The Fallout Thread

[GlosBlue]

Positives: Pickford, Maguire, Trippier, winning a penalty shoot-out, playing some decent stuff at time, not being eliminated by a poor side
Negatives: There's no leader. Yesterday was crying out for a Pearce, Adams, Keown, or Shearer. The squad is thin - lack of good options off the bench. The's lack of imagination in midfield. Ali, Sterling, and Lingard were cr@p all tournament so we should just be thankful we got to the semis

Maguire was not a positive for me. He was a spectator for the Croatia winner. Him and Stones are not a solid combination. A threat going forward maybe but that's not what I want my defence to be doing anyway!

 

[dublinbluenose]

Puts it to bed nicely

 

[GlosBlue]

I think the better team won last night.

However, I do believe that with this England team we have most of the blocks in place to strongly challenge at the next Euro's. There are a few areas that need improving but Gareth will have noted this and will be amending it ready for our game against Spain on 8th September.

Gareth won't have noted anything. He will start the Spain game with exactly the same team regardless. Then ignore how the match is actually going and make random subs late in second half. We have zero quality in midfield, one striker and a defence that doesn't inspire confidence. It was almost like they just assumed Pickford would sort everything for them!

 

[GlosBlue]

Ha ha. I wondered how long it would be before it was all Tottenham's fault. I could have predicted that with 100% certainty (EFC seemingly have at least that one thing in common with the RS/Woolwich).

I'm not laying the blame at Tottenham's door - no one turned up yesterday, but Alli and Kane really disappointed yesterday. Do you not agree?

 

[degsy]

I like the group of players that went there, and I think that they'll do well in Euro 2020.

If we do, plenty in that group wont be there...god knows who their replacements will be.
I dont see any on the horizon
Due to the massive foreign influx of players, we're fishing in a small and ever diminishing pool of talent.

Depending what sort of Brexit we get, hard or soft boiled, somebody might even try to bring back in the 3 foreign player rule they tried in the late 80s/early 90s
Cue premier league implosion and general chaos.

It'll be another 28yrs before England make a world cup semi...especially if it goes up to 48 teams, aka, more potential banana skins

 

[degsy]

Gareth won't have noted anything. He will start the Spain game with exactly the same team regardless. Then ignore how the match is actually going and make random subs late in second half. We have zero quality in midfield, one striker and a defence that doesn't inspire confidence. It was almost like they just assumed Pickford would sort everything for them!

This

 

[Billy Dean]

If we do, plenty in that group wont be there...god knows who their replacements will be.
I dont see any on the horizon
Due to the massive foreign influx of players, we're fishing in a small and ever diminishing pool of talent.

Depending what sort of Brexit we get, hard or soft boiled, somebody might even try to bring back in the 3 foreign player rule they tried in the late 80s/early 90s
Cue premier league implosion and general chaos.

It'll be another 28yrs before England make a world cup semi...especially if it goes up to 48 teams, aka, more potential banana skins

There are potentially loads mate. England are world/euro champs at U20, U19 and U17 levels. And there are signs that these kids are getting their starts in 1st team football in England or abroad. So the talent pool will probably be bigger in 2 years.

 

[Little Ralphy]

Gareth won't have noted anything. He will start the Spain game with exactly the same team regardless. Then ignore how the match is actually going and make random subs late in second half. We have zero quality in midfield, one striker and a defence that doesn't inspire confidence. It was almost like they just assumed Pickford would sort everything for them!

This all day! He stuck with Young despite him giving us no balance all tournament, when he had Rose there who just by being naturally left footed gives us more stability. The Rose change was a good one but should have been made 3 games ago!

He stuck with Alli, Lingard and Sterling even though they were all very poor. Fair enough Sterling was working and trying to stretch defences, so with limited replacements I can see why he kept with him but the other two offered nothing at all.

And how does Dier even get in the squad let alone on the pitch. You replace a player who offers nothing but running and short passes, for a player who can't run and just does short passes.

The vardy change was bizarre, a forward who can only really run on to the ball, against a defence who were not letting us get behind them. If it had to have been a forward, even Welbeck would have offered more. But the real problem was in midfield.

The signs where there earlier in the tournament, but last night when Croatia took control of the midfield, and pushed their wide players on to force England back, all southgate did was change like for like with sterling and Henderson, and throw on another forward chaser in vardy for a defender as a hail mary! The problem was in midfield, and he didn’t address it at all. How many passes were going back to Pickford? All game, but once we were 1-0 down it should have highlighted that we needed more options further forward of the defence to move the ball. Not players who can’t win a long ball played in to them playing 40-50 yards away. I’d have loved to have seen him pack the midfield in that second half, leave Sterling on, and swap Alli and Lingaard for Loftus-Cheek and er Delph. Deny Croatia the space to play, don’t let them cross the ball as we’d have players there and give England more mobility in midfield. Loftus-Cheek could have provided a drive from midfield as well, something none of the others seemed to offer. No wonder Henderson’s lights seemed to go out like that, he was doing most of alli and lingard’s running all night. It was really frustrating to watch.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Found this interesting analysis by Michael Cox, both his praise of the first half tactics and criticism of the lack of a plan B during the second half.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...ctics-tactical-immaturity-final-a8443526.html

 

[Connor]

 

[Toast]

Totally out of character for England fans this.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

While there has to be some satisfaction in our playing with a much more progressive style while reaching such an advanced stage, and perhaps a greater optimism looking forward, the broader assessment must be that we're still short in key areas and our standing below the elite nations has not altered.

The English Pirlo or Modric doesn't currently exist and inevitably leads to a lack of creativity linking midfield and attack. Goals from set pieces remained are most profitable route but were not supplemented by enough from open play.

The stars really did align to provide an extraordinarily gentle route through and we may never ever get such an opportunity again, for all that it came too early in their development, this team may never get a better chance, it was undoubtedly a golden opportunity missed.

There is some promise of players on the horizon, perhaps Loftus-Cheek will be a more complete player next time or City's Phil Foden and Chelsea's Mason Mount can come through and go some way to providing that missing link, but that there are only 33% of English qualified players in the premier league is still a very worrying figure and really has to be increased to nearer 50.

 

[GlosBlue]

There are potentially loads mate. England are world/euro champs at U20, U19 and U17 levels. And there are signs that these kids are getting their starts in 1st team football in England or abroad. So the talent pool will probably be bigger in 2 years.

You say that but realistically can you see many starting for their clubs? We had about five in the under 20s and I very much doubt if more than one will be getting regular 1st team action in the premier league. This is the problem.