Italy

That will have quite a big effect on the seeding for the draw.

England are already seeded as a Tier 1 nation and Germany will still be a Tier 2.
 
bollieboy said:
Knocked out by North Macedonia injury time goal.
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PNENIL said:
We got all the way to the final and lost on penalties. Hardly gutless.
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We had the lead early barely attacked at all in the second half, not that much in the first half either .Completely threw away the initiative we had and just wanted to hang on which almost inevitably we failed to do. Then ridiculously he sent the kids out to take the penalties and all this against opponents who were far from special.

I repeat it was a thoroughly gutless display especially from Southgate who threw away a fantastic opportunity with uninspiring timidity..
 
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1950`spoolfan said:
We had the lead barely attacked at all in the second half .Completely threw away the initiative we had and just wanted to hang on.Then ridiculously he sent the kids out to take the penalties and all this against opponents who were far from special.

I repeat it was a thoroughly gutless display especially from Southgate who threw away a fantastic opportunity with uninspiring timidity..
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We lost in a final. It happens and it hurt. The manager didn't get it right all the time but most of the time. A semi and a final proves that. We lost in the narrowest of margins in a penalty shootout. Not gutless at all.
 
PNENIL said:
We lost in a final. It happens and it hurt. The manager didn't get it right all the time but most of the time. A semi and a final proves that. We lost in the narrowest of margins in a penalty shootout. Not gutless at all.
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There`s none so blind as them that cannot (or don`t want to )see.

It`s abundantly clear that the bigger the game the less Southgate can handle it but looking at his record as a league manager that hardly comes as a great surprise.
 
1950`spoolfan said:
There`s none so blind as them that cannot (or don`t want to )see.

It`s abundantly clear that the bigger the game the less Southgate can handle it but looking at his record as a league manager that hardly comes as a great surprise.
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We lost in a penalty shootout . It could have gone either way. Managers are human, make mistakes , so do players. It was a good effort all told , the best in my lifetime.
You think that Southgate could just stand on the touchline and turn a tap on for England to attack a bit more and the game would have been won. It's that simple. No consideration of the opposition and all the other factors that go into a one off final.
You'll hold that stubborn opinion for evermore won't you and nothing England do will ever be good enough for you.
 
Despite a galaxy of talent England will never win a major tournament with the timid Southgate in charge ,mark my words. The team reflects their manager.
 
1950`spoolfan said:
Despite a galaxy of talent England will never win a major tournament with the timid Southgate in charge ,mark my words.
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Seeing as we haven't won anything since 66 it's hardly a bold statement is it?
Galaxy of talent? This is the trouble. Building things up and then being harshly critical when we don't win anything. We have a decent side that gives us a chance and that's it.
The gutless comment is what annoyed me. It's unfair and completely over the top.
 
FFS. You lot seem to have gone down a cul-de-sac. Never mind the last Euros. The fact is that Italy will not be at the WC. Again ! That’s like England’s poor record in 74/78 which was awful for any fan.
For me, I will miss them. A WC without Italy is rather diluted. Even if Wales make it.
 
1950`spoolfan said:
Despite a galaxy of talent England will never win a major tournament with the timid Southgate in charge ,mark my words. The team reflects their manager.
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In the same manner that Rory McIlroy will never win another golf major!!
You're very egocentric in your opinions aren't you.
 
Crazy what you read on here you'd have thought Italy where crap in the Euro's they where the best team!
Won 3 group games then beat Belgium got past Spain(pens) then beat us again on pens.
 
BFC_53 said:
Noticed on BBC that it's the second successive world cup they have failed to qualify for, and when the next one comes around in 2026, it will have been 20 years since their last world cup win in the knock out stages.
We really should've done better than we did against them last year in the final.
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Much like us, when we didn't qualify for a World Cup between 62 and 82.
 
I agree our tactics were far too negative and attempting to sit on a 1 goal lead from the 3rd minute was just ridiculous, but Italy being beat by North Macedonia last night has absolutely no influence on how they were at the Euros. They were probably the best side at that tournament, from memory they looked comfortable in all their games and from early on began getting tipped as the favourites to win it - I think we rattled 'em when we got that early goal and its a crying shame we didn't attempt to press that, we let them back into the game and they recovered and dominated the 2nd half completely.

