UEFA U21 Championship Thread

[Fox Piss]

7 Inch Male will be guttered.

[Mr_Danger]

In all fairness this tournament will give all the players a good idea of what to expect from future senior tournaments, lots of hype only to be matched with equal amounts of disappointment.

[Teedy Kay]

When Peter Taylor could be considered better than you, isn't it time to quit football?

 

If the FA thought putting Pearce with Capello was a decent way of grooming him for the top job, they have been sorely mistaken. Shit overseas tactics has bred shit overseas tactics.

 

When will the FA learn that England play best with good old fashioned English tactics, harassing the middle of the park and feeding it to wingers, lest hitting the odd long ball that a burly striker can manufacture into something?

 

Christ, that exact tactic worked for Germany against us in the last world cup.

 

We are never a team of skill or technique, we will always, no matter the age of the side, be a team of passion and heart for the game. That has been lost since Sven took over, McClaren emulated him. Fabio is no better with Italian tactics of harsh defence and playing from that, Pearce has now had that bred into him.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Redknapp may be the way forward for a successful English team.

[Psygnosis]

When Peter Taylor could be considered better than you, isn't it time to quit football?

 

If the FA thought putting Pearce with Capello was a decent way of grooming him for the top job, they have been sorely mistaken. Shit overseas tactics has bred shit overseas tactics.

 

When will the FA learn that England play best with good old fashioned English tactics, harassing the middle of the park and feeding it to wingers, lest hitting the odd long ball that a burly striker can manufacture into something?

 

Christ, that exact tactic worked for Germany against us in the last world cup.

 

We are never a team of skill or technique, we will always, no matter the age of the side, be a team of passion and heart for the game. That has been lost since Sven took over, McClaren emulated him. Fabio is no better with Italian tactics of harsh defence and playing from that, Pearce has now had that bred into him.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Redknapp may be the way forward for a successful English team.

 

But we need an English manager!!...oh.

[nicholasjackson]

If this is the future of English football then we are fucked.

 

Pearce is also a shit coach who has no clue what he is doing.

 

 

pearce was absolute dogshit at city, he's a decent coach but gash manager, i think the players respect him cause of italia 90/euro 96 but when at city the forigners had no time for him

[Jaffa]

Is anyone taking positives from this at club level?

 

I was very impressed with how Scott Sinclair handled a bigger stage than he's used to and I hope the experience will help him this season. He was something a bit different in the team and seemed to form a good combination with the left back. Overall, he can be proud of himself.

 

Anyone else?

[BionicRedneck]

When will the FA learn that England play best with good old fashioned English tactics, harassing the middle of the park and feeding it to wingers, lest hitting the odd long ball that a burly striker can manufacture into something?

 

Christ, that exact tactic worked for Germany against us in the last world cup.

 

We are never a team of skill or technique, we will always, no matter the age of the side, be a team of passion and heart for the game. That has been lost since Sven took over, McClaren emulated him. Fabio is no better with Italian tactics of harsh defence and playing from that, Pearce has now had that bred into him.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Redknapp may be the way forward for a successful English team.

 

We do play with 'good old fashioned English tactics'. It's why we don't win stuff. What do you think Stuart Pearce's tactics are?

 

In many ways, the Germans did play like a modern Premier League-style team, but I'd say there is a difference between that and the typically English style that you describe. They also had playmakers like Ozil, and players comfortable in possession all over the pitch. At international level we are like a cartoon midget being held at arms length, swinging furiously but getting nowhere. We've always played with plenty of heart and, more often than not, with quick, direct tactics. All that happens is that we give the ball away and tire ourselves out.

 

We've been through all this before, of course. We decided that we needed a passionate motivator who wears his heart on his sleeve and plays 'proper English football'. We gave the job to Graham Taylor. We did the exact same thing with Kevin Keegan. I'd expect 'Arry will be as successful as those gentlemen.

[Burchill's Buddy]

Is anyone taking positives from this at club level?

 

I was very impressed with how Scott Sinclair handled a bigger stage than he's used to and I hope the experience will help him this season. He was something a bit different in the team and seemed to form a good combination with the left back. Overall, he can be proud of himself.

 

Anyone else?

Yep, I'm taking the positives away that any time Smalling and Jones are playing together in different competitions and against different types of opposition, their understanding and reading of each other will only improve. I thought they both played well in the 3 games. Welbeck proved that he's capable of getting goals at international level and that can only be good for him coming into a season where he'll hopefully get a bit more first team experience.

 

Disappointing to go out in the groups early, Wilshere would have made a vast improvement to the team because we definitely lacked in the centre of midfield, but there are always positives to take away.

[The Curious Orange]

It's no coincidence that the last successful English teams, Italia 90 and Euro 96 - got away from what's been seen as out traditional style of play, Waddle/Barnes/Gascoigne/Platt/Beardsley/Lineker and Anderton/McManaman/Gascoigne/ Sheringham/Southgate were hardly big strong grafters and we actually got results from it.

