So when Jimk2 et al talk so pessimistic about Rovers you don't ever respond.  We haven't been overly negative at all.  We have simply done what any team would do and that is try and hold on to a lead.

re jim and rovers: thats different, i've shown blind optimism for rovers and always will

Don't get me wrong, we should hold onto a lead. At around the 50th minute maybe at a push? But 3 minutes in, we score and then never looked likely to score again (Only on set pieces). Our build up play was terrible, giving the ball away to often and just overall not looknig like to score.

It makes me laugh some of the comments.  Obviously when two teams are evenly matched when one takes the lead they will sit back.  What else would you do?  Course we sat too deep but it was the quarter final for gods sake players get nervous and panic.

I didn't think that Portugal looked that nervous when they were 2-1 up. Correct me if i'm wrong but they stuck to their guns and attacked. Admitedly they got beat on a set play, but we weren't going to score in open play which is where we should have scored if they were actually 'exposed' by being attacking minded.

Yes we played too many long balls but with the strikers we had on it was an easy option and when you are leading 1-0 in a quarter final you take the easy option. 

As soon as Rooney went off we starting hitting long balls. Why? We were still playing fairly decent football at times until he went off.

If you honestly think we deserve to be going home then fair enough but we have played some of the best football at times and had as much right to be there as a few of the others.  When we needed to we could play and score something the Italians, Germans and a few others clearly couldn't but you stick to your guns Tom.

Damn right, we have played some cracking football. Against france we did (Apart from the last 3 minutes) as we kept going at them even though we only had a 1-0 lead. Switzerland was one of the most convincing wins of the tournament (Along with Sweden 5-0 and Holland against Latvia). Croatia we played very well (Apart from our set plays) but against Portugal we looked totally different. We didn't look the attacking force we had looked in the other games. Maybe this was due to Rooney going off, but we'll never know.

And finally, I will stick to my guns, as many people who know me know i haven't exactly got a proper footballing brain when it comes to giving opinions. But i fell very strongly about this one and believe i'm right.

Absolutely agree with everything you have said througout this thread except for your last statement in that quote. We played well against France but still played so negatively throughout the second half and probably deserved a draw, Switzerland was the most boring match i've seen and we -played dam negatively even though they were reduced to 10 men, Croata we were the ones to go down 1-0 and thats why that game was so much more positive and why our midfield combined so well and why it was a cracking game to watch and why we were just so much a better team. Last night we were negative as soon as we scored the goal and WELL too negative. Agreed that until Rooney went off we still had some kind of attacking prowess, mainly because he dropped back to get hold of the ball. When he came off we played so deep and invited pressure for 65minutes. The portuguese were just toying with us, we didn't stand a chance against quality opposition. We just did not deserve to go through.

From a neutral's perspective, finally the negative teams are out of the tournament and we have some cracking games ahead of us. If we ever want to progress as a footballing nation we need a new coach who doesn't play so negatively.

Excellent move Souness. Even if Flitty was garunteed of a place, he simply wasn't cutting it as captain last season and certainly didn't rally or inspire the team for much of the season. Ferguson is a proven leader with years ahead of him and undoubtedly our best player and thus able to lead by example. Very promising stuff so far this summer.

yes i do think the tactics were correct.  not good for the nerves but correct.  with owen as our forward we can counter VERY fast. we have a good defense. and any manager who ignores the extreme stress put on our players by our expectations and our press is just ignorant.

edit: ohh and for our negative attitude we seem to have scored a few goals, who scored more than us in the group stages?

jez, we are so negative, so few goals

Thats where we differ im afraid, i think playing defensively against a team like portugal for 65minutes is naive and inept. When you let them attack us constantly, theyre going to score and were lucky we only conceded once. That much pressure on the defense will be a huge test of nerves and lesser players would certainly have buckeled.

