Villanun Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Too easy. Won it in the first half and therefore showed zero ambition in the second, making the whole match feel like a damp squib. Too much idling on the ball, too little effort to break down Malta's defence. Hopefully the match against Slovenia will be a bit more interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Our off the ball movement is atrocious. Alli, with the occasional burst from Lingard, looked like the only attackers making the defenders think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_avfc Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 3 minutes ago, Villanun said: Too easy. Won it in the first half and therefore showed zero ambition in the second, making the whole match feel like a damp squib. Too much idling on the ball, too little effort to break down Malta's defence. Hopefully the match against Slovenia will be a bit more interesting. Completely agree with this. We get these games every qualifying campaign when teams show no intent to do anything against us. It's impossible to judge anything on them and it's just a case of winning them and moving on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 55 minutes ago, tom_avfc said: This is fair enough but Rooney is a better fit for a game like this than a player like Dier who isn't as good on the ball. I'm not suggesting we build a team around Rooney in centre midfield but as an option in the squad and in matches like today's I have no real issue with him playing. I don't think he's great but he's not keeping anyone very good out of the team as far as I can see. I personally wouldn't call him up anymore (to me it's similar to Raul in 2007 when he was still starting for Madrid but they had Torres and Villa coming through) but it's not the issue of being an option in the squad is it? It's starting every bleeding game even when he's not playing regularly for his club and is out of form anyway. That's the problem people have, players being automatic starters on reputation regardless of their club form. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Xela Posted October 8, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted October 8, 2016 Saw a bit of the game. Was boring and couldn't score more than 2 against a team of part timers. Shocking I heard the commentators wanking England off in the first half "England looking really fluent" and other such superlatives. **** off, its Malta you cockgoblin wankpuffins. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 8 hours ago, Nicho said: Was about to come and say the same. Its hard to criticise at 2-0, but Rooney has done nothing that I couldnt have done against the same apposition. Id much rather have seen Ward-Prowse a chance as I really rate him. Time for a manager to force Rooneys choice of retirement. He is not the future of this team and needs to be treated as such. I dont think any manager except Ferguson has the bottle to do so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Caller on Talksport just made a great point....if Guardiola had been appointed England manager he'd have come in straight away and stopped calling up Rooney given he did the same to a long time servant at City and he likes quick dynamic players in central midfield. No sentiment and clear vision of how he wants to play and he needs players who can fit into that regardless of status. Sad indictment of British managers that none of them have belief enough in themselves and would rather pander to star players. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Yes too weak to drop him and Southgate's comments after the match shows how out of touch he is with reality. Of course the fans booed him they are sick of the constant failure in major tournaments. He may have more caps and more goals than Charlton and Linekar but they did it when it mattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astonaidan Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 As a outsider, England disappoint me more than any other nation. If it was Brazil/ Spain etc. Rooney wouldnt be getting picked. He will start every game till he retires in 2018. When you look at the young talent you could select its sad. Ward Prowse has been mentioned already. But there is a lot of others. Maybe not so young Deeney would be a interesting option, its Malta for christ sakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicho Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 49 minutes ago, VillaChris said: Caller on Talksport just made a great point....if Guardiola had been appointed England manager he'd have come in straight away and stopped calling up Rooney given he did the same to a long time servant at City and he likes quick dynamic players in central midfield. No sentiment and clear vision of how he wants to play and he needs players who can fit into that regardless of status. Sad indictment of British managers that none of them have belief enough in themselves and would rather pander to star players. Absolutely, I think it was Alf Ramsey who dropped big name players because they didnt fit the system he wanted to play. I was happy with Allardyce as I thought he might be the man to choose a system and then call up players to fit into that rather than call up the big name players and try to fit them into a system. Problem with international football is that you dont have a huge pool to choose from, so Guardiola can pick from all nationalities to find those players that fit a style. Problem with England goes deeper and there needs to be a cultural plan from top to bottom that we stick too. Fans can take the losses if its part of a bigger plan that shows an obvious thought process. However I do agree with an English manager. If theres no top flight Englishman delivering the type of football set