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Perspective
Bla bla bla awful performance, pub-teamers standing up to the big time Charlies, lucky to just get booed, Capello/Lampard/Terry/Barry/Long John Silver Out... I'm pretty sure this is what the gist of today's mailbox will be.
But let's keep some perspective, people. World War One has taught us that it's jolly hard to slaughter whichever dastardly foreigners we're up against if they decide that they have no ambition to strike us. Andorra built a wall around their area, exactly as we knew they would do. Although the Andorrese (Andorran? Andorranian?) squad may consist of 6 pipe fitters, 4 chimney sweeps and a donkey dealer, that's still the same number of able bodied men as England. And able bodied men is all that is needed if the ambition is to stand on the goal line and keep out the mighty finishing efforts of Rooney and Ivanhoe Heskey.
The fact that England take a while to score against this kind of Berlin wall is absolutely no reason to get all booey and hissy. I'm not saying that this performance means nothing and that we'll still ease through the group, but this is no 'normal' qualifier. The objective is to get three points and forget about it, which we can and will do immediately. Andorra who?
Joe 'Despreatley craving a Croissant' D., Bristol
Boo The Boo Boys (And Other Curious Language)
It was only 30 odd minutes into the England game and the Boo boys were out in full force again. Honestly, I cant believe what I am witnessing here. This shower of scum are forever ruining any chance that ye may have of ever winning a major trophy! When will ye get it into ye'r thick skulls that ye are the reason that the team is under performing!?!?! Do ye honestly think that this team isnt giving it their all? That they have no pride in their country? It is ye scumbags who boo the England team that have no pride in yer country! Ye are the one's who are underperforming as fans. Its a simple job and one that isnt all that difficult for most fans. A natural pride in your country and, as a result, a willingness to support them through thick and thin! But no... that would be impossible for ye lagered up halfwits! My theory is that ye just have to hate something! In the opening 25 minutes it was hating Setanta! Why? Your at an England international and ye are voicing ye'r hatred for a sports channel? Jesus F'in Christ! get a life!
At one point in the first half the boo's were dying down and I heard a small number of fans singing "come on England". My hat goes of to these true supporters of their country. Line 26 of God save the queen reads "That men should brothers be, And form one family".... well done scum... cant even respect ye'r own national anthem!
Every boo'd bad pass and every boo'd failed run is as criminal as the plays themselves. "They" are not England... All of ye are! The weakest link in the England team is the fans.... closely followed by the tabloid journo's! Im not trying to paint all England fans with the same brush here. As I said earlier, there are the few who are true supporters of their country! The rest of ye make me sick to my stomach! I cant believe how one nation has such a problem with getting behind a team rather than forming a wall in front of it!
If ye actually support the team, stop hating anything and everything and restore some pride in yourselves for ye'r country... then maybe ye might win a trophy! until then.... Enjoy mediocrity!
B Duke
A Mail Entitled 'It Was Capello's Fault', Not The Players
I couldn't hear the commentary but I can imagine it, but the media are going to slaughter them tomorrow and wrongly so.
Downing wasnt good tonight but he can't take all the blame. Anyone with half a brain could tell that Andorra were going to put 11 men behind a ball tonight but apparently Capello hasn't got half a brain.
Downing, Defoe, Rooney, and Walcott(how he stayed on for 90 mins Ill never know) like to have space to run and then find their space to do something, against Andorra they were never going to get it which severly limited their chances and made them look bad. Against 11 men behind the ball teams you need either players with great feet playing who can pick passes out and get through the mass of legs such as Bentley, Cole on either wing, Or put two big men such as Heskey and Ashton up front and hit balls up to them. Either way Downing, Defoe and Walcott should have never played.
Downing should not have been in the England squad as A.Young is miles better and this will be used as the excuse to swap them over, but Young would have failed to impress tonight as well and Downing is in for a battering. I hope the Boro fans give him a good reaction at the next Boro game has his confidence will need it.
