England v France

[Little Green Man]

Ferdinand off and RICHARDS IN? I really hope Jagielka's going central.

Oh look, both wide men are being changed. There's a surprise....

You'd have thought that those substitutions were along the right lines, but if anything England look even worse.

Bring back Shteve! At least he'd be a cheaper, English know-nowt knobber.

[Gravedigger]

Well, it's only two goals. Perhaps there's a plan to bring on Roy of the Rovers in the last minute. Surely Cappello knows he has to junk the present lot. Thank fcuk Rooney isn't playing.

[Lord Kangana]

Well this is rubbish, so I'm turning over.

Tell me if Bothroyd is as much a saviour of England as Caroll.

[Randy Watson]

Well this is rubbish, so I'm turning over.

Tell me if Bothroyd is as much a saviour of England as Caroll.

Bothroyd 1st touch, given the ball away! Beltin!

[Lord Kangana]

Scratch that, I'm back. Its slightly less boring than The Apprentice.

[Gravedigger]

Well that's one goal back. Should get the next within a couple of hours.

[plymouth wanderer]

QUOTE


Second balls. second balls. If anyone didn't catch it, second balls. Not knock downs. Second balls.

If you're utilising the striker's heading ability, you need to have your supplementary attacking players in a position to feed off the second balls. milner - once. Gerrard - once. Walcott - too busy trying to run really, really fast to think about where he should be to get a second ball.

Allardyce used it well because he utilised the likes of Nolan, Okocha, Stelios, even Campo quite often, and had them in prime positions for the second ball. Still does - look at the goals Blackburn scored last weekend.

Coyle does it well, because he has Elmander buzzing around, Taylor has hung back a little to adopt the Stelios positions, and Lee is often there for the balls that come back from Davies/defender on his side. All about anticipation and reading each other's game - a more difficult prospect during international training sessions than the full time job, but if you're going to play that game - make time to prepare your team for it (although I suppose Carroll spent quite a bit of time on Monday getting his willy rubbed by a physio to make it all better).

I'm telling the wrong people here.



FECK ME SACK CAPELLO MAKE KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab England manager

[TANGODANCER]

P a-the-tique. Second ball? Second best, at just about everything.

[Little Green Man]

P a-the-tique. Second ball? Second best, at just about everything.

Our shirts were better. Say what you like about Capello, the tailoring has improved markedly.

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

OK, positives.....

1) Keiron Gibbs - looked alright defensively, to be honest. The second goal's come from his side, although the entire back line were playing a high line when they shouldn't.
2) Good finish from Peter Crouch. Didn't blast it, the theoretically correct decision is cutting it back across, but for someone seemingly bereft of confidence (based on evidence I saw over the past few weeks), it was a confident thing to do.
3) Andy Carroll showed glimpses that he could be a decent alternative, but it's difficult to stamp any authority as a target man when the movement around you is non-existent.
4) Adam Johnson - that's one wide berth filled. I don't mind which side, because he has the intelligence to use an excellent left foot on either side. Ashley Young - you can be like that if you could get your head up more.
5) Tonight should serve as confirmation that Joleon Lescott should never, ever, ever be higher up any pecking order than Gary Cahill. And that's a positive.

[Harry Genshaw]

Didn't bother watching. The dog needed walking in the first half and the Apprentice clashed with the second.

I'm guessing we once again failed to keep possession.

For any faults Capello may have we wont win anything at international level whilst our players are unable to keep the ball.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Carroll looked decent enough to me,nearest thing to Mark hately we've had since Mark Hately. Could work well with wingers putting crosses in and a quick player running off him. France just have better all round players than us even when both teams are putting out what would have been the reserves in the summer.

[Rated R Superstar]

Only saw the first half. Got annoyed at the commentators creaming themselves over Carroll before it even started. All that "Good, old-fashioned centre forward" "Puts himself about" you know, all the same reasons these media tossrags claim why SKD *shouldn't* be playing for England.

[jmjhb]

Barry out, Muamba in.

[William the White]

I gave it up after 15 to watch a DVD... Then returned for 'highlights'...

I took the right decision... DVD the better bet...

I hate watching England... They are so often so bad and I con't help caring a litle...

[Tombwfc]

I thought it was a very good game and the type of friendly England need to be playing. The easiest thing to do would be to exclusively roll over shit teams at Wembley until the press get off Fabio's back, but we'll only know if we're getting somewhere when we can compete with teams like France.

Carroll, Henderson, Wilshere, Walcott, Jagielka, Johnson are all good players and there's no reason why they shouldn't start against Wales.

[Lord Kangana]

On the contrary, I think it highlights that they remain potential, but as yet none of them looks up to the task of regular first team international football. I think we're now in danger of ripping up th team sheet every other game, to the point where we'll end up playing an U16 side so as we're giving "the kids" a chance.

The major issues that are still to be resolved for England remain producing large amounts of the kind of raw talent that can step up to international football, and then selecting players in form from that expanded pool of talent. I think France have demonstrated tonight that we have still to tackle the first point, and so we cannot enact the second. Yet again we've been beaten by a peer who seems to be more able to get its house in order with regard to a holistic approach to coaching and nurturing of talent.

[Il Pirate]

we were Merde-ed

[BWFC_Insane]

I thought it was a very good game and the type of friendly England need to be playing. The easiest thing to do would be to exclusively roll over shit teams at Wembley until the press get off Fabio's back, but we'll only know if we're getting somewhere when we can compete with teams like France.

Carroll, Henderson, Wilshere, Walcott, Jagielka, Johnson are all good players and there's no reason why they shouldn't start against Wales.

Very good game if you were French.

For England it showed how shit we really are. When we're beaten comfortably by a team who were more embarrassingly bad in the world cup than we were. And on our own turf.

If that list is the "future" England team then what a treat we have to look forwards to.

Capello is a joke and his 6M salary the biggest joke of the lot. He is either taking the piss or clueless, or possibly both.

Oh and LK the apprentice was infinitely more entertaining than that game!

[Lofthouse Lower]

Shit side, shit subs, shit crowd.

Good game though, nice to see England get a toasting. Plus I had Benzema 1st goal and 2-1 France so I was quite happy.

PS - Lescott and Barry<<<<<<<Cahill and Fab