England v Czechs

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Well, what can you say?
The opening and possibly the toughest game In the group, starts a couple of kids I haven't even heard of and its a 5-0 romp
Has Gareth Boring Southgate really put the Lumpard / Gerrard era to bed?

[Earl Grey]

Well, what can you say?
The opening and possibly the toughest game In the group, starts a couple of kids I haven't even heard of and its a 5-0 romp
Has Gareth Boring Southgate really put the Lumpard / Gerrard era to bed?

Think he has put that to bed.......the Golden era turned out to be just a bit of polished brass.
Southgate has shown he doesn't need someone to hold an umbrella for him, he doesn't need to mix it with the brown paper bag set for his wages.....all he needs is players who'll do a job irrespective of what club they come from, what country they play in, whether they're in or out of favour with their clubs etc. etc.
Must admit I never saw him as being inspirational but that's what he's turned out to be........of course it helps if you've got some great players to pick from.

[Pompey Penguin]

........of course it helps if you've got some great players to pick from.

It helps even more if you pick those players, rather than those who pundits claim are great or who only perform for their club sides, and then use them in positions where they are comfortable.

Of course, Southgate got the semi-final against Croatia wrong, but that is the life of a manager; there will be mistakes along the way and people shouldn't conclude that the sky is falling.

[Locky_McLockface]

I think Southgate's biggest advantage is that he's not afraid to blood the youngsters. These are players who are immune to the press and their daily rantings, and aren't afraid to try to beat players or to try something different.

All power to him, I say.

[Selsey Bill]

I'll be the first to admit that I was completely underwhelmed by Southgate's appointment but for the first time in a very long while I actually look forward to watching England play.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

2 games, 10 goals and a bunch of new blood.

Ding Dong

[streetrifle]

Sorry to rain on your parade guys, but steady on and lets not get carried away by two wins against a very poor Czech side and a tiny nation who's team would find it hard to compete in National League Div South. Wait until we play someone half decent e.g. France, Spain, Belgium, Croatia etc. before we evaluate this team. On top of that the quality of most international teams we come up against is so poor, largely because every tom dick and harry country is allowed into these competitions. Most Championship teams would beat the likes of Lithuania, San Marino, Scotland, Gibraltar, etc.

[Pompey Penguin]

Wait until we play someone half decent e.g. France, Spain, Belgium, Croatia etc.

Remind me of last year's results in the Nations Cup. That's right...
Spain 2 England 3
England 2 Croatia 1
Don't tell me those teams weren't trying.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Sorry to rain on your parade guys, but steady on and lets not get carried away by two wins against a very poor Czech side and a tiny nation who's team would find it hard to compete in National League Div South. Wait until we play someone half decent e.g. France, Spain, Belgium, Croatia etc. before we evaluate this team. On top of that the quality of most international teams we come up against is so poor, largely because every tom dick and harry country is allowed into these competitions. Most Championship teams would beat the likes of Lithuania, San Marino, Scotland, Gibraltar, etc.

Well, except previous England teams have played Montenegro 4 times in recent history....3 draws, onw win and never won away.