If you have anything to say about that debacle, mail us at theeditor@football365.com
Indeed
Didnt see it.
Dont really give a s**t anymore
Same old boring crap.
Bring back the Prem!
Leon V
Actually, England Weren't Quite As Bad As All That
England fans are idiots. That is the best England performance for a long time. Stringing together spells of passing in the opposition half, a host of shots on targets, lots of movement in possession and discipline in defending. Brazil 1970 it was not but that's a whole lot of progress on what's gone before. Do you remember the Croatia game? Really? Are you sure? Because last night was infinitely better than that rancid pile of turd of a performance.
Adam "As for Scotland..." Beck
...Typical response from the doom-mongers in the mailbox today. More negatives than a maths exam on subtraction. In my humble opinion, first half we actually weren't that bad, in fact I thought we dominated, had a few decent efforts without really creating any in the penalty area, and generally did ok.
The Czechs played a counter attacking system which we also dealt with pretty well, but being a good side, they were always likely to have some success.
Second half, we lost Gerrard, then brought on a load of subs, and really you could discount it as you wouldn't see that in a competitive game.
Finally, we were playing at the start of the season, whilst they were still fit from the Euros, and again, they are a decent team. Is it fair to expect every side to roll over and let us perform just because we are Engerland?
All said, I didn't think the first half was anywhere near as bad as the doomsayers are making out, not huge amounts to be encouraged by but it's early days folks.
As for the moron saying he is abandoning England, good riddance - you are probably the same person writing in telling Liverpool fans to support Rafa.
Steve, Colchester, Essex
...What I can't understand is what has happened to cause all this panic? We all knew that Capello was his own man. He was never going to take the conclusions drawn by others for granted -be it about players, formations or anything else. So this is what he did. He started at the top, picked supposedly the best available players and gave them a chance in a friendly. People who did not do well will not feature in the next game. What is wrong if Capello wants to test players out *himself* instead of picking his team based on conclusions drawn by his predecessors?
And is it really shocking that England lost to a better team? In a friendly?
Sorry, I just don't get all the panic.
Sagar
What We're Good At
It seems that when it comes to sport we (England) are very good at sports that require planning, strategy and brute force (Cycling, Rowing, Yachting, Rugby and football set-pieces) and not so good at intuitive skill.
The prime examples are David Beckham, who stands there like Johnny Wilkinson firing in static balls while his on the ball movement is non-existent unlike the Czech's who moved intelligently, often and as a unit.
Wayne Rooney ran all over the park but never in a creative way more in an, English hard work will out, mentality.
It is a cultural problem that we stifle creativity at an early age and there is nothing that Cappello can do (other than cash in his pay check) about it.
Jim
Maybe This Is How Good We Are
Italy and England. Both nations have a hugely talented forward that for a variety of reasons, has never quite fulfilled that potential with the consistency that was hoped for. Antonio Cassano was cast into the international wilderness, Rooney never has been. As a result, Italy are world champions and Cassano has come back a much more committed and productive player. England and Rooney ... well, they're not.
I'm not blaming Rooney. I'm not laying the problems of a nation at his door. He's just an example. Someone struck upon a shameful truth in this morning's mailbox in saying that three England managers had used this same team and it fails so maybe it's the players fault and we should lay off the coaches. Maybe it's not the players' fault at all. Maybe this is how good England actually are. Ignoring how good we should be with all our 'world class' players (pah) and our 'best league in the world', we need to accept that England are a quarter final side. We're not in the same class as the Brazils and Argentinas; we're a second tier international team. We tend to get to tournaments (summer's aberration aside) and we tend to get out of our group but after that, it's a lottery. Our best hope of winning anything will be by getting an easy run to the final and then catching a Germany or Portugal on an off day.
It's all well and good to have pride in your national football team. The problem we have is unrealistic expectation. We chide Eriksson and Capello for failing to turn us into world beaters because we mistakenly believe we have the players to achieve this but the truth is, you can't polish a turd. These managers are the very pinnacle of their profession. I'm not one to just accept mediocrity but there comes a time when you have to re-align your sights. These guys know what they're doing and if they can't make us as good as we think we should be, maybe it's because we think we're better than we really are.
Could be worse guys; you could be Andorran.
Billers
...I'm not really suprised to see the weeping and gnashing of teeth in this morning's mailbox. But I can only remember one friendly in my life that England have looked convincing: that was was under McClaren and it was possibly the best game we had under him (against Greece, featuring one of Lineker's most smug performances as host on the beeb).
