England were supporting the Italians in the hope they could achieve qualification in their third game. Sturridge was sending messages of support to Pirlo and the rest via twitter…while the Daily Mail issued an article before the game between Italyand Costa Rica about how to behave when supporting Italy in World Cups, underlining the importance of pizza, watching lots of R.Baggio clips on Youtube and to abuse the ref as much as possible. Gary Lineker was also wearing an Italy polo shirt in the studio apparently…. bless him.
After the Italians defeat by Costa Rica (a defeat which may even cost them elimination from the tournament) the English started packing to return home after completing one of the worst ever campaigns in a World Cup in their 40 years of qualifying for it. This has not happened since 1962.
The english press approached this all with its normal routine default attitude.
They are trying every drama they can to show how to enjoy these eliminations. Just like the guy who has been rejected by the hot girl at the bar but acts above it…as if he dont care – only in their hearts and minds does he/they know how much suffering exists.
At this point we shouldnt ignore or forget how many bestselling books in the country have been written trying to explain and analyse England’s failures in world cups.
Obviously…the reasons vary from ‘penalty curse’ to more serious reasons but none of these books touch on the one single truth –England gets eliminated from tournaments because they don’t have a good enough squad.-Since whichever squad they bring will rely on two or three (maximum) of themost seriously over-hyped players in world football. Players who are hyped up by the powerful UK media that are without international experience, afraid, settled in their cocoons, who by and large full fill bit-part player roles in their clubs where the main guys pulling the strings are foreigners.
The English never had a GREAT world cup squad. Never. What they did have though was an identity ( hey jack…lol) . However this identity has been lost ever since the introduction of the Premier League.
Production of English players has gone down the drain with realistically only a foreigner (Wenger) doing the most to help England produce decent footballers who can pass , run, are comfortable on the ball , know what to do and when.
The few english players that are genuinely good are paid excessive millions way beyond their actual value/worth and also get over the top -exposed in media. This over the top-exposure clouds peoples judgement on their ability. A goal from Rooney in a derby suddenly becomes huge news and shown over 130 countries, while a goal from Reus in a German derby might go unnoticed. That should not mean that the former is a better footballer than the latter.
The premiership is the richest league and most organised and profitable league in the world. A league that generates billions is no guarantee that it will have a great national team too. If the sheiks tomorrow go crazy and bring to Qatar all the greatest players on earth they will also have a super rich league but their national squad will still be a bad one. The english might think that since they can buy the best players and have the best league product they can do the same with the national team. That is not the case. International football requires work, sacrifice, lots of sweat, and individual and collective ambition. The only thing the premier league offers are over-hyped overpaid millionaires for the national squad. nothing else.
Off course all this happens due to some cultural traits also…like living in their bubble/microcosm , always thinking of being more important than they are.
In the recent past the F.A very optimistically handed the keys to the national squad to McLaren after Errikson ( who took them to three consecutive quarter finals). A Manger the English media referred to as “McLown“. The F.A thought that a less dogmatic coach than the Swede was what was needed for the players to make the difference. Off course they were wrong. For Euro2008 they didn’t even qualify. Unable to beat teams like Croatia, Israel and Russia . Due to the fact that they don’t know who they are anymore( in a football sense at least). They followed the opposite extreme of selecting big names and paying for a world class manager : Fabio Capello.The best and the best managed to create a salad that went to S.Africa in 2010 and was humiliated by Germany with 4 goals!
Their ability to drive national coaches crazy is unparalleled in football history. Hodgson is no genius, I give you that, but he did built a tough and solid Switzerland around Chapuisat before Hitzfeld took over and also built teams with tough defences in Inter, Fulham etc.. Alas even this lover of catenaccio couldn’t resist the pressure of the media and presented a team in Brasil with a joke defence and a midfield unable to support the strikers/forwards.
It is this dumb practice coupled with standard gung-ho naivety ( a draw with Uruguay would still keep them in the chase, while they were charging forward in numbers to win the game in ‘glory’..) that has eliminated them form the World Cup.
In the crucial game of the group the difference was made by Luis Suarez…an international superstar and world class player…not just an EPL superstar….there is a huge difference.
