KB1862

@liampie had Vardy gone for the corner, Vicario was never gonna stop it and it was still a save that needed to be made. The build up play was good to watch. Against a team like Spurs who like to play a high line under Ange this was a way to exploit it.

Got asked about Damian McCrory about a month or 2 ago by my Wife and Kids. They asked if I had heard of a footballer by the name of McCrory and it turns out he has a daughter that goes to the same school as my kids. Apparently, he's often there during pick up times. Don't think I've spotted him though, maybe I have but just didn't twig at the time.

I'm not convinced from the camera angle. It looks as though there's a genuine attempt to play the ball but the ball was knocked past as the challenge came in. Even if players win the ball with a full blooded challenge these days, it's still deemed a foul. A player could win the ball cleanly after going in full blooded but if it causes a leg break, it's automatically seen as a red card offence despite being a great challenge. (not saying that the challenge shown in the video is this but in general) Serious foul play should be a red card offence but only if there is genuinely an attempt from the challenging player to crunch another with the intentions of wiping them clean out and possibly causing serious injury.

Henry Winter has a good insight for the next England manager Jurgen Klopp - Would play high pressing football. He also took on the parent role, like Southgate did, and was adored by the fans because he embraced the culture of Liverpool. He'd continue the harmony between fans and players but would he be tempted by International football? It's less intense than club football in which he wants a break from due to the tiring nature of it. Even if he wanted International management would he rather Germany only or would England be an open position for him to take on? Poch - As in Henry Winter's post has worked with youngsters in a positive way and plays decent football. He was unlucky to be let go by Chelsea, thought he did a good job once he implemented his style. Graham Potter - Deemed to have failed at Chelsea but it was always a tough job. People forget how good of a job he did at Brighton. He had them playing beautiful football that was good on the eye and was successful at doing so. His style laid the foundations for "De Zerbi ball" which had many people raving about Brighton. Eddie Howe - Plays a type of football that would be what this crop of English players would benefit from. He's stated he'd be open to taken the reigns. Lee Carsley - Has gone through the ranks and won the Euros with the u21s. Wouldn't be a statement making appointment but could turn doubters into believers. Pep Guardiola - very unlikely but not impossible. Only has a year left on his City contract and I'm certain he's wanting International management but doesn't want the Spain job. If the FA goes about it the right way, he might be tempted. Give him the last year at City then take the reigns afterwards with an interim taking charge of qualifiers and Nations League games beforehand. We all know how exciting and attractive his football is. Would definitely be able to get the best out of the players. As good as players they were the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney shouldn't be considered but I wouldn't put it past the FA to have talks or even consider them at some point.

@Robbie Donnarumma of Italy and Mamardashvilli of Georgia can feel unlucky not to have been selected ahead of Maignan. But I'm guessing they based it more on who got further in the tournament. No surprise to see those Spanish players in there, they fully deserve it. Especially Fabian, he was excellent during the tournament. Him and Olmo were players of the tournament for me. Kyle Walker had a good tournament, unfortunately his only bad game was in the final. Guehi can feel hard done to to have not made it in this squad, for a first major tournament and given our defence was deemed our weakest link he was solid throughout. Guehi?

@Wheelbarrow repair man The squad does look good, especially with the addressing of defensive needs, and with a few more additions for squad depth I'd be looking at finishing in the play off positions possibly pushing for an automatic position.

Wouldn't put it past the FA to do exactly this. He may be tactically inept and his in game management as well as loyalty to players can be at fault for him not being able to get us over the line but this is why I'm glad it was his decision to part ways because of, as I've mentioned previously, how he's galvanised the team from rock bottom to getting fans cheering again and having a team to be proud of. Southgate has laid the foundations for someone to come in who can actually deliver and get us over the line.

I've got this match on DVD and have watched it numerous times. It's in black and white but I feel like it's the only way to watch it. My personal preference is to watch it in black and white rather than in colour.

Both of these had a good chance to have a decent run in the team but unfortunately as you've pointed out the fee is set.