Isn't it a pretty common occurrence that the winner of a previous tournament does poorly next time around? Either doesn't qualify or doesn't make it out the groups? Happens a lot I think (or maybe it just seems it does because its significant when it happens).
 
L’étranger said:
Indeed. We don’t hear too much on here about the gutless Belgians and Spaniards.
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If you wanted an example of a badly managed team in the Euros you need to look at France. They had the best squad but failed due to a mixture of arrogance and infighting. They could have won the tournament with the right management IMO.
As for England, Southgate has got us performing at a higher level and now we are in the top 3 or 4 in the world. However we would need to step up even more to become the best in the world. As for gutless, does anyone think that any previous England team in recent history would have disposed of the Germans so easily? The old England surely would have bottled that one. And IMO Southgate doesn't have such a good squad as, say, Ericcson had, in comparison to the rest of the world. Southgate is doing a great job IMO, what has just happened to Italy is a reminder that there are no easy games anymore. What has changed is that the FAs coaching system (along with the clubs) is starting to produce many, many technically good players, something that England has never really had in abundance. The emergence of the EPL as the best league in the world also helps the England team a lot.
 
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Did anyone check out Mancini's assistant? Oh my days wearing tight black leather gloves. Camp as Christmas.

Check out at 3:25

Hilarious!

 
If England are called gutless in losing a final on penalties can you imagine the reaction in England not qualifying for the World Cup and getting beat by Macedonia? It doesn't bare thinking about.
Italy were fantastic in that Euro final, brave under pressure and well coached by Mancini . They deserved it. A fall from grace like last night happens all the time in football. Only in this country could that cause a bashing for the national team when we weren't even playing.
 
PNENIL said:
If England are called gutless in losing a final on penalties can you imagine the reaction in England not qualifying for the World Cup and getting beat by Macedonia? It doesn't bare thinking about.
Italy were fantastic in that Euro final, brave under pressure and well coached by Mancini . They deserved it. A fall from grace like last night happens all the time in football. Only in this country could that cause a bashing for the national team when we weren't even playing.
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👍With bells on.
People can't help themselves having a good old England football team bash.👎
 
It was a gutless England performance at Wembley. Southgate was beaten by a far better manager. He had plenty of attacking riches, talent to rip apart a very average Italy that cannot even qualify for world cup tournaments these days. Yet he was totally unable to integrate this talent on the day preferring a more defensive game which played into the italians hands. Grealish for example should have started he would have continually probed their defence and would have won a number of free kicks by fair means or otherwise ( the italian way). Yes Southgate has taken us a long way but the truth is it was a considerable time ago we had the talent we have now. Southgate is too timid. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong in the finals.
 
Ruperthoop said:
It was a gutless England performance at Wembley. Southgate was beaten by a far better manager. He had plenty of attacking riches, talent to rip apart a very average Italy that cannot even qualify for world cup tournaments these days. Yet he was totally unable to integrate this talent on the day preferring a more defensive game which played into the italians hands. Grealish for example should have started he would have continually probed their defence and would have won a number of free kicks by fair means or otherwise ( the italian way). Yes Southgate has taken us a long way but the truth is it was a considerable time ago we had the talent we have now. Southgate is too timid. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong in the finals.
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I totally agree with every word.

Southgate is a nice and respectable man but not a confident motivating inspirational and positive manager unlike all the great managers but he is just the type that suits those suits who picked him . The same types who chickened out of choosing Brian Clough the polar opposite of Southgate
 
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Wizzerboy said:
In the same manner that Rory McIlroy will never win another golf major!!
You're very egocentric in your opinions aren't you.
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I don`t mind stating my considered clearly stated opinions I think opinions make this site more interesting to read as debate is what it`s for, and not pussyfooting about and I like to think I am more often right than wrong. I forecast in late September that Yates would not score more than about half the number of goals that he had scored last year (18).He had already scored 5 at that point , including a couple of tap ins and a couple of penalties, i was jumped on by many on here for that and of course I could easily still be wrong but he has only scored 2 in nearly 6 months since. The point I was trying to make was that at Championship level I don`t believe he is a natural goal scorer and despite all the flak I got nothing has happened to change my mind since.

Have you noticed how many majors Rory has clinched since I made that forecast as long ago as 2015 despite heaps of abuse about that prediction from a number of "experts" on here? Incidentally as I have stated many times since it was based not on his golf talent which is great but on growing evidence that when the pressure is at its greatest ie in majors McIlroy has since his last win in 2014 struggled to produce his best and quite often since then has only produced his better rounds when already out of contention.
 
