England - Nigeria

[DevilMayCry]

Is someone watching the game or I’m the only one? 

[since-1969]

Yes

[watto-drfc]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

[German Rover]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Been reading the sun?

[RedJ]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Missed a connection or something, not the first and won't be the last. He's apologised to the team as a group at his own request as well apparently.

[drfchound]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Yeah, let’s leave out one of our best players.
Great idea.

[arkseyrover]

we haven't got any best players. We just have crap players.

[dickos1]

Yeah Kane is shite 🙄

[drfchound]

we haven't got any best players. We just have crap players.

Great supporter of your country.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Yeah Kane is shite 🙄

I think that's the point though Dickos. The list stops there.

Face it, this is a spectacularly ordinary set of players. Maybe they might be able to over-achieve if they all really, really wanted it and we had a superb manager. But we've got a bang ordinary manager and one of our better players showed what he thought about team spirit by not bothering to turn up for the squad meeting until 12 hours after everyone else had.

Hound: It's not about supporting "your country" regardless. It's sometimes about facing up to the truth. I figured 2 decades ago that whilst ever England fans accepted second rate shite and supported it notwithstanding, we'd continue to get second rate shite served up. Looking back, I suppose we should have been thankful for 2nd rate shite, because it's dropped to 3rd rate over the past 4-5 years. If England over-achieve next month, I'll be chuffed to bits. But you and I both know that they won't. And sooner or later you have to start asking why we, uniquely amongst the main European countries, are utterly incapable of producing good enough players in big enough quantities to be more than also-rans.

[drfchound]

I support the Rovers unconditionally through thick and thin, good and bad.
We have had plenty of bad served up in recent years but my support is unwavering.
The thing is, I also support my country in the same way.
I know that both teams are not the best in their respective levels but it doesn’t stop me getting behind them all the way.

It really does piss me off when I hear the boo boys sounding off at Rovers games and the same applies when I hear people slagging off the National team.

Yes, I know that we won’t win the World Cup but it won’t stop me getting behind them during the tournament.

BST, will you be getting behind our boys or not?

[Haxey-Hood-DRFC]

Agree with you Hound. The squad is selected (and I doubt any of us could have assembled a better bunch from what’s available to us as a nation). So we are what we are and all we can ask if for them to play their best. And surely we can do our best to support them - after all, they have qualified. And I bet Italy, Scotland and Wales et al would love to be in the same position!

[BerlinRed]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Time to stop reading The Sun.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Hound.

Would I like England to do well? Yes. Will I watch every match and hope they prove me wrong? Yes. Would I like them to play sumptuously elegant, yet uncompromisingly athletic football? Yes. Would I be delighted if they did? Yes - I'm English. Of course I want my national side to do well and I'd be chuffed to bits if they did.

Will I be distraught if they don't No. I grew out of that a long, long time ago when I realised that we were being taken for a ride by the people who run football in the country and put Premier League money before the development of football talent in this country.

But I genuinely don't know what you mean by "Getting behind 'our boys'".

Firstly, I feel zero emotional attachment to a group of players who are obscenely overpaid for their objective quality.

Secondly, what do you want me to do? Paint my face red and white and chant "Ingerlund!" at the TV?

I fail to see how MY behaviour and attitude during the tournament will have any influence on the outcome.

On the other hand, I'd suggest that people who turn a blind eye to the manifest and generation-long failure of the English football system, but show their "loyalty" to the national side by unconditionally supporting them are actually part of the problem of why we are consistently shite and getting worse.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Time to stop reading The Sun.

Thing is. He DID turn up late, which must be indicative of the respect he has for his position.

And he did dive.

Those are HIS failings. Nothing to do with The Sun. I haven't read The Sun for 40 years but I'm still disgusted that Sterling couldn't pay his team mates, the manager and the England fans of bothering to turn up on time for what should be a pinnacle of his career.

