#SWFC Legend Chris Waddle says it how it is

[Bark1062]

4 hours ago, Spuddy01 said:

That team was good enough to win something in my opinion just wasn’t used right. It was obvious the Gerard/Lampard combo just didn’t work in a 442 but we kept persevering with it.

Can’t remember Carlos being manager then.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Bark1062

[Spuddy01]

1 hour ago, Earlsfieldowl said:

 

Well let’s face it we haven’t done a huge amount since Euro ‘96.

 

Erickson today banging on about the players being tired in ‘06.  We were so lacklustre - devoid of any inspiration.

 

‘02 was a opportunity missed IMO - we could have beaten Brazil with a bit more belief.. then only South Korea and a very average Germany stood in the way of glory. Belgium in the last WC were similar - young team with some talent, hough they were hampered by a  truly clueless manager.

 

The worst effort had to be under Capello though - that game against the Germans stuck in mind for a long while after. Abject.

 

 

 

I remember watching that game in the O2 academy, walked out after the third goal, couldn’t watch anymore.

If that Lampard ‘goal’ had counted we would still have lost but not so embarrassingly.

[Eastern]

I don't think we were that bad in 2002 and 2006.

 

Seaman's flapping in Japan and a pen shoot out in Gelsenkerkin (why did we take Walcott to Germany).

[Earlsfieldowl]

22 minutes ago, Spuddy01 said:

I remember watching that game in the O2 academy, walked out after the third goal, couldn’t watch anymore.

If that Lampard ‘goal’ had counted we would still have lost but not so embarrassingly.

 

I watched the first half in beach bar in Antigua - 45 mins of misery in paradise. 

[Earlsfieldowl]

13 minutes ago, Eastern said:

I don't think we were that bad in 2002 and 2006.

 

Seaman's flapping in Japan and a pen shoot out in Gelsenkerkin (why did we take Walcott to Germany).

 

We werent - we just couldn’t really get going when we really needed to.

 

The victory over the Danes was the high point in 02.

 

We looked so lethargic in 06 - everything seemed to be played at walking pace...bit like us last month under Carlos. 

 

The player moaned about the heat - it was Germany ffs, not The Gambia. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Earlsfieldowl

[Yellowbelly]

Cole, Terry, Ferdinand, Neville, Beckham, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Hargreaves & Rooney would have walked into any team in the world in their prime. It's no coincidence that during that period English clubs were dominant in Europe. Sadly it came down to Sven not being up to the task, and we paid him a fortune to squander our best crop of players in a generation.

[dontCallMeOwlCallYou]

The only tournament I have enjoyed watching England in was Euro 96 personally, all the rest since have been very disappointing.

[Stoop]

5 hours ago, Ronnie Starling said:

It wasn't good enough to win a prize in a tombola. The only real world class player in that generation was Ashley Cole. The others at best were good footballers but nowhere near World class which in my book you have to maintain a level of consistency for many years.

Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Terry and Beckham were all world class

 

Infact the sides we took to the world cups in 98,02 and 06 were all unbelievably good, the one we took in 2010 wasn’t bad either. 

 

Imo the problem is a mixture of having sh!te managers, players not being able to shake off club rivalries (also a problem for Spain for many years) and bad luck

 

 

[Stoop]

1 hour ago, Yellowbelly said:

Cole, Terry, Ferdinand, Neville, Beckham, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Hargreaves & Rooney would have walked into any team in the world in their prime. It's no coincidence that during that period English clubs were dominant in Europe. Sadly it came down to Sven not being up to the task, and we paid him a fortune to squander our best crop of players in a generation.

Yep

 

Awful manager who has stole a living everywhere he’s been since Lazio

[j17tjp]

put Stuart Pearce back into the defence 

 

let Psycho tear into the Panama attackers

[Utah Owl]

10 hours ago, j17tjp said:

I reckon they prob had a 3some with Eileen Drewery too 

 

Her daughter was his girlfriend back in the '70's

[pgmetcalf]

7 hours ago, Ronnie Starling said:

We were told we had a golden generation of footballers i.e Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard etc who weren't as good as people thought. Other nations had far superior players that played at the top of their game and maintained that tournament after tournament. Plenty of froth and no substance.

