[Archived] England

[joey_big_nose]

I don't know, things are looking upa bit for England. Wilshire and Jones are going to be top class players. Cahill looks very decent. Young seems to have greatly improved. Big issue is the main goalscoring striker and a convincing right back. I don't think we are going to be anywhere near as good as Spain, but I think we can look a better outfit in 2012 than in 2010.

[Amo]

I love the headline 'INCREDI-BUL' used by one newspaper.

Aye, for beating a team ranked 51st in the world, behind such giants as Belarus, Jamaica and Burkina Faso.

[Stuart]

I love the headline 'INCREDI-BUL' used by one newspaper.

Aye, for beating a team ranked 51st in the world, behind such giants as Belarus, Jamaica and Burkina Faso.

You underestimate our headline writers:

INCREDI-BEL

JAM-TASTIC

BERKS 3 - BIRKS 0

[MeanGreenMachine]

That's why I actually enjoy watching England crash-and-burn on the big stage. We're such an arrogant country that we feel entitled to glory because we won the World Cup some 45 years ago. The humility never lasts long after a crushing defeat, a few more good results against the minnows and we're back to believing in our 'golden generation' again.

What a sad little life you must live.

[roverandout]

well topman, you enjoy watching your own country 'crash and burn'? what a sad way to live, if rovers thought too much of themselves and began to think they were better than they were, would you want rovers to crash and burn too?

[sentient]

I love the headline 'INCREDI-BUL' used by one newspaper.

Aye, for beating a team ranked 51st in the world, behind such giants as Belarus, Jamaica and Burkina Faso.

so what's your problem? Really for someone with such attitude you don't really explain why you have a problem with things. It would be better if you identified your target better - the press or the players?

[ABBEY]

All the traitors on here who don't care about their country are disgraceful! How many have you represented your country ? It's an AMAZING feeling ,you can't describe the buzz , the pride or the butterflies!

[HemelRover]

All the traitors on here who don't care about their country are disgraceful! How many have you represented your country ? It's an AMAZING feeling ,you can't describe the buzz , the pride or the butterflies!

I dont care about the england football team. I guess that means im a disgraceful traitor?

However, I was in tears when England won the Rugby world cup; when Kelly Holmes won the Olympic 400 metres; when jessica Ennis won her world heptathlon gold medal and when Sir Steve Redgrave won pretty much anything. I was dancing for joy when we won the ashes and was delighted when my country was awarded the Olympics. I was proud of my country when Amy Williams won her Olympic skeleton gold.

The difference? The latter bunch are athletes you can be proud of. They are proud to represent their country. It means something to them and they have put in years of continual hard work and sacrifice while not being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds each month/week to play one, maybe 2 games a week, and do 2 or 3 hours training 4 or 5 days a week.

[Stuart]

I dont care about the england football team. I guess that means im a disgraceful traitor?

However, I was in tears when England won the Rugby world cup; when Kelly Holmes won the Olympic 400 metres; when jessica Ennis won her world heptathlon gold medal and when Sir Steve Redgrave won pretty much anything. I was dancing for joy when we won the ashes and was delighted when my country was awarded the Olympics. I was proud of my country when Amy Williams won her Olympic skeleton gold.

The difference? The latter bunch are athletes you can be proud of. They are proud to represent their country. It means something to them and they have put in years of continual hard work and sacrifice while not being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds each month/week to play one, maybe 2 games a week, and do 2 or 3 hours training 4 or 5 days a week.

Excepting one or three England players over the years...

...great post.

If only England's finest footballers felt the same way as England's finest football fans.

Too. Much. Money. Not. Enough. Pride.

[daveoftherovers]

Excepting one or three England players over the years...

...great post.

If only England's finest footballers felt the same way as England's finest football fans.

Too. Much. Money. Not. Enough. Pride.

Spot on.

Add in that the FA is a disgrace and until they are sorted out, what chance do we have with all sides of the equation with their faces in the trough?

The media are also part of this poison, they are a joke, they big up the positively mediocre and then crucify them when they fail.

Can you honestly see us beating Spain, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and countless other teams that can RETAIN posession?

And our "England Future" Stuart Pearce? Dirty Arry? We are Totally F***ed

[Amo]

well topman, you enjoy watching your own country 'crash and burn'? what a sad way to live, if rovers thought too much of themselves and began to think they were better than they were, would you want rovers to crash and burn too?

Rovers are my only team.

