I suppose we need to give them a chance because they're young, but the England performance in the two games against San Marino (5-0) and Estonia (1-0) were as uninspiring as they have been over the last few years.
It was definitely time to move on from the so-called "golden generation" who never delivered, and the likes of Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling may turn into good international players.
But how England failed to see off Estonia yesterday with more than one goal yesterday was a bit worrying. England were by far the better team in possession and it was good to see how quickly and hard they worked to recover the ball. But they need to do more to score goals!
Surely, they need to get wide, they need an injection of pace, they need to shoot...
Surely what we don't need is sideways passes among the back four with a midfielder occasionally dropping in to join them with more lateral passes.
I can't believe Roy Hodgson tells them to do this. It's all very professional and keep-ball, but perhaps they need reminding from time to time that the objective of the game is to score goals. Why wait a half (or an hour, or 80 minutes) before any urgency bubbles through?
Get lively early on. Let's punish these lesser teams more convincingly.
Showing posts with label Roy Hodgson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roy Hodgson. Show all posts
Monday, 13 October 2014
Friday, 20 June 2014
No surprise at England's failure
The only thing I'm surprised about is that there is any surprise.
Surely we had all lowered our expectations about England in this World Cup?
I thought we had, but then in the week leading up the finals (after our dismal 0-0 draw with Honduras) I noticed people saying things like "quarter-finals at least", and "we'll get through the group and see what happens", and "we'll beat Italy 3-1..."
Surely we've seen this demise coming?
But then, after the thrashing by Germany in the last World Cup (1-4 in the first knock-out round), there were sage noddings of heads to suggest that "it would all change now".
We're blind to our failures, and just because we're England we think we have some sort of right to be good. We don't and we're not.
FA Chairman Greg Dyke has come up with some sort of blueprint for England's future, but the nub of it is to give Premier League Clubs more presence in the Football League ('B' teams). It is doomed to failure.
The ONLY solution is to reduce the number of foreign players in the Premier League. Poor Roy Hodgson has about 60 English players in the Premier League to pick from. It's not enough.
But this solution will never happen because, as I've said before, the Premier League has foreign players, foreign managers, foreign coaches and foreign owners.
Iet used to England failure. It's here to stay.
Surely we had all lowered our expectations about England in this World Cup?
I thought we had, but then in the week leading up the finals (after our dismal 0-0 draw with Honduras) I noticed people saying things like "quarter-finals at least", and "we'll get through the group and see what happens", and "we'll beat Italy 3-1..."
Surely we've seen this demise coming?
But then, after the thrashing by Germany in the last World Cup (1-4 in the first knock-out round), there were sage noddings of heads to suggest that "it would all change now".
We're blind to our failures, and just because we're England we think we have some sort of right to be good. We don't and we're not.
FA Chairman Greg Dyke has come up with some sort of blueprint for England's future, but the nub of it is to give Premier League Clubs more presence in the Football League ('B' teams). It is doomed to failure.
The ONLY solution is to reduce the number of foreign players in the Premier League. Poor Roy Hodgson has about 60 English players in the Premier League to pick from. It's not enough.
But this solution will never happen because, as I've said before, the Premier League has foreign players, foreign managers, foreign coaches and foreign owners.
Iet used to England failure. It's here to stay.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Hodgson springs few surprises
It is hard to argue with Roy Hodgson's England World Cup Squad. I guess the most contentious decisions are to omit Ashley Cole and to include Frank Lampard.
Cole has served England well, but there are now two better options in Baines and Shaw, so that decision is correct.
I'm not sure about Frank Lampard. I think he, too, might have reached the end of the road, but obviously not for Hodgson. Michael Carrick's considered passing game might have been better to suited to the difficult climatic conditions that are likely in Brazil, but Lampard certainly presents a greater goal threat.
But let's be realistic. England are going to come nowhere near winning this World Cup. If we get out of the group, we will have done well.
Good luck to all the chosen squad members.
Cole has served England well, but there are now two better options in Baines and Shaw, so that decision is correct.
