[Archived] More Madness From Mcclaren

[Eddie]

They're doing ok, but he spent a lot of money this summer, so even for a newly promoted side they should have a better team than they do.

[cn174]

qualifying...wheres it on?

You can read it here,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/i...als/7109776.stm

or click on the link at the top to watch it online.

I think also if you press red on bbc1 then it is on there too.

You haven't missed the europe bit yet

[brfcshabba]

Europe just about to start

[cn174]

Full European draw....

Group 1 Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta

Group 2 Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg

Group 3 Czech Republic, Poland, NORTHERN IRELAND, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino

Group 4 Germany, Russia, Finland, WALES, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Group 5 Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia

Group 6 Croatia, ENGLAND, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra

Group 7 France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands

Group 8 Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro

Group 9 Holland, SCOTLAND, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland

I think england have got off quite lightly there!

[American]

Croatia, again

[Exiled_Rover]

Ridiculously easy group.

[cn174]

Ridiculously easy group.

It's not bad, but you need to finish top to qualify automatically. And second to go into a playoff.

[American]

Group 2 is the easiest, but England definitely could have had tougher.

Australia didn't get the best of draws.

[Exiled_Rover]

It's not bad, but you need to finish top to qualify automatically. And second to go into a playoff.

Well we're the best team in there by a fair way, assuming we hire a competent manager who can motivate his players.

[cn174]

1626: For those of you enquiring about Scotland's group. There are only five teams in it, I haven't gone mad. When the groups are finished, the results against the bottom teams in the other eight groups are discounted and the best eight runners-up will face two legged play-offs to qualify. Is that at all clear?!

This could be quite interesting.

Say Andorra finish bottom but England take 6 points off them, and Ukraine only take 3. At the end, England would be deducted 6 points and Ukraine 3.

Of course in some groups it wont matter so much because the bottom team will get beat in every game, therefore each team will just have 6 taken off, but in tighter groups it could potentially make a difference.

[USABlue]

Well we're the best team in there by a fair way, assuming we hire a competent manager who can motivate his players.

Huh??? Did'nt Croatia just turn us over TWICE. It is winnable though we should be inspired by a desire to get revenge on the Croats. The FIFA Gods have been reasonably kind. Now it is up to us to cock it up.

[frosty]

Well we're the best team in there by a fair way, assuming we hire a competent manager who can motivate his players.

Croatia are a better side than England. At the moment!

Good draw, could have been worse.

[Exiled_Rover]

Huh??? Did'nt Croatia just turn us over TWICE. It is winnable though we should be inspired by a desire to get revenge on the Croats. The FIFA Gods have been reasonably kind. Now it is up to us to cock it up.

They turned over a team managed by an incompetent muppet, yes.

[philipl]

Could easily have been a worse draw BUT

Anyone saying this is easy is off their trolley.

Croatia were comfortably superior to England in both games in the Euro qualifying and that is likely to become a bigger gulf rather than smaller once Eduardo settles in at Arsenal and one or two of their other very promising players get transferred to top sides in top leagues.

Ukraine are in transition and probabilities are even between them pulling a great side together as continuing to fall away from the form at the last World Cup.

Belarus have Hleb who is capable of beating England on his own in Minsk- Hleb could emerge this season as one of the best players in all Europe. There are one or two other players in the Belarus side who look like they could be exceptionally good as well.

Kazakhstan are quite rapidly improving from being whipping boys and the visit to Almaty close to the Chinese border will be no picnic.

England didn't exactly thrash Andorra in the recent Euro qualifiers either.

Edited November 25, 2007 by philipl

[gumboots]

Presumably though England won't go with the same players as this time either. Only McClaren could have though that going back to the midfield that had repeatedly failed us was progress. A competent manager with new players who are playing regularly, not for their teams reserves occasionally when they can't find anyone else, must stand a chance in this group. Not easy but could have been nastier.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Anyone saying this is easy is off their trolley.

