England vs Poland 15/10/13

[winchester_royal]

Disagree. There's a lot more to a striker's role these days than just goal-scoring. He was a threat all night, linked well with Rooney, and played a part (coming deep, laying the ball-off, and making a run to open up space) in the build up to the first goal. He's not always the most clinical, but his all round game means he'll have enough chances to score at a healthy rate. A hugely different player to 2 years ago, and Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for how he's sorted him out.

[Hoop Blah]

tbf i don't think Sturridge had a good game at all - he kept trying to score the perfect goal. He could have hit the ball a lot sooner, instead kept trying to get it on to his left foot.

Wellbeck was good though, nice to see a forward chasing back and tackling by his own corner flag

Playing as a left winger it's a big part of his job so I'd be worried if he wasn't doing it. Generally he just looks a bit out of his depth, and the similarity with Simon Church pointed out by someone last night is pretty spot on. He really should've done better with at least one or two of his chances.

As for Sturridge, he wasn't the sharpest in front of goal, and he does favour that left foot a bit too much at times, but his all round game was pretty good and he brings a lot to the side with his ability to run at defenders and stretch them with his pace. There's no coincidence that Rooney has looked better with Sturridge (and to a lesser extent Wellbeck) alongside him as they create space for him to get on the ball in his best position.

[No Fixed Abode]

Disagree. There's a lot more to a striker's role these days than just goal-scoring. He was a threat all night, linked well with Rooney, and played a part (coming deep, laying the ball-off, and making a run to open up space) in the build up to the first goal. He's not always the most clinical, but his all round game means he'll have enough chances to score at a healthy rate. A hugely different player to 2 years ago, and Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for how he's sorted him out.

We all know you one of these pcunts who changes his mind every five minutes about players.

[winchester_royal]

Disagree. There's a lot more to a striker's role these days than just goal-scoring. He was a threat all night, linked well with Rooney, and played a part (coming deep, laying the ball-off, and making a run to open up space) in the build up to the first goal. He's not always the most clinical, but his all round game means he'll have enough chances to score at a healthy rate. A hugely different player to 2 years ago, and Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for how he's sorted him out.

We all know you one of these pcunts who changes his mind every five minutes about players.

Bless you.

[Ouroboros]

Headlines are terrible today.

"Gerrard and Rooney send England to Brazil World Cup"

So the other players and ones involved in earlier games had no influence on qualification, it's solely down to Gerrard and Rooney.

Yeah. Should have named all the players involved really.

[Royal Rother]

Was a big vote of confidence in 4-4-2 last night. Getting Walcott and/or Oxlade-Chamberlain fit alongside Townsend would give us proper exciting wingers. In central midfield we're very strong with any of Carrick, Gerrard, Lampard and Wilshere looking good for a start, and that's ignoring Gareth Barry's great form for Everton. Who knows, if everything goes well in Brazil we might even make it to the quarter finals.

The always interesting John Barnes made the point this morning that we need to develop young defensive midfielders in this country and that, however good it was to see Townsend play so well, we will not beat the top nations by playing 2 wingers. The game has moved on from those days.

Personally, I don't think Lampard will go to Brazil.

[Terminal Boardom]

First 20-25 minutes was very poor from England. Misplaced passes all over the place. Townsend's shot that hit the bar was the turning point in the first half. As good as he was at creating space on the right, we were bad in getting numbers into the box so he had to keep checking and passing backwards. Once again too many corners failed to clear the first defender and there were really only two great deliveries into the box in the first half. One was from Gerrard's free kick where only a deft touch was required and the other when Baines crossed for Shrek to do something positive.

Poland's switch at half time took an age for us to get to grips with. Again, there were too many sloppy passes going astray and posession given up way too easily. When we did get the ball down and find our players, we looked good.

Hart was solid which was good to see considering the grief he has attracted from the media and interweb mongs. Smalling got better the loger the game went on. Cahill and Jagielka were solid and I liked the way Cahill read the game. He stepped in front of his man a good number of times to steal posession. Baines, apart from a very shaky 10 minutes in the second half was solid, reliable and posed a threat whenever he got forward. Gerrard and Carrick gave the ball away too often for my liking and the one occasion when Gerrard drove forward with the ball, scored. More please. Wellbeck and Sturridge did most of their best work when we were defending. Their work rate and effort was excellent. As for Rooney, drifted in and out and gave away the ball too often. One occasion led to Lampard getting a yellow.

ITV's coverage? Someone please shoot Andy Townsend. Why don't they just give Rooney Man of the Match at the start of the game? After all, he is the only player we have - or at least that's what that plastic Irish pcunt would have us believe.

The important thing from last night was that we qualified without having to go through the play offs.

[Ouroboros]

The always interesting* John Barnes made the point this morning that we need to develop young defensive midfielders in this country and that, however good it was to see Townsend play so well, we will not beat the top nations by playing 2 wingers. The game has moved on from those days.

Yes, but hasn't it moved on to wide-footed fowards playing on the "wrong" side? And isn't that sort of what Townsend is, or at least very plausibly could become?

[TBM]

tbf i don't think Sturridge had a good game at all - he kept trying to score the perfect goal. He could have hit the ball a lot sooner, instead kept trying to get it on to his left foot.

Wellbeck was good though, nice to see a forward chasing back and tackling by his own corner flag

Playing as a left winger it's a big part of his job so I'd be worried if he wasn't doing it.

Yeah i know left wingers should do it, but he's not a left winger "by trade" - so it was nice to see he was actually playing the role and not slipping into being a striker

[genome]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQO5hBLX8y4

[No Fixed Abode]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQO5hBLX8y4

I know. Imagine paying all that money to see England and then spending your time filming the crowd on your phone.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQO5hBLX8y4

Get the banning orders out.

[Silver Fox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQO5hBLX8y4

[genome]

Bizarre isn't it. Just spotted where he spits on the poor guy at the end. What's the betting they are Millwall supporters?

[Victor Meldrew]

Was in the car today listening to a lot of the opinions on last night and the England team in general.
The consensus seems to be that most people at long last enjoyed watching an England game-I agree and, but for the ITV commentary that Foxy and I have been banging on about for ages, it was entertaining stuff made better by the fact that there was something significant at stake.

With all the usual hype it was good to hear the balanced view of John Barnes and (surprisingly) of Ray Parlour pointing out that not everything in the garden is rosy.
Credit to the manager for picking Townsend and previously Rickie Lambert and even if picking Barkley may have been a bit premature as was arguably the case with Cleverley and Sterling I think fans are now behind him for trying a few different things rather than just the same old.

I think we still have major problems defensively and that is not just the back 4 but also more forward players doing their bit as well and that is not just doing a Rooney chasing back and hacking a player down.
Also it will be even more important to keep the ball playing in the summer temperatures of some parts of Brazil (it won't be boiling hot everywhere) and we won't be able to play at such a high tempo as last night so thought has to be given to our way of playing and sensible use of subs.

[stealthpapes]

Say it ain't so, Woy.

[Silver Fox]

The press have done well to turn on him so quickly

[ZacNaloen]

It's a joke about an actual Monkey in space not a code word for a black man in space.

This is getting as bad as feminism.

[DandyRoyal]

I wonder what Jason Roberts thinks about this

[Ouroboros]

Lord above.

Kick it Out have torpedoed themselves then. Don't worry guys, it's not like there was any real racism out there for you to be worrying about.