HeinzHines Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Gypsum_Fantastic said: This is getting silly. Geniunley thought you were referring to ROI there. I was referring to the colloquial Poland, which in this case was the ROI and a fucking clever as fuck remark as Poland also qualified. A comment worthy of staggering accolades And obviously a triple banger as he meant Scotland. Edited June 22, 2016 by HeinzHines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 15 hours ago, ca_gere said: Do any teams actually get punted out of this tournament or does everyone get through regardless of results? Shit new format. Top 2 through, bottom 2 go home is how it should be. This. The England Slovakia match was mostly pointless because both knew they were pretty much through. England didn't even bother trying to win the group, which is a major cock-up by Hodgeson. Slovakia could have overtaken England, but didn't even try to win either. It made for an awful spectacle. The group stages has been awful, as most 3rd team places go through anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Cammy Bell to Dundee United, nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 23, 2016 Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 Great set of games yesterday. Just gutted Sweden couldn't get a draw and win me 200 quid. Bastard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted June 23, 2016 Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 Heroic stuff from Ireland, who managed to do without Jonathan Walters on the pitch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 23, 2016 Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 Hungary/Portugal was the best game so far. Football is great when goalkeepers are shit and defenders can't be arsed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 23, 2016 Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 HUN/POR was a weird game. It just kinda popped into life, shit tons of efforts and goals and no defending, then went back into its shell when the job was done. Folk jumping on the slag Ronaldo bandwagon is annoying. The man wants to win, end of story. He's surrounded by lesser players and it must be frustrating. At least he's not trying 50 yard overhead volleys and shrugging when they don't go in like Zlatan. I'm finding it hard to get that excited for the likes of Iceland, ROI, NI and Albania making it through to the octo-finals. It's not a minnow story if there's a whole school of minnows making it into the big pond, or whatever that metaphor is meant to mean. If only one of those teams made it through i'd be happier. That said, it's pretty cool seeing all the 'home' nations get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 24, 2016 Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 I'm loving the weaker teams coming through. Great stuff. Ronaldo is a class player but I love seeing him fail. He just seems like such an arse. Throwing mics into the river and refusing to shake players hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 Belgium fairly turned up the tempo last night! Bring on a guy everyone is describing as a superstar and then suddenly start blasting in goals from everywhere. Entertaining stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 EngLOLnd. Never felt so unmoved after an England loss. When they were pushing for an equaliser in the last 10 minutes, I kind of didn't want them to get it. I started to root for Iceland more as the game went on. Raheem Sterling though. How on earth is that little fud a £50m footballer? And Rooney. How on earth is that bigger fud still a footballer? Kyle Walker and Marcus Rashford were England's best players this tournament, even though Rashford only got an accumulated 15 minutes. Joe Hart is shit. G'wan Wales! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted June 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 I really really really want King Pardew as England manager. Imagine the fucking head on him if he got that job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 Outplayed, out fought, out classed, out of ideas as someone else said. Throughly deserved win by Iceland. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/08/iceland-stunning-rise-euro-2016-gylfi-sigurdsson-lars-lagerback Good read here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Easy Wishes Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 45 minutes ago, Lemonade said: I really really really want King Pardew as England manager. Imagine the fucking head on him if he got that job. The sad thing (for England fans) is that he's probably one of the strongest candidates (assuming "English" and "experienced" are the two main requirements). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 I can't get over how bad that performance was from England. As overpaid as he is (as are the entire team) I can't help but feel sorry for sterling being used as a scapegoat the whole tournament. When there's no one near him to collect a pass and a slow build-up has meant the entire opposition team is ahead of him with 10 yards to the touchline he's bound to lose the ball or get his cross blocked. Added to by the fact the equivalent position on the other side was either filled by a marauding Kyle walker (this tournament's Ashley Cole - I.e. The only player who turned up) or a dragged-wide Sturridge who should be the one coming close to sterling to collect passes. Total imbalance to begin with, and that's down to the team organization. Obviously his bad touches didn't help but once teams