England 2-3 Croatia, England not going to Euro 2008
England 2-3 Croatia - and England are now out of Euro 2008.
Full-Time Report: The dissection can be spared for tomorrow morning (honestly, nothing new to be said, England haven’t learned from their mistakes). Croatia, to a man, played well and did their job.
England had Richards, Lescott and Campbell and SWP do well, but to be honest the midfield was horrible, and Crouch, who deserves a lot of credit for his goal, was pushed off the ball too easily too many times and couldn’t outjump his markers.
Feel free to criticise in the comments - remember that Macca has said that he won’t quit if England didn’t qualify, and now that England are not going to Euro 2008, they must plan for South Africa 2010. With 2 and a half years to go, certainly it’s time to pick a new squad?
FT: The time to point fingers will come soon enough…Russia beat Andorra 1-0, it’s all over folks.
FT: It’s all over. Boos drown the cheers from the Croatian crowd, England are out of it, players are crestfallen.
Credit to Croatia for their excellent qualification run.
92: Carson passes the ball out, another long-range punt, another lost ball.
91: …And the break almost leads to a Croatian goal. 90 seconds to go.
90: Beckham corner…
89: Priceless comment on the guardian live blog (and I paraphrase): England’s fortunes are now in the hands of Tottenham’s 3rd and 4th choice forwards and Liverpool’s 4th choice forward.
88: Carson gets into the act, hoofin it deeping into the Croatian half. Care to guess the outcome?
86: England still hoofing, Croatia easily clearing and counter-attacking. The game is far more open now, and England are seeing more space in the Croatian defence.
85: Money shot of Prince William wiping his nose. Oh, and Bent with a half-chance, over the top, barely.
84: I can understand it if people say that England have missed Rooney / Owen / Terry / Rio, but Heskey? Give me a fuckin break.
83: It’s down to the players now - nothing that tactical brilliance can do - England players - cliched though it sounds - need to pull off something special.
80: England manage to get out of their own half but quickly lose possession again.
79: Bent ready to come on. Replaces Joe Cole. Finally.
78: Chances of England losing 4-2? Remember, England scored when I said their chances were about the same as a Macca-led England winning a major competition. Does lightening strike twice in the same game?
77: CROATIA GOAL - Petric scores, Gerrard could have closed him down before he took the shot, out of position and a defensive midfielder might have stopped him, too late now, 3-2 to Croatia, Bent, if he comes on, might change things.
76: Where’s Stevie G? Oh wait, there he is, trying to win a free kick.
74: Tugging, flailing elbows and head-butting between Lampard and Srna, but the referee wisely allows the game to go on by coming in between the two players and not blowing the whistle. Good refereeing so far, IMO, and of course I’m not going to complain about the penalty.
72: England are playing with more purpose, fighting that bit harder for every 50-50 challenge.
70: England win a free kick, David Beckham takes…and it’s cleared, after some ping-pong in the box.
69: England DID score through Crouch, mind you, but not really a lob as much as a perfect cross. Beckham and Defoe have now both earned their subs, and Macca’s two subs have worked fantastically.
68: A word for Lescott, Campbell and Richards - they’ve done well considering the circumstances.
67: He could replace Gerrard or Lampard. Either would do, honestly. I’d pull off Cole and push Gerrard to the left if necessary.
66: At this point, we definitely need Hargreaves on the pitch. Not to sit back and defend, mind you, but to hold the fort when we go forwards because England need a 3rd goal and if Croatia score late, it’s really all over.
65: ENGLAND GOAL! - Crouch scores. Beckham floats in an inch-perfect cross, Crouch with sapce, controls the ball on his chest and puts the ball past the keeper. GAME ON!
64: And now we’re lobbing it forward for David Beckham…back passes, lack of vision when going forward, etc etc - if this sounds trite it’s because England’s problems haven’t been fixed in ages.
63: A Wayne Bridge defensive error allows Olic through on to Carson, the Villa keeper saves down to his right.
62: How can England score without diving or lobbing it up to Crouch?
61: Time for a 3rd sub.
59: England pile forward again. Another penalty? Surely not.
58: Corner taken, lightening reflexes by Carson to save on the goalline.
58: Olic tries to chip Carson, the ball kisses the top bar. Corner given, looks like it was touched by Bridge before going out.
57: We needed something special to get this game going, and Defoe has provided that. At least the Tottenham striker has earned the sub. Can the other 10 players do their bit?
56: ENGLAND GOAL - Lampard takes, Lampard scores, 1-2 to England.
55: Referee gives a penalty! Defoe dives - he was pulled back by Siminic but the defender had let go before Defoe realised that he had to dive.
54: Now that the second half is 9 minutes old, it’s worth noting that SWP’s absence has robbed England of pace, while Barry’s absence (and the lack of a central replacement for him) has shot England of control in midfield.
52: Odds on England scoring? About the same as those of a McClaren-led England winning a tournament.
46: Someone teach Stevie Gerrard to pass so that England can keep possession and not lose it. Maybe I can send him a training video?
45: And Croatia kick off. Can Beckham save the day (I was putting money on SWP / Richards but SWP is out…).
Actual Subs: Defoe on for Barry, Beckham on for SWP. What the hell? England’s best midfield player has been taken off.
Suggested Substitutions: Hargreaves for Barry (and get him to SIT BACK), Beckham for J Cole (SWP goes left) and Bent for Gerrard (reduces emphasis on indivdual heroics and forces the team to play together - I doubt Gerrard can win a penalty AND win a free kick from where he can score a spectacular free kick).
Half-Time Update: Full credit to Croatia - they sat back, soaked up the England pressure and got in two great counter-attacks where Scott Carson made costly blunders and the England midfield haven’t had the creativity nor the defensive solidity to make any dent into Croatia’s game plan.
England had 3 good chances, 2 straight at the keeper and one where Peter Crouch, tallest man on the pitch, was outjumped by his marker. It’s been a game of ‘taking your chances’, and it’s nothing new where England are concerned.
