*Official* English Football Season 2014-15

[flibbertyjibber]

The most over-rated team in English history for me. Dire against the Swiss, lucky against the Jocks, outplayed by Spain.

Yet I feel these arguments have been had before. Yet it really is hard to gauge a Team with Home advantage against all the other England Teams. I thought Sven pretty much did a good match with various people in 2002, like Sinclair who was a revelation. We played pretty well in that Tournament, except second-half against Brazil.

Sinclair was much like Stone, no star but best in his role and did his job.

If only Sven had followed that mantra and others after.

 

[Cabinet96]

It seems crazy in hindsight that Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney were all picked in the same team when they were all playing basically the same position for their clubs. We kept hearing worthless stuff like "if they're good players they'll make it work" trying to justify not having to make a decision on who to leave out.

The media still feels a bit dumbed down but when you think about it it's amazing how far it's come since ten years ago. Mourinho and Benitez were operating on a whole different level when it came to appreciating players' strengths and weaknesses and working out how to get the best out of them.

I think Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard could've worked, it's just they didn't know what a 4-2-3-1 was back then.

Was interesting, was watching some build up of the England Germany game in 2010 on youtube a month or so back, and they didn't really know how to describe Germany's formation, which pretty much became bog standard for all of Europe for the next 3/4 years and probably already was then.

 

[Cabinet96]

I feel sorry for Mertesacker because of the Algeria game. They played a really high line against a side with quick attackers. More Löw's fault than his.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I think Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard could've worked, it's just they didn't know what a 4-2-3-1 was back then.

Was interesting, was watching some build up of the England Germany game in 2010 on youtube a month or so back, and they didn't really know how to describe Germany's formation, which pretty much became bog standard for all of Europe for the next 3/4 years and probably already was then.

4-2-3-1 was definitely recognised in 07/08, because I remember my FM08 formation being 4-2-3-1. Unless I'm just a genius who's ahead of his time, but I think the former is more likely.

 

[cpr]

Austria away I think, in the 06 WC qualifiers

Pretty sure he had a stinker against France in Euro 2004.

Bar the Neville backpass that went in, don't remember Robinson having any particular mares for England

 

[Uppercut]

I don't remember them but I feel like there were a few because McClown dropping him for the Croatia game didn't seem to completely come out of the blue.

James didn't cover himself in glory in the France game but it was a long way from a stinker. Getting wrong footed by a perfect Zidane free kick was a mistake but it wasn't exactly Rob Green in 2010.

 

[Cabinet96]

4-2-3-1 was definitely recognised in 07/08, because I remember my FM08 formation being 4-2-3-1. Unless I'm just a genius who's ahead of his time, but I think the former is more likely.

Yeah, I didn't really know whether it was or not, I didn't follow football at all the way I do now. That kind of says a lot about English football at the time though.

 

[sledger]

4-2-3-1 was definitely recognised in 07/08, because I remember my FM08 formation being 4-2-3-1. Unless I'm just a genius who's ahead of his time, but I think the former is more likely.

Yeah, I too recall using it on FM08.

Edit: Ah, page-owned.

 

[sledger]

I don't remember them but I feel like there were a few because McClown dropping him for the Croatia game didn't seem to completely come out of the blue.

James didn't cover himself in glory in the France game but it was a long way from a stinker. Getting wrong footed by a perfect Zidane free kick was a mistake but it wasn't exactly Rob Green in 2010.

I don't think Robinson made too many drastic errors, he just wasn't very good, and I think that was pretty clear from just watching him.

The best thing about that goal was the way how immediately after it went in Steve McDonut started scribbling furiously on his notepad. God knows what he was writing.

 

[Uppercut]

I don't think Robinson made too many drastic errors, he just wasn't very good, and I think that was pretty clear from just watching him.

This is also true. I remember there was one season where he kept conceding 40-yarders to random defenders. I think it was when Claude Makelele got one that people realised he might be a bit ****e.

 

[Ikki]

BBC Sport - Steven Gerrard: England captain quits international football

Due to tribalism and total misuse for most of his international career, in England his reputation is much lower than it should be. For me, the best midfielder I've ever seen, and definitely the most complete.

 

[Nate]

Due to tribalism and total misuse for most of his international career, in England his reputation is much lower than it should be. For me, the best midfielder I've ever seen, and definitely the most complete.

The internet is a warm and welcoming place, and I'm sure your comments will be respected.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah I never thought of that. It's actually kind of remarkable. Mert was dropped for being really dodgy against Algeria, Podolski didn't play much, Ozil was Germany's worst player of those who did. Aguero was terrible (albeit clearly unfit), Zabaleta was OK I suppose but not as good as he is for Citeh. I suppose Demichelis was pretty good when he played.

All of Brazil's Premiership contingent were varying levels of ****e. RVP was good but faded badly. Ron Vlaar was genuinely excellent, surely the best Premiership player at the tournament, which pretty much sums it up.

Tim Howard says "hi".

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, I didn't really know whether it was or not, I didn't follow football at all the way I do now. That kind of says a lot about English football at the time though.

Liverpool had been using it to great effect a year before that WC as well so it's a bit of a strange one really

Btw though, am not sure it would have worked with the Euro 04 side. You still wind up leaving out a superstar or playing someone out of position

 

[Cabinet96]

Well I doubt Rooney would've played but they could've gone with, say, Lampard as the 10, Gerrard in the box to box eight role, Beckham right and Scholes either as a wide 10 or a DM, with the final midfield spot going to either an offensive player of defensive player depending on Scholes' role.

 

[GIMH]

No Rooney in Euro 04?

Go to bed.

 

[Cabinet96]

GAGF. Would've spared us of 8 years of pain and might even have extended Scholes career (I don't really remember why he retired but he might not have if he was playing in a system that suited him better?).

 

[GIMH]

Rooney was one of the best players at that Euros. Not for us, but as a whole,

I'm not going to dig deep into why Scholes retired because hey, me and Halsey will just wind up boring the **** off everyone for 4 pages, but if he retired because he played a position that wasn't his best, then **** him anyway.

for all the stick Gerrard gets for his England career, it's fair to say he seldom played his best positions for us.

 

[The Sean]

Due to tribalism and total misuse for most of his international career, in England his reputation is much lower than it should be. For me, the best midfielder I've ever seen, and definitely the most complete.

Do you mean best English midfielder you've ever seen, or best midfielder from any country full stop?

 

[Ikki]

Do you mean best English midfielder you've ever seen, or best midfielder from any country full stop?

Full stop, although with reservation. Certainly the best English player though. There may have been better attacking midfielders, wide midfielders or defensive/holding midfielders; but I don't think there is a player who played at such a high level across so many positions. He's played at a POTY level for so many of his years, despite being surrounded by guys who weren't fit to lace his boots. You can talk about legacy in terms of players that have won more, but on pure ability, I haven't seen anyone that good; so skilled in so many facets of the game with the physical gifts to compliment them. I've been told Matthaeus was in a similar mould but I missed most of his prime.

There's definitely bias in there. I'm a Liverpool fan so everything he did was probably even bigger and better in my eyes; but I've always approached football in terms of seeing the midfielders as the most important players in the game. And I can't think of one player who you could place in his stead and have had kept Liverpool more competitive than he did.