COME ON ENGLAND..

[steve@dcfd]

If you squander chances and don't be ruthless, there's always a risk you can get caught out. That's what happened. Tough luck, but the team only have themselves to blame!

Although if that had been a DRFC performance then some fans would be blaming the owners!

How many good home performances like that did we have last season not many.

[IDM]

We're a 2nd rate international side. Clinical sides see out games and score the goals needed. We don't. Can see both Wales and Slovakia battling for draws against us.

That's how I see it now. Three draws and out.

Problem is, we don't win the first game and then we are under pressure..

[Copps is Magic]

Earlier in the day Wales put Robson-Kanu on and left Bale and Ramsey on until the 88th minute. Roy  leaves Sterling on until the 87th minute and puts on James Milner. Vardy doesn't even get a look in. That's the difference.

[idler]

That's right but if Vardy had come on and we had conceded in the last minute I'm that there would have been a lot of flak.
You are always going to give a chance away over 90 minutes however well you play. We should have been out of sight by then.

[BobG]

Sterling made my blood boil tonight. A decent side, playing quite well. Well, all except him. What does he give the team?? He's quick. Sure. He looks like something exciting is about to happen too. But it never does, does it? His final ball is consistently worse, worse, than anything we see week in week out down the road here. 

I wouldn't have subbed him. I'd have shot him.

BobG

[idler]

What I can't understand is that if you play him for his pace he should be using it all the time.

[BillyStubbsTears]

36 years now, I've been watching England in major tournaments.

It's pretty much always one or the other. We're either grindingly solid and dull. Or we're expansive, exciting and vulnerable.

Never are we expansive and solid at the back. Never do we produce a team that can set the pulse racing, but look professionally competent in the routine defensive foundation.

That's why all the really good football nations have won tournaments in my lifetime, and we're usually on the way home before it gets really interesting. They regularly produce sides with solidity and flair. We produce one or the other but rarely ever both.

[Lesonthewest]

Earlier in the day Wales put Robson-Kanu on and left Bale and Ramsey on until the 88th minute. Roy  leaves Sterling on until the 87th minute and puts on James Milner. Vardy doesn't even get a look in. That's the difference.

Agreed, we played really well tonight, find it strange we take the game to them for most of the 90 minutes then take the foot off the gas at the end. Kane struggled I thought & should have been replaced with Vardy to keep the momentum going & maybe putting the game to bed, easy in hindsight I know but they were awful & we gave them the impetus & a way back in which they took. Loads of positives though.

[Filo]

Putting Milner on to shut up shop didn't work, how many times have we as Rovers fans seen us try to shut up shop and then concede? I don't understand the logic, why change what has got you into that position in the first place?

[Wade Falana]

Earlier in the day Wales put Robson-Kanu on and left Bale and Ramsey on until the 88th minute. Roy  leaves Sterling on until the 87th minute and puts on James Milner. Vardy doesn't even get a look in. That's th

Earlier in the day Wales put Robson-Kanu on and left Bale and Ramsey on until the 88th minute. Roy  leaves Sterling on until the 87th minute and puts on James Milner. Vardy doesn't even get a look in. That's the difference.

Agreed, we played really well tonight, find it strange we take the game to them for most of the 90 minutes then take the foot off the gas at the end. Kane struggled I thought & should have been replaced with Vardy to keep the momentum going & maybe putting the game to bed, easy in hindsight I know but they were awful & we gave them the impetus & a way back in which they took. Loads of positives though.

Agreed, we played really well tonight, find it strange we take the game to them for most of the 90 minutes then take the foot off the gas at the end. Kane struggled I thought & should have been replaced with Vardy to keep the momentum going & maybe putting the game to bed, easy in hindsight I know but they were awful & we gave them the impetus & a way back in which they took. Loads of positives though.

You must have been watching a different game to me mate, I thought we were appalling, Wrong starting line up, plod plod plod. Did we have a shot in open play in the second half? Vardy has to play

[Chris Black come back]

Putting Milner on to shut up shop didn't work, how many times have we as Rovers fans seen us try to shut up shop and then concede? I don't understand the logic, why change what has got you into that position in the first place?

Always amazed at how a man so technically brilliant as SOD always (and it was always) made a substitution to close a game down if we were ahead, that led automatically to the other team scoring. Really quite something. Whoever he put on was usually singlehandedly responsible for the inevitable goal as well.