We’ve cried ourselves hoarse talking about the lack of creativity and tactical discipline in England, and in the game where it mattered most, those qualities have gone missing. SWP and Richards (and Lescott) have done well, let’s see who Macca brings on to change things now.
HT: England are booed off the pitch. Halftime review coming up in a bit.
44: Beckham, Hargreaves and Bent - this game can still be won.
42: Carson spills a shot again, luckily no-one’s nearby.
41: England’s midfield is to blame here - their over-commitment to attack leaves the defence exposed (and Barry is NOT sitting back like he should) and Croatia are finding it easy to pick gaps and make one-on-one (or three-on-three) situations.
39: Short passing. Move forward together. We now need to win (Russia are now 1-0 up at Andorra).
37: Steven Gerrard refuses to pass the ball, takes on the whole Croatian defence and then complains when his dive doesn’t win a free-kick.
34: Half-decent free-kicks, and then a chance for a header in front of goal for Crouch, and he fails to outjump the defender, who’s probably 6 inches short than him. THAT’S why we pick him, folks.
31: Bent sits back down, Macca’s not interested, apparently. England win a free-kick, will they do better this time?
30: Darren Bent is warming up. Doubt he’ll come on before half-time though. At this point I’d take Gerrard off…yes, I’m that desperate for a goal. Russia still haven’t scored.
25: Croatia now slowly building up momentum, taking more and more control of the game. Possession so far had been overwhelmingly in England’s favor but Croatia are more than holding their own now.
24: So what now for McClaren? Does he have the guts to pull off his star players (Joe Cole, Lampard, Gerrard - any two of 3 will do)? 4-5-1 was good for a defensive, counter-attacking win but after being stunned by Croatia, how will Macca change England?
22: At the moment, with the Andorra-Russia game still at 0-0, England are still going through.
21: And nothing comes out of it. England are still in Croatia’s half, they’re just being nullified because of some solid defending and a hopeless lack of inspiration.
19: Stevie G does what he does best - wins a free kick outside the Croatian box.
18: No, seriously, Beckham to the rescue, a la 2001? I’m out of ideas, and I don’t think any of the players on the pitch, with due respect to Gerrard, is capable of such a moment. Ok, Stevie G might, but with Owen and Rooney injured and Becks not fit enough to play, what’s the option?
16: We’ve talked about England lacking creativity - right now SWP and Richards are the only two players offering that.
15: Two quick counter-attacks, two defensive errors, two goals. England are in hell - the only ray of hope is that Hargreaves, Beckham and Bent could still come on to change the game - yea, I wish.
14: CROATIA GOAL! - oh dear, I picked the wrong game to blog live. Smart work by Eduardo to release Oliv, England defence think it’s offside and stop, Olic rounds Carson and taps it in.
13: Good work by SWP to release Micah Richards into the Croatian box but good defending and solid keeping keeps them out.
12: Gerrard needs to stop playing the long-ranged passes. Crouch is too light-weight for the Croatian defence.
10: Excellent chance for SWP, gets the ball in the box and a free shot, straight to the keeper. That had 1-1 written all over it. Wembley had gone quiet after Kranjcar’s goal but are now piping up again.
8: CROATIA GOAL - is this Robinson in disguise? Punt from afar was supposed to be an easy catch by Carson but it bounced just in front of him, pulled his eyes away and spilled it, ball rolls in. So much for inspired changes, eh?
7: Someone tell Lampard, Barry and co. that long-range punts up front aren’t going to work. Neither are petty fouls, that England were committing at the start.
4: Croatia look assured on the pitch - and despite the clarity of England’s intent, there’s no lightning smash n grab that England fans would have hoped.
2: A measured start - England keeping possession and probing from within their own half.
0: And we’re off.
T -1: England playing 4-1-4-1 - a fancy name for a plodding 4-5-1 with the midfield lacking any defensive bite or and cohesion in attack (except for Richards and SWP on the right, that is). Will Barry sit in his place and actually protect his defenders? How will Carson cope with playing behind a re-jigged defence in such a big game?
T -3: Prince William gets a chance to walk around on the pitch - gotta love tradition, eh?
T -4: With the drizzle, the poor condition of the pitch, and no real innovation in the England line up (come on, Gerrard and Lampard in midfield, again?), how bad can this match be?
T -6: The commentator thinks that England are *hot favourites* to go through. Oh bother, we’re in for a crap day of football commentary, aren’t we? There’s the usual praise of Steven Gerrard, and the players walk out.
T -10: Oh boy, here we go again…watching England play is always going to be an excellent reason for a nervous breakdown. Any suggestions?
England Lineup: Carson; Bridge, Lescott, Campbell, Richards; J Cole, Gerrard, Barry, Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips; Crouch.
Subs: Ashley Cole, David James, Brown, Hargreaves, Defoe, Beckham, Bent.
Croatia Lineup: Pletikosa, Corluka, Simic, Robert Kovac, Simunic, Srna, Modric, Nico Kovac, Kranjcar, Olic, Eduardo.
Subs: Runje, Rakitic, Babic, Knezevic, Leko, Petric, Pranjic.
England v Croatia Preview
The pitch at Wembley is crap, or so says Bilic. Wembley’s need to make money (thus the NFL game 3 weeks ago) has had a direct hand in creating this minor problem. Who will suffer more because of the pitch? England, because they’ll be nervous and edgy to begin with, and dealing with a surface that cuts up won’t help matters.
Macca has also dropped Robinson and Beckham from his starting lineup, and there’s no place for Hargo either. Here’s the expected starting lineup:
Carson,
Richards, Campbell, Lescott, A Cole
Barry
SWP, Gerrard, Lampard, J Cole
Crouch
4-1-4-1, 4-5-1, 4-3-3, you decide.
The only thing I can say is - NOW you think of dropping Robinson? NOW? You bastard! Better late than never, I guess. Robinson’s confidence was shot a long time ago, he needs time off and Becks and Hargo aren’t fully fit to last 90 minutes at any rate.
