Add any two players from history to your current WC squad

[GIMH]

It really hits home how out of whack the country's expectations were at the time. Looking back that team really doesn't look too good on paper, but squeaking out against Brazil in the quarters was seen as a horrible failure. You even had Southgate mouthing off about Eriksson's half time team talk and whatnot.

We has pretty bad luck with injuries pre-tournament, Gary Neville & Steven Gerrard are the ones that spring to mind, as well as Beckham of course though he went anyway. But the expectation was basically driven by the 5-1 V Germany, who would of course go on to the final, crazy times really.

i miss the Sven era where quarters were guaranteed

 

[Uppercut]

i miss the Sven era where quarters were guaranteed

Heh. You played some horrible stuff under Sven at times, though. It's like how the Italy game was seen as a massive improvement over two years earlier even though that game was 0-0. Fans seem to care a bit more about playing style with the national side.

 

[GIMH]

Heh. You played some horrible stuff under Sven at times, though. It's like how the Italy game was seen as a massive improvement over two years earlier even though that game was 0-0. Fans seem to care a bit more about playing style with the national side.

Yeah I don't think a lot of people actually remember England's Italia 90 side fondly,. They reminisce over key moments, the performance against Germany, Gazza etc. But the raw facts tell you we won one game inside the 90 and were pretty dull.

We weren't immense throughout Euro 96 but were so exciting when were good (Holland game, parts of the semi) that it will always be looked back on fondly (except by Brumby IIRC)

 

[sledger]

Weren't the Italia 90 side massively lambasted for most of the tournament? The criticism being directed at the side, and Robson, was absolutely huge until they managed to make it through to the later stages.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah that is my understanding of events as well.

 

[GIMH]

That was basically my point

 

[sledger]

Yeah, I wasn't disagreeing. I just thought that to say not many people remember the 90s side fondly was arguably a bit of an understatement, if anything.

 

[Furball]

Italia 90 is a funny one, it's remembered really fondly in this country despite the fact that the tournament was so ****ing **** that FIFA had to bring in some pretty major rule changes to counter how crap the game had become.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah I don't think a lot of people actually remember England's Italia 90 side fondly,. They reminisce over key moments, the performance against Germany, Gazza etc. But the raw facts tell you we won one game inside the 90 and were pretty dull.

We weren't immense throughout Euro 96 but were so exciting when were good (Holland game, parts of the semi) that it will always be looked back on fondly (except by Brumby IIRC)

Pretty sure you've made that up, tbh.

We looked good in parts, but average at other times. It's a little glossed over now that we drew 1-1 with the Swiss first up (and were hanging on in the closing stages too) and were thoroughly outplayed by Spain in the quarters before our one successful penalty shoot out. If memory serves Nadal's uncle had a legitimate goal disallowed as well.

I think the Dutch performance is slightly overplayed inasmuch as it wasn't a vital elimination game as such. When it looked as if goal diff might do for Holland, they stepped it up to make it 4-1 and give Scotland the arse instead.

 

[GIMH]

Pretty sure you've made that up, tbh.

We looked good in parts, but average at other times. It's a little glossed over now that we drew 1-1 with the Swiss first up (and were hanging on in the closing stages too) and were thoroughly outplayed by Spain in the quarters before our one successful penalty shoot out. If memory serves Nadal's uncle had a legitimate goal disallowed as well.

I think the Dutch performance is slightly overplayed inasmuch as it wasn't a vital elimination game as such. When it looked as if goal diff might do for Holland, they stepped it up to make it 4-1 and give Scotland the arse instead.

Haha nah what you've said is pretty much what I remember you saying before, that and the fact you hate Venables

 

[wpdavid]

Weren't the Italia 90 side massively lambasted for most of the tournament? The criticism being directed at the side, and Robson, was absolutely huge until they managed to make it through to the later stages.

My memory of Italia 1990 was they were lambasted after the draw with Ireland, but that was all. The 0-0 with Holland was favourably received, partly because they played pretty well, and partly because Holland had been a great side two years earlier. The win against Egypt wasn't criticised much because it took us through, and our luck against Belgium and Cameroon was largely overlooked because we won.

I think the most vitriolilc criticism of Robson was after the 1988 euros, where we had been absolutely dreadful, and we didn't much look better immediately afterwards.

 

[sledger]

As I was less than 3 years old at the time I have no first hand recollections of this whatsoever, but I've seen numerous documentaries which suggest the public dissatisfaction with Robson and England lasted into the knockout rounds.

 

[NUFAN]

Just to ask another question similar to the opening thread, which 2 players from the current world cup, do you wish your country had?

I guess its easy to chose the best players in your group if like me you support a country knocked out in the first round as it would weaken your opposition. From this tournament, I would have loved us to have Teja Robben and Guillermo Ochoa as I don't think we'd have lost either of the first 2 games with those players in our squad (if they performed For Australia how they performed for Netherlands and Mexico). That Messi bloke would go okay too..

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Quite fond of Zidane and Maldini. Both quite good at singlehandedly carrying sides and shifting up gears in internationals. Think they'd look good in vomit gold.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Just to ask another question similar to the opening thread, which 2 players from the current world cup, do you wish your country had?

I guess its easy to chose the best players in your group if like me you support a country knocked out in the first round as it would weaken your opposition. From this tournament, I would have loved us to have Teja Robben and Guillermo Ochoa as I don't think we'd have lost either of the first 2 games with those players in our squad (if they performed For Australia how they performed for Netherlands and Mexico). That Messi bloke would go okay too..

I'd probably have to say Tommy Muller and James Rodriguez, although a competent centre half (Thiago Silva has been impressive as the straight man in the slapstick troupe that is the host nation's defence) and a decent fullback (Daley Blind has caught the eye) might be nice too.

 

[GIMH]

Messi and Ronaldo

 

[Furball]

Literally anyone.

Except Fred.