England vs Slovenia             FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifier          19:45 ITV

We (England) will book a place in next summer's World Cup with a win tonight.

Scotland will be hoping for an England win.......that's gonna hurt  ;D

No offence intended at the OP but couldnt care less, feel no attachment to the england football team

Quoted from Hagrid

No offence intended at the OP but couldnt care less, feel no attachment to the england football team

Ditto.

Quoted from Hagrid

No offence intended at the OP but couldnt care less, feel no attachment to the england football team

Shame on you unless you are not English,

They are a load of overpaid rubbish,

BUT

They are our overpaid rubbish so I will be watching and willing them on to win.

I'll be watching. Been doing so for 50 years, so might as well keep going in the hope that one day they will surprise us as they have very occasionally over the years.

Quoted from grimsby pete

Shame on you unless you are not English,

They are a load of overpaid rubbish,

BUT

They are our overpaid rubbish so I will be watching and willing them on to win.

Shame on you for constantly changing your stance on everything depending on the way the pendulum swings pete- and for the record i am not english, i am Irish :)

Quoted from Hagrid

Shame on you for constantly changing your stance on everything depending on the way the pendulum swings pete- and for the record i am not english, i am Irish :)

Irish Roy Keane style or Irish Jack Charlton style? :)

Quoted from Hagrid

No offence intended at the OP but couldnt care less, feel no attachment to the england football team

Cared enough to click on a thread called 'England v Slovenia'.

Quoted from Hagrid

Shame on you for constantly changing your stance on everything depending on the way the pendulum swings pete- and for the record i am not english, i am Irish :)

Never been the same since John called.

I want England to do well in all aspects and sports... But I won't be watching tonight. I will keep checking for score updates though.

England starting line-up: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand; Dier, Henderson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Rashford; Kane.

England substitutes: Smalling, Butland, Trippier, Maguire, Keane, Cresswell, Defoe, Livermore, Sturridge, Winks, Lingard, Pickford.

Quoted from ginnywings

I'll be watching. Been doing so for 50 years, so might as well keep going in the hope that one day they will surprise us as they have very occasionally over the years.

Just as long as it's not an Iceland sort of a surprise.  ??)

Quoted from Maringer

Just as long as it's not an Iceland sort of a surprise.  ??)

Indeed.

Plenty of empty seats at Wembley, so not many feeling the love for Emgland.

Two holding midfielders. At home. Against Slovenia.

Pleased I’ll be driving to work in Donny while it’s on!

Wow, I can't believe how many empty seats there are.

For what, in essence, is an important World Cup qualifying game, that crowd is awful.

Glenn Hoddle makes me yearn for the return of Andy Townsend

Quoted from Les Brechin

Wow, I can't believe how many empty seats there are.

For what, in essence, is an important World Cup qualifying game, that crowd is awful.

Although unfortunately, that fucking band has still turned up.

The German's don't mess around.......1 up after 2 mins against Northern Ireland.

Didn't know they were playing.
Must remember not to watch.
UTM

Well highlight so far for me was not being able to tune in until 16 mins had gone...the 20 mins i have watched since then has been awful.....pedestrian, sideways and then backwards...our attacking strategy seems to be "pass to Rashford and let him try and take someone on"...

Is that Andy Townsend the Irishman or Andy Townsend the Englishman? Also someone please tell Genderson he is not Stevan Gerrard and pass the bloody ball to feet, what a complete waste of a shirt.

It's not just the lack of  numbers crowd wise.
The atmosphere seems pretty excrement as well.
Unfortunately it will change nothing in the long run. Fans are no longer the
main part financial package. Therefore are becoming irrelevant.

Quoted from Civvy at last

It's not just the lack of  numbers crowd wise.
The atmosphere seems pretty excrement as well.
Unfortunately it will change nothing in the long run. Fans are no longer the
main part financial package. Therefore are becoming irrelevant.

Does the FA make much money out of England on the telly?

But I agree generally. We'll end up with Checkatrade style gates at some point and football becoming a non-attending spectator sport.

Have to say for most clubs and England it'll die on its bottom because without the crowd input, the entertainment on the pitch isn't worth it so people will not watch it on telly either.

I'm still shocked at how poor Henderson is every time i see him in an England shirt. Think it's safe to say we won't be winning World Cup 2018.

Well that was poor, lack of ideas no pace sideways passing, hard to watch

England with loads of possession.  Unfortunately most of it involves passing the ball about between the back 4 and Hart!  

