[Archived] England 3 - 0 Switzerland

[Scotty]

I thought we looked nervous as kittens at the start and only really settled after we scored. Our midfield lacked bite and tenacity throughout the first half, only Gerrard provided any real drive and determination.

Once the Swiss chap was sent off though I thought we used the extra space well, switching play frequently and getting our full-backs to overlap. Both second half goals were well worked and showed what England are capable of.

The boy Rooney is just superb, Beckham was a lot better today and Gerrard ran midfield. The biggest plus for me though in both games has been our defence. It was considered, quite understandably, to be our weakest link before the tournament but so far we've looked very solid. Campbell especially has been a rock.

With only a draw needed against Croatia and then a possible quarter final tie against Greece, things are starting to look a little bit healthier than they were a couple of days ago.

Edited June 18, 2004 by Scotty

[USABlue]

Can someone explain to me why Ledley King was dropped for todays game. If there was more the lad could have done to keep the shirt then I don't know what it was. You just don't need youngsters being dropped just for a big name.

I am a John terry fan and was very worried when he came up lame but on merit King should have kept his spot, this will only serve to frustrate the youngsters, they need to be shown that effort will be rewarded.

They don't need the message sent to them that no matter how well they perform they will be dropped as soon as big name Charlie is fit, it's demoralising.

[USABlue]

Is Rooney suspended for the Croatia game?  Should Owen be dropped? thoughts please.

No and no.

Good and I disagree.

[Shevchenko]

the spaniards have not enough quality if England are on top form

You have got to be joking.

[LeChuck]

Can someone explain to me why Ledley King was dropped for todays game. If there was more the lad could have done to keep the shirt then I don't know what it was. You just don't need youngsters being dropped just for a big name.

I am a John terry fan and was very worried when he came up lame but on merit King should have kept his spot, this will only serve to frustrate the youngsters, they need to be shown that effort will be rewarded.

They don't need the message sent to them that no matter how well they perform they will be dropped as soon as big name Charlie is fit, it's demoralising.

Hmmmm I don't agree with this, Eriksson has always given youngsters a chance in the squad, that is hardly an aqusation you can throw at him.

King did well, but in a tournament situation I wouldn't like to think we'd pick someone based on one game. Terry has been better than King for the majority of the season and I'm glad Eriksson is picking the team based on the bigger picture.

The fact that King got his chance in the first place despite being average in a poor team should be encouragement enough.

[Exiled_Rover]

Can someone explain to me why Ledley King was dropped for todays game. If there was more the lad could have done to keep the shirt then I don't know what it was. You just don't need youngsters being dropped just for a big name.

I am a John terry fan and was very worried when he came up lame but on merit King should have kept his spot, this will only serve to frustrate the youngsters, they need to be shown that effort will be rewarded.

They don't need the message sent to them that no matter how well they perform they will be dropped as soon as big name Charlie is fit, it's demoralising.

Well although King did do very well he's not the player Terry is. John is the starter, Ledley is not - simple as that. As for the youngster comment, well that's rubbish isn't it. Terry can't be a day older than 25 and King is what, 22? That's hardly a good argument point now is it.

His time will come if he's good enough.

[Exiled_Rover]

Is Rooney suspended for the Croatia game?  Should Owen be dropped? thoughts please.

No and no.

Good and I disagree.

Oh and I agree that Owen should be dropped in favour of Vassel. One is on form the other is not, right now we need everyone on form

[Morph]

Spain are one of the best teams in the tournament, how can you say they don't have enough quality. Even though they haven't delivered in past tournaments doesn't take away the amount of class they have in their team - Raul, Morientes, Casillas, Puyol, Raul Bravo. Thats 6players that would walk into the England team any day of the week.

Raul - yes (although apart from one clever flick to set up Morientes he is having a bit of a 'mare at the moment). Morientes - yes, but I'd prefer Rooney right now. Puyol - yes. Casillas - yes. You could probably make a case for Vicente and Joachin (sp?) as well. Raul Bravo wouldn't make my pub team. He was poor when he was at Leeds and now spends most of his time sat on a bench wishing that something bad would happen to Roberto Carlos so he could actually get a game. He has had a mediocre tournament so far and only made the Spanish team by dint of the fact that they have even fewer left backs than we do (oh, and he "plays" for Real, which never hurts). He's still rubbish though.

[Rover_Shaun]

He'll feel like a Burnt Ass

England were crap and would have been annihilated by better oppositon but what the feck

ROONEY! ROONEY! ROONEY!

[philipl]

There has not been one team that England shold be concerned about.

the italians will miss totti big style

the germans have no flow about them and the defence is dodgy

the dutch hate each other

the spaniards have not enough quality if England are on top form

the czech republic may struggle

greece can be a handful but are more than beatble

portugal will be lucky to be in the tournament

now then have I missed anyone ?