 

Arguably look at the managers we've had since then 

[attyjake]

I remember when Rooney was supposed to be the dogs blx, everyone raving about him.

At the time I thought yeah he is a great English player no doubt, but not in the same league as the continental superstars, not even close.

We are led to believe that our players are much better than in reality they are, cos they are over-hyped by the media.

THIS IS WHY WE ALWAYS UNDERACHIEVE!

[helmut_rooster]

11 hours ago, torres said:

“Last time we played well was under Hoddle” 

just happens to be his mate!

 

 

He sounds half cut too 

 

The even had matching hair cuts

[Ronnie Starling]

3 hours ago, Stoop said:

Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Terry and Beckham were all world class

 

Infact the sides we took to the world cups in 98,02 and 06 were all unbelievably good, the one we took in 2010 wasn’t bad either. 

 

Imo the problem is a mixture of having sh!te managers, players not being able to shake off club rivalries (also a problem for Spain for many years) and bad luck

 

 

Good players but not quite world class which is something that seems to get thrown around at players far too cheaply.

[Musn't Grumble]

9 hours ago, Lord Snooty said:

 

Agree.

 

A winning team doesn't have to be made up of world class talents.

It helps no doubt.

But getting the best team out of what is available goes a long way.

 

A lesson not learned by a succesion of England managers who have shoehorned in our 'Star' players at the expense of having a fluid, effective team unit.

 

Good point.

 

Greece, Croatia, South Korea and probably a few other nations have performed well at Euro or World Cup tournaments by doing what they are good at. It's pointless trying to play neat, passing football against Spain, Brazil or Germany because they are so much better at doing it than England. If we play the harassing, physical and all out style against anyone - which English players have been good at - then we might stand a chance. If we had Messi and Ronaldo in the squad, fair enough, but we haven't so we should use our strengths instead

[Guest wilyfox]

Euro '96 was the last time I enjoyed watching an England team play. Since then, individual breakthroughs of Owen & Rooney have been the only good moments for me. Sven should hold his head in shame for massive underachievement. Capello was pathetic. McClaren should swallow his umbrella. Hodgson oversaw our last abomination, and Allardyce was an arrogant fool. Have I missed anyone out? 

[theowlsman]

Well said Chris Waddle.

 

The FA is a complete and utter feck-up from top to bottom.

 

Was listening to the FA’s Technical Director the other day, never heard of him previously, an ex-pro at Norwich City or summat. I wondered how someone I had never heard of, never been a top player, no evidence of being regarded as technically gifted himself, gets to become a man everyone looks to, to push our game onwards and upwards? A bloody joke.

 

Give it to Scram, I’d have more faith in him.

[dorian gray]

22 hours ago, Spuddy01 said:

Couldn’t agree more.

Until it changes at the top, nothing will change.

 

And stop picking players because of their name or who they play for. Perfect example, when Leicester won the title, Drinkwater (not everybody’s cup of tea but) had an amazing season but Wiltshire got chosen over him to go to France and he only played 4 games!!! that season, an If I remember rightly he got injured over there and never played a game.

the 'old farts' must be shown the door, you can't run an organisation like the fa with 'gentlemen' who are 'jolly decent dinner guests'. 

'a spot of lunch at my club old chap?' 

[Earlsfieldowl]

20 hours ago, alanharper said:

 

No chance. We went out as soon as we met a decent side in the knockout phase, it's the England way - we haven't beaten one of the "big" footballing nations in the knockout stages of a World Cup since 1966, the only countries we've actually beaten after the group stage in a World Cup since then are Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Denmark and Ecuador. In that time we failed and got knocked out by the Germans 3 times (including the 1982 second group phase), Spain (1982 second group phase), Argentina twice, Brazil and Portugal. And didn't make it out of the group in 2014.

 

If we'd squeezed past Argentina in 98, to go all the way we'd have had to then also beat a strong Netherlands side in the quarters, Brazil in the semi, and France in the final!  1990 was our best chance ever to replicate 1966 and we blew that one in the most English way possible.

 

 

86 also a missed chance - cheated by the Argies ..we’d have had a beatable Belgium in the semis and a mediocre Germany in the final.

 

They weren’t the side they were in 1990.