England Fan 'Safe Zone'

[BlueStevie35]

So apparently the senior players lost all faith in Hodgson and were dismayed at Sterling's selection last night. Sound's familiar that

 

[toffeejack]

So apparently the senior players lost all faith in Hodgson and were dismayed at Sterling's selection last night. Sound's familiar that

just an excuse. If it's not then what the welsh players said about them having no pride or passion was completely correct.

 

[Gadfly]

Can't remember how they played to be honest.

They played to their strengths.

 

[Billy Dean]

They played to their strengths.

What are England's strenghts mate?

 

[rascal]

Rashford should have been on twenty minutes earlier, IMO.

 

[davmaher]

I'd disagree

Playing our best team, we'd be Quarters at worst

The problem is, we never pick our best team and haven't since probably Euro 96. We're a slave to selecting players based on what club team they play for instead of whether they are in form or fit into the formation/plan

There is simply no excuse for taking an out of form and unfit Jack Wilshire into the tournament when Danny Drinkwater has had the season he's just had

We loaded up on strikers, but didn't take a proper physical CF in the form of a Carrol so that we had a Plan B. Unleashing him and Rashford in the latter stages against a tiring Icelandic team would have been a massive game changer

If you're going to take a Ross Barkley and are looking to rotate the team, at least let him get on the field for a bit in case he creates a piece of magic out of nowhere that he can sometimes do

Basically, England will never improve beyond this unless they start selecting the right players, as opposed to players who have a "name" or wear the shirt of one of the big SKY sides

I'd agree with all of this. I'd also say that "selecting the right players" isn't just about ability. It's also about mental strength and coping under pressure. Drinkwater would have been a good choice for this reason as much as for his performances last season. He played out of his skin when Leicester were in the title run in and coped amazingly with the pressure. Compare this with the Spurs players, who wilted to a man and blew their chance when the pressure was really on. So what does Hodgson do? Ignores the guy who has shown he can cope and selects those who couldn't. Surprise, surprise, when it comes to the games where spirit, determination and strength of character are needed the Spurs players (apart from Dier) fade. I think Sterling is another who hasn't got the mental strength to perform at this level. Townsend would have been a better bet as, although Newcastle ended up relegated, he performed well for them at the pressure end of the season. When it comes to selection we should be looking for players with the right character as much as the right skills set. This would mean having a manager who is not in thrall to the media and who is strong enough to make his own selections rather than, as you have said, going for the populist choices based on who they play for or who are now flavour of the month.

 

[Gadfly]

What are England's strenghts mate?

Good point!

Although we've got two strikers with 20+ league goals each, not many other teams have that.

The big man/little man double act worked well for France against Ireland when they effectively played 442. Couldn't England try that?

Think England's biggest problem is a lack of good footballers. Gylfi Sigurddson would be a guaranteed starter if he was English and probably be playing for a top 4 side.

 

[Billy Dean]

Good point!

Although we've got two strikers with 20+ league goals each, not many other teams have that.

The big man/little man double act worked well for France against Ireland when they effectively played 442. Couldn't England try that?

Think England's biggest problem is a lack of good footballers. Gylfi Sigurddson would be a guaranteed starter if he was English and probably be playing for a top 4 side.

Spot on. And coaches. Our saving grace is that we seem to have some good young players coming through (hopefully)

 

[catcherintherye]

The difference is Iceland embrace what they are, as do teams like Italy and Germany

We're ashamed of what we are, which is why we try and play a style that doesn't suit us

Germany can play nice togger as it's in their DNA

Spain can do Tikki-Takka because it's part of their DNA

We need to realise it's a results game and start playing accordingly

4-4-2, big lad up front, speedy wingers and a well drilled defense

I think there is a lot in this. England for me are a bit caught between two stools. They have too many players to basically just pick the lads who play for PL (or top league) players and fit them into a system. Alternatively they like the quality and depth of talent that the top nations have and probably most importantly don't produce players that have an awful lot of footballing intelligence. A Spanish, German, French lads can easily blend in to different styles and systems but this is something that is lacking for England.

For me that's a big problem for England. They don't know whether to embrace the plucky underdogs tag or try to play like champions. They are neither of these things. Hodgson as a manager typified this approach by vacillating between the two. Inherently his instincts teach him to be cautious but the press and fans demand he try and play like Brazil. What you get is a fusion between the two that doesn't work.

Sometimes lack of abundance of talent has advantages. If you take Wales it means often the same players get picked through thick and thin and can grow together. Everton had something similar in 2004/5. Players out very few in but it allowed a spirit to develop. Moyes rarely tinkered with us and a continuity was built. England have too many players for that though.

When you talk about playing to our strengths it does amaze me when people say we don't have wingers. We have Townsend and Albrighton who could play either size. What people mean by this is we don't have wingers who are deemed as massively fashionable with the (Londoncentric) media. While Albrighton would probably not get a game for France or Germany, would he get a game for Wales? In all likelihood yes. Are England pitching themselves at the wrong level? Possibly.

There are other lads who I fit into that category too. Dann, Shawcross, Drinkwater, Deeney, Noble- can anyone say these lads have not had more consistent seasons than lads in their positions in the squad (ie Cahill, Henderson, Wiltshire, Sturridge, Rashford, Sterling). It's fine saying who you want in but you also have to say who you want out. It's hard on Rashford who has been a bright spark but I still think Deeney may have been a better option.

What I saw on Monday was what I've seen in most tournaments. England have too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Look at Wales (a relevant comparison) they have 1 lad who's given a free role, one lad who has a semi free role and 8 other outfield players who do whatever it takes to accommodate them. In a good team that is the balance you need. In England we have too many players who want to be the Bale and frankly none of them live up to it. There are too many big name Charlie's who think they are better than what they are. Hart, Sturridge, Sterling, Kane, Alli all fit into this criteria.

We are conditioned watching the premier league to view the English star players as the key men, Why did Lampard/Gerrard not work. Possibly because they both played in front of Makelele/Alonso who were exceptional in allowing them two to provide their magic. Only when Hargreaves came in back then did performances improve, and Haargreaves was roundly thrown under the bus by the media and England fans before his inclusion.

Every one of the lads I mentioned are Indians not chiefs. They are not big time Charlie's but hard working premier league players who can fit in to what needs to be done to win a game. A lad like Deeney is the perfect foil for a better partner. Noble and Drinkwater, even from the bench would give England a stability. Dann and Shawcross would organise and head balls away.

It will never happen though as the nature of the debate is suppressed by the media and then by the fans of the op teams who will never have it that their players are overrated. Gerrard will always be world class. Terry will still be the answer for England for Chelsea fans. The media will never allow lads who aren't fashionable to get a proper look in. A lad like Sterling will walk into the side, irrespective of form or ability because if he doesn't the media will hound the manager. Once you start as Hodgson did, appeasing the media you will be on the road to disaster.