Love these one liners-

The Italians losing Totti will be the making of their Euro campaign. They will now be dangerous because they will become a team again.

The Germans have looked better than I expected- man for man not that much worse than England to be incapable of turning us over in a one-off.

The Dutch might hate each other but would hate us even more if we have to play them. They have nine of the best players in the tournament and two donkeys. Unfortunately we are not strong enough in the wide positions to exploit the places where their donkeys play.

The Spaniards are man for man the best squad in the tournament. One day they will bring it altogether- could be our bad luck that day is in the next round against us. If it is, we're out.

The Czechs are still warming up. They will be hot by the time the draw would bring us together.

The Greeks will know that the odds on England being rescued from a deserved beating from them by a second 95th minute Beckham free kick are very long indeed- especially as the game will not be at Old Trafford.

Portugal are looking far less than the sum of their parts- if playing England at home doesn't motivate them to produce the goods, nothing will.

You forgot the Swedes- definitely the dark horses, beating England is their favourite party piece. Look at the record book.

Remember what happened the game after England got a flattering 3-0 winning scoreline at the World Cup?

[Crunching Tackler]

England were ###### poor. Owen had a mare, Beckham didn't seem bothered and scholes seemed always out of position. Howver thankfully we were playing a much poorer side, that Switzerland defence annoyed me!

Rooney had a brilliant game, a full credit goes to him for the win. Here are my ratings.

James - Had no threat, nothing to do. 6

Neville - Some good overlaps and defended reasonable well. 7

Cole - Looked very good going forward but caught in defence. 6

Campbell - Solid and played very well. 8

Terry - Quiet game, returning to match fitness. 6

Beckham - Did hardly any running, yet delivered some good balls. 6

Scholes - Complete lack of positional sense 5

Gerrard - Quiet yet effective when needed. 6

Lampard - Very quiet 5

Rooney- Excellent game, good running and great goals. 8

Owen - Shocker, very disappointing. 5

Hargreaves - Good runs, and very effective 7

Vassell - Played very well and set up one goal 7

Dyer - Hardly touched the ball 5

[Nuclearsox]

....Beckham was a lot better today....

Is Beckham fully fit? He hardly seemed to move last night other than an occasional jog into the centre of midfield. Maybe it's just that he didn't really need to - he received it to feet and passed it on (including 40 yard passes etc..) - but he did seem very pedestrian and I wondered whether that back problem, that he had an injection for during the Iceland friendly, is worse than they are letting on.

[ianb]

Here are my ratings.

Firstly Spain. Individually as good as anything in the tournament but don't ever back them until they have won a major tournament. People have been talking them up since time immemorial. When the real stuff starts in the second round they will come up short as they have every time since the 1960s. When they win something then start backing them.

Germany, back against them at your peril but ultimately they will not have enough quality this time round.

Portugal, playing at home is a massive advantage and they could go all the way to the final but I feel the expectancy level would then be too much.

Sweden, dark horses and they the Scandanavian resoluteness and emotional detachment could see them through to the semis but when the crunch comes they will not be quite good enough.

England, still not the sum of the individual parts. Concede possession far too easily indicating a poorer than average technical ability. History suggests nauseatingly British gallant failure in a game that should have been won or calamatous errors that result in a game being lost from a winning position.

Czechs, again ultimately not enough quality at the crunch times but otherwise could reach the final.

Italy, pedigree, the best defence(?), good strikers, top class keeper.

France, rubbish so far but who cares. They have the quality and track record - since 2002 - to win.

Verdict Italy or France to win

[LDRover]

Just as significant a result last night was the France Croatia draw. If Croatia had won I wouldn't have fancied us to turn them over, as it is, we should be able to secure the point needed to qualify.

That said, the team looks decidedly ordinary. Players well off the pace (Scholes and Owen especially), a complete inability to keep the ball in hot conditions and a tendency to defend deep and invite pressure when we're in the lead.

One thing is for certain, at this level you cannot afford to keep giving the ball away. Even an ordinary Swiss side passed it around us at times so imagine what the 'bigger' teams could do. It's not that I don't think we can play passing football (as the Gerrard goal showed) it's just that it seems the players are playing it long under instruction. If the manager believes in his players a bit more and tells them to play passing rather than direct football we can match any team.

I still wouldn't have minded a piece of that 20/1 on the Germans pre-tournament though. They looked back to their organised disciplined best the other night.

[CAPT KAYOS]

Although the win was a healthy one and much needed to boost morale, I feel people are getting a bit jumped up about Englands chances.

Croatia showed last night they can compete with France so why can't they compete with us??

