The general Euro2024 chit chat thread

[Uke]

Just spotted an RFC shirt in the pics I took at Düsseldorf yesterday! In the mostly Ukrainian end even though there’s a Slovakian flag just next door! (There’s some mixing, apparently Romanian fans are buying up spares and we’re a PiTA in Munich)

[Winston Biscuit]

More excitement in the first 7 minutes of Georgia Vs Czech Republic than in both England games combined.

[Snowflake Royal]

Cue the Southgate defenders to say, he's got us into the top 4 in the world and we've reached Euros and World finals with ease, etc. But really when you've got such great players and the stats tell you that they are, how else do you explain such a dire performance. The manager has to take the blame for his selection, tactics and lack of match day nous.

Its the players who play the game. I don’t care how bad the coaching, tactics and prep are, if you have the quality those players do you should play better.

Southgate's management has nothing to do with them making basic passing errors under no pressure.

Southgate has a solid record of performance, more than quite a few of these players at this level, you can't just absolve them of all responsibility and blame him.

No manager tells his players to go out and play at walking pace, with poor closing down, slow passing and no intent to score. So why are they doing it?

What Soughtgate is asking for is the tedious possession based domination of the first 30 minutes of the Serbia game. And the players did nothing like it against Denmark.

They've believed their own hype, vastly under appreciated their opposition, and aren't performing. That's on them as much as Southgate

Which is 100% the opposite of what you were saying about Selles when we were playing shite

Not really, I complained his team set up gave us absolutely no chance and his coaching was poor. There's a quite a difference here, as the formation Southgate has chosen isn't suicidal, his team aren't incredibly young and inexperienced and he's not the main person responsible for their coaching. That's their clubs. Plus Southgate has a proven record of success behind him that Selles didn't.

[genome]

that was up there with Chris Brass

[Winston Biscuit]

Scotland currently bottom of the 3rd place table

[URZZZZ]

Surprised Ronaldo passed that one!

[bcubed]

Kevin Garside sums it up very well.

And when Southgate intervened his first change was Conor Gallagher, a kind of fast-twitch replica of Rice, a player who runs about a lot but who cannot control a match at this level. So England had two of a kind when the situation was crying out for Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton to put their foot on the ball and look up.

Their absence, plus that of Cole Palmer, was inexplicable in the context of the aimless, guileless plod. The reaction of the players suggested the experience felt as awful as it looked. None had an answer, just vague platitudes about a desire to get better.

Southgate has transformed the England experience in important ways, returned the national team to the centre of things again for the players and the fans.

In three prior tournaments he teased us with the delicious idea that England might just be good enough to win. But in the end we never quite escaped the suspicion that the one thing holding the team back was him.

The players and the FA love him. Of course they do. He is a thoroughly decent man and cares deeply about his flock, but no longer knows how to help them.

The England proposition is in a vastly better place than it was eight years ago when he swept up after Sam Allardyce. For all his leadership qualities, his understanding of group dynamics and sympathetic approach, his management skills have little application on match day when players need energy, direction, a plan and a sense of mission, all of which have been manifestly absent.

The best for which we can hope against Slovenia and beyond, is that the players take ownership of the problem and work it out for themselves.

Freed from Southgate’s suffocating yoke, England might yet do themselves justice, and by extension make the experience something to enjoy not endure, for us as well as them.

Cue the Southgate defenders to say, he's got us into the top 4 in the world and we've reached Euros and World finals with ease, etc. But really when you've got such great players and the stats tell you that they are, how else do you explain such a dire performance. The manager has to take the blame for his selection, tactics and lack of match day nous.

Its the players who play the game. I don’t care how bad the coaching, tactics and prep are, if you have the quality those players do you should play better.

Southgate's management has nothing to do with them making basic passing errors under no pressure.

Southgate has a solid record of performance, more than quite a few of these players at this level, you can't just absolve them of all responsibility and blame him.

No manager tells his players to go out and play at walking pace, with poor closing down, slow passing and no intent to score. So why are they doing it?

What Soughtgate is asking for is the tedious possession based domination of the first 30 minutes of the Serbia game. And the players did nothing like it against Denmark.

They've believed their own hype, vastly under appreciated their opposition, and aren't performing. That's on them as much as Southgate

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

[Snowflake Royal]

Cue the Southgate defenders to say, he's got us into the top 4 in the world and we've reached Euros and World finals with ease, etc. But really when you've got such great players and the stats tell you that they are, how else do you explain such a dire performance. The manager has to take the blame for his selection, tactics and lack of match day nous.

Its the players who play the game. I don’t care how bad the coaching, tactics and prep are, if you have the quality those players do you should play better.

Southgate's management has nothing to do with them making basic passing errors under no pressure.

Southgate has a solid record of performance, more than quite a few of these players at this level, you can't just absolve them of all responsibility and blame him.

No manager tells his players to go out and play at walking pace, with poor closing down, slow passing and no intent to score. So why are they doing it?

What Soughtgate is asking for is the tedious possession based domination of the first 30 minutes of the Serbia game. And the players did nothing like it against Denmark.

They've believed their own hype, vastly under appreciated their opposition, and aren't performing. That's on them as much as Southgate

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

He certainly needs to put a rocket up them for the next game.

