Same Old England…Always Losing
Before the European Championships, Stuart Pearce was given the assignment to prepare England’s under 21′s for what life would be like as part of the full national side. By crashing out at the group stage in a blaze of glorious failure, Pearce has managed to pass the test in flying colours. In fact Pearce prepared the youngsters so well for their future national careers he has been rewarded with a new 2 year contract.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the young prospects as they saw victory snatched from their hands via a cruel deflection. Then again they got what was coming to them and what they truly deserved…an early flight home.
Pearce has been rewarded with a new 2 year contract for his efforts.
Throughout the tournament Pearce’s side played some terrible football. The fact they attempted 61 ultimately unsuccessful long balls (more than any other team) is the proof in the pudding. Even the players seem to recognize their ineptitude.“Obviously, they play a different type of football to us; they’re really good at keeping the ball.” Michael Mancienne.
Sorry Michael but that’s the sort of football every team should be looking to play. The blame can’t be placed solely on the shoulders of the players who took the field in Denmark. Their performances and style of play epitomised everything that is wrong with football in Britain.
Just go down to your local football pitch to witness what I’m talking about. On a Saturday afternoon you can watch the boys all chase the ball, not pass the ball, around for 90 minutes. No 4-3-3, 3-5-2 or 4-6-0 formations on display. Not even the traditional 4-4-2. What you witness is 0-10-0 against 0-10-0, the ultimate fluid formation where all 20 players somehow manage to stay within five yards of the ball. Like a pack of wilder beast, charging bewilderingly around the pitch. ‘What’s the score?’ “Who cares” says the Father standing by the side “GET YOUR FOOT IN!” “CLEAR THE C**T” “GET IT IN THE MIXER”. As terrible a mentality as this seems, it is all too common. Yet somehow out of this mess we manage to produce some excellent footballers.
Ultimately the biggest failing of England has been the management’s inability to make the most of their players’ talents. Hoddle, Le Tissier, Gascoigne, Scholes and even Rooney are all superb footballers whose true ability has been curtailed by a failure to recognise how to utilise them to their true potential.
Wilshere's creativity would of made a huge difference had he played in Denmark.
Instead of consistently looking abroad for the answers as to how to play the beautiful game England need to start looking closer to home. There is no rule as to what constitutes a successful style of play. It’s about finding a system and approach that suits the players at your disposal. The occasional long ball aimed towards Andy Carroll will do England no harm at all. Neither will launching the ball into the channel for Sturridge and Walcott to chase in the future.
Throughout the European Championships the central defensive pairing of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones often looked like the most creative players in white when driving forward with the ball at their feet. Both have potential to become hugely influential to the future success of England. Although it must be said they had minimal competition in the creativity stakes as Fabrice Muamba’s lumber some approach and Jordan Henderson’s laughable attempt at justifying his £20million price tag left a lot to be desired.
Phil Jones did not deserve to be on the losing side after impressing throughout the tournament.
It quickly became apparent that although Pearce had the tools to play a more stylish brand by playing to the strengths of the likes of Rodwell and Sinclair, he was sticking with the stereotype. A number of hopeful long balls in the opening game were easily dealt with in a frustrating opening period against Spain, and that was just when the Young Lions had the ball. By half time, Spain boasted a dominating 78% of possession.
Having the majority of possession is not the be all and end all of football though. It’s about what you do when you have the ball. And when England did get the ball they were shocking. A lack of movement off the ball meant the Young Lions resorted to long ball football. This was particularly ineffective as the likes of Sturridge and Welbeck prefer the ball to feet. If England are going to utilise such a tactic effectively, it is imperative the side is structured towards such a style by drilling the players until it becomes second nature.
Furthermore, players have to be allowed to make mistakes and get caught sometimes without being harangued to the extent they won’t even try anything like that again. Right now there is a Row Z mentality – launch the ball as far away as possible to minimise risk. English players have the ability to play good football (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y29IfzPJ1E). They just have to express themselves. This will not happen though due to the intense British media and pressure on the players ensuring the same panic-stricken safety first and ultimately unsuccessful approach will continue for years to come.