The Premier League is not the best league in the world, and English players really just aren't that good. They don't have the technique or mentality and I doubt Capello will be able to change that. England severely over-achieved under Sven, as the benefit of a little hindsight shows. Shame on you who believe the hype. The team isn't very good and the fans aren't very good at admitting it; but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy supporting your country - ask the Scots. Stop acting like spoilt "big 4" fans.
Mike (a nice distraction from work) Hall
Does Don Fabio Give A Monkeys?
There is no problem with a foreign manager taking the reigns of the England team but come on, why does anybody think a 62 year old Italian on a guaranteed, non performance related, £6M A YEAR is really going to give a sh*t about how well England do? England's failure to qualify for World Cup 2010 isn't going to finish his career. He's at the end of his career and England job will probably be his last job in management anyway (win or lose). Paying Mourinho, Klinsmann or Van Basten £10M a year would have been money better spent.
It is just that Capello was the only man willing to take the money and leave the picking of the team to the FA? It started so well. The first team Capello picked had new faces in it and everyone thought "Great. He's going to mix it up a bit" but it looks like his reigns have been pulled in. Was the team selection for the first couple of games just a ploy to get the fans onside? If Capello is going to introduce some of Englands great new talent for the qualifying games shouldn't he have used them yesterday? The senior side must take precedent over the U21's.
Too many of the England team will be in there 30's in 2010. A team can afford 1 or 2 over 30's and usually only if they are world class (Ballack, Nedved, Maldini). England don't have those - GET THE YOUNGSTERS IN!
Jockey B
Why Are We Surprised?
What is more boring? A mailbox full of letter about ongoing transfer sagas such as Barry, Berbatov, Ronaldo. Or a mailbox full of 'morning after' inquiries into yet another disappointing England performance.
I mean come on what where you really expecting last night? People need to realise England are no good. If people accept this then any half decent result will cheer us rather than anger us. I mean lets face it, a draw against one of the poorer teams of Euro '08 is a good result. It a least shows we were on a par with one of the teams who actually made it to the competition.
Although, on second thoughts, they were the away team, so on a neutral ground this may have translated as a defeat for England meaning we ares till just as poor. Oh well, at least with that out of the way we can now get back to club football.
G.Devine, Liverpool
England Are Broken, But Can Be Fixed
Mr Capello, last night was our last friendly before the serious business of attempting to qualify for the World Cup begins. A number of mistakes were made, but if we learn from them perhaps we can avoid making any more, and missing out on qualification for a second successive major tournament (which might well cause you to wake up with a horse's head next to you on the pillow).
Error 1 - Experimenting this late in the day. We should have played our strongest 11 and stuck with it, in order to gain a win and build some confidence before the qualifiers. Presumably you wanted to prove once and for all that Beckham was past it by starting him. Well done, you have proved it perfectly well, now please drop him because truly I would rather see Jermaine Pennant on the right wing such was Beckham's total ineptitude (although he got an assist for one England goal and was no worse than anyone else, he was directly at fault for the first Czech goal by abandoning his post trying to be a hero). Fortunately we won't need to resort to fielding an ASBO, as Bentley proved that he should replace Becks, by attacking the full back and providing more crosses and set pieces that beat the first defender in the precious few minutes you gave him, than Becks managed in his all too long run out.
Error 2 - Playing Lampard on the left. In response to Harry 'Wobbles' Redknapp you claimed that you were playing 4-3-2-1, with Gerrard and Rooney behind Defoe, which meant that Lampard must have been on the left with Barry in the middle and Becks on the right. Lampard is just not good, adaptable or disciplined enough to fulfil this role - the reason why everyone thinks you played Gerrard on the left is because he was constantly having to plug a Lampard-sized hole (no mean feat by the way) in that position, while Fat Frank lumbered up to spank a shot into the crowd or artfully chip the ball to the opposition. Drop Lampard and Becks; bring in Joe Cole and Bentley. Simple. This way you can still give Gerrard licence to attack at will if you wish to stick with 4-3-2-1 (although that would expose our left flank with Joe Cole's limited tackling abilities), or drop Gerrard into the middle with Barry and play two up front (Gerrard's best position and England's strongest formation by the way).
Error 3 - Giving John Terry the captaincy. Clapping a few times after going behind is not captaincy. Getting nutmegged is not captaincy. Running back after the aforementioned nuts at the same pace a glacier melts is not captaincy. Afterwards whining 'we had the players to win the game' is not captaincy - it is precisely this sort of complacency that has blighted England; it doesn't matter how good players' reputations are if they don't put in the effort on the night. Giving your all and keeping your head while those around you lose theirs is captaincy - step forward Messrs Ferdinand and Gerrard.