I'm not sure about Frank Lampard. I think he, too, might have reached the end of the road, but obviously not for Hodgson. Michael Carrick's considered passing game might have been better to suited to the difficult climatic conditions that are likely in Brazil, but Lampard certainly presents a greater goal threat.
But let's be realistic. England are going to come nowhere near winning this World Cup. If we get out of the group, we will have done well.
Good luck to all the chosen squad members.
Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion)
Fraser Forster (Celtic)
Leighton Baines (Everton)
Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
Phil Jones (Man Utd)
Luke Shaw (Southampton)
Chris Smalling (Man Utd)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - captain
Ross Barkley (Everton)
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Adam Lallana (Southampton)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
James Milner (Manchester City)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Rickie Lambert (Southampton)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)
Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Andy Carroll (West Ham United)
Tom Cleverley (Manchester United)
Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC)
Jon Flanagan (Liverpool)
John Ruddy (Norwich City)
John Stones (Everton)
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Where will England's goals come from?
Not very impressive from England. Back-to-back home defeats and not a single goal scored.
I know all the arguments about 'experiments' and 'giving people a game', but it doesn't disguise the fact that, actually, England are not very good.
Roy Hodgson says there is time, but there isn't. I believe there is only one friendly between now and the selection of the initial squad. No time at all.
The major problem is our lack of a goal-scoring threat. Last night against Germany England had NO shots on target. None. Germany had five attempts on target, meaning that Joe Hart at least had the chance to prove himself. And he did.
But going forward England are poor. Andros Townsend makes excellent ground with the ball. Wayne Rooney makes space - by coming deeper - but Daniel Sturridge plainly is not good enough. Rickie Lambert got a few minutes, but not enough to make an impact.
There are also problems at the back. Chris Smalling looked second-best when it mattered. Ashley Cole lost possession, lost tackles and was out of position on too many occasions. His day has surely gone.
Roy Hodgson has got time: many long, lonely nights to contemplate where England's next goal may come from.
I know all the arguments about 'experiments' and 'giving people a game', but it doesn't disguise the fact that, actually, England are not very good.
Roy Hodgson says there is time, but there isn't. I believe there is only one friendly between now and the selection of the initial squad. No time at all.
The major problem is our lack of a goal-scoring threat. Last night against Germany England had NO shots on target. None. Germany had five attempts on target, meaning that Joe Hart at least had the chance to prove himself. And he did.
But going forward England are poor. Andros Townsend makes excellent ground with the ball. Wayne Rooney makes space - by coming deeper - but Daniel Sturridge plainly is not good enough. Rickie Lambert got a few minutes, but not enough to make an impact.
There are also problems at the back. Chris Smalling looked second-best when it mattered. Ashley Cole lost possession, lost tackles and was out of position on too many occasions. His day has surely gone.
Roy Hodgson has got time: many long, lonely nights to contemplate where England's next goal may come from.
Monday, 21 October 2013
This non-story about Roy Hodgson
This story about Roy Hodgson and what he said at half-time in Tuesday's to improve England's possession and use of the ball is a joke.
The use of the word monkey does not automatically have racist connotations. The use of the word monkey in the context he used it was a perfect metaphor for what he wanted Chris Smalling to do for Andros Townsend - give him more of the ball.
Mischief makers have tried - and some are still trying - to make this into something it never was.
Why?
You have to wonder who from within the England dressing room tweeted this non-story to try and make something out of nothing. That disloyalty is the real story.
Hodgson's only purpose was - and is - to improve England as a football team. That includes making enquiries about the availability of "Belgian" teenager Adnan Januzaj.
The use of the word monkey does not automatically have racist connotations. The use of the word monkey in the context he used it was a perfect metaphor for what he wanted Chris Smalling to do for Andros Townsend - give him more of the ball.
Mischief makers have tried - and some are still trying - to make this into something it never was.
Why?
You have to wonder who from within the England dressing room tweeted this non-story to try and make something out of nothing. That disloyalty is the real story.
Hodgson's only purpose was - and is - to improve England as a football team. That includes making enquiries about the availability of "Belgian" teenager Adnan Januzaj.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Weep for England
So we weep for England.
