Don't give me none of that didn't know they were playing shite.

I for one am right behind Woy and his team starting with these friendly games and looking forward to a good tournament.

I was impressed with how they played against Germany, not so much the Dutch but I think with a younger, less fearful team this time we could do better than our usual showing on the big stages.

Roll on full time when they've put me back in my box and left me hoping we can make it out of the group stage.

Genuinely didn't know they were playing... figured with the FA cup final yesterday all of Man United's stars would be involved....

I have just discovered they are playing, however the kids want Ben and Holly on and away at a caravan and only 1 tv, damn it

1-0 Already these turkeys must be shite

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Stirling is looking more likely to create something. I often slate him but he's won a few free kicks, gone past his man several times and even put in a cross or two.
Vardy's wasted almost playing left wing.

Thought you lived in a caravan all year round

Why go away in a caravan to stay in and watch telly?!
Anything to do with a curfew enforced on sex offenders?

To be honest, even I thought it was the weekend and I'm going to France. Says it all about these friendlies.

On another note, we look pretty shocking and Raheem Sterling is a complete FRAUD.

Reckon the Germany game was a false dawn.

Team will definitely concede goals, just a matter of whether we can outscore the opposition.

Yes I was premature in praising Stirling. We've looked average since our goal and even that was offside. I expect a marked improvement on Friday. That's when we play Australia for those who didn't know we were playing then either.

You know where I live, you empty my bins

I don't think it was a false dawn some of the stuff that this England team is playing is really promising. I agree defensively we aren't great. Stones technically is really good and massively promising but he's struggles on even some of the basics defensively. If the team has a World Class centre half I would be excited about it, as it stands we'll struggle against the top teams with our back four.

The Link up between Ali n Kane is lovely too see n I can't wait to see that in France. Alli really needs to chill the fuck out tho, picking fights over absolutely nothing the foreign players will love that.

Defensively we are very weak I'm hoping 2/3 weeks of working together before the euros can remedy it but I'm not sure, it's defiantly an area of concern, may have to win a few games keegan style just out scoring the opposition.


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Agreed. I can't see there being many clean sheets out of however many games England end up playing.

I thought they deserved the win overall but it was a pretty average game. Not horrendous but nothing special.

It goes back to the most obvious point a mentioned in the previous thread doesn't it - playing players out of position again.

If that genuinely is the team Woy wants to start games with, we may as well not go.

Vardy shot out wide. Alli playing left side of a midfield 3, Wilshere playing right side. Totally bonkers.

Sterling showed glimpses of class beating his man easily, but I don't think any of his crosses were anywhere near an England player, but that wasn't his fault. Wilshere flattered to deceive again. Alli was bobbins in that role. Vardy non existent.

Smalling was missing from defence, and I think he may turn out to be our most important player in the Euros (If Woy picks the right team anyway).

Woy has just undone any progress he has made in the past 2 years if he is going to go with a line up like that.

I wouldn't say any of those played out of position. Either I was watching a different game or Vardy was playing as part of a front three. He certainly linked up well with Kane at times and managed to get on the last defenders shoulder for the penalty. He wasn't 'shot out wide' at all. Alii and Wilshere also both played in central midfielder, not out of position. You can't give every player in the team exactly the same role as they have at club level it's impossible with different personnel. Take Vardy as an example if Hodgson set England up to play like Leicester and put big numbers behind the ball and hit teams on the counter attack he'd get slaughtered. You'd have Vardy playing the same role as he plays at club level though. You've got adapt and find the best system with the players available, at some point the players have to be flexible and adaptable in that.

Vardy was effectively left wing first half however you analyse tactics, Roy changed it to two up front before the penalty.

Like I said before, just because you are good in one position does not guarantee you will be good in another, however small the change may be.

Vardy has played as a central striker all season. He played in a completely different position last night, he had to track back as a left winger would which meant he wasn't in his most effective position.

Have you ever seen Alli play in a central 3 like that before? He wasn't allowed the freedom to do what he is good at. He got frustrated and evidently has a short fuse - it won't take a team like Italy long to work this out.

Wilshere, I don't really know where he should be playing. He isn't the best player we have in any midfield position. IMO he is best playing the defensive role and leaving out the fancy flicks and runs he attempts - but there are 3 or 4 players better here than he is. He certainly shouldn't be playing right side like he was yesterday.

There is no point picking the best 11 players if they can't play as a team. I think both Spurs and Leicester have proved that 11 players playing as a team is better than (Man City, Chelsea etc) having 11 players who are great individually, but not as a team.

I could quite easily pick (from the 26 available) a team to suit every formation going, and players would be played in their 'correct' position. It may mean that Vardy, Alli, Rooney or whoever are sat on the bench - but it's a sacrifice Roy NEEDS to make.

I think that programme that Snowy and watched last night could learn Woy a thing or two.

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I feel like Wilshere is slightly wasted playing in too deep a role though. I'm not advocating he play behind the forward, that position should be Alli's (who had a shocker last night, blame it on rustiness perhaps). But he should be allowed to move forward with the ball and get into positions where he can make incisive passes.

