England v Slovenia [poll attached]

[paultheroyal]

Watching Spain tonight its obvious we're not gonna win this bloody thing!

Why cant we play nice football like them, we have the players, we just dont "click" like other nations

not taking the piss, but do you really believe that?

Spain had Fabregas as a sub ffs.

do agree with tbm on the players to a point. World players to me are those who would be wanted by the likes of Barcelona, Madrid or Milan.

I reckon we have five world class players who fit into that category ie cole, terry, lampard, gerrard and rooney. Sadly fitting them into a team is a whole different ball game.

[FiNeRaIn]

Watching Spain tonight its obvious we're not gonna win this bloody thing!

Why cant we play nice football like them, we have the players, we just dont "click" like other nations

not taking the piss, but do you really believe that?

Spain had Fabregas as a sub ffs.

+1

We dont have the players, winning mentality and to top it off we have the worst media in the world.

[PieEater]

Who's the ref for this one?

[TBM]

Watching Spain tonight its obvious we're not gonna win this bloody thing!

Why cant we play nice football like them, we have the players, we just dont "click" like other nations

not taking the piss, but do you really believe that?

Spain had Fabregas as a sub ffs.

man for man Spain are better, i'm not denying that but it doesn't mean we dont have the players to play nice football. Half our team are playing for some of the best teams in Europe/World. We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

[paultheroyal]

England will unite, and win 3:0

[Hoop Blah]

Agreed TBM, we have players of enough quality to be there or there abouts but we just don't quite do it, in exactly the same way as many other similar talented countries like the Dutch, the Spanish or the French don't (or haven't in the past very often).

I'm really not sure why we don't, or why those other 3 European powers don't deliver on a more regular basis.

As for professionals not being two footed, it is a bit of a gripe with me too, but there are plenty out there. Wasn't it Veron (one of the worlds most technically gifted players in his prime) who would hardly touch the ball with his left.

[Sun Tzu]

We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

You can't really believe that ?

John Terry wouldn;t get in any of the top sides. He's in our team on reputation rather than merit (coupled with the fact that we've not got a decent centre back to replace him with !)

Of the others they are almost all just too inconsistent at this level to get close to being world class. I think they would all struggle to get into the sides you mention, let alone be one of their best players !!

[Baines]

Re TBM: I really can't see Lampard or Gerrard being one of Spain/Brazil/Argentina's best players. They just play a completely different style of football - I can't see how they would fit in.

That said, A Cole could probably enhance most national and club teams, and Rooney should be able to thrive anywhere, and I expect that Dunga would enjoy having Terry at his disposal.

[6ft Kerplunk]

man for man Spain are better, i'm not denying that but it doesn't mean we dont have the players to play nice football. Half our team are playing for some of the best teams in Europe/World. We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

Thats the problem though isn't it. It seems like from watching the premiership and then internationals that our so called world class players only actually look anywhere near world class when they've got a load of really good foreigners doing the important stuff like keeping possession and sticking to positions for them. That said Ashely COle has been our best player and I think he'd be our only player that could get a start for any team.

[TBM]

We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

You can't really believe that ?

John Terry wouldn;t get in any of the top sides. He's in our team on reputation rather than merit (coupled with the fact that we've not got a decent centre back to replace him with !)

Of the others they are almost all just too inconsistent at this level to get close to being world class. I think they would all struggle to get into the sides you mention, let alone be one of their best players !!

So John Terry is Chelsea captain and first choice centre back cos he's there on merit - they have enough money to replace him with the best, so why dont they?!

Also if those other players weren't any good then how can they still be playing for Chelsea/Man Utd/Liverpool and wanted by the likes of Barca/Real Madrid/Milan etc

[Tredder]

man for man Spain are better, i'm not denying that but it doesn't mean we dont have the players to play nice football. Half our team are playing for some of the best teams in Europe/World. We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

Thats the problem though isn't it. It seems like from watching the premiership and then internationals that our so called world class players only actually look anywhere near world class when they've got a load of really good foreigners doing the important stuff like keeping possession and sticking to positions for them. That said Ashely COle has been our best player and I think he'd be our only player that could get a start for any team.

^^^^Dis

[TBM]

Apparently Gutierrez (of Newcastle) is one of the first names on the Argentina team sheet..........

Do you really believe Rooney wouldn't get in the likes of Argentina etc?!

[Row Z Royal]

Wore my Slovenia shirt at FFF last night.

No comment.s

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

man for man Spain are better, i'm not denying that but it doesn't mean we dont have the players to play nice football. Half our team are playing for some of the best teams in Europe/World. We just dont click as a national team but chuck Lampard/Rooney/Gerrard/Cole/Terry etc into Brazil, Spain, Argentina and they will be one of their best players.

Thats the problem though isn't it. It seems like from watching the premiership and then internationals that our so called world class players only actually look anywhere near world class when they've got a load of really good foreigners doing the important stuff like keeping possession and sticking to positions for them. That said Ashely COle has been our best player and I think he'd be our only player that could get a start for any team.

Great minds, back on Sunday on the Algeria thread I wrote:

Club > country. Whether we like it or not. Dare I say, one of the reasons our players perform so well for their club is because they play with a wide variety of top class international players. In fact, are they any good at all? Average players in high performing teams?

[brendywendy]

cant see why these teams bother with having them really if thats true

in fact , where theyve done away with them totally like at arsenal they seem to have suffered

[TBM]

But you dont have to be world class to play attractive football that works.....look at Arsenal, how many world class players do they have? - it doesn't stop them doing the simple pass and move.

Its all about clicking as a team and using the better players that you have to excel when the time comes - for us its Rooney/Gerrard/Lampard

[papereyes]

cant see why these teams bother with having them really if thats true

in fact , where theyve done away with them totally like at arsenal they seem to have suffered

Arsenal >>>> all but 2 other teams in the league.

Suffered.

[Maguire]

Why am I starting to feel nervous about this game?

I hate pretty much every player in the side and I've never thought for a single minute that we'll win the WC. So why oh why am I practically paralysed by the fear of getting dumped out tomorrow afternoon?

[Row Z Royal]

Why am I starting to feel nervous about this game?

I hate pretty much every player in the side and I've never thought for a single minute that we'll win the WC. So why oh why am I practically paralysed by the fear of getting dumped out tomorrow afternoon?

Shame and embarrassment in front of all your American, Algerian and Slovenian friends?

[TBM]

Why am I starting to feel nervous about this game?

I hate pretty much every player in the side and I've never thought for a single minute that we'll win the WC. So why oh why am I practically paralysed by the fear of getting dumped out tomorrow afternoon?

Same here........i know we wont win the WC but for some reason i'd rather lose in the next round than be kicked out in the group stages