England v Montenegro and Poland.

[Bert]

Theyll wait ti the group is drawn first. Christ I'd love Germany away.

Knowing the FA they'll show my reasons why I utterly hate them and it would indeed be something like USA or Argentina away 8 months before the fans fly out for the WC.

Well the draw is in December and the friendlies are in November.

Germany and Australia highly likely apparently.

[foxfanazer]

We need to play at least a couple friendly's away in south america, anyone agree?

for once, yes!

[Webbo]

England will play Germany in November.

[Rincewind]

Did it finish 1-0? TV gone off again 10 min from end

[Webbo]

Did it finish 1-0? TV gone off again 10 min from end

2-0

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Fair play to Gerrard and Rooney tonight. Won't change my opinion on Rooney through one very good game in an important match though.

 

One day you'll admit Rooney is ****ing class. One day.

[Leicesterpool]

England will play Germany in November.

at home   we're always crap at home against them, would have been better away!

 

Australia home or away, better away i think. Get use to playing in a hot climate. 

[Vacamion]

que sera sera whatever will be will be, we're going to Brazil

 

 

[shen]

England will play Germany in November.

 

And Denmark at home in March according to media here. An agreement made when England came to Denmark in 2010 apparently.

[ACF]

I would be excited about us playing Australia, but I was excited about it being played here!

If we're playing Germany then it's got to be a home game for the Australia game.

[whoareyaaa]

Solid win and Townsend looks quality, anyone that says Rooney is shit need to have a look at themselves, Him, Gerrard and Townsend where brilliant tonight.

 

Glad the manager has finally dropped James Milner from the starting eleven and it just proves what a difference it makes by showing some intent to attack and pass the ball... Milner shouldn't start ever again if we want to move forward.

 

Also Carrick looked solid I thought.

 

Roll on Brazil

[Bert]

First half is how England should be playing, especially against weaker nations. Second we lacked abition again and it stopped our momentum.

And how much better did Baines look than Cole? See what happens when you put a left back in who can actually pass and cross a ball? Still, Cashley will be back in as soon as he's fit I'm sure.

And it's such a breath of fresh air to see a winger actually try to take players on and make things happen in an England shirt. Well done Andros Townsend.

His crosses were good. But I'm guessing you didn't watch the 4/5 times he gave the way ball away? He's good but Cole is the better option defensively.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Pleased for Hodgson. Always liked him and like what he's doing with us.

Don't get the Rooney love in though thought he was average overall, Gerrard deserved Motm.

[GingerrrFox]

Carrick is top drawer he was everything in midfield, left the showy stuff to Gerrard but Carrick was the puppet master. Townsend is a world beater in the making. Smalling got a lot of unwarranted stick, he was solid for me considering he's a centre back playing international football out of position. Hopefully we get a relatively easy group.

[Dan]

Delighted to qualify and I cannot wait for the World Cup as a result - my expectations of performance in it are low but there's nothing quite like the World Cup and I'm delighted that we'll be a part of it, for all the medias wankfest is a joke, you cannot beat the unity of the English at the World Cup.

 

I think the performance left a lot to be desired. Slow start, picked up a lot towards the end of the first half and the finishing was even more embarrassing than the other night, Welbeck's is one of the worst misses I have ever seen. Credit goes to Wayne Rooney, he's really turned up for England lately and this is far more what I want from him, I hope to god he turns up in the World Cup because he's starting to really win me over again.

 

I also think our negativity in the second half caused an unnecessary scare. We proved from about the 25th-45th minute that if we attack them, we're far superior - so what did we do? We sat back and invited the same trouble that they'd given us early on. If it wasn't for their equally poor finishing, we would not have won tonight. Clean sheet or not - tonight was not a solid defensive display, it was because of Poland's poor finishing.