started closing down the right side to snuff out the threat (as happened every single game he played) the onus should have been on other players to step up and nobody did. Iceland should get all the praise - they nullified the England attack without resorting to last ditch defending or playing like Greece. Where do England go from here? I think it'd be a mistake to appoint another big name (foreign or otherwise). As much pressure should be taken off as possible - pressure to play certain players and pressure to perform. They should play a formation where players aren't out of their normal position and smaller names who do the job for their team each week considered. That means no Eric Dier in a role he's taken up last year, no Wayne Rooney at all, no Kane in a front 3, no smalling in a back 3, no Hart without line hugging wing backs even. Lift an entire midfield from one team if needs be - players who are used to playing around each other not big names that kinda fit together. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 The fact Southgate is getting laughed at for being the bookies favourite tells you everything about the expectations and delusions of grandeur around the England team. Do people not realize how good a job he's doing with the U20s and did with the U21s? Won one tournament, final of another. Yet, people are calling for Blanc who doesn't speak English, has probably never managed an English player (beckham aside who manages himself, I think I'm correct in saying) and has only managed in France. Even Southgate's record at boro was good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsinho Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 20 minutes ago, ca_gere said: Even Southgate's record at boro was good. So good that we've playing in the Championship for the last 7 years as a direct result! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 Mid table premier league, one relegation year then sacked when within one point of the league leaders. Do fans really blame Southgate for relegation and ongoing championship status? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsinho Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 14 minutes ago, ca_gere said: Mid table premier league, one relegation year then sacked when within one point of the league leaders. Do fans really blame Southgate for relegation and ongoing championship status? I feel like it's important to say that I like Southgate, I think he's a good fella and I reckon we could be pals but we were really bad in that relegation season and the cumulative effect of the questionable/outright bad signings he'd made since taking charge came home to roost. We scored 28 goals in 38 games which is pathetic - to put it in perspective, Aston Villa scored 27 this season. The second half of the season was an extended resignation letter from the Premier League with us winning 2 games from new year onwards. The players looked like they didn't care and Southgate didn't know what to do about it. It was a lot like watching Newcastle under McLaren this season or England's debacle last night. In fact, the first thing that came to mind after the game yesterday was the third last game of the relegation season when we were soundly beaten by Alan Shearer's Newcastle United 3-1 having gone 1-0 up within 5 minutes thanks to an own goal. It was a performance that summed up the whole season. I didn't think we should have stuck by him after that but once the decision to keep him around was made I wanted him to get a fair crack of the whip the next season so I did think he was harshly done by when he was sacked but we were starting to look a bit shaky while West Brom and Newcastle were both coming good. The 5-0 shellacking from West Brom didn't help his case at all. That said, I don't think he can be blamed for how long it's taken us to get back up, that one's all on Strachan. Fuck off Gordon Strachan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 a 'good record' was probably overstating it I admit, but for his first coaching role I don't think too much blame should be put on his shoulders for relegation. Is it just my odd memory or was the signing of Macaroni the start of the downfall? Never sign a pasta. It was as if to say 'nope we're not gonna get over Ravanelli and Juninho', we need some foreigners with funny names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Easy Wishes Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 Like you, @ca_gere, I find it astonishing that Hodgson persisted with that system that firstly just didn't work, but secondly that he had to shoehorn his players into. Fine, if he's cracking on with a system that maybe suits the players he has available but wasn't quite working out in games then that's almost understandable, but wow... WHY did he not just go for a sort of Spursy midfield diamond? It allows some of your most important players (Dier, Walker, Alli, Kane and Rose) to play the system they've been playing all season. Width from full backs, Dier shielding your (poor) centre backs, with the ability to accommodate two up front (Kane +1, he persisted with Sturridge but it should have been Vardy IMO). Playing Rooney in midfield should have meant that Alli missed out (for clarity, I would have played Alli ahead of Rooney, but I understand why Wazza got the nod as captain). Then the midfield should have been made up of ENERGY. Having not taken Drinkwater (who should have gone in place of an unfit Wilshere IMO, and started in the XI) - he probably should have gone with Milner first, partnered