So enjoying England crash and burn is little different than watching Liverpool continually disappoint.

so what's your problem? Really for someone with such attitude you don't really explain why you have a problem with things. It would be better if you identified your target better - the press or the players?

The whole shebang.

The gutter press, the fans and pundits for being brainwashed by Sky, the players for having no pride in the shirt, the manager for only picking players from the top clubs.

All the traitors on here who don't care about their country are disgraceful! How many have you represented your country ? It's an AMAZING feeling ,you can't describe the buzz , the pride or the butterflies!

Oh, do give over. I'm proud of my country for many reasons, just not the overhyped football team.

Amazing feeling, eh? Funny how Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville didn't see it that way.

[Stuart]

Spot on.

Add in that the FA is a disgrace and until they are sorted out, what chance do we have with all sides of the equation with their faces in the trough?

The media are also part of this poison, they are a joke, they big up the positively mediocre and then crucify them when they fail.

Can you honestly see us beating Spain, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and countless other teams that can RETAIN posession?

And our "England Future" Stuart Pearce? Dirty Arry? We are Totally F***ed

More good points. The FA like a manager to toe the line. It's why Cloughy never got it, and why they won't offer it to Mourinho. Not least because of the other issue...

...the sponsors. I expect there is a lot of money to be made from certain players pulling on the shirt, and having a manager who'll pick his own players by his own criteria just wouldn't wash.

It's not just about the abilities of the over-paid, over-sexed primadonnas but also about the pride in one's country that Abbey talks about, not just on the field but the example set off it.

[thenodrog]

great peformance from the boys, allbeit against a very poor side, cahill looks class and should be playing at a higher level than bolton, rooney back to his best,

Somewhat puzzling point of view roverandout when he already is playing at a higher level for England!

I presume you mean playing for a big club? If so then that is simply giving weight to the malaise that has invaded every aspect of top level football in this country and left the game and the international team much the worse for it. What we want is a weaker big 4 and a stronger 16. Providing increased competition in the league is the way to improve players not by letting them all cosy up at Carrington or Melwood like a buch of overpaid schoolchildren. Remember that we won the world cup final in 66 without a player from Spurs, Chelsea or Arsenal and with just two from MU and one from Lpool! The 60's was the decade that saw 9 different clubs win the 1st Division title and 9 different clubs win the FA Cup. Proper football involving real competition rather than this sick limpalong procession to European competition played out against a backdrop of a mass relegation fight. If you are old enough to remember the real competition in football back then this stuff now is just crap.

[thenodrog]

Excepting one or three England players over the years...

...great post.

If only England's finest footballers felt the same way as England's finest football fans.

Too. Much. Money. Not. Enough. Pride.

My solution for a number of years has been to pick the exceptional talents who look like they care and the rest from the 'B' team. Those who go through the motions whilst uttering meaningless sound bites about pulling on the shirt want binning. At least six years too late but nice at last to see the back of media show biz circus that surrounded Beckham and the massively over hyped Lampard. Now lets just hope that the FA and Capello have the impetus to bin off the likes of Ferdinand, Terry and Gerrard too. The Germans followed a 'new broom' policy in South Africa and produced an excellent young team playing refresshing effervescent football, but whether our lot at Lancaster Gate have the nerve to stand up to the likes of Nike, Adidas as well as the massed ranks of heavily agenda'd gobshytes at Wapping I wonder.

[thenodrog]

I dont care about the england football team. I guess that means im a disgraceful traitor?

However, I was in tears when England won the Rugby world cup; when Kelly Holmes won the Olympic 400 metres; when jessica Ennis won her world heptathlon gold medal and when Sir Steve Redgrave won pretty much anything. I was dancing for joy when we won the ashes and was delighted when my country was awarded the Olympics. I was proud of my country when Amy Williams won her Olympic skeleton gold.

The difference? The latter bunch are athletes you can be proud of. They are proud to represent their country. It means something to them and they have put in years of continual hard work and sacrifice while not being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds each month/week to play one, maybe 2 games a week, and do 2 or 3 hours training 4 or 5 days a week.

Good post Hemel.... your judgement on this is far better than your judgement of the situation of the world today and associated politics (it must be cos I've given you a tick for it). So just one question open to all why tf do we still persist in feeding the monster that is professional football?

[MeanGreenMachine]

So basically people don't care about the national team because footballers get paid too much, but its ok when its rovers. Oh and the media back the england side, so that makes people want to support them less, is that why people get in so much of a tizzy because the media dont give 2 ###### about rovers?