 

Also to give Redknapp some credit, he does tend to try and accommodate playmakers or flair players into his team - be at Cole/Di Canio at West Ham, D'Alessandro at Portsmouth or Modric at Spurs. He was a bit naive at the start of Spurs Champions League campaign, but by the end he did seem to have upped his game a bit. I don't think he'd be a disaster as England boss, plus the fact he's so matey with the press might help to reduce the mental reactions to everything - take the Switzerland game, sure we weren't very good but ended up in a stronger position after the round of matches had finished, so much of that anger was completely pointless.

[mikey]

When Peter Taylor could be considered better than you, isn't it time to quit football?

 

Peter Taylor never took an U-21 team to the heights Pearce did. This was a terrible tournament for Pearce but he has a semi final (lost in the best penalty shootout you'll ever see) and a final (where the opposition formed the core of a World Cup semi finalist squad the following season). He looked clueless because what the fuck can you do with this team? It's fucking typical. You spend ages putting a team together, a plan, a way of playing and then that cunt Wenger takes your playmaker because he's "tired". This league, and that French piece of shit is the worst, does nothing for our national team at any level. He wanted Carroll and Wilshere and the FA sided with the clubs, twelve months after talking about taking these tournaments seriously and taking our best players.

 

It's fucking horseshit and players/Pearce/whatever are only symptoms of the problem. The FA has no backbone.

 

It's no coincidence that the last successful English teams, Italia 90 and Euro 96 - got away from what's been seen as out traditional style of play, Waddle/Barnes/Gascoigne/Platt/Beardsley/Lineker and Anderton/McManaman/Gascoigne/ Sheringham/Southgate were hardly big strong grafters and we actually got results from it.

 

For all the talk of those teams, we don't have the players anymore. We could play five attackers in Italia 90 because we had insurance at the back, both physicality and shitloads of pace; Pearce, Walker, Wright, Butcher, Parker. We could say that a sweeper system is the only way we create a platform to attack. Both times we've got to the semis of an international tournament in recent years has been based around three or five at the back.

[Magnum Milano]

When Peter Taylor could be considered better than you, isn't it time to quit football?

 

Peter Taylor never took an U-21 team to the heights Pearce did. This was a terrible tournament for Pearce but he has a semi final (lost in the best penalty shootout you'll ever see) and a final (where the opposition formed the core of a World Cup semi finalist squad the following season). He looked clueless because what the fuck can you do with this team? It's fucking typical. You spend ages putting a team together, a plan, a way of playing and then that cunt Wenger takes your playmaker because he's "tired". This league, and that French piece of shit is the worst, does nothing for our national team at any level. He wanted Carroll and Wilshere and the FA sided with the clubs, twelve months after talking about taking these tournaments seriously and taking our best players.

 

It's fucking horseshit and players/Pearce/whatever are only symptoms of the problem. The FA has no backbone.

In addition to the lack of Wilshere and Carroll, wasn't Walcott eligible for this Championship also?

[Van Dammer]

Stuart Pearce is suddenly a bad manager, theres a shock.

 

In fairness, England were not great but neither were many of the teams there, its really a senior tournament these days with most, if not all players featuring significantly for club teams, some even senior national teams. England also have a bad habit of skipping players to senior level instead of giving them their required experience in the Under 21's.

 

Jack Wilshere should have gone, hes not a senior regular yet and needs the experience and England need his experience.

[GalaxyV.2]

You spend ages putting a team together, a plan, a way of playing and then that cunt Wenger takes your playmaker because he's "tired".

 

Ah yes, I wondered when someone like you would look to blame Wenger. You overlook the fact that Wilshere only played 1 and a half games in qualifying for the U-21's. But that doesn't fit your point does it?

 

Jack Wilshere should have gone, hes not a senior regular yet and needs the experience and England need his experience.

 

He is a senior regular. I'ld say he's now one of the first names on the team sheet. No other U-21 player can say that. He's had a wealth of experience already, not least in the Champions League. Experience of 'tournaments' is a pretty poor excuse in my mind. The fact is he's head and shoulders above a lot of england young players because he's been taught that way from a very early age. Lansbury also looked a lot more creative, and both have come from the same youth set up. I can't see what Jack would have got out of going to this for.

[mikey]

You spend ages putting a team together, a plan, a way of playing and then that cunt Wenger takes your playmaker because he's "tired".

 

Ah yes, I wondered when someone like you would look to blame Wenger. You overlook the fact that Wilshere only played 1 and a half games in qualifying for the U-21's. But that doesn't fit your point does it?

 

Wenger's a cunt. He's bad for the English game, bad for English players. Can't be argued

[METAL ON METAL]

You spend ages putting a team together, a plan, a way of playing and then that cunt Wenger takes your playmaker because he's "tired".

 

Ah yes, I wondered when someone like you would look to blame Wenger. You overlook the fact that Wilshere only played 1 and a half games in qualifying for the U-21's. But that doesn't fit your point does it?

 

Wenger's a cunt. He's bad for the English game, bad for English players. Can't be argued

 

That can be said about most managers though.