England/Algeria

TEAMS England v Algeria

England: James, Johnson, Carragher, Terry, Ashley Cole, Lennon, Barry, Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Heskey.
Subs: Green, Dawson, Crouch, Joe Cole, Warnock, Upson, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Defoe, King, Carrick, Hart.
Algeria: M'Bohli, Bougherra, Belhadj, Yahia, Kadir, Yebda, Lacen, Halliche, Boudebouz, Ziani, Matmour.
Subs: Gaouaoui, Mansouri, Ghezzal, Saifi, Djebbour, Bellaid, Laifaoui, Guedioura, Medjani, Mesbah, Abdoun, Chaouchi.
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

A few changes for England, James in and Green out, and Barry in and Milner out.

Hopefully the changes bring a better balance and more steady goalkeeping.

It's now or never for England, they have to get it right today, although a draw won't eliminate them.

ps; I forgot Carragher for King.

Is it me or are we shit? I stopped watching England games because we were shite and nothing seems to have changed.

I can't believe the hype around this team


ps. hopefully this premature post will be the catalyst for them to get their arse in gear.

simpleman wrote:

Is it me or are we shit? I stopped watching England games because we were shite and nothing seems to have changed.

I can't believe the hype around this team


ps. hopefully this premature post will be the catalyst for them to get their arse in gear.

I was thinking the same. Dreadful performance. You can't believe this is the same team that breezed through the qualifiers and scored more goals than any European team.

I can't recognize the formation they are playing. Gerrard doesn't seem to be out wide, he seems to be in the middle behind Rooney and why Capello plays Lampard at all if he isn't going to use him properly. Lennon looks afraid to run at their left back, when he has the ball in close his tries to pass the ball through and he hasn't made a decent pass yet.

Frustrating, Algeria have looked more dangerous and with one piece of good football, they could steal this game. If England doesn't pick it up, this could be one of their worst World cups ever.

and there was me laughing at France

I'm embarrassed to be English, not because of the team but because of the crowd reaction. The team were crap yes, but they knew it and they looked as pained as we did. I wouldn't blame the England players to say f*ck em and then don't even try in the next game. F*ckin' Sky f*ckin generation supporters!

That was just plain ugly.

If they didn't have their names on the back of their jersey, you wouldn't have recognized anyone.

Rooney wasn't getting any service but that had to be one of worse games of his life. Dreadful touches on the ball, not running and even giving up the odd time on the play. If Heskey was any better I would have brought Defoe on for Rooney instead of for Heskey. Gerrard was as poor as he usually is for England maybe even worse. Lampard was invisible, even Terry who is usually solid for England made a couple of school boy errors.

They say that teams can grow at tournaments like the World Cup and I remember Italy playing three crappy draws and going on to win the World Cup in 1982. But I have been watching England for nearly 50 years and I have not seen them play any worse at this level.

Following England opens you up to a life time of disappointment, and I have seen then go home earlier than they should at World Cups, from Moore's phony arrest and somebody slipping Banks a micky in Mexico in 1970, to Maradona's hand ball in 1986, not to mention losing on penalties to the Germans and the Portuguese. However, even in defeat those teams left you proud to be English, this team just makes shake your head in agony and cry.

Too true.

Watched the game at home with a few family n neighbours after my fav watering hole have taken offence to me taking money from all after the USA game LOL

It was shocking but no suprize.

I am sorry - Rooney isnt and never will be world class Gerrard is laughable as a captain, underlined tonight when it needed someone to get at the players (More on that later) we continue to waste Franks talent, Lennon SWP Heskey Johnson & Carragher are not International class, the later has been quickly found out in his way of defending and will miss the next game because of it.

Do you know I see Capello in the same way as I did Ancelotti, too stubborn with a way of playing & costing his team results.

It took a meeting with the players at Chelsea to release Frank in his old role (Thx to Ballack) and the amount of goals we scored at the end of the season was there for all to see.

Capello will not change from 442 - its crazy.

Have to say Rooneys reaction to the boo's at the end were very funny - the blue eyed boy, saviour of English football. all round media darling, mouthing off to a camera - FANTASTIC!

Lastly, In conversation a couple of days ago, my mate in the know at Chelsea asked me, did you notice John after the USA game giving interviews to all media outlets and coming across as the Captain? I said yeah, I did notice him giving interviews, but didnt think of it as captain role, more of, I dont give a fuck role n I'll talk with anyone.

Well it turns out, down the grapevine, it seems someone in the England camp has spoken out on Johns interviews in belief he was setting the wrong impression in leading people to think he is the leader of the players.

On a night when we needed a real England captain, it was very interesting to see John not raising a titter during the game.

If who is or isn't the Captain is still causing problems, then the team isn't unified and they don't have any hope of doing well. Also the unity of the team will be called into question when the World Cup is over, when the English press looks to place blame.

Just got back from the pub and this game was a general embarassment. The mood changed quickly from optimism, to disappointment to downright anger.

Hard in the noise of the pub to hear crowd boos, and to be fair, it wasnt until I got home that I knew that the players had been booed and Rooney had done what he had.

Fair to rooney for being upset about the fans reaction, but the fact of the matter is that fans have saved money, borrowed money, taken time off work during a time of economic hardship to travel and support the team, and today they didnt look bothered at all. Worst England performance I have ever seen. It bordered on actual laughagle.

