England 0 Portugal 0

[philipl]

Sorry! If Rovers lose it hurts a damn site more than Englamd losing..........for me anyway.

Completely agree.

Yesterday was gut wrenchingly frustrating but not painful.

[FourLaneBlue]

Maybe it's because (at least on paper) England are underachievers and Rovers are often overachievers?

Or maybe it's just that most Blackburn fans are only happy when they have something to moan about and so are quite happy just missing out on the prize?

Certainly I know I like a good whinge from time to time!

Edited July 2, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[Alan75]

It's amazing how when England lose it hurts so much more than when Rovers lose or having a ###### season.

Speak for yourself.

Personnaly when Rovers lose, lifes a bitch until the next win.

England Internationals are just a fill in when Rovers arent playing.

[Hasta]

It's amazing how when England lose it hurts so much more than when Rovers lose or having a ###### season.

It hurts nothing like when Rovers get knocked out of the FA Cup or lose a high profile game such as the Mancs.

[broadsword]

Speak for yourself Alan.

Hargreaves has never done anything out of the ordinary for England before. I don't care if he plays for the Mars Select X1, before yesterday he was just Batty without the flair.

Personally I would've played Gerrard up front with Rooney and played:

Cole-Carrick-Hargreaves-Lennon

in midfield.

Have to agree with Revidge - 5 years of friendlies and sven still didn't have a clue what side or tactics to use. The team came first - which players were his mates and thus couldn't be dropped whatever; tactics were an after-thought.

[Alan75]

Speak for yourself Alan.

I was

[Flopsy]

That's not the point. My point is the striker selection had absolutely no bearing on us going out today. The only way I can answer is following:

Would I have started Rooney today? Yes.

Would I have replaced him with Crouch? Yes.

Would I have introduced another striker at any stage? No.

Would you (or anyone else stupidly complaining) have done anything different?

Le Chuck

1) I would too

2) Yes I would

3) I would have brought on Walcott at teh start of the 2nd half of injury time for Lampard - Why? Lennon and Hargreave showed that a bit of pace at teh Portuguese is likely to have got us a goal - nad I think he would have scored/set up a goal. But bringing him on was the mother of all gambles - I think with 11 men on the pitch he would have done - with 10...... Im glad I wasnt the manager.

Thanks Sven 5 years of taking England from the depths of despair after Keegan and the "We're not going to qualify for the world cup" to perrenial top 8 in the world (which is what the quarter finals mean.

Lampard should have scored, as should have Lennon at the end.

Still we're out its over - Beckham's retired McLarens in charge - Long live the king

PLEASE TAKE NOTE - OWEN HARGREAVES -YOU PROVED ME WRONG IM SORRY I DOUBTED YOU - YOU WERE THE BEST ENGLAND PLAYER AND YOU CAN SCORE PENALTIES - IM SORRY FOR ALL THE NASTY THiNGS I SAID ABOUT YOU

[speeeeeeedie]

The papers seem quite calm, more sympathy than vitriol. My personal favourite is Joe Cole banging on about stopping diving. I agree with him, but it's like the pot calling the kettle black. I do believe that for England to further their chances on the international stage we have to adopt the Portuguese way of playing (why don't all English players go to play in Portugal? They will learn quickly there); cheat, dive, con, and generally annoy our opponents. England's finest hour in that department was Rome before 1998. We had Sol Campbell and Tony Adams diving like swans, it was comical to watch, but it worked. This goes against our Bulldog spirit, but unless the laws are changed and postgame bans based on TV evidence are handed out to n0b's like Maniche we will have to play along. I would like to see a highlight reel of all this WC's greatest dives. It will wind everyone up but may show what we need to do or help the powers that be react.

I still haven't changed my mind; Sven's the man to blame. As long as Steven Gerrard is fit Frank Lampard should be a sub for England. Beckham stands down as skipper but wants to play on. What will the new captain think? How will having the old captain still playing help matters? Beckham was never a captain, he doesn't have the personaility.

