KB1862

@Chris agree with most of that being said. A mate of mine is a Villa fan and in regards to Mings we both agree there's other defenders out there more deserving of a place in the England set up than Mings. Don't get me wrong Mings can have his good days but they're very rare. The media situation in the UK is bad no matter what position they play. As soon as a young player comes through they hype them up to the point there's to much pressure. Look at Walcott for example. He was hyped up to be a star but once he didn't live up to the hype they expected, they slammed him down and he didn't really recover from that either. Robinson was a brilliant goalkeeper especially his days at Blackburn but I don't think he could handle the pressure needed to be England's number 1. Mostly because of off the pitch pressure. At the minute, the England set up front to back is one of the best we've ever had. Strangely though, it's more defensive than offensive that England are particularly good at these days. Pickford is a huge compliment to this. He commands the back line like a goalkeeper should. He's not afraid to shout, give instructions or help the defence out when needed. His whole attitude is what is needed to keep the discipline of the back line. With Joe Hart, his loan spell at Birmingham made him a star. At Man City he deserved his push but there was always something about him on a personal level that Roy Keane and Pirlo were right about he was abit too Cocky for his own good and that led him to his dimise. I do however feel sorry for him as he's been unfairly treated by Pep. For me, you can't judge a goalkeeper based on how they play at their feet. In today's game obviously it's a huge helping hand because it's how the game has evolved but I'd much rather have a keeper who can deal with one on one's and shot stopping rather than a keeper that can play with the ball at his feet. John Stones for England is an outstanding defender and he plays his own way. But, just like many other English players, he made the wrong move to a "bigger" club and has paid the penalty for it. He deserved a move away sure but just like many others it's not all dreams to do such a thing. It helped him become a regular feature for England though. I've been a fan of Joe Gomez for some years now and when he partnered Stones for the game against Croatia in the Nations League he looked set to make it his own but injuries hampered him at a crucial time. For me, Coady deserves more appreciation. Everything about him is what England need. A vocal player that can ping balls up field and wears his heart on his sleeves. No one, at least not for a while, will ever meet the standards of Shilton Banks or Seaman but like Pickford he's coming a long well. He thrives on the big occasions and very rarely let's England down at important times.

Incase no one knew, Kasper Schmeichel has a documentary on Tuesday night on ITV4 at 10pm. I wrote a piece about Schmeichel last year. https://downthewritewing.wordpress.com/2021/05/25/kasper-schmeichel-living-up-to-the-name/

@Fozzy 100% agree. Pickford is our best since Seaman. His form in both tournaments has been excellent and especially in the euros. Seaman was falling out of favour at Arsenal around that time as well so it was inevitable that his time for England was ending. Its a shame it ended the way it did though. @DangerousSausage as a goalkeeper myself, I agree with your point and I have done a seperate post on the blog. https://downthewritewing.wordpress.com/2021/04/27/the-goalkeeper-position/ I've been known to say multiple times that a goalkeeper could have a stellar game saving 7 one on one's 2 penalties and keeping the score down but one mistake is all they'll be known for. As opposed to a striker who could miss 4 one on one's, 2 open goals and a penalty but if they grab a winning goal all that is forgotten. The phrase cursed life seems to fit with the examples because they play fantastically well but as soon as they grab the number 1 Jersey they fall off form whether it's about not being good enough or complacency. David James was brilliant when called upon for England, maybe its a blessing he was called up when he was rather than his earlier days when he was prone to errors and earnt the nickname.

@menzinho Ramsdale absolutely deserves a shot. It is crazy and I know goalkeepers make mistakes but it's just crazy for me how they become more prone to mistakes once they become the go to goalkeepers or in with a chance. Pickford is prone to them for Everton but for England in tournaments he's phenomenal.

A post I wrote on a blog about becoming England's number 1 and the possible curse placed on them. https://downthewritewing.wordpress.com/2022/01/06/becoming-englands-goalkeeper-a-cursed-life/

Huddersfield Town 1-1 Millwall Swansea City 2-0 Peterborough United Cambridge United 0-1 AFC Wimbledon Portsmouth 2-1 Bolton Wanderers Barrow 1-3 Rochdale Leyton Orient 3-1 Hartlepool United Bromley 2-2 Halifax Town. Joker. Eastleigh 0-1 Maidenhead United

Millwall 1-1 Luton Town Nottingham Forest 2-1 Blackpool Cambridge United 0-3 Ipswich Town Fleetwood Town 2-2 Crewe Alexandra Lincoln City 1-3 Charlton Athletic. Joker. Bradford City 3-0 Bristol Rovers Crawley Town 1-1 Sutton United Exeter City 1-0 Newport County

@Chris I don't like sweetcorn. Saying that I don't particularly like much veg

@Piethagoram few months ago I would have agreed but having had it on pizza a few times, it works well. @Chris you make a good point.

I like most fruit tbf. A few weeks back I tried a grapefruit. Something I've never tried but always wanted too. Wasn't what I was expecting But, I'd have to say my favourite fruit are red grapes. Pears are great but they have to be red for them to be

@Chris I like the qualifying games that seems more competitive. Like when England played Poland it was a more enjoyable game than the ones v Andorra and San Marino. I'll watch the qualifiers but I don't get too caught up in them like I would in the actual tournaments.

@TheSkipper teams play their strongest teams in the nations league where as qualifiers teams give fringe players game time, example England v Andorra Saturday night. I believe Nations League is a way forward because it brings competition to teams rather than qualifiers v minnows aswell as allowing minnows to get games against equal opponents rather than getting thrashed all the time.

@DonnyNotts I agree mate, it's not until the tournaments that players or anyone else really seems to give a damn. I truly believe that if it was made more competitive, there would be more appeal to it. Too many games that seem unnecessary for teams to pick their best. Example, the game v Andorra last night.

A piece I've written on changes that need to be made for International football. https://downthewritewing.wordpress.com/2021/10/10/international-football-changes-to-be-made/

Let's hope it goes as well as it did for me on Football Manager