Euro 2016

Absolutely tedious game between Italy and Sweden. Sweden are terrible and while Conte has Italy winning, man are they boring to watch. Hope you drink a few red bulls before any Chelsea games next year Tick, if this is what we can expect from Chelsea under Conte.

You guys are really hard on Rooney (Milt and Red) and its wrong, sorry boys. His stats line read like a perfect match. 91% Pass accuracy, 10 crosses, 5 chances...he's created the second most chances in the tournament to only Payet (8 v 14). These are much more meaningful representations of a midfielder than something like "first touch" from some twat on the Red Cafe boards. Fuck that guy for starters.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane has shit the bed in both matches and he's no eviscerated like Rooney has been for being excellent. But Kane doesn't play for United, does he?

Keep in mind Rooney has been playing midfield consistently for four months and he's being compared to guys like Pirlo and Xavi and Iniesta. It's laughable expectation, but as usual...United fans and England fans......

Hodgson seems to be figuring out he can't just stick with the 11 and hope they force things through. I'd like to see the game be much less narrow in the match vs Slovenia, and that's down to the wide players at full back.

Roy is playing 4-3-3- keep in mind, so against a five man midfield it's always going to be difficult to make these killer passes that everyone seems to be evaluating Rooney on.

Sturridge is the sort of streaky player that needs minutes. I'd like to see him start over Kane at the moment. I think he's deserved it and when he's fit, he's absolutely full value.

You may well be right in considering the ammount of time , Rooney has spent in midfield, Busby. If Mourinho wants him midfield so be it, though I was sure his testimonal agaisnt Everton would be his last in an United shirt. All power to him if ge can reinvent himself as a player. But let's see him agaisnt tougher opposition before we get carried away.

See Red I think that's the common misconception of where Rooney has been most effective and where he's playing in midfield. Rooney has never been a #9 striker. Not like a Lewandowski or Ruud, for example. If anything he's been more of a creative attacking midfielder.

As for the competition, I thought both teams played the typical counter attack set up that congests the midfield and looks to nip a goal on the counter. I think Rooney operated really well here. He also looked very good against the best mid duo in England (drinkwater and kante).

The man is five goals off Charlton's record...there's no need to "wait and see"...he's done enough and has nothing to prove. Also Jose loves him...he's going no where unless he wants to. His lack of appearance in the United shirt ads and such are down to his Nike deal.

Croatia looking good again.

However, there are some poor teams here, Czech's are one of them. I think 24 teams are a strecth, maybe should go back to 16. 4 groups, top two make the quarters.

Redcanuck wrote:

Croatia looking good again.

However, there are some poor teams here, Czech's are one of them.  I think 24 teams are a strecth, maybe should go back to 16.  4 groups, top two make the quarters.

Think I pissed off the Czechs

Milt wrote:

TT you were having a little Blue Goggles poke at Sturridge. Watch him without your specs on. He comes out for the ball, yes. He takes it and turns at his opponent and looks to either beat him, or lay-off for the one/two.  This means he is always moving into space when he wants to get the ball back from his team mate, and better still he has the defender needing to turn to match his pace. The goal he scores comes from doing this exact move. The other move he does which is very productive, is to go to the right wing with the FB, then lay the ball onto the overlapping FB while dropping off into the space at the corner of the box. He is looking for the cut back, and has scored a lot of goals with his left foot from the position.
He'll never be an off the shoulder of the CB striker, never. So you won't find him hanging around waiting for scraps, which is what Vardy did yesterday.

I wasnt having a dig and probably used the wrong words to describe what I was getting at. I am a fan of his, always have been, just feel he will always be the same greedy one sided player we got from City.

There is so many stories about his time at Chelsea where he was regarded as a real top talent with nothing between his ears.

My fav story is Robbie took him to one side once he had been made up to manager and said that he believed in his talent but needed much more from without the ball. It's alleged Daniel said all Robbie wanted to hear, I'll run back work without the ball ect ect, only for him to be over heard by a member of staff telling other squad players he aint running back to protect Bosi (Bosingwa). I kinda sums him up as a person n footballer. Say whatever you need to hear, do exactly as he likes.

In saying that I have always wished him the best and was very happy for him the other day when he became the match winner.

Redcanuck wrote:

Absolutely tedious game between Italy and Sweden.  Sweden are terrible and while Conte has Italy winning, man are they boring to watch.  Hope you drink a few red bulls before any Chelsea games next year Tick, if this is what we can expect from Chelsea under Conte.

Football is all about winning mate ~ Style of play is brought up by those who's club wins no more or never before.

If you are thinking of others needed Red Bulls......

Manchester United ~ Sack their manager because of the style of play ~ They bring in the Parking Bus merchant.

Wot's that all about?

Just wanted to write a line about a new ITV pundit who is blowing out the water everyone else who has been on our screens over the run of the tournament so far.

