superniko

The bloke who never makes a change when we’re getting battered is suddenly mixing it up here? Assume it has to be injuries

Better team 2nd half. Fans on the managers back. Come on Rovers let’s have a 2nd!

The pass through to Morton was pure quality then. He is still a difference maker at this level. A run of games and no injuries please. Jesus and he just opened it up for Buckley there. Pure class

Missed the first 30. Good to see Travis dropped and a bit of a statement from JDT there but disappointed no Adam Wharton in the squad at all (despite the last two dire performances from the team).

Kaminski Carter Hyam Ayala Pickering Morton/Buckley Wharton Hedges Dack Brereton Gallagher Actually play some Football for a change

I would normally feel the same and agree. But knockout World Cup football vs plodding along with no hope of promotion in the Championship for another season there is only one winner for emotions. We lost to PNE and I was embarrassed and angry. We lost to France and I was gutted and devastated.

Anything up with Diaz? Did seem a really strange choice of subs. Originally it was going to be 3 (Hedges was sent back to the bench) and it was going to be Dack. I’d find it strange he was going to replace BBD and Dack, obviously the goal made him change his mind on one of them. Diaz looked a bit dodgy (ill?) when he came off, but he often looks shattered, just his body language, and it was freezing cold.

Kane had a one on one that was a few inches from chipping Lloris

Or small sample size, variance and knockout football?

Guardiola hasn’t won the Champions League in his last 11 attempts, not many finals even, he’s only won 1 FA cup since being at City….. yet I don’t hear people calling for his head (despite his team being superior and favourites every single year) It’s knockout football, it’s cup football, one off games, reading nonsense about ‘a much needed inquest’ from clowns like Henry Winter makes me want to pull my hair out. Low % 30 yard screamer through our legs and a deflected header, the dinosaur journalists need to get in the bin. People have short memories….I was in France 6 years ago under Hodgson, or what about McClaren, or the failed foreign lads! There’s no shame in last night. Build the team around James, Rice, Foden, Bellingham, Saka going forward - maybe even our fan favourite Harvey Elliott have a role to play next time as he develops at Liverpool. It’s only 18 months until the Euros.

Norwich and Sunderland away will see us outside of the Playoffs, and likely that Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland overtake us in the process as he enjoys his Christmas lemon drizzle

Not sure if you’re agreeing or disagreeing with my comment on that as I suggested it’s an unrelated decision and both Dack and Gally should start in our best 11? But surely you can see Dack > Szmodics in compete unrelation to Sam Gallagher? Also the ‘fit’ comment is an bit odd. Looked the leanest I’ve seen him, his injury was yonks ago, he’s clearly as fit as he was 4 years ago, if not fitter. People (not yourself / related to your post) have this mythical fantasy that Szmodics or Travis or Morton are these really good ‘high press’ players as it’s JDTs style and that Dack wouldn’t fit his ‘system’ - whatever the hell that system is. From my eyes watching us, none of those have an outstanding burst of pace, or strength, or pressure….so I’ve no idea where this Dack is unfit, doesn’t suit the style, can’t play high press twaddle comes from, other than the fact certain posters hang on JDTs word as if he can’t be wrong or criticised.

Yes because he’s the best FOOTBALLER we have. I like seeing players who can control and pass a ball, not lads who can just run a cross-country and pull on opponents shirts (Szmodics and Travis predominately) Just because he hasn’t started for months doesn’t mean it’s not the right decision, those things are unrelated. Likewise Gallagher not starting isn’t related to it as they both should have been in the starting 11 if fit. EDIT: I agree with the general premise of the post that he tinkers all the time and it’s to no benefit to us.

Limited over Cricket team seem to be the only ones with the bollocks out of our international teams. Footy lads should pay their psychologist or whatever shite they employee these days 😂

Maybe that’s why I feel like England put in a good performance 😂 ignoring the shite Rovers pain!

Agree with that. France didn’t look much tonight. But they’re clear of the other 3 left in it. Italy not qualifying, Germany and Belgian out in groups. Portugal to Morocco, Brazil to Croatia…..it’s tournament footy, it’s what it is.

It’s not though, nobody fancied us to win this, but on the basis of play in the tournament if it started again England go off favourites or 2nd favourites. We’ve not gone into one saying we’re capable of winning since the Rooney metatarsal I’d say. Maybe, maybe the home euros 2 years ago you could say we fancied ourselves, but not this one. We were behind Brazil, Argies, French and Spanish in the betting

I don’t get the Southgate hate. Any of us clowns could manage an international team, there is nothing really in it. Players like him, the team has done what it could but knockout football is what it is. It’s a young squad and they like him and we play good stuff in proper matches (no serious players give a shit about friendliest and nations league) The only gripe I’d have is the Mason Mount weirdness - he wasn’t the sub we needed. We’ve tried the expensive foreign muck and they were the pits. I remember Argentina, Romania, Brazil, Portugal, Portugal, Iceland etc etc.

Was the best player on the pitch for the first 60 or so until Saka starting dominating 😂

We are good enough and we were good enough. It’s just football and it’s why we love it and hate it at times. Or knockout football maybe. Better side, we played brilliant I thought. Pen not given, Kane one on one, Maguire off the post, Kane missed pen. Ref horrendous (I feel like a broken record last days saying that) Feels different to previous tournaments where we’ve been pretty embarrassing with the big games

Not dropping Dacky? He’s not been in your starting line up all season and he’s past it / lost it / no legs remember.

Feels a bit similar to England, albeit at a much much much lower standard. With 4 at the back instead of the 5 our midfield looks more compact and we control the game better. 5 at the back and shipping 4 goals, says it all. I was lucky to have a good JW seat today and at times the middle of the park was deserted, Brereton on one touchline, Hedges pushing onto the other, Dack dropping deep as the only player who wanted the ball and absolutely nothing central. We need more midfield presence.

Cowboys win it this year mate don’t worry. Beat the eagles at Christmas and get #1 seed then a QB-less 49ers the only other team to fear in that conference. Just don’t upset the apple cart with Odell …Yes I am deflecting as much as I can away from that horror performance!

Did you watch the other 45? It’s a bit of a joke that’s been ongoing because Sparks rightly called Whiteman is far superior to any ‘battling’ midfielder we have, or have had in the last 10 years. But, we can blame Mowbray for that one anyway!

He was sat watching that in the comfys so hopefully it’s opened his eyes for January!