The Official *England's Journey to Brazil 2014* Thread

[mystiroakey]

First topic message reminder :

Thats my Team GSC

I would be inclined to play Barkley instead of Ox if he isn't fit over sterling tbh. Both strong- both run at the opposition. Sterling does off course do this but isn't quite as physically imposing- all 3 have great feet but the former two are just stronger. Sterling is the better overall player though and perhaps would be the best option v costa rica and italy but against uruguay at the least I would rather have strength in the shape of ox or barkley.

I am surprised hearing many others saying wilshire had no impact. I thought it was his best game for yonks. Nothing spectacular but he played the way CM's should play- bright , alert, took the odd player on, was forward passing on the whole. Ok he got taken down a few too many times- but 70% of the time it results in retaining possession in a free kick.

[Guest]

R.I.P Mystiroakey

[mystiroakey]

  

[Duty281]

Yeah- we're gonna get 3 points, then 6 then 9!

Come on England..

I did a quadruple that included the last friendly.. cough cough... Lost already... But so what.

I will be watching with tequila, beer and a massive mexican hat in cancun.. I decided on the cheaper option of Mexico over St lucia.. All the same though

Lets ave it.

I will be back for the last 16 game if i make it back alive

Fly the flag lads-  lets hope welbeck and gerrards groin strains dont heal in time. 3-0 is my prediction-(started drinking allready- best way for me to get to sleep early for my early flight!!)

If you never hear from me again I will allways be in the winds - just take a moment of reflection whenever england play, go outside , feel the air- and thats me..and feel positive.

ITS WORLD CUP TIME!!                         

That's the spirit, that's the bloody spirit!   

You'll come back to three wins out of three!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Enjoy mysti, Roy will make sure you come home to a round of 16 game!

[owen10ozzy]

It just won't be a Round of 16 featuring England; though the silver lining you could catch the team at the airport or even on the plane when flying home

[compelling and rich]

what are the odds on us not getting out of the group? normally get decent odds from the bookies on england failing because people like duty believe were going to win it every 4 years and throw money at them, although think they will be worse than usual this time around despite dutys opinion this is one of the strongest squads recently.

guy i know 4 years ago put £2000 on england not to win the world cup, poor odds of course but still came out with £200 if i remember correctly. pretty safe bet again i would think

[Duty281]

People like me? This is the first time I've thought we'll win the World Cup; I thought we didn't have a chance in 2006 and 2010, and was proved right.

I thought we would make the semi-final two years ago, and would top the group...grrr one penalty shoot-out away from being correct!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I need to place my world cup bets and have a look at the odds actually

My gut feeling is that ze Germans won't make it out the group, so hoping there's good odds on that

[Duty281]

I managed to somehow draw up a plan which saw me making £20,000 out of the group stages!

I was a bit...spaced out...when I wrote it, so I have no idea if it's feasible! Looks possible, though, if a shade unlikely.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

It just won't be a Round of 16 featuring England; though the silver lining you could catch the team at the airport or even on the plane when flying home

The disappointed trudge through Luton airport (why Luton all the time)

I think we'll fly through the group and crash out in the round of 16, then we can solely blame mysti for our failure

[compelling and rich]

People like me? This is the first time I've thought we'll win the World Cup; I thought we didn't have a chance in 2006 and 2010, and was proved right.

I thought we would make the semi-final two years ago, and would top the group...grrr one penalty shoot-out away from being correct!

oh come off it duty! you started a thread 10 reasons why england will win euro 2012!! its only on the next page if nobodies believes me

also very positive slant on the second sentence, we didn't beat one single good team and were beat by the first good team we faced (albeit on pens)

[Duty281]

Yeah well...this forum needed positivity at the time of Euro 2012. It was bloody miserable.

In my heart of hearts, I thought we would make the semis and get trounced by Germany.

[compelling and rich]

Yeah well...this forum needed positivity at the time of Euro 2012. It was bloody miserable.

