We may even pinch a point if Costa Rica rest some of their better players next Tues!

na na na na na na hey hey heyyyy goodbyeeeee

The gods have had mercy on us tonight guys, they have granted us a quick death. A clean kill, rather than the agonising one that awaited had italy beaten costa rica.

We should all be thankful for this.

As for the ramifications, not sure there'll be the huge post mortem there has been in previous tournaments.

We played plenty of youngsters, we tried to be positive, we played alright against italy. Many people predicted we wouldn't get out of the group.

The most apt description of the reaction to englands exit would be a shrug og the shoulders.

There won't be any inquests at all. Dyke has already said that Owl Face is still in charge and will be going into Euro 2016.

All that will happen is the players will go back to their clubs for pre-season, train like a bunch of mofo's, play out of their skin for their respective clubs, then when England duty rolls around, they will play the qualifiers, go through undefeated, then get to the tournament itself and k up as usual. That's the cycle of England international football.

This is football. What Greg Dyke said this week means FA.

For me a lot depends on how England perform against Costa Rica. Costa Rica have qualified, they can lose and still top the group. If we manage to beat them then we can look on the bright side and take positives. If we get smacked 3-0 then that's completely different.

IMO the major problem is that there is no English candidates. Harry Redknapp is possibly the only one, but he's not exactly helped his chances at QPR. His moment was when he was doing OK at Spurs and getting them to the CL, that has long gone. Our next managers are Fat Sam and Tony Pulis. Pulis has earned big respect for what he did at Palace this season but he's still a no. Fat Sam is making West Ham turn their noses up, no chance of England appointing him.

Brenton Rodgers earned the plaudits this season, but he's only been very successful this season and that success could disappear just as fast. Roberto Martinez is pretty much the same.

If I was on the FA I'd be on the phone to Sir Alex Ferguson and asking if he was interested. Now most people will say that because he's Scottish he'll never manage England, but I don't believe that. He's managed England's biggest club for 25 years, he has the respect of nearly every Englishman and I think most Scots would absolutely love it that England appoint one of them as the King of English football.

Ferguson would never happen in a billion years.

I too see a complete lack of any viable candidates at this time. I think they're done with foreign managers for the time being after Sven and Capello and in terms of english managers theres sod all at the moment. Just no one of the calibre. Theres a few promising british managers but they haven't proved themselves long enough yet.

The only foreign manager they may potentially allow in the near future would be mourinho, but again it would never happen. Mourinho I doubt would want the job and I don't think the FA would like someone with such big balls, they'd feel they couldn't handle him. (pussys).

I don't really have a problem with Roy staying on for now, then reviewing after euro 2016. There's not really many better options but this is effectivley his first tournament with england after having no prep for 2012 and he has made some positive decisions even if it hasn't manifested itself into results.

England's priority now over the next 2 years should be to refresh the deeper lying midfield, tighten up the defence immeasurably and continue with a similiar set up in attack. The team as a unit needs to become much more tactically astute without the ball.

If we can tighten up as a unit and continue the development of the likes of barkley and sterling et al we'll probably have a much more positive 2016 (even if, ultimatley it ends in quarter final defeat again).

In the end though, england will continue to fall short, relentlessly, until they have some actual genuine world class talent in the gun positons.

It's funny, at the time the sven era was much maligned because people expected england to outright win tournaments. But you almost look back on it with envy. Ok, they didn't play good football, but they were damned solid and difficult to beat and had a few real weapons (owens clinical finishing, beckhams delivery) and would always make the QF and unlucky not to progress further.

The day that fat ba$tard Allardyce becomes England manager is the day I will join my in-laws and become a citizen of Scotland. (should Scotland vote for independence, of course!)

Hodgson should go. He has caused the early exit through his tactics. He clearly decided that copying Liverpool was the way to go, but then decided to play players like Wellbeck where Liverpool would have a Countinho. Making the mistake a second time against Uruguay was inexcusable.

England would have gone through by now had he played Lallana and Barkley from the start.

Depending on how tough the qualifying group is for the Euros I'd go with something like:

GK - Hart
DR - Clyne / Walker
DC - Stones
DC - Cahill
DL - Shaw
ML - Lallana
MR - Sterling
DMC - Henderson
MC - Wilshere
AMC - Barkley
FC - Sturridge

Plenty of ability there and should be a team that would be comfortable on the ball. It would obviously need a more robust lineup against any half decent sides. We can't drag the likes of Gerrard (Who has been lacking this WC) and Rooney through the Euros, they have to use them to plan for getting through the groups at the next WC.