But then, that's the point. It isn't the pinnacle of his career. Because the importance of the English national side has been sidelined in favour of the real paymasters - the clubs. He would not dare turn up late at Man City. Or if he did, he'd be dropped. And if he did it repeatedly, he'd be dispensed with.

[dickos1]

Yeah Kane is shite 🙄

I think that's the point though Dickos. The list stops there.

Face it, this is a spectacularly ordinary set of players. Maybe they might be able to over-achieve if they all really, really wanted it and we had a superb manager. But we've got a bang ordinary manager and one of our better players showed what he thought about team spirit by not bothering to turn up for the squad meeting until 12 hours after everyone else had.

Hound: It's not about supporting "your country" regardless. It's sometimes about facing up to the truth. I figured 2 decades ago that whilst ever England fans accepted second rate shite and supported it notwithstanding, we'd continue to get second rate shite served up. Looking back, I suppose we should have been thankful for 2nd rate shite, because it's dropped to 3rd rate over the past 4-5 years. If England over-achieve next month, I'll be chuffed to bits. But you and I both know that they won't. And sooner or later you have to start asking why we, uniquely amongst the main European countries, are utterly incapable of producing good enough players in big enough quantities to be more than also-rans.

Not sure they’re ordinary, there’s players in that squad who would get in most sides in Europe.

Kane, Sterling, Walker, stones, alli, rashford,

What baffles me, is we played today and were very good in the first half and not so good in the second half, but we won. And everyone is going mad about the performance.

There’s much less pressure this World Cup and I think we will benefit from that, I think we finally have a plan and a system, a structure under Southgate, rather than someone just throwing all the best players in and saying go and play

[dickos1]

Reheen sterling. Diving again. Turned up late this week. I'd leave him at home

Time to stop reading The Sun.

Thing is. He DID turn up late, which must be indicative of the respect he has for his position.

And he did dive.

Those are HIS failings. Nothing to do with The Sun. I haven't read The Sun for 40 years but I'm still disgusted that Sterling couldn't pay his team mates, the manager and the England fans of bothering to turn up on time for what should be a pinnacle of his career.

But then, that's the point. It isn't the pinnacle of his career. Because the importance of the English national side has been sidelined in favour of the real paymasters - the clubs. He would not dare turn up late at Man City. Or if he did, he'd be dropped. And if he did it repeatedly, he'd be dispensed with.

Ex footballers were speaking about this today and they said it happens all the time people turning up late. As it does in every walk of life, just seems it’s another excuse to bash an England footballer with, and don’t even get me started on the absolute nonsense regarding his tattoo

[DonnyOsmond]

Perhaps his excuse that he wasn't aware his flight went to Miami first was genuine. He then voluntarily apologised to the rest of the team. Do we really need to crucify our own players?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dickos.
Do players regularly turn up 12 hours late?

And maybe many of our players WOULD get into most European sides. But most European sides won’t be contenders.

How many of those would be given a second glance by Spain, France and Germany given their performances at previous tournaments?

Kane. And no one else.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Donny

He’s an adult. Is he not capable of checking tickets?

Or if not, given that he earns more in a month than most people do in 2 decades, could he not employ a PA to help him get his shit together?

[DonnyOsmond]

Donny

He’s an adult. Is he not capable of checking tickets?

Or if not, given that he earns more in a month than most people do in 2 decades, could he not employ a PA to help him get his shit together?

People make mistakes and congrats on the 20:20 hindsight X

Try not to lose too much sleep over Sterling.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Donny
I’m currently booking my summer holidays. I know I have to be back for a very important meeting on 15 Aug. I wouldn’t dream of making travel arrangements that would put my attendance at that meeting in jeopardy, because if I miss it, there’s a decent chance of people losing their jobs. And if I miss it, no amount of apologies will change the consequences.

It’s not f**king hard really is it? If you actually prioritise stuff and act responsibly.

[RoversAlias]

Southgate said that Sterling voluntarily apologised to the whole team and the manager, aka Sterling's boss, considers the matter closed and the man redeemed. So why you're getting so bent out of shape about it I've no idea.

