The Official World Cup 2018 Megathread

[Deutsch Wolf]

Bringing Darius Vassell on for Rooney when we were 1-0 up vs Portugal. Why Sven, why.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

The Euro 2004 team was miles better...

James / Neville, Terry, Campbell, Cole / Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes / Owen, Rooney.

You can make a case that all of those outfield players were world class at the time.

no they may have been better players, but they were not a better team.

FFS Gerrard, Ferdinand, and Lampard would not speak to each other.

These are a better TEAM, just like Greece were a better TEAM than we were when they won. a half decent Team will beat 11 exceptional individuals

 

[darlowolf64]

You can make a case that all of those outfield players were world class at the time.

Some may have been World class but I think the point being made is they were a team of individuals, thrown together rather than a TEAM that is more than the sum of its parts

 

[Tony Towner]

The Euro 2004 team was miles better...

James / Neville, Terry, Campbell, Cole / Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes / Owen, Rooney.

2006 was as equally as good
Ferdinand for Campbell
Robinson for James
Cole for Scholes

I said on another thread, Kane is the only current player who'd make either of those sides. You can argue the keepers but it's replacing meh with meh

 

[Sniffer]

no they may have been better players, but they were not a better team.

FFS Gerrard, Ferdinand, and Lampard would not speak to each other.

These are a better TEAM, just like Greece were a better TEAM than we were when they won. a half decent Team will beat 11 exceptional individuals

There may have been some cliques but that wouldn't have stopped them going out and performing together. It may have been Owen Hargreaves I was listening to on Fivelive a few months back and he said that in training they were a team and they looked like world beaters. They couldn't do it on the pitch though. A genuine left sided option may have made the difference or having Shearer on the bench (in 2004 anyway).

 

[Nando]

Some may have been World class but I think the point being made is they were a team of individuals, thrown together rather than a TEAM that is more than the sum of its parts

We have no idea in any case whether this is a better TEAM (Glasgow emphasis). They've done nothing to prove such a point yet.

I'd still take that 2004 squad over this one 100 times out of 100.

The El Classico rivalry didn't stop Spain running riot, it's a case of poor management if you can't unite the players.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

no they may have been better players, but they were not a better team.

FFS Gerrard, Ferdinand, and Lampard would not speak to each other.

These are a better TEAM, just like Greece were a better TEAM than we were when they won. a half decent Team will beat 11 exceptional individuals

I know which team I preferred watching.

You could replay Euro 2004 over and over and I reckon we'd go further than Greece nearly every time.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Before Saturday we'd scored either 0 or 1 goals in our last six games, this includes fixtures against the might of Slovenia and Lithuania.

I've seen very little as yet to suggest that we've hit upon a coherent team with a great strategy that allows us to punch above our weight. The draw has been kind to us this time so we have a decent chance of making the quarter finals but we aren't particularly fun to watch and there are question marks over so many areas.

 

[Kenny]

I like what Southgate has done today - A media gathering like the NFL do before the Superbowl. Full access to all the Squad and trying to build a relationship with the press before the Tournament (although Sterling will probably be annoyed by the time it finishes and he has had to talk about his tattoo 3000 times)

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

There may have been some cliques but that wouldn't have stopped them going out and performing together. It may have been Owen Hargreaves I was listening to on Fivelive a few months back and he said that in training they were a team and they looked like world beaters. They couldn't do it on the pitch though. A genuine left sided option may have made the difference or having Shearer on the bench (in 2004 anyway).

It did though, Lampard, Ferdinand, and Gerrard have admitted it

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

We have no idea in any case whether this is a better TEAM (Glasgow emphasis). They've done nothing to prove such a point yet.

I'd still take that 2004 squad over this one 100 times out of 100.

The El Classico rivalry didn't stop Spain running riot, it's a case of poor management if you can't unite the players.

but it did for years, it was not until the Madrid and Barca Players had a meeting and decided to come together and put club rivalries aside.
They put the banner outside the Hotel it simply said 1 Spain, until then the players readily admitted it had affected performances.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

Before Saturday we'd scored either 0 or 1 goals in our last six games, this includes fixtures against the might of Slovenia and Lithuania.

I've seen very little as yet to suggest that we've hit upon a coherent team with a great strategy that allows us to punch above our weight. The draw has been kind to us this time so we have a decent chance of making the quarter finals but we aren't particularly fun to watch and there are question marks over so many areas.

We do not make lots of chances, and we do not concede many either
0-0 draw against Germany , only conceding 3 goals in those 6 games.
Whilst we are not great to watch, I'd take scrappy 1-0 wins all the way to the final and be delighted

 

[Lord Knows]

no they may have been better players, but they were not a better team.

FFS Gerrard, Ferdinand, and Lampard would not speak to each other.

These are a better TEAM, just like Greece were a better TEAM than we were when they won. a half decent Team will beat 11 exceptional individuals

I'm really surprised at the optimism displayed for this current England squad going into the World Cup. I see a group of players completely lacking in football intelligence unable to think for themselves when the other side starts posing problems. Who of the starting eleven has a football brain?

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I'm really surprised at the optimism displayed for this current England squad going into the World Cup. I see a group of players completely lacking in football intelligence unable to think for themselves when the other side starts posing problems. Who of the starting eleven has a football brain?

Lingard.

 

[Sniffer]

I'm really surprised at the optimism displayed for this current England squad going into the World Cup. I see a group of players completely lacking in football intelligence unable to think for themselves when the other side starts posing problems. Who of the starting eleven has a football brain?

I've yet to see anything other than we may get to the quarter finals as the draw is relatively kind.

 

[Johnny75]

I'm really surprised at the optimism displayed for this current England squad going into the World Cup. I see a group of players completely lacking in football intelligence unable to think for themselves when the other side starts posing problems. Who of the starting eleven has a football brain?

There are decent footballing brains in the squad with Stones, Dier, Trippier, Lingard, Lallana and Kane. But then you have Henderson, Walker, Sterling and Welbz who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

I think where we lack is the creativity in midfield, the players with the De Bruyne like ability to pick a defense apart. We wasted our last player of that class (Scholes) and we seem to have the Portuguese version not going to the World Cup either. International managers also showing a lack of football intelligence.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Lallana's not in the squad. Big G has decided we need Phil Jones to sit on the bench and play 0 minutes.

 

[Johnny75]

Has Phil Jones got a brain, footballing or otherwise?

 

[Nando]

 

[machin05]

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