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1950`spoolfan said:
I don`t mind stating my considered clearly stated opinions I think opinions make this site more interesting to read, and not pussyfooting about and I like to think I am more often right than wrong. I forecast in late September that Yates would not score more than about half the number of goals that he had scored last year (18).He had already scored 5 at that point , including a couple of tap ins and a couple of penalties, i was jumped on by many on here for that and of course I could easily still be wrong but he has only scored 2 in nearly 6 months since. The point I was trying to make was that at Championship level I don`t believe he is a natural goal scorer and despite all the flak I got nothing has happened to change my mind since.

Have you noticed how many majors Rory has clinched since I made that forecast as long ago as 2015 despite heaps of abuse about that prediction from a number of "experts" on here? Incidentally as I have stated many times since it was based not on his golf talent which is great but on growing evidence that when the pressure is at its greatest ie in majors McIlroy has since his last win in 2014 struggled to produce his best and quite often since then has only produced his better rounds when already out of contention.
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🤣🤣🤣
I'll have to introduce you to my wife.
She's the other person who thinks she's right every time she opens her mouth!!🤣🤣🤣
 
Yes that would be interesting. Perhaps you`ve just discovered why I have two ex wives😉. Clearly I get things wrong I have to confess but it would be a dull world if we all just towed the line and were frightened to express hopefully rational even if controversial opinions. Obviously you think you are right and I am wrong about McIlroy. It was a controversial forecast when I made it but I wish I`d put my money where my mouth was at that time as I think I`d have got some very good odds especially if any of you lot were bookies.
 
Ruperthoop said:
It was a gutless England performance at Wembley. Southgate was beaten by a far better manager. He had plenty of attacking riches, talent to rip apart a very average Italy that cannot even qualify for world cup tournaments these days. Yet he was totally unable to integrate this talent on the day preferring a more defensive game which played into the italians hands. Grealish for example should have started he would have continually probed their defence and would have won a number of free kicks by fair means or otherwise ( the italian way). Yes Southgate has taken us a long way but the truth is it was a considerable time ago we had the talent we have now. Southgate is too timid. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong in the finals.
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Lol we lost on pens. What a shite post.
 
SeasideKurt said:
Lol we lost on pens. What a shite post.
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Yes we did lose on penalties but we had a huge opportunity to win that game but didn`t have the courage tactics or positivity to take it and then the choice of young inexperienced penalty takers was abysmal and gave us the least possible chance of winning it that way either (do you remember Hansen`s. famous quote "you don`t win anything with kids.")
 
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SeasideKurt said:
Lol we lost on pens. What a shite post.
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It should not got have gone to penalties we had a technical team capable of winning that in normal time and would have done if Southgate had been more positive. We sat back for too long inviting trouble. It might be a shite view to you but it is an opinion held by a lot of people.
 
Ruperthoop said:
It should not got have gone to penalties we had a technical team capable of winning that in normal time and would have done if Southgate had been more positive. We sat back for too long inviting trouble. It might be a shite view to you but it is an opinion held by a lot of people.
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A lot of thick people then.

They have one of the best goalkeepers in football Donnarrumma who's better than Pickford
Two of the best centre backs of our generation in Bonnuci and Chiellini who are definitely better than Maguire and Stones
Two of the best central midfielders in the world in Veratti and Jorginho and are definitely better than Rice and Phillips.
One of the most exciting wingers in the world in Chiesa who is better than Sterling or Sancho or Saka or whoever we want to play right wing.

Italy have a technically far better side than us, better defensive record than us. England would get 3 or 4 players in that Italy side.

You sound like a Manchester United fan talking in the pub. Oh we should av battad them itais. Nonsense.

They beat us and we failed at the last hurdle. I'd rather get into cup finals and have a chance of winning or losing them than not at all. To call it a gutless performance is so so so ** stupid and shows you have zero, and I mean it, zero knowledge about football.
 
Did anyone actually watch the final we where the superior team first half Italy second and dead rubber for the extra time.

Terms like gutless lacking in tactics are nonsense the biggest mistake of the whole game was making subs for penalty takers(both missing)as they weren't up to speed with the game and atmosphere also Stirling not taking one.
 
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