Daryn MacRae writes on Stay On Your Feet.
Topics: England
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And you are the epitome of the unpatriotic English turn coat. Possibly a glory supporting manc fan who lives in London and the type of twat that piles pressure on a gelling team of youngster who quite a lot of the time don’t play full seasons and if they do it’s with lower tabled teams. It’s the premier leagues thirst for cheap foreign players that ruined the English game and also people like you.
June 22nd, 2011 @ 08:44What is wrong with you? I can’t believe you actually think it’s the Premier League that ruined English football. So, we were incredibly successful 1966-1992, were we? Oh, that’s right. England has a deep-rooted problem in its main sport, and it’s people like you that mean it’s possible for it to continually remain so. Look around you……Germany, Spain, Holland, France, even the United States are playing fluid football that is getting them success. But, then again, you’re right. Anybody who thinks that is just unpatriotic. Haha!
June 22nd, 2011 @ 14:27Lol America? We weren’t incredibly successful but we did a lot better than the past few tournaments. If you can remember it wasn’t that long ago we were in a penalty shootout against Portugal in the quarter finals which isn’t exactly rubbish is it? You say Spain but they were the biggest underachievers in the world before not long ago. Do you actually watch football? Especially when 1 world cup win in 1966 is still a great achievement to say England couldn’t give a shit about the world cup for absolutely years during it’s beginning. France are now a laughing stock as surely you saw them in competitions recently. So where have you pulled these teams from? Certainly it can’t be from watching football can it? Reading it maybe? Go back to a sport you understand because I doubt youve ever got anywhere near a professional contract for anything in you life. Job done! Lol
June 23rd, 2011 @ 22:39And you’re the extremely typical and boring England fan who just refuses to be realistic that the English national team is nothing but average, you all state that English football is great due to Premier League ‘dominance’, yet everyone fails to see that it’f the Foreign Premier League, not the English Premier League
June 22nd, 2011 @ 15:33You are an utter fool, honestly. Previous to the influx of foreign talent in the premier league the English team was still a dominant force I’m English football. I never said we are great now but taking the piss out of the English game that has never been given the chance is utter pathetic. We need to take after the Spanish and the Germans not by style but by allowing them to actually hold first team football from a young age which gives experience and motivation. If you disagree with that then honestly you need to actually watch the premier league and understand the clubs structures. It’s all dominated by foreigners including management. That’s not English football is it? Even the limit on homegrown players won’t guarantee first team football just a bunch of English bench warmers. You totally misunderstood my post and came across to be an idiot anyway. I was merely stating the obvious of grilling a young team won’t do anything to the English game but condemn it. We were dominant way before the foreign influence and everyone turned to the foreign players during earlier seasons because they were cheap and determined. Enough said really and that’s not a typical or boring English fan is it? You tool. Lol
June 22nd, 2011 @ 19:10Naylor, don’t you think that if English players were good enough, managers would have given them more playing time as opposed to obtaining foreign talent?
June 23rd, 2011 @ 06:15So the likes of Daniel Sturridge who is the only player to have ever scored in the youth fa, fa and premier league in one season got given the chance at man city? Look at the stats of the Spanish youngsters such as Bojan, he’s had over 100 games for Barcelona and Sturridge has about 40. He’s been labelled for years as one of the most talented English strikers for years. Look what he did on loan this season 8 goals in 12 games. I mean if England had such a poor talent pool of youngster how did we win the u-17 European championship against Spain last summer? Messi labelled Walcott as the most dangerous player he’s played against and how many chances had he had as a youngster internationally? It’s a joke
June 23rd, 2011 @ 07:21Just shut your mouth Naylor!!
June 24th, 2011 @ 22:31“By half time, Spain boasted a dominating 78% of possession.”
I read elsewhere that it was 63% first half to 60% overall. England weren’t that far behind Spain.
Some decent comments and general writing, but full of clichéd emotionally driven pessimism from the title “…always losing” onwards. Statistically England have performed above expectations for the last few years. These kinds of counter-factual generalisation suggest naïvity. I prefer a more objective and balanced approach.