Regular readers will have no problem guessing who wrote today’s piece.
Positively Arsenal 
When you look at some of the top managers in the Premier League, with their effortless command, not just of tactics, but also English, and you listen to their considered views about the game it seems reasonable to ask “where are the English equivaelnts?”. Why have so few managers and players in England got serious academic qualifications? Why is the game seemingly so closed to the middle classes? Why does it seem impossible to imagine English players moving to overseas clubs? All part of the problem I fear, but noone seems to be asking the questions at all. Instead we have a debate conducted by Chiles, Redknap and Allerdyce and ready to pour laughing scorn on the greatest and most intelligent manager ever seen in England.
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The problem? English players are thick. Their low intelligence (with a few exceptions) means they can’t learn foreign languages, so are of limited use abroad. Beckham moving to Spain was the best thing for England. Sterling is interesting Bayern apparently, that would be a great move, not just for him, but for England too. We need more of this. If we have 4 or 5 internationals that play abroad we would be so much better for it. But as I said earlier, the low intelligence limits who can do this well.
Players of the 70’s and 80’s were thick too. They are now the managers. They know football, but little else. Lack of intelligence equals lack of imagination. Playing internationally requires thought and adaptability on the hoof. Neither the players nor the manager seem capable. There seems to be no tactical nous when picking a team.
For example: Godin was on his last chance for 60 minutes. At no point in that time did Hodgson tell his team to attack that man at every chance. The first 2 times we had him in our pocket. A yellow and a final warning. We never threatened him again.
Gerrard needs to retire from England duty. As does Frank. Thanks for turning up.
We need to see if a Henderson/Wilshere midfield partnership can work. But no we give another soft cap to Lampard.Says it all.
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Well I could not fault the passion
I think the critique is a little weak
The analysis appears to run along the line of;
The England football team is no good, and never was any good
Because English players are no good and never were any good
And English players are no good because the managers are no good and never were
Fair enough so far
But it sort of splutters to a halt at that point in a blaze of righteous indignation !
Is it a two parter or am I missing something ?
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Nice write up. Who wrote it? George? Was it you?
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It is true that England has an inflated opinion of some of its footballers. Perhaps also deflated opinion of others, as the commenters on here have noted previously. But they are not alone. I find Brazil is a good example. Huge sense of entitlement. Joga bonito and selecao and other words in Portuguese. But look at the national team now. Not very good. The only pattern I see is players chosen as athletes first and footballers second, but that is just my simple observation.
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My sentiments exactly. Amen
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To be fair Dom the English players low level of intelligence matches that of the fans – surely ?
As for the linguistic aptitude of footballers it seems to me that those who come from countries where, to make a good career, they are likely to have to move abroad such as Holland, France and Belgium seem to have an excellent command of multiple languages, and as for Adebayor what a cunning linguist he is.
Spaniards and Italians are not quite so adept or willing, and with South Americans you just never know. Suarez, despite his four years in Europe with Ajax and LFC, did not understand the use of the word “negro” whilst having an on field row.
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I have no real idea who the author of the Post is, but if I were to hazard a guess, I think it might be Hunter.
Actually an interesting view of the long term causes leading to England’s demise at the current WC, but is slightly contradictory in that, as pointed out, the FA have recruited what were perceived to be top class foreign managers, but like everyone since Alf Ramsey, they too failed.
The author has tried to widen out the possible reasons for England’s consistent inability to make a serious dent in international competitions, but there are other factors that need to be considered too.
For example, more that one ex-international player has said that the Premierships refusal to take a winter break before tournaments inevitably leads to burnout during the competitions, and if that is true, it would be fairly simple to address.
By far the biggest influence, in my opinion, is that ‘small’ countries that used to be considered fodder for the more established footballing nations, have become much better able to challenge the ‘bigger’ footballing nations, like England, and this levelling up has been shown to great affect in the current World Cup, by Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Algeria and, dare I say it, even by the USA.
That is subjective, I accept, but as someone once said about the Premiership, ‘there are no easy games, anymore’ and that truth is even more true of the World Cup.
