Smiley Culture

I’m just disappointed in the lack of tactical nous from Southgate and then the admission that he’s happy with a draw and set up for such a result. It was abundantly clear that it wasn’t working in the first half and it wouldn’t have been knee-jerk or panicking to make a couple of changes at the break and the later it got, the less likely changes and formation changes were and if anything, the lack of those things were massive positives really for Scotland and only for a lack of a finisher, they only got a draw. Kane’s not fit. There’s people out there desperate for him to be shit, if they don’t already think he is and make all sorts of wild opinions about his goals and who he scores against. For as little as he moved last night, he was marked out of the game by Scotland’s back three and with that combined with England not playing through the middle and then struggling to deliver balls of any quality into the box, Kane was anonymous. It’s not looking good for England for many reasons but Kane not being fit is really bad for England’s chances. A part of me now feels like this;

Port Vale. Cambridge home. Hull City home

Group A Italy 3-0 Wales, 17.00 Switzerland 0-0 Turkey, 17.00 Monday 21st June, 2021 Group B Finland 1-2 Belgium, 20.00 Russia 1-2 Denmark, 20.00 Group C North Macedonia 0-2 Netherlands, 17.00 Ukraine 1-1 Austria, 17.00 Tuesday 22nd June, 2021 Group D Croatia 1-0 Scotland, 20.00 Czech Republic 1-0 England, 20.00 Wednesday 23rd June, 2021 Group E Slovakia 0-2 Spain, 17.00 Sweden 0-1 Poland, 17.00 Group F Germany 2-0 Hungary, 20.00 Portugal 1-1 France, 20.00

I’m not really sure what your point is. England should be beating the third lowest ranked side at the competition. But we’ve seen that game before. Many times. Costa Rica in 2014, USA and Algeria in 2010, Russia, Slovakia and Iceland in 2016 and Romania in 2000 at major tournaments and various qualifying failures over the years too. Beating Scotland has nothing to do with winning the whole thing. The pint throwing, “nah, qualifiers are shit and so are England mate” till it’s a tournament when they get their shit score draw shirts out the wardrobe shouldn’t be taken with any seriousness anyway. Anyone with a brain can see we’ll probably struggle against the first decent side we face, in this case, most likely France, Germany or Portugal.

Kane’s clearly injured. No point beating around the bush with it. Very odd by all parties. It’ll come out in the wash eventually.

That’s true, they were very organised. I would have expected others to have made changes far earlier, mind.

He was. Quite comfortably too.

Tottenham are often called Spursy, Everton often do stuff that only Everton would do too but why have we never coined a phrase for England being English? Thy was the archetypal England performance for the ages. A load of big names, some promise but ultimately no arsehole when it starts to matter. Roy Keane’s whole “don’t panic” spiel was bullshit. It wouldn’t have been panicking to make a sub or two at half time. For much of that first half the performance was tepid and dull. Southgate’s ultimately got it wrong. No plan b. No attempt at injecting some pace and directness into that side until far too late and playing Grealish out wide when he’s been most effective for club and country through the middle was poor. I’d have rated him if he changed the formation, even it didn’t come off but we got Grealish out wide and Rashford through the middle, despite Kane not getting any ball through the middle and unsurprisingly, Rashford didn’t either. At least two subs should have happened at half time. The Yorkshire Jack Rodwell should have been canned at half time, both fullbacks could have been taken off and it wouldn’t have been a problem, Mount and Sterling weren’t much better. That said, Steve Clarke has done a job on Southgate. That’s a proper underdog away from home performance. Dykes is pretty terrible but runs and runs and annoys and aggravates and that back five was immense. Fair play to them.

That Scotland left side is exactly what England needed at half time on both sides. Instead there’s been a load of passes across the box and the wide two of the attacking three turning in circles.

That’s a woeful sub and changes nothing. Balls barely gone through the middle and the deliveries into the box have been by Hermes but Kane’s gone off?

Once the back four give it to Rice that’s where we struggle. There’s no options ahead of him, Phillips, Mount, the full backs and the two wide players of the three are showing absolutely nothing.

Bellingham, Trippier and Grealish for Phillips, James and Mount. Do it.

Absolutely. A load of nothing balls and not a lot else.

Don’t get the Kane talk on here. He’s not been poor. We’ve played out wide and barely played through the middle so he’s seen little of the ball altogether. We need better balls into the box when we get behind their defence, Sterling and Foden have been poor in that regard.

Terrible decision. Rice in front of the back four has been very good. Phillips has been a passenger. I’d take him off if Henderson is properly fit but I doubt he is.