Yeah, enjoyed watching him at Stanley. Direct is a good description, as he was today.

How nonchalant was that?

Thought you'd have highlighted Siggurdson first, I thought he'd gone off.

I'm feeling a bit sea sick

I'm not ignoring the concept of luck, drawing an easier group is lucky. The rest is determined through results of each team.

Look, we'll call a truce. Being drawn a relatively easy group could be seen as lucky, although we weren't on our own. From there on in, results decided the path of England and all the others. If you want to call it lucky or not is up to you.

Yeah, one group saying England's path was determined by their results and the results of others, and the other group adamant it's whether Southgate walked under a ladder. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

The way the fixtures(it wasn't a "draw") opened up or not, was down to results, not being drawn out of a bag. France weren't unlucky to be in the other half of the draw,they simply didn't do their job.

I realise that, but as I say, I'd rather sign 3 of quality than a good few stocking fillers.

To be honest, i hadn't seen your comment, it was just a general view. I'd rather we signed 3 with the pedigree of Cooper, than 6 or 7 squad fillers, we've enough of those.

Apparently England were on the easy side of the "draw" after the group games had finished. I must have missed that "draw", the only one I can remember is the one before the tournament started, the one that had us scheduled to meet France in the semis. Apparently it was all down to "luck" that England did their job and won their group,and France cocked up and finished 2nd and ended up in the other half. Nothing to do with results.

We've had complaints that we're the only club not to sign anybody. Now we've got some turning their nose up at signing Cooper.

When it happens, I believe it, and not before.

It would seem to be the common concensus that if Eustace keeps us up, he'll have worked wonders.

Looks like all the English experts off the telly have fooked off on holiday, just when the country is looking for someone to put their hand up.

So long Gareth, you've left a high bar for the next one. Without doubt it should be Lineker, he played for and captained his country, and apparently knows everything. Laughing boy can be his assistant, Gary Neville can brew up and Agbonlahore can help out with the press relations,despite being thick as mince. Can't go wrong there.

Thinking that myself, he was a right handful though

The top and bottom of it is, that it's a lot easier for grown adults to put it down to luck, rather than accept he's done a whole lot better than they ever thought he would.

It's a fair point, does it work is the question I suppose. We have a tournament every 2 years, my point was that if reaching finals isn't enough, then we'd have a manager biannually unless we actually win one. If and when Southgate leaves, he leaves an incredibly high bar.

You're going to get through a lorra lorra managers if winning is the one and only criteria.

Only to those that doubt it. Why would those doubting it, overrule those that don't doubt it?

I agree, but expecting it and getting it are 2 different things. I could have said finals, but I was going easy on the new bloke.

Semi finals are the absolute minimum now, that's the bar he's set.

Good assessment, that's the worry.

Anyone can doubt whatever they want, that's up to them,it is a discussion forum. To me, if we win tonight then the evidence is there to see,i don't really see what grounds anyone could doubt it, enlighten me.