The Official *England to Euro 2016 Glory* Thread

[Duty281]

And this time, even I don't believe it will happen!

Instead, in a pish-poor tournament devoid of serious quality, I'm backing the Welsh to do the business at a healthy 80/1.

Anyway, England's first warm-up is against Turkey in about an hour and a half. Make sure you enjoy Kane and Vardy playing up front together, because it won't be replicated at any other point this summer!

[Fernando]

England Team to Play Turkey: Hart,Walker,Stones,Cahill,Rose,Dier,Alli,Wilshere,Sterling,Vardy,Kane

Well good chance Vardy is playing LW or Wilshere/Alli

[Duty281]

I think it's a diamond, with Wilshere on the left and Alli at the attacking tip.

But it could easily be a 4-3-3!

[Fernando]

I doubt Sterling is playing CM Duty So he's either AM or it's 4-3-3

[Duty281]

Oh fiddle.

4-3-3 it is. Vardy probably shunted out to the right.

[Guest]

----------------------HART-------------------------
WALKER------STONES----CAHILL-------ROSE
-----------------------DIER-------------------------
------------WILSHERE-----ALLI--------------------
--------------------STERLING----------------------
-------------VARDY------------KANE---------------

OR

----------------------HART---------------------------
WALKER--------STONES---CAHILL--------ROSE--
--------WILSHERE--DIER---ALLI-------------------
--VARDY------------KANE---------------STERLING

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Hoping its the 4-4-2 diamond but think it'll be the 4-3-3 formation

Interested to see how Sterling plays

[Guest]

ITV possible XI for Russia

--------Vardy-----Kane-------
------------Rooney------------
----Wilshere-------Alli--------
--------------Dier-------------
Rose---Cahill--Smalling-Clyne
---------------Hart-------------

[Duty281]

I'd imagine eight players are certain - Hart, the back four, Wilshere, Rooney and Kane.

Vardy, Dier and Alli are dependent on the system and mentality that Roy wishes to use.

[Guest]

Offside

[Duty281]

Blistering start. The linesman on his summer holiday, but never mind.

[Guest]

And that's what will kill us this summer. Our defence is a shambles

[Duty281]

Rose has virtually no protection whatsoever on the left-hand side; England's defence a total disjointed mess.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Rose and Hart not covering themselves in glory there

[Duty281]

Defence a mess. Midfield drastically unbalanced. Some pleasing link-up in the final third, but a struggle to release a telling final ball.

Think Turkey could press on and take this.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Nothing like playing left wing with England to bring you back to earth with a bump eh Jamie

Play him in his proper position Roy if you're gonna play him Roy ffs

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Rose isn't a very good defender. He was Spurs's weak link and he's even more exposed in this side.

[GSC]

Why is Kane swinging in fks from the touchline

[Guest]

No chance a penalty, deja vu WHU dive.

Kane misses pen

[Stella]

As soon as Vardy gets a yard it's either a penalty or a goal.

[Hero]

Very much a penalty imho.
See the ref made the call not to send off the player though under the new law.

[Hero]

The Turkish keeper won't want to watch that back

[Hero]

Rose isn't a very good defender. He was Spurs's weak link and he's even more exposed in this side.

Cue him then getting MOTM!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Need to play 442 diamond and midfielders to be smart. Whether its Dier, Rooney, Wilshere and Alli or you put Hendo, Barkley or Sterling in there, we need to have someone nearer Dier to protect the weak defence and use the strengths of our fullbacks properly. Rose will be a dangerous option on the front foot, but hes always going to be on to push up and will definitely get caught out.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Rose isn't a very good defender. He was Spurs's weak link and he's even more exposed in this side.

Cue him then getting MOTM!

One of the more BAFFLING decisions! Defence porous in the first half, goal from which side? Thought Walker was the better of the fullbacks, much improved player.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Exposed twice in the last 30 seconds!

[Hero]

Top top drawer save by Hart to spare England's blushes.

[Guest]

Defence is just a disaster waiting to happen at the Euro's

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Much better when we moved to 4-4-2 diamond again, surely that'll be the formation we play come Russia

Just don't have the wide players to play 4-3-3/4-5-1

[nathan]

No chance a penalty, deja vu WHU dive.

Kane misses pen

The difference is that he pulled vardy back, that's the difference to the WHU one

[Guest]

Pulled back? Did you actually watch it? He initiated contact, even the pundits agreed. Ian Wright admitting 'I don’t think it’s a penalty'. Vardy is very clever getting across the defender & then he just plainly dives to make the most of the situation & the sheer speed he's going at, just makes the situation appear more drastic

[Hero]

Pulled back? Did you actually watch it? He initiated contact, even the pundits agreed. Ian Wright admitting 'I don’t think it’s a penalty'. Vardy is very clever getting across the defender & then he just plainly dives to make the most of the situation & the sheer speed he's going at, just makes the situation appear more drastic

Well if Ian Wright said that then it's gospel isn't it.
The defender put his arm on Vardy, no he didn't pull him back but actually the reverse and pushed him forward which with the momentum of Vardy sent him to the ground.
Was it soft? Yes. Was it a penalty though? Yes.