Error 4 - Subbing off anybody who was playing well. After hauling off the ineffectual Defoe (why does Defoe hate shooting into the bottom corner? That's where you've got the most chance of scoring) Capello then ripped the heart out of England, player by player. The only players who weren't embarrassing themselves were Rio, Gerrard and Rooney - one by one Capello took them off, and England got steadily worse as a result. What can the logic of this possibly be? You can't use the Joe Cole goal as justification that your substitutions were correct, as any 'player' could have shinned that in after a goalmouth scramble - it truly was one of the ugliest, least deserved goals in England's history. Sub off players who aren't playing well, including your 'captain' if he's having a nightmare (and believe me he was).
Error 5 - Forcing England to play like Italy. The reason why we clamour for an English manager, the reason why the press are already on your back, and the reason why the England fans booed more than once last night, is because we do not want to see our team passing the ball sideways until the opposition have everybody behind the ball, or hoofing it up to a beanpole and hoping for a favourable bounce. We do not have fancy dan players like Pirlo or Del Piero, or skilful lofties like Toni. We have ballsy, gutsy, Roy of the Rovers style all-action heroes like Gerrard and Rooney. We need to play to our strengths with pace and conviction. Quick and incisive passing, running on to through balls or dinks over the top before the opposition know what hit them, running at full backs, committing the opposition - that's how England play well, not keeping the ball without doing anything with it.
I was at last night's game and although it was thoroughly disappointing, it was not the end of the world - action the above and England might just regain some confidence, get some results, and keep the press off your back. Ignore the above and you and your CV will be buried with Steve McClaren by our merciless press. Mark my words; this is your last chance.
Morgan (too serious for brackets) Goford
Rooney: Crap
When will someone see that Wayne Rooney is the most overated player in the country! They keep trying to find his "best position" but maybe they should realise he doesn't have one!
The guy has been a striker for the past few years but because he plays crap in that position people seems to think "oh it must be because that isn't his position"... it is you fools, the guy is just crap anywhere he plays!
Mike Adamou
Blame The Players
Why is it that whenever England do badly, it is the managers fault? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the importance of a good manager, and in the Premiership we have seen some greats such as Sir Alex, Arsene and Jose, but something they also had was the ability to choose their players.
Now I am sure lots of people will tell me that 'that is what the Engerland (sic) manager can do, from the cream of English football,' and that is my point. I think the cream of British football is actually a bit sh*t. I think we trade on our history and need to do a major overhaul of how the game is taught in this country. Due to the speed of the modern game, blood n' guts n' thunder will get you so far, but without the technique our continental chums are so keen on teaching, it means nothing. Whilst they retain possession we run around like the proverbial headless chickens.
It is something that has happened before, and as a Gooner it makes it hard to say, but we should have had teams built around players like Hoddle and Joe Cole, even Le Tiss. Instead we have teams built around athletic box to box players like Gerrard et al who can pull you through some games, but that style of game takes a lot out of you, which is why we repeatedly flag in the latter rounds of tournaments. This is just an opinion, no doubt I will get some sort of backlash about how 'talented' this generation is. If they were so great, they would have been at the Euros.
John 'Silvestre? G'aaaarrrgh!' Matrix
...Do you think Fabio Capello would be able to manage Italy, Spain, Holland etc to victory over the Czechs in their own backyards.
Yes.
Can he manage England to victory ....no.
Was that debacle the managers fault or simply the players he has to work with not being up to the job....you decide.
Nick Marshall, Abingdon
Interesting Idea
Green, Bridge, Woodgate, King (if ever fit), G Johnson, Bentley, A Young, Joe Cole, Jenas, Crouch, Agbonlahor. Presumably this would be the England 'B' team at the moment or something pretty close to it. Does anyone else think this team might beat the'A' team? Might be worth finding out. Instead of the next pointless friendly how about an A vs B match? It would be more interesting than watching eleven players expecting their salaries/reputations to do the job for them.
I hate England these days, I really do.
Rob, High Wycombe
Thoughts From Someone Who Was There
Having paid my money and attended the match last night, and so having had to make my own mind up rather than replaying what the latest media hack might have spouted, I'd make the following points.
Firstly, Lampard. To me, FFL is the epitome of what's wrong with our side. I'm sure he's a nice bloke, but it's like he's not on the pitch for England. It's really, really hard to notice or remember any meaningful contribution he made. Again.