Keep up the otherwise good work.
June 23rd, 2011 @ 04:49Well put gimpo
June 23rd, 2011 @ 07:25Very well said, it’s the over-hypedness caused by the media that gets to me. Just by beating Wales and Lichtenstein you already hear the Daily Mail and the Sun stating that England shall be world beaters come the next major tournament. All I ask is for realism
June 23rd, 2011 @ 16:46Thanks for the advice lads. In hindsight, headline of ‘Always Losing’ probably is a bit sensationalist considering England are ranked 6th in the world so have obviously won a few games at some point! Just heat of the moment stuff after watching a team of talented players underachieve yet again.
June 23rd, 2011 @ 17:17Don’t put blame on the Premier League. The reason there are so many foreigners is because it’s the best league in the world. The foreigners are some of the best foreigners in the world. It’s like the NBA or MLB in America. Americans don’t complain about the talented out-of-towners, they just try to get better. England’s problems are; continuity, cohesion, team work, work ethic, and most important… attitude. The skill and talent are there. I don’t think a humble, British coach would hurt either.
June 23rd, 2011 @ 22:47They seem to do well in the premiership though. Transferring the talent internationally seems to be the drop. Rooney being a shining light for that as well as Lampard. The only thing I can really put my finger on with them is the sheer need to want to be everywhere. They never seem relaxed at international level and it causes the headless chicken effect. You can easily see that in Rooney, it’s either his exceptional quality in some matches or his utter downfall. Leaving us all thinking in some points of the match that if only he would have stayed where he was on the pitch we may not be passing it backwards right now.
It would honestly be nice to see the media back the team and players realistically for once and see where it goes but thats wishful thinking I suppose. I can safely say though what was sunderlands youth keeper doing against Canada? Lol that was some shit hot bounce he got lobbed with from the half way line. Great goal from Turgott I thought
June 24th, 2011 @ 21:36I believe the lack of success of the England team is the exorbitant amount of pressure they have on them. every few years there is a new GOLDEN GENERATION. and young british/english players are given rediculous tranfer fees which just show how much pressure is put on them.
June 24th, 2011 @ 14:18truthfully, a few stars dont make the squad, and incompetent managers just feed right into the system. I mean, for years, lamps and gerrard were played together in the center because they are both superstars. Everyone knew they didnt work together, but because of their superstar status coaches felt pressure to play them together.
sadly, gerrard being injured was one of the best things for the england team as it forced capello to deploy someone else along lamps.
Like Joey Barton said, we need to stop only playing the superstars and ego, and play the best english players.
Would agree that the immense pressure placed on the players shoulders is a huge burden but then again the players play for top clubs so are under pressure to perform consistently throughout a season. Other nations such as the Brazilians generally seem to thrive under the pressure whereas England seem to fold under it.
As far as only playing superstars goes, well they are superstars for a reason as they are brilliant players so it will always be hard for a manager to leave them out of the side.
June 24th, 2011 @ 16:01They seem to do well in the premiership though. Transferring the talent internationally seems to be the drop. Rooney being a shining light for that as well as Lampard. The only thing I can really put my finger on with them is the sheer need to want to be everywhere. They never seem relaxed at international level and it causes the headless chicken effect. You can easily see that in Rooney, it’s either his exceptional quality in some matches or his utter downfall. Leaving us all thinking in some points of the match that if only he would have stayed where he was on the pitch.
It would honestly be nice to see the media back the team and players realistically for once and see where it goes but thats wishful thinking I suppose. I can safely say though what was sunderlands youth keeper doing against Canada? Lol that was some shit hot bounce he got lobbed with from the half way line.
June 24th, 2011 @ 17:47Sorry for the double post. It was giving me jib on the train and telling me that it failed to publish but it looks like it did it anyway. If you could delete one that would be much appreciated. Cheers.
June 24th, 2011 @ 21:41The problem starts with grass roots selection standards for players and coaches.
England having problems is something that’s almost always been the case after the 1880s – 1904 Golden Era of English football.
