England - Do we really have a chance?

[Carl the Llama]

I voted "no", but only because there was no "uncontrollable laughter" option.

[Bert]

Not one bit convinced. Our defence has gone completely downhill and we only have to meet an on-form Suarez to seal our fate.

We're complete underdogs in that one for me, as well as the Italy game. I fancy Uruguay for the group.

Complete underdogs is over the top. We're not that bad. Uruguay will be favourites for the game and rightly so but we're not complete worlds apart.

[Dan]

Complete underdogs is over the top. We're not that bad. Uruguay will be favourites for the game and rightly so but we're not complete worlds apart.

 

i think we're probably a worse side player for player (although not loads in it) but the South American advantage will play a bigger part than people think. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see three South American sides in the Semis.

 

I did a predictor the other day and got Argentina to win it.

[eye666]

No, But I do expect him to play football that suits our players!

 

With the exception of Lamps, Gerrard etc, who are naturally attacking but forced to sit back due to not being as mobile as previous,

 

Look at our current squad

 

 

Attacking Defenders:

Baines

Cole - Gets forward less now though

Johnson

Walker

Gibbs

Jones - Not so much attacking but loves driving into midfield to push the team up

 

Midfield:

 

Gerrard - Attacking, Yet has to play more defensive

Lampard - Attacking, Yet has to play more defensive

Milner - Attacking

Wilshire - Attacking

Cleverly - Att and Defensive (More attacking though)

Townsend - Attacking

Walcott - Attacking

Oxlaide-chamberlain - Attacking

Henderson - Att and defensive

Barkley - Attacking

Lallana - Attacking

 

 

The forwards speak for themselves

 

On paper and for their clubs, We have a VERY attacking squad, With the exception of some older players who have spent their whole careers attacking, but are starting to drop back due to fitness and mobility...

 

Yet hodgson is one of the most defensive managers around? IMO

 

PLAY TO FIT THE SQUAD...

 

Can you imagine the pearson of old going to someone like Man city? (Now he plays more free flowing attacking football)

In the first round of the pearson era, playing attacking football was quite an issue, we didnt really do it!

 

My only issue personally is the way we play with the players available...

As I said IMO it should be a crime to play defensively with an international team, Especially with the quality we have available!

 

Some very average players there. I have, however, never thought about how attack-minded England's midfield options are. I'll probably get shot down, but I'd rather see Huddlestone and Shelvey (laugh away) brought in over some of the names mentioned in there to add some physicality and to break up play when you have to play your Spain's and Brazil's. Ultimately, it's still a TEAM game, and I'd like to see an England manager put together and play a team rather than just picking the best (or usually) big name (read Top 4) players. You look at the options mentioned above, and it's pretty lightweight, not to mention several players you could accuse of having no end product.

[lavrentis]

i think we're probably a worse side player for player (although not loads in it) but the South American advantage will play a bigger part than people think. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see three South American sides in the Semis.

 

I did a predictor the other day and got Argentina to win it. My four tips for the Semis (Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain) that I've said for ages, were all in there and it turns out the Semis is the earliest any of those four can play each other. Interesting.

 

No way is our squad worse then theirs. Sure they have Cavani and Suarez but I think our squad is better. Roy isn't stupid and is aware of the heat, i imagine the players will be training very hard in humid conditions in the run up. I presume thats why they are playing friendlies in Miami before the WC

[Dan]

No way is our squad worse then theirs. Sure they have Cavani and Suarez but I think our squad is better. Roy isn't stupid and is aware of the heat, i imagine the players will be training very hard in humid conditions in the run up. I presume thats why they are playing friendlies in Miami before the WC

 

Isn't it? They've gone downhill as well since the last WC but I'm not convinced I'd have our squad over theirs.

 

Hodgson's grown on me to be honest. His football isn't great but you can hardly expect top football when the tools simply aren't there.

[Beliall]

out in the last 16 if we're lucky

What do you think the problem is??

Just not good enough?

yes basically.

[Vacamion]

I'm hoping that this year's official England World Cup single reflects the mood of deep pessimism/realism that most of us have about this tournament.

 

Maybe something by Radiohead - a sad dirge (with guest vocals shrieked by Leighton Baines) about how miserable and poor Brazil is, how the heat and humidity make the fans smell of B.O. and how the whole team misses baked beans and Eastenders and will be glad to lose all their group games and get back to rain-sodden Blighty quicksharp... 

[MooseBreath]

Don't know where you get the idea that we're good on paper. For me on paper this is literally the worst England team I've ever seen, and I can't imagine we were often this poor pre-90s.

We are embarrassingly far behind the top teams now. We have no world class players, and I reckon we'd struggle to finish top half if England were a premiership club.

Winning the World Cup? There's about as much chance of that as there is of Wales qualifying.