And so it comes down to the final qualification game. 17 Nov threw up some expected results (media hype to the contrary, Israel are good at home, Russia aren’t that brilliant and no matter how ‘pumped up’ the Scots were, this is Italy after all) - Israel beating Russia in extra time to leave England needing just a point at Wembley and Italy beating Scotland away from home and securing passage to Austria / Switzerland.
Here we are, two and a half days before Macca and England play Croatia. The buildup is predictable - Croatia are the fancied unknown quantity, an impressive qualification record and that away defeat indicators that they might be better than England on the day.
So be it. This is no time to berate McClaren’s ancestors or discuss (with the inanity and sublime linkbaiting whore-ness that only a tabloid in disguise can fake) whether Gerrard should be dropped for Lampard (the 4-2-1-3 is not new, Richard, and it needs better players than Lampard, Joe Cole and SWP to master).
Interestingly enough, Macca says that he won’t quit if England fail to qualify for Euro 2008. In my view he should be going either way - England need a better manager if we want a shot at winning Euro 2008, and right now I’m sure trusting Macca with World Cup qualification is such a bright idea…
Can England beat Croatia?
This is where is gets interesting (no seriously) - let’s take a look at the players available:
England squad: Robinson, Carson, James, P Neville, Campbell, Richards, Brown, Lescott, Shorey, Bridge, A Cole, Beckham, Wright-Phillips, Bentley, Gerrard, Lampard, Hargreaves, Barry, J Cole, Downing, Young, Smith, Crouch, Defoe, Bent.
No Neville (do you remember him?), Terry, Rio, Carragher or Woodgate in defence. Expected to start are Richards, Lescott, Campbell and Ashley Cole.
In midfield Hargreaves is fit to start and with England playing at home we’re going with a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 - in either case, Gerrard will play. Joe Cole invariably gets a game (why?) and Lampard and Becks are also contenders for a starting berth.
Beckham / SWP, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Joe Cole OR Gerrard, Hargreaves, Lampard / Barry.
Crouch and Bent are the two strikers most likely to play - in a 4-4-2 those two would start automatically but I’m thinking that in the case of a 4-3-3 (most likely option), Crouch would start up front with SWP and Joe Cole flanking him.
England will score against Croatia, that I’m sure of. The big concern is the defence and their ability to withstand pressure. They couldn’t do it at home against Germany, they couldn’t do it against Croatia or Russia away, and without Rio or Terry it’s hard to see England not concede. Ideally Wes Brown should start at center-back (more experience than Lescott) with Campbell next to him, Richards on the right and Cole on the left. Macca will stick with Lescott though.
Predictions:
England win and qualify for Euro 2008.
Also See: Euro 2008 fixtures / results & Euro 2008 standings.
Ahmed why don’t you ask John Stevanja from Keeper School to write couple of words about Croatia, he’s Croatian isn’t he?
Article is little bit one sided or something in my opinion, there’s no word about Croatian team and you think they will beat us?!
I can’t see Croatia loosing this one, really, I can’t
But why bother?
If this England team plays to potential, winning is a formality. If it is confused and inept, then it’s all luck.
Croatia’s got nothing to do with it
Good team though, they have a shrewd coach and have done quite well recently.
But saying so Ahmed, when was the last time England played Football so great that over 1 Billion people watched it?
Most of their 3-0 wins weren’t exactly sensational matches, England play some of the worst football known to mankind.
Croatias Luka Modric is in devilish form, ripping any defence apart he comes face to face with. Eduardo should easily beat that defence, no Terry + Ferdinand is hard luck, very little experiance unless they use Sol(id) Cambell. He will be the match winner, mark my words.
As for Isreal beating Russia or even drawing, not a chance, Pavluchenko will beat down the Isreali defence and with no Benayoun, Isreal are no different to Andorra at this stage.
With Rooney out, McClaren should start Crouch as a target man, with Lampard in as attacking midfielder behind him. Gerrard in behind at center mid, Joe Cole and SWP on the wings, and Barry has a holding midfielder. Owen can come on later in the match for a change of pace.
ideal starting line up
carson
brown
richards
campbell
bridge/shorey
beckham
hargreaves
stevie g
SWP
crouch/owen/defoe
any 2 really, either way you put it, our strike force will suck this friday(that is the day of the match-right?)
I’m thinking 3-3-4.. ALL OUT ATTACKING!!
INCLUDING GK!!..
I didn’t know you supported england ahmed!!
Yeah…right…England will beat Croatia…Come on Ahmed, stop trying to be English mate! Seriously, Croatia is in fantastic form, testament to a young fiery spirit, (think 1996-98), and great generalship from Bilic. England on the other hand…are England…may I swallow my own words!
Can anyone explain why the fully fit Jonathon Woodgate or Steven Taylor arent in the squad instead of Phil Neville, and Wes Brown ???
well maybe because neither woodgate nor taylor can play at right back?
maybe its because taylor and woodgate have not been drawing in top perfomances unlike brown who has been playing pretty well at right back for united…
I’ll take my last comment back!!
just had a look at the team and now I realise what stupid choices McLaren has made….6 fullbacks with only 2 out and out central defenders.couldn’t have hurt to only have 5 fullbacks and 3 out and out defenders…and also why 4 strikers out of which one alan smith hasn’t played in that position for ages now…lol
I said it before and I’ll say it again.
I well and truly hope England get knocked out.
With all that crap about how England hasn’t won a major trophy since 66. Maybe they will realise its for a reason the England setup is amateur!!
Taylor can play right and left back.
While brown has been playing well for man utd, havent we seen him enough for england he doesnt have a huge impact.
Woodgate should be at center Back with campbell and we would then be able to have kept Richards at right back as well need his pace and dribbling ability with beckham playing.
People, Croatia will not lose. Considering your ridiculous match with Macedonia:) for you game will develop - very hard. But I think the account will be 1:1. Success to you!
Yours faithfully.
Well hope engeland will win, the have to be at the tournament!
[...] Israel get at least a point against Russia on 17 Nov 07. For a preview of the game, check out our England v Croatia, Euro 2008 Qualifier [...]
