*Official* English Football Season 2005-06

[luckyeddie]

Fair enough, but my point was also that we're relying on one player, which is bad enough, but it was made much worse as he's a teenager in his major tournament debut.

Even if he was 28, it'd still be worrying that we seem to rely on one player.

Hardly.

I've taken a huge interest in every WC since (and including) 1962, and the current England side has got more quality players in it than any time since certainly 1970, possibly even before that.

At the end of the day though, you need a little bit extra - sometimes it's a player who excels to such an extent that they dominate the whole stage (e.g. Pele, Maradona, Cruyff - even though Holland didn't win, Rubberknickers or a few others I could mention) or it could be an outrageous slice of good fortune (It pays to have a Russian linesman).

 

[Tom Halsey]

Hardly.

I've taken a huge interest in every WC since (and including) 1962, and the current England side has got more quality players in it than any time since certainly 1970, possibly even before that.

At the end of the day though, you need a little bit extra - sometimes it's a player who excels to such an extent that they dominate the whole stage (e.g. Pele, Maradona, Cruyff - even though Holland didn't win, Rubberknickers or a few others I could mention) or it could be an outrageous slice of good fortune (It pays to have a Russian linesman).

Yes, but Marc's comment was 'not his fault Rooney got injured', implies that if Rooney gets injured we're almost certain to lose. If that is the case, we're not very good. (I'm not saying it is, but that's what Marc's comment implied).

Not seen a huge amount of the 1970 WC, but I'd have thought that Brazil could have won that fairly easily without Pele? I doubt the same of Argentina and Holland though, although they'd still have been hard teams to beat.

 

[Scaly piscine]

The point is England were still 1-0 up against a team that was struggling and didn't have a good defense anyway. This was in Euro 2004 when the teams were all fairly poor, it didn't even get to the point where England didn't win it because of lacking their star player, they got knocked out by an also-ran. To get knocked out from there is absolutely abysmal and the fault must lie with the manager because of the way England obligingly camped on their own penalty area.

 

[marc71178]

The same "also-ran" that went to the final and pretty much dominated it

 

[superkingdave]

I have to partially agree with Scaly here, in Euro2004 i felt we had the players to beat all the other sides in the comp (probably even without Rooney) but it did seem like at the important points the tactics were all wrong - defending too deep once we were in the lead etc

 

[Scaly piscine]

The same "also-ran" that went to the final and pretty much dominated it

And lost. What was that you said earlier about only the result matters?

Didn't win = also-ran.

 

[aussie]

I have to partially agree with Scaly here, in Euro2004 i felt we had the players to beat all the other sides in the comp (probably even without Rooney) but it did seem like at the important points the tactics were all wrong - defending too deep once we were in the lead etc

yea thats true, that mistake CANNOT be repeated againts major sides in germany, or it will be curtains.

 

[roseboy64]

And lost. What was that you said earlier about only the result matters?

Didn't win = also-ran.

Good point.

 

[Tom Halsey]

it did seem like at the important points the tactics were all wrong - defending too deep once we were in the lead etc

No doubt.

Marc, Portugal were an also-ran, and the result matters:

Result is what counts though

Portugal therefore did not dominate the final.

 

[Barney Rubble]

If I was a betting man, I'd put money on Rooney scoring first in a Man Utd win tonight.

 

[BoyBrumby]

If I was a betting man, I'd put money on Rooney scoring first in a Man Utd win tonight.

I'd say Van Nosedive, but same result. 2-1 ManUre.

Mind you, we're playing that badly we'll probably win out of spite!

 

[Tom Halsey]

Never heard van Nosedive before...

Very confident tonight, we usually raise our game for the big occasion.

 

[roseboy64]

Guess it wasn't raised enough.

 

[Scaly piscine]

So another anonymous display from the big game/team flop aka the CDMs' chief poseur. That 0-0 and other bad luck has probably sunk my Aussie (fantasy) Premier League team.

 

[BoyBrumby]

So another anonymous display from the big game/team flop aka the CDMs' chief poseur. That 0-0 and other bad luck has probably sunk my Aussie (fantasy) Premier League team.

His mind does seem elsewhere just now. Barcelona, probably....

Still I'd have taken 0-0 before the game, which is really pretty depressing when you think about it.

 

[Craig]

Surprised no team in England didn't have a go at Antonio Cassano. Considering the amount Real paid for him, it isn't out of the reachs of the lieks of Arsenal, Man Utd etc.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Wouldn't really fit in with either of them - his best position is just behind the front two, and neither of them play like that. Plus he has attitude problems.

 

[Tom Halsey]

His mind does seem elsewhere just now. Barcelona, probably...

Yeah, the Gonners really are falling apart. Henry is almost certainly off (I've a feeling he's already told the club and they'll offload him in the summer, to at least get money for him).

Arsenal without Henry really are going to be struggling.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yeah, the Gonners really are falling apart. Henry is almost certainly off (I've a feeling he's already told the club and they'll offload him in the summer, to at least get money for him).

Arsenal without Henry really are going to be struggling.

Freudian slip?

 

[marc71178]

Wouldn't really fit in with either of them - his best position is just behind the front two, and neither of them play like that. Plus he has attitude problems.

So another stupid signing by the Real President then?