Dan

It's one thing to do it for Ronaldo but Kane? A player who has literally never won a trophy.

Fine wine. It's no accident. He just isn't that good.

Croatia aren't being held up as a shining example to follow here.

You can't really play that card without a trophy. England failed.

There needs to be a quite honest addressing of this point now. This isn't some fluke. He's a quality player, he's a very good goalscorer, but I don't think his lack of trophy is some black magic fluke. Six finals, not a single shot on target, no goals, no wins. This isn't happening by accident. I hear every excuse made for him but maybe he's just not quite the talisman we think. We have better players than Kane in this team. It shouldn't be about playing him at all costs. It felt the penny dropped somewhat with the Watkins Netherlands goal (Leicester head on but I can't ignore the thought that Vardy could've produced very similar if given the chance). However it was just the usual Kane final performance. A total passenger. I'd have him in England squads but I don't think his place as a starter should be secure. Toney & Watkins had better tournaments despite a fraction of the minutes.

Would've been a travesty if we'd won the whole thing. Nothing performance in what's been nothing more than the illusion of a good tournament. Bailed out almost entirely by luck and individual quality. As ever, the day we hit genuine quality, we're found wanting. Time to start acting like a top team if we want the top honours.

We try and be ugly winners and only manage the ugly part.

We were crap all tournament and it would've been a travesty if we'd gone all the way. It's time to look elsewhere, but I bet we don't.

Explain this please, I'm quite intrigued.

Looks like acca freeze is going for another season I can't believe it!

Not a chance I'd trade personally but entirely subjective isn't it.

I'd have gone for him over Okoli personally.

Wonder if this is our equivalent to say when Cooper signed Gibbs-White at Forest.

*laughs in Ruddish*

I did wonder if this summer was the time to shake hands but under Cooper, I can see him being more effective as I don't think he's going to play a style that stifles his game. But whether he can get anywhere close to the levels he was at in the early days under Rodgers remains to be seen. It's probably less about style and as much about fitness. I think you can pin our decline on the pitch around the time he declined. He was a brilliant holding midfielder a few years ago.

They're saving the announcement as a sweetener for the next time they piss us all off

We've made too many stupid moves for me to think we were a fully smart club. There are pitfalls that I think even amateurs could've avoided. The flip side is the ones we've gotten right, on occasion, we have gotten 'so' right beyond any logic. Vardy, Mahrez and Kante for me are three of the best signings in PL history, for the same club to make those all at the same time is something.

I spend a disgraceful amount of time on here and I cannot pay a bigger compliment

It's typical of the FA, bad message to send out again for me, the cycle is fully preserved if England lose the final.

Spain win secured then.

Playing Spanish sides doesn't end well for us, they just kick the shit out of you. Reckon we may do a home one in the run up to the first game but could be wrong.

Would be peak Kane to score a penalty in a 3-1 loss. Golden boot secured and the illusion that he had a good tournament strong as ever while winning no trophy. I've long thought he's a bit of a problem in this side and tonight only reinforces it, no amount of penalties will convince me otherwise. Start Watkins or Toney. Either is fine.

I've slammed us all tournament. We deserved that though 👍

He's gone far enough in this tournament for the case to be made for him to stay as well.

It's nice seeing a genuinely fun side rewarded.