England

[Hearts1975]

I wouldn’t mind them winning so much if they banned broadcasting and TV’s overnight 

 

until that happens I’ll continue to support anyone that plays against them 

 

the thought of Linekar/lawrenson/wright and the likes ramming a trophy win right down the antenna makes me want to ? - Oh, and the thought of the adverts to come afterwards 

[Maroon Sailor]

Guess who's back in town. Not seen much on here since Croatia beat England in the semi finals now slithers back in again after England win 5-0. 

 

TF this is not a Euros or World cup year

[Brighton Jambo]

Two points from me, after the World Cup they were heavily critsicsed for not beating anyone of note (fair point) but since then they have topped a nations league group that includes Spain and Croatia beating both in the process.

 

Second point and the one most relevant to Scotland is that recent progress has come from a decision a decade ago to invest massively in St George’s park and the relavant coaches to ensure all England teams at all levels played the same style and way.  That way players could easily transition between age groups.  The success of the younger England teams in tournaments is a result of that investment and consistency.  They then feed the main team.  

 

There is nothing to stop Scotland following a similar model but it would take fundamental change and commitment over the long term from the powers that be and that’s where the problem will

lie.  

Edited March 23, 2019 by Brighton Jambo

[Bazzas right boot]

They spank the qualifiers all the time. 

 

Dropped one win v us in about 3/4 rounds. 

Always qualify with ease. 

 

They make mincemeat out of average and poor teams. 

 

Then they play a decent technical side in an important game and struggle. 

 

Their defence will Likley ensure that continues but they will be a threat I suspect as they are athletic, fast and can score. 

 

[jumpship]

Why do we, a country of 5 million compare ourselves to another of 65 million. 

 

Add to that we aren't a proper country as we let an other make our decisions.

 

Add to that we have to compete with that country for media coverage.  F-ING BBC hands their FA billions for highlights and we get the worst TV deal in Europe.  

 

In this better together union we are an annoying after thought.  

[shaun.lawson]

5 hours ago, Maroon Sailor said:

Guess who's back in town. Not seen much on here since Croatia beat England in the semi finals now slithers back in again after England win 5-0. 

 

You seem to have missed something in between those two events. Shall I refresh your memory? After everyone said we couldn't beat anyone half decent, England won in Spain and beat Croatia: topping a Nations League group most people on here insisted we'd flounder in. Croatia in particular were visibly devastated afterwards.

 

I'm not remotely bothered about beating the Czechs 5-0. It's all but irrelevant; they're not very good, and qualifying takes care of itself with any half-decent England side. The only thing that matters is progress - and from where we were not so long ago, it's quite the transformation.

[ri Alban]

4 hours ago, jumpship said:

Why do we, a country of 5 million compare ourselves to another of 65 million. 

 

Add to that we aren't a proper country as we let an other make our decisions.

 

Add to that we have to compete with that country for media coverage.  F-ING BBC hands their FA billions for highlights and we get the worst TV deal in Europe.  

 

In this better together union we are an annoying after thought.  

Croatia have less people than us, and they beat England to reach the WC final. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by ri Alban

[ri Alban]

12 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

You seem to have missed something in between those two events. Shall I refresh your memory? After everyone said we couldn't beat anyone half decent, England won in Spain and beat Croatia: topping a Nations League group most people on here insisted we'd flounder in. Croatia in particular were visibly devastated afterwards.

 

I'm not remotely bothered about beating the Czechs 5-0. It's all but irrelevant; they're not very good, and qualifying takes care of itself with any half-decent England side. The only thing that matters is progress - and from where we were not so long ago, it's quite the transformation.

Are England getting carried away again. Oh dear you'll never learn.

 

[Samuel Camazzola]

1 hour ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

You seem to have missed something in between those two events. Shall I refresh your memory? After everyone said we couldn't beat anyone half decent, England won in Spain and beat Croatia: topping a Nations League group most people on here insisted we'd flounder in. Croatia in particular were visibly devastated afterwards.

