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

[FootballLight]

First topic message reminder :

Sorry 24, I'm thinking of the World Cup again.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

He's the English Eboue

[Alistair]

I was trying to make the point that people like McNulty start tossing out these Starting XI's for the Euro's with all this football left to play. There's nothing to say that any of those players i named couldn't go through the form of their lives in the amount of time we have until the first game.

The players i listed are those that IF they were in the form of their lives is the XI you would probably take at the moment. That's not to say that someone like Galloway etc isn't good enough, it's also based on experience.

I don't rate Clyne or Walker, but for me, Walker at the top of his game (however rare it is) is a better RB than Clyne. I don't rate Rooney, never have, but doesn't mean on his day he isn't a great player.

[Stella]

Not sure many rate Walker, but to laugh at someone who does is a little immature. Remember he does play for England and Tottenham, so people who know more about Football than us, must see something. Plus, is Clyne that great? Who else? some CB who is asked to play at RB cos the options are limited.

[Alistair]

Not sure many rate Walker, but to laugh at someone who does is a little immature. Remember he does play for England and Tottenham, so people who know more about Football than us, must see something. Plus, is Clyne that great? Who else? some CB who is asked to play at RB cos the options are limited.

He's pacy and attacking, which seems to be the flavour of the month with England at the moment.

We haven't had a decent Right Back since Gary Neville. Plenty have tried, and some have been truly woeful (Mills!).

[Stella]

I wasn't a massive fan of Neville, if I'm being honest :-) Did work well with Beckham going forward but he was a bit of a ball watcher.

[Guest]

Being pacey & attacking is flavour of the month, when you face dire opposition in a qualifying group of utter turd opposition. When the step up arrives at the Euro's, I want a defender who can defend properly & is more able defensively, than offensively, seeing as our full backs won't be involved much in the final third, if we don't have the ball & that will almost certainly be the case against top opposition. Clyne might not be world class, but he's a safer bet than the liability & injury proned Walker, who hasn't done anything of note for about three seasons.

[CFCNick]

Kyle Walker is sh!te

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I do think we might well see Clyne exposed too. He isnt better than Baines was at the World Cup and Baines didnt look too grand.

[Alistair]

Long shot, but what about Richards?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Jesus, Alistair. No Have a word with yourself.

[Alistair]

Calm down, Dolphin.

[Duty281]

Jesus, Alistair. No Have a word with yourself.

We're in agreement!

And England have been put into pot 1. That means no Spain/Germany/Portugal in the group, but it could leave the English with another game against Italy.

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/finals/news/newsid=2293579.html#uefa+euro+2016+draw+pots+take+shape

[Stella]

Play 3 at the back and take the problem away.

[Steffan]

Long shot, but what about Richards?

Even if he had a Welsh grandmother he wouldn't get in the Wales team

[Guest]

If all seeds win in the playoffs
Pot 1: France, Spain, Germany, England, Portugal, Belgium
Pot 2: Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Austria, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Pot 3: Ukraine, Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
Pot 4: Hungary, Turkey, Iceland, Wales, Albania, Northern Ireland




If this outcome occurs underlined, then the hardest group:


England, Italy, Czech Republic & Wales


Easiest group would be:


England, Bosnia, Romania & Northern Ireland

[Guest]

I'd say anybody in pot 2 could beat us. Pot 3 is a mix of teams with basically one good player, like Lewandowski at Poland & Zlatan at Sweden or Hamsik at Slovakia. I wouldn't want to play Wales from pot 4, it would basically be a PL game & Wales would be motivated to the extreme.

Euro groups are usually easier than WC groups, so given the advantage a top seed has, we should qualify. If we don't, then it's pretty embarrassing.

[compelling and rich]

how are wales in pot 4 when there ranked 8th in the world?

[compelling and rich]

I'd say anybody in pot 2 could beat us. Pot 3 is a mix of teams with basically one good player, like Lewandowski at Poland & Zlatan at Sweden or Hamsik at Slovakia. I wouldn't want to play Wales from pot 4, it would basically be a PL game & Wales would be motivated to the extreme.

Euro groups are usually easier than WC groups, so given the advantage a top seed has, we should qualify. If we don't, then it's pretty embarrassing.

massively embarrassing seeing though in quite a few groups the "top 3" qualify under the new format

[Guest]

Yeah, I've seen that. Basically the group stage is just a 'show' to wittle down the teams that shouldn't of even been allowed to qualify in the first place. Competition won't start until the second stage.