Once again we were beaten on penalties in a quarter-final. It is our lot.
But let us not disguise the fact that it would have been an absolute travesty of Chelsea-like proportions for England to have sneaked past Italy to the semi-finals. Italy totally dominated the whole of the second-half and extra-time, but just couldn't turn their dominance into a goal. England, however, barely got into Italy's half in that time.
Yet there is some pride in England's performance in the tournament. It does seem to show a new realism about England's limitations. We are simply not good enough to compete with the top nations in World football, of which most are in these European Championships. Top eight (i.e. quarter-finals) is the best we should realistically expect.
My worry is that the fact that Roy Hodgson has done pretty well with a weak and threadbare squad may blind people to the dearth of English talent and the trends that continue to sweep English players aside in our own Premier League.
With few English owners and English managers in the English Premier League, where is the concern for English players and the English national team? It isn't there.
We've got years of this international misery to come, and it will get worse.
As a final point: let's finally lay to rest this myth that there are any World-class English players. There are none.
Once again we were beaten on penalties in a quarter-final. It is our lot.
But let us not disguise the fact that it would have been an absolute travesty of Chelsea-like proportions for England to have sneaked past Italy to the semi-finals. Italy totally dominated the whole of the second-half and extra-time, but just couldn't turn their dominance into a goal. England, however, barely got into Italy's half in that time.
Yet there is some pride in England's performance in the tournament. It does seem to show a new realism about England's limitations. We are simply not good enough to compete with the top nations in World football, of which most are in these European Championships. Top eight (i.e. quarter-finals) is the best we should realistically expect.
My worry is that the fact that Roy Hodgson has done pretty well with a weak and threadbare squad may blind people to the dearth of English talent and the trends that continue to sweep English players aside in our own Premier League.
With few English owners and English managers in the English Premier League, where is the concern for English players and the English national team? It isn't there.
We've got years of this international misery to come, and it will get worse.
As a final point: let's finally lay to rest this myth that there are any World-class English players. There are none.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Latest defeat hurts Liverpool more than most
And so Liverpool were on the end of another defeat on Sunday. This one would hurt more than most as it was against their city rivals Everton.
The 2-0 defeat for the Reds exposed their lack of confidence and the vulnerability of their defence. They now sit second from bottom in the Premier league table, only goal difference keeping them above West Ham United.
After eight games, it may be too early to start talking about relegation (after all, Everton were one place above Liverpool before game, and the win took them up six places to 11th), but when you're in the relegation zone, it's unavoidable.
One thing Liverpool should definitely avoid is thinking they're "too good to go down" or they're "too big a club to go down". Football doesn't work on sentiment.
Liverpool now have new owners, but the hopes that may go with that were dashed yesterday by the goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta. It is time for the players, and manager Roy Hodgson, to stand up and be counted. No more blaming the American owners (they've got another one anyway), and no more blaming the debt. These things have little relevance to what happens on the pitch, but now any excuses are gone.
I have little doubt that Liverpool will turn things round. There is nothing wrong here that a deflected shot to earn a lucky 1-0 win will not cure. Having said that, the next two games against Blackburn Rovers at home, and Bolton Wanderers away, are just the sort of games that clubs in a relegation scrap must take points from.
The 2-0 defeat for the Reds exposed their lack of confidence and the vulnerability of their defence. They now sit second from bottom in the Premier league table, only goal difference keeping them above West Ham United.
After eight games, it may be too early to start talking about relegation (after all, Everton were one place above Liverpool before game, and the win took them up six places to 11th), but when you're in the relegation zone, it's unavoidable.
One thing Liverpool should definitely avoid is thinking they're "too good to go down" or they're "too big a club to go down". Football doesn't work on sentiment.
Liverpool now have new owners, but the hopes that may go with that were dashed yesterday by the goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta. It is time for the players, and manager Roy Hodgson, to stand up and be counted. No more blaming the American owners (they've got another one anyway), and no more blaming the debt. These things have little relevance to what happens on the pitch, but now any excuses are gone.