[Guest]

Vardy to miss Australia friendly, so he can get married

[Guest]

Alan Dzagoev ruled out of Euro 2016 for Russia

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Vardy to miss Australia friendly, so he can get married

I've seen people on Twitter actually moaning about him getting married so close to the tournament

What a life some people lead

[Guest]

Alan Dzagoev ruled out of Euro 2016 for Russia

Every little helps, was joint top goalscorer at euro 2012, so a big miss for them

[Hero]

There's a few key players for teams getting injuries or not attending due to other matters, the planets may be falling into place for the unthinkable!

[Geordie]

Defence still worries me....especially the central pairing!

[Guest]

I expect the Australia game will be a kind of time filling, confidence boosting exercise, with the Portugal game seen as the real final tune-up, with the first team.

I'd expect to see

---------------------Sturridge-------------------
--Sterling-------------Alli--------Lallana/Townsend
---------------Wilshere-----Henderson----------
Bertand-------Smalling-----Stones------Clyne----
----------------------Forster------------------------

Simply isn't really enough time to even bother with drinkwater or delph, such is the need to give wilshere & henderson time to get fit. Rashford is surely behind Sturridge, so again, just a bench role.Even Barkley will barely get a look in. Sterling needs game time & Alli has only played once in a month or so, looked rusty yesterday. Rooney might start, but I don't see the point in risking him too much, other than from off the bench.

then onto Portugal, probably minus Ronaldo/Pepe, after the champs lge game

---------------Vardy--------------Kane-----------------
-------------------------Rooney------------------------
-------------Wilshere-------------Alli--------------------
--------------------------Dier----------------------------
Rose--------Smalling----------Cahill---------Clyne------
--------------------------Hart------------------------------

[nathan]

Pulled back? Did you actually watch it? He initiated contact, even the pundits agreed. Ian Wright admitting 'I don’t think it’s a penalty'. Vardy is very clever getting across the defender & then he just plainly dives to make the most of the situation & the sheer speed he's going at, just makes the situation appear more drastic

So you didn't see the defenders hand on Vardy at all? Seems to me you didn't watch it...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Defence still worries me....especially the central pairing!

Yep, but there's not a lot we can do about it really, just haven't got the players. Also not many great defences about these days (Italy/Germany the only two I'd say stand out above the rest)

[Duty281]

There's a few key players for teams getting injuries or not attending due to other matters, the planets may be falling into place for the unthinkable!

Steady, my dear fellow!

[Stella]

Pulled back? Did you actually watch it? He initiated contact, even the pundits agreed. Ian Wright admitting 'I don’t think it’s a penalty'. Vardy is very clever getting across the defender & then he just plainly dives to make the most of the situation & the sheer speed he's going at, just makes the situation appear more drastic

So you didn't see the defenders hand on Vardy at all? Seems to me you didn't watch it...

I thought it was a penalty for the exact reason. The collision of legs was cleverly instigated by Vardy but the hand on shoulder was all the defender.

[Stella]

There's a few key players for teams getting injuries or not attending due to other matters, the planets may be falling into place for the unthinkable!

Steady, my dear fellow!

Who's your money on, Duty?

[Duty281]

There's a few key players for teams getting injuries or not attending due to other matters, the planets may be falling into place for the unthinkable!

Steady, my dear fellow!

Who's your money on, Duty?

For overall glory? The Welsh.

England to lose in the quarters to home nation France (though the various permutations are rather confusing!).

[Hero]

France are my overall favourites, home advantage and a clutch of good young players coming through but I do wonder if there's a Leicesterness (in that there's not the superstars of other nations but a better team ethos) to the England squad currently.

[Stella]

Or the Welsh squad?

[Guest]

Might stick some money on Portugal, will be interested to see them on Tuesday, especially given the rise of their next generation like Joao Mario, Renato Sanches & William Carvalho. Always been a good, solid 'tournament side' that are difficult to break down & Ronaldo will be backed up this time by some exciting youth.

[Duty281]

I'd be a lot more positive, but for three factors:

1) England's defence is absolutely atrocious. Leicester got by on winning many games 1-0, but that just isn't a realistic option for England - keeping clean sheets will be incredibly tough.

2) England's promising young attacking players over the last four years have either not kicked on/are injured. Add as many names as you like to this list - Wilshere, Sterling, Young, Walcott, Oxlade, Barkley, Welbeck, Cleverley, Carroll etc.

3) Wayne Rooney will be starting. A player who has failed at the last four major tournaments he has been at is guaranteed a starting spot.

Roy's reign started quite brightly - there was some hope on the horizon, but the clouds have descended, the heavens have opened, and England are flooded out.

But I do fancy one team outside of the traditional heavyweights to come in and steal the trophy - and Wales just about do it for me.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Rumours that Sturridge injured in training

[Sponsored content]