 

The performances have been a concern for a while so it's nothing out of the ordinary, and tonight was all about the result - but I really, really do hope Hodgson learns that we're an absolute class above the usual shite when we actually try to win the game. Townsend and Baines are an absolute breath of fresh air to the side and I've said for a little while now that I think Cole's time is up as the obvious first choice - Baines is the man now. Townsend contributed more in the two games than Walcott did in the other eight, a place in the squad really is his to lose now, I just hope he keeps getting games for Tottenham and performing to a level he's proven he's capable of.

 

Lets not pretend it was a great performance tonight, but the important thing tonight is that the Brazilian prostitutes are learning English. Cannot wait for it all.

[Dan]

Bloody hell I must've been watching a different game to all of you lot

[Uncle Albert]

Hold on a minute, the only few chances they had were on the counter attack from two corners and that was because England sent Smalling, Jagielka and Cahill all up for them, after the Lewandowski chance on the counter attack England kept Smalling back. Joe Hart has only made one save tonight and he did that well, when Lewandowski went through in the second half. Overall I would say it was a solid display from the defence, it's good that Jagielka and Cahill keep playing together and that is their seventh straight game together. Smalling grew into the game, started off nervously but after his clumsy foul in the first half I don't think he put a foot wrong.

 

We dominated Poland in every area of the pitch and Szczesny has made about 5 top class saves and Townsend has also struck the bar, so I am struggling to see where you are coming from? Tonight could easily of bee 4 or 5-0, that's not a joke either, we created so many chances and were denied by an in form goal keeper. Go look at his saves from Townsend, Sturridge and Rooney.

 

It's a tough call on who Hodgson pursues with in either Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines, both are international class, Baines obviously adds more in attack but I think you have to be very uneducated in football to not see that Ashley Cole is far superior in defence. I

 

Overall the balance of the team was right tonight, Michael Carrick was the man as well who steadied the ship, let Steven Gerrard go and play and link with Rooney and Sturridge, while Carrick just sat infront of Cahill and Jagielka and did the donkey work, top passer on the pitch and made the most passes by some way, he also broke the play up well as well, which I think has gone unnoticed. Carrick is a lot more disciplined than both Lampard and Gerrard when one of them two have to play that role, Wilshire still isn't at he level of Steven Gerrard either in the more advanced of two midfielders role.

 

No need to mention how good Wayne Rooney was tonight, if people still feel the need to question Wayne Rooney in an England shirt then I seriously suggest you get your heads looked at. Townsend is a breath of fresh air, simply brilliant in the last two games, so good to see a young care free player attack a player and look to go to goal with genuine quality, watch and learn Theo Walcott. Sturridge had glimpses, denied by a great save but his chances will come in the coming friendlies. Think Danny Welbeck got some unfair criticism first half, he put such a shift in and I think he was unlucky not to get a goal tonight which he deserved.

 

Roll on Rio!

[Dan]

Judging our defensive display on how many saves Hart made is a mistake. Lewandowski's finishing tonight was as bad as Welbeck's and I think if he was on form we'd be dreading the potential of drawing France or Portugal. That said on the other hand - if Welbeck had been on form, it'd have been 4/5-0.

 

Can't disagree with the Baines/Cole thing there. Largely dependent on the formation and opposition for me with Baines obviously being favoured against the weaker sides. But I am a strong believer that attack is the best form of defence and whilst there were shaky moments (such as being caught on the counter as you said), you want to give them things to worry about rather than inviting the trouble onto yourself. Playing Baines automatically gives the opposition an extra scare and they might not commit as many players forward as a result. I think we're very lucky to be blessed with such quality pair of left backs though, I think they're the sort of standard of player England should be producing in each position.

 

Carrick's very under-rated. One of the few England players capable of seemingly controlling a game, I'd start him nearly every game actually.

 

Rooney's turning up lately for England so fair play for that - I just hope he doesn't bottle the big tournament for once. For me he's always fell slightly short of world class, but the true world class players are the ones who shine at the World Cup. If he carries this form into it, then he may just make me notch my opinion on him that vital step further.