I dont know whether to be disappointed that we are still in it. Disappointed that my false hope will continue another week further. Disappointed that I should worry again and be nervous again about the performance of a team that doesnt gel, doesnt play together and shows no desire to perform for the fans.

Still, Newcastle at home first day of the season.....

The sad truth is that England are still in it. They beat Slovenia and they advance, maybe even as group winners. Not many other teams look like world beaters and if England wins the group they are all on the side of the bracket.

Still waiting for this World Cup to take off and give us some good football. The sad truth is that we may have become jaded by the Champions League and are expected too much.

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I think Rooney's reaction/comment at the end of the game was spot on.
As ever the media build this England team up to be world beater then are surprised by our short comings. There is only one way for England can go with all the hype and that's down.

Whoever thought we have a great chance of winning this world cup is deluded and if you based your airfare etc on that then you've got more money then sense. Every team has a chance and with luck anything can be achieved. We're nothing special to warrant such delusions of grandeur.

Maybe I'm old school or something but in public you show unity and you dissect, bitch, moan and change the world to rights in private. ie support your team while you're on the terraces and slag 'em off after.

We've spoken on other threads about players attitude towards England and I'm starting to think the supporters and media are driving them to such an attitude. Watching some of the faces of the players last night to me showed they do care. They looked as equally frustrated and angered by their display as us. To even consider that these guys don't want to win the world cup is crazy. Why would they bother going if they didn't want to try and win it? Point being they know they're playing bad and they don't need the fans to boo them. They need a show of unity. Through thick and thin that's what football support is about isn't it?
If you can be bothered to go there an watch them, then support them.

simpleman wrote:

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I think Rooney's reaction/comment at the end of the game was spot on.
As ever the media build this England team up to be world beater then are surprised by our short comings. There is only one way for England can go with all the hype and that's down.

Whoever thought we have a great chance of winning this world cup is deluded and if you based your airfare etc on that then you've got more money then sense. Every team has a chance and with luck anything can be achieved. We're nothing special to warrant such delusions of grandeur.

Maybe I'm old school or something but in public you show unity and you dissect, bitch, moan and change the world to rights in private. ie support your team while you're on the terraces and slag 'em off after.

We've spoken on other threads about players attitude towards England and I'm starting to think the supporters and media are driving them to such an attitude. Watching some of the faces of the players last night to me showed they do care. They looked as equally frustrated and angered by their display as us. To even consider that these guys don't want to win the world cup is crazy. Why would they bother going if they didn't want to try and win it? Point being they know they're playing bad and they don't need the fans to boo them. They need a show of unity. Through thick and thin that's what football support is about isn't it?
If you can be bothered to go there an watch them, then support them.

I agree one should hold ones feeling inside, until the team are on their way home, but I also feel the performances of this England team so far have been a couple of the poorest in living memory. There is only so much fans can take before the weak minded among them, of which there are thousands, start to boo, as this is their only way of communicating.

We have to understand football supporters are not the brightest of people as the evidence of joe public continuing to be taken in by the popular medias over confidence in building us up, to enable them to knock us down when it goes exactly the same as every year since 1966.

I believe there are a number of reasons why the team does not look right and most of them are down to the manager.

Last night there was no leadership on the pitch - thats down to the manager.

So called key players are not performing.

Rooney has been laughable so far and I have noticed they have stopped running the advert with the wayne babies ect (or have they?), Gerrard started the first game well, yet yesterday he was poor and back to giving the ball to anyone who isnt in a white shirt. Frank is making up the numbers in midfield to enable, and I quote that northern wanker commontator last night "Englands two key Scousers to play off of one another". Well its got to be about 8 times our two key Scousers have looked like they ae auditioning for a part in the stage play of the TV series Bread, as they stand around waiting for something to happen. I watch John and I see him going through the motions and quite frankly, I dont blame him. What tickles me is, after the game he is giving the best interviews lol, and I can fully understand why some are feeling he is talking as though he is still the captain. Very Funny. Ashley is probably counting the hours till he can get out of their n catch up with some serious fucking now he is free as a bird again. Johnson is a joke.

Capello has demoted a player who he called upon as his first replacement for his centre halfs and now that player could well be 3rd choice replacement. If I was Upson, id be ready to come home as soon as King got the nod.

The manager has asked Carragher to come out of retirement and if what we read in the papers, he did the same with Scoles. Again any other player who has been giving his all to get to South Africa in the qualifying games is gonna think twice over giving all for this manager.

He, up to now, has been a one trick pony with his formation and I am unsure he has a B plan.

I dont think he is a good motivator outside of using scare tactics, which are obviously failing.

I think I would also question his evaluating of players.

How SWP, a player that cant get a start at Man City is 1: Getting in the squad and 2: getting airtime before Joe Cole, is truly amazing.

Why he would ask Scoles back? And more importantly, why didnt he have the brains to ask Scoles to keep his request private?

I'll tell you something straight here, if Scoles had come back and I was a fellow midfield player I would have retired and made it plain why I had.

Its terrible management and Capello is getting all thats due to him.

Lastly - two years this Italian twat has been managering England and HE STILL CANT COMPLETE A SENTANCE IN ENGLISH!