I only saw the second half courtesy of an horrendous traffic jam on the M62 in Yorkshire. Well Belgiums subs are better than our subs, we've learnt that. We looked laboured and one dimensional, almost every player needed two touches most of the time. We still have the bad habit of losing the ball in dangerous areas and we haven't get a set piece taker. Dier looks like he's put half a stone on and lost a yard of pace. Delph does ok but you can't play him and Dier at the same. Rashford won't have a better chance than in this World Cup and the chance Welbeck missed was a Jason Roberts style attempt. Southgate is under pressure now. We need a performance against Columbia.

That's not you being negative is it ?

I like to think I'm being objective not negative. I take my blue and white glasses off when I watch us play. There's no point in trying to fool yourself.

Or his finishing ability.

Do you seriously think we played well for the majority of the season ? I can think of maybe 6 to 8 games were we dominated teams for more than 30 minutes. Most of the time we had a short period of good play that was enough to win us the game.

That went through my mind as well.

Argentina 78 was pretty good, unless you come from Jockland.

Is that so he can do nowt here ? I thought I read somewhere he'd had a pretty serious injury a while ago.

If I'd a £1 for every time I've seen a team play like that and then get pipped in the last 5 minutes or so I'd be a rich man.

The technique involved to score that goal was amazing. To cushion that long ball and still direct it into his stride whilst on the move was jaw dropping . The the little touch to get it into position for the shot, head down over the balluntil contact was made with the ball. An object lesson for any kids watching. Great pass from the midfield player also.

They did deserve to go out Jim as far as I'm concerned anyway. Any team that tries to defend the way they did once they'd got the equaliser doesn't deserve any sympathy. They stopped doing what had got them right back into the game and just played really negatively.

Nigeria only had themselves to blame. You can defend your own half for a good while, you can defend the penalty area for maybe 20 minutes. But you can't defend your own 6 yard area for 20 minutes. How many times have you seen teams get pushed back further and further until they're defending a tiny area and the ball breaks for the opposition. Then you've lost the initiative and you can't get back into the game. Conceding most of the pitch to a team with Messi in it is tantamount to committing football suicide.

We have some guys who can run quickly. That's not the same as thinking quickly and passing quickly.

He'll have to do it regularly first.

A guy used to be be reporter on the Rochdale Observer - Wayne Ankers.

Another Conway or another Whittingham ?

So really a replacement for Evans ?

Maybe he runs on his hands ?

Reading all that it seems a strange sort of signing. He doesn't fit the bill of an an automatic starter, just back up for Dack. We already have Gladwin in that role , if he can ever get fit again.

I'd prefer not to play them in the next round. If they play like they did last night I'd want at least a one goal start before I'd back England. We'd struggle with the sheer pace they play the game at.

Couldn't get in the Real Madrid team, he must be crap then.

That " Stella " must be stronger than I thought.

Belgium have bags of talent but I think they are brittle mentally. I'd like to see what happens if they go behind in a game. The pressure won't really be on in this game but further on in the comp I expect them to implode. When they came up against Wales in the Euros when they went behind they fell apart.

They've got what we desperately need - a playmaker in James and destroyer in Barrios. If we had those two in place of say Henderson and Loftus-Cheek we have more of a chance. They'll give anybody a game going off tonight's showing.

Let's wait and see how we go on against a proper team before we get carried away. Transylvania and Treasure Island aren't a proper test.