In my heart of hearts, I thought we would make the semis and get trounced by Germany.

well you can be yin and i'll be yang, i dont think we'll get out of the groups

[compelling and rich]

i also think 2012 and this squad are some of the worst squads ive seen in my life time, the games changing, physicality (something which was a strength of ours) is going out of the game and playing straight into the hands of the better technical teams (something which is one of our weaknesses)

on paper 06 was our best squad i thought, likes of gerrard, rio, terry, lampard, owen cole, hargreaves (who gave us finally some balance in CM) and probably rooney bar the injury were all at there peak

game in the 90's suited us better as you could still "enforce" yourselves on the opposition better. since then we have been falling further and further away from the top teams. i mean in 90 and 96 were germany that much a better team than us? since then we havent been close to the world cup/euro winners

[Duty281]

2006 was a good squad...on paper.

In reality, it lacked cohesion, depth, pace, options from the bench, was tactically rigid, and had a negative manager who made some...odd decisions, shall we say.

I'd rather have today's squad than the 2006 one, on balance alone.

And with regards to technical ability, that's an area where England are finally starting to catch up; the likes of Barkley, Wilshere, Sterling, Oxlade, and Lallana all a testament to that fact.

And England are not really that far away from the best in the world, they never have been. With the exception of 2010, England are usually edged out in tournaments, rather than soundly and comfortably beaten.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

As far as im concerned England are outside the elite and on the fringes of the group that follows the very top teams.

The funny thing about all this expectation talk we always get is that I have never felt that people ever expected England to win tournaments, merely that if everything went to plan they could.

[compelling and rich]

barkley still has a lot to prove as does wilshere after recent form. barkley, sterling and ox's games are currently all about pace. slow the game down and you will see there technically not all that. all one footed speed merchants bar ox who can use his weaker foot other than for just standing on

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

barkley still has a lot to prove as does wilshere after recent form. barkley, sterling and ox's games are currently all about pace. slow the game down and you will see there technically not all that. all one footed speed merchants bar ox who can use his weaker foot other than for just standing on

I think you need to watch a little more Barkley and Sterling if you think they're "one footed speed merchants" 

Sterling in particular showed this season he is much more than that

[compelling and rich]

ok im convinced from one good season, i'll throw him right up there with lennon, michael ricketts, beattie, ashley young all of which have had one season equal to sterlings and better than barkley

the fact is they are all young and we dont know how good they are, to say they are technically catching up to the likes of spain, germany etc is ludicrous they have been performing at the top level season after season not just for one year

[GSC]

And England are not really that far away from the best in the world, they never have been. With the exception of 2010, England are usually edged out in tournaments, rather than soundly and comfortably beaten.

Tbf this is usually because England play not to lose

[compelling and rich]

And England are not really that far away from the best in the world, they never have been. With the exception of 2010, England are usually edged out in tournaments, rather than soundly and comfortably beaten.

Tbf this is usually because England play not to lose

bit of postivity from me here for a change but dont think its just that, i have always thought we defend very well. thats one of the reasons we dont get battered

we had adams and southgate
then we had campbell and rio
then rio and terry

add to that we had neville and ashley cole either side throughout the majority

all three were great partnerships with the two latter ones being one of the best CB partnerships in the world, sadly why i think this squad is much weaker. cahill and jags are alright but they haven't got anything on above.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

And England are not really that far away from the best in the world, they never have been. With the exception of 2010, England are usually edged out in tournaments, rather than soundly and comfortably beaten.

Tbf this is usually because England play not to lose

bit of postivity from me here for a change but dont think its just that, i have always thought we defend very well. thats one of the reasons we dont get battered

we had adams and southgate
then we had campbell and rio
then rio and terry

add to that we had neville and ashley cole either side throughout the majority

all three were great partnerships with the two latter ones being one of the best CB partnerships in the world, sadly why i think this squad is much weaker. cahill and jags are alright but they haven't got anything on above.

We usually have good goalkeepers as well tbf

[compelling and rich]

not sure on that one olly, big gap between seaman and hart. robinson, james and green were all poor in my opinion.

[NickisBHAFC]

Mysti i didn't know you were going to the World Cup?! Lucky lad!

Rob Green was awful, single handily wrecked our world cup. 

Paul Robinson was okish. Not on Hart or Sir David Seaman standard though.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Mysti i didn't know you were going to the World Cup?! Lucky lad!
.

I will be watching with tequila, beer and a massive mexican hat in cancun.. I decided on the cheaper option of Mexico over St lucia.. All the same though

  

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