One up and they f**ked it up

Wayno · Post by **Wayno** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:01 pm

Sterling performance from England snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Well at least we can make excuses about the pitch

TheOne2Smooth · Post by **TheOne2Smooth** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:06 pm

I've never seen a team defend that bad before! and you guys slate Senderos I reckon he is a better player than Lescott

daz10_uk · Post by **daz10_uk** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:12 pm

Heard the fat tosser Robinson was responsible for their 2nd goal too. Was he?

tomkingsbury · Post by **tomkingsbury** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:12 pm

he's a good cb but not a fb!! mcclarens a cockhound

daz10_uk · Post by **daz10_uk** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:15 pm

Well one good thing might be McClaren gets the sack (i hope) and we might get a decent manager in place like erm.............. (cough) Sammy Lee

Post by **REB** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:15 pm

daz10_uk wrote:Heard the fat tosser Robinson was responsible for their 2nd goal too. Was he?

well

ye put a spud in goal and this is what happens

Wayno · Post by **Wayno** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:16 pm

I would just love to know what happened to having pride and passion for representing your country. Our rugby players clearly have it but somehow our football team seem devoid of it.

Post by **T.S** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:16 pm

Or Ron Atkinson?!

As for Robinson's accountability for the second goal; it was a decent save from the initial shot which he could only parry, but (and I'm trying to not be biased here...) I think his positioning may have been, not for the first time, a little suspect.

Galasso · Post by **Galasso** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:32 pm

Wayno wrote:I would just love to know what happened to having pride and passion for representing your country. Our rugby players clearly have it but somehow our football team seem devoid of it.

It's easy to say no pride and passion but that wasn't what was missing - it was control and poise.

It's pretty simple - in the final third there was no cohesion. Wright-Phiilips (again) and Rooney (goal apart) were shocking. Owen was non-existent.
Added to this Gerrard and Campbell missing clear chances and a borderline penalty (may have been a free-kick)

It was like watching an Arsenal home game - away team comes, everyone behind the ball, home team can't break down with intricate passing moves. Eventually get breakthrough in second half, after switching off defensively, and then away team looks ragged and clinch winner. Nervous last 10 minutes where away team lump hopeful balls into box which you struggle to deal with.

I've no axe to grind - just how I saw the game.

And I was rather hoping England would qualify - otherwise a load of Manc and chelsea shitbags get the summer off

Magic Hat · Post by **Magic Hat** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:07 am

daz10_uk wrote:Heard the fat tosser Robinson was responsible for their 2nd goal too. Was he?

Not really though of course the fans have turned on him. His defence failed to close down and Rio, standing right in front of Robinson, didn't block the effort so Robinson flung himself to his left, made a fine save but the rebound was poked in. Too hard to hold and probably not one he could have turned round the post. Thought he actually played well, made a stunning save in the first half

Cambell played brilliantly as did most of the defence, apart from Lescott who played very badly. Maclaren knew it was going to need a lot of luck getting this not very good team to be the first side to beat Russia in Russia for ten years so played a defensive 4-4-2. The playing of Lescott made sense with his height he could have been an important player but alas he let himself down. We defended well, scored a good but somewhat dodgy goal. Second half, early on we dominated and if we had just taken our chances (Gerrard, who blamed Robinson, missed a sitter.) and then Rooney decided to play Rugby. Penalty was unstoppable, a minute or two later we are 2-1 down, the stuffing knocked out of the team and we struggled to find a way back.

Feel sorry for the manager, he was too timid in the first half of the campaign but since then has been brave but got little luck. It was always going to be hard, he had to dismantle the old guard and replace them with the likes of SWP in a group that was filled with traps, Russia and Croatia are impossible at their place, Israel are formidable (and we were unlucky not to beat them at their place) and Macedonia raises their game against us