[Closed] Euro 2016 begins!

I enjoyed the match, we weren't going to get to the semis and Iceland where far better than us. Might as well go out in some style

its ok we cant afford to go to the next one

Might as well go out in some style

Which match was that?

The 3 full backs used looked OK. Would class them in Rushford and Alli group. But no-one played well tonight!

[i]lol....that Icelandic commentator (for those listening to 5Live).[/i]

What was it?
"DavidCameron! PrincessKate! EU referendums! OneDirection! Your boys took a hell of a beating!!"

Anyone else think Rooney is the biggest disappointment of the modern England football era? Hard to think of another player who, except through injury, completely failed to live up to expectations and promise? At least Gascoine lit up a tournament before succumbing to his demons

Nicked from the Guardian:

Knocked out of the Euros by Iceland, knocked out of Europe by people who shop at Iceland.

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Anyone else think Rooney is the biggest disappointment of the modern England football era?

Knocked out of the Euros by Iceland, knocked out of Europe by people who shop at Iceland.

Brilliant. The headline of the day.

I thought Rooney did ok, one of our better players

As a Spurs fan it's not a pleasure to say Kane gave Sterling a run for his money as our most hopeless player tonight

I live in the Faroe Islands and eveyone here was supporting Iceland (the Faroes and Iceland are very close) The Faroese were shocked how England played and as the lone England supporter it was embarrassing....... 😯
Everyone was screaming at the tv towards the end, I just had my head in my hands.............

Rooney was the problem, to play him everyone was out of position and then he was so slow. He also offered no leadership.

What the hell had England actually planned to do before the match? Seriously a striker taking set pieces, no wingers taken to the tournament, no defensive set up for obvious set plays. My gut is Hodgson lost the players a long time ago.

Hodgson for PM!!

Far more fundermental than that: not enough young English kids kick footballs around anymore. I am sometimes quite surprised by the low level of fitness of the 16-24 range.

^^ He's got a point... Here in Germany I know of quite a few guys that play on weekends. Lots of sports grounds (proper ones with lights and stuff) around town and they are usually being used most evenings. The same in Austria and in Italy.

We have an excellent new 3g pitch in town which if you're not part of the club is incredibly hard to get a slot on. A lot of the lads in the 16/24 year bracket seem very into being gym bunnies these days however the interest in football is still huge. I've started assisting the coaching of my sons team and what I've noticed is that some of the kids (mostly 11) have a right ****ing attitude as if the game owes them something already. Doing my best to stamp that shit out and just getting them to work hard...

My son is almost 13. He has been diving for about 5 or 6 years and currently trains around 14 hours a week. When I watch him and his friends train it's obvious that they enjoy it and are having a good time but they are also very focussed. He knows that if he wants to get anywhere he has to work really hard. He also plays football every day at school as part of an SFA programme. From what he tells me a good few of the other kids on the programme are lazy, classic stand near the goals and demand everybody gives them ball. My son gets really frustrated by this and the coaches don't seem to do anything about it. The team he used to play for had the same issues, most of the kids just wanted to mess about and seemed unable to concentrate on the task in hand. A lot of the kids just weren't very fit, they don't seem very active in general. Two years after Angus left the boys don't seem to have developed much and the coaches still have the same issues. I wonder if the general standard of coaching isn't very high, what are they being taught when they get their coaching badges? There are plenty of teams to choose from where we live and reasonable facilities.

I have tried to be very mature about this but I still woke up and thought Iceland and then s****ed

That IS the mature approach.

Footballs just all wrong in the [s]UK[/s]England. No decent role models. Rooney bitching in the media last week as Hodgson didnt start him. There's no "I" in team... someone needs to tell them that. They're just overpaid eeejuts with massively inflated egos. They're living in the same world supermodels and film starts were/ are. How does that make sense? Someone said it before ref getting out of beds harder in silk pyjamas.

I am Welsh (genuinely) by the way.

The Welsh team on the other hand seem genuinely pleased to be at the Euros, they don't give me the impression that they think they're owed a passage to the semi finals, they seem to be just enjoying themselves getting there.

They seem like the team is more important than any one player which is quite a thing given Gareth Bale's in the team. He just seems like a genuinely grounded all round nice lad though and he's enjoying it. The whole of Wales are behind them, there's no thuggery and it's all good fun. Whats not to like.

Coaching is a real issue in UK and Wrightyson is the classic grassroots way, a good willed parent offers to help to ensure his son can play football, get out on a 16 hour coaching course and that's it you're a FA level 1 coach..