This country is obsessed with criticising and pulling down the national side any way possible. I will go in supporting the team and happy to be behind a group of players who seem to be coming together as a proper squad with a coherent game plan for the first time in several tournaments.

[BillyStubbsTears]

That was not at all what Southgate said tonight.

He said his immediate reaction had been to discipline Sterling. And that he would have done if the press hadn’t gone totally overboard this week. He said that once that happened, he felt that he had to protect his player.

I admire that management from Southgate. But if you listened to him, it was clear that he was livid with Sterling and that he would have taken action in ordinary circumstances.

[Pancho Regan]

I look at England players in the past who I did respect, then I look at Sterling.

No. I feel no respect for him.

[dickos1]

Dickos.
Do players regularly turn up 12 hours late?

And maybe many of our players WOULD get into most European sides. But most European sides won’t be contenders.

How many of those would be given a second glance by Spain, France and Germany given their performances at previous tournaments?

Kane. And no one else.

If many of our players would get into most sides in Europe then they aren’t spectacularly ordinary are they?

Those nations you mention, I think walker and stones would be considered as woukd sterling, Ali, vardy

[johnny rovers]

Let this be Italia 90 all over again. The so called mediocre squad was written off by everyone before the tournament started and came home heroes. 28 years on and now rid of the generation of big names and premadonnas that probably could and should of been heroes, it's time for new heroes to come to forward and Whats needed is for everyone to realise that playing for your country at a World Cup is by far the pinnacle of a footballers career. For too long now the success of club football at premier league level has gone hand in hand with the murky world of corporate greed.

There would be nothing more satisfying than to enjoy an England to achieve relative success during the World Cup by reaching the later stages and enjoying watching a squad of players playing for pride for themselves and the people they represent and too forget about what we all know is wrong with the game. 

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dickos.
Do players regularly turn up 12 hours late?

And maybe many of our players WOULD get into most European sides. But most European sides won’t be contenders.

How many of those would be given a second glance by Spain, France and Germany given their performances at previous tournaments?

Kane. And no one else.

If many of our players would get into most sides in Europe then they aren’t spectacularly ordinary are they?

Those nations you mention, I think walker and stones would be considered as woukd sterling, Ali, vardy

Dickos.

Yes! Most sides in Europe are ordinary by world standards. In that, most countries in Europe are not serious contenders to win the tournament.

All things being equal, England ought to be contenders. But we aren’t really, are we? Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Holland, even Portugal have been able to produce players who fit together in a national team that is better than ours for a quarter of a century now. (Oh! Hang on! What happened here a quarter of a century ago...?)

Are you seriously suggesting that Walker, Stones, Sterling, Alli and Vardy would be seriously considered by serious contenders? Have you never watched them in finals tournaments? In fact, did you see Stones this evening? He looked like Anthony Kay used to look for Barnsley when Coppinger ran at him.

[dickos1]

Germany have ozul, consistently not as good as Ali, Sterling, week in week out.
I think walker would waltz into all those squads,

[RoversAlias]

That was not at all what Southgate said tonight.

He said his immediate reaction had been to discipline Sterling. And that he would have done if the press hadn’t gone totally overboard this week. He said that once that happened, he felt that he had to protect his player.

I admire that management from Southgate. But if you listened to him, it was clear that he was livid with Sterling and that he would have taken action in ordinary circumstances.

Alright then. Well he started him in the game and afterwards said he played well so he's hardly bearing ill will. I dare say we have all been late for work or a commitment at least once in our life and not always due to something entirely out of our control. It's just so easy to jump on an England player for a minor indiscretion.

As for all that about them being overpaid for the level of talent they have...do you believe League One footballers should be earning between 2 and 5 thousand pounds a week? I would assume not, so do I take it you'll be vilifying Rovers players when they underperform for the fact they take home a bigger pay packet than the rest of us?