Maybe that's something for the owners to look in to. Reserve games just don't seem to be the same as they once were though even at the higher levels. But this would be a good way to integrate youth players in to the first team to see if they're up to scratch or not. Even if it's playing them in something like the EFL Trophy. I mean they have Premier League youth teams in there (which I still don't agree with) so why not give them a shot against them? It gives youth players a run out to see if they are capable and it also allows some of the senior squad some rest to focus more on the league. As for the loaning out to teams further down, in some cases it can prove beneficial because it's a tougher game. But, maybe loaning out to same level or higher would be a good idea to improve them further.

Southgate was always going to step down as England manager after the Euros whether that was going out on a high by lifting the trophy or a low by losing in the final. I am glad though that it was left to Southgate to make his own decision though. However, I agree with both @Robbie and @Wheelbarrow repair man both make very good points. Southgate just never got the job done despite falling on the easy side of the draw once again. I'll give Southgate his credit for getting us to these stages but with the squad at his disposal, we should be expected to reach these levels. The only exception was the 2018 World Cup where we over achieved. Even then it was a missed opportunity. World Cup 86 - England lost to an Argentina team with Maradona. Both goals should have been ruled out. World Cup 90 - Lost in the semi final to Germany on penalties. Euro 96 - Beat a Netherlands team 4-1 that consisted of Van Der Sar, Kluivert, Seedorf, De Boer, Bergkamp. Lost to Germany in the semi final on penalties. World Cup 98 - Took Argentina to penalties playing with 10 men for 70+ minutes and having a goal wrongly disallowed by Sol Campbell. World Cup 2002 - Lost to Brazil (R9, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Cafu) Euro 2004 - France (Zidane, Henry, Trezeguet) Lost to Portugal (Rui Costa, Deco, CR7, Figo) despite having another perfectly good Sol Campbell goal disallowed. World Cup 2006 - Lost to Portugal (Figo, Rui Costa, CR7). These teams, especially the golden generation, were considered failures. Even despite managing to go toe to toe with some of the biggest teams around. Even when you consider the level of opposition in the tournaments Sam Cunningham mentions in @Piethagoram post. Germany in 2010, played both France and Italy in 2012, Italy and Uruguay in 2014. The only inexcusable one was 2016. Southgate's England in 29 games against teams ranked in the top 10 of the World Rankings have won just 7. In the last 3 tournaments when they've come up against the bigger teams, we've lost. Italy in 2021, France in 2022 and Spain in 2024. I'm all for the media and fans praising Southgate for what he's done in terms of harmonising the squad and fans, bringing the unity back to the Nation after hitting rock bottom in 2016 and reaching the stages he has but there needs to be perspective when claiming Southgate to be the best manager since Sir Alf Ramsay. Especially considering only Sir Bobby Robson (since Alf) has managed England for as long as Southgate has. But, back then the Euros only consisted of 8 teams rather than 24 that is today. Southgate's England have not come up against top level opposition like previous teams. It's been relatively straight forward or at least easier than previous tournaments. Even so, we came close to messing that up against Slovakia.

@TheSkipper Totally agree with the Marc Guehi comment. He's been quite possibly our best player this tournament and if he's not our best he's definitely in the conversation for being our best player of the tournament. Can't fault his displays. Harry Kane should have been dropped 3 or 4 games before the final. He was not right all tournament, later on Southgate admitted he wasn't quite match fit going in to the tournament which begs the question why wasn't he subbed or dropped sooner? Spain were open all tournament when they got attacked. Every game they played in and teams broke at them, their defence showed cracks that they could be got at but as @Robbie said we just sat back once we got level and that's been a key part of England under Southgate. People have been saying it was the players not applying themselves and going cautious on their own accord rather than Southgate instructing them but if that was the case, again as @Robbie said, Southgate has to be bolder and make the necessary changes to change the mentality and get them attacking again.