Someone mentioned our players lack of fitness. I wouldn't say that but I would say that they could have been a bit jaded. Gerrard has played for 12 solid months, he was still going, but had no energy to kick that ball just a bit harder, and futher toward the corner. The media praised Lampard's consecutive game record; it really helped England. Beckham had a Christmas break but was barfing against Ecuador. Incidentally, the FA told UEFA to bog off last month about lowering the Premier League to 18 teams.

McClaren has a job to do. England needs to find a new striker to partner Rooney as I fear Owen will never be the same again afer this injury. He was already crocked before this one, he will get slower and slower. His only saving grace will be if he manages to retrain his game. Our keeper will be around for a while, I think our back 4 won't change as Gary Neville will continue as he can't lose any pace, and the other 3 are still young enough for another 4 years at least, and we have ample replacements. Midfield? Gerrard definitely has 4 years, Lampard see earlier, we need a left winger, Lennon maybe, and a couple of strikers. What was our 11 v. Brazil 4 years ago? Seaman, RB, Campbell, Ferdinand, A Cole?, Beckham, CM, Scholes, LM, Owen, Heskey. Will we have another wonderkid in a few years?

The beauty of this is that come August we will all have got over the disappointment and be looking forward to a good season of Premier League and European football down at Ewood. What may grate is when Frank Lampard scores his 15th goal in his 10th game for Chelski's rampant side and he is again voted in the top 5 for European player of the year, with World Cup flop Ronaldinho winning it.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Part of the problem for me, and especially where penalties are involved, is the lack of our technical ability when compared with our continental counterparts.

It's no conincidence that we invariably lose out in penalty competitions and also no coincidence that Hargreaves, who plies his trade in Germany, was our only scorer.

Two of the best penalty takers I've ever seen were Tony Field and Alan Shearer. Field always sent the keeper the wrong way with a body swerve and medium pace penalties, whilst Shearers were hit with both speed and accuracy. The way Field took them meant he had to be very good technically, which he was, but he was an exception. It's a pity that our lot didn't just take a good run up and blast each one - it's a fair chance that if they did, say four out of five would have gone in and we'd have stood a better chance of going through.

I normally don't get too worked up about England but I now feel really gutted after having blown a good chance to win the competition with as good a set of players as I've seen since the 1970 lads were who generally regarded as being better than the class of 66.

Edited July 2, 2006 by Claytons Left Boot

[grizfoot]

PLEASE TAKE NOTE - OWEN HARGREAVES -YOU PROVED ME WRONG IM SORRY I DOUBTED YOU - YOU WERE THE BEST ENGLAND PLAYER AND YOU CAN SCORE PENALTIES - IM SORRY FOR ALL THE NASTY THiNGS I SAID ABOUT YOU

I think everyone should but that in their sig.

Super Owen Hargreaves!

[joey_big_nose]

Well at least we got rid of Captian Beige

Beckham Cries Like a girl.

I guess that sorts things out a bit. The future England side should be:

------------Rooney---Ashton/Crouch

J Cole----Hargreaves---Lampard---Gerrard

---A Cole----Terry--- --Ferdinand---Neville

--------------------Ferdinand--------------------

Or something along those lines. It looks a lot more balanced to be honest, although in an ideal world we want a striker who leads the line with Rooney who is world class. Personally I am going for Ashton to shine next season and Crouch to fade, but you never know.

Gerrard as the new captain for me, although Terry has a shout. Roll on 2008, or at leat the qualifying round!

ps. Next season is supposed to be Walcott's time to take centre stage. As Wenger is rarely wrong about players that is something to look forward too. But then there was Francis Jeffers...

Edited July 2, 2006 by joey_big_nose

[Flopsy]

A partner to rooney and a decent understudy/replacement for Neville.

Left wing - J Cole and Downing probably have that covered

[modes98]

The future England side should be:

------------Rooney---Ashton/Crouch

J Cole----Hargreaves---Lampard---Gerrard

---A Cole----Terry--- --Ferdinand---Neville

--------------------Ferdinand--------------------

Which Ferdinand are you putting in goal? Rio or Anton?

