The Football.....

[Accy cyclist]

I don't think England can continue riding their luck like they did tonight.

Me too, along with many others. As usual, we live in hope rather than expectation! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

 

[Red17]

There just seems to be something wrong with the England mentality. Yet again the minute they went ahead in extra time the entire team seemed to retreat to the edge of their own area and attempt to see the game out rather than scoring a couple more to finish the game off.
I just don't understand what is making them so negative

 

[gbb]

Its like we've seen a shift in tactics.
What we're watching is an England team under the same manager who has done really well for the last 8 years, given us some football that's given hope...and while the individual skills are there, the team seems to have lost its way, it's killer instinct. They seem bogged down, unable to, or unwilling to progress up the park. When there is an attack, there are very few players following up in case of a loose ball from the keeper.
Perhaps because they're keeping everything so rigid ? we don't concede many goals....but that rigidity holds them back in attack.

At about 1 minute before full time, England 1 down, I got up, turned the TV off and went to wash the car, it's over.
I came back 20 minutes later to refill the bucket, turned the TV on....what !!!!!!
The car waited for its rinse.

 

[AndyRM]

If I was Southgate I'd be having the side watch the Spain v Georgia game as an example of two sides going for the win.

I'd have Clarke do the same. I'd rather lose 4 - 1 like Georgia, with passion and pride, than that pathetic display we got against Germany.

 

[Brandane]

Where's yon Slovakian for the day @Brandane gone?! 🤔

I've seen NOTHING so far to get me worried. England have struggled in every game of the Euros, and were VERY lucky to get a result last night. So now they are world beaters again, having pulled a rabbit out the hat against the mighty Slovakia 🤣. You were "Pishvilli".

Well, I think a great uncle of his once spent a day in Switzerland when trying to avoid the boche back in the day. He's had a strong affiliation with the country ever since.

I developed a close bond with Switzerland, it's people, and it's football team, when I passed through Geneva on a motorbike trip from Zeebrugge to Monaco in the mid 90's. And I like an occasional Toblerone. So I feel it's only right to support them at the Euros, unless they come up against Holland, or France, or Spain. Oh, and Germany too.....

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Can't I get any joy from this bloody sport?

 

[Emanresu]

I'll be on a Swiss train from Geneva this Saturday at 5:00 pm. Will arrive at my destination at 7:00 pm and onto the streets of Martigny.

How should I dress for the occasion?

 

[AndyRM]

I'll be on a Swiss train from Geneva this Saturday at 5:00 pm. Will arrive at my destination at 7:00 pm and onto the streets of Martigny.

How should I dress for the occasion?

I hope your train has decent WiFi if you're wanting to follow the game.

Kick off's at 6pm local time...

 

[matticus]

I'll be on a Swiss train from Geneva this Saturday at 5:00 pm. Will arrive at my destination at 7:00 pm and onto the streets of Martigny.

How should I dress for the occasion?

That's an easy one:

Please send photos - we may need cheering up!

 

[matticus]

<serious punditin' :>
England have been poor. Way below the standard Southgate has sustained since 2016 (anyone disagree should google his results before June 2024). I don't know why - the only theory I have is that the bookies made them narrow pre-comp favourites, and that is a totally new situation for them.

BUT; they're in the Quarters. If Italy had reached the same stage playing just as badly, we'd be praising their grit, their experience in "getting the job done", and saying how often they've won despite bad spells.
(And Spain went 1-0 down after 15minutes yesterday too ... )

So I'm not full of doom-and-gloom - but I'm nowhere near expecting us to win it. Heck, based on the weekend's matches I don't expect us to beat SWI!
But it's a game - it's supposed to be a contest, with no certain outcomes. Bring it on!!! 🥳

 

[AndyRM]

<serious punditin' :>
England have been poor. Way below the standard Southgate has sustained since 2016 (anyone disagree should google his results before June 2024). I don't know why - the only theory I have is that the bookies made them narrow pre-comp favourites, and that is a totally new situation for them.

BUT; they're in the Quarters. If Italy had reached the same stage playing just as badly, we'd be praising their grit, their experience in "getting the job done", and saying how often they've won despite bad spells.
(And Spain went 1-0 down after 15minutes yesterday too ... )

So I'm not full of doom-and-gloom - but I'm nowhere near expecting us to win it. Heck, based on the weekend's matches I don't expect us to beat SWI!
But it's a game - it's supposed to be a contest, with no certain outcomes. Bring it on!!! 🥳

I think that's a pretty fair assessment. Southgate has had England at four consecutive quarter finals, a semi, and a final. It's not pretty, but it's effective.

And on Italy, that's just how they play, always has been. A few flair players over the years has almost resulted in folk forgetting how defensively minded they are with their catenaccio approach.

Perhaps the issue for Southgate now is that he has players at his disposal who are much more capable than a defensive approach but he's not using them? What's the point in Gordon being there for example? And I still think leaving Grealish and Rashford out was a mistake.

Be interesting to know the odds from other countries on pre-tournament favourites. I can't imagine that anyone outside the UK would have had England winning it.

 

[matticus]

Be interesting to know the odds from other countries on pre-tournament favourites. I can't imagine that anyone outside the UK would have had England winning it.

Good point! I struggled to google the odds from before tournament - there are so many sponsored search results! - that I didn't think about looking abroad.
I never even thought of ENG as favourites; at least until a commentator said we were during the game, in the context of "the tournament favourites are feeling the pressure, trailing to a team ranked 45th in the world."
So yeah, it'd be interesting to see the foreign view - but in reality, the players will feel the heat of local opinion. (and what their Nan said her bookie was saying :P )

 

[AndyRM]

Good point! I struggled to google the odds from before tournament - there are so many sponsored search results! - that I didn't think about looking abroad.
I never even thought of ENG as favourites; at least until a commentator said we were during the game, in the context of "the tournament favourites are feeling the pressure, trailing to a team ranked 45th in the world."
So yeah, it'd be interesting to see the foreign view - but in reality, the players will feel the heat of local opinion. (and what their Nan said her bookie was saying :P )

You'd think that the bigger nations would have their countries top of the pile pre tournament. Smaller ones you'd probably have got good odds just on getting out of the group.

Hard to tell really, because Sky Bet will have warped everything to remind us which is the best league in the world...

 

[Brandane]

Can't I get any joy from this bloody sport?

Be patient. Saturday, 5pm...

 

[Time Waster]

That's an easy one:
View attachment 736045

Please send photos - we may need cheering up!

What the middle outfit? Now if he wears that don't post pictures!!