[albie]

I am surprised no-one has commented on the free kick given to England leading to the Dier goal.

Hoddle said in the commentary that it was for obstruction. Seeing the replay that is the obvious take after Ali slips it past the defender. If it was obstruction, is that not an indirect free kick?

At any event, no-one plays the ball before Dier shot and scored. I have seen this before, and wondered if Law 13 has been changed.

Despite others feeling England played well, I thought it was watching 2 bald fellas fighting over a comb. Russia were poor, we were better...but neither are going to trouble the good teams on that display.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I thought the shape worked and as I hoped, Rooney is too good a footballer to leave out and played that midfield role very well. Strange decision to sub him.

The only player I'd question for a place is Sterling. Poor decision making and execution for an international player.

I'd also be having a word with Kane. Play like a no 9 and don't try to be a no 10. We want him on the end of things. There were balls played in to the box that he was no where near.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Instead of going for attack minded players to bring on, he tries to hang onto the lead, encouraging them to attack as much as they want, as though he had confidence our defence is good enough to keep them out.
We should have put vardy on for sterling, Barkley for rooney, and sturridge on for kane, they would have occupied them enough to keep a clean sheet, and maybe nick one on the break.

Hodgson, knows he has a makeshift defence, play to your strengths, we have better players further forward. Defend in a different way, all the money he is paid, and it doesn't seem to know much about his squad, strengths and weaknesses.
It wasn't an 'end of the world' result, but it does put pressure on now. Russia used they're experience, stuck in the game, and got a break and took it.
 They are a pretty poor side, but they are vastly experienced, and Shirikov, i have no idea why he didn't start for them, maybe as they mentioned his attitude isn't the best?.

[PDX_Rover]

You can't drop Rooney. He played well in that new role.

[Sammy Chung was King]

You can't drop Rooney. He played well in that new role.

I don't agree, i thought he struggled to influence the game. The papers don't agree with me either, he has got man of the match with a fair few, i thought Walker and Dier, were our best players tonight.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Yes I also agree about the substitutions. Why change what's working unless players are out on their feet. The only two players below par were Sterling and Kane.

Subs take a while to get up to match speed and that showed clearly when Milners only contributions were to fall over at the wrong moment, then get done like a kipper to allow that final cross to come in!

SO'D was also insistent in disturbing what was working by bringing on an extra centre half which, as said above, more often led to what he was trying to prevent in the first place.

[Donnywolf]

Blame me .. after 20 Mins I could not see anything but an England win so :

I backed us to score first ... bet on Lallana for first goal AND worse put my biggest bet on us winning.  Wife was heckling whilst not watching and I said "this ones over Russia would not score if they played till Midnight"

I suppose in Vladivostok it was actually past Midnight when they scored

Incidentally can anyone tell me why Harry takes all the corners when he is one of the taller and therefore more natural recipients at Corners ?

.... AND WHY with aged Centre Backs we did not get Jamie Vardy just running at them ?

[Filo]

Blame me .. after 20 Mins I could not see anything but an England win so :

I backed us to score first ... bet on Lallana for first goal AND worse put my biggest bet on us winning.  Wife was heckling whilst not watching and I said "this ones over Russia would not score if they played till Midnight"

I suppose in Vladivostok it was actually past Midnight when they scored

Incidentally can anyone tell me why Harry takes all the corners when he is one of the taller and therefore more natural recipients at Corners ?

.... AND WHY with aged Centre Backs we did not get Jamie Vardy just running at them ?

Rashford was the man to bring on for that, but Roy reverts to type and goes defensive, terrible substitutions, and Sterling? Pep will soon have him out of the door, headless chicken!

[Samson Vidal]

I personally find it disappointing that we did not score in open play against a poor Russian team.

Harry kane was below par,  not getting a single touch in the Russian box. I think vardy would we better suited against poor defences which we can put long balls past to run onto, whereas kane is better suited for slower build-up play. The defense was as always shaky and Hart looked a risky prospect.

But I cannot grasp how a team of Premier league professional on tens of thousands a week, struggled for footholds against a bad Russian team.

We will struggle to get out the group at this stage.

I say bring on Rashford and vardy into the 4-2-3-1 formation.

