Oh Dear: Mediocrity yet again

[wendigo100]

if you care so much about results, then you need to care about HOW these results were achieved -- if success is due to professionalism and great play, then you can be sure that future results will be assured, where as if CURRENT even positive result is luck or what not, then you can't really hope that this will persist.

Am I correct that Austria is pretty crap in football department?

You are correct about Austria, but England's form now is unlikely to have much bearing on a team's chances in the final tournament.

For example, ever since I can remember, Spain have crushed all opposition in their qualifying groups (until this year anyway), then they go to the finals tournament and get eliminated early.

[voron]

Perhaps not so bad after all...

Looking through the last round of results, to give England their due, mediocre results have affected all the big nations:

Italy 1 - 0 Slovenia
Portugal 2 - 1 Liechtenstein
Switzerland 1- 1 France

[BoredBloke]

The point I was trying to make (badly) was that we would have won had we gone after them. Insead we seemed to sit back and let them come onto us. We were not pressing the game and it made for a pretty shambolic match. We have done the same in all the other previous matches. If we were playing anybody good, with those tactics we would have been well and truly stuffed. The team had the class to beat the Austrians hands down, so playing defensively was not required.

As for Beckham, I would drop him before I dropped ferdinand. Ferdinand is suffering from a bit of loss of form. Beckham has not performed for England for a number of years but does not seem ton think he is doing anything wrong.

[AtW]

stackpole -- but if you care so much about results, then you need to care about HOW these results were achieved -- if success is due to professionalism and great play, then you can be sure that future results will be assured, where as if CURRENT even positive result is luck or what not, then you can't really hope that this will persist.

Am I correct that Austria is pretty crap in football department?

[voron]

I am sure I remember Brazil having a similar problem a few years ago - talented stars all earning a fortune playing for big European clubs, but then failing to perform for the national team. The answer, if I correctly recall, was to drop the likes of Rivaldo and opt for home talent. Unfortunately we aren't blessed with so many natural talents as Brazil, so we have to stick with the current squad.

I agree that the result is the most important aspect, but what worries me is this; if we struggle against mediocre teams, what will happen when we face the likes of Brazil? I am begining to wonder if the friendly result against Denmark really was so meaningless. They are the best side we have faced recently and given the performances against Wales, N.Ireland and Austria, is it really so absured to believe we were truly trashed?

Against the likes of Brazil there is obviously a need for caution and restraint, but against Austria when we needed a win?! Surely we could have attacked from start.
Having qualified thanks to Holland, I fear the now largely meaningless game against Poland will display even less passion. I can see us losing on Wednesday.

[xoggoth]

I am not into football either. Therefore I would not know what I was talking about even if I ventured to say anything. Therefore, unlike ATW, I will STFU

[stackpole]

Sorry TE, but I'd rather England win ugly than lose pretty. Results are all that matter to me, right up to the world cup final if necessary. If we'd passed the ball about like a pinball machine and peppered the Austrian defence - but lost - we'd have proper problems right now.

But playing crap is all down to the coach, SGE:

The team is mucked about with to find a place for Beckham.

England only last 45 minutes in tournaments.

England cannot defend a lead in tournaments.

At least he dropped Ferdinand. A year or two out of the side re-learning that defending is the most important part of being a defender should do Rio good.

[AtW]

Best Russian ice hockey players are in high demand in the USA and Canada -- they live most of time there, earn millions and from time to time fly back home to play for the "country", but it seems rather hard for them to play the game where losing won't mean they PERSONALLY lose anything -- no big bonuses, no penalties, no nothing -- when they finish game they fly back to USA and Canada live their rich lifes.

[BoredBloke]

"Voron, you might be right about Sven, but England got a result. And that comes first, last, and all points in between."

I don't agree. If England had attacked the Austrians they would (and should) have torn them to bits, in the same way that they should have against Wales, Denmark and Northern Ireland. They seem to want to play at a walking pace. If that were not bad enough, they then give away possesion cheaply and often. They are very very negative. As was pointed out by everybody on the beeb, where was the pressure from England? Where was the 100mph starts were you show the opposition what you can do?

I do not agree that the blame should sit totally with S.G.E. There are too many players who seem too comfortable. Too many who already know that their name is on the team sheet come what may. Beckham has to be the best example of this. Can anybody honestly say that Beckham has had a good game for England this year, or last year and so on! Besides getting sent off today (which I agree was down to applaing refereeing) what else did he add to the game?

In long periods in the game it seemed like our players were standing around and admiring the expensive skills on offer. If that is what they want to do, then fine. buy a ticket and sit with the rest of the crowd. Give the place up to somebody who actually gives a **** and plays that way. I think that is why Rooney made such a difference when he broke into the England side, because he plays like it means something to him.

[stackpole]

Voron, you might be right about Sven, but England got a result. And that comes first, last, and all points in between.

The referee was incompetent.

[AtW]

I am not into football but it seems to be that Sven is totally overrated -- full of sh1t and basically counts on good luck and if he fails he has got like 5 mln quid golden parachute, wtf such warmhouse conditions created for the job that pays already good money?

[voron]

1-0 at home against a team of nobodies
Yet again we looked poor and only managed to score thanks to a penalty. We didn't create many clear chances, didn't dominate, didn't prevent Austria from having any chances. Shocking.

The Beckham sending off was absolutely outrageous and didn't warrant even a yellow, but apart from that it was our lucky day.

Sven is a good manager and he did well for us in the past, but he seems to have run out of ideas with England and surely it's time for both parties to move on to fresh challenges.