England-Brazil Friday June 1st [R]

[USvsIRELAND]

With Stevie G and Carragher starting for England, and reported targets Michael Owen and Daniel Alves also starting I figured it would be appropriate to have a thread on the game here.

Daniel Alves has been pretty good so far IMO.

Gerrard just had a nice tackle on Kaka.

[liverbird]

From the play by play on the Guardian seems to be really dire although SG was mentioned favorably in dispatchs.

[ForeverRed]

Gerrard has been, without a doubt, the best player for England in the first half. He mad two incredible tackles and has run all over the pitch. He seems to be the only one wanting to win. Nevermind the fact that he has to play in a shyte formation without a DM and alongside an invisible Lampard.

Carragher hasn't had much to do but you can tell he's not entirely comfortable as a RB.

[liverbird]

From the Guardian:

"By my reckoning Ferguson is losing about £100k per minute on Smith's transfer value," says Andy Wright. "He's showing the energy of Ballack, the intelligence of Bramble, the strength of Luis Garcia and the passing ability of Jens Lehmann."

[liverbird]

Gerrard has been, without a doubt, the best player for England in the first half. He mad two incredible tackles and has run all over the pitch. He seems to be the only one wanting to win. Nevermind the fact that he has to play in a shyte formation without a DM and alongside an invisible Lampard.

Carragher hasn't had much to do but you can tell he's not entirely comfortable as a RB.


I remember him as a LB -- talk about uncomfortable

[USvsIRELAND]

Wow.

And people say MLS players backpass too much.

England are putting the art of the backpass on full display tonight.

Brazil are attacking but aren't doing anything magical with the ball apart from a few nifty flicks here and there.

[ForeverRed]

Even though England were the better team in the second half, it was a pretty dull game and another shameful performance from McClaren, I say that because England's tactics and shyte formations are due to McClaren.

How can you play Lampard for 88 minutes when he had done absolutley nothing? I mean, I can go on and on but I'm sure everyone knows the situation.

Gerrard was England's MOTM yet again though.

[liverbird]

Why Smith? over Crouch??

Why play Lampard over Carrick?

Why play Stevie all game?

Why Jaime at right back and King in the centre?

I'm glad I am not English -- but y'all should fire Second Choice Steve

[USvsIRELAND]

Why Smith? over Crouch??

Why play Lampard over Carrick?

Why play Stevie all game?

Why Jaime at right back and King in the centre?

I'm glad I am not English -- but y'all should fire Second Choice Steve

Bringing Beckham back was a good choice though.

He did fairly well in the midfield, especially compared to Lampard and Cole and he had a great freekick for the goal.

[ForeverRed]

Bringing Beckham back was a good choice though.

He did fairly well in the midfield, especially compared to Lampard and Cole and he had a great freekick for the goal.

Yea but that was a no brainer of a decision give how well Becks has been playing for Madrid.

McClaren lacks the fortitude to pull players like Lampard out for a Carrick or Hargreaves.

[LiverpoolFanatic]

McClaren mystifies me...can't imagine what it must be like for the England faithful.

[DJ2492]

It looked good for England untill the 91 minute.

[ghazi]

Stevie and Becks played with more heart than the rest of the team combined (save Carra. . can't question his heart).

As much as i want to not like Becks, his constant never-say-die attitude is endearing and i find myself rooting for him to perform well for club and country. Too bad his over-marketing overshadows his passing skills and his inner drive.

Is it just me or is Kieran Dyer the secret weapon England has needed to pry open defenses? . . . he looked as dangerous as Lennon did when he got his chance. . let's hope he can stay healthy. Mind you, i've seen Dyer play plenty, but it seems like he's finally healthy and hungry for action.

[ghazi]

BTW. . did anyone else think they heard the "DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DAAAAH" of Ring of Fire being chanted and blown on horns at the game? I hope i was hearing things.

I almost broke my tv when some jackass Arsenal fan near an ESPN mike could be heard chanting it during last years Arsenal Champs League Final v Barca.

[ghazi]

Is it just me or is Kieran Dyer the secret weapon England has needed to pry open defenses? . . . he looked as dangerous as Lennon did when he got his chance. . let's hope he can stay healthy. Mind you, i've seen Dyer play plenty, but it seems like he's finally healthy and hungry for action.

Wow. . still can't believe i said that about Dyer! :eek: :D

[Morph]

I have no time for the England National Team on any level, I consider myself English of course, but the National Team is an absolute embarrassment. From the fans to the players, to the media it’s a shambles and something which made me look further a field for my national team.

Where do I start? I can start and criticise just about anything but I will keep it to the bear minimum. The media, the gruesome media gargoyles who sip cups of Star Bucks all day whilst acting like a bunch of Mr Blondes and Reservoir Dogs sitting in their offices writing page after page of sniping rage when Engalnd have lost a pointless, experimental friendly against Timbuktu. The Media jesters who seem to think their opinion are fact dictate the England manager into picking the squad they believe is best, rather like how Stalin bullied the East European contingent into adopting Soviet philosophy. The England manager then feels the heat and instead of saying “This man is not for turning” persists on packing a team full of individuals into a team and squad, without focusing on who would be best for the system and who is the better player and how the players will work alongside one another. It’s like forcing an Elephants genitalia into a jam jar or if one wants to be less perverse, he could say “its packing too many sardines into a tin”.