@liampie I think he would do it with honour of course, he's spent enough years here to love the place particularly Liverpool. But, being a German in charge of England if things go bad the criticism will be off the scales due to this reason. There's not many English managers to take chances on really. Eddie Howe, who you've mentioned, is the clear choice when talking of English managers. Behind him there's Graham Potter and probably Sean Dyche in the mix. Other than them, there's the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. None of which stand out as a potential England manager. We just don't seem to produce many English managers to do a job like the likes of Spain do. So I think a foreign option could be the way to go but it has to be someone who has worked in this country and system before. Pochettino doesn't get enough mentions. Ange Postecoglu is another that could be worth a punt on. Lee Carsley will be the man the FA take a gamble on to succeed Southgate given his work with the u21s.

But then you're losing out on potential transfer fees with the sale of players coming through the academy which could potentially be more financially beneficial to the club more than saving money on an academy being closed. A braver coach might be a good option to take the chances on these players but again it comes back to the point that I made about being a League Two club. Young player breaks through - has regular first team football - clubs start looking into player - club higher up offers a transfer fee that the club can't turn down - player gets sold.

@Robbie I agree, it feels like this was a huge missed opportunity. Me personally I would be more gutted about England losing a final. Last night I wasn't too gutted because I had low expectations going in to the tournament and Spain were by far the better team in the tournament and it proved to be closer than I would have thought. However, when England lost to Italy in the Euros final 3 years ago that really hurt. It was devastating to lose on penalties. The other reason I'd say England losing a final is that, there is the long wait of 2 years to go again in a major tournament, if they qualify, where as in club football you go again a few months later for a whole season and another shot.

@Piethagoram Having a German in charge of the England National team doesn't quite sound right but Klopp could be what this crop of England talent need. His style of play and the way he sets his teams up could really get the best out of the players. I agree with @Wheelbarrow repair man I think the only thing that would tempt him would be the German National team.

I agree with this. Palmer and Gordon deserved more of an opportunity and Gareth Southgate didn't know what to do with the creative talent. Spain were undoubtedly the best team of the tournament by far and they were also the better team last night but what makes it slightly frustrating is that England helped them look like the better team. Spain have always been a team that handles possession, breaks lines and has a lot of creative spark when they get in to the final third which they did last night but we allowed them to play there game. England were set up in a low block, counter attacking set up that allowed Spain to play to their strengths passing the ball around and making motions forward. The winning goal could have been avoided had players been closing down the ball quicker and stepping up to players receiving the ball. When Spain played France, the French were at them not giving them a moment on the ball and it forced them to play long balls at times and it was the only time this tournament that Spain looked like they may not have all the answers even though they still got through. Whenever we broke at their defence, they didn't seem to be very comfortable when defending our advances but the way the team was set up meant that was limited and we were starved of the ball. They have shown cracks in their defence all tournament, when they conceded possession, but it wasn't exploited enough. You have to feel that had we been more adventurous and taking them on the front foot that we may have been in with more of a chance. We got the goal back and then proceeded to sit back when it was clear to see that we had the better of their defence.

@Wheelbarrow repair man Agree with the points you have made in this. Brian Clough was more than good enough to become England manager and quite possibly should have, taking nothing away from Sir Bobby Robson, but with the way Brian Clough was the FA wouldn't have been able to handle him the same way they would have wanted. He'd have done it his way and stuck to his guns never giving in to the pressure. I remember reading that about Walter Winterbottom in a book and wasn't it Alf Ramsay who came in and stamped his authority on the FA and told them he should be the one to select teams rather than a committee? Southgate does appear to be a yes man but I think the tactics are his own, being a defender himself. Whether it's true or not only Southgate and the FA will know.

Unfortunately, the best team won the tournament. Spain played and beat Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and England on their route to lifting the trophy. As the saying goes "To be the best you have to beat the best" and that's exactly what Spain did. Breaking multiple records along the way.

@Wheelbarrow repair man I get the point in the post that players just seem to graduate and are given limited opportunities and the club tends to send them out on loan to gain experience but then never breaking through to the senior squad before ultimately being sold off. It can be frustrating seeing this happen to many players especially the likes of Brooks, Mahovo and Munakandafa who probably all were capable of having a shot but to reiterate @True Magpie point, maybe Notts just haven't got the facilities or capabilities that other clubs have at their disposal to help them along and reach their full potential. Curtis Thompson, another player you mentioned in this post, was a great player who should've been kept on rather than sold. He shown he was capable while he was at Notts and went on to further show himself as a good player at Wycombe. There may be players who manage to break through but unfortunately being a League Two club, those players who break through will be sold off to clubs higher up as it will generate an income for the club, the player will have a better chance of reaching their potential and it's hard for a club such as ourselves to say no to and deprive these players of opportunities like these to move up.

