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Slovenia V Ingerland. Fuck me but that was dire.

Utter dross

Was it as bad as against the powerhouse that was Malta? I tried watching some of that and had to switch off. 80k people there with more money than sense.

I forgot we were playing last night, but I watched the second half of the Malta game in the pub in Manchester and made exactly the same comment to my mate, both teams pretty but ineffective and slow.

Does that make Rodgers our own Wayne Rooney?

I didn't think it was a bad game....in the sense that some internationals are attack v defence exercises and truly terrible.

Both teams gave it a go.  Slovenia although a small country have players who play in Spain, Italy, Germany mostly top flight.

Also they have Jan Oblak in goal who's arguably the current best in the world....think he's conceded something like 4 goals so far this season for club and country.

So a point is not a bad outcome.  We know we've a squad of limited players, who are finding it difficult at international level, so shouldn't expect too much. Qualifying would be a decent achievement.

But we're the best in the world.. should be in double figures against inferior nations like this.

Also, I've never heard of Jan Oblak, who does he play for?

Atletico Madrid.

Once you free yourself from the Prem hype machine and follow the evidence of your own eyes, it's easy to see a lot of our lads are OK, without being top notch and certainly man for man no better than the Slovenes. They'll have been very disappointed not to have won that game.

I didn't see the game, but surely we don't need to play both Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson in midfield? They are hardly creative (although Henderson provided Slovenia's 2 best chances)

Its quite depressing at the moment, how come our Under 21s are always generally very good, yet our full team go through the motions year after year?

To be fair, I don't watch a great deal of football these days.. so not up to date with the current crop of 'great' players.

U 21's aren't generally that good and suffer the sort of problems the full side have.  Namely over hyped by the Prem machine...I'd imagine Nathan Delfonouso got in the U 21's, not because he was any good, but rather he played a bit for Villa because he fitted the template of being athletic and quick. Someone like Charlie Austin, who is actually good, of course wouldn't make U 21's because he isn't particularly quick at running.

They may play in those countries but look at who they play for.
Like you say, Oblak is at Atletico Madrid, You have Josip Iličić at Fiorentina, one at Bayer Levekusen, the rest are teams who would struggle in the Championship.

It was bloody terrible. Bailed out big time by Joe Hart.

Of course I don't expect them to just turn up and win. But this obsession with playing with the Spanish passing mentality doesn't work with players of the technical ability of Pook.

I suspect Charlie didn't make the under 21's as he was barely out of non-league at that date and had already turned 21 when he departed from League 1 Swindon.

Talking of Pook, he got a mention on the radio the other day. Sam Parkin was interviewing somebody who commented that they'd been down at Chippenham, where Pook is currently playing, & apparently Pooky said that Parkin was the best player he'd ever played with. Parkin replied (dryly) that Pook was definitely not the best midfielder he had ever played with!! A subtle way of saying he was fucking shit.

Southgate is going to get the job isnt he, if he remains undefeated.

Lets just hope he doesnt take the players for penalty practice.

Yeah, I know, which is why I said like CA. You can have players over 21 playing for the U 21's.

You need to look back no further than 2009 Euros, when England got to the Euros final and were stuffed by the Hun. The Hun side then formed a fair bit of 14 WC winning side.

Germany U21: Neuer, Beck, Howedes, Boateng, Boenisch, Hummels (Aogo 83), Johnson (Schwaab 68), Castro, Khedira, Ozil (Schmelzer 89), Wagner.
Subs Not Used: Fromlowitz, Ebert, Marin, Grote, Adlung, Ben-Hatira, Ede, Sippel.

Goals: Castro 23, Ozil 48, Wagner 79, 84.

Booked: Boenisch, Wagner.

England U21: Loach, Cranie (Gardner 80), Richards, Onuoha (Mancienne 46), Gibbs, Cattermole, Muamba (Rodwell 77), Noble, Milner, Walcott, Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Lewis, Taylor, Stearman, Tomkins, Driver, Rose.

Of the England side several have had good Prem careers and will have very nice bank balances, but none have really gone on to show international quality, and Johnson is presently at HM Pleasure, we'll never know how Fabrice Muamba would have turned out.

If Southgate gets the job, wonder if he'll be tempted to just chuck everyone who is still eligible from senior England squad into the U21 championship next Summer.

That would mean common sense prevailing though, experience of tournament football with a half decent chance of doing well, building up to next World Cup etc.
Nah, clubs won't like it, so that's the end of that.

Also, how many would then drop out with mysterious muscle strains or tiredness excuse.

I used to think the idea which was floated around some national teams like Brazil, that certain players and fixtures had to be played at the behest of Nike, their FA's sponsor, was bollox.  Then you had the 98 WC final where Romaldo had to play even though it seemed like he'd had some sort of seizure and was clearly unfit.  This was followed by Brazil playing matches at places like the Emirates....here, there, everywhere sometimes even in Brazil.

I'm now inclined to think the FA's sponsors encourage the England manager to select from the handful of clubs who are considered commercially important. Namely 2 Manchesters, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool.   An example might be John Stones....in the squad in the summer, but because he was at Everton, didn't play. Indeed Martinez often left him out due to being error prone. Moves to Man City, still basically the same player as at Everton, but straight in the starting XI.

Barkley, a bit hit and miss, but some ability....dumped. Sturridge an OK finisher but adds little to a team stays in.

Think you are right there Reg.

Jordan Henderson, case in point, haven't checked but probably all England call ups since joining Liverpool. Main competitors maybe Drinkwater or Noble playing for perceived smaller clubs. Yet all equally capable of misplacing the simple pass.

Wonder if Dier would get a look in if he was playing for Stoke.

Think Henderson was first capped by Capello when at Sunderland. It seems OK to have these fellas around the squad for friendlies etc, but when it's tournament time then the sponsors take over.

Jordan Henderson's 'no look' pass last night was absoultely fucking pitiful.

Crap.

But he's in that Nivea ad. The German company are going to want him and Lallana in the England team.

What a load of bollocks you're all chatting. Anyone who thinks Noble or Drinkwater should be ahead of Henderson and Dier needs their heads checking. Next you'll be saying "get Carroll in - he offers something different..."

Have you considered that the thought process is that Henderson and Dier are as ineffective as Noble and Drinkwater?

If Noble played for Spurs and Drinkwater for Liverpool, they'd be in. If Dier played for West Ham and Henderson for Leicester they'd be out.

Our current crop have a massive psychological problem.....take Henderson, he's not a bad player, just bog standard really. 

Stick him in a midfield with someone creative like Coutinho, where he can run around and do bits and pieces, and he's fine.
Ask him to be Coutinho and it is beyond him, so gets exposed.

As things stand our lot are generally having their weaknesses exposed with little chance to show their strengths.  When things start to go wrong which they inevitably do, it passes through them like a dose of the runs after a visit to a Gorse Hill curry house.