sven look like a lost schoolboy sat behind Steve MacClaren.

Sorry Sven but I think you should either grow some balls or let someone else who has some manage our country

[USABlue]

So who do you want to take over for Eriksson then?

Are there any English managers good enough atm?

345623[/snapback]

Post before yours, I did say who. You said so too a few posts later. Trouble is the "old school tie" brigade at the FA would not let that happen.

Sven should have been Goran right after the Chelsea thing, not English and clearly not commited to the cause. A spineless git. Yes I think if you pull off the Mr Burns face mask Souness is under there.

[Radagast]

I'm not an NI fan but what a result. I'm extremely proud of our wee country.

Fantastic.

345483[/snapback]

Why not an NI fan? Not supporting Scotland is completley unthinkable to me.

[Nate]

I'd also like to congratulate the Maltese on their 1-1 draw against Croatia. Bravo