[...] does one progress in such a situation? We support England, and like I said earlier, this is no time to shit on Macca (we’ve had plenty of it, and we’ll have more time if [...]
Italy are through to Euro 2008 finals, and England now need 1 point against Croatia to go through as well.
Let’s hope I can catch the game on tv…
If england gone to euro, i will be there with you
England are you ready !!!!!! :))))
-NOT FEAR-
We have only 5000 tickets
Give as 60 000 tickets and 60 000 croat will be ther! :))
england wont beat us it will be a draw and thers’s no way we can beat england
I have watched most of the Euro qualification games from all the groups and in my opinion, Croatia has a team that has yet to reach its full potential. They are already one of the top performing teams in Europe, but they are a young squad that should get better. Romania and Germany are other teams that are looking sharp…as for the England-Croatia game…if both teams needed a win, I would pick Croatia over England (especially with the injuries on the England squad)…but Croatia have nothing to play for, as they have already qualified, therefore I predict either a 0-0 draw or 1-0 England.
[...] England v Croatia, live on Soccerlens. srExecute(); Related Items from Soccerlens [...]
I don’t know guys, but I think that Croatia is much better team than England, did you wantc Croatia games they play with their heart….and their funs are not talkin s.h.i.t about them and coach all the time so i think that they will get those 3 points and knock Englad out
Oh! You prepotent english people!
-You will lose yust for that!
Croatia is much better team than England, they play with
heart! You will win when you changed your way of thinking and watching other people -with respect-!
I think both teams are good. Im english and yeah want my team to win, but looking at Croatia ,they are good team with good players, id say they will draw. English payers are paid lots of money and i guess the heart in the game is more thinking about what sports car to buy. If we do lose, i hope then the players will re-think the meaning of playing with heart and for their country. Good luck lads, ya gonna need it…
come on hatrick for crouchy!
Did the Croats give the England fans 60,000 tickets in Zagreb? All I can remember is that anarchy was rife.
I’m stuck at work gimme some live updates or a place where I can see some SCORES!!! GO ENGLAND!!
My dear friend Anthony!
We dont nead 60 000 tickets because one of as is like 1000 yours.
If you want i will give you my ticket next time!:)
And we will together go to watch the game is it ok!
croatia has full potential to beat the english. the english are sloppy and unorganized. the players care to much about the money they make on their club teams. although i see a victory or tie in englands favour because i believe there was probably a payoff to get england into the tourney. just like in 98 with france and the croats. we had that game
i hope croatia wins. i know russia is gonna beat andorra pfffft whos andorra, honestly england lost to them once, they will lose again. you can see the english are scared, going for one striker and banking on a draw. russia was better than england in both matches: the first one , russia equalised but the goddam blind ref said it was a hand ball when it was chested. in the second, Srooney’s goal was offside. its interesting how the british media are already talking about how they are already through, while they re not.
My English friends, whatever you do - just kick the Russians out!
pffffft you wish. damn anti-commies…
SHUT UP AMED!!!!
ENGLAND WILL LOOOOOOSSSSSEE!!!
In your dreams, you marky balls…
WHO’S SWP?
SHUT UP TORONTONIAN!!!!
ENGLAND WILL LOOOOOOSSSSSEE!!!
SWP = Shaun Wright-Phillips.
As for the result, keep your pants on, we’ll find out soon enough
Without the talismanic Rooney(or is it the ROO?,England will not be a real threat to the Croat defence. Crouch is a necessary evil in the squad though he scores once in a while.Pray tell me, why does he find it necessary to climb defenders for aerial balls?
This should answer your question:
8 reasons why Liverpool signed Peter Crouch
Guys,
Yes, Croatia has an excellent team and yes England has some excellent players though the team is underachieving. But we are all forgetting one important fact – the money issue. To have England not qualified for the championship would be a great loss for UEFA and organizers.
Therefore my dear English fans have no fear. UEFA and FA will certainly have all under their control tonight and, if I may say, a red card here or a penalty there against Croatia, will most certainly be the weapons used if necessary.
Conclusion: England qualifies.
Larry, it is obvious that he needs to climb on defenders for aerial balls because he is not tall enough. Duh!
Ivor, you took the words out of my mouth. I think it is the same reason that Scotland did not qualify. Italy were not worthy of a win or draw on Saturday. Scotland were, but more people like Italy than Scotland and TV rights will be more lucrative this way. After all, don’t we all want money?
Can anyone tell me where (which tv network) I might be able to see the game live in the states (Detroit area)? Sorry if it has been asked or answered already. thanks.
In case anyone’s curious, and since it’s hard to find an in-depth discussion of the Croatia team online, there’s a preview of the Croatia line-up up at The Run of Play. You can see it at:
http://www.runofplay.com/2007/11/what-about-croatia.html
Joe, it’s going to be tough to get the match in the States. You can get it through Fox Soccer on pay-per-view, or on Setanta at “select sports bars and pubs”, whatever that means. There’s always the computer, but I don’t think there’s a way to watch it for free on television at home.
Even as a Chelsea man, I have to say that SWp tonight is not the right decision. He was recently injured and has barely played as of late for my Blues. Ignoring Beckham’s obvious experience and leadership, in a time when Gerrard is far from his best, may prove to be HUGE mistake.
Whereas McClaren wants a fast winger with creative ball skills to create some offense having only a target man up front, SWP’s weakness has always been delivering an aerial ball into the box off the wing. A Beckham-Crouch hookup may well be the decisive winner that sends England to Euro 2008. Once again, McClaren is outthinking himself.
You will ……. this game !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you ready form that ! Are you!
Joe, the game’s pay-per-view on the East Coast and probably in your area as well.
I checked the Dish Network and didn’t bsee this game anywhere on schedule.
glimmer of hope for all you poor sods … russia hasn’t scored yet
btw anyone seen lampard around ? only beckham can save you now
ahmed! gerrard is the only one playing out there for england!
Gerrard or Barry need to come off; Beckham needs to get on NOW! A free kick might be the only chance England has.
