The Euro 2024 Thread

[sycophantia]

Trippier gives you set pieces I suppose

Ultimately we're gambling that Shaw will be alright for the final group game or R16

True....it feels a bit like the years where we had to play Steve Guppy at left wing due to the dearth of options.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Poor Steve, he only played one game!

McManaman was the obvious answer on the left at the time but only Venables and Keegan seemed to trust him, Taylor, Hoddle and Sven did not.

 

[White Wolf]

Thought Bowen played awfully against Bosnia, we have decent choice in the wide areas and would have preferred Grealish as something a bit different.

Cutting Maguire only to then play Dunk feels like a downgrade as well. I'd have liked it to be Branthwaite.

 

[Tony Towner]

I'd have taken both Bowen and Grealish and left Toney out personally. He's done nothing this season to deserve to be in and Bowen could cover the 3rd forward if needed.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Ultimately a lot of the debate is like if the Internet existed in 1990 and there was flapping about who missed out from Steve McMahon, Nigel Clough, Steve Hodge, David Rocastle or Neil Webb.

Pickford

Walker
Stones
AN Other CH (I would go Guéhi)
Trippier (Shaw when fit and we must be confident he will be)

Rice
Gallagher/Mainoo/Wharton (all are decent and offer something different from each other)

Saka
Bellingham
Foden

Kane

Most of it is already nailed down and fringe players will be fringe players.

 

[Tony Towner]

Ultimately a lot of the debate is like if the Internet existed in 1990 and there was flapping about who missed out from Steve McMahon, Nigel Clough, Steve Hodge, David Rocastle or Neil Webb.

Pickford

Walker
Stones
AN Other CH (I would go Guéhi)
Trippier (Shaw when fit and we must be confident he will be)

Rice
Gallagher/Mainoo/Wharton (all are decent and offer something different from each other)

Saka
Bellingham
Foden

Kane

Most of it is already nailed down and fringe players will be fringe players.

When you look at the players who didn't make the 90 squad, big Division 1 names like Wright, Smith, Clough and Fashanu it's quite remarkable in hindsight that Bully did especially as we only took 3 forwards. He deserved to, but fair play to Bobby R for picking him. I know the gaps bigger now, but in a comparable situation social media would be up in arms today

 

[Wolftone]

Thought Bowen played awfully against Bosnia, we have decent choice in the wide areas and would have preferred Grealish as something a bit different.

Cutting Maguire only to then play Dunk feels like a downgrade as well. I'd have liked it to be Branthwaite.

I though Bowen played well enough v Bosnia. Always gives 100%, is reliable and consistent. You know what you're getting with him. Isn't the talent that Saka is obvs but can be relied on as a good squad player.
Grealish doesnt seem to be the player he was two seasons ago. Barely beats anyone these days, dances about then plays it backwards. Agree on Maguire v Dunk, have to assume Maguire isnt fully fit.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

When you look at the players who didn't make the 90 squad, big Division 1 names like Wright, Smith, Clough and Fashanu it's quite remarkable in hindsight that Bully did especially as we only took 3 forwards. He deserved to, but fair play to Bobby R for picking him. I know the games bigger now, but in a comparable situation social media would be up in arms today

Wrighty was coming off a broken leg IIRC

Cottee and Sheringham also nowhere near

 

[Templeton Peck]

When you look at the players who didn't make the 90 squad, big Division 1 names like Wright, Smith, Clough and Fashanu it's quite remarkable in hindsight that Bully did especially as we only took 3 forwards. He deserved to, but fair play to Bobby R for picking him. I know the gaps bigger now, but in a comparable situation social media would be up in arms today

Wright never did it for England and Smith and Clough were very different types of player. Fashanu is a cunt of a human being and him getting triggered when Bully replaces him at Hampden is one of my favourite ever moments in football.

