posted Mar 29, 2007

You don't know what to wish for more, a draw and England being out of the Euros, or a face saving two or three goals.

Despite drawing I doubt if the FA would have had the guts to sack him so that the England team could have a complete new start.

So you were left with hoping for a face saving goal or three, I think the team did as much as it could to get McClaren sacked (0:0 at half time against part timers!)without actually giving the team no chance of qualification, and McClaren says the teams behind him.

If they're behind him they must all be holding daggers!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

so Gerrard plays well against an Andorran midfield of part-timers and suddenly he's world class????
I agree Gerrard should be played in the middle but if it's taken that game for McCLaren to realise it then he's an absolute joke.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

At the end of the first half I was hoping that England wouldn't score, then we would have been rid of McClaren today. Unfortunately Stevie G scored and so the torture goes on. Anyone want to bet against it being nil-nil in Tallinn?

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posted Mar 29, 2007

England win but loose. 3 points but McLaren is still manager. looking forward to his next squad - Gerrard at right back, Ferdinand in the centre, Phil Neville on the left wing and Pennant the lone striker...

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posted Mar 29, 2007

Collie,

with players of the standard of those in the England team beating Israel is a must, England had 80% posession, if you can't win a game like that then there's no hope!

It's just that, the football's boring and 1-dimensional too, I think England supporters are allowed to expect more than what's on offer at the moment.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

I don't blame McClaren. This is his job, and i expect he does it as well as he can. The fact that he just doesn't have the ability to do his job isn't his fault, and nor is the fact that there are many people who could do it better.

The fault is with the FA for employing him, and abdicating their responsibilities once it became clear he couldn't cope, and also with the players. Whatever the formation and tactics, any England team should have been able to totally outclass Andorra and win at a canter.

We could choose a team from the championship who would have done better.

Yes sack McClown, but also sack the people in charge of the FA, and also drop any player who doesn't put in 100% effort.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

I completely agree that the England team can dream on if they think fans should wait until the final whistle before showing discontent. It doesn't take a massive intellect to work out what one needs to do to stop people jeering and heckling. Turn in a performance, a good performance. Until England do that over 90 minutes and not in fits and starts, then Messers Terry, Gerrard and McClaren are going to to have put up with be told exactly what the paying fan thinks of thier efforts.

The first half was one of the worst performances I have seen from England. At 40 minutes England were showing 4 shots at goal, with 1 on target. I wouldn't be overly happy if these stats were against Brazil, or France, or Italy, but Andorra? Come on. What did you expect, John? Cries of "Come on England" or the national anthem being belted out? The team were struggling against a team should not be able to shut England out for 5 minutes, let alone 52.

What were the England players thinking of getting involved in petty squabbles with the Andorra players? Where was the discipline?

McClaren should be on his knees thanking Gerrard for his display. He was the reason England managed to break through in the game.

The worrying thing is that the undoing of Andorra in the end was down to player fitness and not specifically England performance. Whilt the Semi-Pro players were full of energy, they stopped England from scoring. When they got tired, England found themselves with time and finding an extra half yard.

McClaren tactis (sic) are negative in the extreme, and then panic attack after 75 minutes when he isn't winning. He was exactly the same at Middlesbrough.

The England players have not turned into bad players over night, they are better than this, it is down to the management. McClaren needs to go, and go now.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

err 41 years thankyou collie21!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

The only 'positive' that can be taken from all this is that the defence has not looked troubled in the last 2 games, in fact I hope Robbo's kids didn't wait up to see him on MOTD as they would have been disappointed!!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

"This England team does not deserve blind loyalty - they have had enough of this in the past and there is no credit left in the bank."

Could not agree with this statement more. England fans have been incredibly loyal but have had nothing to show for it. Enough is enough. The players are completely spoilt and football is almost secondary to a 'celeb' lifestyle to many of them. We need a Stuart Pearce!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

the sad thing is that england will qualify for the euro 2008. they will scrape through the group phase in austria/switzerland before they drop out against a medium strength team like turkey in the quarterfinals. best would have been if they had lost last night!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

Quite right, well written Mr. McNulty. Now, I would add another dimension to this analysis, however, as I think that the problem here is two-fold.

