The Official *England's Passage to Paris 2016* Thread

[Duty281]

First topic message reminder :

Onwards, we go. Latest England squad has been named for the friendly against Norway, and the opening qualifier versus Switzerland.

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Everton)
Midfielders: Jack Colback (Newcastle United), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

You know, such a squad does not fill me to the brim with optimism!

Best side we can muster out of that, assuming Roy takes a 4-2-3-1 shape, would probably be:

Hart, Stones, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Henderson, Wilshere, Sterling, Rooney, Oxlade, and Sturridge.

[Crimey]

England always tend to look better once they go ahead, think they just feel a bit less pressure on their shoulders and they are bit more inventive.

[Steffan]

Can't the Switz just like...do something

[Crimey]

I wouldn't say Xavi plays a quarterback role, think for Barcelona and Spain it has always been Busquets or Busquets/Alonso who played that role which sit much deeper. Xavi has always been about sitting right bang in the middle of the pitch and passing it. Think they're similar but definitely different roles.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

God I love Delph, such a good player

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Get up Behrami you pillock

[Crimey]

I've been surprised at how good Delph has been, can't see him staying at Aston Villa if he becomes an England regular, one of the bigger teams will come in for him.

[Crimey]

This is actually quite a good game for an international game.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Any danger of doing your job lino ffs

[The Special Juan]

Please tell me Jones hasn't done his hammy....

[Steffan]

How did he miss that?

[Hammersmith harrier]

You do get rather boring after a while Steffan.

[Steffan]

You do get rather boring after a while Steffan.

Why because I'm watching a football match?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Jagielka worries me greatly

Jones played well I thought

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

That was a pen

[Crimey]

Definitely a penalty.

[compelling and rich]

england playing like i thought we should at the world cup, looking a great threat on the break. swap the slug rooney with a fit again sturridge and it would terrify defenders that front three

were not good enough at keeping the ball against the top sides so counter attack makes sense

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Thought Rooney played well tonight, good game

[Crimey]

You can't really ever escape the feeling watching England that they would be better off dropping Rooney, no matter how the formation is set up he always looks slightly out of place. Especially when you look at how pacey the front line could be.

[The Special Juan]

Ugh.

[Crimey]

Was going to say even before he got that second that surprisingly enough Welbeck was probably the man of the match.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Get in there

[Steffan]

Ah well 2-0 to the mighty world beaters. World Cup Glory in France here we come hey. Night all

[Hammersmith harrier]

Invariably though any goal we score is either assisted or scored by Rooney, take him out the side and we may have more pace but we'll lose that moment of incisiveness.

[compelling and rich]

he slows it all down, wellbeck for england deserves his spot through his form, sturridge has been in better form for club. sterling better at playing 10

[Ent]

Great win for England.

Unlucky for the Swiss, done on the break a few times.

[Crimey]

The problem now is that this was the hardest game England are going to play for the next two years, they're going to get to the tournament proper not really prepared for the same calibre teams.

[compelling and rich]

yeah our group is fecking awful

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Brilliant performance and result, should've been more

Can't wait to see how Owen makes a negative out of this

[The Special Juan]

The problem now is that this was the hardest game England are going to play for the next two years, they're going to get to the tournament proper not really prepared for the same calibre teams.

Nothing like getting those excuses in early eh nudge nudge wink wink.

[Hammersmith harrier]

The European teams in general with the exception of Germany aren't great at the moment, a lot can change in two years.

[hampo17]

Superb result, not sure it was a brilliant performance Olly but a win is a win.

[mystiroakey]

Could and should have been more. But then the swiss could have also had a couple.

2 goal difference about right. Great to see welbeck scoring 2..

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I know you folks aren't Rooney fans and it doesn't fit the narrative of this forum, but he did play well tonight.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Superb result, not sure it was a brilliant performance Olly but a win is a win.

By England standards hampo

[mystiroakey]

I know you folks aren't Rooney fans and it doesn't fit the narrative of this forum, but he did play well tonight.

I am and he played well.

Decent performance.