Lamaprd needs to stay on! He has had huge succes this season in a 4-4-3 at the Bridge with club mates Cole and SWP! Give Lamps the ball and let him spread to those mates.
SWP is more dangerous than Gerrard or Barry at this point because he is so lithe and fast, he will cause ahvoc on the wing. But Beckham needs in and you won’t need a holdin g midfielder soon so I’d take off Barry.
Pull Gerrard for Beckham!!!
Whom do you pull? Lamaprd is too valuable because of his cannon. SWP is the quickest guy out there. Gerrard is captain. Barry is the logical choice for Hargreaves, but where do Bent and Beckham fit in?
Beckham and Dafoe on for Barry and SWP
see, ivor, you were right
And who hates on Frank Lampard now? There’s a reason he took that penalty and not Gerrard or Beckham.
I thought England could get through with a tie, am I wrong?
Thanks for doing the live blogging!
I gloat somewhat and point to post #51, where a certain someone predicted that the Beckham cross to Crouch would be a killer.
My bad, post #45; it may not be a winner technically, but it works for now.
I fail to understand why hargreaves wasn’t put in to give the defence some protection. Is he injured? unfit?
Mclaren should have known that the pairing of lampard and gerrard rarely works to perfection.
And yes, i’m bitter at this moment
What have I told you Ahmed
Great game, deserved win.
Totally just and deserved result - why people assume because we’re England we automatically command a place in major tournaments is beyond me. Lets stop blaming lets stop blaming individuals and take a look at the football in this country from top to bottom. FA headquarters to grass roots.
Croatia completely outplayed us, coupling exciting technique and cohesive team work - something devoid from England’s display, and not just tonight. Throughout the course of this campaign England have been null of any great cutting edge or solidarity. This against so called ‘lesser’ teams such as Andorra and Macedonia.
yeah we beat england that’s all what i want to say
Awwww poor england. but seriously that was never a penalty and twice england got lucky in a short space of time. croatia really deserved that win and im glad russia are through. england never really deserved to go through: loss to russia 2Xloss to croatia, didnt win against macedonia, couldnt draw a decisive match on home soil… lets be honest and say that they wouldnt deserve going through if they did on a result in andorra.
Supporting England is one of the most exasperating things in life. Why would we revert back to a 4-5-1 after equalizing when we clearly had the momentum to keep pushing forward? Croatia made us look like amateurs especially at the back. Well done to them. Maybe this will be the wakeup call that England so desperately needs.
Worst that could happen for England, had happened long before this evening. Welcome to the club English fans. One team from this group deserved it and got it - Croatia. That’s the truth!
whgat da fck happened?????????????????/
how can we tie the game and then stop fuckin playin???????? what was england thinking? a complete team fck up from my point of view - even if england managed to hand on for a tie they don’t deserve shiaaaaaaaaaaat!
Croatia and croats thank you!!! from Russia with love
Well gentlemen it’s been nice having you around for a while.
Please tune in June 2008 for more exciting Croatian display of finest football.
Just a small advice:
Stop buying every player in the world! start throwing footballs to your kids
Great game, deserved win
Now you see what I am tolking…:) ha ha ha
Croatia, we love you! thanx for the match. England, what do you feel now?
I’m absolutely gutted we were given the chance by israel, and we blew it… credit to the Croatians, as that was an absolute cracker of a goal…
I’m actually past caring anymore.
Jesus i’d hate to be McClarens kids in the morning, imagine all the stick they’d get?
The problem here is that England expects. Too much, in my opinion. The weight of expectation from the England supporters, to win tournaments, is too much for any international team, let alone England, to handle. What we must understand now is that we have a vastly overrated team, who are capable of going no further than the 1/4 final stage of an international tournament, and can no longer be considered a major force in international football. Even if England had somehow qualified for Euro 2008, did anybody realistically see them winning it??
Although we have a talented defence and midfield, we do not have true quality in the goalkeeping position, and (after Owen, and perhaps Rooney) the striking positions. Would the likes of Robinson, Carson, Bent, Defoe & Johnson start an international for the likes of Italy, France, Spain, Brazil or Argentina????
“Stop buying every player in the world! start throwing footballs to your kids”
Listen to the man!
Thanks, Croatia. You showed to this snobbish Englishmen, that they are just an average team in world football.
Talking honestly, I didn’t think that Ustashi will help Russia qualify for Europe Championship. The game showed that I was wrong.
My best regards to Croatia, you’re simply the best. Hope you will win Championship.
England=loooooooosers. Beeeeeeeeee)
Sad, sad, England. Pathetic manager and selection committee. This all stems back to the premier league, which should be named the International ‘money for old rope’ League. Surely now English authorities must bite the bullet, and reduce the amount of overseas representation per club, not to mention foreign ownership.(Chelsea and Arsenal field mainly foreign sides, and they are original establishment clubs.) And what is the selection criteria for an international manager. McClaren does not have the charisma, the nous, the looks, or it seems the organisational intellect to succeed at international level, so what the hell is he doing there, and while we’re at it, hang the stupid p****s who selected him.
Yeah, McClaren is luser. When we(russian) had won England, this bitch(sorry for my bad french language) on press-conference said, i’m going talk to our journalists only. This guy can’t lose
From Russia with love!
England, what do you feel now?
Do you remember the match in Moscow ?
Croatia is the best, London - goodbay!
Great thanks to Croatia from Russia! Your team desrved this victory, it was a fantastic game! Tonight you’ve made us happy!
Unfortunately, there was no chance to see the game (apart from some scenes after the game) here in Germany, so thank you so much for your blog.
It’s such a great pity that England failed (and not Germany!)…
Thanks, England ! From Russia with love )))
England, you shouldn’t be so self-confident!
We are the slavs! We are the best!
Thank you for the game in Moscow. twas great! I hope we will never see you again!
Glory to our great people! Glory to Russia!