Running with the ball and his creativity are his strengths, and he does it better than anyone else in this squad when he's on form.

Remains to be seen just how picking Wilshere will play out, when fit he's class, but a year out is a long time. Still worth the gamble in my opinion as the rest of the midfield is average at best.

Last night showed that perhaps the best formation for us is the diamond. We don't appear to have decent enough wingers to play anything else, and it does allow us to fit in Vardy, Kane, Rooney and Alli if Hodgson is considering playing Rooney in midfield.

nothing like going completely over the top is there after one friendly game?

That was the first game they have played together for quite a while now. there were numerous players missing as well.

I have been one of the biggest critics about England for ages, but genuinely excited about this squad. We may not win and probably wont, but at least we have exciting players.

But that was a friendly. A friendly that doenst matter.

Too often in the past we have won games and everyone goes bonkers. Then the real thing happens and we fuck up.

Woy is trying things and has time to refine it and get it right.

Defensively we were awful but so what? He has three weeks to get it right.

How many of the palyers do you think are going to gohell for leather in a friendly and risk injury now?

I am looking forward to the ride.

I think Woy will pick this team:

..............................Hart..............................

Cline.........Stones............Smalling..........Rose

.................................Dier..............................

.............Ali...........................Wilshire...........

...........................Rooney................................

...............Kane............................Vardy...........


By the way:

Do you lot still think Rashford isnt good enough?

He looked good enough in the cup final.

I dont care how fucking old he is.

That's a good team although I still think it would be rough on Ali to be put in that position rather than behind the front two after the season he has had. I'm still not convinced about the 4-4-2 diamond. I thought England were actually poorer when they switched after about an hour.

As you say though two games to go to explore all other options.

cant argue with you Mr Bramstein. I just think thats what Woy will do.

He may well leave out Wilshire, and go for a more safe option , and leave out Stones for a more safe option.

Its the england way to go for the safe options, always worked for us in the past.

personally I would get Rashford in there as well.

Play a front three of Rashford, Kane and Vardy.

Whats to lose?

I know some would prefer a safer team with the likes of Milner Cahill and Henderson in there. They are mint them three.

Iwould piss in your bin if I knew the latest pikey site you are living in. Is it correct you were expelled from your junior school for deliberately not jumping high enough in a game of naked leapfrog?

In theory sounds great but in reality the two wider strikers end up playing on the wing or helping out the fullbacks who are having to deal with two opposition players.
I'd persevere with Vardy and Kane and stop pissing about trying to force players into certain tactics.

Defensively I think we all know whoever plays will allow the opposition chances so we have to play our best attacking players in their best positions in the hope they are good enough to worry the opposition more than the opposition worry us.

Let players play how they have all season as much as possible, that's how they got into the squad.

messi Neymar and Suarez seem to be able to make three strikers work.

Of course they dont think about gracking back to help the full backs. they think more about what they can doat the other end.

We have been here many times before.

We had Barnes and Waddle, two brilliant attcking players that our own manager curtailed, as they had a job to do to help the full backs.

We worry far too much in this country about helping the full backs.

Its an english disease.

In fairness Messi, Neymar and Suarez have probably the best midfield in football. They rarely give the ball away and are excellent at winning it back. Not sure our midfield is quite capable of that.

I think two up front with Vardy and Kane, Alli sat behind and Rooney in midfield leaves us with plenty of attacking options whilst also leaving us with a decent shape with which to actually defend when needs be.

I do like wingers usually in a side as you tend to sacrifice a lot of width in a diamond. You end up relying on the full-backs to do a lot of work going forward, fortunately our full-backs are decent at doing that. With our options on the wing being Sterling, Lallana and Townsend I just don't think you can quite justify playing wingers.

Be interesting to see what Hodgson goes with in the games coming up.

England have, potentially, our most talented squad for years. I don't think we're anywhere near good enough to win it - I just want the team to give it a bloody good go, playing attacking football and not bore the arse off the entire planet as per bastard usual.
I'd rather see us go out at the group stage, having been involved in some good games, than stagger into the quarters with 11 players huddled in our penalty area.

If Rashford and Vardy where anywhere near as good as Messi and Neymar then I could find justification to play 4-3-3.

For me, it boils down to who does Roy think will create the most opportunities going forward, and who will stop the opposition making most chances. IMO, that would be Alli and Dier respectively. He therefore should build his team around them. They are our most important players in midfield, so he needs to find a formation and style of play to suit what they are best at.

I personally don't think we have players comfortable enough to play the two wide positions in a diamond. I do however think we have several players who can play in both the defensive and attacking midfield positions. I think Roy should go for 4-2-3-1 rather than the diamond. Having watched Rooney the past couple of games, I think he is brilliant in the defensive 2 in midfield, so I wouldn't oppose him and Dier playing there.

On Rashford - I agree with Colonel here, I actually think he offers a more overall game than Kane does, and would give us many more options than him. However, leaving Kane out after his goal scoring record this season could be disastrous.