SEE YOU! A brand spanking new modern fitba thread 2020/21

That's why i despise him (GS) He's not his own man.

 

First half we played well, second half has been pig shit. Some of these subs have been bizarre.

 

Oh, I prefer Foden as well, but Grealish will make Foden more effective - the rest of these afleets aren't smart enough to get the best out of Foden. Grealish is.

Grealish and Lampard are totally different players. He's a homeless man's Gazza, really. But he's better than most of these dafties.

MTF

 

HIS FIRST EVER ENGLAND GOAL has been chalked off for offside

 

Obviously, as a bigot, you won't care much for Jude Bellingham, then?

 

I've never got why Southgate never plays Foden and Grealish together.

 

AgREED 100%

Still hoping we ship one late on.

MTF

 

It used to be perplexing. Now we're just shite.

 

Same as Scotland game so.

 

Bellingham is good, he looked great in the Champions League for Dortmund.

 

He's English. English managers rarely trust players like Foden and Grealish to play at all, let alone together. He'd rather play Rice and Phillips. It's fundamental cowardice, really.

MTF

 

2 goals in 3 games?
Or
3 clean sheets?

Where's your money at?

 

Yes

 

Loaded

 

Yeah I'm not surprised this side couldn't make it out, just find the whole history of not making it past round one weird considering some of the players you've had representing Scotland before.

 

England, the new Italy. In love with that 1-0 score line.

But that's three clean sheets for my boy, Pickford.

 

Maybe I'm being harsh. I mean they've taken seven from nine and gotten through the group easily. But what is there to be excited about? They've just set themselves up to be beaten handily in the next round, at home, surely?

MTF

 

Only caught the second half of England-Czehjlja

I wouldn't say Ingerland were good, but they looked pretty comfortable. I guess part of that could be down to having a lead and being assured of a second round spot. Even so they navigated the group stage without conceding a single goal and showed composure which is a good sign.

 

Absolutely. He'll be having a pokey-bum wank later at how good he is and how well it is all going.

It's just all a bit odd.

MTF

 

Is he a tit? I don't know anything about him. He looks like one of those annoying/unfunny TV presenters circa 2005.

 

I don't know how or why you bother, mate. I couldn't get myself excited for two and a half quid, even if it was bookie's money

MTF

 

That sums him up nicely, really. He just looks and acts like he'd lick himself all day if he could.

Good fitba player, mind.

MTF

 

They were awful in possession during that second half, no way they can successfully shut up shop against any of the 5-6 top sides left. Kane is not at the races, a few nice touches in the first half but he's being carried. Rashford looked uncomfortable and out of form. Bellingham is a boss, he needs to start, so comfortable in possession and not afraid to get stuck in.

 

I don't know if we can beat any of the top sides, I do think we have some real talent in the squad but I don't trust Southgate to pick the right players or play the right tactics. We need to play high tempo with overlaps, which we were doing for spells in the first half, but then it just devolved into the same negative, risk-averse bullshit we've become used to in recent tournaments.

 

England are basically one win away from either going out or believing that they can go all the way.

But I am with Slice for now.

Gareth just strikes me as somebody who could fuck up a day at the pond if he was a duck.

Paralysis by Analysis.

But as I say........you get that one big win and suddenly, who knows.

The tournament lacks any one single monster side.

 

For England, this is going to come down to some sort of a phase, like vs Croatia in 2018........a 15-20 minute phase where they either hold the line, or don't.

They are going to find themselves balls-deep vs Belgium or Germany or whatever, and if they do what is needed at some critical phase, the whole plain will open up.

Or, they won't, and the door will slam shut.

It's not going to require brains or exquisite footballing knowhow. Which is just as well.

If Southgate is backstage surrounded by his peons and they are overdoing it, over-egging the pudding, "Oh maybe put Grealish in, then go to 3-5-2 with Raheem on the overlap and Jude doing oranges on the sidelines"....then forget it.

It's not going to come down to the fanciful. It's just going to be a question of each man doing his bit. England expects and all that.

No taking a party out into the hills, no over-elaborate plans, none of this Bromhead nonsense. Just draw up your thin lines and hold them, no matter what.

Like Anton Chigurh says............you pick the one right tool, frendo.

Call it!

 

So if England lose it will be because of the manager and the higher up politics. Possibly the players on the field (not those troublesome opponents), but mainly because of which ones were chosen, why they were chosen and so on.

If they win it's because they showed proper mettle. Is that about right?

 

When England lose in the next round it will be because the manager and players are not good enough to win. As is almost always the case.

MTF

 

Somebody needs to shoot a remix/remake of this, set in London with an all black cast. Seems very appropriate.