Quoted from Civvy at last

It's not just the lack of  numbers crowd wise.
The atmosphere seems pretty excrement as well.
Unfortunately it will change nothing in the long run. Fans are no longer the
main part financial package. Therefore are becoming irrelevant.

Tonight's attendance doesn't look great but aren't England the best supported at home national football team on the planet ?

Only because we always play at Wembley, other nations, probably apart from France move the games around their countries o the stadiums are not always 40k plus.

Quoted from Hagrid

Shame on you for constantly changing your stance on everything depending on the way the pendulum swings pete- and for the record i am not english, i am Irish :)

Well as you are Irish why would you be interested in England ?

As for me changing my mind, so what am I not allowed to,  its a free country,

Still don't like Hurst though. :P

Only Rashford playing well, poor 1st half

XX     I reserve the right to change my mind in the 2nd half.

(roulette)

Panic over - Lingard's coming on.

The problem with a Gareth Southgate team is that it looks like they're coached from an FA manual..

So predictable..

We're going to qualify.......maybe not until Sunday but there's no way I can see us progressing further than the group stages in Russia.

I fail to see how this side won't win the world cup.

Quoted from promotion plaice

We're going to qualify.......maybe not until Sunday but there's no way I can see us progressing further than the group stages in Russia.

Yes we are through( Scotland are winning )unless we concede in the last few minutes.

I feel so unlucky to have turned on by chance half way through first half and ill advisedly decided to watch.
Utter dross.

Quoted from Abdul19

I fail to see how this side won't win the world cup.

We should be well in with a chance. As long as we can avoid those world footballing giants   'Iceland'  ;)

At last Kane 1-0

Cracking cross

Quoted from grimsby pete

Only Rashford playing well, poor 1st half

XX     I reserve the right to change my mind in the 2nd half.

BUT

I wont.

Yayyyyy.... Odds on favourites to lift the World Cup now  

That was slightly worse than a game at BP, but there's not much in it. I used to love football.  :-/

First plane home!

Quoted from moosey_club

Yayyyyy.... Odds on favourites to lift the World Cup now  

I didn’t realise the team that leaves the competition first presents the cup to the winners now?!

That was flipping dismal. As bad a performance as the game against Iceland with the difference that Slovenia missed their chances.

Defence, poor. Central midfield did nothing at all - Dier and Henderson look to have come out of the same lumbering mold. Sterling dreadful (but for one decent shot) yet Oxlade-Chamberlain was even worse. Great finish by Kane from our only decent cross of the night.

We end up topping the group thanks to a few last minute goals following poor performances. The better teams at the finals won't give us these chances or will be out if sight by then. I'll be amazed if we get past the group stage in Russia.

2018 will be the last decent world cup, 2022 will be a joke in Qatar and in 2026 it expands permanently to 48 teams which will make the first two weeks meaningless.

So make the most of it England!!

Russia, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, South Korea, Saudi, Germany, England already qualified

England are 8th favourites at 24/1

Which is why you don't tend to see poor bookies. There's always some idiot willing to give them money for nothing.

Quoted from Bigdog

The problem with a Gareth Southgate team is that it looks like they're coached from an FA manual..

So predictable..

It is.
The football DNA report.

This leaves no room for coaching an adventures expansive game.
England top of there league with 18 goals.
Germany, Spain Italy all top of there leagues scoring well over 30 goals.
England should have scored 20 against the bottom two teams in our league.
All that matters with the DNA balderdash is ball retention and pass completion.

Watched two minutes, Henderson falls over and cries like a baby, gets up straight away once the whistle is blown.
F*** the Premier League, and F*** international football, the game is dying in front of our eyes.

Watching England is not an enjoyable experience.

The manner in which we play is pedestrian and, as some have already pointed out, totally predictable.

Take this in the way it's intended, but I find it slightly annoying that we win while playing in this way because it's likely to validate Southgate's thinking and approach for future matches.

He'll say that what he's doing is working. In a black and white world then yes, it's working. We've qualified for Russia.

But what it's failing to do is prove that we won't succumb to another Iceland-style performance, or play out a dour 0-0 draw against Costa Rica.

It's clear to me that even in the victories we've been getting we have huge flaws that will be exposed against even mediocre opposition at a major tournament.

We'll play a few meaningless friendlies between now and next summer, play players who can't even get into their club side on a regular basis, sweat over a key player like Kane breaking that bone in the foot that all of England's best players tend to break just before a major tournament, and then limp home following some sluggish performances with the FA making more promises, and people like Shaun Harvey making ever more ridiculous decisions that don't just damage the future of this England team but damage the foundation on which it's build with thoroughly stupid initiatives like the Checkashit Trophy.

