Entertaining. You’re dead right. Zero here. Went to see Worthing vs Tonbridge Angels on Tuesday. Loads of entertainment. I must have used up my fun quota for the week.

One shot on target for each team.

Pile o shite

“Spanking” - they had one shot on goal

Coached by a donkey.

Argentina and Germany would probably be happy to be in this “pile of shite” position

A donkey who that took England to the final in the last major tournament - so what animal are all the other managers?

They had 10 shots on goal with 1 on target (hitting the woodwork doesn’t count)

We had 8 shots, 3 on target.

My opinion of course, but they looked more likely to score than us. They looked better prepared and more tactically aware.

Absolutely wouldn’t play the ball forward unless there was a 90% chance the pass was definitely on. It would just go back. I can’t recall seeing anything like that in yonks. No percentage balls in the box. Zero

That has to be instructions given.

Yes, but “spanking” was the word you used. Hardly.

And got his pants pulled down by a coach who knew what he was doing.

We got to the final - he lost - still did better than the other horses, chickens, cows etc.

The journo who was first with the news on Arsenal signing Martinelli, Willian and Jesus has said Arsenal will place a bid for Brazilian midfielder Danilo after the group stages of the World Cup.

Make of that what you will

Do you not agree that they controlled the game?

There’s only one donkey I can see getting spanked

No I don’t agree they were “spanked”!

England were the better team that day but we were undone by superior tactics. To a lesser degree, that happened again today. We were nullified by inferior players.

Who should be blamed for that?

Phew! Glad to navigate that banana skin!! Glad pundits weren’t predicting easy 3-1 wins… that would have been embarrassing…

“Why aren’t we pressing?”

May I present one Mr. Harry Kane… this team is flawed like most of the teams here at the WC with lots shoe horning in “best players”.

Also think TG is right. Went out to not lose. Which… meh.

“Spanked” you said. Why not just admit you were wrong?

Go on, be a man!

How about ‘schooled’?

Has the Brazilian league ended? I feel like it ends in January. Wonder if there’s any chance of him meeting up early to have a preseason? Don’t think the rules allow it.

Interesting as he’s what, 21? Represents the same buy young projexct rather than go for older more established players a la Jesus. I guess very much dependent on who will be available in Jan.

Danilo looks like more of a tackler rather than a Lokonga type.

Not a good look, TH

This is too easy. Night.

xx

Jeez we are hard on England managers! Southgate has done better in the major competitions than anybody since Alf. Having seen so many other failures he gets a fair amount of slack from me. USA are tough opponents and the point still leaves us on top of the group. Even if we lose to Wales chances are we go through?

Also talk of Italian tactical genius at Euro 2020 is fine if we overlook the fact that they won their semi and final on penalties. Neither Spain or England were schooled - the cookie simply crumbled the Azzurri way in the shoot outs. Perhaps in this World Cup the Italians will give us a genuine tactical masterclass...

Apparently England had three shots on target (to USA’s one). I must have nodded off and missed the extra two.

Southgate has done better because he has better players. But….

Southgate is a defence-first coach. He has no creative vision nor any instinctive understanding of how to attack. He is out of step with modern thinking. He will not - cannot - take England forward.

Everyone knows this.

I don’t. Another chance to admit you were wrong?

Might you accept he is is risk-averse?

And once again, knowing you are wrong, yet again, you attempt to move the goalposts.

Sorry TH but this is going nowhere. I do not know I’m wrong and I’m not - ‘yet again’ - moving the goalposts.

Read the posts again. It’s clear as day!

England got “spanked”, and are managed by a donkey who “everyone” knows cannot take England forward. I rest my case.

Out of the mouths of babes. We agree.

Thank you TH. Night night.

Evidence that you have been spanked, donkey!

In your world, perhaps.

What you are effectively saying is that anything less than a final appearance or trophy win is a failure by Southgate? Given England's history, that is some benchmark because competitively he has already taken England further in tournaments than anybody since Alf. Yes there is a case to say that the style of play under him is at times cautious, but that is overstated. Anyway the pragmatists often win more than the entertainers in international football because these are not beauty competitions. Italy are a case in point - World Cup winners five times yet how many of those victories excited the neutral?

First time I got to see the American team. They have gotten better. We are lacking a big classic center forward. Rashford would do well on the American team. Pulisic is a great player and but needs a better big man. Wright is listed as the CF, good size but we need better. Still, they did well.

Sometimes you just gotta ignore some obsessive folks. Sounds like this guy.

Agreed. It starts with a very low energy performance from Kane ... and not a lot more from the rest of the starting front 4. Saka had a poor game and Mount and Sterling are not in any sort of form.

And the yanks were good. The press was good, and when they were going forward, in contrast to the English, they managed to find space and carry the ball well. Every single one of their players looked impressive last night.

England may have gone into the match thinking a draw would be fine, but I reckon the caution approach was partly because of how well the Americans played.