Why wouldn't it happen? Because he's a Scot? Didn't stop him from managing England's biggest club. He might turn it down, but he should still be asked if he would do it.



The thing about both Sven and Capello is that the FA didn't even get rid of them for football. They got rid of Sven because he was a careerist and slept around a lot and they got rid of Capello over the JT captaincy. Sven and Capello have win % far superior to all the English bosses, but they couldn't get over them being foreign. It's their own stupidity they need to get over, or they need to properly fix English football. They don't have a clue what to do with football so they need to get the best manager they can to paper over all their cracks.



Mourinho wants the job, but it just won't work now. He'd take the job part time and manage CFC as well, but that would create too many problems in club football. Don't think he's interested in the job full time and the FA would have to compensate CFC, which is unlikely to happen.

Wenger would have been an even more acceptable candidate but he's just signed on again at Arsenal. He'd have probably turned England down because of the lack of decent players.



Despite our early exit, we have been better in this World Cup than we were in 2010. We did okay in 2012. I'm not against Hodgson staying, but if there's a chance of bringing in Fergie instead the FA should be making the call. If Fergie says he's happy in retirement then we stick with what we have. But the call should be made to Ferguson.

I only mentioned him as an example of how bare the cupboard is. Just like Glen Johnson at right back. Everyone knows he's not good enough, everyone cringes at seeing him, but he's the only right back we have. Who is the next choice for right back?

What do the football coaches teach youngsters at an early age in this country?.

Why do we look terrible at controlling and keeping the ball?, nobody looks comfortable with the thing at their feet.

Its time for the F.A to sorted it.

Quote ="duke street 10"What do the football coaches teach youngsters at an early age in this country?. Why do we look terrible at controlling and keeping the ball?, nobody looks comfortable with the thing at their feet. Its time for the F.A to sorted it.'" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Pro_Licence - scroll down to statistics. I think there's also complaints from clubs that they aren't allowed access to kids in anything like the way other countries are. Trevor Brooking was tasked with sorting these things out. He's just announced he's quitting, he hasn't done much apart from complain about not being able to do much.

Quote ="duke street 10"What do the football coaches teach youngsters at an early age in this country?. Why do we look terrible at controlling and keeping the ball?, nobody looks comfortable with the thing at their feet. Its time for the F.A to sorted it.'" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Pro_Licence - scroll down to statistics. I think there's also complaints from clubs that they aren't allowed access to kids in anything like the way other countries are. Trevor Brooking was tasked with sorting these things out. He's just announced he's quitting, he hasn't done much apart from complain about not being able to do much.

That's shocking, how can the F.A justify charging so much compared to other countries?.

Why on earth blow so much on St Georges Park when the players that arrive there will be so far behind others from Europe and further afield technically?

Yes, because managing one of englands biggest domestic clubs is the same as managing the national team.

Fergie has run his race. He's done 25 years at one of the biggest clubs in the world winning everything possible multiple times. If he had any desire to manage the english national team he'd have done it before he retired, because i'm sure the FA will have put feelers out at various times. He's done. He's retired. I'm also not sure but i think he went on record during his career saying he wouldn't want the job.

Fergie stepping down from Manchester United to take over the England national team is a completely different situation from him stepping out of retirement to take over England.

Managing Man United has become a far bigger job than managing England. You have better players, you're playing at a higher level.

Fergie said lots of things during his career. Some of it was even true. But asking him if he'd ever manage England when he was at MU was never likely to get serious thought. If he's loving retirement and happy to be free of the hassle then he'll say no. But it could be that he's a bit bored in retirement and would jump at the chance of working part time in international football for a similar wage to what he was on at Old Trafford.

Greg Dyke is at the FA. He's been on the board at Man United so he'll have Fergie's number. He should be calling him this week and seeing if he wants the job. If he does then Hodgson should be sacked and Fergie should be given the job. If he says no then keep Hodgson as we're unlikely to get anyone better if he goes. But Fergie is many times better than Hodgson, he is possibly available and he should be asked.

It'll never happen in a billion years.