 

I'm not remotely bothered about beating the Czechs 5-0. It's all but irrelevant; they're not very good, and qualifying takes care of itself with any half-decent England side. The only thing that matters is progress - and from where we were not so long ago, it's quite the transformation.

You've got to remember that if a competent ref was in charge, then they'd have blown the three goal lead and likely lost the game too. How the officials never sent off Pickford and awarded Spain a penalty is a head scratcher. 

 

Fine margins between qualifying for the Nations League play-offs and being relegated into tier two beside Scotland. A lot of negative press would have likely followed too. 

[shaun.lawson]

2 minutes ago, Samuel Camazzola said:

You've got to remember that if a competent ref was in charge, then they'd have blown the three goal lead and likely lost the game too. How the officials never sent off Pickford and awarded Spain a penalty is a head scratcher. 

 

Fine margins between qualifying for the Nations League play-offs and being relegated into tier two beside Scotland. A lot of negative press would have likely followed too. 

 

Fine margins in football? Well I never. 

 

You've also got to remember that if Harry Kane hadn't gone to pieces, we'd have gone 2-0 up on Croatia in the WC semis and would've been cruising. But he had, so we didn't, and that's life. And indeed, sport. 

 

And you've also got to remember that at Wembley against Spain, we had a perfectly good equaliser ruled out nonsensically. Fine margins, again. But Spain deserved it that afternoon; we deserved it in the return game there.

 

Heck, you could even make a case that Croatia's equaliser against us in Moscow should've been ruled out for a high boot. But that'd be silly - because they completely outplayed us and deserved to go through.

[cb1874]

On 22/03/2019 at 22:06, Morgan said:

England are an extremely good side.

 

Anyone that says they aren’t is just biased.

I’m not biased...I don’t care who beats them ?

[Samuel Camazzola]

1 hour ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Fine margins in football? Well I never. 

 

You've also got to remember that if Harry Kane hadn't gone to pieces, we'd have gone 2-0 up on Croatia in the WC semis and would've been cruising. But he had, so we didn't, and that's life. And indeed, sport. 

 

And you've also got to remember that at Wembley against Spain, we had a perfectly good equaliser ruled out nonsensically. Fine margins, again. But Spain deserved it that afternoon; we deserved it in the return game there.

 

Heck, you could even make a case that Croatia's equaliser against us in Moscow should've been ruled out for a high boot. But that'd be silly - because they completely outplayed us and deserved to go through.

The goal when the England forward pushed the Spanish defender into De Gea? Foul everyday of the week in any era I'm afraid. 

 

There are still quite a few bottlers in that side. Dele Alli at Hampden emphasised that when Brown completely schooled him and Pickford is another. 

[shaun.lawson]

4 minutes ago, Samuel Camazzola said:

The goal when the England forward pushed the Spanish defender into De Gea? Foul everyday of the week in any era I'm afraid. 

 

There are still quite a few bottlers in that side. Dele Alli at Hampden emphasised that when Brown completely schooled him and Pickford is another. 

 

Alli's never quite fit into this side. At the World Cup, where we were so hugely defensive, that was logical. Hopefully he finds his way now we're a lot better balanced.

 

Pickford? He's not in the side for his goalkeeping skills exactly. He's in it because his distribution is brilliant. He'll always give the fans heart attacks, but I love his attitude, and am hopeful he'll kinda ride his luck with the national team without the roof caving in.

 

Staying on the subject of fine margins, though - the margins in international football are so incredibly fine that had Pickford not pulled off probably the save of the tournament v Colombia, Kane probably wouldn't have gone off his game so much and we might well have ended up in the final. Kane was injured in extra time v Colombia... which wouldn't have happened if the ball Pickford saved had gone wide, as it might well have done.

 

The disallowed equaliser is at 7:20 below. If you could show me where Welbeck "pushes the Spanish defender into De Gea", I'd be much obliged.

 

 

[Deevers]

Folk getting their nickers in a twist because  England actually have quite reasonable side just now - hilarious. Far better saving your energy and figuring out why our National aside has been so bad over such a protracted period of time. 

