The Poolie Bunker

Pickford has been outstanding in the sweeper role.

I was expecting the board to be awash with comments re Englands performance, we are going to win the World Cup etc, i watched the highlights but you can’t judge the full game on them.

Not a bad start. We looked quite good at start and we seem to have strength in depth.

I feel the defence needs to gel more but it was the first decent opposition we’ve faced for yonks.

A bit cat and mouse in the first half, but the second half was really entertaining. The early second half showed the Croation Keeper and defence leading a very charmed like….it could easily been 5-2 within quarter of an hour, but enjoyed it all the way to the end.

Thought we were a bit tentative 1st half and over-played across the back and in midfield at times, better teams will capitalise on that. Kane wtf is that stupid stutter all about, lucky to get a 2nd chance.
2nd half was much better and the attacking options off the bench were really strong. Great team talk at half time by all accounts "if we're going to lose we'll lose playing our way". It was a decent watch particularly 2nd half.
That should be the hardest game of the group stages out of the way, and hopefully they'll get better as the competition progresses, a good start.

Best game of the tournament so far. Whether we can play with that intensity throughout the competition, often in higher temperatures, we will have to see. We will have to use our squad, maybe rotate in the next two games. Kane covered a lot of ground, he can’t be expected to do that every game.

As Tuchel says that’s the way we play the game so let’s see what we can do.

Kane is in the form of his life and as fit as a lop - it'll be a massive problem if he gets crocked.

Great to see that 'Tommy' Tuchel's answer to a suspect defence is to do more attacking rather than putting a defensive midfielder on. Maybe that attitude will 'trickle down' to the lower leagues next season.

Semi-finals would be a good effort in these conditions but England will be a very good bet for the European Championships in 2 years time.

First half was a bit chaotic with poor defensive display a big let down. Second half we tore them a new one particularly in the first 20 minutes or so. This style of play is such a refreshing change from the turgid shite offered by Southgate. Of course we are not going to win the World cup but in the words of our American owner...'we'll have fun trying'.

If Madueke had been a bit braver and they'd gotten the ball to Gordon's feet the game would have been over before half time. Madueke looked scared to take his man on when he had a chance to and Gordon was raring to get after his full back but hardly saw the ball.
Thought Pickford did well both with his distribution mixing it up with long and short passes. Much better than the predictable and boring playing it out every time shite.
Be good to see them get after teams with confidence from the off as the tournament progresses.

Great result.
Good going forward but a bit sloppy n slow in defence.

But take them games all day long.

Still reckon we Gunna win it.
Xtra Bank Holiday maybe.

UTE

England are a bit like Pools, good attacking options but I'm not sure about the defence.

Surely you’re not doubting Fev’s ‘Iron Cirtain’….?

A lot of hype about the performance . First half the defence was dreadful . Second half the attack was devastating . Game of 2 half’s. Sort the defence out and we have a chance as long as we keep Kane fit

England might be like Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United side who earned their "Entertainers" tag because of their fearless, all-out attacking style. While they scored spectacular goals, their emphasis on pure attack over traditional defensive shape often left them exposed, leading to thrilling, high-scoring matches

That's soooo last Season, Harrogate - it's now a game of four QUARTERS, thanks to the Yanks and their desperation to cash in with advert breaks. A complete piss take having 3 minute drinks breaks in indoor venues with air con.

I remember the '94 Yank World cup, when Jackie Charlton was scrapping on the touch line to get water on the pitch to the Irish lads- difference being, it was genuinely needed.

thats the only way england winning the world cup will have a positive affect on the game here. teams will copy and be good for us all if thy copy attacking feerless football and not rely on defence and shithouse time wasting measures.

Unfortunately thats the only way it will change.

The copying of the Premier Leagues foreign manager has sucked the entertainment out of the game.
Tippy tappy crab football.
I up front.
No more proper Wingers.

The defending of set pieces without the full backs on the posts.
Which turns free kicks into long penaltys and the commentators are paid to tell us how brilliant and unstoppable that goal was.
Dickhead on the sidelines thinking there important with there I pads.

I hope Clarky managers Pools like he did Huddersfield because that was successful entertainment.

UTP.

you can add feigning injury, diving and pinching yards at throw ins especially if they are close to a teams goal line as things that wind fans up and would like to see the back of. there has always been the odd cheat and shithouse playing the game but not in the same numbers since players and managers have had more difficult name to pronounce. it surely was no shock to anyone that they would not be an influence in the game for the better.

News has it that some of Ghana's most prominent witch doctors are already working on our injury list.

Has this new law been enforced in the earlier games ?
The most prominent of these is the 5-second rule: referees visibly count down with their hand when a throw-in or goal kick is awarded. If a player does not take the throw-in within 5 seconds, the ball is given to the opposing team (for a goal kick, the punishment is a corner kick for the opposition

there is time wasting and turning the game into a benny hill type sketch with players running around just to get inside the laws.