Tonights events have to be seen as a blessing in disguise; a wake up call our game desperately and deservedly needed. Our qualifying for Euro 2008 would have been a utter travesty, based on the Croatia game and our overall performance over the 12 qualifying games, and would have only papered over the huge cracks. McClaren and the FA board MUST be sacked if we are to make progress; we have only gone backwards under McClaren. At least under Sven, we always got the job done and qualified for the major tournaments with ease (which I must regrettably say we took for granted). Also note that in the big games/games against top opposition under McClarens tenure, such as Croatia (home & away), Russia (away), Germany, Spain etc, England have flopped terribly, and I am personally glad we didnt make it to Euro 2008 as we would have embarassed ourselves against the first decent opposition we would have come up against.
I would advocate the appointment of one of Martin O’Neill, Harry Redknapp or Jose Mourinho. If not, then surely we could go down the van Basten/Klinsmann route and appoint Alan Shearer? (who has the required qualifications I think). Whether he feels up to the task of managing this riff raff is another matter….
You screw up! This is the low of evolution, old and weak must die, especially if it has no its own face. It isn’t possible to reach any successes if You are just political prostitute. England at the edge of existance, the time of new people is coming…
Ole-ole-ole-ole!!!
Russia will play in final tournament!!!
Thank you, my dear Croarian friends!!!
Good bye England, you just have awful coach!!!
And while I am at it, Steven Gerrard needs to be dropped from the England squad. Never have I seen such an abject performance in my life. The supposed captain on the night, he showed no drive or inspiration to get his side back in the game, like we know he can do and has done for his club in the past. He seems to have taken his place for granted and I hope he is shown otherwise by Englands new regime. Frank Lampard and Hargreaves/Barry should play center midfield in future, at least until the Scouse captain realises what an honour it is to play for England. I think Beckham should still be involved with the squad, as he is one of the select few players who genuinely cares about England and is honoured to pull on the white jersey every time he plays.
my dear fellow Russians..
..You said that we won’t be trying aganinst England.
Newsflash: England has been THROWN OUT by CRO fire players!!
BOOM-BOOM TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BYE-BYE ENGLAND.
WELCOME RUSSIA. LOL
“-thank you Croatian friend would be nice”
lol…
England been given a chance by the star of david and blew it.
Woooohoooo made me a lot of money though
Also made some of the croatian players loadsa money as well.
I heard they were offered a boatload of money to win against england by some russian!!
money money money quite so funny.
It’s a rich man’s world!!!
Russians are our friends!!!! If there was a situation you needing our win by two goals it would happen :):)
See’ya in Austria and Switzerland.
Sing with us
CROzupa509
You know… Honestly, I’m proud that we have same slav’s roots with you, croatians.
Promise myself to start learning Croatian language after this
I’m neither Croatian nor Russian (and certainly not english) but I thank the croatian players for their sportmanship and will to fight despite being qualified already.
What to say about England? This is what happens when you have one of the best coach in the world and you fire him to give the job to the likes of Mc Claren…
From Russia with love!
i am from Yaroslavl ^_^
Every Russian is grateful to Croatian team because they fought hard even though didn’t need to. Croatia and Russia friends forever :]
iam fed up of consoling my 11 yr old boy nearly every time england play was it a coincidence that all the well paid players were on the bench at the same time or did they know something we didn’t and didn’t want to contribute……..
you can,t blame the manager as he wasn’t the one playing or the goalie , croatia shouldnt have been allowed to get that far, where was our defence……
teach them to play from the heart like the underprivelegd countries , not like they are gods, because they aren’t…..
just because they are paid like they are………………..
this is from the mother of a 11 yr old english boy who has idol’s that don’t deserve to be
PROUD TO BE CROAT!
nas i Rusa 300 miljuna
Couple of things. To our croatian friends - please go to nightschool in Split and learn how to write and spell in English. I congratulate you, comrades, but if England had won I would not wallow in self-congratulation. England’s plight is self-inflicted, and not caused by any great football talent from your countrymen. Please remember that England has opened its doors to you, you go there to rort the system, earn money, and send it home to feed your starving, third world families. This is the result of communism, and its aftermath - a total lack of ethical intelligence. Find an english dictionary, because I’m sure you will not understand these huge words. Congratulations again, comrade croats, and I hope you do well in Austria. (the former facist state and birthplace of Hitler, down on the inn river)
GOOD LUCK ON EURO 2012 ANGLICOSUS, CROATIANS OUR BROTHERS 4EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Larry, you are an idiot.
The best English players in the world play in the best league, the Premier League. Foreign sides and ownership have nothing to do with English players who can’t get their shit together when putting on a Three Lions shirt.
I agree with the post about Gerrard being dropped. Being named Vice Captain was the worse thing that could happen to him. It gave him insurance from ever being benched or dropped, and subsequently he is a lost cause when he is playing terribly. No motivation to get better because his spot is safe.
There is a reason Lampard took that PK today and not Gerrard. It’s because Gerrard was awful today, and has been for quite sometime, as well as about 10 other players for the English national side.
I am quite saddened to see my across-the-Pond brethren not secure a Euro 2008 spot. I resonate with your pain because the struggles of USA Basketball are as equally perplexing and dissapointing to many of us here in the United States.
CROATIANS WE MAST SEND TO YOU 100 PLAINS OF VODKA
GREAT THANK FOR YOU англикосы еот вам за то что вы повсюду выебываетесь ))))))))))))))))))) ЯРОСЛАВЛЬ ПРИВЕТ ИЗ САМАРЫ С ПОБЕДОЙ БРАТ- ХОРВАТЫ КРАСАВЦЫ
From Russia with love!
Английское быдло посасывает. Ура!
Brian, like our croatian friends, you need a few basic lessons in english, and how it should be written. But then, I was commenting in an unbiased way, while you were commenting with your heart, and that is okay. There is a weakness somewhere when one has to resort to personal insult, and perhaps that racial weakness is reflected in the lack of backbone shown by those who represent your country (not mine) at sport in general. Have a lovely day, Bri-Bri.
Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia !!!
Someone mentioned 50 million hearts beating in unison for the English, and only 5 million for the Croats. Yeah, 5 million of us plus 150 million Russians.
