European Under 21 Championship

[mistermagic]

It probably wasn't a wise move to stick two CFs, Kane and Ings, together as both are accustomed to be upfront on their own at club level.

Ah well. I'm sure Southgate will learn from his mistakes.

 

[Christian Slater]

We're not going anywhere with bozos like Southgate and Hodgson. Southgate is especially shit, only hired because nobody else wanted him and he has the perfect amount of gormless the FA seem to love.

Everything from the coaches and manager being shit to players like Barkley thinking they're above it pisses me off. I hate the whole set up. Who was the last person to work at the FA with a progressive brain? They're all dinosaurs, has beens and never weres. Knobs.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Southgate was hired because he spent a couple of years travelling around Europe researching best practises at top clubs for the FA and learning as much as he could. He was lauded throughout the qualification campaign as a revelation for his progressive possession style football that we hadn't seen England teams embracing before. Of course though in England we have only two modes. Either every thing's shit or we're going to be world-beaters. Nothing in-between. We'd have heard the mantra of "same old England" no matter the outcome, unless the outcome was winning it, in which case we'd be amazing.

Southgate is a good youth NT coach who has made mistakes he will hopefully learn from. We haven't impressed, but then given their talent, who at the tournament has? The only team really maximizing their potential is Sweden, and they're perhaps playing more negatively than anyone!

 

[mistermagic]

Agree with this. Calling Southgate a dinosaur is moronic and he has improved the U21s a lot in the space of two years. He's such an improvement on Pearce.
England were average in this tournament and unlucky not to get more points due to their lack of finishing. Not shit.

 

[Christian Slater]

Southgate was in the never weres camp. He can research all he likes, it's not translating.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

We must have an outstanding group of players then if he's so useless.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Quite simply I think we didnt play that badly we just let ourselves down with woeful finishing and a shambolic few minutes v Italy.

 

[Christian Slater]

We must have an outstanding group of players then if he's so useless.

Define 'outstanding'.

 

[Madejski]

At least as Chalobah failed he is more likely to get a Championship loan again next season, would gladly take him again. Didn't see him many times, but the improvement he made in the 3-4 months he was here was crazy and I think both this tournament and the start of his loan shows that he needs regular football in order to progress. Though the same is true of many youth players. No surprise that our better youth players at this tournament are the ones with regular first team football, Jenkinson, Kane, Hughes etc.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Define 'outstanding'.

Well, good enough for everyone to be so confident coming into the tournament after having breezed through the qualification group, the play-offs, and some friendlies against top sides. Personally I'd have said that based on the squad we brought to the tournament, being better than Sweden, but not quite as good as Portugal and Italy was about par, but apparently we're much better than that if that's what a useless manager can achieve.

 

[Christian Slater]

Well, good enough for everyone to be so confident coming into the tournament after having breezed through the qualification group, the play-offs, and some friendlies against top sides. Personally I'd have said that based on the squad we brought to the tournament, being better than Sweden, but not quite as good as Portugal and Italy was about par, but apparently we're much better than that if that's what a useless manager can achieve.

How many qualifiers have the first team dominated en route to tournaments?

I think we should be aiming higher than 'par' and failures like Southgate need to step aside, the Question of Sport panel needs to stop getting hired and talented and decisive people should be put in charge.

 

[mistermagic]

How many qualifiers have the first team dominated en route to tournaments?

I think we should be aiming higher than 'par' and failures like Southgate need to step aside, the Question of Sport panel needs to stop getting hired and talented and decisive people should be put in charge.

Such as...

 

[markwwfc1992]

Well, good enough for everyone to be so confident coming into the tournament after having breezed through the qualification group, the play-offs, and some friendlies against top sides. Personally I'd have said that based on the squad we brought to the tournament, being better than Sweden, but not quite as good as Portugal and Italy was about par, but apparently we're much better than that if that's what a useless manager can achieve.

Thing is we have invested heavily into the youth set up. In the new St Georges training complex we have some of the best facilities in world football to offer these players. Everybody is also bemoaning that some of our best players were not available, but the squad we sent was still packed with Premier League / top end Championship players that are rated very highly. On that basis alone call me arrogant but I think we should be progressing a little further than we have, and for that I fully blame Southgate's tactics and decision making in this tournament.

 

[Christian Slater]

Such as...