Most on here seem to be forgetting than up until the Swiss had the man sent off they where much the better side - possibly, as yet again Professor Yaffle messed about with the side |(is he related to Souness by any chance??). If we had played anybody considered better than the Swiss we may have been fortunate to get away with a draw last night.

Rooney is changing my opinion of him of being a media made player (not his fault), and although he has been our best player IMO he still has some way to go and given the chance he will probably prove himself to be top drawer. As for the others whether it was a comedown from the France match, I don't know, but they had better improve for Monday when I get there.

Roll On Monday - Come on England the Country expects

[HertsRover]

....Beckham was a lot better today....

Is Beckham fully fit? He hardly seemed to move last night other than an occasional jog into the centre of midfield. Maybe it's just that he didn't really need to - he received it to feet and passed it on (including 40 yard passes etc..) - but he did seem very pedestrian and I wondered whether that back problem, that he had an injection for during the Iceland friendly, is worse than they are letting on.

The "back injury" that Beckham had the injection for was a cyst, which is an abnormal membranous sac containing a gaseous, liquid, or semisolid substance, which is a very common complaint and would not affect his fitness or form. It would cause only minor pain or irritation if it is in a fold of skin or rubs against clothing.

[RoyRover]

nothing short of a basic side and certainly not playing any better or more fluently than against England.

They dont worry me if England can navigate the quarter finals.

There has not been one team that England shold be concerned about.

the italians will miss totti big style

the germans have no flow about them and the defence is dodgy

the dutch hate each other

the spaniards have not enough quality if England are on top form

the czech republic may struggle

greece can be a handful but are more than beatble

portugal will be lucky to be in the tournament

now then have I missed anyone ?

I doubt there are many teams worying England either. They defended very well against France, but apart from Rooney's brilliant run which lead to the penalty, didn't have an attacking threat. Yesterday, England were playing like they usually do, pretty averagely. Rooney's goal went against the run of play, ball retention and creativity was terrible and Switzerland were more than a match for England. Steven Gerards goal was very well crafted and was probably the best bit of football England have played. Switzerland playing with 10 men finally took its toll. But then again, it is the result that counts. The Croatians showed that they can play and will need to win, so England aren't through yet.

France haven't really shown what they are made of, but known of the top class teams have really done it yet. They are still one of the top teams in the competition and will be there or there abouts when the final comes. Their only real weakness is Desailly, but if they play Silvestre or Gallas in the midfdle, then the problem is solved. Italy will miss Totti, but when you have players like Fiore, Cassano or Del Piero to play in that position, then it shows us all the depth in class that they have. Added to that, their brilliant defence and goalkeeper. Germany showed that they aren't passed it yet and always raise their game for the big occasion and with players like Nowotney, Worns and Hamann, they are going to be extremely hard to break down. The Dutch do hate eachother, but there will be a point when they click and when they have the likes of Van Der Vaart, Sneijder, Van Der Meyde, Van Nistelrooy, Davids and Seedorf, the results would be devastating.

Spain not having enough quality if England are on top? Apart from Raul Bravo, their defence and goalkeeper are world class. Their midfield has everything, passing ability, defences qualities, tones of creativity, wingers who really go past players and a real goal threat. Up front they have some of the best strikers in the world, although Raul is having a shocker like Owen. Not enough quality? Czech Republic going forward are one of the best teams about and with the likes of Nedved, Rosicky and Poborsky they can destroy anyone. It is in defence that they are shakey. The Greeks are indeed a handful and have shown that they are no pushovers, but like you say, are beatable. Portugal will be lucky if they are in the tournament, but with the players they have and having home advantage, they have to be a threat to any country. Sweden are my dark horses. A solid defence, a good midfield and in Larsson and Ibrahimovic they have one of the best striking partnerships in the tournament. The Danes are also quite useful. With Jon Dahl Tomasson and Ebbe Sand they have a good strike force, in Gronkaer, Rommedahl and Jorgensen they have top class wingers. Their defence is also very good, as they showed against the Italians.

[Kennys Magic Hat]

England put in a workmanlike peformance yesterday and they couldn't have asked for anything more, there's a lot of unecessary criticism on here.

Out of all the sides in the tournament, England, Sweden and Germany have impressed me the most so far, in that order. What England did was something that Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland, France and the Czech Reublic have all failed to do one or more times - win comfortably against inferior opposition.

France were too arrogant and played too slow last night, they were so chilled out it was unbelieveable. ZZ has carried them through both their matches, if it weren't for his leadership and fight until the end, and France's impossibly good luck, they would be out of the tournament, simple as that. As long as France keep Desailly in the side, which they will as he is captain, they will not win Euro 2004 in my opinion.