Just wanted to say that today I cheered for Russia, we never needed this win anyway, but I’m so glad that we put English ego to the ground, and allowed Russians to go ahead to the championship with us!
Zivjeli!
Cheers to all our Russian friends.
larry,
you are one sore loser.
Reading the comments you post here makes me even happier that England lost. To see this undeserved arrogance by the English punished by a display of such magnificent football by the Croats (which they didn’t even need to qualify) is very, very, satisfying. Now go buy yourself a nice plasma and enjoy watching Euro 2008 at home.
Do feel free to check on my English grammar and spelling.
A sad nesto potpuno drugacije :)) - Hrvati svaka vam cast na rasturanju ovih zuckastih napuhanaca i najljepsi pozdravi iz Sarajeva.
Znam da se ponekad ne volimo ali ste mi veceras najdrazi na svijetu. Kako li ih je samo lijepo vidjeti da se koprcaju. Jos jednom cestitam na fantasticnom uspjehu! 
absolutely pathetic display from england for the first and last 20 minutes. where the fuck were bridge and lampard for the entire game? only ever saw bridge being beaten or out of position. idiot. gerrard was terrible too.
my only hope now is that mcclaren has the balls to resign rather than force them to fire him and live off of ridiculously high (and undeserved) payments.
who’ll be the next england manager though?
i vote for o’neil unless someone experienced on the international stage comes along (please god not lippi: tactically sound but defensive and divehappy as anything)
Larry… when you tell our people how lousy they speak your language, tell me… do you know even a word in croatian? And just so you don’t say “Croatian is not a widespread language” do you know at least 10 words in russian? That’s a fairly widespread language.
CROATIA GOD BLESS YOU
Proud to be Slavs!
Dear friends, I am neither English, Croatian, nor Russian. I will watch and enjoy Euro 2008, and may the best team win. The most intelligent post I have read here is the suggestion to make Martin O’Neil the English manager. Now wouldn’t that be something, an Irishman in charge of an English team. That would shake the establishment right back to the 15th century when the English marched in and took over Ireland for no good reason. (Don’t you just love baiting the line, and casting for trout.) By the way, I am not Irish either, nor Scots(didn’t qualify), nor Welsh (didn’t qualify). Jeez, I may just have to learn Croatian. Nah, dead language. (I can see that trout rising to take the fly in the clear summer air above a lake in Lincolshire. That’s in England, for our Russian and Croatian friends.)
To all smugged Englishmen… (I’m not saying that everyone in England are like that. I’ve met some great people from England last summer in Bad Bruckenau, Germany)
please stop acting like you are a better than eastern europe and all less-fortuned countries. WE WORTH.
to be honest, Larry this is for you. You are a soar looser. I’m sorry to see that you can’t accept the facts. It’s pathetic. We were just better today, we had heart. ..while YOU thought that you’re gonna crush us like ants..BASED ON A FAIRYTALE. BY THE WAY - PENALTY KICK, HM…the referee was watching another game. c’mon. Further, I congratulate to Crouch on a grat goal. It was something..
Remember: BOOOOOOM-BOOOOM TEAM!!!!!
…and if our English is poor..I apologise. We try our best.
p.s. my love to England.
Россия! Россия! Россия! Russia! Russia! Russia!
We for Euro! All with a victory! Also we thank a combined team of Croatia. They - the main creators of the MIRACLE to Wembley. СПАСИБО ХОРВАТИЯ, МЫ ВАС НИКОГДА НЕ ЗАБУДЕМ!
Thanks Croatia, we never shall forget you!
My God, store Croatia:)
Hey, Russians, enjoy yourselves!
But reaalllyyy do it, coz it’s gonna be the first and the last time you ‘ll be able to say you’re the best ones, at least, in a group.you don’t even know whats
there was an article in TheSun written by some soccer guru or whatever. I don’t know if you guys have read it, but above mentioned person wrote that Croatia has 8 residents (dr Luka Kovac from ER, Slaven Bilic /coach/ and 6 guys named Goran. Then what, .. YOUR TEAM WAS DEFEATED BY SIX PLAYERS?? LOL LOL LOL LOL
BOOOOOM-BOOOOOM TEAM (heh, I can’t help myself)
@Larry - While acting all so high and mighty, why don’t you tell us from which great country do you come from, so I can inform my starving family here in Croatia? And yes, tell us, please, where can we buy those dictionaries with complicated words we won’t understand, so that I can write fluent English? And just one more thing, tell me, how many people from UK can write in my language, even poorly? Or know even one word in Croatian? Why then should I bother to write English well enough please your aesthetic taste?
I see that you’re an eloquent and intelligent person, and I hope you’ll see you’re the one writing personal insults here with comments about our language and country. Starving families, Jesus Christ man, have you ever been to Croatia?
Anyways, back on topic.
Gratz to our team, and to English players too, I know you don’t see it that way, but it was a great game, with lots of good football and 5 goals. David Beckham still knows how to play like one of the best players in the world, hold on to him. Too bad we all can’t go to EURO.
Russian friends, see you in Austria&Switzerland. Hiddink is the man.
Hey, Russians, enjoy yourselves!
But reaalllyyy do it, coz it’s gonna be the first and the last time you’ll be able to say you’re the FIRST, not the BEST ones. You don’t even know what a ball is, or better, I think you knew that just a little time ago…
Good luck Hrvatska! At least, you guys can be called ‘FOOTBALLERS’. Keep up the good work so english people can say they’ve lost to the champions.
Bless Croatia. (yes, been there, yes, a beautiful country with great wine region in the hills above the Adriatic, friendly people.) Remember all, this is light hearted banter. No insult intended to anyone. Save the aggressive attitudes for supporting your teams in 2008. Me. I prefer lawn bowls, the worst that can happen is a pinched nerve, lumbago, or twisting your ankle walking back to the clubhouse to top up your drink, and very little crowd trouble. Chess is another non-injurious game. Perhaps the odd stubbed finger, but little more. GO-GO-GO-CROATIO, RUSH-RUSH-RUSH-RUSSIA.