Against France, switzerland, Croatia and Portugal our first goal came from playing normally and attacking the other team. Against Switzerland they got a player sent off and against Croatia we were never really in a position to defend as we went one down and subsequently scored four - WHEN WE WERNT PLAYING NEAGATIVELY and coincidently that was also our best performance by far. Against France we came undone and conceded twice and that happened again to Portugal. Surely that is testiment to incorrect tactics? When we stopped playing so negatively and defensively we were a much better team and scored more goals

EDIT: actually we did play wuite defensively against Croatia but by that stage they were playing poorly themselves and didnt pose the threat that Portugal or France did

how you can blame a manager for a teams nervous beveviour, i don't understand. the players are all english and feel the same we all do, so when we scored what would you expect. As soon as we went ahead what happened, we went forward and we scored. I (don't know why) was praying for a goal that allowed us a penatly shoot out (as i thought it was our best chance of winning aftter their goal went inprobally) before our second goal.

But please dont winge, bitch, slag of, or whatever you want to call it, about the team or manager unless you dont think they gave their all. Nobodies perfect, be ###### of, be disappointed, be furious but don't take peoples heads off just yet....

DAMN

I have said very little about the ref, which is a popular aspect of the game for people to be whinging about. I'm just so damned annoyed at our negative tactics that have been employed throughout this tournament and that lies with Eriksson. Do you think it is the work of a good tactician to instruct the team to keep 10 players behind the ball for 65minutes of a match? I could go on with so much more that Erikkson got wrong but i think everyone is aware of that

Can someone take 'Well Done Portugal' out of the title?  Well done my ###### arse, we got cheated out of it, the referee had been at it all night and it all came to a head in that improtant decision.

Absolute joke.  FIFA have to look into that because it was the worst display of refeering ive ever seen

It was the worst display of coaching I've ever seen.

To be honest I don't care, say what you want about the coaching, if we had a half decent referee we would have been through after 90 minutes.

Perhaps, but it would have been the most undeserved victory i have ever seen or even heard of in my life. Erikssons inpetitude left me seathing! i want him gone. He is taking out best team for years backwards with his negative and tactically primitive displays. DISGUSTING coaching! Even without the ref, we would have come undone to a better team. Ashley Cole's heroics will not go un-noted by me, what an amazing career he has ahead of him.

Some would say that if you don't try and defend for 87 minutes, then the outcome isn't decided by a Swiss referee.

Some would be talking out of their arses then.

Is that really possible?

lol great response

RDrake,  WTF ?? explain yourself.

Don't like the team.

Don't like the country.

So why support them?

Because I was born here?

I want revenge for being born in the first place..

We all want fleurkin' revenge for you being born in the first place....

My sentiment exactly! Why even bother posting crap like that, its just provocation. People posting crap like that should be banned, simply because its provoking the rest of us who actually have pride in our nation.

If you play defensive for 87 minutes you usually get punished. We would have had it not been for Lampards goal.

Bringing a small, fast striker onto the field of play and then hoofing it up in the air (Rovers style) for him and owen to win is useless. Why not bring someone on who was going to win it in the air. Heskey maybe?

Bringing on a defensive midfielder in the 52nd minute. Nice one Sven, really take the defensive game to them.

Neville, Terry, Sol and A. Cole. You're true lions, you battled for every ball, you ran after everything that even got past you. HEROES

The midfield 4, Gerrard - Battled, couldn't do much else. Scholes - Made his usual clumsy challenges, created a little bit. Lampard - Quiet at times, never made a true impact. And finally, David 'Media Darling' Beckham - That my lad, was a disgrace, you're supposed to be this england captain that leads by example and not one that shouts and rips into everyone. If thats the example you want the rest of the players to follow then we shouldn't have bothered. You've been off all tournament and will need to re-think your future at Real (If it's affected his game, surely it has!?)

Come on you Czech

I have to agree with that post 100% and it sums up EXACTLY what im feeling right now. Well, all but the Beckham part. Beckhams has by no means performed this competition, but once more this boils down to Eriksson; Becks is not a shouter, nor a captain, but he is doing his best in a position ERIKSSON put him in. Erikssons menality sucks. Chelsea are so lucky they didn't get him or else theyd be playing defensive, unispirational, negative football all season long.

