England will scrape through the group stage and then get trounced by Spain in the quarter final.
About par for the course, really.
England could opt for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead Stewart Downing against France which would be a bold move - Downing is a safe carthorse. Alex is at least exciting and unpredictable.
I REALLY hope these rumours are true. He's been outstanding and could provide the spark we sorely need.
Bristol Aztecs #27
PSN ID: Aztecs27
It's true .. Downing on the bench ..
the official prediction is in (me and my lad fifa euro 2012 on Xbox)
ENG 3 - 1 FRA
Mexes sent off 61st min
Hmmm?Originally Posted by Fretwired
It's England, so it's not British. Just tune into the coverage north of the border for some brutal honesty and gloating Scots style as the French put five past our hapless team ..
well I think were now stuffed. 1-1 was a decent result against France, however I see no creativity in our play - and can only see us drawing against both Sweden and Ukraine - which would have been enough (as i expect France to beat both) had Sweden drew with Ukraine - however as they didnt we could well finish 3rd behind the Ukraine
I would take a great song with Bad tone over Great tones in a shitty song anyday.
well I think were now stuffed. 1-1 was a decent result against France, however I see no creativity in our play - and can only see us drawing against both Sweden and Ukraine - which would have been enough (as i expect France to beat both) had Sweden drew with Ukraine - however as they didnt we could well finish 3rd behind the Ukraine
I disagree - to start with it was very hot and humid. I also think that a slow conservative start is the way to go - had we lost against France then it would be game over. England can pinch a 1-0 win against Sweden and will then need a draw against Ukraine to qualify. It may not have been pretty, but at least England looked like a team - they were organised and resolute in defence. They can only improve.
Flair and creativity don't always win cups. Look at Chelsea in the Champions League final.
This. In spades.
For the first time in a very long time, this team was exactly that...a TEAM. They played for each other, and every single one of them looked proud and worked hard wearing the 3 Lions. Something that can't be said for teams of the last 5 or 6 years (at least).
Some of these guys have had minutes of international football (Welbeck, The Ox) and haven't played much together but they looked cohesive and tidy. The final ball lacks (and Hodgson knows this, he said as much) but again that is down to inexperience up front. With Rooney back in the fold, it will give us more options, and I like the sound of him linking up with The Ox and Ashley Young.
But defensively, that's as disciplined as I can remember England playing and France were never really a threat. The goal was one of those strikes that is sometimes too good to be saved, you get those at every level of football. Joe Hart was inches away from seeing it early enough to react.
I'm still not expecting us to make waves in this tournament (anything other than "out of the groups" is a bonus), but this squad has been together for less than a month in Roy's system and it's already showing some positive signs.
Bristol Aztecs #27
PSN ID: Aztecs27
I thought they played far better than any other England squad, certainly since Beckham retired from internationals, and probably for a few years before that. The second half wasn't spectacular but there were some flashes of real potential in the first
Still no chance of winning the competition, but a better start than I expected by a long way.
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