For me, maximum blame must rest on the shoulders of the manager. Players such as Rooney, for example, do not suddenly become "poor" with a change of venue. It is their comfort with the set-up and the tactics which cause this kind of problem, and in his case this is no doubt exacerbated by his frustration over the matter getting the better of him. The manager is responsible to sort out these kinds of behaviour difficulties-- we "amateurs" refer to this skill as 'man management'. This is indeed an ingredient most catastrophically lacking in McClaren's (the "professional") rather limited cupboard.

The most important role of the national manager is to mould the players into a TEAM. McClaren, I want you to inspect this word in the dictionary at once as you are patently unfamiliar with its meaning. To be fair to the man, I am certain that attempting to surmount the enormous collection of egos in the England squad is well beyond his pedestrian capabilities. This is a bloke schooled by Sven the Charlatan, and hence believes that it is more important to have surgically improved teeth than tactical nous. I am sorry to say that the maximum application of his tactical understanding of football is roughly a 2nd Division recitation of 3-5-2 Wingback which would not even cut it at the bottom of the Championship, let alone international level. No wonder the players in the national side (virtually all from the Prem, many coached by proper --often foreign-- professionals) cannot begin to comprehend his team planing sessions....

As for these same players, some measure of blame must befall a number of them. Excepting certain members of the national squad, I have rarely had the misfortune to watch such a pathetic rabble of petulant and spoiled oafs, too self-absorbed to give a toss about England, and too molly-coddled to feel the effects of this misbehaviour. I do not doubt that the side contains some payers of genuine talent and potential ability-- the like of SG, Roons, Cole and the Glass Owen, for starters. But, for the love of the Almighty, no fatuous collection of individuals stood about on a pitch have any hope whatsoever of defeating a TEAM, no matter how modest the respective talent. These prancing narcissistic primadonnas cannot work together as a unit, and no wonder sporting such absurdly delusional misinformation regarding their own majestic importance! And herein lies the trouble relating back to Magic Teeth-- with no man management skills, what on this earth is he going to do to put paid to this nonsense? Do we foresee his making "tough" decisions, "sorting out" bad attitudes, "dropping" problem under-performers?... Please, do us a favour...

This poor lost soul of a coach must be replaced by someone with the tactical nous required of an international manager, and equally with the personal fortitude and experience to sort out these spoilt imbeciles. I will not presume to name the ideal candidate, as I have not the Wisdom of the Ages. However, I can suggest the required timing for this change, and that timing is right now. Now, before the hope of qualification is lost. To those who say that changing managers is destabilizing, I agree. But, please explain to me how such a condition would be worse that what we endure now?

No, this is not on; it is an excuse to allow this idiocy to continue. The fault here must also lie with the FA, who are obviously too embarrassed to admit the (quite large) error or their ways, or too stupefied in their bilious luxury to take notice or to care. Sort it, chaps, lest you become a mirror of your failing "manager". Or, is it precisely the other way around?...

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posted Mar 29, 2007

i think collie21 is spot on! stop whingeing and do something about it!! if, as most of you are saying, agree that the england team is full of overpaid wasters, dont pay to watch them week in and week out. for every premiership team, there must be 3 or 4 nationwide teams nearby, full of british talent that play good, decent honest football, and score some fantastic goals. leave the premiership as a finishing school for the foreign talent, dont put your hard earned weekly wage into it; the players will get the message straight away and the FA will be duty bound to change their running of the game.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

McClaren is a waste of space as are most of the players. Rooney is a perfect example of the dumbing down of the whole country. He is an absolute waste of time who does not know how to handle any situation. What a loser. Take the money away and he is ASBO fodder.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

Yet another knee jerk overreaction from Phil McNulty, quelle surprise, and yet another claim for Steven Gerrard as world's best central midfielder and how McLaren is foolish not to play him in central midfield, as foolish as Rafa Benitez for a lot of the season then?