It's because when the initial scouting is done at 5-8, they look for players that stand out matches, rather than watching them train. So that's the fast players, the physically strong players. If a kid is one of those that looks a year older than he actually is physically, they're an almost automatic pick. My cousin is the apple in everyone's eyes in the family at the moment, having been scouted and asked to train with Everton, Liverpool, United and City recently. He's a freak of a kid physically, more like a 10 year old than the 7 he is. Talent? He's got two left feet and does nothing but tackle/push the other kids off the ball then dribble it forward until he hits an opposition player's legs, then hacks away until he's free, the repeats. There are three or four kids on his team far better with a football than him, who barely get a kick during games, let alone attract any interest.

At junior levels they've tried to copy the Spanish system with reduced player numbers, but it won't work. It just means kids like my cousin find it easier as there are a few less legs to hack it past and all the easier to dominate games. Until they start picking kids on technical ability (To develop them physically) rather than picking the fast/strong kids (To develop them technically) they won't improve anything.

Its ok picking a best 11 but they're never all going to be available to play. At least 2 or 3 will be unavailable. England's problem is that we don't have decent players to come in as back ups. Its been that way since 1982 when our world cup was de-railed by injuries to Keegan and Brooking.

That really angers me.

When his peers catch up physically your cousin will go to nothing. Yet he's been scouted left right and centre, idiots.

That tragic



Why doesn't this country adopt the Brazilian indoor football method for the juniors? (I have forgotten its exact name).

Small pitches, heavy smaller ball etc

There are so many reasons we don't produce great young players, you could go on for days about the varying reasons. Ultimately, the kids we product can't want it enough. Suarez isn't a gifted athlete, he isn't tall, he isn't prolifically quick, he hasn't been raised with Uefa grade A coaches, he hasn't played on professional pitches and you can be sure as hell he wasn't a product of 'the system'. He's fiercely determined, he's forced his game to greater levels when many others would have been satisfied. CR7 is the same, but he also has the gift of the Gods regarding his physique and speed, which is what puts him up there with the GOATs.

I'm a big fan of the NBA and recently watched the San Antonio Spurs win the NBA finals with a talented team, but a team ultimately lacking traditional superstar qualities. One thing their coach consistently talks about is players 'getting over themselves', usually meaning they're ready to learn, ready to sacrifice their individual targets for the sake of the team. Do we honestly believe we produce players that are like that? Did Steven Gerrard ever 'get over himself', or did he spend years pouting and telling people his best position was centre mid? What about Rooney, allegedly wanting move because 'he's a number 9'? Compare that to somebody like Suarez, who's played left, right, 10 or 9, he's played everywhere and never once come out saying he wants to play in his best position. Sturridge looked like he'd never have a career because he wouldn't get over himself. He finally got the nod at 9 and he hasn't disappointed, but I'm sure it would change if he was shifted to the right for a while.

The point I'm trying to get at is I believe that talent will only take you so far: mentality, tactics and how 'coachable' a team are are the biggest weaknesses I see in the English side. The stars have never gotten over themselves, the team often look tactically lost on the field, and players playing in 'foreign' roles often look bemused and unhappy. For me, these are issues that filter right through to grass roots. The day that changes will be the day we see us at least compete in these tournaments.

Futbol de Salao ?

Its not the overall number of foreign players that's the problem. The problem is that PL clubs rely on foreign players for flair and creativity, English for strength and power. The English players are further disadvantaged as tournaments are played at the end of the season, often in heat, when they're all knackered.

It does seem that many of the foreign PL based players are also struggling. Van Persie might be an exception but he managed his season to be in good shape for the WC.

I note that a penalty has become as rare has rocking horse shoite following early soft ones.
You have to now machine gun your opponent in the area to be running any risk at all.
So carry on fouling.

Being the cynic that I am, could the next rarity penalty be one awarded to Brazil again?
I wonder.

Exactly.

You hear about players not wanting to play for england in friendlies and it makes you think. The england team has spoken honestly about how they have given their all at this world cup. I believe their words. But I look at what happens on the field, I see countless other teams busting a gut to surround the player on the ball and disposess, you can feel the desire and the passion from your TV screen, you watch england and you don't see the same kind of effort to get to opposition players. So I don't know what to think. It could be tactics (in which case they are sh*t), it could be that they are just too tired.

Whatever the case, whatever the solution, I only see more big doses of dissapointment for england over the next couple of decades.

It's a big deal. There's no ''always next year'' because it's every 4 years, to wait so long and have it over with after a barely a week is massively deflating, such is life as an england fan.