England

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

46 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I really still fail to see the point in playing a friendly against a team who had subs coming on that play in the third tier. Is either side learning from that pointless game?

That England team will be miles different when the World Cup comes around.

I think we learnt a bit about some of the players. Gordon for one, I learnt he always takes a touch too much and he’d rather shoot than pass to a better placed team mate. Watkins isn’t the next Harry Kane. Saka has got a good left foot but is weak on his right, I’d have thought the Welsh players might have known that. Spence can play in both full back positions. Rice is a good box to box player. Etc etc.

[...]

3 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Yeah, but still think its good for him to call it out. Maybe the FA will think about scheduling games in a way for better atmosphere. Maybe the fans will respond and turn up the volume.

Do you really need to call out England fans for being quiet though? He knows what Emgland fams can provide in Tournaments and qualifying 

[roverandout]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I think the subs made us worse not better. There’s more than one or two players I’m still not convinced  with.

I thought Henderson and Loftus-Cheek worsened us quite alot. I can't believe that Wharton isn't a better option than these two. Having an equally as good Wharton as Anderson to come on would have kept the momentum.  

[roverandout]

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I really still fail to see the point in playing a friendly against a team who had subs coming on that play in the third tier. Is either side learning from that pointless game?

That England team will be miles different when the World Cup comes around.

This is down to Southgate not taking the nations league seriously.  He's cost us the opportunity to play top tier nations 

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I think we learnt a bit about some of the players. Gordon for one, I learnt he always takes a touch too much and he’d rather shoot than pass to a better placed team mate. Watkins isn’t the next Harry Kane. Saka has got a good left foot but is weak on his right, I’d have thought the Welsh players might have known that. Spence can play in both full back positions. Rice is a good box to box player. Etc etc.

Nothing really new learnt though.

26 minutes ago, roverandout said:

This is down to Southgate not taking the nations league seriously.  He's cost us the opportunity to play top tier nations 

The nations league shouldnt exist. 

[superniko]

5 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Yeah, but still think its good for him to call it out. Maybe the FA will think about scheduling games in a way for better atmosphere. Maybe the fans will respond and turn up the volume.

Yeah I agree...I feel it's more him calling out the logic of playing friendlies mid-week, approaching winter, in Wembley.

Getting back from Wembley anywhere north after the match is almost impossible, by the time you get to Kings Cross it's 22:30 and there isn't an option to Manchester, and the Leeds option gets in at 2am. It's so London/South centric it's a bit of a disgrace. That has started to change a little in recent years, but nobody can argue the atmosphere is better when it's at Villa Park / Elland Road / St James etc.

Atmosphere it's also very similar to 90% of domestic stuff, away fans are on the piss all day, big allocation of course they'll be loud. Home fans probably have come straight from work for a mid-week match, and want to get a flyer to get home.

[speeeeeeedie]

52 minutes ago, superniko said:

Yeah I agree...I feel it's more him calling out the logic of playing friendlies mid-week, approaching winter, in Wembley.

Getting back from Wembley anywhere north after the match is almost impossible, by the time you get to Kings Cross it's 22:30 and there isn't an option to Manchester, and the Leeds option gets in at 2am. It's so London/South centric it's a bit of a disgrace. That has started to change a little in recent years, but nobody can argue the atmosphere is better when it's at Villa Park / Elland Road / St James etc.

Atmosphere it's also very similar to 90% of domestic stuff, away fans are on the piss all day, big allocation of course they'll be loud. Home fans probably have come straight from work for a mid-week match, and want to get a flyer to get home.

Rebuilding Wembley was such a bad decision. The money spent could have been better used across the football pyramid. It could have paid for upgrades at so many clubs across the country. No national stadium would also have benefitted fans from places like Leeds and Newcastle who would have had the chance to watch an England match without travelling hours to get there.

Que sera sera. Like everything else in the UK it's London first and sod the rest.

[roverandout]

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Nothing really new learnt though.

The nations league shouldnt exist. 

Why? It helps big nations compete regularly against each other. Allows the small teams more opportunities to win games. If anything the club world cup shouldn't exist

[Bohinen1983]

Sorry for your loss, buddy. 

[joey_big_nose]

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Nothing really new learnt though.

The nations league shouldnt exist. 

Nations league is quality - best innovation in international football in decades.

What shouldn't exist is friendlies.

[joey_big_nose]

6 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I really still fail to see the point in playing a friendly against a team who had subs coming on that play in the third tier. Is either side learning from that pointless game?

That England team will be miles different when the World Cup comes around.

I am not that sure that the team will be that different. Obviously Pickford, Stones, Guehi, Rice, Saka, Kane will all start. But does feel like Belligham, Foden etc could not be in the XI. The only player who didn't start last night who will defintiely be in the first XI is Kane imo.

[Mattyblue]

Get rid of friendlies and qualifiers and purely use the Nations League and play offs instead.

