teamwork
25 Nov 2007, 11:52 AM
I am a very proud Englishman and always will be but it shames me to see that this country – it’s football players anyway have lost that “Bulldog sprit” the drive that makes us play to the final whistle, the last kick of the match, and on Wednesday night it was gone.
I said a few days earlier when it looked like Beckham was not going to star that if he did not play him we would lose out on Crouch, who needs perfect service at the best of times, and we would also get 7 or 8 free kicks in dangerous areas and we would mess them all up. What happened? We got 4 or 5 in real dangerous potions, and Gerrard and Barry were poor.
I just ask one thing – Venables – first half was in the royal box, and McClaren was in the tunnel with his umbrella and hot chocolate. I have never ever seen a manager more concerned about getting wet and keeping warm in a match that we were going out of.
The selection of the team was just baffling – Carson was too young and too nervous to be thrown into a game of that magnitude in those conditions. Maybe we should have looked at David James with all his experience or gone with someone a little older than Scott and had Robert Green. I just can’t wait for Ben Foster to get back from injury and make his presence felt at Old Trafford and England.
As for the deference – I thought Micah Richards was found wanting, I think he doesn’t have to positional awareness yet to compete at the top level – he will, I have no doubt he will be the permanent fixture, but I think all the talk that Gary Neville wont get back in has just gone – Micah looked a little lost when the full backs kept going past him. Also I think for the first time we realized how good Ashley Cole is, I hated him before the qualyifng campaign, and would have dropped him, but I think looking at it he outclasses Bridge but a country mile. Wayne Bridge has no pace, no awareness, no strength and no skill, and was the worst player by far. The same goes for lescott who looks out of his depth at this level. Another thing whilst I am on the defense – we had Portsmouth and Everton centre backs on the field, when a Manchester United starting defender for the league champions was on the bench.
After their two early goals, I recall the camera going to McClaren, he looked baffled, lost and completely confused, he was again expecting his stars to pull him out of his hole again, this time they failed.
I am hearing people blaming the pitch, let’s get it right if the pitch was better – Croatia could have had more, they outplayed and outpassed us anyway, so heaven forbid what would have happened had the pitch been in excellent condition.
He is the dumbest man in the world; first we play a pointless friendly in a freezing cold country, and play our best striker who gets injured. Now look at the side he put out there. Does that mean that if Owen would have been fit, he would have played Beckham, or did he just panic when Michael got injured? That was one of the worst mistakes in the world football. That is like playing Johnny Wilkinson In a friendly against Serbia a few days before the world cup final.
To tell you the truth, I would be expect many premier League teams to fight better than England did, in fact I would put money on almost all the Premier League teams beating Croatia, firstly they have a better manager than McClaren, but the drive at league level seems to be more. I mean he said it was a 4 – 3 – 3. But it wasn’t, because you are asking Cole and SWP to be defending and attacking in one motion, it can’t be done especially when we are lumping long balls forward – they are only 5”6, and 5”9 respectively.
I heard the Croatian manager speaking also after the match and he said that they dealt with crouch by simply not jumping with but collecting the ball he flicked on to nobody. I think within the first five minute, he spotted it; the whole country spotted it except one man with an umbrella.
As for the lineup –, terry and A. Cole played, Brown played yet again for Man Utd. I would have gone with this on that night :
james
Brown Richards Terry A.Cole
Beckham Hargreaves Lampard J.Cole
Crouch, Defoe. Or Gerrard
___________________________________________________________________
My ratings for the match were as follows for the losers that played
Carson – 3 – some god saves, but shattered by his dreadful mistake.
Richards – 4 – first five were great but then got caught time after time.
Campbell – 4 – the best of the defenders and that is saying something.
Lescott – knew the keeper was struggling and kept zipping the ball back to him on a slippy pitch – no ability at this level at all.
Bridge – 1 – could have been a zero, played him onside for the second goal, nearly let them score in the second when he passed them the ball on the edge of his own area, was caught out numerous times, and made rash challenges, exposed a lack of pace by the right midfielder.
Wright Phillips – 6 – didn’t do a lot wrong, but didn’t get involved enough upfront, supporting Crouch.
Gerrard – 4 – where was his passion that he shows for Liverpool every weekend.
Lampard – 5 – worked hard all night, and took a penalty in a pressurized situation.
Barry – 4 - Looked lost, meant to screen the back four, didn’t do it, and gave the ball away too much.
J.Cole – 6 – again didn’t do a lot wrong but lacked the ambition to get up and support Crouch. 6 – Had it all to do upfront on his own, has not got that much ability especially when he has no one with him. Took his goal beautifully though.
Beckham – 7 – what a pass, should have been on from the start, the free kicks we had would have been better delivered, the corners also, and only player who showed us some determination.
Defoe – 6 - used his pace to stretch the Croatians centre backs, and gave the dropping CB something to think of when the ball was flicked on instead of just collecting it.
Bent – 5 – good shot at the end, put on too late too make an impact.
Well now we have got second seedings in the world cup, and we will go out. The top team goes through, and then four runners up get the other places (the best runners up). Lets say we get Germany, Rep.Ireland, Sweden we will not have a chance in hell of getting out of our group, unless we get a top class manager.