Perhaps England needs to re-think, re-structure, perhaps restrict foreign player imports to the Premiership – but it will not be easy with many competing factors acting against its national interests as opposed to the overpowering commercial interests of the clubs.
And – no – I do not have the answers to England’s football problems, but then I am not English.:-)
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This whole thing about English players being un-intellegent seems to be a rather narrow viewpoint and is probably just based on listening to Robbie Savage! I think a wider view of the education systems of different countries needs to taken into consideration. In the UK, other languages are not deemed as important, and it is rare for a school to have another language as compulsory. However, in France, Germany, Holland, the Scandinavian countries, many African nations and South America, English is obligatory and therefore, the ability to learn other languages becomes easier. As an ex -pat living in France who had no other language learning at school, I can assure you that it is not an easy task. Especially when you are struggling with a foreign language and the person you are speaking to then says, “it’s ok, I speak English”. It is easy for people to make judgement calls on footballers about their education and intellegence without truly thinking through the issues.
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I agree with Ani (there’s a first! )
I do hope this odd little piece was in George’s pipeline (oooh err) for a while and wasnt hastily shat out as a result of the hysterics yesterday?
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You should make them suffer NB
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English football, along with most other things, including manufacturing, etc has suffered way before England managed to fluke a world cup victory.
A combination of victorian imperialistic arrogance, class bigotry, old school tie networks, mis management, inertia and greed have seen to it that the national game stagnated and fell way behind the rest of the world.
Add to that the political agendas that decreed it so that school playing fields were sold off, a culture of Playstations, media hysteria about perverts on every street corner and a complete lack of decent qualified football coaches and you can understand why it’s a fucking miracle we manage to get a bloody tournament!
Anyhoo, gotta run…
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Clearly I shall be glued to the game from Belo Horizonte this afternoon but if I were a football purist it would be the game in Natal that captured me.
Two sides who were fancied as firm QF contenders and potential semi finalists, and one on the way home tomorrow.
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Anicoll
I used to make my ex wife suffer…. it was compulsory for her to scream YES YES YESSS instead of OUI OUI OUIIIIII
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Thanks guys for your kind words re yesterday’s post. So busy I missed the opportunity to respond earlier. I would hope that after so many years after debating among ourselves we would have learnt to be always respectful of each other.
Don’t forget how we were appalled by the disrespect we felt elsewhere for having a different point of view.
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Northbank1969 i couldn’t agree more with your comment spot on!
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NB Relieved you never went down the watersports route with your ex.
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i smell hunter!
football is a team sport. i dont believe in average players in tournament squad but average teams. it will be difficult for even the critics of english football to argue that costa rica have better players than england. or italy and uruguay. what they have is a better team selected from an average squad of players. one or two super star is what you need to make a difference in a team sport when your average players are well blended in a style that allows them to make the best of their super star/s.
all these ingredients england unfortunately presently lack. no single world class or super star ( but have dozens of overhyped ) players who can make a difference.
their style of football is so rigid that players who even might have help out are required to play in a typical way. whatever formation they try to adopt, they fail to adapt. england dont allow their talented players like wilshere to express themselves. they are constantly haunted for one or two mistakes they make when trying to dribble or play through a pass in difficult situations. how often do players like messi, naymer, suarez, benzema, ribery, iniesta, gotze, rues, even campbell get scolded for losing the ball while trying to dribble past an opponent?
like i said, you can have a good team, and average team or below average team. but the teams that perform the best are the very good ones.
if a team fails to qualify from its group, that makes the team a below avarage team irrespective of players that make up the squad. so one of italy and uruguay will count as below average team in my book. an average team is at least expected to make it out of its group. while the good ones are expected to progress futher.
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This >
“how often do players like messi, naymer, suarez, benzema, ribery, iniesta, gotze, rues, even campbell get scolded for losing the ball while trying to dribble past an opponent?”
As opposed to Lumpard:
“Our game (ze Eeeeeengleeeesh game) is based on pace….yadda yadda yadda….”
Of which he has none. Never had. What the blunt is he on about? Anyone have any idea? I though he was meant to be “a good talker”? Nonsensical gobbledygook.
