England - Ecuador

[Batman]

The Plusses:

Ecuador weren't as good as we thought they'd be.
Rooney lasted the full ninety minutes and got better as the game went on.
Lennon was excellent, albeit for the final five minutes - should have been on earlier.
Hargreaves was a better option than Carragher at right-back - Carragher and Beckham is a no-no.
Robinson took a sneaky time-out when England were reeling.
Carrick played well - much better than most people here would have predicted.
Beckham's defensive duties improved - thank God!
The only Tech Support call I got during the game was at half-time.
I'm thinking of moving to Ecuador. Hubba-hubba!

The Minusses:

The service to Rooney for most of the game was poor.
Someone's stolen Fat Frank's shooting boots. That's not big or clever. Give them back now!
Robinson is giving me the heebie-jeebies. The trouble is the alternatives are heebier-jeebier.
Robinson is kicking out of hand far too often and giving the ball away.
Beckham's attacking contribution, other than the goal, was limited. But what a goal!
The first substitution seemed to be another Sven special. Shut up shop but leave the back door open.
Bald, middle-aged, fat, tattoed, cockerninny England fans please stop singing 'Rule Britannia'. Britain's not playing.
Sven and MacLaren are still having trouble solving that Sudoku grid.
I'm going to have to improve my Spanish before getting that ticket to Quito.

Isn't it great! Fat Frank can't score for toffee in an England shirt, but put him on the Reebok pitch and he can't miss!!

Thank goodness someone else has noticed! Your singing about a nation that has a country that openly supports every team we play against!!

See my revised signature for details

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

Hargreaves did well.

Thanks Tango man - somebody thinking the same as me

He certainly did do well, and there is no denying it. It's interesting that the right back slot has become as much of a problem for us as the left wing was since Neville got injured. I always feel that Beckham plays much better with Neville at right back.

[Little Green Man]

Isn't it great! Fat Frank can't score for toffee in an England shirt, but put him on the Reebok pitch and he can't miss!!

Thank goodness someone else has noticed! Your singing about a nation that has a country that openly supports every team we play against!!

I think part of Lumpy Lampard's problem is that there haven't been enough defenders in the way for him to get a handy deflection off.

As to the Rule Britannia bit, I walked into the local Debenhams (which spookily enough is where the Britannia is moored) and the first thing I clapped my eyes on was a 'I'm Supporting Ecuador' T-shirt on one of the shop dummies.

[Frankie Wanderer]

Hargreaves did well.

Thanks Tango man - somebody thinking the same as me

He certainly did do well, and there is no denying it. It's interesting that the right back slot has become as much of a problem for us as the left wing was since Neville got injured. I always feel that Beckham plays much better with Neville at right back.

Ooh - the fan base gets bigger - The guy has " so " much energy. Then again I watch him week in week out ... but I am glad to say I am NO Munich Supporter

[Batman]

The Britannia is moored in Debenhams?

[Little Green Man]

The Plusses:

Ecuador weren't as good as we thought they'd be.
Rooney lasted the full ninety minutes and got better as the game went on.
Lennon was excellent, albeit for the final five minutes - should have been on earlier.
Hargreaves was a better option than Carragher at right-back - Carragher and Beckham is a no-no.
Robinson took a sneaky time-out when England were reeling.
Carrick played well - much better than most people here would have predicted.
Beckham's defensive duties improved - thank God!
The only Tech Support call I got during the game was at half-time.
I'm thinking of moving to Ecuador. Hubba-hubba!

The Minusses:

The service to Rooney for most of the game was poor.
Someone's stolen Fat Frank's shooting boots. That's not big or clever. Give them back now!
Robinson is giving me the heebie-jeebies. The trouble is the alternatives are heebier-jeebier.
Robinson is kicking out of hand far too often and giving the ball away.
Beckham's attacking contribution, other than the goal, was limited. But what a goal!
The first substitution seemed to be another Sven special. Shut up shop but leave the back door open.
Bald, middle-aged, fat, tattoed, cockerninny England fans please stop singing 'Rule Britannia'. Britain's not playing.
Sven and MacLaren are still having trouble solving that Sudoku grid.
I'm going to have to improve my Spanish before getting that ticket to Quito.

Isn't it great! Fat Frank can't score for toffee in an England shirt, but put him on the Reebok pitch and he can't miss!!

Thank goodness someone else has noticed! Your singing about a nation that has a country that openly supports every team we play against!!

See my revised signature for details

I had. I wish they'd stop singing 'God Save the Queen' too. The Queen couldn't give two hoots about football. When did you last see her at a cup final? Not only that, she's the Queen of Scotland too, so she's probably supporting the other lot.

[Frankie Wanderer]

the first thing I clapped my eyes on was a 'I'm Supporting Ecuador' T-shirt on one of the shop dummies.

Given that your Avatar looks like a you could be an extra on " Dads Army " I hoped you " lobbed " a grenade in the general direction

Note: I guess it REALLY is not you

[Little Green Man]

The Britannia is moored in Debenhams?

As good as.

Handy though if they want to keel-haul Jeff Banks for his latest disappointing mid-range collection of clothes.

