Calvin Plummer
Vital Football Legend
Considering Hungary lost their best player just before the tournament started and their captain minutes into the game that was a tidy result.
Euros
- Thread starter radfordinlondon
- Start date
France's draw was technically away at a packed stadium against a third rate side.
We drew at home and looked second best at a third rate side.
We are dogshit.
paz1967
Vital Football Legend
We obviously aint dogshit but we did play poorly and the manager once again has questions asked about his tactical nouse.
I was quite bullish.. til we lost Arnold to be honest and I think that was a major blow. He really can bend it like Beckham.
Rice n Philips tho... I cant have them as the central 2. Maybe in a 352 but I cant see them a s pairing being good enough to control games at all, not on the front foot anyway. I expect Henderson will be in for the next game, fully fit or not
I was quite bullish.. til we lost Arnold to be honest and I think that was a major blow. He really can bend it like Beckham.
Rice n Philips tho... I cant have them as the central 2. Maybe in a 352 but I cant see them a s pairing being good enough to control games at all, not on the front foot anyway. I expect Henderson will be in for the next game, fully fit or not
We have some good players, but if the manager is shit, can't put a team together or play the right tactics and if the players look as though they can't really be arsed, then yes, that is dogshit.
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
Anyone who thinks England could get anywhere near this Germany side is living in a dreamworld and watching a totally different tournament to the rest of us.
If you are watching this game, THIS is the standard. I have never seen any England side come anywhere close to this level in my lifetime.
If you are watching this game, THIS is the standard. I have never seen any England side come anywhere close to this level in my lifetime.
seasider red
Vital 1st Team Regular
Agreed, both sides have got players actually moving & running about instead of standing & jugging about and they actually look to move the ball about reasonably quickly and even forwards. Hope our lot are watching, though I suspect not as they no doubt think they've got nothing to learn
Calvin Plummer
Vital Football Legend
Weren't you alive in 96?
seasider red
Vital 1st Team Regular
I was around in 1966, and believe me the football we played in the group games was nothing to write home about
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
You've got to be kidding?
English football was still in the "central midfielders exist only to tackle and spread the ball to wingers" tradition in Euro 96.
That Germany team couldn't complete with the modern one. The Euro 96 team had no chance. Take home advantage out and they were average.
This England team is average even with home advantage.
radfordinlondon
Vital Football Legend
Average is generous imo
Calvin Plummer
Vital Football Legend
Oh you're one of those fans who thinks football is only relevant from the last few years. Okay.
That aside when we demolished a good Dutch side 4-1 it was an excellent performance.
Basha73
Vital Football Legend
The game against the Dutch was fantastic. Even though we lost, the game against the Germans was fantastic too. We stood toe to toe with the best team in Europe at the time and should have won.
But yeah we are a better side now, just in the same way that Dawson was better than Des Walker…
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
Go and kick that straw man.
That England team was good enough for that tournament but nothing special and spurred on by home advantage
What did that team do in 94? Didn't qualify.
98? Out in the last 16
2000? Group stage.
The fact that the semi final was a close game and Germany didn't look any better than England speaks volumes for the quality of that Germany side as well. The slickness of the current top sides feels streets ahead of most of that tournament
BlackGold
Vital 1st Team Regular
Very true, i doubt the current 1966 WORLD CUP winning team could compete with the German side in 2021.
The England side that reached the semi-final of the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP in 1996 were (2021) League One standard at best, and, again, couldn't compete with the German side of 2021.
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
And bone headed sarcasm automatically wins any debate, no matter what
Give yourself a round of applause and a double pat on the back
I can't of course speak for the 1966 world cup winning side, it being a good 17 years outside of my lifetime.
Basha73
Vital Football Legend
The problem with that logic is that every European and World Cup features the best teams in European and the best teams in World football at that time.
That England side beat the Dutch, drew with the Spanish (beating them on penalties) and drew with the eventual winners Germany (losing on penalties).
Home advantage be damned (we just drew with Scotland at home) when have we since beaten more than one side of that calibre in a tournament?
We may or may not be more skilful now but if anything we are less competitive with the top teams rather than more.
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
Absolutely.
Depending how far you rate Spain from 1996, you might have an argument for West Germany being the last time England beat a top side in a knockout game.
My original point was that I have never seen an England side in my lifetime that was on the footballing level of the current french or German teams. I include England 96, who were a fairly average side punching above their weight in a home tournament- as shown by their performances in other tournaments around the time
Calvin Plummer
Vital Football Legend
Lol your ignorance is matched only by the certainty you take in it.
We played many different formations that tournament, from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1, to 4-2-2-1-1.
But sure slag off Holland that contained the likes of Bergkamp.
Basha73
Vital Football Legend
The Spain team in 96 was on a par with the Spain team now. The 96 Dutch team was better than the current team and then you had a Germany squad with the likes of Klinsmann, Sammer, Scholl and Bierhoff among many more.
The football then was very different to the football played now so it is difficult to assess accurately as is saying that the England squad was average and punching above it’s weight.
We went toe to toe with three top sides which we haven’t done since and if you are looking at it in terms of the tournaments either side then you have to take account the amount of player and manager turnover between those tournaments.
One thing is for sure, I wish we were as ‘bang average’ now as we were in that tournament.
Pope John XXIII
Vital Football Legend
Let's be clear. I didn't say England were bang average in that tournament
I said it was a bang average side- as shown by failing to qualify 2 years earlier, struggling to qualify 2 years later and being knocked out in the first knockout round.
That being said, I mean that they were a bang average side in international terms. In English terms they were one of the best the country has had