As for Wales in pot 4, it's done by previous performances in other campaigns, where Wales were awful.

[compelling and rich]

fair enough, didnt know that. i just presumed it was off world rankings like the world cup

[Dolphin Ziggler]

We'd be favourites against any team we could face, and only Italy would be a worry for me.

I'd want to avoid Italy, Poland and Wales.

Austria, Ukraine, Albana would be a nice group to get stuck with.

[compelling and rich]

We'd be favourites against any team we could face, and only Italy would be a worry for me.

I'd want to avoid Italy, Poland and Wales.

Austria, Ukraine, Albana would be a nice group to get stuck with.

we thought that about usa, algeria and slovenia

[Dolphin Ziggler]

That was bad though. Might as well say that to anything

[Duty281]

If we assume all the seeds win in the play-offs, I'd like England to have a group of Croatia, Poland and Albania. An easy group, or a hard group, would be to England's detriment.

A reasonably challenging group, but one that England know they can conquer through experience, would give England a very decent foundation heading into the knock-out stages.

[Alistair]

Whilst i think Wales getting to the Euro's is a brilliant achievement, i think the bubble will burst next Summer. 11 goals in a qualifying campaign, where Bale scored 7 of them shows how reliant they are on him. Welbeck had 6 in half the games.

Two backs to the wall performances against Belgium saw them through, but they also struggled to beat Andorra, twice.

I'd quite like them in our Group.

[Guest]

I wouldn't, for two reasons. One, their increased motivation. The second, they will sit back & counter, with actual quality with Bale, unlike the minnows countering ability, or lack of it, we've faced this campaign. England would have most of the possession & as we already know, struggle to breakdown teams & then run out of ideas.

I think as Duty & Dolph have alluded too, we need a decent winnable group, whereby we face teams who actually come onto us & allow us to use our counter attacking attributes & pace

[Steffan]

Whilst i think Wales getting to the Euro's is a brilliant achievement, i think the bubble will burst next Summer. 11 goals in a qualifying campaign, where Bale scored 7 of them shows how reliant they are on him. Welbeck had 6 in half the games.

Two backs to the wall performances against Belgium saw them through, but they also struggled to beat Andorra, twice.

I'd quite like them in our Group.

So in other words then...Wales are crap???

[Guest]

Wales aren't crap, just another decent side, heavily reliant on one game plan of not conceding & hoping Bale produces. Can say the same thing about Zlatan & Sweden, Lewandowski & Poland & to a lesser extent, Ronaldo & Portugal. Wales are just happy to be there & hopefully grab a scalp or two. They didn't even win the qualifying group, recently lost to Bosnia, so it's not like they have been unbeaten for two years or something & are genuine contenders, with a fearsome reputation, that if they fail, a bubble has burst.

[Steffan]

Two backs to the wall performances against Belgium saw them through, but they also struggled to beat Andorra, twice.

I'd quite like them in our Group.

You forgot to mention the goal we scored at home against Belgium to win rather than "backs to the wall to see us through"

Not entirely sure how a 2-0 victory which should have been more this week is "struggling to beat Andorra"

I like how you have left out the fact we scored 3 in Israel and only conceded 1 goal at home all tournament though

What a wonderful way you painted our first successful qualification campaign for many years in such a negative light

You should work in politics

[Alistair]

Two backs to the wall performances against Belgium saw them through, but they also struggled to beat Andorra, twice.

I'd quite like them in our Group.

You forgot to mention the goal we scored at home against Belgium to win rather than "backs to the wall to see us through"

Not entirely sure how a 2-0 victory which should have been more this week is "struggling to beat Andorra"

I like how you have left out the fact we scored 3 in Israel and only conceded 1 goal at home all tournament though

What a wonderful way you painted our first successful qualification campaign for many years in such a negative light

You should work in politics

You cleverly ignored when i said it was a brilliant achievement (which it is). You can't deny that you aren't reliant on Bale. Without his goals where would you be?

Yes, you put 3 past Israel, as did Belgium. You conceded 1 at home, but only scored 5. Belgium conceded 2 but scored 17. They put 10 goals past Andorra, whereas Wales only managed 4.

It's not about being negative, it's being realistic. Yes, it's been a superb effort, but at some point it's going to come unstuck.