[Samuel Camazzola]

48 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Alli's never quite fit into this side. At the World Cup, where we were so hugely defensive, that was logical. Hopefully he finds his way now we're a lot better balanced.

 

Pickford? He's not in the side for his goalkeeping skills exactly. He's in it because his distribution is brilliant. He'll always give the fans heart attacks, but I love his attitude, and am hopeful he'll kinda ride his luck with the national team without the roof caving in.

 

Staying on the subject of fine margins, though - the margins in international football are so incredibly fine that had Pickford not pulled off probably the save of the tournament v Colombia, Kane probably wouldn't have gone off his game so much and we might well have ended up in the final. Kane was injured in extra time v Colombia... which wouldn't have happened if the ball Pickford saved had gone wide, as it might well have done.

 

The disallowed equaliser is at 7:20 below. If you could show me where Welbeck "pushes the Spanish defender into De Gea", I'd be much obliged.

 

 

Foul on Busquets. ? 

[Nookie Bear]

9 hours ago, Brighton Jambo said:

Two points from me, after the World Cup they were heavily critsicsed for not beating anyone of note (fair point) but since then they have topped a nations league group that includes Spain and Croatia beating both in the process.

 

Second point and the one most relevant to Scotland is that recent progress has come from a decision a decade ago to invest massively in St George’s park and the relavant coaches to ensure all England teams at all levels played the same style and way.  That way players could easily transition between age groups.  The success of the younger England teams in tournaments is a result of that investment and consistency.  They then feed the main team.  

 

There is nothing to stop Scotland following a similar model but it would take fundamental change and commitment over the long term from the powers that be and that’s where the problem will

lie.  

 

Nah, much better to moan about Mark Lawrenson than try and learn from how other countries are learning from more succesful football nations. 

[shaun.lawson]

17 minutes ago, Deevers said:

Folk getting their nickers in a twist because  England actually have quite reasonable side just now - hilarious. Far better saving your energy and figuring out why our National aside has been so bad over such a protracted period of time. 

 

I do find it a bit nuts. England have provided Scotland fans with never-ending comedy and entertainment for 53 years now... and it's still counting. We've still not won anything yet. It's perfectly possible we won't in this new era either. I think we will - but on that, so what?

 

But more broadly: if Scotland fans demanded more of Scottish football and the national side, wouldn't something have to give at some point? I'd have thought it would. Rangers ended up in the bottom tier because the fans warned their clubs they wouldn't return otherwise. If Scotland fans voted with their feet, there'd have to be radical change, surely? 

Edited March 24, 2019 by shaun.lawson

[Nookie Bear]

9 hours ago, jumpship said:

Why do we, a country of 5 million compare ourselves to another of 65 million. 

 

Add to that we aren't a proper country as we let an other make our decisions.

 

Add to that we have to compete with that country for media coverage.  F-ING BBC hands their FA billions for highlights and we get the worst TV deal in Europe.  

 

In this better together union we are an annoying after thought.  

 

Scots are obsessed with English football. Maybe if Scots turned their TVs off and demanded fairer deals through their club owners then we may see a difference. 

[Samuel Camazzola]

7 minutes ago, Deevers said:

Folk getting their nickers in a twist because  England actually have quite reasonable side just now - hilarious. Far better saving your energy and figuring out why our National aside has been so bad over such a protracted period of time. 

I can admit they have a decent batch of players. Far off from being World class or being able to sustain a quality at the sharp end of World football but capable of getting a result on the day. 

 

The laughable side of things comes from their fans and media who try and plot routes as they know they are still inferior when it comes to the business - end of things and try to convince each other that they are better than they are. 

 

In nearly 30 years of football, I can only recall three England performances that are of any note at the highest level. Holland (Euro 96), Italy (World Cup 98 qualifying) and Germany (2002 World Cup qualifying). They've had very good sides and players throughout that period but never been able to consistently produce performances. 

 

For the size of country we are, Scotland's main problem is the youth structure. 20 years ago, Belgium, Portugal and Iceland were all below us in world rankings. They all changed their youth set up at the same time and look at the success they've had. 