Phil Neville, son of Neville Neville, discredited coach and promoted plundit/plum (over Keown, someone who actually knows his football? Someone who wrote a decent report that pre-empted Dykes review, and for those efforts he was ignored…in favour of Danny Mills and the Nevilles) brother of Gary Neville the England coach:
“Too many short passes…yadda yadda yadda”. Spare me. Please. Imagine Phil Neville coaching Van Judas: AW has a cruel yet brilliant mind. Ruthless.
Martin Keown:
“Arsene. Wenger taught me how to play football”, his words, not mine. Or Hunter’s.
I’m not going to argue with him!
The end. Case concluded.
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Fins
There is a long history of talented english players (yes, there actually were a few) being overlooked for the national side as they didnt fit the mold, were mavericks, not team players, or werent brick shite houses etc.
Added to that is the “british curse” that befell Arsenal players like Adams, merson, Parlour etc; having too much time, money and not enough imagination to do anything other than get completely fucked up on booze, drugs and gambling. So even when we did have talented players i the side (Gazza) their careers were cut short or didnt reach their full potential.
I mean, IF gazza was as sober and dull as Shearer he would definitely been able to reach that ball and score the winner vs the germans in ’96!
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Hodgson’s had his team playing good football in 2013 with a three man midfield, but changed it all relatively late on trying to squeeze Welbeck alongside Sturridge, Sterling and Rooney out which only the rookie is probably the only one capable of playing in midfield, or at least helping them out! Who knows why, the Scouse thing?
To be fair the views from Castle Hindsight can be spectacular but it was fair to question him before the tournament started for leaving out the best performing LB in the league, and I did. They went on to lose the games by small margins, there was possibly some mild tilting going on in the last game (mild compared to say the opening game!), Godin was lucky. But overall I feel that they were not good enough to justify anyone being upset at an early exit. Italy could’ve scored a few more, so could’ve Uruguay.
The only problem I had with the ‘Arry comments that were being discussed was that ‘Arry and his pals in the meedjah are only making those and other comments in order to try and force a sacking so he can run for the job again.
Arsenal fans should not be arguing over comments made by that disingenuous toad!
For me disagreements are fine, always have been, as long as people are not disingenuous.
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There is a long history of talented english players (yes, there actually were a few)
name them
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Dex
Exactly! If you’d been on the blog (IBSF) you’ve read my comments on Le Tissier too in the build up to the WC you are correct.
Pirlo is still playing at his age, and it’s not because he followed the Ricky Hatton training regime. Whereas Rooney…he took it to the next level.
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Steady.
Le Tissier covers all the bases:
Talented, insular, ignored by coaches, the full Monty.
No surprises his former club are alongside the progressives like Arsenal and Crewe and …(…any others we can add to that list?…yes there is a Scouse pool I suppose, but it seems to go bad once they get over 20!)…when it comes to coaching the kiddies.
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Lets start with the ones who won far fewer England caps than their talents should have demanded;
Greaves, Baker, Kendall, Hudson, Currie, Marsh, Bowles, Worthington, George.
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Hunter; name them? Why? Fuck me, you really havent got a clue. Tell you what, you seem to have an inordinant amount of time on your hands, why dont you do some research for a change instead of spouting hysterical drivel?
—————————
On a different topic (please gawd), Francis Ciquelin looks to be heading back to France. That’s a real shame things didnt work out for him. he was yet another yute teamer whose progress I’d followed. I really thought he would be a decent 1st team squad member for us. Playing at RB and in midfield too. He equitted himself well vs the chavs until that snide cheating (foreign obvs) twat Ramires “did” him which was all the more galling as his nasty challenge was completely overlooked by the ref and 4 seconds later the chavs scored!
Good luck Coq
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My God David Rocastle played less times for England than Carlton Palmer !
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Fins and Ani
True dudes, thanks. I’d also suggest Brooking, Regis, Rocastle, Daley, Pele, Cruyff, Hoddle, Waddle, Beardsley and who was that bloke who played for QPR back in the day?
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I think Le Tissier definitely shows up the english problem with gifted players Fins to a tee.