3rd in the group seems likely to me, or if we do scrape through then we will be well beaten by the first decent opposition we face.

[Guest MattP]

No chance.

Worst England side I've ever seen.

Would take last 16 like a shot now.

[Guest ttfn]

Will finish third in your group.

Better third than fifth.

[Guest ttfn]

Other than Rooney there are no top quality players who are qualified to play for England. 

 

Wilshere, Baines and Hart are all pretty good, but after that the cupboard is bare except for has-beens, work horses and Ross Barkley.

[Langston]

I think Roy manages the team to it's strengths, if anything - he's done excellently considering he's had the weakest set of players we've had in some time.

[The Horse's Mouth]

Let's be honest, we don't have any world class players... Anyone who puts us in the same league as Brazil, Spain, Germany etc. Needs their head looking at.

The only way we'd have had a chance of winning in 2012 was by playing this defensive brand of football, we had Scott fvcking Parker ffs. There's no way we'd have been able to compete with the better sides at playing football so hodgson tried to emulate Greece 2004 and defend our way to the final.

I do think we have a better squad this time around but it's still not a patch on the 'bigger' countries. We aren't as big or as good as people think we are and at least hodgson has some tactical nous to get something out of them.

Rooney is world class.

[Richard]

Rooney is world class.

Possibly if he can get himself fit

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

England are underrated.

 

People make out like we are some weak nation.

 

Look at the clubs our players play for.

 

Uruguay's captain struggles to get into the West Bromwich Albion team.

 

No West Brom player would get into the England squad.

[Manwell Pablo]

On paper we have a good squad, but we never apply it on the international stage,

 

 

Is Roy Hodgson the the man to really take england forward?

 

Plays too defensively,

Pisses me off to see the best players in our country, on paper one of the top teams in the world, Playing defensive football,

It's a crime to play that way on the international stage IMO.

 

 

I would be thoroughly surprised if we got anywhere near the quarter finals of the WC, I'll support us through and through, but if RH does not get us to the quarters, He'll be gone..

 

 

It's pretty obvious we don't have a chance of silverware this year, and I think 80% will agree completely...

 

 

Discussion - Do you like RH?

Will we have any chance of Silverware this season?

 

 

 

Hope if any FT members are taking the trip out to Brazil that they have a brilliant time and safe journey! once you've finished watching that circus you can come back and see some real football down at the KP!

 

Absloutley no ****ing chance whatsoever, we will be lucky to get out of a extremely hard group.

[Dan]

England are underrated.

 

People make out like we are some weak nation.

 

Look at the clubs our players play for.

 

Uruguay's captain struggles to get into the West Bromwich Albion team.

 

No West Brom player would get into the England squad.

 

Lets look at who they play for before judging how good they are

[iamafox]

If England have a chance, it's a very slim one. Losing to teams of better quality like Chile and Germany at home doesn't strike me with optimism at all. Expect inevitable World Cup failure again.

[Manwell Pablo]

Just a personal opinion, I think even in the conditions we can beat Uruguay.

 

Chile took the piss out of us at Wembley how are we going to beat Uruguay in South America 

[Manwell Pablo]

Rooney is world class.

 

Unfortunately he's not played like a World Class player at a major finals for 10 years though so if we're relying on him we really are in trouble. He normally flaunts about looking like he'd rather be spending his summer in the VIP area at Cafe Mambo. 

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

Chile took the piss out of us at Wembley how are we going to beat Uruguay in South America 

 

Uruguay are not that good.

 

Only made it through via the play-offs.

[Manwell Pablo]

Uruguay are not that good.

 

Only made it through via the play-offs.

 

I'm aware, all of three points behind said team that gave us a lesson on our own patch. I've seen this Uruguay team play their handy, and on paper I'd say they match us all over the pitch apart from up front where they have a rather glaring and obvious advantage and it's a South American tournament.

 

If we were qualifying in CONMEBOL I'm not convinced we'd of even got a play off place. 

 

We wont be fancied to win against them or Italy. 

[Dan]

It really is about time Rooney proved he's 'world class' like so many seem to think. I appreciate he's been unlucky but he's never done anything at a World Cup.

 

Hoping he actually sends us through and crunches Suarez/Balotelli in the process.

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

I'm aware, all of three points behind said team that gave us a lesson on our own patch. I've seen this Uruguay team play their handy, and on paper I'd say they match us all over the pitch apart from up front where they have a rather glaring and obvious advantage and it's a South American tournament.

 

If we were qualifying in CONMEBOL I'm not convinced we'd of even got a play off place. 

 

We wont be fancied to win against them or Italy. 

 

We didn't play our strongest team against Chile and Uruguay had Suarez and Cavani in the Olympics and we still beat them.