That was ‘rancid’ and ‘onerous’ according to one ‘fickle moron’. The Mailbox reacts to England 0-0 USA with some more stuff besides…
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Southgate ‘has to go’
Well, that was Rancid. Laboured. Turgid. Onerous.
Gareth Southgate has done well to get this team to a semi and a final, but much like Belgium and their generation of players, we could and should achieve much much more with the players at our disposal.
We’ve never looked convincing in a tournament under Southgate bar the 4-0 hammering of Ukraine. We squeezed past Colombia, Denmark, Sweden and Germany in all of our knockout games under him, and we laboured in the recent Nations League.
He has to go. There is no excuse for playing such sour, lifeless and negative football that Alex McLeish would be proud of. We can all get excited about the Iran game, but that was the exception not the rule. It’s always safety first, there is no one who carries the ball or plays through the lines, it’s always a safe pass backward or forward.
No chance we win this tournament. Imagine trying not to lose a game, where a victory guarantees you passage to the next round.
Mat, Leeds
The fickle morons
I was very very confident that England would draw 0-0 tonight. I was also confident I would so fickle morons hating on Southgate afterwards. Do people ever watch international tournaments?! France in 2018 were absolutely dreadful in the groups and very hard to watch. Germany in 2014 weren’t the best either. They scraped last USA and Algeria and drew with Ghana that year. Spain in 2010 lost their first match and won most of their games by a goal. Do people genuinely think you have to be winning every game 2-0, 3-0. Imagine if England drew their second game in the Euros 0-0. There’s no way they would go on to have a successful tournament afterwards… Oh wait.
Honestly, I have to question the age of some of the morons wanting Southgate out. Do people remember how shite England have been prior to him. This idea that he’s holding England back is weird. They’ve tried everything prior to him and were dreadful. I know for a fact if England win it, people will say it’s in spite of the manager. It’s beyond ridiculous at this stage. I want him to leave and go back to failing to qualify for tournaments, getting knocked out by Iceland or not even getting out of their group. No more semi finals or finals deserved.
Dion, Arsenal
READ MORE: England 0-0 USA: Rating the players as Maguire heads feeble Three Lions to a point
England v Liverpool
Watching England play I realised that I only really was interested once Henderson was on the pitch. This got me thinking, how much more do I like Liverpool than England?
For example: Would I rather Liverpool win the Premier League or England the World Cup? No contest, Liverpool win the Premier league every time. Champions league or world cup? Easy, champions league. Fa cup? Yep. League cup? Yep. A match against man utd? Again yep. A match against man city? Yep. A match against any premier league side? Yes, I’d rather see Liverpool win a game against any premier league side than see England win the world cup.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’d LOVE to see England win the world cup. Just not as much as see Liverpool win a match in the premier league. Or any other game other than a friendly match. Is this unique to Liverpool fans? Or do other fans feel the same about their team??
Peter LFC Namibia
A World Cup meh
Ì was composing my thoughts over the past week in Buenos Aires. Now, during a long layover in Mexico before the final leg back to Ontario I found time to peruse the mailbox.
My observations have been similar to AL (No Flag On The Play).
I can say first hand that Buenos Aires, at least, is not in rapture with this WC. I saw more dogs wearing albiceste jerseys than people. It was largely a non-event. Granted this may change if they face Brazil in an elimination game. Mexico doesn’t seem overly bothered either (just watched England v USA here).
Seems to me that people everywhere are fed up with FIFA and definitely not engaged this time around.
Maybe it’s just time to start ignoring FIFA and get a different tournament going that means more. The bureaucrats and marketers are just impossible to like.
And one last gripe… please get people to stop saying “Les Rouges”! Nobody in Canada calls them that. According to statscan 75% of Canada speaks English at home. But we still don’t call them “The Reds”. We call them simply “Canada”.
Sean, Roseville Ontario (LFC)
Gareth Bale
Turns out playing part time football in Miami for 6 months wasn’t the ideal tune up for your countries first World Cup in 60 odd years.
Who would have thought.
DC, BAC
Mailbox name-check
Whoop! I get a name check from one of my favourite long-time contributors in the mailbox and make it in as striker, to boot (although Rooney as outright striker? We should have words)! As the mailbox compiler will know, I’m never that far away. Good to see not entirely forgotten, though. And no, no commenter is entirely sane when it comes to football. Surely that’s the point!?
Since I’m here, is the club-ownership merry-go-round the new managerial spinning door? I wonder how Klopp Legend feels about the #GlazersOut protests these days.
Guy S (and thanks to Jack for his irregular reminders of how long I’ve ranted about football on this site)