Group G Matchday 1 - 18th June - Belgium 3-0 Panama, Tunisia 1-2 England

[Danny]

5 minutes ago, DeadLinesman said:

Good shout as well. Wasn’t on about here necessarily, I’ve seen FOYM and another post hammer Sterling, but that was about it. At least Lingards movement was decent, although agreed he was poor in front of goal. Sterling was just absolute shite all over the shop.

Was very error prone today at times, probably would have taken him off over Lingard personally as Southgate did.

Sterling was wasteful in front of goal but thought he linked up well in the first half

[Stan]

anyone else think Maguire had a poor game, especially first half?

[Marc]

 

Never doubted him, Always kept the faith.

[6666]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

anyone else think Maguire had a poor game, especially first half?

Poor? He was fucking dreadful.

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, Marc said:

 

Never doubted him, Always kept the faith.

Agreed.

[Stan]

Just now, 6666 said:

Poor? He was fucking dreadful.

whoosh  

[SirBalon]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

Agreed.

Who could!

[Honey Honey]

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, 6666 said:

Poor? He was fucking dreadful.

I bet your a bundle of laughs

[SirBalon]

5 minutes ago, Harvsky said:

In that picture he looks like a bird I went out with when I was 17. 

[SirBalon]

4 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I bet your a bundle of laughs

Are you an undertaker by any chance?  Just curious... 

[Smiley Culture]

I can’t get on board with the wholly positive comments about England based upon nothing other than “on another day it could have been three or four”.

It wasn’t three or four, it was nearly 1-1 with a country that based their tactics on a team in the bottom four of League One playing away at a better team. Also, if that’s how quickly England fall apart after conceding a goal, it doesn’t bode well for a game against somebody who’ll actually bother to attack.

There’s definitely a fair few questions from that game and as a first game it was a good test but I don’t think it gets easier. Panama look awful and will look to be aggressive and tough and I’m not sure how England would cope with that. 

[Honey Honey]

Saying England fell apart after the goal is extreme. They actually ended the 1st half getting back on top.

It was inevitable Tunisia wouldn't be that shit once they regrouped and reorganised. Happens all the time in football, it's where the saying you have to score when you are ontop comes from.

[El Profesor]

3 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

In that picture he looks like a bird I went out with when I was 17. 

"Bird." 

[SirBalon]

Just now, El Profesor said:

"Bird." 

It's a London thing mate.  

[Storts+]

5 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

I can’t get on board with the wholly positive comments about England based upon nothing other than “on another day it could have been three or four”.

It wasn’t three or four, it was nearly 1-1 with a country that based their tactics on a team in the bottom four of League One playing away at a better team. Also, if that’s how quickly England fall apart after conceding a goal, it doesn’t bode well for a game against somebody who’ll actually bother to attack.

There’s definitely a fair few questions from that game and as a first game it was a good test but I don’t think it gets easier. Panama look awful and will look to be aggressive and tough and I’m not sure how England would cope with that. 

You’ve never been one for positivity in fairness 

[Smiley Culture]

4 minutes ago, Storts said:

You’ve never been one for positivity in fairness 

If you’re happy with that, fair enough. I wouldn’t be and Southgate saying he’d have accepted a draw, fuck me, that’s depressing. 

[Danny]

Didn't fall apart, other than the penalty they didn't threaten us. Did however make life difficult for ourselves.

[Marc]

We battered them and they scored from a pen that wasn’t a pen or if for some strange reason you think it was we should’ve had about 4 pens.

Almost every other ‘big’ team has had a tough opening result. We’ve won. Let’s be positive. History will remember the result and 3 points is all that matters, but it was also a good performance so that gives me even more hope. 

 

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Who could!

He looks like he is having a shit

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

He looks like he is having a shit

how do you take your shits   ?

[Dan+]

That is a huge sigh of relief for us. A draw there and we need something off Belgium to be sure of qualification as Tunisia could've belted Panama and done us on goal difference.

I think it would've been an absolute travesty if we hadn't won. We made far harder work of it than we should've done, but it's about time we got into that situation and came out of it with three points rather than the usual 1-1.

The first 20/25 minutes was some of the best football I've seen from an England side. It was quick, incisive, imaginative, attacking football. The finishing from Lingard and Sterling was appalling but we were at least creating the chances. That we went in level at half time was so hard to grasp it was almost funny. We should've been for me, at least 3 up.

The second half, on the whole, was poor. We didn't ever look in much danger, although that is largely down to what I said earlier on - Tunisia were more than happy with a point. They wised up at half time and were a lot more alert to our threat. The nerves looked to kick in more and more and it looked to be heading the same way.

Step forward Harry Kane. Right place, right time. The master of it these days. He wasn't particularly great all-round I didn't think, but he's ultimately come up trumps where no-one else could, and noticeably so.

I think that referee will be lucky to get another game this tournament. That Tunisia can get a penalty that soft yet England got none of their shouts is truly astounding, the refusal to go to VAR even more so.

It was so nearly the same old story, but for once we delivered.

We need to really brush up our finishing, and being more clinical will be vital against a Panama side that will set up to frustrate, but it's three points in our opener and that's something we never get, so cherish it.

Well done all.

[Happy Blue]

1 hour ago, Gunnersauraus said:

City players were shit tonight 

They was on another level to the rest of the team, that's the main problem England has when only Kane is good enough to play with them   ..that disgised pass Sterling did for young summed it up, Sane would of been onto that, nutmeged a few players, done a step over and layed it off for the striker or stuck it in the top corner ..young just stood there like a deer in headlights 

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

They was on another level to the rest of the team, that's the main problem England has when only Kane is good enough to play with them   ..that disgised pass Sterling did for young summed it up, Sane would of been onto that, nutmeged a few players, done a step over and layed it off for the striker or stuck it in the top corner ..young just stood there like a deer in headlights 

And that is why I called you delusional 

[Stan]

Not seen much mention of it but did anyone else really love Southgate's passion and emotion in his reaction to Kane grabbing the winner ? Reminded me of his reaction against Scotland. 

Love seeing that in a manager.