*Draws breath*

Ah England, you frustrate me more than Town!

Quoted from TAGG

It is.
The football DNA report.

This leaves no room for coaching an adventures expansive game.
England top of there league with 18 goals.
Germany, Spain Italy all top of there leagues scoring well over 30 goals.
England should have scored 20 against the bottom two teams in our league.
All that matters with the DNA balderdash is ball retention and pass completion.

And we're even excrement at that

Well, that was a 96 minute Borefest, bring on some real football, roll on Saturday, Vale v Town, it surely can't be any worse to watch than that rubbish.

Things seemed to get a little bit better after Oxlade-Chamberlain went off. I think I heard his replacement hasn't even played a first-team game this season (but it may have been started...so sub appearances).

Our reaction to them bringing on a Striker seemed a little Hurstesque.

Reminded me of Town, rubbish defending, no midfield and no  ideas up front only difference they are all millionaires and we are the pound land equivalent.

For all the "school of excellence" these players have been brought through it does not show, you have got to WANT to win at football no hunger there and to much showboating.

Slovenia apart from the goal had more than enough chances to win and opened up our defence with ease.

A better side would have converted at least three of those chances.

Southgate said we are a side still learning sound familiar?

I need to brush up on my paper aeroplanes.

Anybody else think Qatar is a disaster waiting to happen on and off he field?

Glenda made a telling point in the first half (possibly for the first time ever?) when he pointed out that the problem was a complete lack of movement from the players. Less a case of pass and move, more pass and stand still to admire your pass.

Of course, the other main problem was that Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain were so poor that they might as well have not been playing. Quite why Sterling thinks he's got the ability to play centrally, I don't know. You can see why Guardiola doesn't play him there, that's for sure.

Quoted from Maringer

Glenda made a telling point in the first half (possibly for the first time ever?) when he pointed out that the problem was a complete lack of movement from the players. Less a case of pass and move, more pass and stand still to admire your pass.

Of course, the other main problem was that Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain were so poor that they might as well have not been playing. Quite why Sterling thinks he's got the ability to play centrally, I don't know. You can see why Guardiola doesn't play him there, that's for sure.

This is the same as how I see it, whatever happened to pass and move?  Against lesser teams, it might work but when we come up against the major players we are soo easy to close down and we crumble under any pressure from opposing players.

The only entertaining thing about an England game is the inevitable  post match rant by mark saggers on talksport

Nah, couldn't be bothered with that one. Instead, went to see a re-run of Benedict Cumberbatch's performance of Hamlet shown at our local cinema. I suspect he expended more energy in that role than the entire England team in theirs! Whilst England almost always disappoint, Shakespeare never does....

Quoted from Hertsmariner

Nah, couldn't be bothered with that one. Instead, went to see a re-run of Benedict Cumberbatch's performance of Hamlet shown at our local cinema. I suspect he expended more energy in that role than the entire England team in theirs! Whilst England almost always disappoint, Shakespeare never does....

I didn't get to see the game for a slightly similar reason, the wife said I was Bard.  :)

I think you'll find there were several thousand people at Wembley Stadium watching much ado about nothing !!

Every time I see England play the same week as Town,

I say after watching Town,   what a load of rubbish !!

After watching England I think Town are not so bad. ;D

England have a team of scared little boys managed by a hipster who couldn’t inspire a decent shave. Even Big Sam would have surely put some life into them at least. There is not one real man in the team. They all play as though they would rather be on the X Box or changing nappies, anywhere but on a field playing for England. Pride? Just a word to them.

Never thought I'd see Gareth Southgate described as a hipster!

Our dog wanted to go for a walk just after HT.  He had had enough as well.  I was hoping that he would go on a long walk.  No such luck, he only wanted a short walk.

He then came and sat next to me blowing-off.   Maybe a cannine comment on England's inept performance?  This unpleasant experience was still better than watching a sterile England stumble to a late and fortunate win.    

Quoted from Abdul19

Never thought I'd see Gareth Southgate described as a hipster!

Well, a failed hipster then. :P

All he does is stand about scratching his designer stubble and trying to look as if he knows what he’s doing.

Well if it was raining he could stand there under his brolly !!

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Well, a failed hipster then. :P

All he does is stand about scratching his designer stubble and trying to look as if he knows what he’s doing.

He'd probably be better managing a twirly moustache grooming place in Shoreditch than managing a national football team ;)