IF England weren't so shocking during the last qualifiers then I'd probably say it was a great group to draw because they are all pretty much beatable.

I also said that when the Euro 2008 qualifying draw was made...

[broadsword]

It migfht not be easy but look at Scotland's group - hahahahahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[Rovermatt]

Ridiculously easy group.

So was your last one. Croatia are clearly a superior side and I'm absolutely amazed that people still hold such blinkered attitudes not even a week after English football was so roundly embarrassed in spite of two undeserved lifelines.

There are worse seeded teams that England could have drawn though and they should easily reach the playoffs at the very least. The games against Croatia have 'revenge' written all over them to be honest.

The English condition is perfectly outlined in this searing piece from the Observer.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Rovermatt

[thenodrog]

The English condition is perfectly outlined in this searing piece from the Observer.

The Irish being perfect in every way I assume Matt?

Anyway good and hard hitting article. Paul Wilson should have quit 3 or 4 sentences from the end though.

[Eddie]

So was your last one. Croatia are clearly a superior side and I'm absolutely amazed that people still hold such blinkered attitudes not even a week after English football was so roundly embarrassed in spite of two undeserved lifelines.

Clearly a superior side? Lay off it. They're a decent team, but England have a much better squad of players and will be a much better team if they bring the right man in. They hardly set the world on fire with their results in the Euro 2008 qualifying group.

[Rovermatt]

The Irish being perfect in every way I assume Matt?

Anyway good and hard hitting article. Paul Wilson should have quit 3 or 4 sentences from the end though.

Not sure what the Irish have to do with anything, but yes I suppose we should keep it shut also. In spite of being a clearly inferior team to much of the opposition, the Irish lads never stop going on about how they're going to walk the qualifiers and win the whole thing.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Rovermatt

[Rovermatt]

Clearly a superior side? Lay off it. They're a decent team, but England have a much better squad of players and will be a much better team if they bring the right man in. They hardly set the world on fire with their results in the Euro 2008 qualifying group.

Eddie, even a blind man can see how utterly inferior the English were. With the players they have, England should have had Croatia dead and buried considering what was at stake. The fact remains however that it was the players, not McClaren (a very easy excuse for those still clinging to their particular delusions), who were unable to control possession and the ball against a side that really should be dispatched at Wembley when a single point is all that is needed.

In any event Croatia, were so poor in qualifying that only Greece gained more points than them...

Edited November 26, 2007 by Rovermatt

[SouthAussieRover]

I've just stopped laughing.

Thankyou to Mr McClaren and his overpaid superstars for saving us from watching you in Euro 2008.

Here's to a technically superior group of teams hopefully entertaining us come next June.

[Eddie]

Eddie, even a blind man can see how utterly inferior the English were. With the players they have, England should have had Croatia dead and buried considering what was at stake. The fact remains however that it was the players, not McClaren (a very easy excuse for those still clinging to their particular delusions), who were unable to control possession and the ball against a side that really should be dispatched at Wembley when a single point is all that is needed.

In any event Croatia, were so poor in qualifying that only Greece gained more points than them...

On the day and over the course of the group they were the better side, but are you seriously saying that you think they are the better team? If you want I'll happily place a bet with you on the world cup qualifiers.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

England have played consistently poorly for over two years. Yet I have to disagree with the usual suspects when they say that other teams are SUPERIOR.

With this current crop it is not a matter of talent, because imo if you measure teams on pure talent then this squad is as good as any in Europe. What the problem with this current squad is motivation, poor coaching / tactics and too many big time Charlie attitudes (fuelled by stupidly high wages and an unfounded celebrity/pop star culture that follows them). There is also still the trait to pick players if they play for certain clubs rather than been picked on current form or actual talent.

If we can get a world-class disciplined coach, who will pick players on ability, form and most fundamentally a desire to play for their country I see no reason why England should comfortably finish top of there WC qualifying group.