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Fins at 2.08pm Great post man. If only such wisdom in the last paragraph could be retained within the confines of one’s brain, instead of disapearing out of one’s aural orifice!
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Dexter
June 24, 2014 at 2:23 pm
drivel ? lol……
i still havent figured how you can connect me laughing at ‘arry for his arrogant disrespectful comments on italy with words like racism but there you go ……
and dont you please gawd anything….it is you who associate your national pride with your football team and got offended for somehting which is a universal truth…england sucks at footy and those who suck have no fucking right calling 4 times world cup champions average FULLSTOP
perhaps now you understand why anyone would have issues with such hypocricy………
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Once upon a time West ham had a vaguely promising youth team. Not world beaters but definitely people who could play football.
Then came ‘Arry.*
If you are not careful Arry’s gonna get cha.
*i suppose seeing that on the C.V. Was enough for Tony ‘the laundry’ Fernandes, who is allegedly an expert businessman of which I have sincerely no doubt. He knows how to move his numbers.
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“Thanks guys for your kind words re yesterday’s post. So busy I missed the opportunity to respond earlier. I would hope that after so many years after debating among ourselves we would have learnt to be always respectful of each other.
Don’t forget how we were appalled by the disrespect we felt elsewhere for having a different point of view.”
Post of the year from Shotta that.
I dont think is fair to say that English players are any thicker than players from other countries.
But it is fair to say that a larger % of the thick ones find a job in the media.
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Oh and Dex. I didn’t write it but it was written prior to yesterday.
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Le Tissier was never fit enough to play in a tournament.
By fit in mean athletically fit.
Waddle was gifted.
Gazza was insanely gifted, and insane.
Sol was never picked – I’m not going to discuss that.
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I don’t think Harry did himself any favours in the bid to position himself for the England job when he spilled the beans on his Spud players not wanting to play for England and failing either to name names or indicate that he had refused to offer them the fitness excuses–on the contrary it seems he acquiesced to those requests, doesn’t it?
England, full of Liverpool players this time and Spud players in the last tournament and qualification. No wonder it has been disappointing. Look what the Spuds have done to Paulinho and Mou at Chelsea done to Oscar!
But like Fins, I think it was quite possible to raise questions about the England selection. Before Uruguay I said that this reliance on Liverpool players and young players from Southhampton and Everton exposed a lack of CL experience in the team that might cost them in big games. I also went against the Rooney scapegoating and believed he should be playing centrally in 10 or 9, he did and proved to be the only really effective player. I noted that Baines was a defensive liability and that Henderson added little. Against Italy, there wasn’t much pressure because England didn’t expect to just go out and beat them. But there was big pressure on the Uruguay match and the group collapsed. The concerns were there to be raised–it is true that a lot of the reaction has been hyperbolic, reactionary and scapegoating in hindsight in the media. But on this forum (fins, passenal, fungunner and others), I think there were reasonable questions articulated before the tournament and cautionary views expressed despite the good performance v. Italy when, paradoxically, expectations seemed to grow out of a loss! And of course it is natural that we would favour our players and believe that Gibbs, Ox and Wilshere are better than many of their counterparts who were picked or played ahead of them. It is an Arsenal blog after all! We can’t apologize for believing England would be better with more Arsenal players, technically strong and more experienced in the CL than most of the other young English players.
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Christ are you STILL whining about that? I made my point yesterday. Move on already. You make sweeping unfounded generalisations based on nationality, nothing else. What Arry says is irrelevant (always was, always is).
I suggest you use George’s dickshunarry, if you can find it for him and look up the word hypocrisy.
Huddersfiled Town are a super power using your flawed as fuck logic.
You still dont get it, you tedious twat.
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Rodney Marsh?
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I really do believe the quality and the talent of the English squad is good enough , As a team unit the are horrible , play like a bunch of individuals .
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Shotta’s fine words fall on barren ground.(so says a tedious twat-me )
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Colin Bell
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“Don’t forget how we were appalled by the disrespect we felt elsewhere for having a different point of view.”
but this is not about that…..this is about an idiot who cant take hard facts losing it and calling people racists and telling them to fuck off cause they ruin the forum etc etc….an idiot who made it personal just because ‘arry is a nobody and certainly not qualified to pass judgement on italy, uruguay or anyone…..