Well, for me, the Under 21's purpose is to develop the players to be good enough for the first team and slot in comfortably. That means I would overhaul the philosophy between the first team and youth sides so they match, tactically and mentally. This means Southgate and Hodgson fuck off. I would then look at clubs in England that have had the most success at bringing players through their youth development into the first team. They are hired because that's what they do best and that's what the job requires.

What qualified Southgate for the job?

 

[markwwfc1992]

Such as...

I would do everything possible to get RDM personally

 

[Christian Slater]

I would do everything possible to get RDM personally

I'd disagree with that. Personally, I'd like the youth systems to be a place of opportunity and progression for coaches and managers from England. Ones that deserve it though.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Ideally I would want that too, but there isn't a great deal available who would interest me. Maybe Sean Dyche but even then I think it's a risk.

 

[Christian Slater]

Ideally I would want that too, but there isn't a great deal available who would interest me. Maybe Sean Dyche but even then I think it's a risk.

Youth coaches that are doing well should get the job. It should be a platform for them to step up, not a place for sympathy cases like Pearce and Southgate.

 

[smat]

I would do everything possible to get RDM personally

Why him in particular?

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Thing is we have invested heavily into the youth set up. In the new St Georges training complex we have some of the best facilities in world football to offer these players.

A minor advantage.

Everybody is also bemoaning that some of our best players were not available, but the squad we sent was still packed with Premier League / top end Championship players that are rated very highly. On that basis alone call me arrogant but I think we should be progressing a little further than we have, and for that I fully blame Southgate's tactics and decision making in this tournament.

What sort of players do people suppose that the other squads were packing with? I'm not sure about the Italian side, but the Portuguese squad had far more top flight experience than ours had.

 

[markwwfc1992]

Why him in particular?

I think his CV speaks for itself. But aside from that he has had experience abroad aswell as in England. He knows the modern game and I feel he could get the best out of our squad of players.

 

[markwwfc1992]

A minor advantage.



What sort of players do people suppose that the other squads were packing with? I'm not sure about the Italian side, but the Portuguese squad had far more top flight experience than ours had.

I open myself to be proven wrong here. Sweden had John Gudetti and I think a striker from Bordeux, but aside from that I would think the majority of their team play in the local leagues . Italy had a striker that couldn't even make the Brentford squad when they won promotion from league 1.

Then again I don't profess to know much about other countries under 21 teams, but I still think with the squad we had available we shouldn't be finishing bottom of the group.

 

[Letsby Avenue]

Gareth Southgate.... polite, well-mannered...the ultimate mother-in-law choice

He should be sat behind a desk at St Georges - permanently - a bland, civil-servant, passionless creature.
People were quick to critcise the millionaire U21s, like Redknapp and Barton, for lack of passion and commitment....
but what about the lack of passion and commitment from their mentor and guardian.

He may not have had his first choices, Ox, Wiltshire, Barkley etc ...did he fight for them? Were they more "tired" than Kane and Ings - after a tough Prem season?
Southgate has the bland personna of a time-serving civil-servant, one promoted by time served and not initiative, skill or ability.
I recognise the 'type' having being a civil servant for too many years.

 

[Beee]

Southgate is a dinosaur and was tactically inept throughout the tournament. He very clearly instructed the team to adopt the same creativity free approach that they have deployed in every single senior and U21 tournament in living memory.

I'm fed up with the media whining on about Wilshere and Barkley not being there. Sweden got through the group with a much weaker squad than ours.

This is what happens at every major tournament for us now. We breeze through qualifying and then the manager instructs the team to adopt a slow, directionless, cautious approach in every group game. There's no blueprint for the team on how to actually win these games.

 

[mistermagic]

Moving from the ridicule, Portugal are playing Germany at 5 in what promises to be a great game. Anyone gonna watch it or are you all just gonna sit there and mope coz England aren't in it anymore?
I'm looking forward to this.

 

[mente captus]

i will watch it until we are four or five to nil up

 

[G-Dragon]

lmfao Portugal 3-0 Germany and its just HT. German defense looked weak against the serbs, and now Portugal taking full advantage of it.

 

[mistermagic]

i will watch it until we are four or five to nil up

You meant down I think. It's 3-0 to Portugal at half-time who look like they haven't been out of 2nd gear. Germany have made an effort of creating chances after the 2nd goal but the creativity is just not there. Can isn't active enough while Volland looks like everything but a CF.
Might want to watch this Portuguese generation for years to come. They look seriously talented.

 

[Stevencc]

i will watch it until we are four or five to nil up

 

[Super_horns]

Makes the pundits here who thought Portugal were just average and we would beat them easily look silly..