England can’t cross for shit.

W(ho)TF is going to score now? Why is Rooney still on?

C’mon Woy. We need some magic now

England fan at 80.25 has done himself proud there.

I think he was demonstrating to the world what he is…

Come on!

So, who is everyone’s second team? 8)

The left has been awful and Rooney seems asleep. It has to be Stirling on the right to save us.

Go Honduras! (sweepstake pick 🙄 )

Costa Rica

The way Italy just played that out of defence sums up the difference between us and them…

Boo-urns!

Ran out of ideas there. Sad. Well done Italy.

Is Baines really better than a past his best Ashley Cole?

not by a long shot, and italy knew it

I wouldn’t be too despondent.I think overall Italy were just tactically better and more intelligent. They’ll go far IMO. I thought england attacked well. Though fitness seems to be an issue which would worry me.

Rooney’s hunt for his 1st WC goal continues.

Nah, tactics didn’t cost us the game. Inability to finish and put in a decent final ball did. Defence also sloppy as usual.

I think us running out of puff was down to us chasing the game in the first half.

Overall I think we created enough chances to win on another day.

balance of the side seems wrong, running a front four into the ground to make up for lack of midfielders is a strange game plan in that heat.

Still a tendency to run into dead ends, I’m not sure that gerrard’s hollywood passes are actually more effective than some quick passing on the floor would be – Sterling was closed down by the time he had the ball under control on most occasions. Not too dispiriting all in all though.

Weirdly I feel more positive than after the group games at Euro 2012…

This will change when we go home having lost 3 games, it happened to France and the Netherlands in the last 2 major tournaments…

I think we matched Italy – made as many, if not more chances………. could have gone our way, Rooney had a great chance. We played a lot better than I was expecting.

Chin up folks. Costa Rica have done the group a big favour. Two wins will do it. 🙂

Rio Ferdinand is just embarrassing – possibly the worst pundit ever although Danny Maills runs him close!

Cletus – Member

Rio Ferdinand is just embarrassing – possibly the worst pundit ever

*Ahem*

Great cross by Rooney for the goal albeit little else all game (bar missing a great chance). Roy either play him in his best position or drop him. Left side was totally unbalanced all game. Some good individual performances…and far better than in SA.

Funny isn’t it, with Rooney it’s a bit like Gerrard and Lampard, both too good to leave out but including both of them unbalances the team.
I think they should’ve left welbeck out and started with Rooney just off Sturridge, and played Llama on the left…

^^^Think that would have been a better starting team.

I thought we played well. Can’t complain after that match (unlike most internationals). Wide open group now…

Rio Ferdinand is just embarrassing – possibly the worst pundit ever although Danny Maills runs him close!

I thought he has been ok. Well above Fanny Mills and Phil ‘snooze button’ Neville. I wonder which bright spark thought it would be a good idea to use England’s first WC match as Neville his first commentary

I was expecting Ferdinand to be awful, whenever I have seen him do interviews in the past he has come across as incredibly thick even by comparison to other footballers. But he was actually ok last night, much better than I was expecting.

Neil Lennon was excellent on the earlier match, pretty much puts everyone else to shame with real in depth knowledge, sounded like he knew all about most of the players, and hadn’t just researched a few clichéd facts he could trot out.

I thought England played pretty well until players started cramping up and losing their penetrative edge. Seriously, how difficult is it to train to run around for 90 minutes in the heat and humidity. Italy managed it. Danny Welbeck should never have been given a place and Wayne Rooney was also a passenger. Wee rethink for the next match I think.

I think the England team were suffering from cramp during the closing stages as they couldn’t get near the ball for most of the first half.

Would be interesting to see the comparative distances run by the teams.

“Rooney can’t play on the left”. The new “Gerard and Lampard can’t play together”

Obvious to everyone except the manager. I’d like to see him left on the bench, then brought on as an impact sub. I reckon he’d be back to how he used to be. Score a hat trick or get sent off.

http://www.notgettingoutoftgegroup.co.uk

Would be interesting to see the comparative distances run by the teams.

draw with Uruguay and losing to Costa Rica sees Brendan Rodgers the new England manager, bad luck Liverpool. 😉

In theory…. The Italy game was always going to me the toughest game until we reach the quarter finals, actually having to win games I think suits our mentality better… (See the optimistic me is back)

I would sooner watch us lose and play like that than grind out 1-0 victories I think. I’m also of the view that Rooney needs dropping to the bench, he’d make a good super sub.

Undecided about Welbeck, he has moments, not sure he has enough of them.

Agreed – most entertaining England match for years. Anyone remember our opener 4 years ago against USA?….

In fairness, he wasn’t the only one struggling on the “painted beach” corner of the pitch.