new football season 2007/8
Posted by: scottyhammer on 15 May 2007
well someone had to start it and im just glad we can start it in the premier league where we belong !
UP THE AMMERS !!
scotty.
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by seagull
quote:
Only the ones in the England squad. Name them, there aren't many...
Based on squads picked during the qualifying campaign...
Neville (if fit)
Brown
Ferdinand
Hargreaves
Carrick
Rooney
Chelski would provide a few too...
Terry
Cole (A)
Bridge (despite last night's disaster)
Cole (J)
Lumpard
SW-P
Rather more than, say, Arsenal
I bet the Premier League is represented by more players than any other league at the finals.
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by JamieWednesday
quote:
Neville (if fit) unlikely to be!
Brown probably not
Ferdinand yep
Hargreaves possibly/should be
Carrick bit part
Rooney yep
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by JamieWednesday
quote:
Rather more than, say, Arsenal
And Wigan
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by seagull
You did say squad rather than team, and all six have played some part
Perhaps the next manager should go for the required West Ham connection (ok Ferdinand, Cole and Lumpard are all ex-WHU), worked for Sir Alf. I'd suggest Green (who should have played last night), Noble and Ashton (if he ever gets fit).
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by Whizzkid
Oi!
Arsenal
Theo Walcott
Errrm!
Dean...clutching at straws
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by Chillkram
Ok. I can talk about it now.
It's not true to say that England are a middling football nation. We have good players. The difference is that Croatia are a team. England are not. It is the coach's job to make them a team.
McLaren made poor decisions at crucial times. Good coaches make good decisions at crucial times. Putting an inexperienced 'keeper in goal for a game like that is plain stupid. Playing one up front was equally stupid. That system has never worked for England. He was playing for a draw and it back-fired. Taking off Gareth Barry left big holes between midfield and defence and Croatia exploited that.
I now think that we are going to make another mistake and put Martin O'Neill in the job.
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by Chillkram:
Ok. I can talk about it now.
It's not true to say that England are a middling football nation. We have good players. The difference is that Croatia are a team. England are not. It is the coach's job to make them a team.
McLaren made poor decisions at crucial times. Good coaches make good decisions at crucial times. Putting an inexperienced 'keeper in goal for a game like that is plain stupid. Playing one up front was equally stupid. That system has never worked for England. He was playing for a draw and it back-fired. Taking off Gareth Barry left big holes between midfield and defence and Croatia exploited that.
I now think that we are going to make another mistake and put Martin O'Neill in the job.
I don't think Martin O'Neill would take it - I don't think the FA want him anyway because he's too likely to tell them truth. I think he one of the best managers in football and he learnt from the very best.
England were just awful in the last match - I can't recall a worse performance in a crucial match. Steve McClaren's tactics were wrong, but the players were just plain poor. Any team from the Championship would have performed better than England team - even the squawkers. I think they have no excuses.
Gareth Barry is the shining light out of this campaign - I could never understand why it took the management so long to realise he is most intelligent midfield player we have. McClaren's failure to use Beckham earlier in the tournament was also poor judgement. Peter Crouch continues to do all anybody can expect of a big target man.
So who can do the trick - I know who I would try, but it'll never happen - they'll try to get Jose (not such a bad choice), they could try Alan Shearer (an even better choice) or they could try my recommendation JB - currently at Histon - a genius and he started at QPR.
Now the European championships are over for another 4 years, are they going to resurrect the home internationals?
ATB Rotf
And no more Grid Iron at Wembley, play it by all means, but somewhere else - I mean what next Show Jumping at Lords.
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by Bob McC
Alex Ferguson has one last hurrah in him. Give him the job.
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by JWM
quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
...they'll try to get Jose (not such a bad choice), they could try Alan Shearer (an even better choice) ...
I remember suggesting Shearer last time there was a vacancy for the job, and boy did I get a lot of crap from this Forum...
Posted on: 22 November 2007 by Bob McC
you'll still get it now!
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by JWM:
quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
...they'll try to get Jose (not such a bad choice), they could try Alan Shearer (an even better choice) ...
I remember suggesting Shearer last time there was a vacancy for the job, and boy did I get a lot of crap from this Forum...
One of the best for the job IMHO.
Of course, the best manager in British football is staying put, I hope - England took two of our previous managers before and reached the semi-finals and won the World Cup, but we need our inspirational manager - plus he's not English.
However, I want the FA to try something different - they should go to Histon and offer it it to JB.