The Manager then persists on choosing a team, not of his own accord, but that of the media. So the Media are happy, they say “It’s coming home after years of hurt” or “Stuff the Argies and call me Winston” or something stupid like that, something which is only appreciated in the fascist quarters of football, so basically Chelsea fans if we want to be cynical. So the team which is full of over pampered, over indulged and over paid primadona’s who think they are the Pele’s, Beckenbaur’s and Puskas’ of the football world, head off to places like German or Japan. Where they draw a group of small nation such as Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden, they beat these teams 1-0 and the Media suddenly orgasm, and page after page turns into one sticky mess, which leaves me feeling sick, as the front cover shows some England fans taunting Germany fans with fascism and a headline saying “World Cup, we’re having a laugh”. Well the irony of such a statement as England struggle to defeat a Ecuador team which cannot win unless they play on mountain tops push a stern challenge to meet the Portuguese. So the media are getting a bit concerned and start slating the team under grey slated skies and before you can open up a hotdog made of the finest Mexican chilli’s money can buy, Rooney is getting sent off for a ballroom blitz which has gone horribly wrong and England march on like they against Romans, like they against The Scots, The Welsh, The Americans and just about every other nation in history.

Suddenly extra time draws near, England fans are chewing their nails, their scarves, their England flags trying to digest last matches, hot dog spillage. Gerrard looks tired; Lampard wants to play for Spain. John Terry admires a Jamaican referee in all his glory and then before we know it, Sven is humping some Dutch woman in the dugout and adjusts himself as the camera turns on him and shouts to Joe Cole in confidence “pass the dutchie to the left hand side”. So Joe Cole, shoulders on with words of the bland and despicable which will no doubt see England and the Media rip their hair off their very heads.

And so up steps Phil Neville, his misses, up steps sound as a pound Jamie Carragher, he runs up and scores, oh no the referee didn’t blow his whistle, instead he blew John Terry (pardon the pun) and then he is made to retake, so Carragher says, I want to play for Mexico and he misses and walks off to sit down and shed tears that would made crocodile Dundee proud of. Then up steps Ronaldo, the winker, the gambler, the Olympic swimmer, he buries it past fatty Robbo who thinks the ball is BLT Burger King special and suddenly, England coming home.

The fans then cry, moan and cry and moan and cry and moan and start being fascist, they storm the German party and start making trouble, riot police are called to control such brutal behaviour. The end or is it? No, it never is with England…

They never learn, never learn, never learn, like Kaiser Wilhelm II they want to build more juggernauts, more than the UK, more than Herbert Hoover who feels he is immensely unpopular and they decide to appoint a manager who was beaten 4-0 in A MAJOR CUP FINALE, which saw Sevilla and Barcelona dominate waves, they shall never, never become slaves, the Spanish Armada was flying high, as high as anything and Sir Frances Drake, retreated back to the great wall of China drinking cups of lemonade whilst playing super Mario brothers.

Then England has a disastrous Euro 2008 campaign which sees them fall to Attila the Hunt’s cousins, the mighty mean, lean fat reducing grilling machines, Croatia who rule the waves and force those English back to the cliffs of Mordor.

Then they draw the third best American nation, behind Argentina and Mexico and they sail to sea to see what they can see and so Kakainho (Little shit) decides to lead his mean wearing the mighty precious Brazilian shirt to New Wembley for a match which could have and should have seen England lose 6-3 like they did against Hungary in 1953, but no the match was boring, Terry provided brief entertainment in a match which put me into a coma where I had to phone my imaginary girlfriend and then Gerrard was the best man, he had a point to prove and merked Kaka, MERKED (Rio Ferdinand reference). It was a dull match, the fans robbed Liverpool songs, the day which saw London, Manchester, Luton, Nottingham branded higher than Liverpool in crime, such as theft, in poverty, in pooer education status quo, in job prospects, Liverpool was on the up, finally we could sing to Chelsea fans, United fans, Arsenal fans, Forrest to sign on with a hope in their heart, because they robbed our hubcaps. England fans ruined “Ring of Fire” and countless other Liverpool songs.

Viva Brazil who had an offside goal ruled out incorrectly, I am awaiting Mexico’s visit to Wembley, where I shall wear my Osorio shirt with Pride and wear my Mexican hat, shirt and sing “Puto” to those English supporters.

(P.S I have been reading Terry Pratchett this morning, apologises for the post)

[usscouse]

What he said...!

[liverbird]

What he said...!

I agree with the whole bit from Morph except placing Brazil behind Mexico. Need I remind him ---Dos a tzero. Mexico isn't the best team in North America. Stick to what you know lad:D

[luciusmagister]

I am not a fan of the ENFT nor have I ever been. It is very amusing for me to watch their press interact with the players. It’s kind of like watching a keg party at Jonestown University in Guyana. :eek: Steve McClaren and his Peoples Temple are good for laughs.

BTW Mexico is the best team in N. America right now.

[liverbird]

I am not a fan of the ENFT nor have I ever been. It is very amusing for me to watch their press interact with the players. It’s kind of like watching a keg party at Jonestown University in Guyana. :eek: Steve McClaren and his Peoples Temple are good for laughs.

BTW Mexico is the best team in N. America right now.

Last result USA 2 -- Mexico 0.