2 Carol
And we already enjoy and laugh at you and your stupid red trainer:)
Receive for everything, for the insult of Russia, for political intrigues, for your arrogance and bravado, for your intrusion into the another’s countries. Sit at home and suck a bolt near TV!
Oh God!!! I love you Croatia!!!
Fortune has smiled up on us )))
oh well..its only the Euros. At least we havent missed out on the World Cup, which is a truly global event, and make no mistake, we WON’T miss out on 2010.
Спасибо Хорватским братьям! Славянская сила!
Буду болеть за вас на евро не меньше чем за наших оболтусов!
Дрались как львы!
We have made everything that Russia has passed on Euro-08. Excuse me, but I the spy of KGB. I am ready to incur punishment for all me made. Many thanks Roman Abramovich for financing of my work. I wish good luck to the Russian team on Euro-08. Now I shall go and kill myself about a wall, because I the red prostitute.
2Максим
И не говори, Хорваты просто унижали англичан по полю
Да, такую победу надо срочно обмыть!!!
Thank you Croatian brother! Slavonic power!
Shall root for you on euro not less than for our!
Fought as tigers!
Beside you splendid command worthy as minimum of the medals of the championship of the Europe!
Well done! The celebration is, of course, somewhat overboard, but it it perfectly understandable given truly arrogant posture most English officials, newscasters and fans assumed before the game.
Now, could somebody please post best moments on youtube for poor expatriots without the cable
Zahvalan gastarbajter.
The Heroic croatian soccer players, Russia will you always to remember!
Excuse me for my english, пользуюсь translator since taught spanish in school =)
croatUSA
Thank you you! Beside you great command and excellent trainer!
Has anybody considered appointing/approaching Slaven Bilic for the England job? After he has led Croatia to the semifinal/final of Euro 2008 that is (and maybe even win the tournament). The man strikes me as intelligent, articulate and possesses some charisma, as opposed to the dour, perma-grinned McClaren who trots out the same tosh every press conference. Bilic also seems tactically sound and has got Croatia playing good football as a sound, hardworking unit (just witness the Wembley game tonight).
Croatia - God Bless You ! Thank you from all of us ! Great respect from all Russians !
Croatians, i swear that we will never forget what you ve done, never ! We will support your great team and your country because now you are our brothers ! Next summer i ll go to Croatia !
Say hello to Olich - he is in our hearts. CSKA fans still sayig that he is the best !
Mirko Filipovich (Cro Cop) and Fedor Emelianenko are the best MMA fighters ever ! :))
2 croatUSA
Good fellows, Slavs!
I congratulate on behalf of great Russia a magnificent combined team of England on the honourable third place won by it in severe fight with slavic powers!!!! Your trainer-genius of the geniuses, what else did not see the world!!!! So to hold!!! It-your today’s уровеньпрежде than to take part in the European tournaments, найчитесь all over again yours faithfully to concern to the contenders!! You-anybody in the modern football world!!! It-brothers-Slavs!! Tremble, the Europe-Russian go!!!!ТРЕПЕЩИ,ЕВРОПА-РУССКИЕ ИДУТ!!!!!
congratulate on behalf of great Russia a magnificent combined team of England on the honourable third place won by it in severe fight with slavic powers!!!! Your trainer-genius of the geniuses, what else did not see the world!!!! So to hold!!! It-your today’s a level!!! Before than to take part in the European tournaments, найчитесь all over again yours faithfully to concern to the contenders!! You-anybody in the modern football world!!! It-brothers-Slavs!! Tremble, the Europe-Russian go!!!! ТРЕПЕЩИ,ЕВРОПА-РУССКИЕ ИДУТ!!!
Great respect to Croatian players and Bilic - thats man is real Slavs and great warrior! God bless you, Slaven!
http://www.ljplus.ru/img4/m/a/maktough/slava.jpg
Bucefal, на чемпионате.ру уже отписался, сейчас ищу адреса !
Живу недалеко от Вемблей, англичане с похоронными лицами сегодня разбредались )))
не, я реально в шоке ! ))
“Мы - Русские, с нами - Бог” Суворов ))
2 Grim Ripper
Я представляю их рожи :)) Это им за тупую статью “Пакт Молотова-Риббентропа” и за все провокационные выкрики в адрес российской стороны. Бог все видит, за что жестоко наказал самоуверенных англичан!!!
Englishmen, and McClaren has told, that will not retire. Will prepare really for “dream-team” for the world championship to 2010?:-))
McClaren - cheers mate, thanks a lot )) You re the greatest coach i have ever seen !!! thank you one more time !
tell me : who is england’s manager? maclaren, right? so how come some people were optimistic enough(even if england were 2 play with full potential) 2 believe they were going 2 euro. basically, i thought they didnot deserve 2 qualify since the home draw with macedonia.
horrendous tatics. why on earth pull in carson NOW. most of the qualifiers robinson did a poor job. and on the day, carson was no better.
why pull in gerrard n fat lamps in the same team( though i must say, lamps has improved alot: he can now slot penalty kicks).
why seeing gerrard lack of passing , not pull him aS A defensive midfielder? so many questions never to be answered.
eventually, one must recognise the mediocrity of the fa 4 obvious reasons.
so what now? well, the fa must be bold: sack crapy macca, pull lippi out of retirement. in fact, the no qualification can be seen as a blessing.because:1 macca is going 2 be sacked.2. a good manager will be brought in( why not even vanables- spelling mistake?)3. england players r going 2 no qualification is not automatically granted even 2 one of the greatest footballing nations.4. new manager(s?) will no england need a team of team players who will give sweat( we’re not asking 4 blood) and passion 4 their country, not a set of stars.
but i think given the stupidity of the fa that the signs will be unread. n now, GO GERMANY…….
n why 2 slate crouch when he is the only english player 2 have scored from open play? i no why. most people on this blog r manutd fans. come on crouchy. i fear you will never win anything in an english shirt. but don’t worry. u have2-3 seasons 2 score against manutd….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfK2OIqfsoY
2 Максим:
Yessssss Maks :))
So to hold! We trust to Russia! Forward Russia!