I've often been critical of Southgate but only because the way he sets up tactically isn't up to scratch. His in game management is poor as we've seen with late substitutions, lack of changes and not being able to make the necessary changes to impact the game. He just doesn't have the ability to do so. This got exposed in the games against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi final and against Italy in the Euro 2020 final. However, what I will say for Southgate to his credit is that he made supporting England joyful again (tactics aside). What Southgate did was he ended the cliques that have hindered the National team for years and changed the perception of how the fans see the England squad by humanising the players. Everything he has done off the pitch has been remarkable and no matter how much people criticise him (myself included) he deserves praise for doing that. He took over an England side that were at the lowest of lows following a humiliating defeat to Iceland in Euro 2016, everyone was at rock bottom but he came in addressed the issue and took us from rock bottom to where we are now. I do feel like it is time for Southgate to step down as England manager though. He has laid the foundations for success but he's taken us as far as he can. I don't think he's capable of getting over that line, under Southgate we'll always be that nearly team but the foundations have been set by Southgate for someone to come in and get us over that line. With the group of players he now has at his disposal, this tournament was a huge missed opportunity. I don't think the players are suited to his way of playing and I don't think he's suited to the players he has. 100% agree with this. This is another example of what has let Southgate down as a manager, his loyalty to players has been detrimental to the squad. I've mentioned the prospect of doing this before. Kane likes to drop deep which is fine at times as he can distribute the ball but when he's a lone striker he can not be doing this and Southgate has needed to address this but when it happens every game, you have to think it's part of the tactics. Having someone like Watkins up top with Kane allows Kane to drop deep and Watkins to run in behind. It worked in the 2018 World Cup when Southgate played Sterling just off of Harry Kane. This is a worthwhile listen. They all hit the nail on the head when they talk about Southgate's future. Agreed. Southgate, by playing Kane when he doesn't look fit and even admitted after the game last night that he came into the tournament with a lack of games, has almost practically put Kane in the firing line rather than allowing him to recover or changing it up.

The problem is with the quota set about having to have a certain amount of home grown talent to meet the quota when registering a squad. Clubs exploit the loophole with this. Take a look at Manchester City, they have Scott Carson sitting as a 3rd choice keeper with no real intention of playing him he is only there to meet the homegrown talent quota. PL clubs seem to go for foreign imports rather than homegrown players. I understand the figures as @Piethagoram has pointed out as to why they do go more for foreign players rather than homegrown but even when clubs do take a chance on signing a homegrown talent from either the lower half of the PL or in the EFL, they seem to waste away on the bench, loaned out or get limited opportunities before being sold on. As @Robbie has said, Spain have a majority homegrown in their clubs maybe it's time we try do that in England to encourage clubs to do the same thing. Even in Germany, they have a brilliant reputation of developing talent. Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham enhanced themselves in the Bundesliga. Germany's u21 team that beat England u21s in 2009 consisted of players like Boateng, Neuer and Ozil. Altogether that squad from 2009 went on to win over 400 caps for the senior team winning a World Cup in the process. The England u21's however have about 300 less caps with James Milner having the most at 61. There's a combination of problems with the system from a lack of homegrown players playing for the top clubs in England to not bringing through the young talent of the u21s to the senior side. Luis De La Fuente coached the youth teams of Spain and has brought from those youngsters and they have all gelled well together. Maybe it's something the FA should look into doing more of.

What's everyone's recommendations on sizing for the shirts? As in previous seasons some have said go a size or 2 higher. Also noticed this when I went on to the club shop website...

I read and heard it's also the latest goal ever scored in a Euros semi final during regulation time as well.

Jatta or Scott will get it but it depends on who we bring in before squad numbers are assigned. I agree with @liampie numbers don't seem to mean anything these days as they once did.