[SE16 3LN]

9 hours ago, jumpship said:

Why do we, a country of 5 million compare ourselves to another of 65 million. 

 

Add to that we aren't a proper country as we let an other make our decisions.

 

Add to that we have to compete with that country for media coverage.  F-ING BBC hands their FA billions for highlights and we get the worst TV deal in Europe.  

 

In this better together union we are an annoying after thought.  

Scotland's footballing woes have **** all to do with England but more to do with your kind of attitude. Oh, and bigotry and sectarianism that infects every important footballing decision made in the country.

[jumpship]

4 hours ago, ri Alban said:

Croatia have less people than us, and they beat England to reach the WC final. 

Yeah, its amazing what small independent countries can do. 

[Deevers]

6 minutes ago, Samuel Camazzola said:

I can admit they have a decent batch of players. Far off from being World class or being able to sustain a quality at the sharp end of World football but capable of getting a result on the day. 

 

The laughable side of things comes from their fans and media who try and plot routes as they know they are still inferior when it comes to the business - end of things and try to convince each other that they are better than they are. 

 

In nearly 30 years of football, I can only recall three England performances that are of any note at the highest level. Holland (Euro 96), Italy (World Cup 98 qualifying) and Germany (2002 World Cup qualifying). They've had very good sides and players throughout that period but never been able to consistently produce performances. 

 

For the size of country we are, Scotland's main problem is the youth structure. 20 years ago, Belgium, Portugal and Iceland were all below us in world rankings. They all changed their youth set up at the same time and look at the success they've had. 

The whole structure of the game here needs rebuilt here from the top down. Until the mess is sorted we will continue on our increasingly fast downward slide. We have a governing body that only really cares about the best interests of two clubs. Absolutely nothing else really matters to them.  Archaic management structures and employing absolute no marks into executive  positions. Pathetic. 

[Thommo414]

9 hours ago, jumpship said:

Why do we, a country of 5 million compare ourselves to another of 65 million. 

If population meant anything at all, China would be kicking all our arses. Not to mention we snatched a draw from the Jaws of victory against England at Hampden under Strachan. 

 

Quality, not quantity 

[Maroon Sailor]

36 minutes ago, Thommo414 said:

If population meant anything at all, China would be kicking all our arses. Not to mention we snatched a draw from the Jaws of victory against England at Hampden under Strachan. 

 

Quality, not quantity 

 

That's about the jist of it. Out of our population we should be able to have 20 decent footballers to pull on the dark blue and do the shirt justice.

 

Not a lot to ask or expect

 

 

[kingantti1874]

The whole system in Scotland is rotten, I watch a bit of kids football and coaches are obsessed with winning, the select bigger and faster kids at the expense of talent becuase it’s more likely to get an outcome.

 

they are also now obsessed with coaching passing, all they worry about is pass and move - they should be focusing on how to teach kids how to deal the ball first and then worry about passing.  hearts youth are pretty bad for It, a bunch of passing robots with little talent, box soccer is not the answer imo, it may be part of the answer but we shouldn’t rely on it so heavily. 

 

Been saying this for a while read an article on the bbc about it today 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47570194

 

also, the way we classify age groups is crazy, real another article which said that something like 75% of all professional footballers are born between January and March, this is becuase they are played in same group as kids born up to December who are of course physically smaller and weaker and are lost to the game.. believe in Belgium now they group kids based on the quarter they were born.  Similar example is NZ rugby where they group players together based on size / weight and not age.

[ri Alban]

1 hour ago, jumpship said:

Yeah, its amazing what small independent countries can do. 

You do have a point, we've been utter shite since 2014. 

[Nookie Bear]

17 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

The whole system in Scotland is rotten, I watch a bit of kids football and coaches are obsessed with winning, the select bigger and faster kids at the expense of talent becuase it’s more likely to get an outcome.

 

they are also now obsessed with coaching passing, all they worry about is pass and move - they should be focusing on how to teach kids how to deal the ball first and then worry about passing.  hearts youth are pretty bad for It, a bunch of passing robots with little talent, box soccer is not the answer imo, it may be part of the answer but we shouldn’t rely on it so heavily. 

