Euro 2020 Qualifying

Quoted from GrimRob

We still qualify if we come second I think. Then we have a further chance after that in the play-offs? Southgate has been dealt a good hand again, he's a lucky manager.

We topped a three-team group that featured a side that were World Cup finalists four months ago and a side that are still classed as one of the heavy hitters in the world.  That was from a poor start and required a win away at Spain and then beating the World Cup finalists at home in the final two games.

Not sure you can say he's lucky.  He's a very good international manager who is making the most of the supply stream of talent presented to him, a stream he helped develop.

I just think it's great that when we play such as France, Germany Spain etc we actually think we can win, whereas over the last 40 years those teams usually beat us.

Netherlands in the Europa Nations League thingy semi final next June and Portugal play Switzerland
Shame I wanted to play the Dutch in the final would have been a great final I think
Still so long as we stick it up Ronaldo

Quoted from diehardmariner

We topped a three-team group that featured a side that were World Cup finalists four months ago and a side that are still classed as one of the heavy hitters in the world.  That was from a poor start and required a win away at Spain and then beating the World Cup finalists at home in the final two games.

Not sure you can say he's lucky.  He's a very good international manager who is making the most of the supply stream of talent presented to him, a stream he helped develop.

When I said he was lucky I didn't mean that he was overachieving more that he was blessed. I rate him but sometimes the cards just fall your way, like the way the draw opened out in the World Cup and the fact that this extra tournament just happened to come along during his watch. Likewise, the glut of good young players lined up for the next decade. He only got the job by complete chance as well! It's really as though the world has arranged all the pieces in his favour.  The Football Gods shine upon Gareth Southgate and nearly everyone likes him. I certainly do, always have done.  

Quoted from Abdul19

Makes a lot more sense than Australia playing in Asia!

Or Kazakhstan in Europe. They have a border with China FFS. You can't get much deeper into Asia than that before you start coming out the other side!

Plus, Turkey was always the border between Europe and Asia, what with Istanbul being on the European side and the bulk of the country in Asia (the clue's in the title - 'Asia Minor'!). Yet beyond Turkey we have Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Or Kazakhstan in Europe. They have a border with China FFS. You can't get much deeper into Asia than that before you start coming out the other side!

Plus, Turkey was always the border between Europe and Asia, what with Istanbul being on the European side and the bulk of the country in Asia (the clue's in the title - 'Asia Minor'!). Yet beyond Turkey we have Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

If Australia can enter the Eurovision Song Contest, anything is possible!

Quoted from kamakazebear

If Australia can enter the Eurovision Song Contest, anything is possible!

Oz qualifies for that fair and square by being the campest country in the world. 😆

Quoted from GrimRob

When I said he was lucky I didn't mean that he was overachieving more that he was blessed. I rate him but sometimes the cards just fall your way, like the way the draw opened out in the World Cup and the fact that this extra tournament just happened to come along during his watch. Likewise, the glut of good young players lined up for the next decade. He only got the job by complete chance as well! It's really as though the world has arranged all the pieces in his favour.  The Football Gods shine upon Gareth Southgate and nearly everyone likes him. I certainly do, always have done.  

I get what you're saying, but I'm not even sure I agree that the cards fell that much in his favour in the World Cup.  Whilst you can argue we had a relatively easy route to the semi-finals, I think that goes more on the pre-tournament conception of who would do well and who wouldn't.  Who actually had a tough route?  The last year has seen a massive power shift at the top table.  The teams that have dominated the last decade are simply spent forces.  Southgate recognised the pending tide change and got ahead of the curve.  Out went the old guard and in came a new fresh England, one capable of playing a game he recognised.  Whilst I'm sure most will think it was the right decision to offload Rooney, Hart, Cahill etc. many a manager wouldn't have done that because it was the easy choice to stick with them.  The decision to go with back 3 on the eve of the tournament was bold, brave and brilliant.  He deserves credit for recognising and acknowledging that we weren't quite there yet and had to adapt just for the tournament.

In terms of luck, had we had a little against Croatia we would have been out of sight by half-time.  

His appointment, I agree with what you're saying.  I think he was the next in line after Big Sam but it would probably be about now that he was taking charge. At the time I thought Sam was the right man but Southgate has proven that he should have had the job all along.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Or Kazakhstan in Europe. They have a border with China FFS. You can't get much deeper into Asia than that before you start coming out the other side!

Plus, Turkey was always the border between Europe and Asia, what with Istanbul being on the European side and the bulk of the country in Asia (the clue's in the title - 'Asia Minor'!). Yet beyond Turkey we have Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

I think the eastern Europe-Asia border is the Ural river, so about 1% of Kazakhstan is in Europe (although obviously they play their games about a million miles east of here). This might be nonsense though, I've not done any of my usual high intensity checks (Wikipedia or an episode of Pointless)

So if we lose all our group games we're through anyway due to the nations cup thingy? It's all the start of a closed shop in the premier, certain clubs always in the champions league, eventually clubs like Town will have to accept division 2 is the best we'll ever be because we don't reach the criteria required for division 1.