 

[Templeton Peck]

I though Bowen played well enough v Bosnia. Always gives 100%, is reliable and consistent. You know what you're getting with him. Isn't the talent that Saka is obvs but can be relied on as a good squad player.
Grealish doesnt seem to be the player he was two seasons ago. Barely beats anyone these days, dances about then plays it backwards. Agree on Maguire v Dunk, have to assume Maguire isnt fully fit.

Pep is amazing but Grealish has had the flair coached out of him. See also Rooney, Wayne.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Wrighty never got a proper run at it sadly, Tel simply didn't like him, not sure he even played 3 games under him. Odd.

He looked good with either Ferdinand or Sheringham up top around 97 when Shearer was injured.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

When you look at the players who didn't make the 90 squad, big Division 1 names like Wright, Smith, Clough and Fashanu it's quite remarkable in hindsight that Bully did especially as we only took 3 forwards. He deserved to, but fair play to Bobby R for picking him. I know the gaps bigger now, but in a comparable situation social media would be up in arms today

Oh wow, just imagine!!!

It is like if a (younger) Alfie May had scored 30 more goals in league 1 and got picked.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Wrighty never got a proper run at it sadly, Tel simply didn't like him, not sure he even played 3 games under him. Odd.

He looked good with either Ferdinand or Sheringham up top around 97 when Shearer was injured.

All that said, he score 9 in 33 (17 starts), 4 of which were against San Marino and 2 against Moldova. He scored a really good goal against Italy in Le Tournoi though.

Taylor picked Stewart and Brian Deane over him at points though, which is a madness.

 

[jd1981]

Cropped up on YouTube don’t know how those games in the summer of 1993 under Taylor. As an 11 year old it was horrifying to watch very fortunate 1-1 in Poland, have a look at the goal we concede it’s comical. Lost 2-0 in Norway and were well beaten with Chris Woods bending so far backwards for Lars Bohinaen to score. 2-0 loss to the USA and it was a fair reflection, 1-1 draw with Brazil somehow and lost routinely to Germany. Some very odd selections to add.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I re-watch An Impossible Job at least a couple of times a year, it's still utterly compelling.

Graham Taylor was a lovely, lovely man but he did some very odd things with England. It's like he was systematically trying to get rid of any flair whatsoever.

I mean Euro 92...you want to pick a Man Utd central midfielder, that's fine. Robson is too old now so forget him. In 1992 which one of Paul Ince or Neil Webb would you go for?!

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Taking Lineker off for Alan Smith was one of the worst decisions in my England watching history.

The Impossible job is a brilliant watch, haven't watched it since Covid. But will again!

Even though Taylor was crap, he was incredibly hard done by with Koeman not being sent off, again one of the worst decisions in my England watching history.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Norway away is someone getting their brain completely scrambled. They always played this long diagonal to Jostein Flo who started nominally wide right. He got obsessed with stopping that and ended up with an incredibly strange team that had Pallister on the left of a back three (which we'd rarely played since Italia 90) but more often pulling right out to LB, with Lee Sharpe playing sort of as a LWB.

He got a bit unlucky that Shearer got injured halfway through 92/93 so missed a fair few qualifiers, and Des Walker properly dropped off a cliff as a top level player during his time.

 

[jd1981]

Taking Lineker off for Alan Smith was one of the worst decisions in my England watching history.

The Impossible job is a brilliant watch, haven't watched it since Covid. But will again!

Even though Taylor was crap, he was incredibly hard done by with Koeman not being sent off, again one of the worst decisions in my England watching history.

Still angers me every time I watch it it’s not as if it was before the law was changed either was blatantly stopping a goal scoring opportunity. Look at how Wouters is allowed to charge out the wall before the resulting free kick is taken.

 

[Sniffer]

Wasn't Koeman's free kick taken twice too?

Not winning from a 2-0 lead at home against the Netherlands and a 1-0 lead at home to Norway cost us as much as the away defeats but decisions certainly went against us in Rotterdam.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Wasn't Koeman's free kick taken twice too?

Yep, got charged down (by Tony Dorigo I think) and the ref ordered a re-take.

If only Safe Hands could have heard Brian Moore shouting that he was going to flick it over the wall the second time.