I despair i really do, i would love to see us win the euros next year and listen to the reactions then, i bet it would be a different story then.

[Mattyblue]

I can only speak personally, but I watched the game on Friday and it honestly meant nothing.

I am an avid fan of the crucket team and have spent years following their highs and lows, but with the footy team, they just pass me by.

Their defeats mean nowt and neither do their wins. They win the Euros? Good for them, but I'll probably be worrying about Rovers transfers at the time of year.

[Stuart]

So basically people don't care about the national team because footballers get paid too much, but its ok when its rovers. Oh and the media back the england side, so that makes people want to support them less, is that why people get in so much of a tizzy because the media dont give 2 ###### about rovers?

I despair i really do, i would love to see us win the euros next year and listen to the reactions then, i bet it would be a different story then.

I'd argue people do care about the England national team. The problem is they'd like the players selected to care just as much, if not more.

I'm almost ashamed to admit, as a born-and-bred Englishman, that I enjoyed watching Scotland plays the Czechs yesterday more than England on Friday. *Spit*

They showed more heart, passion and effort than we ever seem to, certainly in recent memory. If our technically far superior players showed as much endeavour and pride in their nation then we would be up there with the best in the world.

Yet, with England, what, 4th? 5th? in the World rankings for doing sweet FA. It's no wonder our not-so-sweet FA think there is nothing wrong.

More reward for mediocrity. Is it any wonder there is no national pride in England... and not just in football.

[Stuart]

I should add, Theno called it right with his selection criteria.

I'd sooner have a particular elite calibre of individual representing me on the national stage. than the walking-egos who I can't even identify with let alone represent me as an Englishmen.

Send out 11 honest, hardworking gentlemen (brutes, even) and I will gladly stand beside them and be proud to say 'that's my England'. I wouldn't even care if they got tonked every match - it's not like we've won anything since that last group of players to fit that description lifted a trophy. (And I'm not talking about Le Tournoi).

Hell, if that happened, we might even have the humilty to "lower ourselves" to compete in the Home Nations.

[roverandout]

theno, im not saying he should be playing at a bigger club to get recognition, im saying he deserves to be playing at a higher level because that would suit his talent, he would grace some of europe's top clubs which would give him more experience of playing at the very top of the game thus improving his own game and making england stronger at the same time.

as for passion from the england players, can anyone say john terry or steven gerrard or wayne rooney have no passion? these guys give sweat and blood when representing their country, you lot are decrying that of them when they give their all? no wonder they despair when representing their country when you have some fans like that on here.

[MeanGreenMachine]

Theres a new generation of england players coming through, how people can't get excited is beyond me.

Hart, Richards, Smalling, Jones, Cleverly, Wilshire, Henderson, Adam Johnson, Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Andy Carrol with the likes of Rooney and Walcott who have been in the national set up a while now. These guys are just coming in and already there is an air of pessimism. Alot of those lads were putting everything on the line in the under 21s torno a few years ago where they gave everything and did us proud.

As i say i really do despair with some people.

[speeeeeeedie]

I've said this many times on here; I will always enjoy watching England more than Rovers. I may disagree with some selections, and am not over confident with the FA, and have no idea on sponsor conspiracies but it's still the national team.

I also follow the Olympics, cricket, rugby, golf, and any other sport you can think of, cheering for my home country.

[speeeeeeedie]

They win the Euros? Good for them, but I'll probably be worrying about Rovers transfers at the time of year.

Matty, if next summer is anything like this you may as well direct your attention to England as Rovers transfer activity will be nothing but rubbish and disappointment followed by a mad scramble on August 31st, long after the Euros are over.

Theres a new generation of england players coming through, how people can't get excited is beyond me.

As i say i really do despair with some people.

Couldn't put it better myself. It seems to me like a shortsighted argument. What do the non follwers say when you go on holiday?

[Mattyblue]

I've said this many times on here; I will always enjoy watching England more than Rovers. I may disagree with some selections, and am not over confident with the FA, and have no idea on sponsor conspiracies but it's still the national team.

I also follow the Olympics, cricket, rugby, golf, and any other sport you can think of, cheering for my home country.

Would England losing a World Cup semi final/final hurt you more than say Rovers going down?

(I'm not saying the usual 'would you rather... 'by the way)

[roverandout]

it would hurt me just as much, though the chances of england reaching any semi-final in any of our lifetimes is pretty improbable, the chances of rovers going down is very probable.