If England play high tempo against Croatia, we'll walk it. Their main threat is Prso but Campbell will have him in his pocket the way he is playing. What England have is a good team spirit, they aren't arrogant and know they need to work hard to win this tournament, even though we do have a lot of quality players. I thought all of the midfield four were excellent yesterday, we have the srikers to trouble any defence and the back four are playing superbly apart from James who still looks dodgy.

It was pointed out last night on ITV that he is doing silly things to try and impress people. He has also stated that he wants to be goalkeeper of the tournament, which is stupid. For him to do that he would have to make several brilliant saves and save a few penalties like Friedel in the World Cup. That is NOT want England want him to be doing, so it is important that the defence protect him as much as possible. Thank God for Sol Campbell who is an absolute rock at the moment!

COME ON ENGLAND!

[Nayef]

Scousers three - Swiss nil

I have to say that 3-0 was a mugging. And of course we can always rely on scousers for that.

The commentary for the match was absolutely hilarious. Robson showing his senility grabbing any opportunity to talk about Kieron Dyer.

"Well Dyer would have passed the ball to the left..."

"you know if Dyer was on the pitch, he'd have run at the defenders instead of..."

"...he reminds me of the way Dyer plays..."

That made up the entertainment for all those times we simply lost possession. Make no mistake, if we lose possession so cheaply like we did against the swiss, we will get punished by other teams and even lady luck will decide to go home.

[Morph]

The commentary for the match was absolutely hilarious. Robson showing his senility grabbing any opportunity to talk about Kieron Dyer.

The thing that ammused me the most about Bir Robby Sobson's commentry was the little two minute spell when all he could think to say was "Okay, who are you going to pass it to? Okay, now you've got the ball, who are you going to pass it to? Now he's got the ball, who is he going to etc. etc." Until Tyldsley obvoiusly slapped him upside the head in an attempt to unjam the record.

Edited June 18, 2004 by Morph

[Roaming Rover]

Scousers three - Swiss nil

I have to say that 3-0 was a mugging. And of course we can always rely on scousers for that.

The commentary for the match was absolutely hilarious. Robson showing his senility grabbing any opportunity to talk about Kieron Dyer.

"Well Dyer would have passed the ball to the left..."

"you know if Dyer was on the pitch, he'd have run at the defenders instead of..."

"...he reminds me of the way Dyer plays..."

That made up the entertainment for all those times we simply lost possession. Make no mistake, if we lose possession so cheaply like we did against the swiss, we will get punished by other teams and even lady luck will decide to go home.

Yeah i noticed that as well, kept us entertianed in the pub

[rover6]

Well we aren't going to win the tournament if Sven continues with Scholes on the left. He wasn't terrible but the lack of width is so restrictive.

Bring on Wayne Bridge on the left wing and we will be challenging.

So the French definitely won't win either?

Zidane is a much better player than Scholes.

But even with him on the left, France look really unbalanced. The Croatia match highlighted the problem because ZZ went wandering a lot.

[Rovermatt]

the spaniards have not enough quality if England are on top form

....the mind boggles.

It certainly does. The delusion is quite simply jaw-dropping.

The Spanish's only real weakness is their massive inferiority complex. The actual personnel are far better as a whole than anything that the hugely dull England can offer: Casillas, Helguera, Marchena, Puyol, Baraja, Joaquin, Vicente, Morientes, Valeron, Etxeberria, Albelda, Torres, Raul! Reyes can't even get in the team. Please try and disregard all the hype that BBC/ITV are feeding you, this is not a tournament ripe for England's picking.

As for your list of 'deficiencies' relating to the other teams; are you sure?

Edited June 18, 2004 by Rovermatt

[tchocky]

Having just watched Denmark, I'd say 1864 missed out on another contender. Brilliant flowing attacking football. The complete opposite of Portugal who must have 10 touches each before they can pass the ball. The only disappointment being their poor alternatives up front. Ebbe Sand being way off form, and Tomasson being.. well Tomasson. With a better strikeforce they would be unstoppable.

[Rover_Shaun]

the spaniards have not enough quality if England are on top form

....the mind boggles.

It certainly does. The delusion is quite simply jaw-dropping.

The Spanish's only real weakness is their massive inferiority complex. The actual personnel are far better as a whole than anything that the hugely dull England can offer: Casillas, Helguera, Marchena, Puyol, Baraja, Joaquin, Vicente, Morientes, Valeron, Etxeberria, Albelda, Torres, Raul! Reyes can't even get in the team. Please try and disregard away all the hype that BBC/ITV are feeding you, this is not a tournament ripe for England's picking.

As for your list of 'deficiencies' relating to the other teams; are you sure?

Typical sour Irishman