And get rid of Hodgson! What we're those subs! I would've put vardy on at 60 mins as there defense tired.

[The Red Baron]

Very damaging result for England's hopes of progress. I really can't see us beating Wales, although I expect a draw. We may need to win the final game now to be sure of going through.

[PDX_Rover]

You can't drop Rooney. He played well in that new role.

I don't agree, i thought he struggled to influence the game. The papers don't agree with me either, he has got man of the match with a fair few, i thought Walker and Dier, were our best players tonight.

It's all subjective at the end of the day. I thought Shrek did pretty well. He has a football brain to sit in a role like that. Perhaps a major championship is not the platform to play around though. Agree Walker was good. Dier was good. Sterling needs dropping and get Vardy up front with Kane.

[BobG]

Disagree Mark

Sterling needs shooting.

BobG

[Campsall rover]

For me probably the best England performance since beating Holland in Euro 96.  Apart from the finishing of course. We should have been 3-0 up at half time.
But Mr Hodgson why is it all the fans could see that Kane was tiring and Vardy should have come on after around 67 mins. Fresh legs would have killed Russia!
Sterling was the one week link, just runs down blind alleys does not lift his head and sees the pass.
If RH learns from this then we can go all the way. But I fear his stubbornness will win the day and BST will be correct and it will be an early flight home for our team.

[Goole Rover]

Despondency again, we'll beat the Welsh don't worry. Rooney was tiring so off he went, the problem was the defending by Milner, schoolboy in every sense of the word. My prediction a 2-0 win on Thursday, OK Tonge I got it wrong against Crewe.

[Copps is Magic]

And that's the difference between us and Germany. They just know how to see a game out. Keep Muller and Gotze on AND bring on Schurrle. Even Wales worked it out Roy!

They didn't get out of 2nd gear and they still looked magnificent tonight. No other team in this tourny is close to them.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Play this team against wales, and for me we would have a good chance.

                                 Hart

                            Smalling  Stones

                    Walker                          Rose

                                      Dier

                       Barkley                  Alli

                                     Rooney

                                 Kane        Vardy   

Rooney as a striker with a free role to wander. Kane and vardy in partnership which they are best in. Barkley and Alli supplying the chances along with rooney. We need to play without wingers with the squad he has picked. Let teams attack our flanks, our strongest defenders are there.
I'd bring Stones in for Cahill, he can pass a ball better, and there is little difference in defending between them. And for gods sake let Barkley, Alli, Rooney or even Dier take free kicks, the first three mentioned can all take a corner.
                             

[Donnywolf]

Putting Milner on to shut up shop didn't work, how many times have we as Rovers fans seen us try to shut up shop and then concede? I don't understand the logic, why change what has got you into that position in the first place?

Correct .... Best form of defence is attack they have always said !

[DevilMayCry]

Play this team against wales, and for me we would have a good chance.

                                 Hart

                            Smalling  Stones

                    Walker                          Rose

                                      Dier

                       Barkley                  Alli

                                     Rooney

                                 Kane        Vardy   

Rooney as a striker with a free role to wander. Kane and vardy in partnership which they are best in. Barkley and Alli supplying the chances along with rooney. We need to play without wingers with the squad he has picked. Let teams attack our flanks, our strongest defenders are there.
I'd bring Stones in for Cahill, he can pass a ball better, and there is little difference in defending between them. And for gods sake let Barkley, Alli, Rooney or even Dier take free kicks, the first three mentioned can all take a corner.
                             

This team should have played against Russia too, Vardy should have played instead Lallana (who was weak last match)

[wing commander]

And that's the difference between us and Germany. They just know how to see a game out. Keep Muller and Gotze on AND bring on Schurrle. Even Wales worked it out Roy!

They didn't get out of 2nd gear and they still looked magnificent tonight. No other team in this tourny is close to them.

    That's the difference for me...Thought we played well the only ones I would be concerned about would be Sterling and Kane who looked a bit lost...As copps intimated, Germany are 1-0 up and in control and make attacking subs and kill the game off...Roy decides in a similar type game to shut up shop and invite a team who showed nothing to get at us, and we paid the price....For me if a winger cant take corners he's not a winger,cant get my head round the fact that in modern Football set pieces often decide a game and we let our striker take them...pretty criminal that for me...