UEFA Euro 2024 Thread

[Returning ram]

15 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Yeah I suppose as underdogs it'd be a good result.

Sorry Roy but I don't understand your point. Regardless of if your favourite or underdog, winning something that as a nation we have never done before, would be something to be proud off. 
 

I can't get on board your mentality that winning a league or a cup isn't an achievement to be celebrate, seems strange to me 🤔

[TomTom92]

Southgate has taken us back to 2016, the way I see it is as below:

2018: Pure vibes, got us playing for the shirt and a favourable draw saw us get a semi. 
 
2021: Peak Southgate, had the momentum from the WC, plus the squad was better, should’ve won the final.

2022: Vibes no longer as strong but the squad is the best it’s ever been. Poor tactics and Kane bottling it cost us.

2024: Most fans have had enough. Poor balance in squad. Got a match to try and work out a system that works. Can see us getting ko’d in the last 16.

[ariotofmyown]

47 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

I'll be waiting for it to happen then because as per every other tournament he's taken us into, it hasn't. 😄

"he's taken"

FFS, we've were basically rubbish in all tournaments since Euro 96. (We were even pretty rubbish in Italia 90 but it's remembered as a great effort because we played well in the semi final.)

Southgate has the best tournament record of all England Managers ever, except Ramsey. (Although the disaster vs West Germany in 1970 arguably partly negates 66. We were also pretty rubbish for much of 66 aparently too).

If you just go into matches without English exceptionalism, you could just accept we are 1 of about 6 teams with lots of good players who may win the tournament.

We are basically in the 2nd round, where we'll probably beat a poorer side to make the quarters. If things go our way and we improve, we could win it. We could also improve loads and lose vs a top team in a close game.

All the boring whining about Southgate is so dull. Hardly no complaints about the players, even though they are all really good.

It you think England, or the national team you support, will win tournaments playing great football, you are never going to get what you want.

 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

2 minutes ago, TomTom92 said:

Southgate has taken us back to 2016, the way I see it is as below:

2018: Pure vibes, got us playing for the shirt and a favourable draw saw us get a semi. 
 
2021: Peak Southgate, had the momentum from the WC, plus the squad was better, should’ve won the final.

2022: Vibes no longer as strong but the squad is the best it’s ever been. Poor tactics and Kane bottling it cost us.

2024: Most fans have had enough. Poor balance in squad. Got a match to try and work out a system that works. Can see us getting ko’d in the last 16.

The thought that crossed my mind today was that it was very England 2006 - 2016.

[ariotofmyown]

12 minutes ago, Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster said:

Incredibly disappointing and depressing game. Southgate always seems to pick his 11 favourites " du jour " and attempts to crowbar them into a team, even if they're woefully out of position. We've not got 2 players per position that play naturally in that position week in, week out in the Premier League.

We've picked an invalid at left back that may not even be fit in the whole tournament, and even if he is he hasn't played for 4 months. s*** options in central midfield.

Our squad essentially seems to be:

Pickford in goal + 2, as we have to select 3 goalies.

Central Defence -  Stone, Guehi ( who was a bit of a risk, but has performed well so far ) but nothing of note as back up.

RB/LB - Kyle Walker. Thank the Lord for him, Trippier and err, that's it apart from sicknote. He's not that good to be waiting on his fitness for weeks.

Central Midfield - Rice. And that's it. Who can we crowbar in alongside him? Let's try a RB/ occaisional wingback shall we. He's popular.

Wingers - Let's use Foden as left winger shall we? Because we can't drop him. Even though it's not where he plays for arguably the best club side in the world. Right wing Saka, at least he's half decent there.

Strikers - Let's just go with Harry Kane, then not sub him until he's found out when the game has moved beyond our control.

And we'll play our joker. Our Saviour St Jude of Bellingham. He'll rescue us - except when he's marked out of the game, and our plan goes to s***.

As for the other 14 places in our 26 man squad, we'll just pick 14 young popular players, from the Prem irrespective of what position they play in, because it looks cool and futuristic, whilst ignoring we haven't even got solid starters and cover players for our basic positions. And ignoring that some of them only look good because they are gradually integrated into established Prem teams, without international experience. Only 4 or 5 of them will figure to any extent in the tournament, but hey, it's radical!

It feels like Southgate has just picked the squad on a popularity vote. " Just get them in there " Shake the runes up, cast them and see where they land. Like football Alphabet Spaghetti.

The crime of not getting at least one player, natural in his position, alongside cover for that position exasperates me. It's like the team was chosen on player ratings for the last game day in the Premier League.

Random, unbalanced team. Randomly trying to fit them in together. Not playing players in the positions they excel at for their teams.

Grrr. It makes me angry. And he's reportedly on £6m a year to oversee this random experiment. The only plus point is he's got rid of the " club cliques " that used to exist in the England squad.

But he's a clueless tactician. Sometimes the team clicks despite him, not BECAUSE of him.

Rant over, apologies.

Please list the glaring ommisions from the squad and the starting 11 we should be playing. Maybe 2 of the starting 11 might be different perhaps? Even though Southgate only picks his "favourite 11"? Laughable, over-the-top talksport clickbait style comments.

[RoyMac5]

8 minutes ago, Returning ram said:

Sorry Roy but I don't understand your point. Regardless of if your favourite or underdog, winning something that as a nation we have never done before, would be something to be proud off. 
 