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Just to put the record straight, I never said the English players were thick, but I did suggest that they were not encouraged to pursue an education. I think I’m right to say that Giroud went to University (as did AW) and it is perhaps no coincidence that he is still developing as a player whereas the similarly aged Rooney has perhaps already seen his best days..
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I do think, though, that Anicoll has a good general point that the infernal scapegoating and witch hunt in the media is both predictable, unjustified and sad. I don’t think most reasonable English fans are unsupportive of the players or Hodgson from what I have heard–those in England can inform us on what is being talked about by reasonable people at home and in the office, at the pub after work.
But, frankly Neal Ashton’s torch carrying to burn down the FA unless they tie Hodgson as a sacrifice on a stake to roast him is ridiculous. He may have made mistakes but he has taken the job very seriously and been dignified. He’s a good guy and it isn’t entirely his fault that the best young players, whom he has been encouraged to build his side around, don’t have that much CL experience as they have come through in clubs without CL football. Jack has been injured, the Ox was injured. The real mistake is that Gibbs wasn’t brought in and given a chance to displace Baines which might have helped England a little bit v. Italy and Uruguay, though wouldn’t have been likely to be decisive. It was a tough group and England just isn’t that good. Maybe these young players will develop together and prove more effective in the Euros.
For us, we just want to see Jack stay fit and achieve his potential. I think the Ox is developing well but also has been troubled by injuries. Gibbs is a gem. He should get a chance in the new set up. But if he doesn’t–it helps Arsenal.
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People on here are free to express themselves with any language and tone they like.
Just like talking loud on the phone when on public transport, its not illegal, but the other passengers don’t like it.
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Racist? Pffft. Never said you were racist. You still dont get it.
You have a tendency to go overboard, shall we say, to the point where you get people’s backs up (you know who you are), as I probably do too!
But you have let a completely benign comment about Italy and uruguay not being as strong as they have been in previous years, turn into a massive deal (for you). resulting in you castigating english football fans as all being arrogant etc etc and suggesting england has never produced any decent footballers, or teams even.
The fact that you have got me defending this shite, shows how fucked up the whole debacle is!
Just look at your request for me to name talented english players, as if there never have been any for gawd sake! Pffft again!
But when Fins, Ani and myself happened to name a few you didnt seem to want to even acknowledge that did you?
Why was that, you blog wrecker you!?
Now move the fuck on. Oops, that one slipped out George.
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Marsh was the one, thanks FH!
Trust george to come up with a Bell at the end.
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LG, I think the problem for international managers with Kieron Gibbs is a concern about his fitness and doubt as to whether he is a player who you could rely on. I don’t think anyone has any worries about his footballing ability.
His fitness has improved over the past couple of seasons but even I have my doubts as to him playing maybe 8-10 games in just five weeks in the World Cup proper and warm up games.
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Anicoll, that is a fair point. But I think he has been better the last couple seasons as you mention and would have been worth including over Luke Shaw, don’t you think? I don’t think 8-10 games in 5 weeks is too heavy a burden–he has put many stretches of games like that together recently and played very well including better and better defending to go with his vibrant attacking flair, keeping out a Spain international who didn’t make their team as a result. I feel that should have earned some attention and consideration. I think he wasn’t even mentioned as being in the mix once Cole was not going to play. How was it that the media never even mentioned his name? He has been overlooked a bit too much, it feels to me.
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LSG
You can almost set your watch by it, the media witch hunt is that predictable. The knives were being sharpened a bit before the world cup, even though there was almost consensus that no one felt England would do well and it was yet another building for the future blah blah blah…
The media slated Bobby Robson at the time too, while their bile for Graham Taylor was horrid. Not saying he was a genius, but no one deserves that, well apart from Hunter obvs (I kid, I josh!).
But I agree with Ani (fuck me, again) and as a Gooner, I am glad Gibbs didnt get picked. cashley should have gone, but the clamour was for Shaw, who isnt ready yet.
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