***Official*** English Football Season 2019-20

[Pothas]

Yeah thought I was going to know so many more of their players. Guess you have to wait those few years before the Raul generation came along.

 

[Uppercut]

Portugal OTOH already look very good here against Denmark. Rui Costa and Figo were 24 and 23, didn't think they were as old as that.

 

[sledger]

Yeah thought I was going to know so many more of their players. Guess you have to wait those few years before the Raul generation came along.

It's weird how if you look at their squad from the 98 World Cup there are so many more recognisable players in there. Not all of them young either. Perhaps a load were just injured in 96 or something.

 

[Uppercut]

Main takeaway from half-watching Germany vs. Czech is that Christian Ziege was really, really good.

 

[Furball]

It's such a mediocre Spain lineup. Not sure how they got the underachievers tag around then because it looks to me like they just had average players.

There was controversy around the squad selection - IIRC Raul didn't make the tournament.

They had the underachiever label because their youth teams were winning tournaments - they were Olympic champions in 1992 and I think won the 1996 U21 Euros.

 

[Furball]

It's weird how if you look at their squad from the 98 World Cup there are so many more recognisable players in there. Not all of them young either. Perhaps a load were just injured in 96 or something.

The same recognisable players weren't picked. I definitely remember reading an article where the manager at the time (I want to say Javier Clemente) courted controversy by dropping/not picking a few big names, settling on a more functional side that actually won matches which didn't last. Manolo Sanchis, Raul and Pep Guardiola immediately jump out in terms of big name players who didn't go.

They were allmost a classically English 'win loads of matches in between tournaments in friendlies and against shite teams in qualifiers' before losing as soon as they came up against anyone good.

 

[Uppercut]

The same recognisable players weren't picked. I definitely remember reading an article where the manager at the time (I want to say Javier Clemente) courted controversy by dropping/not picking a few big names, settling on a more functional side that actually won matches which didn't last. Manolo Sanchis, Raul and Pep Guardiola immediately jump out in terms of big name players who didn't go.

They were allmost a classically English 'win loads of matches in between tournaments in friendlies and against shite teams in qualifiers' before losing as soon as they came up against anyone good.

Tbf they were unlucky to go out of Euro 96. Looking forward to watching that one back.

 

[Matteh]

There was controversy around the squad selection - IIRC Raul didn't make the tournament.

They had the underachiever label because their youth teams were winning tournaments - they were Olympic champions in 1992 and I think won the 1996 U21 Euros.

Raul didn't get his first cap until after Euro 96, was busy that summer with the U-21s finishing runner-up to Italy.

 

[cpr]

Raul didn't get his first cap until after Euro 96, was busy that summer with the U-21s finishing runner-up to Italy.

Aye but it looks like he'd had a decent year, 19 in La Liga, 26 altogether, You'd think that'd be in with a shout for a full call up on those figures, especially given it was his second season (hit 9 the year before) so had proved it was no fluke

 

[Uppercut]

Most international managers don't change the team when obviously better options come along. There's a bit of that Chairman mentality where the incumbent has to fail very comprehensively to get replaced. It's how you get stuff like Owen and Beckham not starting the '98 World Cup.

 

[GIMH]

Most international managers don't change the team when obviously better options come along. There's a bit of that Chairman mentality where the incumbent has to fail very comprehensively to get replaced. It's how you get stuff like Owen and Beckham not starting the '98 World Cup.

After we got knocked out in 98, I remember someone moaning to me that if Ian Wright hadn't got injured, Owen wouldn't even have gone.

Now given Les Ferdinand was in the squad and got no game time, I wasn't convinced. But I have always wondered.

 

[sledger]

Wright over Owen would have been a terrible selection, and I say that as a big fan of the former. He was well beyond his best by that time, and was never much good when playing for England anyway.

 

[Kraken]

For the English posters - just how badly did Beckham get crucified after he got sent off against Argentina? I was too young to really comprehend it, and reading about it later on doesn't paint a picture as accurate as someone who lived it. I think he was really treated harshly tbh

 

[GIMH]

He was booed relentlessly for years and the press hounded him. Unedifying stuff tbh.

 

[Uppercut]

The English media are brutal on their own players. If I were an English footballer I’d invent some ancestry so I could play for anyone else.

 

[sledger]

Yeah it was absolutely dire tbh.

Huge credit to the guy that within 4 years he had turned it full circle and become a national hero though.

One of the great sport redemption stories imo.

 

[Matteh]

For the English posters - just how badly did Beckham get crucified after he got sent off against Argentina? I was too young to really comprehend it, and reading about it later on doesn't paint a picture as accurate as someone who lived it. I think he was really treated harshly tbh

Simeone made an absolute meal out of it but generally kicking someone after a tackle, no matter how lightly, isn't going to end very well. Beckham was seen as the reason why England lost by most people (my mum still mentions it to this day and she doesn't even like football really) at the time and it carried on into the next season with boos.

I'm not sure that England necessarily would've won the game during the 120 minutes regardless of him being on the pitch. But you'd figure he'd have been one of the penalty takers instead of David Batty and that's where Beckham really let England down that game. I haven't seen it for yonks but I still think of Campbell's disallowed goal and Shearer's foul to be pretty harsh.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

He got more abuse than any player I have ever known, yes the night we were knocked out and a few days after I despised him but by the time the new season came round I wasn't bothered as it wasn't as if he would have wanted to lose us the game he just messed up. The stick he got after was way over the top but then again when you think about it people are still salty about Peter Bonnetti in 70 so I guess it is understandable he would have been blamed for a long time.

 

[Cabinet96]

Why did Rooney not get the same level for 06? Was it simply that the opposition villain in this case was a big Premier League player and thus could take more of the blame?

 

[Uppercut]

Why did Rooney not get the same level for 06? Was it simply that the opposition villain in this case was a big Premier League player and thus could take more of the blame?

Rooney played the press like a fiddle his whole career. I’m still amazed at how long it took them to admit he’d got ****.

But it was always going to be Ronaldo. Trying to get a ‘Fellow Professional’ sent off is much worse to Sun readers than stamping on someone’s balls. Plus Ronaldo was already unpopular for being himself.