Well it's Panama tonight..and still nobody from the bunker has come forward to say they did see the canoe fella on the sea front..

What a crock of shit this is.

Unconvincing.

I literally fell asleep at half time……admittedly I’d been putting fencing up all day..but I was looking forward to the match and after only ten minutes was underwhelmed by what was on offer..
Entertaining it is not, just relentless repetition in the hope something goes into the net, this is football by numbers…entertainment or flair doesn’t figure in this siege football and their ‘offside’ goal being disallowed was ridiculous.
Not good enough.

The comments by pundits to excuse the football on offer by us is that these smaller teams have come on well in the past four years, is nonsense….is it more likely we’ve regressed…?

Anutha great result.

lets hope when the important football starts in august that will not be what we will be paying for. did not see it but its quite easy to imagine what was served up. feel the days have gone when sides have a chance to go out and entertain cannot get out of the mode they are in as if they are just robots.

Unfortunately the beautiful game has turned into boring crab football.
The Italians n South Americans have always played like that.

Then the Premier league went all foreign managers which filtered down the football pyramid for the English coaches/Managers to copy off.

You probably see more entertaining non league football nowadays.

Hopefully Clarky Gunna go attack crazy.
Because that's the way to win and entertain.


We Gunna find out in 6 weeks.

I'm optimistic for the first time in years.
That's why I'm returning back to the Vic n Beyond after 3.5 years away.

UTP.

agree totally but it foes not just end there. we see players feigning injury, diving, shirt pulling and the WWE show at every corner. that was not something invented on the playing fields of this country. the good old well timed tackle can fall foul of match offcials now and the old centrehalf/ centre forward battles are a thing of black and white tv and bovril. big question we all might be thinking is can and will pools buck the trend we see.

Nice to see someone upbeat,kev...Has Thomas got the Touch to take this team further though ?

Well after Congo the fixtures become a lot harder.
But let them worry about us.

Fine margins now but Kane getting some quality service which needs to improve can unlock any defence.
UTE.

I always get the impression the suppliers of chances want the opportunities for themselves….it’s a team game.doh.

Great result and if it was me I would start the Norway game with Stones and Burn at the back as I reckon Burn is the only player we have who could physically out muscle Haaland.

Super performance overall, even the cautious start was good imo considering the conditions. Pickfords couple of saves but equally his command of the penalty area was excellent, his best England performance for a while imo.
The graft of many of them over 100 minutes was outstanding, Gordon was excellent at providing cover for his full back after we went down to 10 men. Bellingham on his day is absolutely world class and can only get better. A great team performance and huge credit to Tuchel who got the tactics and changes spot on.

One of the greatest England performances of all time . Certainly in my era .

Thought England were outstanding, without the sending off I think we'd have won more comfortably Bellingham, Kane and Gordon stand out players for me. Roll on Norway, what a clash that should be against Haaland and his cronies.

Agree Burn to mark Haaland all game and the match is ours

It was a fantastic result but lets not get over confident. Norway will be a tough challenge.

Got to be honest, when Jimenez scored his penalty to make it 2-3, I didn't think England would keep the lead for the full - ahem - 90 minutes. By the end I thought it was England's game even if the useless ref played another 5 minutes of fake extra time.

Bloody brilliant England performance, in Tommy Tuchel we trust!

Got to hand it to Hendo though - never got on the pitch and finished up with a yellow card and a bad injury

What a great game.

Two ex Darlo players on great form for England. Pickford and Burn.

It’s stopping the ball getting to him as he is such a powerful player and not easily pushed of the ball.

Best England performance I remember. Superb.

Set the alarm:….woke up at 4.30 by Ratboy…cest la vie.

if england do go on to win the cup getting up or staying up for the mexico game would have been done by everyone especially those in the media. be like treble the amount of fans who say they attended their clubs lowest ever attended game.

What a shame Egypt fluffed it at the end last night..

Not helped by this disallowed goal, ref played advantage but VAR overturned the goal,
https://x.com/rosemag_3/status/20745791 ... FmWNDSFt3g

It’s turning into a Messi Worship Fest….how does the $cript end…?

Can't see the Swiss - who were shite last night - troubling the Argies so IF England beat Norway we get the Messi roadshow in the semi-finals.

Rather be in this half of the draw than the one with France in it.

I wouldn't bet on any games in this competition, even the so called minnows are up for every game.

It’s stopping the ball getting to him as he is such a powerful player and not easily pushed of the ball.[/quote

Disagree entirely, Haaland has ten years on Burn and will knock him aside like a stick man with the pace of a donkey on Saltburn beach. In my view the England midfielders need to prevent the ball from reaching Haaland and not depend on a veteran slowcoach to stop him from finding the net at will.