I have little doubt that Liverpool will turn things round. There is nothing wrong here that a deflected shot to earn a lucky 1-0 win will not cure. Having said that, the next two games against Blackburn Rovers at home, and Bolton Wanderers away, are just the sort of games that clubs in a relegation scrap must take points from.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Liverpool join Everton in League Cup graveyard
The Carling Cup proved to be the graveyard of some of the biggest names in the Premier League over the last couple of days.
Topping the shock list has to be Liverpool who could only draw 2-2 at home with League Two side Northampton Town, before The Cobblers - placed 17th in their division - knocked out their hosts 4-2 on penalties. The sight of a drenched Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was evocative of the dreadful result.
This followed the demise of Liverpool's local rivals Everton, similarly on penalties (4-3), at the hands of League One's Brentford - currently placed 19th.
Even Chelsea, the mighty champions of the country - thrashing everyone in their path to date - fell at their first League Cup hurdle, losing 4-3 at home to Newcastle United. From 3-1 down and with only ten men, the Blues battled back to level, only for Shola Ameobi to head the winner as time ran out.
Lesser shocks were Bolton Wanderers losing at Burnley and Manchester City losing at West Brom, but the League Cup once again showed its propensity for promoting lower clubs through its rounds. Weakened teams may be an excuse, but on one could tell me that Liverpool and Everton wanted to lose to their humble opponents.
Topping the shock list has to be Liverpool who could only draw 2-2 at home with League Two side Northampton Town, before The Cobblers - placed 17th in their division - knocked out their hosts 4-2 on penalties. The sight of a drenched Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was evocative of the dreadful result.
This followed the demise of Liverpool's local rivals Everton, similarly on penalties (4-3), at the hands of League One's Brentford - currently placed 19th.
Even Chelsea, the mighty champions of the country - thrashing everyone in their path to date - fell at their first League Cup hurdle, losing 4-3 at home to Newcastle United. From 3-1 down and with only ten men, the Blues battled back to level, only for Shola Ameobi to head the winner as time ran out.
Lesser shocks were Bolton Wanderers losing at Burnley and Manchester City losing at West Brom, but the League Cup once again showed its propensity for promoting lower clubs through its rounds. Weakened teams may be an excuse, but on one could tell me that Liverpool and Everton wanted to lose to their humble opponents.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Hodgson can take Liverpool back into the top four
Roy Hodgson's appointment as manager of Liverpool has brought the red Merseysiders firmly back into the news. Yesterday's signing of Chelsea's Joe Cole has made sue they will stay in the headlines for another day or two at least.
Still smarting from last season's seventh-placed finish which only gave them entry inthe Europa League, Liverpool are keen to make a return to the top four and even be challenging for top spot.
They would have to make up 23 points on last season to reach Chelsea's title-winning total, which is probably too tall an order. Nevertheless, it is a good sign that Liverpool are able to sign the likes of the ex-West Ham England international, despite not being able to offer him Champions League football.
Hodgson's ambitions will depend to a large extent on the form and fitness of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, both of whom had disappointing World Cups, with Torres perhaps performing worse than Gerrard who was one of the few England players to rise above utter mediocrity.
I can't see Liverpool ending their twenty-year wait for a League title, but a return to the top four is well within their compass. With Harry Redknapp taking Tottenham Hotspur to fourth last year, it would be nice to see another English manager take his team into the mix.
Still smarting from last season's seventh-placed finish which only gave them entry inthe Europa League, Liverpool are keen to make a return to the top four and even be challenging for top spot.
They would have to make up 23 points on last season to reach Chelsea's title-winning total, which is probably too tall an order. Nevertheless, it is a good sign that Liverpool are able to sign the likes of the ex-West Ham England international, despite not being able to offer him Champions League football.
Hodgson's ambitions will depend to a large extent on the form and fitness of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, both of whom had disappointing World Cups, with Torres perhaps performing worse than Gerrard who was one of the few England players to rise above utter mediocrity.
I can't see Liverpool ending their twenty-year wait for a League title, but a return to the top four is well within their compass. With Harry Redknapp taking Tottenham Hotspur to fourth last year, it would be nice to see another English manager take his team into the mix.
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