My son is lucky enough to have played academy football for last 4 years and the one big difference is not only the coaching and facilities but also parents. We are told not to coach from the side-lines and only to encourage the teams during a match, this is a major difference from Grassroots where you have both the coaches and parents shouting instructions to the boys whilst they play their game, if I go and watch my son's classmates in the team he used to play for I ask parents would you like to be shouted at work or whilst playing ?? they all answer no so why do they do it to their son, it's what we've always done is normally the reply..

My son loves the games and luckily is a hard working player and has been from the moment he first played aged 6, I firmly believe this cannot be coached into a player but like anything coaching can improve what nature gives you. I see all kinds of parents from the one's whose pension is out on the pitch to folk like me who tell their son the odds are stacked against you but having played and scored at clubs like Man Utd, Liverpool and Man City just enjoy the experience.

Footballs just all wrong in the UKEngland. No decent role models. Rooney bitching in the media last week as Hodgson didnt start him. There's no "I" in team... someone needs to tell them that. They're just overpaid eeejuts with massively inflated egos. They're living in the same world supermodels and film starts were/ are. How does that make sense? Someone said it before ref getting out of beds harder in silk pyjamas.

Aye, that's right, cos the French and the Italians are absolutely full of fine, stand up, bona fide role models.....

12hrs later and it's still hilarious.

Not sure what's going to be worse*, the fallout from last night or Brexit vote.

Still, at least Missus Binners is going to treat us all to Greggs pasty today with her winnings.

*I know it's the Brexit vote.

Coaching is a real issue in UK and Wrightyson is the classic grassroots way, a good willed parent offers to help to ensure his son can play football, get out on a 16 hour coaching course and that's it you're a FA level 1 coach..

Also most of the other European top league teams, have feeder teams in the lower divisions to develop their youth set-up.

I thought the FA level 1 coach was a 32 hour qualification. If its actually being delivered in 16 hours then that may be a reason why coaching quality is a bit low.

Compared to other sports a level 1 FA coach seems to be given a lot more responsibility than a level 1 in other sports where they're working under the supervision of a level 2.

It'll be the same as usual. They'll be recriminations, and then the same old shit will happen. Short term, money focused FA don't have a clue. Needs a top to bottom clear out and a long term, talking 10yrs, plan to turn everything around.

But that's too much like hard work. So we'll get to listen to Chris Waddle exploding at Russia 2018 after we get knocked out after a poor performance by Albania.

Best league in the world apparently. 😐

Highlight of the game for em was when Ian Wright's trouser's had a "Wardrobe Malfunction"

Ian Wright using the film Space Jam to describe England's demise was pretty good.

I don't buy the bit about it being the PL's fault, after all plenty of other teams who are performing better than England have players in the PL, France, Iceland, Italy etc.

I put most of the blame at Woy's feet, England never had a strategy, tactics or any clue of how to win games. He had favourite players who no matter how bad or unfit got selected anyway, and he didn't seem to take players to create a balanced team. In fact at times it looked like the press were selecting the team, not the England management. How he got the job is beyond me, his record at Liverpool was dire. The FA need a serious think who they get next because they need to get it right. Just thinking about it Jurgen Klinsmann might be worth a look, did well getting Germany back on track and understand the PL.

I don't buy the bit about it being the PL's fault, after all plenty of other teams who are performing better than England have players in the PL, France, Iceland, Italy etc.

True, but most have a core of their national team playing in their native country.

....with some of the South American teams being an exception. Not saying it's the main reason, even in the top 3, but it is a contributing factor IMHO.

As for Roy....has no-one seen it yet? Roy Hodg[b]SON[/b]. Icelandic secret agent Roy has been building to this moment for years. Those pesky Icelanders have caught us like they did our cod.

I have tried to be very mature about this but I still woke up and thought Iceland and then s****ed

I was laughing out load, it was one of the funniest things in ages. There is nothing immature in that, England lost a competitve tournament knockout game to Iceland who where the far better team

To be honest, I think we were all laughing last night, so you had no need to hold it in till today, Junkyard.

I feel the England time should be commended for their ability to lighten the mood in these dark times. They gave us the gift of united jollification.

They gave us the gift of [b]united[/b] jollification.

Indeed, after the divisions of the Referendum this brought us all together.

Roy is spineless, resigning in the post match interview. His contract was up anyway. Describing the players as having been fantastic is ridiculous.

My outside shouts for manager - Wenger, Ranieri ..

I think YOUSE might have al forgotten I ma not English

FFS you lost to Iceland.....ICELAND...

Ok enough schadenfreude for me

It's only schadenfreude if you can take pleasure in others pain, and speaking for myself, am totally fine with it.

We know you're Scottish, and make the appropriate allowances, but just scroll though the thread. It was ****ing hilarious.

