It would be refresing but it would destroy team morale.

Excuse me...who is putting the blame on the ball?
Have I missed something?

Then you will never be satisfied because you have unrealistic expectation of performance at international level.

People like you make me ashamed to be english. Always criticising. Get behind the team you miserable kunt.

I thought England played fairly well. The result was disapointing but it was only a freak error that got USA the goal. Has Green collected that I feel we would have gone on to win. I always favoured James ahead of the other two, just due to experience really. Carragher looked really slow and I still don't understand why he is there. Johnson played well as did Gerrard and Heskey. We hit the ball too long in the first half and it meant Rooney was not in the game but second half he got on the ball more and we looked much more dangerous. Lennon also had his moments but SWP, why is he there?

There will be mass hysteria at us not winning but it's a decent point and two wins should set us up nicely for the knockout stages.

I fancy Barry will come in and Gerrard wil be pushed to the left like in qualifying, hopefully with Cole getting forward more to offer some width as he was a bit quiet tonight.

I didn't expect us to win comfortably. I expected to win by the odd goal in 3. What disappointed me was the performance. I didn't see the sort of football I would associate with a succesful International team. We gave the ball away cheaply and looked pedestrian at the back. Up front our star player barely got a look in and our workhorse once again showed his finishing is horrendous. If we are to challenge we need to improve tenfold.

It was a comment Gerrard made on South African TV.

Like the many who got behind the rugby today? Did you make it to the game? Watch it on tv?

Capello

[iWe created a lot of chances to score goals, we presssed a lot and played a good game, but one mistake cost us a goal, but this is football," said Capello.

"I am pleased with the performance of the team and I think the next game we will be better.
[/i

hmmm

Capello, or internet fans?

Unrealistic expectations, shag?

You're still an easily pleased idiot.
And see the post above you hypocrite.
I'm just having some fun....I thought England were excellent.

No, not unrealistic.

Why?

The last 2 major tournaments we've played in we've been unlucky not to make the semis. We have a better manager now so with a bit of luck making the final is ot unrealistic. It's optimistic.

Not excellent, but decent. Reasonably good.

Our best recent performance in a world cup started with a draw. We went on to make the semis.

Let me get this straight: people expecting England to beat USA whilst playing pretty well is an 'unrealistic expectation', but it's OK for you to say the nation expects and you expect us to get to the final?

So, you can say 'the nation expects' and you set a world cup final as the expectation, yet all people wanted today was a victory with a decent performance, and that is unrealistic?

Hmmm. Drop the spade.

I am probably a bit older than you....and I have seen plenty of world cups and I have seen how England go ahead in games and then stop playing.

It was like that tonight....we scored and then stopped playing.

You can call me pessimistic...or a kunt....but unfortunately...and it gives me no pleasure...I will tell you that England will never ever win the World Cup in your lifetime, if ever again. And I feel sorry for young people with expectations.

And if I am wrong....you can call me a kunt with pleasure.
I will probably be dead.

Look at how many times Germany, Brazil, Italy and Argentina have been to the final.....and then look at our record.
That's the way it has been and ever more will be.

How would any sane person say that they won't ever make a mistake again?

It is one of those things and it does happen, it's just unfortunate.

FWIW I thought we played well overall and will get better as the tournament goes on. Can't believe the amount of people writing us off already after one game?

I take your point....there is no guarantee that it won't happen again....but if you don't learn from your mistakes the chances are it will happen again. And above and beyond that it is a bit of an insult to say it's one of those things.
After all we can ascribe any cock-up as one of those things...when in the real world responsibility has to be taken. But it's football so it doesn't matter..it's just a game.... a game that is worth millions.

Sums it up nicely for me.

The performance wasn't a disaster but it looked a long way from good enough. Hopefully it was our worst of the tournament, because we won't beat any decent sides playing like that.

It was a performance we can build on.

We didn't keep the ball well, which we never seem do, meaning we couldn't dictate the tempo of the game and take the sting out of the game when we got the early goal.

I'd drop Lampard for Carrick and start with Joe Cole on the left wing.

The keeper situation is a tricky one. Does Capello drop Green and destroy his confidence? Who does he replace him with? The talented rookie or the experienced eccentric?

In tournament football it's not about how you start the campaign, it's how you finish it.

Italy won the last WC and in their first game they drew with USA. That's not to say we will win it but last night was far from a disaster. The worst part of the game were the long balls in the first half, it meant Lamps and Gerrard never got on the ball and Rooney was a spectator, 2nd half we played properley and Rooney started to show his talents. If we get it down and play and have a holding midfielder allowing Gerrad and Lamps to get forward then we will do well.

Megson rated him.

Unfortunately he has a number of clangers to his name at Club level too.

3 further points ...

1. Green got lucky with his save where he pushed it onto the post ... badly positioned and could easily have scored an own goal.
2. Heskey is not international class!
3. Despite it all we are far from out of this tournament but will need to step up through the gears if we are to trouble the 'better' sides.

I bet Adam Johnson is loling all over.

Keeps SWP out of the team of the 6th (?) best team in England, yet watches SWP fail miserably on the international stage.

Same old England, even if it's wrapped up with an Italian coach. McClaren would've been murdered by the press / fans after yesterday's selection and performance.

Carragher and Terry as a CB partnership makes me look like Usain Bolt. Rooney has got to be up front on his own, with Gerrard just behind him - it's worked well all season for him, so continue it.

The lack of width on the left is the most worrying thing. I'd consider chucking Warnock at LB with Cole at LM, as he's probably the best left 'winger' in the squad.

If you're looking for positives, at least the curse of the English GK has happened in a pointless game rather than a knock out game ala Seaman or Carson.

I'm sick of all the pointless excuses, "the ball", "Capello didn't name the side" etc. Capello's decision of naming the team didn't affect qualifying, so it shouldn't affect the game.

James
Johnson Dawson Terry Warnock
Milner Lampard Barry A. Cole
Gerrard
Rooney

That'd be my team in the next game.

See my comments above regarding SWP.

O'Neill sees Heskey every day, and sees enough to keep him out of the starting lineup for Villa, yet he manages to steal an international career.

Heskey didn't play that badly, but I would have backed A. Cole / Johnson to score his one-on-one. You can't excuse misses like that.