 

Been saying this for a while read an article on the bbc about it today 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47570194

 

also, the way we classify age groups is crazy, real another article which said that something like 75% of all professional footballers are born between January and March, this is becuase they are played in same group as kids born up to December who are of course physically smaller and weaker and are lost to the game.. believe in Belgium now they group kids based on the quarter they were born.  Similar example is NZ rugby where they group players together based on size / weight and not age.

 

Thats an interesting article, thanks. 

 

For me, the difference between average sides (Hearts, Scotland etc) and very good sides is the ability to receive and deal with the ball in tight situations. That’s why we (Hearts) struggle to break down defensive teams because we have midfielders who are unable to create quick interchanges of passes on the edge of the box to create space and therefore we look for the easier pass which is invariably sideways or back. 

[Maroon Sailor]

1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

You do have a point, we've been utter shite since 2014. 

 

Not bad from 1974 to 1998 though. I blame the Scottish Parliament

 

Shite since 1999

[Morgan]

4 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Scots are obsessed with English football. 

[Morgan]

Only 5-1 tonight.

 

Aye, they’re shite right enough.

[Big Slim Stylee]

England were excellent tonight. The players look like they're enjoying themselves, which is not something you'd remotely say about us.

 

But then we've got Eck who makes sucking a barrel of  lemons look more appealing

[iantjambo]

I see the old “Aye, but they’ve got a bigger population than us” argument has reared it’s head again.

 

It’s got **** all to do with population. As already pointed out, Croatia have a smaller population than us and got the World Cup final.

Wales have a smaller population and got to the semi finals of Euro ‘16. And Iceland made it to the quarter finals of that same competition with a population of less than 400k.

 

 

 

 

[Henry. Henry.]

1 hour ago, iantjambo said:

 

That’s one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever read on here!

 

Get a grip of yourself ffs!

 

He has the nerve to call other people scum too.  Dearie me 

[iantjambo]

42 minutes ago, Henry. Henry. said:

 

He has the nerve to call other people scum too.  Dearie me 

 

Indeed

[Skacelsid]

On 24/03/2019 at 10:20, kingantti1874 said:

The whole system in Scotland is rotten, I watch a bit of kids football and coaches are obsessed with winning, the select bigger and faster kids at the expense of talent becuase it’s more likely to get an outcome.

 

they are also now obsessed with coaching passing, all they worry about is pass and move - they should be focusing on how to teach kids how to deal the ball first and then worry about passing.  hearts youth are pretty bad for It, a bunch of passing robots with little talent, box soccer is not the answer imo, it may be part of the answer but we shouldn’t rely on it so heavily. 

 

Been saying this for a while read an article on the bbc about it today 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47570194

 

also, the way we classify age groups is crazy, real another article which said that something like 75% of all professional footballers are born between January and March, this is becuase they are played in same group as kids born up to December who are of course physically smaller and weaker and are lost to the game.. believe in Belgium now they group kids based on the quarter they were born.  Similar example is NZ rugby where they group players together based on size / weight and not age.

Good post, minimal coaching is better than the over-coaching we see, especially with youths. If a young player wants to drive forward with the ball or beat an opponent or try a shot ( he will learn it does not always work by trial and error ) surely that is better in his development than looking for a safe pass back or sideways   ( that anybody with minimal skills  could do and have good stats ) that we seem to be coaching, this turns the talented into the ordinary. Pointless possession wins nothing. The idea that you cannot play football or get time on the ball in Scotland is a cop out, I have watched Scottish football for more than half a century and seen plenty good football ( and bad ). But we are in a downturn, maybe our football is a reflection of the coaching at all levels of our game, it needs to be questioned, coaching is about getting the best out of individuals to benefit the team, let kids be natural, football does not need to be complicated.

[i8hibsh]

If they could not 'do it' with the players Sven had to choose from they will not with this crop. The egos will soon surface and the media and country will put too much pressure on them.

[Bazzas right boot]

Always skoosch the qualifiers. 

Have done for a while now. 

