I think following an election defeat it’s more likely the conservatives will view they tried with a “moderate” like sunak and will revert to another populist loon happy to burn the country to get themselves elected. Depends who retains their seat but think Braverman, Truss types or likely a Boris return is a good prediction. That lot fighting on a pro Europe stance to get closer to EC ? No chance. I think the idiots will remain in the room for a bit longer.

If I can only get one player this summer its Kadioglu. Left back is the only position we are not solid at. A case can be made for center mid but with every one healthy, left back is still an area that I feel we are either going defensive with Tom or attacking with Zinchenko. Tom is not bad going forward but there are better. Zinchenko is a defensive liability.

Its possible we can play Timber there. He played there in the reserve matches and the fact that he can cut in on his favored foot is big but I am not sure how well he can go strong to his left and cross, something Tierney was very good at but he got sussed out over time.

Boris famously flip-flopped all over the place before - finally - becoming a fully paid-up Brexiteer. Don't be surprised if he changes again. It was Heseltine who said that he watches the crowd to see which way it's marching, then dashes out to lead it.

I think for him personally it would be a bridge too far to revert and retain respectability and he would be more inclined to choose another pointless populist crusade to pursue. Maybe the return of the death penalty, scrapping the thames barrier, leaving ECHR, poisoning the nations water supply or something equally as stupid but a different hill to die on.

Europe has always torn the Tories apart but I do think Europe will back on the agenda next election like yourself. Another 4 years will demonstrate unquestionably the failure of the recent government on Europe and that Britain is now unquestionably poorer because of its choices

Tierney stretchered off in the Scotland game. Doesn't look good at all.

KT stretchered off for Scotland. Guy can’t catch a break.

More likely (Lord) David Cameron to come back with some grey at the temples demonstrating the “strength” to lead us through/out of/into whatever crises has befallen humanity next.

Feel very sorry for him

Paul Merson and Harry Redknapp stories are gold.

How Merse joined Harry at Pompey
https://www.facebook.com/reel/716819907082778

A funny Merse at Pompey story

This 100%. The Prem could have started in September like it used to. It is likely any player involved in the semis will be given a couple of extra weeks off.

Thanks for the tip Omoh. Had a look and seems like some good thought provoking reading. Will get to it after my current read of Humankind. has some interesting insights into human nature and alternative views to the lord of the flies type thinking. Quite the opposite.

One nil. Well done mongo

Southgate has them playing 1-0 to the Arsenal and England isn't built that way. The wealth of players are in the attack not defense.

Literally sacrificing balance and shape (no natural left winger and a rb in midfield) to get the best 11 players out on the pitch. It’s what we always do!

Get Trent out of midfield or put Anthony Gordon on the left wing so he’s got someone to ping a pass to.

It’s not rocket science

Gordon on, foden off. Get Gallagher on even if he is headless and at least you have some energy in midfield. Absolutely stupid line up

*%^@*** hell Arnold. I’m staggered he hasn’t changed it. Basically he’s done the classic thing of letting the press pick the 11

TBF if he had Watkins up front instead of Kane he may have had more to aim at. Won't matter though because Southgate is fraud of a manager, nice man but a fraud.

Take a bow, Coleman.

Kane presses like a fat copper patrolling his beat. Dec is entirely shackled. Bellingham doesn’t want to play in this team. Pickford is dodgy.
Pleased Saka is off the pitch. He's wasted in this team.

I could go on.

Lions maybe but led by a donkey.

England have utterly collapsed here in the last few minutes. The players seem not to have any pattern or clue what to do.

We set up to defend.

We have a clown of a manager who knows nothing else.

He diminishes our players.

[quote="DHD"]Take a bow, SOUTHGATE. quote]

Southgate.

Sorry

You simply can’t play Bellingham as a 10 with the state of the squad. Play him next to Rice because he’s smart enough to perform a box to box role there and bring Eze or Gordon into the squad as a wide player and just let Foden do what he wants and roam.

If we go out at least we tried. Gallagher is a disaster, Mainoo too young probably and Arnold too idealistic. For me I’d pick Gordon and see if it gels.

It’s irritating listening to Deccers and saka get called out when we know how they play week in week out.

Pretty much sums it up. 10 second conversation with bloke at work the other day “what do you think off England’s chances?” “They’ve got a good squad but Southgate is too conservative”.

Netherlands vs France will tell me what I need to know about the Euros. Until I see otherwise, I think France will take it. It's tough to win any major competition if you don't have your tactics right. Brazil, when they are loaded, is pretty much the only side I know who can send 11 players out there and they'll figure it out based on their collective football IQ.

England proved to me why I thought they won't win. Still a lot more football to play but I don't see a turnaround. As I've said, the shocker is how Southgate has managed to stay in the job 8 years. He was originally there to hold it till someone came along. The job is way over his head. And its not like he has a strong number 2 or someone with a name and CV who can advise him. Steve Holland is a nice enough man. His claim to fame is managing Chelsea's reserves for two years. Paul Nevin has a CV that wouldn't get him on a top 6 staff possibly.

The FA should have put someone on there who has a name and who Southgate respects. I don't see anyone there challenging him respectfully who he'd listen to. Southgate has the most senior experience managing 'Boro for 3 years.

Really? I blame the FA. They should have stopped this when England started an era with great players again. Thank Gareth, give him a nice plague for his service and bring in someone who can manage that talent effectively.

France on the other hand has a decent amount of talent. On paper a semi or finalist talent wise. A manager in Deschamps who has managed Monaco, Juve and Marseille. A number two with loads of experience.

City, Real Madrid and Bayern fans will probably be saying the same about their players in this England squad.