[Little Green Man]

the first thing I clapped my eyes on was a 'I'm Supporting Ecuador' T-shirt on one of the shop dummies.

Given that your Avatar looks like a you could be an extra on " Dads Army " I hoped you " lobbed " a grenade in the general direction

Note: I guess it REALLY is not you

I'm not that old!

[Frankie Wanderer]

the first thing I clapped my eyes on was a 'I'm Supporting Ecuador' T-shirt on one of the shop dummies.

Given that your Avatar looks like a you could be an extra on " Dads Army " I hoped you " lobbed " a grenade in the general direction

Note: I guess it REALLY is not you

I'm not that old!

Neither was Ian Lavender at the time

[John Doe]

Is anyone else getting a bit fed up with beckham trotting out the tired 'we know we can play better' line at the end of every match? Well go on then, because if we don't raise it for next saturdays game then another quarter final exit looms large.

[Batman]

the first thing I clapped my eyes on was a 'I'm Supporting Ecuador' T-shirt on one of the shop dummies.

Given that your Avatar looks like a you could be an extra on " Dads Army " I hoped you " lobbed " a grenade in the general direction

Note: I guess it REALLY is not you

I'm not that old!

Neither was Ian Lavender at the time

Don't tell him Pike!

[Le Snake]

Bald, middle-aged, fat, tattoed, cockerninny England fans please stop singing 'Rule Britannia'. Britain's not playing.

According to Spanish TV, you are mistaken. England are 'la selección britanica'.

[fanz]

absolutely pathetic, no excuses. Beckham and Lampard need picking on especially, not just poor but an embarrasment to the nation. Why home in on his equally pathetic wife after the goal, she has done nothing for football, home in on Sir Geoff or Sir Bobby by all means but not a cheap slut who saw a meal ticket from an early age. Out next round regardless of whether it's Portugal or Holland, they are both miles ahead of us.

[Batman]

I would rather watch Posh and that Tweedy bird in a lesbian sex romp than Hurst and Charlton in a 2 way sex marathon.

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

absolutely pathetic, no excuses. Beckham and Lampard need picking on especially, not just poor but an embarrasment to the nation. Why home in on his equally pathetic wife after the goal, she has done nothing for football, home in on Sir Geoff or Sir Bobby by all means but not a cheap slut who saw a meal ticket from an early age. Out next round regardless of whether it's Portugal or Holland, they are both miles ahead of us.

I read who was posting, then read the first two words and had a good old grin to myself.

Thanks for brightening up my day!!

[fanz]

absolutely pathetic, no excuses. Beckham and Lampard need picking on especially, not just poor but an embarrasment to the nation. Why home in on his equally pathetic wife after the goal, she has done nothing for football, home in on Sir Geoff or Sir Bobby by all means but not a cheap slut who saw a meal ticket from an early age. Out next round regardless of whether it's Portugal or Holland, they are both miles ahead of us.

I read who was posting, then read the first two words and had a good old grin to myself.

Thanks for brightening up my day!!

You enjoyed the game then?

[communistworkethic]

On the whole I'd say it was a reasonable performance, there were a few players who need to have a serious look at themselves after that game and the manager is stealing a living but the indicators were there that they are improving as a team.
Given this was an alien formation, lots of goal scoaring chances were not going to come easy but the second half saw a more fluid attacking performance. The team also kept possession much better than they have done in previous games.

[fanz]

On the whole I'd say it was a reasonable performance, there were a few players who need to have a serious look at themselves after that game and the manager is stealing a living but the indicators were there that they are improving as a team.
Given this was an alien formation, lots of goal scoaring chances were not going to come easy but the second half saw a more fluid attacking performance. The team also kept possession much better than they have done in previous games.

Reasonable performance? Now I know why you think Allardyce is a good manager. I expect you will have a ready made excuse for when Maclaren doesn't qualify for the Euro's? Absolute shit, you type of people have no idea what the game of football means. If we had played like Mexico last night and gone out to Ecuador I could have taken it but to play as poorly as we did and score a stuffy free kick was pathetic. The nation should hang it's head in shame.

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

absolutely pathetic, no excuses. Beckham and Lampard need picking on especially, not just poor but an embarrasment to the nation. Why home in on his equally pathetic wife after the goal, she has done nothing for football, home in on Sir Geoff or Sir Bobby by all means but not a cheap slut who saw a meal ticket from an early age. Out next round regardless of whether it's Portugal or Holland, they are both miles ahead of us.

I read who was posting, then read the first two words and had a good old grin to myself.

Thanks for brightening up my day!!

You enjoyed the game then?

There were things in the game that I enjoyed. Rooney for one, he looked hungry and willing to run for everything. He also brought that touch of class up front that we have been missing. I enjoyed Carrick playing the holding role. Up until now we have never really had anyone we could say was able to operate in that role.

What this means is two different dimensions that the England team can play in effectively rather then due to necessity.

The match wasn't great but this is the World Cup for crying out loud! The result is much more important then the entertainment value!!

Ask those England fans that were there and are singing and dancing in the streets tonight if it was "Absolutely pathetic"

I totally agree with you in reference to panning into that skinny ‘shouldn’t have been’ though!!