1) I have decided, after 20 years, that I am no longer supporting the England national football team, or at least not in its current guise. I have put in 20 years of effort, and in that time the team has got progressively worse. I think the main problem I had with this particular result came afterwards, watching the players being interviewed. How John Terry can have the nerve to blame a goal that wasn't giving for a defeat in which he presided over the worst international defending display I have seen from England in years. When I was 9, the England team had men who I think would have been pretty good fathers, in Butcher and Shilton. When I was 16, the team had proper men who I could be proud of, in Ince and Adams. When I was 21, we had players whose skills compared with the top players (Campbell, Scholes, Owen). Now I'm nearly 30. I am more of a man than half this team (I have a stable relationship and have never once attempted to sleep with my friend's wives, when I make a mistake at work, I admit it and don't swear at my boss, I didn't leave my missus to look after the baby while I shagged a 16 year old girl, I never offered to pay for anyone's abortion after I was sick on them during intercourse). So fuck them; I'm done.
2) With regards to the game, I think the disallowed goal may well have made for a very different second half, and that Blatter should take his head out of his arse and allow technology to be used to try to allow officials to make more accurate decisions. Had England drawn level at half-time, they would never have been chasing the game as they were in the second half, and would not have conceeded the two Muller goals that they did.
3) However, England's naivety in getting 8 men ahead of the ball at a freekick for the third goal was embarrasing. We'd hit the bar twice, and Rooney was beginning to look more threatening. There was no need to throw everyone forward in such a fashion. And note that I am not saying that England would have forced a result even if the goal was given: you cannot have just watched the same game I did and come to the conclusion that had they needed to have scored, Germany would not have been able to. Because in the first half hour, they went through England four or five times.
4) The first two goals were embarrassing. John Terry has his qualities (leadership, determination) but also several flaws (lack of pace, and judging by this match, poor decision making and positioning). Whilst his qualities are a credit to the side, as soon as someone appears who can both lead, try hard and chest beat AND defend properly, Terry should be dropped.
5) Upson is not a top level international defender, and should therefore probably not be selected again. Likewise, right backs need to be able to defend. Wes Brown should be cemented back into the number 2 shirt as soon as possible.
6) James actually kept well at times, but could have done better with the second and third goals. I suppose Hart will now be selected, but it seems a rather "arse about face" way to go about it.
7) Lampard actually gave a performance of some vigour, using the ball better, getting forward, and for the first time in his nine World Cup matches, striking ball cleanly. It is unfortunate that he will finish his career never having scored a World Cup goal, but then neither did George Best, or even Alan Ball, so get over it.
8) I hope Gareth Barry was not match-fit, otherwise he is simply shit.
9) Wayne Rooney. Wayne Rooney suffered an injury in late March that should have kept him out of action for four to six weeks. He instead returned eight days later. He has not scored a goal in a competitive match since then, neither has he recaptured anything like the form he showed prior to his injury. Wayne Rooney made the decision to return to action quicker than expected at the behest of Manchester United Football Club. Wayne Rooney clearly prioritised playing for Manchester United ahead of playing for England; it is they who give him his vast salary and merchandising money. It's quite irritating that club football is more important to Wayne Rooney than playing in the World Cup, especially for those of us who dislike Manchester United, and like England, but it is a fact. Wayne Rooney will be back scoring lots of goals for Manchester United come August. He may look like one of the best players in Europe again. But he will never reach the place of fondness and reverence that Englishman have for Bobby Charlton, or Geoff Hurst, or Paul Gascoigne, because he has never given the best performances of his life on the biggest stage of all, the World Cup. So doubtless, excuses will be made. But Rooney isn't fit to lace the boots of Lineker, if you want my opinion. And unless he turns up in Rio in 4 years time (England in that heat!), he never will be.
10) As for the Germans, Schweinsteiger, Ozil and Muller were superb. Klose, Lahm and Poldolski were very good. Boateng rarely looked troubled. The Germans are not a perfect side, but the way they exploited England's lack of pace and organisation at the back was wonderfully clinical. Ozil is a serious player, and one of the best we've seen so far.
11) I imagine that we will not see Capello lead an England team again; I don't think he should bother myself. He has made mistakes, terrible substitutions, and his commitment to 4-4-2 seems a little (or indeed, a lot) old-fashioned these days. But for this country to witness the decline in our performances from 2002, through Euro 2004, 2006 and now this year, and to blame the manager who has won trophies everywhere for this malaise seems a bit ridiculous. Capello was not as good as he thought, but scapegoating him, or a Uruguayan linesman, for this is absurd: the only players out of this team who have ever played at their potential at an international tournament are Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney. For the latter two, that was six years ago at the European Championship. These are not world class players, and many of them are not even great. Retire the Golden Generation, repeat the sentence "we have never beaten another team that has won the World Cup in a knockout match apart from when we were playing at home" until you have memorised it, and start just enjoy being in these tournaments.
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2 comments:
Man, i swear we personally jinxed Fat Frank on here.
Respectfully disagree with this bit :
Had England drawn level at half-time, they would never have been chasing the game as they were in the second half, and would not have conceeded the two Muller goals that they did
Loew said that their game plan was to lure Terry out of his position and exploit how weak Upson was to hit England on the break. Even if England had gone in level, I can't see them not giving away more goals in the 2nd half given that England fell German't plan for time after time after time.
Other than that, yeah, spot on. We should also mention that selfish, gloryhunting cunt Gerrard constantly shooting spannered shots at goal when passing would've been a better option.
In the end it was worth sacrificing England to put a stop to having to hear that Corden & Dizzee Rascal song, I reckon.
Covered your point later in point 3: agree there was fuck all chance of England conceding no more goals at 2-2. Basically, terrible defending by subpar players. Doubtless be writing more shite about this as we go.
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