If I were him I'd make a number of changes to try to focus some minds that no one has an automatic place regardless of performance. Especially as this in theory is our easiest game, an we're basically through already.

Something like:

...................Pickford
Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier*
.............Rice, Bellingham
......Bowen, Foden, Gordon
...................Watkins


*any fit player who has played LB.


But then I'm not a successful Intentional manager like Southgate is.

[Orion1871]

Surprised Ronaldo passed that one!

Fernandes had a shot in the first half instead of passing to him for a tap-in. Maybe he was making a point by passing.

[Franchise FC]

Its the players who play the game. I don’t care how bad the coaching, tactics and prep are, if you have the quality those players do you should play better.

Southgate's management has nothing to do with them making basic passing errors under no pressure.

Southgate has a solid record of performance, more than quite a few of these players at this level, you can't just absolve them of all responsibility and blame him.

No manager tells his players to go out and play at walking pace, with poor closing down, slow passing and no intent to score. So why are they doing it?

What Soughtgate is asking for is the tedious possession based domination of the first 30 minutes of the Serbia game. And the players did nothing like it against Denmark.

They've believed their own hype, vastly under appreciated their opposition, and aren't performing. That's on them as much as Southgate

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

He certainly needs to put a rocket up them for the next game.

If I were him I'd make a number of changes to try to focus some minds that no one has an automatic place regardless of performance. Especially as this in theory is our easiest game, an we're basically through already.

Something like:

...................Pickford
Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier*
.............Rice, Bellingham
......Bowen, Foden, Gordon
...................Watkins


*any fit player who has played LB.


But then I'm not a successful Intentional manager like Southgate is.

Just how is anyone thinking that Bowen is ahead of Palmer ?
I’m genuinely baffled

[BRO_BOT]

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

He certainly needs to put a rocket up them for the next game.

If I were him I'd make a number of changes to try to focus some minds that no one has an automatic place regardless of performance. Especially as this in theory is our easiest game, an we're basically through already.

Something like:

...................Pickford
Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier*
.............Rice, Bellingham
......Bowen, Foden, Gordon
...................Watkins


*any fit player who has played LB.


But then I'm not a successful Intentional manager like Southgate is.

Just how is anyone thinking that Bowen is ahead of Palmer ?
I’m genuinely baffled

Palmer is a number 10 who can play on the right wing but is likely to drift inside. Bowen is going to stay wide and run the channel.

It depends on what works best for your system. In Ian's team, you can bring Palmer on if Foden isn't working

The French midfield was Rabiot & Kante rather than Camavinga & Tchouameni because it does the job the manager wants

[LUX]

Blimey, so much happening in the Belgium v Romania game. Belgium should be out of sight. But they are not, and nearly lost their lead there.

[Snowflake Royal]

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

He certainly needs to put a rocket up them for the next game.

If I were him I'd make a number of changes to try to focus some minds that no one has an automatic place regardless of performance. Especially as this in theory is our easiest game, an we're basically through already.

Something like:

...................Pickford
Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier*
.............Rice, Bellingham
......Bowen, Foden, Gordon
...................Watkins


*any fit player who has played LB.


But then I'm not a successful Intentional manager like Southgate is.

Just how is anyone thinking that Bowen is ahead of Palmer ?
I’m genuinely baffled

Well he's come on twice so Southgate does, and I've seen him play. Don't watch PL so never seen Palmer play. But feel free to sub him in, sentiment is the same.

[Snowflake Royal]

Blimey, so much happening in the Belgium v Romania game. Belgium should be out of sight. But they are not, and nearly lost their lead there.

Enjoying the Lukkaku disallowed goal count.

Is there an award for that? Perhaps the brown boot?

[LUX]

Very, very close decision again. Belgium look great going forward, have loads of chances. But so have Romania.

[Franchise FC]

Very, very close decision again. Belgium look great going forward, have loads of chances. But so have Romania.

I didn’t even consider it could be offside

And De Bruyne’s follow through is more than a bit iffy

[Winston Biscuit]

Why does Belgiums shirt look so sweaty?!

[URZZZZ]

I normally agree with you SR and Im sure you're right about the players believing their own hype, but just can't accept that this is not the manager's responsibility.

He certainly needs to put a rocket up them for the next game.

If I were him I'd make a number of changes to try to focus some minds that no one has an automatic place regardless of performance. Especially as this in theory is our easiest game, an we're basically through already.

Something like:

...................Pickford
Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier*
.............Rice, Bellingham
......Bowen, Foden, Gordon
...................Watkins


*any fit player who has played LB.


But then I'm not a successful Intentional manager like Southgate is.

Just how is anyone thinking that Bowen is ahead of Palmer ?
I’m genuinely baffled

Bowen has been a consistently strong performer for three seasons straight. Palmer since about November. I’d agree Palmer has a higher ceiling than Bowen does but Bowen has achieved more in their respective careers up to date. Would also argue that Palmer is fairly similar to Foden and Bellingham whereas Bowen offers a bit more variety

Would personally bring Wharton, Bowen and Gordon in for Trent, Trippier and Foden and trial Saka at LB. Wharton coming in as the “sitter” in midfield can compensate for being more attacking in the fullback positions

[genome]

[Loafer]

that was up there with Chris Brass

Who?