Slaven Bilic, West Ham manager and former Croatia player and manager has been a real breath of fresh air with his passion and outstanding insight to the game, both as a player and a manager on the sideline.

So many of todays pundits are pathetic saying the same things all pundits have said in the past, teaching us nothing, and basically living off their name made on the pitch.

Bilic gets to the point with ease, often disagreeing with the other pundits and saying so in a manner which can only be described as "A Put Down".

Not since Martin O'Neil have we had someone who tells it straight like Bilic and I truly wish he gets a go during the premiership season, which of course he wont being a manager of one of the clubs.

He makes it crystal clear why he is a manager of the top level, one who should use West Ham as a stepping stone for a top club.

TickTok wrote:

Redcanuck wrote:

Absolutely tedious game between Italy and Sweden.  Sweden are terrible and while Conte has Italy winning, man are they boring to watch.  Hope you drink a few red bulls before any Chelsea games next year Tick, if this is what we can expect from Chelsea under Conte.

Football is all about winning mate ~ Style of play is brought up by those who's club wins no more or never before.

If you are thinking of others needed Red Bulls......

Manchester United ~ Sack their manager because of the style of play ~ They bring in the Parking Bus merchant.

Wot's that all about?

You do have to win first,  but a lot of United fans seem more upset with the style of play under LVG than the results.   Remains to be seen what happens if they are succesful under Mourinho, but don't play exciting enough football.  I suspect most will take the  wins.

"I'm not having a go...but he's a greedy one sided player."
I'd hate to hear what you say about a player you don't like!!

Now I'm just watching Belgium over run Eire. De Bruyne is magnificent, and Lukaku is top quality. Hazard, on the other hand, is half the player he was two years ago. He's turning into a one trick pony, cutting in from the left onto his right foot, and he's not even much good at that anymore.

Belguim look the part today.  De Bruyne has looked fantastic today, Lukaku has finished really well and Hazard made the third goal.  Ireland have disapointed, didn't expect them to win, but expected that they would have put up a good fight.

Milt wrote:

"I'm not having a go...but he's a greedy one sided player."
I'd hate to hear what you say about a player you don't like!!

I feel you can speak the truth about people, be it all bad or picking fault, but still like\admire.

For instance, I really admired all Fergie did during his time as a manager, but loved to point out all the bull shit he would express n pressure he laid on officials to benefit himself.

I am sure Daniel has many more talents about himself, but the two that stand out is his wand of a left foot and his reluctance to pass once has the ball. He isnt quite Kane class of greed, but he has few peers.

ROI were right up against it today and as soon as they showed any will to win the game they were opened up with ease.

There only chance is playing the Italy 2nd string, who Conti said he would play in the fianl game that means nothing to Italy

So the media think Hodgson will ring the changes for the Slovakia game.
By all accounts the team will be

Hart
Clyne
Cahill
Smalling
Bertrand

Dier
Henderson
Wilshere

Lallana
Sturridge
Vardy

So this is pretty much what I think is Englands best team, lets see if I am right?
Personally I'm not sure Hodgson is ballsy enough to make that many changes with qualification not guaranteed.

Hope we win ~ I'll be away for a bit as we are moving East tomorrow.

England as frustrating as ever. Sure Slovakia parked the bus, but you have to break teams down. The sad thing is here we are into the knockout stage of a tournament, having gone through 10 qualifying games, and Hodgson still dosen't know his best 11 or his best formation. Players played out of position and having to adjust as England changes it's shape.

Still we here we will perform better when we play better teams, lets hope so.

Ultimately what we have seen over three games is a distinct lack of quality in the final third. As many shots as England had today and in the other two games, most have been weak efforts. Its not like we have hit the post half a dozen times, or had keepers making amazing saves.
Today the crosses were mostly poor, and the ones that weren't poor were directed into space rather than to an actual player. In terms of real chances I felt that the Vardy one on one, the Clyne cut in, and the ball over the top to Sturridge with a swing and a miss, were the only decent chances the team created.

When it comes to decding the shape, the formation or the names on the team sheet, at this point I'm thinking it makes no difference whatsoever.
Lallana is creative but mainly to create his own openings that he shoots directly at the keeper. Vardy can run onto stuff, but do nothing else. I have no idea what Kane is good at because he hasn't done anything good. Sturridge can only get on the ball 35 yards out. Our full backs seem to have the beating of everyone, but nothing when it comes to picking out a cross. Alli shoot high and wide, ditto Rooney.

You could pick any old XI and they will have 55% possession, 15 shots, one on goal. The only positive about today was that Slovakia did not get a sniff aside from Smallings brain fart.

Wilshere was ponderous, but for all the Rooney fans, did you see how many over hit passes, short passes and cul de sacs he ran into? Probably not.

The sooner they get thrashed the sooner all this talk of keeping Hodgosaurus for 2018 will be done.