The UEFA European Championship 2020 Thread

[sage]

3 minutes ago, Bob The Badger said:

Technically proficient players is exactly what we are developing. 

It's why we're world champions at almost every age level .

Did you see the end of the Denmark game? Do you not think that showed brilliant technique in closing out a game. 

The Dutch were technical geniuses in the 70s but still lost two World Cup Finals. 

We are, we just lack them in CM at the moment. Hopefully Bellingham will improve us there.   

[Duracell]

Disappointed, but not surprised, to see some crawling out of the woodwork to criticise the manager and the team after the defeat.

Where were you when we beat the Germans?

Where were you when we thrashed Ukraine?

Where we you as we only conceded one goal in the build up to the final?

Where were you when we reached our first final in a generation?

I cannot stomach talk about “negative tactics” from fans who are just waiting for us to fail and revel in “I told you so’s.” The most crushing part of this defeat is that this team had the potential to silence these types, but instead they are basking in it.

duck off.

[Van der MoodHoover]

4 hours ago, Boycie said:

Morning everyone.

Don't forget it’s a bank holiday.

You mean that you're doubling your call out charge? ?

[Tamworthram]

10 minutes ago, Duracell said:

Disappointed, but not surprised, to see some crawling out of the woodwork to criticise the manager and the team after the defeat.

Where were you when we beat the Germans?

Where were you when we thrashed Ukraine?

Where we you as we only conceded one goal in the build up to the final?

Where were you when we reached our first final in a generation?

I cannot stomach talk about “negative tactics” from fans who are just waiting for us to fail and revel in “I told you so’s.” The most crushing part of this defeat is that this team had the potential to silence these types, but instead they are basking in it.

duck off.

You can only say it as it is. Yes we beat Germany, yes we thrashed the mighty Ukraine and they received plenty of praise for both of those performances.

Sadly though, like it or not, we were second best for most of the game last night. Not a poor performance, just not as good as Italy on the whole. 

[Anag Ram]

8 minutes ago, Duracell said:

Disappointed, but not surprised, to see some crawling out of the woodwork to criticise the manager and the team after the defeat.

Where were you when we beat the Germans?

Where were you when we thrashed Ukraine?

Where we you as we only conceded one goal in the build up to the final?

Where were you when we reached our first final in a generation?

I cannot stomach talk about “negative tactics” from fans who are just waiting for us to fail and revel in “I told you so’s.” The most crushing part of this defeat is that this team had the potential to silence these types, but instead they are basking in it.

duck off.

You are so right. 

I am one of those who for a while shook my head when I saw the early selections. 

Then I suddenly had the massive revelation that perhaps I, a balding office worker, might not know the intricacies of team management at the very top level, nor see and hear the players on a daily basis. 

I don't have training badges, no one is likely to pay me for my opinion and I have not taken England to a major final. 

So guess what? 

Last night I just sat down and watched. 

Italy are a better side than us at the moment but our future looks bright. 

I thought we did blooming well including Mr Southgate. 

There are some very bad losers about. 

[Van der MoodHoover]

Gareth Southgate said that anything less than a semi final should be regarded as failure, so it's been a successful tournament by that measure. 

Sobering to see how much improvement the 2 finalists made after the 2018 WC. Italy didn't qualify and ripped up their squad, we got a semi final and have really evolved about 4 positions (gk, back 3/4 kane and sterling are pretty much unchanged). 

You have to admire the Italian will to win. We looked like we ran out of steam somewhat but it wasn't a bad tournament. If only as a nation we could be a bit less bipolar about the national team. 

[Duracell]

2 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

You can only say it as it is. Yes we beat Germany, yes we thrashed the mighty Ukraine and they received plenty of praise for both of those performances.

Sadly though, like it or not, we were second best for most of the game last night. Not a poor performance, just not as good as Italy on the whole. 

There is nothing wrong with telling it like it is. By some distance, Italy were the best team all tournament and absolutely deserved to win it.

And at the same time, by some distance, this is the best England side in half a century.

Telling it like it is not happening with some people. For them, they are framing the narrative of last night as if it’s akin to not qualifying in 2008.

Being second best to the best team in Europe - and, when the South American teams are not on top, that also means the world too - is not a failure. 

[Marriot Ram99]

I do think Southgate didn't get the maximum from the team at his disposal, Mount should have never been playing over Foden or Grealish and Bellingham barely got a sniff despite being the type of box to box player we need. Getting to the final doesn't make you a great manager, apart from Germany we didnt beat anyone that we weren't  favourites against or any real top sides. You'd expect us to beat Ukraine and Denmark with most League 2 managers in charge with the squad we have got. 

As for not criticising after wins, well  just because you win a game doesn't mean you selected the right team necessarily but nobody's going to listen to criticism after a big win because you'd be seen as a misery. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Marriot Ram99

[Marriot Ram99]

6 minutes ago, Duracell said:

There is nothing wrong with telling it like it is. By some distance, Italy were the best team all tournament and absolutely deserved to win it.

And at the same time, by some distance, this is the best England side in half a century.

Telling it like it is not happening with some people. For them, they are framing the narrative of last night as if it’s akin to not qualifying in 2008.

Being second best to the best team in Europe - and, when the South American teams are not on top, that also means the world too - is not a failure. 

