joey_big_nose

Can't believe we're playing 433 against 3 at the back again. Madness is to keep on doing the same thing and expect different results.

What's really alarming about it is if Nyambe is going so are probably JRC and Rothwell. That's three of our most promising players gone, which combined with the long term injury to Dack, Armstrong probably going, and loanees going back puts us in a really really really difficult season next year which has relegation written all over it. Another reason to get a new manager in immediately - get him to sit down with them and persuade them to sign. Though I suspect at the root of it there is zero budget so maybe a new manager wouldn't be able to do anything either. Getting the real heebie-jeebies now. Can see the wall we are going to crash into in the distance. Could be Venkys have just decided screw it, what will be will be.

The club don't really have any choice but to sack him given the form. Must be going at some point. As an aside the current situation is a really common occurrence for Mowbray isn't it? 2 years or so of decentish results then falls off a cliff. At it's fundamental level seems to be a combination of lack of resilience in the squad and lack of practicality of tactics. Means when his teams start getting beat they really struggle to turn it around. Fair weather team you could say....

Well on that note I can hardly blame him, I would do the same. Who wouldn't? Venkys need to fire him, that is how it works.

One bit of good news - were on 46 points not 40!

Hard to disagree. When the motivation has gone it is so hard to bring back. The squad looks demotivated, but - and this is such a rare thing to say about a manager still in a job - Mowbray even more so. I honestly think hes just waiting to get sacked. Mowbray and Venkys are playing a depressing game of chicken.

Literally amazed Mowbray is still here. There were quite a few saying he was unsackable but I put that down to hyperbole. Really looks like he is. The way Bournemouth play might help us. They are pretty open and likely to play 4 at the back. Given that we might look half decent and scrape a draw.

Didn't watch the game, but basically sounds like most of the season. After Wycombe got battered at Ewood by Rovers Ainsworth did a bit of research. Switched from playing four at the back to a back three and - as everyone else has this season - totally nullified us. I can't believe we are now in April and this basic issue has been obvious since early December but we are still ploughing the same furrow. It's so predictable. I'm a bit alarmed we are still trying to play 433 when it clearly isn't working on any level.

Yes - Grealish would have been different. Also Sancho could have provided some genuine width which we lacked. What I found very odd is we have a truly outstanding aerial player in Calvert-Lewin and the game was begging for crosses to go in as Poland were so deep. But he came on close to the 90th minute. We had Kane messing around near the half way line, no one in the box, it was odd considering that option. I think we are going to need to be more direct if teams sit deep with 5 strung across the back. C-L should be a big player for us when we need to change up.

Need a quality keeper, and a couple of really good centrebacks, then we will be in with a shout. Till we get that sorted we will always have a glass jaw.

Bosh. Great finish by Maguire.

How can we be favourites? We're not bad, but obviously some European teams better than us.

Finding Kane's positioning super weird. I'd get Calvert-Lewin on, need another big target in the box with Poland so deep.

Classic Stones... Can't afford madness like that at international level.

Well he's beaten his man half a dozen times and won a penalty so he's not doing too badly... But yes final ball has been poor. If he'd been better we would have scored another one or two.

Have to say we look really impressive so far against Poland. Rice and Phillips are so physically dominant and passing forward well.

One credible defence is a lot of their best players are now in the first team - TAA, Rice, Saka, Sancho, Bellingham, Mount. Not sure is that's the same elsewhere in Europe or we are particularly aggressive at promoting players. It seems when the players get a senior cap they aren't asked to step down again.

It would be a brave fan who would be confident of an England win if we play Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands (all sides you say we are definitely better than). I reckon we'd be roughly 50/50 against all of those to be honest and Portugal also. They've all got good players, we have a weak defence. France and Belgium would definitely expect to beat us. In terms of expectation we should maybe expect to beat everyone not mentioned above (but even then I wouldn't be that confident against the likes of Croatia and Denmark who have very good teams) but after that all bets are off for me. Should be a really good tournament in terms of competitive games.

I think Southgates decided safety first is the best option. Just don't concede and with the attacking players we have we will always have a chance. He's shown in recent games against big teams like Belgium he will not only play two defensive midfielders but also 3 at the back to boot. So very conservative. I reckon we will probably play 2 or 3 different formations during the euros. Southgate fancies himself as a bit of a Bielsa who can switch things up. I don't mind it personally, he's trying a few different things with a focus on defensive stability and he's bringing a lot of new players through who are performing well. Reckon he gets unfair stick. Poland will be a better measure as they will try and come out a bit more unlike Albania. In the last analysis I don't think any manager could get this group of players to reliably beat Belgium or France, we just don't have the same experience and quality (yet). With the players he's got he's done pretty well.

Better but still a bit "church organy"... If I could choose I'd go for "Gold" by Spandau Ballet. Not that it's particularly about England. But what a tune! Reckon we'd win a few things with the crowd belting it out. More seriously... I suppose Jerusalem would do. Has a very good tune and evocative lyrics. Bit God-y, and a bit allegorical maybe, so the temptation would be to come up with a new verse or two to make it a bit more relevant. But not sure messing with the work of William Blake is wise.... Anyway would love anything that isn't God Save the Queen.

The national anthem is total garbage, I can see why players don't feel inspired to sing it. Wish we had a decent one that celebrated the country rather than banging on about saving one of the surely already most safe people on the planet. Not that I have anything against the queen, it's just a terrible tune with even worse words.

Yes he does look in the powerful mode. 17 though... You get the odd wonder kid striker or winger who makes a huge impact at 17. But central midfield.. Can't think many players who have really made a big impact in that role until they are a bit older than that. Seems a big ask for this Euros. But if he does make it Bellingham & Rice could be the midfield pair for 3 world cups given their age.

France look far and away the best squad. Should walk the euros, haven't got a weakness anywhere. Then Belgium next after them who are exceptional but don't have the depth. Below those two England's in that pack of roughly equivalent teams - Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, maybe the Dutch have fallen away a bit - who have quality but also weaknesses. Any of them could beat each other. So we could win the Euros but probs about a 5-10% chance alongside each of the other teams at our level, whereas Belgium and France I would say have around a 30% chance each. To kick on and become really dominant we need more physicality like France have with Varene, Kante & Pogba. Their midfield would blow ours away. It's strange because England have always been physical, but recently that's faded away as we have got more technical. Need both to get to the top.

What's the deal with Tomori? He's playing really well for AC Milan and England have really poor centrebacks at the moment. How's he not getting a call up? Seems very odd. I wonder if Southgate has a beef with him for some reason.

Main issue for England at the moment is there is no clear squad really. The only definite on the teamsheet is Kane. You could make a case for multiple players for any other role in the team. Not ideal being so up in the air 2 months before a major tournament. For what it's worth I would aim for something like : Pickford James Stones. Maguire. Chilwell Foden. Rice Mount Rashford. Kane. Stirling But really you look at that side and say it is very talented, and you would love to have a few of those players in your team. But where's the experience? Maguire and Pickford have been shaky, Henderson's injured. Stones has only just come back into the squad. Tricky. I can see the the attraction in Lingard to add some experience. But not really inspirational.