Edited 20 hours ago by Mattyblue

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, roverandout said:

Why? It helps big nations compete regularly against each other. Allows the small teams more opportunities to win games. If anything the club world cup shouldn't exist

 

16 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Nations league is quality - best innovation in international football in decades.

What shouldn't exist is friendlies.

As mattyblue suggests, couldnt the nations league be essentially a replacement for qualification?

The club world cup also is unnecessary. But so is the nations league. Players have actively come out and questioned it. 

Do we need the big nations packed full of players who already play too many games to have these games to compete against each other? Far ahead of the only tournaments that matter, often with changed teams. 

And cant the smaller nations have a tournament during the world cup/euros if they are desperate to play each other?

[speeeeeeedie]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

I am not that sure that the team will be that different. Obviously Pickford, Stones, Guehi, Rice, Saka, Kane will all start. But does feel like Belligham, Foden etc could not be in the XI. The only player who didn't start last night who will defintiely be in the first XI is Kane imo.

I'd add Reece James to the will start list. Tuchel loves him. He can't seem to stay fit though. 

[chaddyrovers]

Elliott Anderson has played himself not just in the world cup squad but actually into the starting 11. 

I only see 3 spots in the starting 11 open. That's left back, attacking midfielder and Left wing. 

Rest of the spots are done for me fitness permitting. 

Pickford 

James 

Stones

Guehi 

Left back

Anderson 

Rice

Attacking midfielder 

Saka 

Left winger

Kane

 

 

[Waggy76]

I would rather watch NWCFL. 

Than international football.. 

Time these international weekends were stopped! 

 

[chaddyrovers]

9 hours ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Rebuilding Wembley was such a bad decision. The money spent could have been better used across the football pyramid. It could have paid for upgrades at so many clubs across the country. No national stadium would also have benefitted fans from places like Leeds and Newcastle who would have had the chance to watch an England match without travelling hours to get there.

Que sera sera. Like everything else in the UK it's London first and sod the rest.

You are correct that we shouldn't have rebuild Wembley but took national games around the country. It would have benefited all football fans around the country but also the economy. 

 

[chaddyrovers]

12 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Watkins isn’t the next Harry Kane.

We all knew that before. Watkins is completely different striker to Kane, and we that well before that game 

[chaddyrovers]

13 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I really still fail to see the point in playing a friendly against a team who had subs coming on that play in the third tier. Is either side learning from that pointless game?

That England team will be miles different when the World Cup comes around.

So what should England do? Not bothered with a friendly? 

I don't see why we need 3 international breaks before Christmas. 

Some of that 11 will be deffo starters like Rice, Saka, Anderson 

[roverandout]

3 hours ago, Waggy76 said:

I would rather watch NWCFL. 

Than international football.. 

Time these international weekends were stopped! 

 

I'd rather watch England than watch rovers play pitifully against second rate teams

[roverandout]

4 hours ago, Waggy76 said:

I would rather watch NWCFL. 

Than international football.. 

Time these international weekends were stopped! 

 

So how are we supposed to qualify if we stop mid-season qualifiers? Play them in June? I'm sure you'll be one of the people waving England flags cheering on next summer 

[Waggy76]

4 hours ago, roverandout said:

So how are we supposed to qualify if we stop mid-season qualifiers? Play them in June? I'm sure you'll be one of the people waving England flags cheering on next summer 

I wouldn't, I am not the slightest bit interested in international football.. 

It is the pits! 

[Hasta]

Euros

Play the Nations League as Euro qualifying. Top 24 qualify for finals - all group A teams and top two teams in group B’s - no games against outclassed opponents. Nations League becomes more meaningful.  It stops running Nations League and Euro qualifiers at the same time.

World Cup

European Qualifying split into 16 groups of 4 teams, seeded on Nations League divisions. Each group contains a team from league A, B, C and D. Winner qualifies.

Only 6 games played per group. 2 games played in November. 4 games played in June. - less internationals overall but a mini tournament feel about June. 

Less outclassed games ✅

Slightly less international breaks ✅

Nations League made more important ✅

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Hasta

[roversfan99]

They have massively reduced the enjoyment of either tournament by making 24 and 48 teams. With 3 teams qualifying from most groups, it removes much of the jeopardy.

[joey_big_nose]

11 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Elliott Anderson has played himself not just in the world cup squad but actually into the starting 11. 

I only see 3 spots in the starting 11 open. That's left back, attacking midfielder and Left wing. 

Rest of the spots are done for me fitness permitting. 

Pickford 

James 

Stones

Guehi 

Left back

Anderson 

Rice

Attacking midfielder 

Saka 

Left winger

Kane

 

 

Morgan will be hard to shift too. Big call to bring Bellingham or Foden back in for him.

Feel like with Rashford doing well at Barca he should come in for left wing.

I think across the 25 players England might be looking at their best ever tournament squad. Certainly since 1990 when I started watching. 

I dont think England have ever been in a position before where they have players on the bench who are key players for major Champions League clubs like Real, Barca, Man City.