Also what about Owen up front?

Gary Neville is getting on a bit, should be looking at replacements soon

Edited July 2, 2006 by modes98

[Jan]

Which Ferdinand are you putting in goal? Rio or Anton?

Also what about Owen up front?

Gary Neville is getting on a bit, should be looking at replacements soon

Thought that too about the goalkeeper!!!

England going out doesn't bother me a jot- just mans I can happily watch the rest of the tournament secure in the knowledge that I won't have 40 years of bleating on about "when we were good"

Also

Repeat ad nauseam

WHATEVER "FORMATION" ENGLAND TRY TO COME UP WITH TO USE THEM BOTH, GERRARD AND LAMPARD CANNOT PLAY TOGETHER.

Anyone who still thinks they can knows bog all about football!!!! (Or has hibernated for the past 4 years)

[Radagast]

Another hard luck story for England. I genuinely thought it would be your turn to win a shoot out after Portugal's utterly inept attacking display. The contrast between England's excellent defending and their toothlessness in attack (a combination of the two I suppose) following the red card had me thinking Portugal were set to bottle it when they should have had the match sewn up in normal time.

The contrast in displays before and after the red card was unreal - Portugal were definitely in the ascendancy beforehand with England falling further and further out of the game before Rooney's momentary descent into madness (I don't want to cause an argument here, but if you put your foot where he did then you force the referee into a decision he shouldn't have to be making). After the red card England tightened up unbelievably and started fighting like hell (why did it take a red card for them to finally start playing with heart like that?) and Portugal seemed to be unsure of what they were supposed to be doing. They almost seemed afraid to committing men forward despite their numerical advantage, and their final ball was just brutal.

Like I said, when it came to the penalties - especially when you nosed in front - I thought an England victory was inevitable. Ricardo performed some serious heroics, but how can three out of four top level footballers fail to convert from 12 yards?

While I'm dishing out the England praise (this one's going to be backhanded ), who are the boo boys going to target now that Owen Hargreaves has been given a serious chance and shown that he can actually, y'know, do stuff with a football?

I think the game also highlighted the lack of quality we've seen at this world cup - Portugal were just crap, and that was against a side attracting all sorts of criticism for their displays up to the game. So now they play a similarly unsatisfying France team that have knocked out a less-than-inspired Brazil.

Ah, the pessimist eternal. Hopfully the big guns will start firing on all cylinders for the last few games.

[Hasta]

WHATEVER "FORMATION" ENGLAND TRY TO COME UP WITH TO USE THEM BOTH, GERRARD AND LAMPARD CANNOT PLAY TOGETHER.

Anyone who still thinks they can knows bog all about football!!!! (Or has hibernated for the past 4 years)

Although I agree they dont work playing together in midfield, I do feel that moving Gerrard out to the right might solve the problem. (Unless the last 4 years have given significant evidence that this wouldnt work).

I'd also look at seeing how Lennon can cope on the left wing. Joe Cole is the best solution weve found so far but I still don't think it works brilliantly and he does disappear for spells in games.

[Ozz]

Looking forward to Rooneys take on the sending off.

[greggyk]

Although I agree they dont work playing together in midfield, I do feel that moving Gerrard out to the right might solve the problem. (Unless the last 4 years have given significant evidence that this wouldnt work).

I'd also look at seeing how Lennon can cope on the left wing. Joe Cole is the best solution weve found so far but I still don't think it works brilliantly and he does disappear for spells in games.

Who are you, Sven?? Gerrard on the right and Lennon on the left?

It is so simple, English players know how to play one system the best,four four whoops I missed off the "g" two(in the words of Mike Bassett)

Everyone(even Sven) knows that Lampard and Gerrard cannot play together, but he simply has no bottle.

Neville Terry Rio Cole

Beckham Gerrard Hargreaves Cole

Crouch Rooney

If he had picked that team against Portugal, we would have won!

[Timmy]

throught lennon was our best player when he came on

how come crouch didn't take a penalty, I throught he was paid to score goals?

