Tyrone Shoelaces

Sterling's main failing is his decision making is awful.

Great goal but a classic example of " dribbling when he came to a pair of feet ".

I didn't make it sound good or bad. The stats are a direct quote from today's paper. Should a " shot " that travels about 2 yards before it's blocked by an opponent count as a " shot ". I think it's pretty obvious that we've been shot shy up to now.

Ron Springett, the old Sheffield Wed and England goalkeeper used to stand 1 yard to the the left of centre. He was right handed and relied on his stronger right hand to make up the difference . He always dived to his right and dared the penalty taker to go to the narrow gap on his left. I saw him do this to Fred Pickering at Ewood , Fred hammered the ball to Springett's right but he got across and turned the ball around the post. I've never seen another goalkeeper do anything similar.

I'd agree with that. If we play to our best level and they play to their best level we should win. We definitely need more from midfield though.

Lots of very interesting stats in today's " Guardian " , I'll just quote a few - Shot's outside the area in open play, we're joint last of all the teams with Australia, just one shot ! Alli and Sterling have both had one shot at goal, Lingard has had two. Since France 1998 only two teams out of fourteen that won a penalty shootout have gone on to win their next game. England have scored one goal ( a pen ) in their last four hours of World Cup football. Food for thought there. The Swedes are confident - Hakan Mild a former top player has this to say about us " They are spoilt kids who earn a lot of money. They don't have the desperation ( hunger ) needed. It couldn't be a better draw ( for Sweden ). They think they are so good but they are not ". I would have agreed with that in the past, things may have changed now. Well we'll see on Saturday afternoon.

He's a faster Jason Roberts.

Yeah, I don't see Kane and Vardy as a partnership. I believe Welbeck is out there, what about his chances of playing ?

Anybody else find themselves shaking their heads over the latest fashion of wearing your football socks rolled right up past your knees ? I just don't get that one at all. Then again I'd hate to have had to play with those beach length shorts flapping around my knees. When I was a kid we used to laugh at old photos of players like Stanley Mathews, Tommy Lawton etc wearing baggy shorts, now we're wearing them again. Do you see 100 metre runners wearing long flapping shorts ? It makes you wonder if most players have any brains at all.

If we play either of Uruguay or Croatia they would be going into the game as slight favourites especially in Uruguay's case if Cavani is fit again. They are like Colombia only better.

I'm just objective. I want us to win but I know what my eyes are telling me. Why fool yourself ? There are better teams out there that are still in it.

Hey, you can't say that. You need to get with the happy clappers or it'll be the Tower for you matey.

I agree with a lot of that. The midfield is unbalanced. The issue is all three of those 3 key players natural first movement is away from the ball. They are more comfortable running onto balls played into space than receiving the ball with their back to opponents and turning with it. Last night Henderson was taking the ball off the back three lots of times yet kept giving it them back because nobody was there to pass to and he hasn't got a Tugayesque range of passes.

It's the way we're set up to play. Both of Alli and Lingard are expected to run up with and beyond Kane yet most of the time they aren't doing. Other than that they don't contribute much to build up play. I think we can only afford one of those two playing. What we could do with is a Scholes or Gascoigne style player in there in place of one of those two. Problem is Loftus- Cheek isn't quite there yet. Lingard is too easily brushed off the ball. Alli isn't much better for a pretty big guy. We're used to Premier League referees were the slightest touch and it's a free kick, in this comp more realistic rules apply. How many times were those two left on the floor appealing for free kicks that never came last night ? Sterling is supposed to one of two strikers yet I can't remember the last time he even looked like scoring a goal. Neither of the two wing backs are a goal threat from open play. Only Danny Rose looked the part when he came, he came so close to winning the game for us in extra time That's why we won't get a lot further. The teams with creators in midfield will see us off.

It'll be more like our normal opposition. How good can they be if Ollsen can get a game ?

I can't stand divers whatever shirt they're wearing. That's the next thing that wants removing from the game.

How about commenting on tonights game.

I was pleased to see that cheats don't prosper. Colombia behaved disgracefully. The furore around the penalty was disgraceful. FIFA should do something about that but they won't. Having said that apart from a decent early spell we were very very average. The transition between the midfield and the front players disappeared for long periods of the game. It was just hit and hope. Henderson must have picked the ball up from the defence and then given it them back again more times than he passed it forwards. Lingard and Alli contributed very little and failed to give Harry Kane much support. Lingard in particular looked like a boy playing against men. Sterling was Sterling, just running down blind alleys Trippier who has been one of our best so far had one of his poorer nights. Walker made his usual horrendous clanger but we got away with it. Stones was ok, McGuire was excellent. Young doesn't do enough for me but he's obviously well in with the management team. Kane led by example as captain and bought us lots of free kick situations. His penalties were exceptional. Pickford made an awesome save in ordinary time and managed to save the all important penalty. For once our set pieces didn't look as threatening as they have been in the previous games. The delivery of the ball was just not quite there. It's a worry that we seem to lack a goal threat away from set pieces. On to Sweden then. It won't be a game like tonight thankfully and we can win this one. I just think that we could get shown up once we meet a good footballing side.

With all the stoppages in the second half I was surprised it was only five minutes.

Only ourselves to blame, dropping further and further back. Midfield has been nonexistent tonight in a creative sense.Lingard, Sterling , Alli - lightweights at this level.

Nothing happening in midfield. I only realised Alli was playing after about 40 minutes. Lingard only in it in brief touches, Sterling losing the ball every time, nothing new there. Henderson just a spear carrier in midfield. Wing backs not getting forward enough. Apart from that we're doing great.

We've already signed the " cheap 18 yr old prospect " left back in Hart, remember him ?

Somebody was saying on the radio today that if James Rodriguez plays they are slight favourites, if he doesn't play England are slight favourites.

We have, last summer.

You can call me what you like. I'm normally upset in direct relationship to the sense the poster usually comes out with. So no problem.