Marc Francis Tierney
Owen v Defoe
Can you please tell me what Defoe brings to the England team that Michael Owen would not. I'm tired of people slagging Owen of because he's not a modern centre forward and can't bring anything other than goal poaching to games. Well sack that, neither does Defore but he also doesn't score. Owen does, he may be completely rubbish but if he scores goals who cares!
Jamie Shore
Horrible
Three times on this Saturday's football365 homepage, Andorra are described as 'horrible'. This seems a little unsporting. Andorra has a population of around 70,000, a sizeable number of which are older tax-residents. It is a great acheivment for them to hold off England (population: circa 50,000,000) for forty-five minutes, and to only lose 2-0. I think your criticism should be aimed a little closer to home.
Admittedly, I did spend the first-half watching a truly talented British sportsman play tennis
Jamie Owen
There may be only a few of them, but that Andorra side made no attempt to play football, played a 5-5-0 formation and kicked the England players at every opportunity, thus fully justifying the description of them as 'horrible' - The Mailbox Compiler
Laughable
"Andorra Coach Laughably Claims Moral Victory".
Erm ... why "laughably"?
I'm not Andorran and I have no brief to leap to their defence but surely Andorra (and their Coach) have more to be proud of than England (and their
Coach) following last night?
If the Under-13 side that I coach had held, say, Brentford Reserves to a mere 2-0 victory over us, would it be "laughable" for me to claim a moral victory?
As to Rodrigo's suggestion that, in Capello's position, he would have done better than 2-0, well who knows? Let's face it ... it wouldn't have been difficult.
I wonder how many Football365 readers are still happy that we sacked Ericsson, arguably our most successful manager ever.
Jack Nicole
See previous riposte.
Father Fabio
Does anyone remember the episode of Father Ted when Dougal gets a job as a milkman but the milk float he drives gets sabotaged by a crazed madman who plants a bomb on it which threatens to blow the float up if the speed dial goes above 3mph?
In the meantime Father Ted and his trusty clergy cohorts concoct a mobile altar which enables them to give mass to their stricken colleague in the hope that this divine intervention may indeed stop the float. Alas it doesn't and Father Ted is forced to tell Dougal to keep driving around in circles until he can think of an alternative plan. Then follows an elaborate montage which shows Ted back at the drawing board feverishly chalking up his next ingenious idea in the hope of stopping the runaway float. After a few minutes ( or 3 hours in montage time ) coupled with 57 cigarettes Ted has finished and proudly steps back to show his new plan to his expectant fellow priests which hilariously turns out to be another mass as indicated by the cross that Ted has drawn on the board.
Message to Fabio. No more masses.
Robert Melia
P.S. Frank. Stay under 3mph. And don't stop for a Ginsters.
Hmmmm
My mate Cookie has come up with a bonzer idea for deciding games tied at the end of 90 minutes that require a result, cup finals, euro games, etc. If there's holes in it, then I've yet to find them. Maybe your readers can help. Here's the idea. At the end of regulation, if the scores are level, have the penalty shoot-out first, then have extra time! The winner of the shootout would go into the extra time with half a goal (bear with me) so that there will be a winner at the end whoever scores. Of course one team would be defending like crazy (just like a team one nil up at 80 minutes), but surely it would make for better entertainment than two teams playing for the lottery of penalties. The break for the shootout would allow players a bit of rest, fresher legs for the final half hour. Also it would prevent substitutions merely to bring in penalty specialists. Any takers?
Mark Sidgwick, USA
Yes, Yes, Very Good
Did anyone else think that Redknapp-Sheringham-Shearer last night looked a better bet than Lampard-Defoe-Rooney? And Cashley would have some serious competition from Le Saux if he hadnt retired....
Tim
...After watching England v Andorra on Saturday and England V Rest of the World on Socceraid yesterday. I know what team should starrt against Croatia on Wednesday.
