England V Spain

[merseyboyred]

Only here for Iago Aspas

My boy.

Wish he could take a corner like that, mind.

 

[SALTIRE]

I didn't watch the match but in my opinion what we need to do is call up more Liverpool players.

No fucking way, you injure them all - yes you!!

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

If Vardy hadn't fluffed his first touch he wouldn't have got the penalty...
Anyone else wonder how Sterling keeps getting selected? Whenever he has the ball, it's just a case of waiting to see what method he will use to give it back to the opposition.

 

[JimJams]

If Vardy hadn't fluffed his first touch he wouldn't have got the penalty...

No, he'd probably have just scored.

 

[merseyboyred]

Anyone else wonder how Sterling keeps getting selected?

I reckon it's because he's very good and one of England's most potent attacking threats.

 

[St. Juste]

Lesson in taking your chances. We should have scored 3 or 4 and been out of sight.

Don't you just love England fans? Tremendous.

For all of Scotlands faults, by losing we have all but guaranteed Southgate the job and the fallout will be hilarious and rather predictable - this was just a taster.

First the passing game and now Gareth Southgate managing England - you can thank us later.

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

I reckon it's because he's very good and one of England's most potent attacking threats.

You don't honestly believe that do you?

 

[GodsGift]

Sterling frustrates me no end, but yeah, he's obviously one of our best threats going forward. I just wish he could kick the ball properly and stop missing sitters.

 

[merseyboyred]

You don't honestly believe that do you?

Sterling frustrates me no end, but yeah, he's obviously one of our best threats going forward. I just wish he could kick the ball properly and stop missing sitters.

What GG said. He's clearly got weak areas of his game, but he's not even 22 yet and undeniably a player with huge potential, who's beginning to thrive at a higher level than England perform at week in week out. Even his play last night was what produced some of England's most effective attacking play, certainly he was England's greatest attacking threat following Lallana's enforced removal.

I could equally mock you insinuating that he isn't one of England's most potent attacking threats. Lad's been made a scapegoat of.

 

[Pagnell]

Gareth Southgate says he has shown he can cope with the intensity of leading England in high-pressure matches.

Southgate, 46, is the favourite to replace Sam Allardyce after ending his four-match interim reign unbeaten with a 2-2 draw against Spain.

"Until this run, under this spotlight, and in matches under intense pressure, you're never sure how it is going to be," said the former England defender.

"I've proved that I can handle big occasions."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37995671

Currently favourite to land the job too. The excitement.

 

[JimJams]

Couldn't care less to be honest. Let him have it. Can't do any worse than Roy or Shteve did. Rooney will be praying he gets it.

 

[Pagnell]

Couldn't care less to be honest.

Me neither. Which is part of England's issues, as a nation we've become resigned to turgid football and failure. Southgate will provide both in abundance, like his predecessors.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Who else is out there that would take the job though? Southgate has come in and got us some good results, he's made it hard not to give it him. I would like to see Eddie Howe get the job but I can't see that happening for a few years yet. Surely an announcement will be made pretty soon?

 

[smat]

Who else is out there that would take the job though? Southgate has come in and got us some good results, he's made it hard not to give it him. I would like to see Eddie Howe get the job but I can't see that happening for a few years yet. Surely an announcement will be made pretty soon?

Southgate's results are a 0-0 draw in Slovenia, wins over Malta and Scotland, and a draw with Spain in a friendly. What would have qualified as not 'made it hard not to give it to him'? Losing to fucking Malta?

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Southgate's results are a 0-0 draw in Slovenia, wins over Malta and Scotland, and a draw with Spain in a friendly. What would have qualified as not 'made it hard not to give it to him'? Losing to fucking Malta?

He's done what was expected of him, and there's nobody else out there. It's hard not to give it him.

 

[Super_horns]

We did quite well considering it seems half the squad had an all nighter a few days before the game!

