2014 World cup qualifiers

[foxfanazer]

Another day, another desperately poor performance from England. Played the two best sides in the group so far and both have completely dominated us for 90 minutes.

But as somebody said earlier, where is the quality in that squad? Cole is by far and away our best player but the remainder are brutally average with Gerrard long past his prime. The most concerning thing though is that who is coming through? Who will England's next world class player be? Why are we actually getting WORSE technically?

Clearly our policy of trying to play like whoever is top of the world rankings since the days of SVG is not working, English players like to play English style football....why don't we stop trying to fight those instincts because the players we have now and in the next 10 years will never EVER be like Spain or Italy etc.

Think Wilshere will be class if he comes back from injury the same player but other than that I really don't know. Bleak times ahead I'm afraid. Not basing this just on today's performance by the way

[kingfox]

Miles? You don't half exaggerate. Everyone's shit if they're not incredible as well right?

Nope.

Just fed up when people talk him up like he is better than Gordon Banks, the next David Seaman.

Pundits and loads of fans big Joe Hart up too much, he isn't World Class, there is a good amount of goalkeepers who are better or on par with Joe Hart.

Likes of Tim Howard and Brad Friedel, perform just as good as Joe Hart does for Club and Country.

[Libertine Dream]

Why are we so incredibly negative and lacking in ambition?

[Guest MattP]

Why are we so incredibly negative and lacking in ambition?

Because when we go forward in numbers at some point in the next 25-30 seconds we look like conceding.

We are at such a poor technical standard at the minute, really really average and falling further and further behind the better sides.

[MooseBreath]

Man for man we're not that much better than Poland, and they have home advantage.

Anyone still disagreeing with this?

[AKCJ]

Anyone still disagreeing with this?

I'll disagree with it.

Man for man we should be beating them. But we're not much better.

[Guest MattP]

I'll disagree with it.

Man for man we should be beating them. But we're not much better.

Apart from Cole, Hart and Gerrard (and hes virtually finished) I'd say it's pretty much man for man with this team.

Rooney wouldnt even be over Lewandowski at the moment.

[davieG]

I thought Cole was below par today outpaced several times and looked overwhelmed as well.

[Guest kristianity77]

God that was piss poor again. I hate what the premiership has become. Its just a league full of foreigners with a few English stragglers hanging on which ALWAYS shows when you put the English together to play football. The technical ability of the supposedly best England has to offer is astonishingly poor!

I dont even cheer an England goal anymore when they happen, thats how bad it is.

I think if you slung them players together to form a premiership side, they would get relegated. If you put them in the championship I dont think they would walk it. I actually believe that if you paired England against the best the Championship has to offer (both British and Foreign) the championship side would come out on top

[Guest MattP]

I thought Cole was below par today outpaced several times and looked overwhelmed as well.

I meant of terms of analysing player for player in general.

Though as English we generally slightly over rate our players.

Passing 84-79

[Happy Fox]

The standard won't change till the national set up philosophy changes just accept mediocrity for the next decade because this is what is expected until the next generation of kids come through imo.

[Corky]

Better result than performance.

Not a good enough display, really don't see what Cleverley brings (especially on the left, Adam Johnson would be far more suited to that), Carrick was awful and Hart made a poor decision.

We are a quarter-final side and it's going to be like that for a while yet. English or foreign manager, they have the same group to work with and we are well behind the top nations.

Frustrating but it has to be reluctantly accepted

[davieG]

I meant of terms of analysing player for player in general.

Though as English we generally slightly over rate our players.

Passing 84-79

I realised that i was just commenting about today's game.

[foxfanazer]

The standard won't change till the national set up philosophy changes just accept mediocrity for the next decade because this is what is expected until the next generation of kids come through imo.

Exactly. It is a problem of philosophy as much as anything else. Get the kids keeping the ball and passing like Spain obviously have. Until we change this expect nothing more than mediocre squads

[AKCJ]

Exactly. It is a problem of philosophy as much as anything else. Get the kids keeping the ball and passing like Spain obviously have. Until we change this expect nothing more than mediocre squads

England are more likely to play like Germany.

They've sussed the classic English playstyle and we need to look to produce that level of talent.

The Germans are efficient rather than entertaining. Clubs need to look at British talent and I think the FFP rules will help as developing home talent will be cheaper.

[Dan]

We are absolutely shit.

If you offered me a swap, Poland's set up and squad I'd take it, and that is absolutely worrying - that would've been laughed off 5/10 years ago. I've been quite impressed with Poland for a while actually.