Martin (Wish I didn't watch the game on Setanta-day) Brez, Nott'm
Taking Action On The Toon
Hi there,
We've decided we've had enough of trying to figure out what to do about this whole crazy situation at Newcastle and so we've set up a website to suggest 4 simple and hopefully effective things.
We aim to have a peaceful protest to include:
1. Signing a petition to demonstrate the weight of opposition to the Mike Ashley regime.
2. A protest march from Central Station to SJP before the home game against Hull on Saturday. (to be confirmed by the organiser!)
3. Encouraging fans going to the Hull game to wear bright colours (eg, orange or bright green) to show to the people watching that the fans in the stadium are against the current owner and board.
4. A boycott of club products and food on match day - to hit Mike Ashley where it hurts - in the pocket.
As you no doubt know, 99% of Newcastle fans are very disillusioned by the current regime and want change! We want to carry on supporting the players on the pitch, but make it clear that we're not happy with the owner, the way he has lied to Kevin Keegan and to the fans of the club about the structure, and the terrible way he has treated Kevin.
If you could pass on the word on your great site that would be great.
It needs more support by getting it to a higher profile and we really would be grateful for your help.
Thanks,
All the best,
Newcastle Action
And A Few Hours Later, An Update...
After feedback we have changed the idea of wearing bright colours to the Hull match from "wear bright colours" to wear the black and white colours! We had originally thought this idea was popular, but many people were not happy with this idea and want to be seen in the black and white of Newcastle United. We don't want to try and organise something that will be unpopular so we have changed it, hopefully before the word is spread too deeply and wrongly!
Newcastle Action
A Mail Entitled 'Jamie Carragher - C**t'
1 - He's a thug, no surprise there. No skill either. Slow and no positional sense bailed out by his last minute tackle ability. A bit like Terry actually, oh except terry got his game for England.
2 - He's a coward, sending his mates to do his dirty work if you are gonna hold a grudge do it Roy Keane (also a thug on the field though not so much off it) style. I don't remember any knee snapping retaliation from him.
3 - He's full of s**t, yeah sure, you sent your mates to "hit" him. He's a scally ganster, 50p maybe? Then called it off like some godfather figure. what a tool, Firstly his mates aren't that bright obviously and I'm fairly sure they would have been caught and it would only be a matter of time before they are linked with Carragher and then all it would take is a tabloid paper (not the Sun though obviously) and a wad of cash and they would be singing like canaries, though probably higher pitched. Secondly admitting to plnning on assauting somebody outside the pitch is on par with what Keane did in his book and he was brought up on disrepute charges, surely even writing about it gives an insight into this runt of a man and also the fans as fitty p obviously wrote it to keep it real, scouse style assuming that thats what the fans want to hear or expect to.
4 - The whole England thing reeks of I dumped her she didn't dump me. The fact that the played the tea lady at centre half before him didn't bother him cos playing for england didn't really matter. Nothing to do with the fact he publicly moaned about not being picked, that other peope he tought were no better than him were chosen over again. Sounded like it mattered back then.
5 - All we need now are books by Terry and Barton to round out this unholy trinity of pure scum. Terry as England captain, classy.
6 - Where the hell are all the Manu/Everton fans seizing on this like a welfare check? Frankly i'm surprised.
Rob. LUFC Sydney
Thank You Setanta, The BBC And ITV
Having had the dubious pleasure of being able to watch the Andorra v England qualifier, courtesy of Supersport here in Saudi, I would like to thank Setanta Sports for not caving in to the ludicrous demands of the BBC and ITV and thus subjecting the British viewing public to such dross.
Ian in Saudi
...I don't have Setanta, so thanks BBC and ITV for not showing highlights of the England game. I have'nt seen it, but general reports are that England plodded their way to an unremarkable 2-0 victory. Apparently there was no scintillating play, exciting teamwork or individual moments of brilliance. How predictable...once again, thanks to the BBC and ITV for sparing us.
Ib
Quite
How many points do Andorra get for a moral victory?
GP