I can't get on board your mentality that winning a league or a cup isn't an achievement to be celebrate, seems strange to me 🤔

Didn't say that but you keep going with your pick pick picking mate. 😄

[RoyMac5]

6 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

Southgate has the best tournament record of all England Managers ever, except Ramsey. (Although the disaster vs West Germany in 1970 arguably partly negates 66. We were also pretty rubbish for much of 66 aparently too).

Oh goody goody.

 

[DavesaRam]

I posted on Facebook that I’d rather watch early season Derby County!

Talking of Facebook, there was a meme explaining betting odds. So, say you get odds of 12 - 1 for England to win the Euros: if you put a £10 bet on, you will lose £10!

[FlyBritishMidland]

4 minutes ago, TomTom92 said:

Southgate has taken us back to 2016, the way I see it is as below:

2018: Pure vibes, got us playing for the shirt and a favourable draw saw us get a semi. 
 
2021: Peak Southgate, had the momentum from the WC, plus the squad was better, should’ve won the final.

2022: Vibes no longer as strong but the squad is the best it’s ever been. Poor tactics and Kane bottling it cost us.

2024: Most fans have had enough. Poor balance in squad. Got a match to try and work out a system that works. Can see us getting ko’d in the last 16.

I think there’s a link to expectation.  He took over when we were at a low ebb having just gone out of the Euro’s to Iceland.  He lifted the spirits and went into the 2018 WC without much expectation.  We got to the semis and went out to a good Croatia team.  I agree, 2021 was his peak.  We lost on pens but I don’t think he managed that final well, from sitting back after going ahead to the late subs in ET.

Then expectations are raised.  And we do have some of the best attacking players in the world with Kane, Foden, Saka and Bellingham.  I wonder if he’s now too scared of not living up to expectations, it’s made him frightened of losing.

[ariotofmyown]

3 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Oh goody goody.

 

You are clearly not happy with Southgate's record then and mock it, when it's vastly better than nearly all other managers. You have nothing else to offer. There are hardly any other options. You will never be satisfied. 

[Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster]

1 minute ago, abertawe_ram said:

Just out of interest, what would your 26 man squad and starting 11 be?

Well, to start with, without going into names, as it would take ages -  I'd have started selecting  the best 3 Goalies(because you have to) 2x FIT LBs, 2 x RBs, 4 x Central Defenders, 2 x Left Mids/AMs 4 x Central Mids  2 x RM/AMs and 3 X Strikers. Then 3 x " Wildcards" of young talent to take the odd risk on. We haven't even started a second natural CM in this tournament to play alongside Rice, so we play TAA. Totally unbalanced squad selection.

[eddielewis]

If anyone needs a pick me up from today's performance

[RoyMac5]

4 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

You are clearly not happy with Southgate's record then and mock it, when it's vastly better than nearly all other managers. You have nothing else to offer. There are hardly any other options. You will never be satisfied. 

You said it wasn't enough to want us to play well. What has that to do with records. Southgate is an ordinary manager - but a lovely man. What have we won. When we fluke the Euros ask me again.

[Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster]

We have a lot of players that perform well in the Premier League and the Major European competitions week in week out. Select them in the positions they excel in. If you have 2 players excelling in the same position, start with one, then bring the other one one with fresh legs later in the game. It's not rocket science. Square pegs, square holes.

We ( Southgate) tends to just pick the biggest names in the same team and hope for the best.

 

[Gritstone Ram]

If Southgate was the manager of Man City they would finish about 10th in the league.

[Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster]

1 hour ago, IlsonDerby said:

                   Pickford 

           Walker Stones Guehi

    TAA        Rice     Gallagher        Saka 

              Foden      Bellingham 

                       Kane 

 

Not ideal but until we have a left back fit let’s play with wingbacks. 

I like that. Good call. At least they're all (mostly) playing in the positions they've excelled at for the majority of their successful playing careers.

Edited June 20 by Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster

[ariotofmyown]

6 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

You said it wasn't enough to want us to play well. What has that to do with records. Southgate is an ordinary manager - but a lovely man. What have we won. When we fluke the Euros ask me again.

Think you are mixing me up with other posters. I was laughing at you as you write Southgate off as he's failed to win a tournament, even though he's got closer than all other managers bar one. 

[Gritstone Ram]

1 hour ago, IlsonDerby said:

                   Pickford 

           Walker Stones Guehi

    TAA        Rice     Gallagher        Saka 

              Foden      Bellingham 

                       Kane 

 

Not ideal but until we have a left back fit let’s play with wingbacks. 

It won’t happen we need 5 defenders and two defensive midfielders at least and everyone behind the ball if we score.

[Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster]

26 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

Please list the glaring ommisions from the squad and the starting 11 we should be playing. Maybe 2 of the starting 11 might be different perhaps? Even though Southgate only picks his "favourite 11"? Laughable, over-the-top talksport clickbait style comments.

Foden on left wing and TAA as the only supporting CM alongside Rice is an odd choice. And it didn't work in either of our first 2 games. The team was totally unbalanced and it showed.

 

[ariotofmyown]

Just now, Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster said:

Foden on left wing and TAA as the only supporting CM alongside Rice is an odd choice. And it didn't work in either of our first 2 games. The team was totally unbalanced and it showed.

 

But you said Southgate just picks his 11 favourites, but seem to agree with 9 of these. Foden also played 10 times on left wing for City last year.