with whomever was fit - Henderson? If there was a doubt over his fitness then to take both him and Wilshere was a disaster. Henderson looked pretty good vs Slovakia I thought. There's also an argument that Hart is not even the best goalkeeper in the squad now. Forster anyone? So, with personnel Hodgson took: My much better version: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsinho Posted June 28, 2016 Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 27 minutes ago, ca_gere said: a 'good record' was probably overstating it I admit, but for his first coaching role I don't think too much blame should be put on his shoulders for relegation. Is it just my odd memory or was the signing of Macaroni the start of the downfall? Never sign a pasta. It was as if to say 'nope we're not gonna get over Ravanelli and Juninho', we need some foreigners with funny names. Macaroni joined in 2002 and left during Southgate's first season in charge. He did a whole lot of nothing and then popped up to score some of the most crucial goals in the history of the club in the UEFA Cup run. He (GS, not MM) was a great player and a great captain for us too. I felt terrible for him when things weren't going well as his first season coincided with the only period that I was able to regularly go to home games and with Viduka and Yakubu up front we were a genuinely dangerous side. The failure to adequately replace them is what ultimately did us in. We were able to scrape by for a year with Alves/Aliadiere/Mido plus some goals from midfield but once the midfield goals dried up we had the least scary attack you could hope to come up against and that was that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrr Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Townsend out with Matt Ritchie apparently coming-in to replace him. Townsend leaving is pretty disappointing because he was great for us, had already said he wanted to stay, and he's joining a club that's going nowhere to work under a manager who has a pretty horrific track record when it comes to wingers (Bolasie aside). I guess the Premier League trumps all of that, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 He's done alright with Zaha too, tbf. Especially considering Zaha is a bit of a diva who just does whatever he wants, he's somehow managed to get a fair bit of consistency out of him. His record with your wingers was a different story. E.g. Obertan. He bought Obertan. After watching Obertan look like a fish out of water even in dead-rubber League Cup games for United. How could he have watched those games Obertan played for Man Utd and thought "Yeah, he's the one. Get the cheque book." Ritchie and Gayle coming in is pretty decent though. I'm a big fan of Dwight Gayle, and it's weird he wasn't playing up top every week for Palace, and the likes of Wickham and even Adebloodybayor were getting games ahead of him. Gayle's a solid finisher and he's very good technically too, but not had many chances to show it as he only seems to get 10 or 15 minutes here and there. Good signing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrr Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 44 minutes ago, Soda van Jerk said: He's done alright with Zaha too, tbf. Especially considering Zaha is a bit of a diva who just does whatever he wants, he's somehow managed to get a fair bit of consistency out of him. His record with your wingers was a different story. E.g. Obertan. He bought Obertan. After watching Obertan look like a fish out of water even in dead-rubber League Cup games for United. How could he have watched those games Obertan played for Man Utd and thought "Yeah, he's the one. Get the cheque book." Kinda sums-up The King's management style, this. If you listen to enough Pardew interviews, you'll hear certain words/phrases come-up time and time again, "little bit of magic" being on of them. Pardew's "little bit of magic" refers to the players that he just won't give any instructions to, because, in theory, they should have the skill and/or initiative to create chances on their own. It's what he does with Zaha and Bolasie, and what he did with Ben Arfa (before things got weird and he started mumbling about his defensive contribution) and Sissoko with us. His long ball style revolves around getting these players on the ball as quickly as possible, then "letting the magic happen." It gives these players plenty of ball-time, but it's deeply flawed. I'd actually argue that Zaha is a very inconsistent player who could benefit from closer man management: something that is seemingly beyond Pardew. Same with Bolasie, really. Eye-catching, useful players for sure, brilliant in bursts, but statistically underwhelming. Townsend is an old-school "get yer head down and run" type of winger with a wicked long-range shot. Not sure how well-equipped he is for Pardew's system, but he's probably getting paid more money to play in a better league, so I kinda get it. Short careers, maximise earnings, etc. I think Gayle will be great. He has a good goals-per-minute ratio and I've always liked the look of him whenever I've seen him play. Very quick, which is something we're lacking in our front-line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Easy Wishes Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 Gayle is a brilliant signing for Newcastle IMO. Always surprised Pardz didn't give him a good run at Palace, especially given they basically had no strikers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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