It has been like Mike Basset from start to finish, and They think it’s all over, it is now.
I said a few days earlier when it looked like Beckham was not going to star that if he did not play him we would lose out on Crouch, who needs perfect service at the best of times, and we would also get 7 or 8 free kicks in dangerous areas and we would mess them all up. What happened? We got 4 or 5 in real dangerous potions, and Gerrard and Barry were poor.
I just ask one thing – Venables – first half was in the royal box, and McClaren was in the tunnel with his umbrella and hot chocolate. I have never ever seen a manager more concerned about getting wet and keeping warm in a match that we were going out of.
The selection of the team was just baffling – Carson was too young and too nervous to be thrown into a game of that magnitude in those conditions. Maybe we should have looked at David James with all his experience or gone with someone a little older than Scott and had Robert Green. I just can’t wait for Ben Foster to get back from injury and make his presence felt at Old Trafford and England.
As for the deference – I thought Micah Richards was found wanting, I think he doesn’t have to positional awareness yet to compete at the top level – he will, I have no doubt he will be the permanent fixture, but I think all the talk that Gary Neville wont get back in has just gone – Micah looked a little lost when the full backs kept going past him. Also I think for the first time we realized how good Ashley Cole is, I hated him before the qualyifng campaign, and would have dropped him, but I think looking at it he outclasses Bridge but a country mile. Wayne Bridge has no pace, no awareness, no strength and no skill, and was the worst player by far. The same goes for lescott who looks out of his depth at this level. Another thing whilst I am on the defense – we had Portsmouth and Everton centre backs on the field, when a Manchester United starting defender for the league champions was on the bench.
After their two early goals, I recall the camera going to McClaren, he looked baffled, lost and completely confused, he was again expecting his stars to pull him out of his hole again, this time they failed.
I am hearing people blaming the pitch, let’s get it right if the pitch was better – Croatia could have had more, they outplayed and outpassed us anyway, so heaven forbid what would have happened had the pitch been in excellent condition.
He is the dumbest man in the world; first we play a pointless friendly in a freezing cold country, and play our best striker who gets injured. Now look at the side he put out there. Does that mean that if Owen would have been fit, he would have played Beckham, or did he just panic when Michael got injured? That was one of the worst mistakes in the world football. That is like playing Johnny Wilkinson In a friendly against Serbia a few days before the world cup final.
To tell you the truth, I would be expect many premier League teams to fight better than England did, in fact I would put money on almost all the Premier League teams beating Croatia, firstly they have a better manager than McClaren, but the drive at league level seems to be more. I mean he said it was a 4 – 3 – 3. But it wasn’t, because you are asking Cole and SWP to be defending and attacking in one motion, it can’t be done especially when we are lumping long balls forward – they are only 5”6, and 5”9 respectively.
I heard the Croatian manager speaking also after the match and he said that they dealt with crouch by simply not jumping with but collecting the ball he flicked on to nobody. I think within the first five minute, he spotted it; the whole country spotted it except one man with an umbrella.
As for the lineup –, terry and A. Cole played, Brown played yet again for Man Utd. I would have gone with this on that night :
james
Brown Richards Terry A.Cole
Beckham Hargreaves Lampard J.Cole
Crouch, Defoe. Or Gerrard
___________________________________________________________________
My ratings for the match were as follows for the losers that played
Carson – 3 – some god saves, but shattered by his dreadful mistake.
Richards – 4 – first five were great but then got caught time after time.
Campbell – 4 – the best of the defenders and that is saying something.
Lescott – knew the keeper was struggling and kept zipping the ball back to him on a slippy pitch – no ability at this level at all.
Bridge – 1 – could have been a zero, played him onside for the second goal, nearly let them score in the second when he passed them the ball on the edge of his own area, was caught out numerous times, and made rash challenges, exposed a lack of pace by the right midfielder.
Wright Phillips – 6 – didn’t do a lot wrong, but didn’t get involved enough upfront, supporting Crouch.
Gerrard – 4 – where was his passion that he shows for Liverpool every weekend.
Lampard – 5 – worked hard all night, and took a penalty in a pressurized situation.
Barry – 4 - Looked lost, meant to screen the back four, didn’t do it, and gave the ball away too much.
J.Cole – 6 – again didn’t do a lot wrong but lacked the ambition to get up and support Crouch. 6 – Had it all to do upfront on his own, has not got that much ability especially when he has no one with him. Took his goal beautifully though.
Beckham – 7 – what a pass, should have been on from the start, the free kicks we had would have been better delivered, the corners also, and only player who showed us some determination.
Defoe – 6 - used his pace to stretch the Croatians centre backs, and gave the dropping CB something to think of when the ball was flicked on instead of just collecting it.
Bent – 5 – good shot at the end, put on too late too make an impact.
Well now we have got second seedings in the world cup, and we will go out. The top team goes through, and then four runners up get the other places (the best runners up). Lets say we get Germany, Rep.Ireland, Sweden we will not have a chance in hell of getting out of our group, unless we get a top class manager.
It has been like Mike Basset from start to finish, and They think it’s all over, it is now.