We're embarrassing, lacking technically, can't retain possession at all and worst of all - we don't sort these problems (that've been around for years) because we get half decent results. Deserve to be lambasted for that shocking display rather than praised for getting a point.

Laughable.

[foxfanazer]

England are more likely to play like Germany.

They've sussed the classic English playstyle and we need to look to produce that level of talent.

The Germans are efficient rather than entertaining. Clubs need to look at British talent and I think the FFP rules will help as developing home talent will be cheaper.

I was going to say Germany instead of Spain.

We just need youngsters to learn about ball retention and controlling the pace of games

[Guest MattP]

The Germans are efficient rather than entertaining. Clubs need to look at British talent and I think the FFP rules will help as developing home talent will be cheaper.

Not anymore really, might have been true fifteen/twenty years ago but the Germany are also based around attacking intent and ball retention now.

4-4 with Sweden last night summed them up, effcient Germany ddin't blow four goal leads.

We don't seem to have any style of play, whatever it is we are trying to achieve I honestly can;t work out, it just looks like grind out a win against worse teams than us and then try and get a 0-0 when it's someone better.

It's really fcuking shit.

[AKCJ]

Not anymore really, might have been true fifteen/twenty years ago but the Germany are also based around attacking intent and ball retention now.

4-4 with Sweden last night summed them up, effcient Germany ddin't blow four goal leads.

We don't seem to have any style of play, whatever it is we are trying to achieve I honestly can;t work out, it just looks like grind out a win against worse teams than us and then try and get a 0-0 when it's someone better.

It's really fcuking shit.

Fair point. But they're not like Spain and they're closer in terms of style to us than them.

I thought we played differently to usual today, not sure if thats because I rarely watch the national team and i'm out of touch or not.

[purpleronnie]

Joe Hart that was shocking, Blue Square standard, and people say he is the best goalkeeper in the World, bollocks even Carson would of probably got to that, or decided to stay in his goal.

Now Rooney comes off, yet Carrick and Milner are still on the pitch.

Rubbish from Royston, Royston Cropper could do a better job.

morons say that

[Dan]

Not anymore really, might have been true fifteen/twenty years ago but the Germany are also based around attacking intent and ball retention now.

4-4 with Sweden last night summed them up, effcient Germany ddin't blow four goal leads.

We don't seem to have any style of play, whatever it is we are trying to achieve I honestly can;t work out, it just looks like grind out a win against worse teams than us and then try and get a 0-0 when it's someone better.

It's really fcuking shit.

Hodgson made the best of a bad situation in the Euros, but in the long-term he's useless. He's an efficient manager but a very dull one as far as football goes. I like the bloke but fvck me we're stuck with this shite until at least the WC.

[Super_horns]

Even Ashley Cole was poor which summed up tonight's performance albeit in probably our toughest game.

We should still get to Brazil 2014 but displays like this will certainly dampen the hype and expectations (potentially)

Just seemed very slow on the ball and shaky in defence.

[Guest MattP]

Hodgson made the best of a bad situation in the Euros, but in the long-term he's useless. He's an efficient manager but a very dull one as far as football goes. I like the bloke but fvck me we're stuck with this shite until at least the WC.

He only took it to get all those free tours of the Jewish Quarters.

I agree he's not the long term answer but I don't think anyone is, we don't have the talent to compete at the top level anymore. It was summed up for me on last Friday when I read Juan Mata was getting his head down to try and get back into the Spain squad, about the same time we were bringing on Jonjo Shelvey.

[Dan]

He only took it to get all those free tours of the Jewish Quarters.

I agree he's not the long term answer but I don't think anyone is, we don't have the talent to compete at the top level anymore. It was summed up for me on last Friday when I read Juan Mata was getting his head down to try and get back into the Spain squad, about the same time we were bringing on Jonjo Shelvey.

We're an average side and I don't think we'll qualify.

Ukraine will do us at their place, Poland will get a draw at us.

[Guest MattP]

We're an average side and I don't think we'll qualify.

Ukraine will do us at their place, Poland will get a draw at us.

It's very possible, I don't think many points will seperate the top sides. Wouldn't want to be going into the last game at home to Poland needing to win.

Fortunately Ukraine seem to want to do everything possible to try and not qualify at the minute.#

What a position Montenegro will be in after next game, 2 points clear with Ukraine away and Poland at home done.