 

Threads like this appear, the media chugs itself into a frenzy. 

 

Fast forward to the tournament. They get emptied by the first decent side. 

 

The media then question why such a talented team can't break through the ceiling and match the top teams on the big stage. 

 

Rinse and repeat every two years. 

 

Tbf, I'd Rather be there than asking why the **** we can't even qualify, but England always look good in the qualifiers, means nothing for the actual tournament tho. 

[i8hibsh]

For the investment that country has had into football in the past 25 years they should be winning the WC every 4 years.

[kirkierobroy]

On 24/03/2019 at 07:10, cb1874 said:

England are an extremely good side.

 

Anyone that says they aren’t is just biased.

 

I know they are now an extremely good side and it's because I'm biased that I hate them being good with a poisoned petty hateyness.

[Boris]

As an aside, the little I watched of the game last night, I reckon Montenegro would have stuffed us.  At times they played some quite quick, attacking football.

 

We seem by contrast laborious and slow.

[Nookie Bear]

11 minutes ago, Boris said:

As an aside, the little I watched of the game last night, I reckon Montenegro would have stuffed us.  At times they played some quite quick, attacking football.

 

We seem by contrast laborious and slow.

 

They were effective in the first half because they were exploiting the space behind Hudson Odoi. And, like all teams from that part of the world, they have excellent technical ability.

 

1 hour ago, Olly Lee's left boot said:

Always skoosch the qualifiers. 

Have done for a while now. 

 

Threads like this appear, the media chugs itself into a frenzy. 

 

Fast forward to the tournament. They get emptied by the first decent side. 

 

The media then question why such a talented team can't break through the ceiling and match the top teams on the big stage. 

 

Rinse and repeat every two years. 

 

Tbf, I'd Rather be there than asking why the **** we can't even qualify, but England always look good in the qualifiers, means nothing for the actual tournament tho. 

 

The qualifiers are easy for teams like England because the quality of the opposition is Championship level at best, with the odd quality player thrown in. Once you get to the tournaments, anything can happen and all England can do is keep knocking on the door until it happens.

 

Basically, the stage is set for Ollie Lee to make his mark...

 

[Boab]

Unbeaten in the last 41 Qualifiers and flying at the minute.

They will fancy their chances in any upcoming tournament.

There is a historical rivalry with us and England but these days it’s so far apart as to be nonsensical !

[kirkierobroy]

5 hours ago, Boris said:

As an aside, the little I watched of the game last night, I reckon Montenegro would have stuffed us.  At times they played some quite quick, attacking football.

 

I think that's a given.

[Boris]

25 minutes ago, kirkierobroy said:

 

I think that's a given.

 

haha, yeah, s'pose so.

 

I guess what I mean is that why is this?  We have the players, but our mentality/set up reeks of timidity.

[ri Alban]

On 24/03/2019 at 12:14, Maroon Sailor said:

 

Not bad from 1974 to 1998 though. I blame the Scottish Parliament

 

Shite since 1999

True!

[ri Alban]

If Scotland don't qualify, waiting for England to lose makes it worth watching.  And now they're getting overconfident again, mintit!

[chester copperpot]

3 hours ago, Morgan said:

Absolutely horrendous last sentence from you.

 

What on Earth went through your mind whilst typing that?

 

 

 

That is pretty vile. I hate England but mum is English and I enjoy a healthy hatred. Wanting their plane to crash etc is awful.

 

That should be a ban there.

[i8hibsh]

51 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

When Scotland don't qualify, 

 

FTFY

[Morgan]

1 hour ago, chester copperpot said:

 

 

 

That is pretty vile. I hate England but mum is English and I enjoy a healthy hatred. Wanting their plane to crash etc is awful.

 

That should be a ban there.

Indeed CC. ?

 

Absolutely no need for crap like that.

 

[Morgan]

35 minutes ago, stan said:

I struggle to understand why you'd post something so loathesome. And in what way can England's players possibly be considered  'scum'? I'm embarrassed that you're on a Hearts forum.

He has succeeded in posting one of the worst things I have read on here in 14 years.