June 24th, 2011 @ 22:21And even then, at club level, most midfield players were scottish.
i think in brazil its a more laid back environment. and english people historically are tough people. even on their own people. remember when rooney berated his own fans during the world cup. i just feel like we have high expectations and sometimes, its just too much. Its like the father who pushes and pushes his son to become a world class footballer and just pushes him into a hole
June 25th, 2011 @ 01:12Brazil is a more laid-back environment sure, but not when it comes to football. then they get crazier than the Brits.
June 25th, 2011 @ 06:00Sir bow that was pathetic. Hilariously it’s typed so mouths have nothing to do with it. Good to see your IQ being put forward so constructively.
The thing is when comparing Brazil and England is that quite a lot of south American players have football as an escape from crime. The English don’t really have that “last chance” in life to earn a good wage. I’ve played with some amazing players in my time who just turned to getting arseholed by the time they are 16 and are dismissed due to their attitude. They just know that it’s not the only thing they can do. I’ve seen that first hand but of course I can’t speak for everyone.
June 25th, 2011 @ 09:13So your excuse for this ever disappointing English squad is because they can safely say they can get desk jobs somewhere else?
It’s your IQ that needs checking. And don’t mention that crap about ‘England never gave two shits about the World Cup’ because it just goes to show what false cloud you’re living on. Be realistic and not a pissed off child who thinks his country is the best in EVERYTHING. By the way Sturridge is extremely average compared to other current greats
June 25th, 2011 @ 14:26Nah, I was speaking about the English culture of football players compared to other countries. Usually the ones that don’t make it. Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve taken what I said the wrong way though especially with the comment about the world cup. God knows where you fathomed that one from. I’ll leave you to argue with yourself because most of what you just typed ive never instigated.
Sven thought differently to you as well as both the Man City and Chelsea manager. You’re never going to be able to back up that comment about Sturridge being average so I’d rather take their view and my own over yours because I doubt you’ve actually played with a notable team anyway which means you don’t have any first hand knowledge of the game other than watching it.
I’ll leave it there anyway. This isn’t going anywhere and is miles away from what it started with.
June 26th, 2011 @ 10:25Fair enough with the majority, yet with regards to the World Cup comment, I’ve ‘fathomed’ that from your own previous post further up in the comments.
In that case I’ll join a football club as according to you you HAVE to play the game as a professional to have an opinion. Who knows, then I could maybe become a twat like you who thinks that 1 World Cup is better than other countries’ successes with 3, 4 or 5 World Cups
June 26th, 2011 @ 16:55I didn’t say anything about England not caring about the world cup so I still don’t know what you are going on about. I didn’t even say that winning 1 world cup was better than other countries multiple successes that would just be idiotic.
I didn’t say you have to play at a professional level to have an opinion either but when you are calling a player average that has been lauded from some top managers it does actually make you look a bit of a cunt I’m afraid. You just didn’t back up your opinion with anything substantial, just an off the cuff comment.
Seems to me like you actually like creating fantasy scenarios to argue about. Pretty funny though to be honest.
June 26th, 2011 @ 18:06Do you mean my factual comment about England not actually wanting to be in the world cup when it was created? And the first.time they did enter it they got annihilated? Because that is just known fact so I don’t see why you would have a cry about it. It’s just history lol
June 26th, 2011 @ 18:20http://denny-vickers.blogspot.com/ Couple of things to take into consideration on the above blog.
- England certainly didnt go into this competition with their strongest squad, even if Wilshere and co were there, I’m not sure it would have mattered.
- Speaking as an Irish man and avid follower of the Premiership, it often amazes me how much expectation you put on your national teams just to end up disappoionted and frustrated. Just be happy to challenging near the top for the moment as the current set up is way off the standard needed to win silverware.
- There is a huge culture change needed in English football to have any hope for the national team (see my blog above)
- Looking at Jones and Henderson, you have to question the money involved {again see my blog http://denny-vickers.blogspot.com/)
Finally everbody is entitled to an opinion thats why we follow the beautiful game……….
June 26th, 2011 @ 22:09this team needs some new and young players
June 27th, 2011 @ 06:10==========
non voice projects