06 Oct 2017 23:33:45
England stroll to another tournament where inevitably they'll crash out in a blaze of disappointment. Anybody think if they weren't seeded so high for a tournament they'd spend two years preparing properly for competitive football and be a little more of a force? Perhaps facing real quality international teams during the qualifiers would increase the national interest as well- maybe I'm getting old but growing up in the eighties and nineties there was a far greater interest in international football. Now, I'm Irish so I don't really mind and getting to the tournament is a major lift for the entire country but for the English fans who crave a big tournament win it might be something to think on.
07 Oct 2017 10:30:24
The thing is England are just not that good, we are probably a second tier team so have only a small chance of ever winning a tournament.
The media whips the whole country into a frenzy as well so everyone has unrealistic expectations.
07 Oct 2017 10:57:50
England will screw up the same way they have done since Euro 96. That is the simple fact. Pretty sure that the way England was embarrassed at the last Euros is not the lowest it can get to (tho they did not make it out of the group in Brazil either but I digress) . I am pretty confident that they can get lower than that.
07 Oct 2017 12:19:35
I think when you are never challenged it's easy to settle for mediocrity until a tournament shows up and sucker punches you. South Americans have amazing competition over the qualifiers. Not to mention the copa America format. I think Ireland n Ireland and Wales performed well at last euros because they'd killed themselves trying to qualify and kept that mentality going into the tournament. I think as long as England don't have to battle Portugal France Spain Holland or Belgium etc for one spot, they'll never get out of first gear and crumble under the expectation.
07 Oct 2017 12:20:03
England has had one good manager in 25 years and that was Terry Venables.
Managing England is not like managing a club side. You have to be tactically astute but we've had managers like that. The other thing that hardly any England manager realises is the pressure the players are under. Venables realised it and Bobby Robson did too. Foreign managers don't get it. Non-foreign managers (English) don't know how to deal with it because they're not very good.
Spain suffered for decades with the same problem. Venables solved it with a master stroke before euro 96. He sent them on an overseas tour (against Thailand 😄) pre tournament. The match was terrible - usual English rubbish. But the master stroke was letting the players go wild afterwards. The press SLAUGHTERED the players calling them useless (they were against Thailand) and irresponsible yobs- the dentists chair episode.
Expectation immediately hit rock bottom and the players now had nothing to lose. No-one expected them to achieve anything. Some even said we should forfeit the tournament. The players then gave the Dutch a footballing lesson, knocked out Spain and were inches away from knocking out winners Germany in extra time in the semis.
07 Oct 2017 12:56:18
So England’s Problem from decades is not having a good manager Ron? A group of medicore players who are like feeder club to PL clubs!
07 Oct 2017 13:43:30
Ron, I agree whole-heartedly with your post. However, your history of Euro 96 is missing a couple of details. England made a right muck of the first game vs the Swiss then coached by. Roy Hodgson and were lucky to get a draw vs them when Kubilay canceled out Shearer's opener. The boys then went into the game vs Scotland right up against it and tho they led via Shearer, had the verr reliable Gary Mac not missed his penalty, not sure they make it out of that game with 3 points as the fans were already on top of them.
They did handle the Dutch very well BUT vs Spain again, they were awful and had the penalty been given when Alfonso was fouled in the box, not sure they win that quarter final either. Vs Germany, they were very unlucky and that game is one my all time favorite games ever, the sort of games int'l football of today will NEVER give you. It was breathless.
I was just pointing out that that England team and TV were under the sort of pressure that this England team would quite simply crumble under and it was NEVER smooth-sailing for them throughout the tourney. They did pull thru tho and that is commendable in itself.
07 Oct 2017 15:15:34
You forgot Euro 96 was in England Ron. I'm sure that helped.
07 Oct 2017 17:50:32
Actually aoe I don't think it does help as the expectation is higher.
My point is the managers need to have a tactic for lowering expectation and pressure. Foreign managers don't get it until it's too late, English managers aren't good enough.
07 Oct 2017 19:02:09
I absolutely do get your point but I really do think any home team has a huge advantage. Dare I say 1966? I think if the pressure was the reason, how do England not buckle under the pressure of qualification? I really think there are far better teams in Europe that deserve to be seeded as high as they are. I think England is cursed by under performing yet still qualifying and keeping their place as top seed in every tournament. I think (and I may be wrong) that after the 2018 World Cup they are changing it up or at least reviewing it. Perhaps that may be the difference the team needs. For my sake, let's hope not eh 😜.
07 Oct 2017 20:49:22
I would suggest Hoddle could have bern good before his comments. He played a decent brand of football and appeared to have the backing of the players but your point remains Ron.
07 Oct 2017 21:37:53
That's true, at the time hoddle seemed to be doing everything right and then the ridiculous comments kind of ruined it all.