[Steffan]

I'm not denying that we are limited as a team and have rode our luck a bit but as a nation of 3 million and without even a fully professional football league I would say that is to be expected

We need to build to build on this achievement and make sure it happens more often in future

I'd quite happily have England in our group because no one would give us a chance of winning and you lot would under estimate us as you did in 2011 when you held on to beat us 1-0 at Wembley when we were 114th in the world

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Id hate to have Wales. Theyd play out of their skin, we'd bottle it. Its the script we generally follow with teams like Wales. And whereas usually they are limited with just spirit, this team would have Bale too.

I dont expect much from them, but a kind group in this weird system gives them a chance of qualifying. And I'm sure they're going to enjoy every minute.

Still think Collins should be in the side.

[Alistair]

England will always continue to disappoint at major tournaments. I'd like Wales for the sole reason that it provides alternative interest in the tournament having a home nations match.

Remember, those rankings are rubbish, 114th then. 8th now....

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-boss-roy-hodgson-calls-6776896

Shoot down our only in form striker Roy that's the spirit.

I'll blow my lid of Rooney starts ahead of Vardy up top in these friendlies

[Guest]

Hardly surprising. England/Roy pick players because of form, call them up, then play them in a different position to what they are accomstomed too & then wonder why they don't look as good in this new position.

Roy has also stated, he won't take a player who isn't fit in May. I can tell you now, that promise will be broken.

[owen10ozzy]

Vardy won't be playing as he has picked up a knock, well he did against Watford apparently. It's amazing how many players pick up injuries right before international games...and not just friendlies anymore but Qualification games too.

Rooney also won't be playing on Friday, which leaves Kane up top on his own, with two wide men likely and I would imagine Barkley in behind.

Regards the isn't fit statement, I couldn't care less...truth be told I would rather he committed to not taking players who have shown absolutely no form at all!

It's sad that when you think ahead to next years Euro squad.. you just know we will see Cahill, Jagielka, Milner, Carrick, Gibbs, Walker all taking up spaces despite the fact they are either too old/slow on the international level or simply have absolutely no form to be in there.

[Stella]

Vardy may well have a knock. He doesn't seem like the type to cry off for no reason.

[NickisBHAFC]

I'd go for

GK Hart
RB Clyne
CB Smalling
CB Stones
LB Gibbs
DM Dier
DM Carrick
AM Barkley
AR Sterling
AL Lallana
ST Kane

[Duty281]

England Team: 1 Hart 2 Walker 3 Bertrand 4 Carrick 5 Jones 6 Smalling 7 Lallana 8 Delph 9 Barkley 10 Kane 11 Sterling

Er...yeah. Pleased that Barkley is getting a go. That's about all I have to say on this patchwork England side.

Mind you, the overrated Spanish lot don't look to be too intimidating.

1-0 England then, just like last time.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Lallana

Surely we must have somebody better

[GSC]

Phil Jones vs intelligent footballers.

Should be good for a laugh

[NickisBHAFC]

Dissapointed Delph is starting ahead of Dier.

Jones starting ahead of Stones is very strange.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Hart ahead of butland in a meaningless friendly also bizarre.

Butland has earnt a berth this season

[Guest]

Barkley, that was awful

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Lallana

Surely we must have somebody better

Is the Kyle walker/Adam lallana right hand side the most depressing of modern times?

[Guest]

Yes, depressing

Barkley's final ball or decision making just isn't good enough for a counter attacking side that gets few chances. We're getting dominated, but Spain showing why they are in a transition period too.

[owen10ozzy]

Men vs Boys stuff at the moment;....Delph?...Walker?...Lallana? Little football or no form and in the XI. We have a midfield of 5 against a midfield of 3...yet are being overun..such depressing stuff. The positive is....it shows the idiots who have got ahead of themselves during qualifying that we are a long long long way off competing against the top tier teams (and this is a faded one still finding its feet in transition)

[Duty281]

Walker, Bertrand, Lallana, Carrick, and (to an extent) Sterling all predictably poor.

And yet, this cobbled-together English side, missing several players and hampered by a biased referee, still look the most likely to score.

One good counter-attack and England will take this, as Spain are being stifled by good off-the-ball by the visitors. Otherwise, 0-0.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Well England were far from exciting but far from outclassed either. Had the better chances in the half. Spain passed it, but haven't really penetrated enough.

[owen10ozzy]

Much improved in the final 15 mins of that half....looked a little more dangerous. As much as this as a patch England team (although I myself don't think it's too far off what we will see next year), the same can be said for Spain.

Big problem we have is that if we take the lead we can't take the game under control because in possession we are so so poor. So even when we lead the game never looks over & that's a big concern.

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