Another stupid decision was to bring Hargreaves on - last sub and with extra time a real possibility. That meant we had no offensive options and thats why Portugal grabbed a goal. We were lucky Lampard scored.

I want Eriksson out asap. How are we to progress as a team when he persists with older players that havent made an impact and that keep 10 men behind the ball the moment we score. I wish we had lost in 90 minutes because the defeat would be so much less harsh on the players that gave their all.

*Becks desperately unlucky on the penalty - anyone that saw it would have seen his leading foot knocked sum mud which knocked the ball off the spot. He wrong footed the keeper and would have scored.

*Cole MOM by a long streak. What a player. Im eating my words saying that he would be unable to cope with Ronaldo, he did it brilliantly.

*Give Sol the captains armband

Flopsy - but he saved Vassells penalty with no gloves on as well, before he took the winner

Great game.

Wish it was the final!!!

and yes, ricardo wasn't wearing any gloves.

Why was that Okla?

You gotta feel bad for Vassell. He gives his all every time he puts on that shirt and he had to take a penalty on that crap piece of mud they called a penalty spot. I wont take anyone blaming this on Vassell.

Ricardo didn't have any gloves on when he saved that?...

my guess's were right and in order too. now watch hargreaves miss

That is SO harsh on Beckham. He hit a lump on the spot. He even sent the keeper the wrong way

takers?

i reckon Terry, Lampard, Owen, Beckham, Hargreaves

I want Eriksson sacked at the first oppertunity. A culmination of a ###### ref and a worse manager has cost us this match.

whatever

I tell you mate, the disallowed goal aside, that ref has been absolutely abysmal. Its not simply that most awards are going against us, but his decisions have been poor for Portugal as well. The difference is they'v been at times that matter for us.

That muppet Phil Neville isnt helping. Gets yellow carded, gives the ball away, then nearly trips someone on the edge of the box. The Portuguese are fit and hungry, we're tired and weak

Ref/linesman bottled it big style. They knew if they made a mistake against the hosts they'd be slaughtered, so to be safe they disallow it

This ref has been woeful all night. How do we last 30 minutes with no more subs and a team of tired dis-heartened players. I am praying this goes to penalties because we dont have a chance in hell in extra time

This is no-ones fault but Eriksens. How can you defend for 65minutes and expect to come away with a win. Extra time and we have no attacking players and no substitutions. Expect Portugal to grab another before the end.

Shut the (Please don't use that word again) up Roverdrake you unpatriotic ######

On the face of it it looks an excellent deal, especially as Duff and Parker are young and still have not reached the prime of their careers, but even with a deal like this I'd find it extremely difficult to sell Gerrard.

Gerrard is one of a fine crop of centre midfielders, set to be one of the best in the world and Parker certainly isnt in the same pedigree. If liverpool are set for a huge investment then in all honesty i think I would keep hold of Gerrard and just attempt to buy Duff. I know little of dealings at Liverpool but surely this investment would make Chelsea's 31million irrelevant?

One of the writers in the times wrote an article not long ago about Owen out living his usefulness for the club and this being the right time to sell; with Cisse coming in and Chelsea probably being unwilling to sell players, but only to exchange, I'd sooner offer Owen then Gerrard.

The question is, do you swap a world class centre mid for a world class left winger? Personally i think Liverpool would be able to find a player of Parkers ability elsewhere, which makes it more a question of swapping one position for another. Gerrard is the heart and soul of the club and if i were a Liverpool fan, i would try my hardest to retain his services.

t4e i know people in high places believe me mate

PABBY Posted on Jun 23 2004, 23:32   

The guy who puts the bulbs in the floodlights???

lol Gotta love that. I cannot believe i missed all this. This has to have been the funniest thread ive seen in my time on the mb

I voted for me.

He called me a hacker and I still let him live .... so it must be me

I voted for Steb...