 

I am very happy to qualify but still think there were plenty of faults and the main one, was taking our foot off the gas at 1-0. We gave ourselves an unnecessary scare.

[Uncle Albert]

I'm not judging it all on the amount of saves Hart was required mate. I just don't think they created an awful lot of chances and that was partly down to how well the defence coped with Poland and the pressing from everyone on the pitch, apart from the counter attacks we never let them have time on the ball and restricted them in finding space and allowing them to run at us.

 

Also it probably wasn't us taking our foot off the gas, international football is a lot different to domestic football, this is something England struggle with massively. Obviously all of our domestic Leagues are hell for leather, as soon as that whistle goes we chase the ball, we steam into tackles and a lot of the time we try and win games in the first half, that happens across all the leagues. On the continent that doesn't happen as much and that carries onto their national teams.

 

It's little things like that, that our players struggle with, you may think I'm talking rubbish but mate next few times you watch Super Sunday or something, watch how different the tempo of the games are in the first 15-20 minutes of the first half and compare it to the first 15-20 of the second half, its surprising trust me.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Rooney's turning up lately for England so fair play for that - I just hope he doesn't bottle the big tournament for once. 

 

Very, very harsh to call him a bottler considering the luck he's had with injuries and timing before two of his four major tournies with England. Of the four he's been involved in, he's only really been 100% fit for two - in 2006 he wasn't even close to recovering fully from that metatarsal business, and in 2010 he was hurried back in at United after injuring himself in Munich and found himself in South Africa not quite right. Shame because that season (09/10) he was close to taking up a space in the bracket Messi and Ronaldo currently occupy.

 

2012 he was garbage (but then again, who wasn't bar Gerrard and Cole?), I'll concede - but 2004 he ****ing ran things for us.

[Guest MattP]

Baines/Cole is a toughie. Still think Cole is the better player but maybe its time to start persisting with a younger more dynamic side.

We could have had 4-5 yes but had Lewan been wearing yellow that would have been a very tough night.

It's typical we've got two more than capable left backs and not a right back who you would wipe your arse with.

[ozleicester]

So folks who should we face in the warm ups, heard talk it could be Germany and Argentina. United States away would be a good warm up.

 

 

Germany and Argentina in November

 

 

No sorry on talksport it could be Australia and Germany, Argentina turned down the invitation apparently!

 

 

I fancy 3-0

 

 

 

Well the draw is in December and the friendlies are in November.

Germany and Australia highly likely apparently.

 

 

Australia have been invited to play at Wembley next month, but with OZ not having a manager, they are yet to confirm they want the game. Mind you, no-one in their right mind is going to turn down a chance to play against England at Wembley....are they?

 

.....and 3-0.... i think you are being a little kind there....last week lost 6-0 to Brazil, 2 days ago....... lost 6-0 to France..........  (managed a scrappy 3-0 over Canada today) and no manager . An aging team and some disharmony.

 

Ohh and England in Rio   YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Year Of The Fox]

at home   we're always crap at home against them, would have been better away!

 

Australia home or away, better away i think. Get use to playing in a hot climate.

What fo Qatar?

It's Brazils winter in June

[blueblood88]

Anyone saying Cole should be dropped needs to give their heads a wobble. He is easily in the top 3 left backs in the world. Baines is very good, but he isn't as solid as Cole, i think he is more of a left winger IMO. Problem is with Cole is people don't like him because he is an utter cvnt off the pitch, if he was a decent bloke he would be idolised in the same way as David Beckham.

[foxfanazer]

First half is how England should be playing, especially against weaker nations. Second we lacked abition again and it stopped our momentum.

And how much better did Baines look than Cole? See what happens when you put a left back in who can actually pass and cross a ball? Still, Cashley will be back in as soon as he's fit I'm sure.

And it's such a breath of fresh air to see a winger actually try to take players on and make things happen in an England shirt. Well done Andros Townsend.

Ashley Cole is a fantastic player