Plus some of us did very nicely on some cheeky bets 🙂

Moving on, has anyone else taken a punt?

[img] [/img]

p.s Binners. You still owe me for the Raheem tips. I trusted you 🙁

Class is also a problem in English football, how many of the current, or even historical, English football team are from the middle class? How many have a dentist or doctor or lecturer or banker as parents? Compare that to Italy or Germany where much of the team hail from the "middle class". So while we say that England has a popn of 60 million it only draws talent from what is described as the working class. The only vaguely middle class players from recent England teams are Theo Walcott (?) and Fat Frankie Lampard, whose dad was a footballer.

Why is this?

^^ what the **** has class got to do with it? ^^ how many Brazilian stars have come from virtual slums?

Yeah not sure how class comes into it.. Rugby players seem to be doing ok, and not many of them come from working class backgrounds.. traditionally you don't get many middle class boxers, but the odd one (like Eubank Jr) seems to come through..

IMO it's due to a variety of factors.. to the players having money thrown at them & smoke blown up their ass since they were about 12, not as good coaching at a young age, the general public overestimating their ability due to the strength of the domestic league, possibly the lack of a mid season break, players not caring as much as previous generations, poor tactics with no back up plans etc..

I'm not sure what class has do with anything but Eric Dier's bio about his background doesn't sound very working class.

Englands problem apart fromt he awful coaching, is that they took hardly any decent midfielders. I'm sure we could all list a load of players who on paper may not be world beaters but would work as a team better than Rooney and an unfit Wilshere did. For instance how was Drinkwater left at home?

Class is also a problem in English football, how many of the current, or even historical, English football team are from the middle class? How many have a dentist or doctor or lecturer or banker as parents? Compare that to Italy or Germany where much of the team hail from the "middle class". So while we say that England has a popn of 60 million it only draws talent from what is described as the working class. The only vaguely middle class players from recent England teams are Theo Walcott (?) and Fat Frankie Lampard, whose dad was a footballer.

Why is this?

What utter nonsense.

I'm finding this whole 'the problem stems from English football's roots' stuff a bit puzzling to be honest.
I've had a fair bit to do with a local team from the age of about 8 to 12 when my son was playing (in goal) for them and I worked with a coach of the team.
There are SOOOO many youngsters playing football - this small village had 4 teams in each age-group (less now they've gone up to bigger pitches and a massive contrast to the local rugby teams), every tournament was packed with local teams - and this was just Saturdays - there was a whole different league on a Sunday. Not that I think this has anything to do with it, but they come from all backgrounds (ie. classes)! Some of these kids are amazing little athletes and I certainly don't remember kids having the level of football skills many of these lads have from the age of 9/10 when I was growing up.
The coaches qualifications were bloody hard too according to my colleague.
So, some lads are picked out as potential talents and pushed in that direction - scouted by the big clubs...
The main problem I saw was the lack of decent referees! and that is unsurprising when the whole culture is to shout, swear and argue with every decision... not sure how that effects the pro game however.
Nah, there's something else wrong in English football... I don't know what it is though! An uncharismatic drip of a manager certainly can't help at international level.

So roy hodgson turns up at todays press conference and says "i don't know what I,m doing here" ,maybe mate you are there to explain your tactics and thinking to the thousands of England fans that spent tons of money going to france to watch that crap.I,m a wales fan and that wound me up,if I was an england fan who spent a lot of money to go to france I think my head would have exploded.

Rugby players seem to be doing ok, and not many of them come from working class backgrounds

I think the current England rugby squad is roughly 50/50 private/state school educated.

However, you can certainly compare and contrast the determination, fortitude, skill under pressure, organisation, team spirit and professionalism of our English national rugby and football teams. The rugby team having just won the Grand Slam and whitewashed Australia 3-0, the "A" Team having won in SA and the U-20 side having won the World Championship for the 3rd time in 4yrs.

The main problem I saw was the lack of decent referees! and that is unsurprising when the whole culture is to shout, swear and argue with every decision... not sure how that effects the pro game however.

It affects the pro game because the players act like oafish yobs (even though, off the field, most are perfectly decent) and think they're bigger and better than the game because they're paid too much.

A decent manager would have helped but if the players can't execute basic skills like delivering a free kick into the box (Kewell) or not letting the ball run under your foot (Rooney) then there's no hope.

[i]It affects the pro game because the players act like oafish yobs (even though, off the field, most are perfectly decent) and think they're bigger and better than the game because they're paid too much[/i]..

Indeed, but ALL nationalities do it. What I meant was, how it makes England shite.
[edit] Also, what I omitted from my post is that 99% of the footballing kids were trying bloody hard, giving it their all and really didn't like losing!