It's not a failure but I'm not sure Southgate should be lauded too much because for me he's still a negative manager and this squad could have played alot better offensively, I wouldn't say this team is as good as the 2004 squad by any means just we played stronger opposition and the standard of top level football in general is alot lower than what it was in the early 2000s. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Marriot Ram99

[Boycie]

25 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

You mean that you're doubling your call out charge? ?

I’d not thought of that.

[Dean (hick) Saunders]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Clough said:

For the Euros and World Cup, I don't care about style - it's all about the results.

Who knows how successful a more adventurous style of play would have been? Maybe we would have got knocked out in the groups.

Southgate's tactics almost worked. They worked better than any other England manager in the last 53 years and bettered only once over 81 years.

Thanks. What would we think of the idea though? (Of taking specialist kickers like in American Football). If we had 2-3 specialist kickers we could have called on we almost certainly would have won (with Pickfords saves).

Downside is weaker squad. As a couple of your favourites would not make the trip.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Dean (hick) Saunders

[Anag Ram]

Just now, Dean (hick) Saunders said:

Thanks. What would we think of the idea though? (Of taking specialist kickers in American Football). If we had 2-3 specialist kickers we could have called on we almost certainly would have won (with Pickfords saves).

Downside is weaker squad. As a couple of your favourites would not make the trip.

Aren't professional footballers supposed to be 'specialist kickers' ? 

After all, it's what they practice every day as their job. 

They should all be able to accurately hit the corner of a football goal repeatedly. 

Any keeper that legally saves that is doing well. 

[Tamworthram]

17 minutes ago, Duracell said:

There is nothing wrong with telling it like it is. By some distance, Italy were the best team all tournament and absolutely deserved to win it.

And at the same time, by some distance, this is the best England side in half a century.

Telling it like it is not happening with some people. For them, they are framing the narrative of last night as if it’s akin to not qualifying in 2008.

Being second best to the best team in Europe - and, when the South American teams are not on top, that also means the world too - is not a failure. 

Fair enough but surely everyone has a right to criticise rather being told to “duck off” if they do voice their opinions. There are no doubt many that have gone over the top with their criticism but I took your comments about people that were critical of the team and/or manager as a rather general attack on anyone who may have voiced any sort of negative opinion.

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

11 hours ago, Andicis said:

The Italy squad had one star and he got injured vs Belgium. We had multiple star players.

We had 11 stars, outright favourites and guess what had 10 minutes of madness against the Swiss and blew it. It's football. Greece won it, Denmark did it., they weren't the best teams in those tournament, nowhere near in fact. Italy scored a scrappy (lucky?) goal. England's mistake was trying to defend a 2min lead. All in all you had a very good Euros, no cigar I'll give you that. I find it bewildering at times, that me Johnny foreigner has to defend the English team.

[Leeds Ram]

so close yet so far ? I actually think we were very very unlucky not to win that game tbh. Italy were having a lot of the ball but in general we blunted them with it only really being chiesa causing us a few issues from memory (admittedly influenced by a lot of wine). The first 30 minutes we looked very good- kane dropping deep caused them all sorts of problems not knowing whether to get tight or defend the space and opened up the flanks for us to exploit.

Yes, we could have been a bit more forward thinking and got our ball carriers on earlier to open the game up and I think I would have gambled that we had better forwards than them. But this was an italian team unbeaten in 33 games with a monster backline and a beautiful midfield so I understand Southgate's reticence to do this in case they cut us to pieces on the counter as they did to spain. In the end we need to be very proud that we came so close and we will only get better for the world cup next year. 

[Bob The Badger]

27 minutes ago, Marriott Ram99 said:

I do think Southgate didn't get the maximum from the team at his disposal, Mount should have never been playing over Foden

Foden was injured.

[Ghost of Clough]

16 minutes ago, Dean (hick) Saunders said:

Thanks. What would we think of the idea though? (Of taking specialist kickers like in American Football). If we had 2-3 specialist kickers we could have called on we almost certainly would have won (with Pickfords saves).

Downside is weaker squad. As a couple of your favourites would not make the trip.

So who would you pick? Bear in mind that to take those extra 2/3 penalty takers, you'd have to weaken a different area of the squad.
English penalty takers last season:

Vardy - 8/9
Kane - 4/4
C Wilson - 4/4
Ward-Prowse - 3/4
Bamford - 2/2
Ings - 2/2
Sharp - 2/2
Barnes - 1/1
Mount - 1/1
Sancho - 1/1
Lingard - 1/2
Rice - 1/2
Watkins - 1/2
Lookman - 0/1
Lundstrum - 0/1
Sterling - 0/1
Welbeck - 0/1
J Willock - 0/1

[Marriot Ram99]

15 minutes ago, Bob The Badger said:

Foden was injured.

I know that but in previous games I think he should have played over Mount, he's a more skillful creative player probably has the best touch in the whole squad. 

[TuffLuff]

Anybody else think in part we just over “Eng-Er-Land” it all last night.

Dont get me wrong, games are won and lost on the pitch, but all this ‘it’s coming home’, bandwagoning by opportunistic politicians, the bloody red arrows (how much did that cost for 10 secs worth of telly), royal family and celebrities on screen etc etc. It’s just all a bit tacky and borders on arrogance and holds an expectation that does not help a young bunch of players and makes the downfall so much greater.

We can all get excited, but it was overwhelming beforehand to me. Let the football do the talking and let’s wind the rhetoric back a bit.

[Old Spalding Ram]

I think there could be a few of these!