ATB Rotf
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Bruce Woodhouse
Isn't this a catch 22 situation. Surely any excellent well-regarded and respected current manager would be a fool to want the England job. Anyone who wants the job is therefore too big an idiot to actually do it!
In all this can anyone tell me what happened to Venables. He was invisible on Weds night, and indeed has been throughout his appointment and since his sacking. Did he do anything? Has the lustre finally gone from El Tel?
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by seagull
The World Cup draw is on Sunday and seedings will be based on current rankings...
World Euro Country
Rank Rank
3 1 Italy
4 2 Spain
5 3 Germany
6 4 Czech_Republic
7 5 France
8 6 Portugal
9 7 Netherlands
10 8 Croatia
11 9 Greece
12 10 England
13 11 Romania
14 12 Scotland
16 13 Turkey
18 14 Bulgaria
22 15 Russia
23 16 Poland
24 17 Sweden
26 18 Israel
28 19 Norway
29 20 Ukraine
30 21 Serbia
31 22 Denmark
32 23 Northern_Ireland
35 24 Republic_of_Ireland
36 25 Finland
44 26 Switzerland
49 27 Belgium
50 28 Slovakia
51 29 Bosnia-Herzegovina
52 30 Hungary
53 31 Moldova
58 32 Wales
59 33 FYR_Macedonia
60 34 Belarus
61 35 Lithuania
65 36 Cyprus
77 37 Georgia
82 38 Albania
83 39 Slovenia
88 40 Latvia
89 41 Iceland
90 42 Armenia
91 43 Austria
110 44 Kazakhstan
118 45 Azerbaijan
123 46 Liechtenstein
128 47 Estonia
139 48 Malta
152 49 Luxembourg
172 50 Montenegro
174 51 Andorra
195 52 Faroe_Islands
197 53 San_Marino
I've broken them into the seedings (If I've interpreted it correctly). At least England will avoid Russia, Israel, Scotland and our usual nemesis Sweden!
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Rockingdoc
quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
are they going to resurrect the home internationals?
.
Yes please. Scotland v. England looks about equal at the moment
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Bruce Woodhouse
Seagull.
Presumably World Cup qualification is harder because we failed to qualify and are now seeded in the second pot? Great.
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by seagull
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Seagull.
Presumably World Cup qualification is harder because we failed to qualify and are now seeded in the second pot? Great.
Correct. Only the group winners go through automatically. The 'best' eight runners up then have to fight it out for the remaining four places on a home and away basis.
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Diccus62
quote:
Originally posted by JWM:
quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
...they'll try to get Jose (not such a bad choice), they could try Alan Shearer (an even better choice) ...
I remember suggesting Shearer last time there was a vacancy for the job, and boy did I get a lot of crap from this Forum...
Shearer hasn't even managed.................. Let's see if he can do it first before he gets a stab at international level
O'Neill doesn't want it quite sensibly and Allardyce isn't interested as he's making enough of a pig's ear of it at Newcastle.
Next time the FA should maybe do a two year deal that includes
NO payoff if you don't qualify for a European championship/World Cup not a further £2m. The FA are still paying off Eriksons daft contract too.
Diccus
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by scottyhammer
I reckon arry the twitch will get the job myself.
i predicted the croats would give us problems which they certainly did.
what i wasnt prepared for was an inept england team who looked scared. i must comment on the PITCH though - what a disgrace !! that and injuries aside im glad we are out as we did not deserve to qualify and would have been shit in the actual tournament.furthermore we have got rid of mclaren who was the wrong choice in the 1st place. i blame the FA most of all though.
we will be a second rate footballing nation untill we change the set up from the FA right the way down to the kids.
scotty
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Diccus62
If we feel bad now, what will it be like when the Championships are starting and we are not there................... Come on Croatia, they are organised, skillful, passionate, yes
Passionate and play for the shirt.
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Diccus62
On second thoughts maybe we are a bit raw to be supporting Croatia just yet
Diccus
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by JamieWednesday
Bugger. No-one wants the job.
Didn't think of that.
Guess it's Capello or Hoddle then.
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Bob McC
I refuse to rule myself out of the running.
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by JWM
quote:
Originally posted by Diccus62:
quote:
Originally posted by JWM:
quote:
Originally posted by ROTF:
...they'll try to get Jose (not such a bad choice), they could try Alan Shearer (an even better choice) ...
I remember suggesting Shearer last time there was a vacancy for the job, and boy did I get a lot of crap from this Forum...