Trent in midfield is a disaster, I’ve never understood the hype to have him there. Sure he can hit wonderful passes - but he has a lot more time at full back and the entire game in front of him. Playing CM is a different beast. I lost count of the number of times he coughed up possession looking for the wonder 60 yard through ball.
If Southgate wants the security of 2 CM then really it should be Rice and Wharton.
Gordon has to come in on the left, someone with pace and who will stay wide to stretch teams.
Southgate’s England lack a number of fundamentals to be a team who dominate:
Inability to press high
Inability to keep possession of the ball for long enough
No one from defence stepping in to midfield to help the build up

Nico Williams looked very impressive for Spain last night, played off h th r left but pretty sure he plays on the right as well. Been linked heavily to us and a lot of clubs, £42m release clause, only 21, the two sticking points appear to be some outrageous wage demands and that the player has his heart set on Barcelona

I think when we sign a new CM this summer Arteta needs to decide if he sees Rice predominantly as a 6 or an 8. For me I think he's better as an 8, in our pressing formation I think he can be so destructive there. That's not to say he can't play as a 6, and I think we'll see Rice play as a 6 a lot perhaps in the supposed 'easier' games where we want more creativity higher up the pitch. So for me the priority this summer is a player who can be that conductor in front of the back 4. It is great that Jorginho is staying another year, Arteta certainly trusts him, but as we saw last year there will be some games that he isn't suited to - Bayern for example. For me our new 6 has to be more Zubimendi style than Onana (everton) style

Watching england stacked full of top quality players but with no structure or system makes me all the more thankful for what Arteta has created at Arsenal.

All of England's weaknesses are huge strengths for Arsenal.
A GK who can play out bravely from the back instead of hoofing it long under any sort of pressure
a defence who is similarly comfortable on the ball and confident full backs stepping in to midfield areas
A high press fully backed up by every single player on the pitch
partnerships in key positions who are almost telepathic in their understanding of movement and space
set pieces. every Arsenal corner is an inswinger, England haven't looked a threat from any set piece (mostly outswingers)

What was pretty incredible is that we played 2 defensive midfielders to try and allow Bellingham to roam and yet he was unable to get close to Saka or Foden at all. Compare that to Odegard who has more defensive responsibility at Arsenal as we play 2x 8 types and it makes the performance utterly baffling. Rice is getting pelters now too because Southgate can’t set up his team properly.

I was thinking what type of side Arteta would have picked for that game. I think there’s a decent chance Walker (our best player I thought) wouldn’t make the 11. Probably Trent a right back inverting with Joe Gomez a left back filling in when he bombs forward.


I think Wharton has to come in but possibly Gordon too to add more drive and balance. He’s not going to move Bellingham as much as anyone demands it and I don’t think he’s going to leave out Foden.

After we inevitably get kicked out of the tournament when we meet someone decent and Southgate quits in a Blaze of glory I think the FA could do worse than appointing a foreign coach with experience who can condition a very Impressive group of players into playing combination possession football because letting Southgate and Steve Holland coach that lot is a crime against humanity.

Its probably not a popular view but Kane does not fit in with some of the younger players. Too static and there is no movement forward and across the forward part of the field. Not sure Watkins is the solution. Further Rice and the other midfielders don't fit together. Rice is played out of position. I feel sorry for any England manager because each newspaper and media channel has their own idea of who is a good player and demands they should be in the team.

Rice was awful. His performance summed up with that pass at the end when he put it out of play. I think however that is down to tiredness as he was working his sock off with little help in midfield. It also doesn't help when you are part of a well oiled machine at your club and the international set up looks anything but.

I'd buy a 6, keep Ødegaard as a quarterback and trust Rice to play a freer role. He reads the game very well. Let him roam a bit more if he sees fit. Give him a role within the system with the option leaving that role if we require more defensive or attacking as the need arises. Ødegaard reads the game well also. I'd love to see both of them work together in the midfield more.

Every few days this striker or that striker is very close to a move to Arsenal. I dismiss most of it but for whatever reasons Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal any day now seems to have legs. I would have thought most business would be concluded after the Euros but this one rumor is gaining momentum.

The plus for him is he's had prior English football experience at Coventry. I'd prefer if we got a number 6 and a left back first but if this happens this may be the deal we were able to get the easiest.

I am not expecting him to be anywhere near as prolific. I do want goals from him when we need it. We get 15 league goals but half of them are vital goals, I'll take that over 20 goals and 15 of them are when we are already up 2 nil or more.

My question is if this happens how does this change our shape and starting XI. He won't start right away if he comes but I have to assume its Havertz who suffers.

Assuming Labour get a whopping majority I can't see Johnson having the commitment to serve five or more years in opposition. He is not made for that. He is really not the type of new Conservative a lot of people want. His bohemian Liberal internationalism is not going to fix our problems.

I am quite sure Mrs. Merkel's disastrous open door immigration policy will never be part of my halcyon days! Closer to Europe makes some sense, but not back in the EU with all its shortcomings. Of course we never "turned our back" on EU after Brexit - they still account for over 40% of our exports and almost 50% of our imports. Hopefully the recent political movement in EU will allow a better relationship in future.

If I may share with you all - my 22 year old granddaughter has just received the results of her Masters in Physics at Pembroke College, Cambridge. I'm very proud to say it's another first to go with the first she achieved last year at the end of her undergraduate studies.

Double first from Cambridge. Sounds good, doesn't it?

All this from a normal state comprehensive school with no extracurricular tuition nor any additional assistance. She is our first grandchild so she's always been special to me; as I say, I am enormously proud of her.

That’s seriously impressive. Congratulations to her

I agree Old Man that Boris would never do 5 years in opposition. He's more likely to be parachuted-in in the run-up to the next election - or the one after that. He has time.

Well played DHD. Congratulations to you, her and the family.