UEFA Euro 2024: Mod Note Added 2/7/24

Let's face it, FAI international team fans aren't exactly able to bestow an enemy onto the next generation of fans from 60th on the FIFA world rankings. It's the equivalent of a 4th tier fa team claiming their rivals are a lower table premiership team. There's no logic to it.

Southgate leaves with his dignity intact and probably hot property for league teams.

I almost never say that a person's view is wrong on something but in this case you are wrong. Southgate is a crap manager, he showed that in club management many years ago. It was the very same there as it's been for England where he basically strangled the team into how he wanted them to play. Their top scorer was regularly in the high teens, under Southgate in his last two years the highest scorer had ten goals. They scored 43 goals in his penultimate season and then 28 as they got relegated the next.

He hasn't changed his ways. He has had incredible squads and has never let them play.

If they were set up right it'd make a huge difference. For instance Foden can play a deeper midfield role and has done for City. When you have Bellingham there is no room up top for Foden so play him in the deeper role. You don't need a striker either. You seen with Real Madrid that Rodrygo and Vinicious junior have free roles to move around. So Saka or Palmer and a guy who wasn't even there, that's Grealish. That's up top sorted, then you have three midfield roles which would be Foden, Rice and a defensive midfielder. England don't have a great selection of defensive midfielders but Oliver Skipp can do the job and Jack Hinshelwood looks like he'll be a real good one.

If you watched England the big problem in most of the games was a disconnect between central midfield and the forwards. You seen Harry Kane come very deep on many occasions because the ball wasn't getting to the attacking players.

If you have Foden in a free role there and Rice box to box then you will have loads of ball getting through to the attackers and two midfielders getting forward who are well capable of shooting well from outside the box. All you need to worry about then is the defense and Shaw, Stones, Konsa or Guehi and a right back, I'd bring in Conor Bradley personally and you've a great starting eleven.

Southgate didn't bring a defensive midfielder, he played Konsa at the back in one game where he was excellent and he never got another shot. He brought Bowen which was a waste with Saka, Palmer and Foden all capable of playing on the right. He brought Toney who missed most of the season on a ban and then did nothing when he came back, another wasted pick.He had Solanke who scored 19 goals in the Premier league but he never even looked at him.

He brought Walker, Alexander-Arnold and Trippier which was ridiculous especially considering Konsa had played well there when needed for Villa. He brought an injured Shaw and used a guy with no left foot on the left when Joe Gomez had played well there for Liverpool during the season.

This is pretty obvious stuff, you don't need to be a football genius to see these things.

A competent manager would have set the team up a lot better.

I didn't say they don't produce the talent, they very clearly do. You'd have to be willfully blind to believe they don't, but maybe you quoted the wrong poster?

I like the fact that Greece 2004 keep getting mentioned in here.

Greece were lucky enough to come out of their group that year, and also had the benefit of catching the hosts in game 1 of the tournament, and getting a massive result. After that they won 1-0, 1-0 (aet), and 1-0.

Tactically, it was very simple, very direct - stifling the creativity of their opponents and getting their nose in front by playing to their strengths. To summarise: Frustrate, lead, then defend with discipline and win. All of Greece’s wins in the knockout stage came in an identical manner: a 1–0 win, with the goal being a header off a cross from the right wing.

In summary, they knew their deficiencies, accepted them, and developed a tactic that would play to their strengths, while doing their level best to curtail the strengths of each opponent. It was a true team and squad effort, not laden down with unrealistic airs of expectation, which is possibly the antithesis of England, and a reason why they are doomed not to succeed.

I'm not sure about all that talent. Foden, for example, looks good with a City team driven by Silva and De Bruyne with goals from Haaland. Rice has been shown up as just average. Cole Palmer looks the real deal but Pep left him go!

Looks like the end of the road for Belfast hosting games. Shambles.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2024/0913/1470004-casement-park/