Shearer hasn't even managed..................
Neither had Catt or Dallaglio...
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Diccus62
Are they in for it too
~What about Klinsmann or are we too Little Britain for that still? At least we'd get more penalties
Posted on: 23 November 2007 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by Diccus62:
Shearer hasn't even managed..................
Diccus
McClaren had - does it matter.
I'd still go for John Beck, but then I'm not the FA. I think throwing a bucket of ice water over Lampard et al might have improved them a bit. That pitch was made for winning throw-ins by the corner flag and hurling in the long one to Peter Crouch.
Throughout the 1991-92 season, the last before the arrival of the Premiership, there seemed a genuine possibility that Cambridge United might become the first team to progress from the Fourth Division to the First in successive seasons. Their manager, John Beck, had moulded a well organised team that played extremely direct football with astonishing results: as well as two promotions, the two previous seasons had seen FA Cup quarter-finals against Crystal Palace and Arsenal. However, Beck’s tactics and his reputation made his team deeply unpopular among the media and rival managers (notably Glenn Hoddle, then in charge of Swindon). Strange stories circulated about Beck’s demands that the grass at the Abbey be grown high in the corners in order to hold up the numerous long balls; about him turning up the heating in the away changing rooms to unbearable levels and jamming it on; and, less plausibly, about him laying on over-sweetened tea to diminish the opposition’s performance.
But such matters were unimportant to Cambridge supporters, who were surprised and delighted to find their team second in Division Two in November 1991. Five thousand of them travelled to Ipswich to see a match that would prove the pinnacle of their club’s achievements. There was a sharp contrast between the two participants in this East Anglia derby. Ipswich, where Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson had established dynastic reigns, had won the UEFA Cup and been runners-up in the First Division ten years earlier; they maintained their reputation for attractive football under then-manager John Lyall. More modestly, Cambridge had set a League record seven years earlier by going 31 games without a win.
A crowd of 21,000 filled Portman Road for the match. Oddly, it was broadcast live across Scandinavia, which meant that the hoardings around the pitch advertised such mysteries as “Grønlands TORG” and “ELKJØP”. From the start of the game, Ipswich quickly justified their superior stature. One neat move ended with Simon Milton smashing a volley against a post and Jason Dozzell side-footing the rebound against the other post. But Cambridge recovered and the home defence were soon struggling to cope with the power of Dion Dublin and the craft of Steve Claridge.
Beck’s tactics demanded that the team work the ball down the wings to gain the corners and throw-ins that were the centrepieces of his plan. After 35 minutes, Claridge chased a ball down the right to win a corner. The well rehearsed set-piece drill came into operation. Lee Philpott was a ponderously slow left-winger, but took perfect corners that curved in at pace in a beautiful high arc. Here he produced one of his best efforts; Claridge blocked off the goalkeeper, Dublin flicked on at the near post and Gary Rowett prodded the ball home from two yards. Though the goal was a long way from being aesthetically pleasing, it did demonstrate Beck’s system at its most effective. The United fans crammed into the corner of the North Stand celebrated noisily, while the silent Ipswich supporters, raised on more sophisticated football, looked taken aback by such vulgarity.
The second half saw Ipswich reassert their authority and they equalised through Mick Stockwell. But though not playing well, Cambridge managed to return to their highly nuanced philosophy of putting the ball in the box as quickly as possible. With ten minutes remaining, the tactic produced a series of ricochets and miscues in the Ipswich box; Philpott turned the ball across the face of goal and Claridge headed in off a defender’s back. Claridge then went on a lengthy run of celebration that took him all over the Ipswich half, a look of joy and utter disbelief on his face. The mood was shared among the euphoric visiting supporters. The Scandinavians watching on television nearly choked on their elkjøp.
Cambridge were top of the Second Division for the first time in their history; it appeared that the new Premiership might include an entirely unexpected founder member. They were still top at Christmas, but when the return fixtures came, teams were familiar with Beck’s system and able to counteract it. Beck responded by enforcing his tactics even more rigidly and acting increasingly oddly. In the home game against Ipswich he substituted Claridge after 20 minutes for daring to cut inside and beat a man instead of sticking to the flanks. At half-time, Claridge punched Beck and sparked a brawl between players and coaching staff. It was hardly a surprise when Cambridge slipped from the automatic promotion places and were beaten Leicester in the play-offs.JB is now very successful at Histon and his tactics are ones that England's current squad is ideally suited to.