What England lack is a decent striker, in the absence of Owen, who can hit the net consistently at the top level, so when the half chances come they're not being put away. Rooney is not a consistent finisher, unfortunately his strike partners aren't even decent footballers.

I'm not sure what people think another coach would do, I struggle to think of any startling omissions from McLarens team that would markedly improve matters, Beckham is becoming lionised in his absence but he did nothing in the last 2 years of his England career to justify the clamour for his return.

Eriksson sailed through qualification matches but everyone wanted rid of him too, England fans need to get a reality check, Israel are not so poor a side as has been made out and the days of routine international hammerings for all but the top 20 or so teams ended in the days of Ron Greenwood.

Sacking McLaren would achieve nothing, you could put Capello, Lippi, Scolari or uncle Tom Cobley and all in charge of this England side and the results would be much the same, they'll get through the qualification and falter in the early knockout stages of the tournament proper again.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

People who suggest that McLaren doesn't know what he's doing are deluding themselves. He may have bored the pants off us at Middlesbrough, but he was our most successful manager in the entire history of the club. He got a mediocre Middlesbrough team to the Uefa cup final, and along the way was involved in inspiring two of the most remarkable come-backs I can remember....oh, and he won a trophy with a team that had previously won nothing. All this was shortly AFTER a fan had thrown his season ticket at him. Remember?
So, disgruntled fans, bear this in mind. And football writers, you are armchair fans like the rest of us, and to suggest that Maclaren is a chump is to sugggest that you are shrewder football minds than Steve Gibson or Sir Alex. Unlikely, I would venture.
He might get England to where we belong, the last 8 of a major trophy, and he may even get the team to over-achieve. But don't expect it to be pretty, and prepare yourself for loads of rubbish post match interviews.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

Attention John Terry!
if you look at all the comments the England fans are putting on the message boards, they all have a similar theme, - they are trying to come up with a solution to the England team play this player here, play that formation etc.
They/We WANT England to win! We're just trying to solve the mess that is our national team.
The fans in Barca had EVERY right to Jeer England, I would have joined in if i could've gone.
Both the team and the manager need to get a grip, if you can't motivate yourself to wear that shirt then bring in the under 21's to play with PRIDE and PASSION!

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posted Mar 29, 2007

"John Terry suggested the fans should save their opinions until the final whistle.

Dream on John.

They had every right to pour vitriol on what they saw in Barcelona after paying good money to watch the dreadful fare that was served up.

This England team does not deserve blind loyalty - they have had enough of this in the past and there is no credit left in the bank."

Damn right.
They had blind loyalty at the World Cup and that did no good.
We have a manager who hasn't the testicular fortitude to make some big decisions. Everyone one else can see that either Gerrard or Lampard deserve to play in that role in midfield and you can't play both. But the man who makes the decisions seems to know otherwise.
By the sounds of this report, the fans comments, and the rest of the medias vibes, McLaren hasn't long to last, but the the FA do tend to stick by their man, so he won't be pushed.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

The first half was the worst performance I have seen from an England side. Even when England play good opposition we don't look that 1 dimensional. Yes we had all the possession, yes they had all 11 men behind the ball but still the lack of imagination showed. Rooney again didn't play to his abilities and got booked maybe it is good that he is missing the Estonia game. The most shocking thing was the chant of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" I have never heard this from the England faithful before and hope never to hear it again.

At least Gerrard showed how a central midfielder should play and showed how he can influence a game.

To quote a great English man "This is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York".

Sack the Clown and bring in Venables in his place until a true world class manager can be found to bring the best out of our players.

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posted Mar 29, 2007

So what if Rooney has a go at a defender? What sets him apart from other English strikers, and indeed players is a passion and determination - yes he didn't score but he worked hard and set-up Gerrard's 1st and if he continues to show that desire - as he is allowed to at Utd - he will get his rewards.

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