out go to the lower divisions to find one. Actual ability for the role matters rather than reputation. England are the Aston Villa of International football. No plan, no bollocks, no effort. Hopefully both will change, I have far more hope that Villa can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 To be fair to Southgate he is just caretaker manager and has probably been told not to make any major decisions regarding players and their futures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Another example...was watching Italy-Spain the other night and wondered where Fabregas was. A very similar case to Rooney...was playing week in week out at 17, was brilliant between 19-25, slowed down a bit afterwards but was still winning stuff for Barca, Chelsea and Spain. Spain haven't called him up since Euro 2016, he's served his purpose for them and he's still only 29 but isn't playing week in week out for his club. Same as Juan Mata. No messing about and trying to convert him into a DM or whatever. With Joe Hart, he's still a club icon at Man. City who other managers haven't wanted to mess about. It's not like Guardiola has replaced him with anything better but it was more the statement...this is how I want to play and Joe Hart in his opinion doesn't fit in. Also shows no one at City is untouchable given Yaya Toure has received similar treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted October 9, 2016 Moderator Share Posted October 9, 2016 For what it's worth, I thought Rooney was England's best player against Malta. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 He can still look alright against minnows....remember people going mad about him against likes of Russia and Slovakia in the summer? As soon as he comes up against dynamic midfields who can press him and counter quickly he just has no answer. Imagine him in midfield v a Spain or Germany.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 I went yesterday and it was like watching us over the past few years, so frustrating, predictable and boring. i cannot fathom why we continually shoehorn a 'star player' into the team just to play them. Rooney has had his time, having been a good servant to the team. (The failed beckham quarter back position was similar) However, he is no longer England's first choice as striker or no.10 and therefore has been dropped into midfield where he isn't even the best option in that position either just to accommodate him (although it's not his fault he gets picked) Yesterday he passed the ball from side to side but with no penetration or purpose and slowed down play. In all honesty Southgate may as well have picked Westwood. Did we even need to play him yesterday, considering we were playing Malta? The most glaringly obvious requirement was another striker to help out Sturridge (who was generally poor but not supported by either Walcott or lingard - the former being particularly ineffective and anonymous) there was also an apprehension from our players to try and take a man on... it was Malta, not Spain and we always regained possession quickly to begin another ineffective attack. The substitutions were poor too, not the personnnel but deploying them in the wrong formation. rashford at least had a go at their defence but was stuck out wide instead of being more central. I expected a little more from Southgate and don't think he is a viable option to take on the role full time but accept he didn't have a full squad to pick from. For all the crap play it was a good day out though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 4 hours ago, Xela said: To be fair to Southgate he is just caretaker manager and has probably been told not to make any major decisions regarding players and their futures. If that is true then it says it all about the last 10 years. Even Peter Taylor had the balls to make Becks captain and bring in some kids...but that is where we are going. Nice guy Gareth, been in the system for years. Groomed to be a yes sir no sir I imagine. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avfc96 Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Providing everyone is fit, England's midfield and attack should look like this: Dier Henderson Rashford Alli Sterling Kane Then the likes of: Drinkwater, Ward-Prowse, Lallana, Barkley, Lingard, Vardy and Sturridge all in and around the squad. The constant defence of Rooney by the majority of the press is infuriating, he's shite and has been for ages. It doesn't matter where he plays, if he can't run and play basic passes without losing the ball, he shouldn't be anywhere near the England side. It also annoys me how he is held up as some sort of shining example of how footballers should act. Just don't mention his criticism of England supporters in South Africa, sleeping with prostitutes whilst his wife was pregnant, briefing against managers after they have left (Moyes, Van Gaal and Hodgson) etc 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slovenian Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 we played really well yesterday, ilicic was outstanding. looking forward to tuesday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 England are just utterly horrific, on a hiding to no where, full of shite player who are either over the hill or just simply overrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 15 minutes ago, slovenian said: we played really well yesterday, ilicic was outstanding. looking forward to tuesday. I see Oblak is starting now...has Handanovic retired? Always thought it was a shame for Slovenia that with a limited pool of players the two world class players they produced were both in the same position and Slovenia could only play one at a time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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