[compelling and rich]

Invariably though any goal we score is either assisted or scored by Rooney, take him out the side and we may have more pace but we'll lose that moment of incisiveness.

set neither of todays goals up yet still people giving him mom, i thought wellbeck and sterling were both better. although im not saying he was poor tonight.....for a change

[Guest]

What a result, brilliant performance. We've got an excellent manager too. Everything is looking very rosy for England now. Welbeck was sensational, who says he can't finish or hit a barn door? Wenger has got steal with that signing.

I'm buzzing now for our next game.

[mystiroakey]

I've been surprised at how good Delph has been, can't see him staying at Aston Villa if he becomes an England regular, one of the bigger teams will come in for him.

After an absolutely insane first 15 minutes where I thought he was odds on to be sent off. He played really well. Hodgson does have a bit of talent in picking these players that not many others would have the balls to.

I slate Roy enough. But in this case he was proved right. I would have subbed him out after 15. Good to see he handled himself well after that initial risky start.

[spencerclarke]

Very pleased for welbeck after all the stick he receives. Rooney played well too. Looked a lot more confident after the powerful run for the first goal.

Some good plus points but lots still to improve on. Good game all round and a big three points. Well done boys.

[Mat]

Go on Roy! What a top man!

[Guest]

Go on Roy! What a top man!

Hear, Hear!

[mystiroakey]

I think the world went mad underestimating us and overrating the swiss.

We also have the scope to improve ten fold. That is the swiss at there best. There isn't much more to them.

Easiest 2/1 you with ever get. Also had england to top the group at 5/1.. That will be under evens now.. Insane.. Love the English reactionary betters.. Pays me out all day long.

And as I said before. Play welbeck up front and he scores.  Wenger has one of the buys of the season.

[Mat]

Go on Roy! What a top man!

Hear, Hear!

Don't know if you're taking the proverbial or not, but don't really care either way.

[Duty281]

Yes, two fingers to the English media. Roy Hodgson reigns once more in the land where he was once the King.

The laughs given by the negative brigade after Norway (not just on here, might I add) cheered one up a great deal, but at the serious end, England do the business. Funnily enough, this game was not too far apart from the Italy match a few months ago, but the scoreline could not be any more different.

Now England shall sail to the top of the group with aplomb, before marching on Paris against, Germany apart, a very weak continent. Did I see Portugal lose at home to Albania? Germany squeak past Scotland? This country would gave collapsed in on itself had either of those happened to England!

Onwards England.

[Hero]

The delusional hysteria for the next two years shall now begin.

Yes we just beat a semi decent side in Switzerland, the toughest game in the group. Yes we should walk over the other teams.

And then we'll get to the Euros and get embarrassed once more before a short inquest into what's wrong with the English game, nothing is done about it, we win one game v a semi decent team and the cycle repeats itself towards the Russia WC.

[NickisBHAFC]

Fantastic win and a refreshing performance. The block from Cahill, the pub celebrated it more than the 2 goals! Welbeck was class. Brings starting to look good again!

[mystiroakey]

The hysteria now means no point in betting on England. But the hysteria about how bad we are is the time to put those bets on.

We will probally score another 30 goals this campaign.. Its not going to prove a thing. But that's what happens during these easy qualifying campaigns..

And this one is as easy as it has ever been . kind of annoying really. There should be another way.

Stick the top 18 teams in three groups instead and give the top 4 in each spots. Pick the other 12 from the rest... That would give us high quality games at least.

This campaign will be the most boring for all the big teams ever

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Weird, last page doesnt have any of Owen's comments after England play well and win...

[Duty281]

The delusional hysteria for the next two years shall now begin.

Yes we just beat a semi decent side in Switzerland, the toughest game in the group. Yes we should walk over the other teams.

And then we'll get to the Euros and get embarrassed once more before a short inquest into what's wrong with the English game, nothing is done about it, we win one game v a semi decent team and the cycle repeats itself towards the Russia WC.

The second best team in the world needed two hours, on neutral turf, to defeat the Swiss. Pah.

England stroll into the Swiss zone, score two, and march homewards. That is how you do it.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Weird, last page doesnt have any of Owen's comments after England play well and win...

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