[Shevchenko]

You could even make the case that you could put Beckham at right back against some teams. Not the greatest tackler but makes for it with a high work rate. He tends to cross from deep anyway and it would be interesting to see him link up with Lennon in front of him.

You have to drop either Lampard or Gerrard though and it will be interesting to see if McLaren has the stones to do this. Hargreaves should be a given from now on, but i expect everybody to get on his case again as soon as he has a sub-par performance...

But then Lampard and Gerrard can play very poorly and not get booed so that's ok then.

[Jan]

Although I agree they dont work playing together in midfield, I do feel that moving Gerrard out to the right might solve the problem. (Unless the last 4 years have given significant evidence that this wouldnt work).

I'd also look at seeing how Lennon can cope on the left wing. Joe Cole is the best solution weve found so far but I still don't think it works brilliantly and he does disappear for spells in games.

Sir Alf Ramsey said that you play the best player that you have FOR EACH POSITION. So regardless of whether Lampard and Gerrard are "world class", they're both attacking midfielders who play in EXACTLY the same position. Therefore you decide which one's best and put them in. You don't make up formations to play them all. For god's sake we tried that at Rovers with our plethora of midfielders at one time, and that looked unbalanced too.

Lennon is a right winger. Therefore, you put him, if he's the best one you've got- on the right wing. Putting him anywhere else is as sensible as putting him in goal.

Pick a formation, and pick players to play the formation. Play them in as close a position as possible to the one they play for their club, and bob's you uncle.

See, and I don't get paid £4m a year.

[den]

Jack Charlton explaining how Alf Ramsey came to pick him at centre half:-

Jack told how Alf punctured his pride and joy at his unexpected selection for England. "I asked him 'Why me?' and he said 'Well, Jack, hay 'ave a pattern of play in may mind, an' hay pick the happropriate players to fit into that pattern. Hay don't always necessarily pick the best players [a pause] Jack'."

It [the plan]worked.

With Sven, it seems he always went the other way. He picked his best players then tried to develop a system around them. He was still trying on Saturday night.

[Oklahoma]

With Sven, it seems he always went the other way. He picked his best players then tried to develop a system around them. He was still trying on Saturday night.

More or less what Parreira did with Brasil.

[tcj_jones]

We never deserved to l,ose that match in a million years. We didn't play amazingly, but we played well enough. I was actually very surprised at the stick England got at half time as I thought they looked the better team. I also think we battled like soldiers in the second half and deserved to hang on.

The main reason we did not play better was Gerrard and Lampard failing to support Rooney, leaving him isolated. With Hargreaves sitting back, they had no excuse. I also think that Lampard deserves everything he is getting. He has been abysmal this world cup and the team would be better without him. I just wish footballers could accept when they're playing badly, hold their hands up and tell the fans they will try harder in the future, rather than sulking and hitting out at the media.

I also thought that Rooney's "stamp" looked completely accidental. I hate Ronaldo, I hope Rooney beats the living _ out of him. Maybe Nistelrooy can join in too. I don't think the ref was going to even book Rooney until Ronaldo came on the scene and complained. Only after Rooney pushed him did the ref get his book out.

I guess the one humerous thing to come from that altercation is that the Manchester United training ground will be a pretty hostile place. I bet Ferguson is regretting leaving Nistelrooy out at the end of last season, because now it looks as though both he and Ronaldo will be on their way out. Good news!

Edited July 2, 2006 by tcj_jones

[neekoy]

I don't know why people can't get it, they had a great team but didn't reach the levels expected the whole tournament.

I thought reaching the quarterfinals they way they were playing was a great result.

Every team in the semi's deserves to be there otherwise they wouldn't be there. I hope that Portugal or France win it.

Short memories for those who say England doesn't dive or cheat, have a quick flash back to Gerrard in the last friendly game before the tournament.

It wasn't poor refereeing, it wasn't johnny foreigner diving, it wasn't lady luck.

England were not good enough. (Neither was Australia before I get slighted because of my spectacles again)