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Don't get why Rooney has had to make a public apology for having a few drinks on his day off. Fucking pathetic.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Who else is out there that would take the job though? Southgate has come in and got us some good results, he's made it hard not to give it him. I would like to see Eddie Howe get the job but I can't see that happening for a few years yet. Surely an announcement will be made pretty soon?

Gus Hiddink!!

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Who else is out there that would take the job though? Southgate has come in and got us some good results, he's made it hard not to give it him. I would like to see Eddie Howe get the job but I can't see that happening for a few years yet. Surely an announcement will be made pretty soon?

And this is why I'm happy that Southgate is "all but guaranteed" the job, to use St. Juste's phrase! Selfish I know.

Howe would be totally unsuited to international management anyway, Howe makes a difference to players through long term meticulous training ground work, with both the individuals and the group. That's his strength, he doesn't do anything magical tactically, because he prepares the players so well before it gets to the game. And that just isn't possible at international level. At least Southgate is used to the international schedule and used to taking on a mishmash of players days before a game.

But to be honest, I don't think it'll make much difference who we have as manager, our current crop is what it is. It'll breeze through to tournaments, once there we'd obviously hope it'll do better than it did in France at least, but this crop isn't going to be threatening the best sides, I think we accept that. Whilst we did well against Spain in periods, and missed the chances for a larger lead that would have killed the game, we screwed that up. And we all know in a real game Spain would likely ease past us.

 

[St. Juste]

Who else is out there that would take the job though? Southgate has come in and got us some good results, he's made it hard not to give it him. I would like to see Eddie Howe get the job but I can't see that happening for a few years yet. Surely an announcement will be made pretty soon?

The English FA is the richest in the world and can afford / attract pretty much any manager beyond maybe a top 30. The fact they could easily get the likes of Marcelo Bielsa (an incredibly successful international manager) but instead choose Gareth Soutghate kinda says it all.

I do have some sympathy with them though, as it is the media who has anointed Southgate. Every nauseating article about how he has approached the job "maturely" and seems "calm and confident" in interviews - none of these things matter. What does matter is that as a manager he has achieved absolutely nothing beyond an under 20 tournament and being relegated and sacked from his only club job. Or the fact that they haven't even looked particularly good in his 4 game "trial". The media clearly hold enormous sway over who becomes English manager, and for whatever reason they have anointed Soutghate who will merrily dance to their tune, as opposed to a far superior manager like Bielsa who wouldn't give them the time of day.

I will happily incur national debt to get Bielsa to manage Scotland - I'd rather keep Strachan than Southgate.

 

[Pagnell]

The media clearly hold enormous sway over who becomes English manager, and for whatever reason they have anointed Soutghate who will merrily dance to their tune

And yet they'll happily crap all over him once he inevitably fucks up.

 

[St. Juste]

And yet they'll happily crap all over him once he inevitably fucks up.

Inevitably, yes, but this would happen regardless of who was manager.

In the intervening period they want a manager who'll do the ridiculous press briefings, allow almost un-interrupted access from embedded journalists and provide all sorts of meaningless fodder for newspapers. Someone who will come out and do a post match exactly when ITV want them to.

Their worst fear is that it goes to someone with authority, like Capello or Bielsa, who will tell them to take a running jump and be accused, in turn, of running a "prison camp regime" (yes, this really happened).

The English media are demonstrably a negative force in English football, it's the same in Scotland - I think our governing bodies and managers permit them to have far too much influence.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Richard Conway ‏@richard_conway 16m16 minutes ago
FA CEO Martin Glenn on Southgate: has put himself in "strong position" but they will "potentially" now interview other candidates.

 

[JimJams]

It'd be funny if they strung him along did a bunch of interviews only for them to eventually offer him the job and for Southgate to tell them to go fuck themselves. Oh how I'd larf!

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Why haven't they been conducting concurrent activity interviewing candidates whilst GS has been in temporary charge?