Barry (who had a bad game) and Gerrard (who was hit and miss), were at least visible. But the continued presence of our Frankie in the centre of things seems to unbalance everything, and when your central midfielder doesn't tackle, make forward runs, score, track back, play good through balls etc etc and seems solely to pick up the ball whilst static and play it 5 yards to another team member who is also static, it's not hard to see why things don't seem to click.
Secondly, Rooney. Is it me, or were we all actually wrong, and really he isn't very good? Last night it was like watching a 6 year old play (again), as he ran all over the place trying to get the ball, often picking it up 20 yards or more outside the box. And he isn't Messi or Ronaldo, with the ability to drive past players and score from there. So either Cappello allows him basically to go anywhere and play where he likes, thus leaving our sole striker utterly isolated, or he just won't follow instructions and play off the first striker where he's been told. Either way, it doesn't work.
James - a calamity. Terry - embarrassed for the goal by an ageing Premiership has-been. Rio and Cashley - OK. Woodgate when he came on - rabbit in the headlights. Beckham - nowhere near as bad as some have made out. Heskey - no service and totally isolated (see Rooney, above). Cole - OK. The rest - not enough time on the pitch or on the ball to form a view.
When Capello was appointed, I cheered. A year or more ago I went to Barcelona to watch us stutter past Andorra, and in a couple of weeks I'm back there again. Right now, 3-0 looks like a good result.
Alan, Chester fan
Good Point
To anybody who thinks Redknapp would make a good manager - what do you think the chances are of him dropping Frank Lampard?
It's all very well blaming Capello but if it's Lampard/Gerrard that's the problem Uncle Harry won't sort it out will he?
Alastair
Downing
In response to Derick Yates' email about Downing... why exactly don't goals count any more? Like you say he scored 9 goals in the league last year, pretty impressive for a winger, especially playing in a team that apart from the freak game against city couldn't score more than 2 goals in a game all season. If you had watched him play, you would notice that he was consistently good, setting up a load of chances that our forwards constantly spannered into the stands. If you compare that to a lot of the players you mentioned, they (well, most) were all playing in teams that did pretty well in the league, scoring more goals.
For England, fair enough his stats don't look so great - but stats are what you make of them. For example - you say 10 games, no goals, 2 assists. I am going to say (according to http://www.englandstats.com/) 652 minutes, averaging just over 30 minutes a game, no goals, 2 assists and a decent contribution to several other goals. I don't think its too outrageous to say that coming on for 20 minutes or so in this England team, so devoid of movement and people to aim for isn't really the kind of platform where someone like Downing will really shine, not least with the idiot England 'fans' booing and jeering him every time he's on the pitch. Besides, when was the last time anyone played noticeably well for England? Lets face it, we're pretty sh*t.
Personally I hope the anti-downing thing continues for a long time as this will hopefully mean he sticks around at the Riverside, but I feel for the lad because he is a great talent who does not deserve the treatment he gets from the media and especially England fans. The kind of fans which make others less than motivated when it comes to matters regarding the national team.
If Liverpool do want him, they will have to pay a lot more than he's worth (see also: Robbie Keane, Bentley, Dean Ashton) and I think that this, along with Liverpool fans reaction will stop anything happening.
Matt, Middlesbrough
At Least It Wasn't On The Beeb
As depressing and extremely sorry as the England performance was last night, wasn't it made so much more bearable by having commentators and pundits alike, not sitting sniggering and laughing at everything a la Lawrenson, Lineker, Hansen and Motson, and actually listening to some intelligent comment, most of it quite scathing from Chris Waddle, and pundits telling it like it is, instead of sucking up to their "pals" in the England team like you used to get when the BBC had the coverage.
I found the Setanta coverage extremely refreshing and shall continue to watch the rubbish that is England whilst Sky and Setanta have the coverage, whereas when it was on BBC, I seriously couldn't bear it and therefore couldn't watch England games. I think the FA getting rid of the BBC is the best thing they've done in years. It's probably brought a few old England fans such as myself, back to supporting the national team again.
David Glen
Best Wishes
Dont know if people are aware but it seems Liam "Chippy" Brady has very recently had a heart attack . On behalf of everyone at The Arsenal we wish this absolute legend a speedy recovery.
What he did for our club was immense and for the likes of that mercenary from Togo he didnt need to go round kissing the badge and not mean it every 2 minutes.
All the Best Lord Brady of Highbury
Joolz The Gooner
Turning Circle
Was that Queen Mary partnering Ferdinand last night?
Guy Jubber
Itsh Scchteve!
You Engleesh do not shee the problem, you shay that internashional manager bring succsesh to English fussball yet Mr Capello still...how do you shay... struggle with correct English formashion and tactish, nay?
Ste Van McClaren
