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Well done Iceland

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why is this not on the eleven-a-side forum. surely that's the place for it. it's amazing that nobody mentioned before the game that Iceland were a good team, that they beat Holland both home and away during the qualifiers, that they beat Austria, drew with Portugal and Hungaryin this competition and yet they were still thought of as minnows. It would have been interesting to see how we would have done against them if we had got past france. I thought Hodgson looked baffled on the line. he seemed Frozen, pardon the pun. surely he should have been capable of organising his team to defend those throw-ins and to open up that defence. Maybe he is just past it now and they need a young dynamic manager who jumps on top ofthe dugout.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 28/06/2016 10:07:00    1873149

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Replying To Dubh_linn:  "Shows just how good the premiership really is.Best league in the world,what a joke."
What has the Premiership got to do with the English National Team? This is one that's always baffled me.

Premier League is easily the best league, simply because of it's unpredictability yet, the majority of the players are of non English nationality. You can name the winners of the Spanish/German and Italian leagues next year now for gods sake (but obviously Spain has the best players).

Just because the English National Team are unable to function as a unit or perform at a tournament it's lazy to blame the EPL for that. By that same rationale, when England won 10 out of 10 in qualifying the EPL was easily the best league in the world?

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 28/06/2016 10:15:11    1873156

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I'd love to pull them in a qualifier for Euro2020. What do you reckon then, official HS lads trip to Reykjavik? :)

MedwayIrish (Wexford) - Posts: 2324 - 28/06/2016 10:17:02    1873157

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Replying To MedwayIrish:  "Totally agree with that. From what you were saying, did you by any chance see the same report on C4 last night, their extended Brexit edition? Some real charmers on there, eh?"
Seen that Med, CH4 news is the best News Channel in these islands. Those Brexiters around Clacton, Dover, Boston etc who couldn't string a sentence together and who just make noises and grunts are mirror images of the Loyalist 'fleggers' here who are against everything and pro nothing. Their colonial and supremacist history means they need to feel superior to someone else; they are akin to the white trailer trash in the film Mississippi Burning who were bigoted racists because "it's just the way we are". I fear for the future of these islands.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9719 - 28/06/2016 16:24:00    1873427

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Have any of you seen the footage of Steve McClaren doing the in game analysis for Sky Sports News? It is quite possibly the best piece of TV footage I've ever seen. It has everything! He manages to encapsulate the arrogance of English football and then the bewilderment and hurt when the inevitable calamity occurs. And all in the space of 30 seconds of glorious live TV! Magnificent!

Well done Iceland! Unbelievable stuff. Their fans are brilliant and I agree with the previous poster about that chant! No idea what it's about but it fairly reverberates around the stadium! I think they'll be everyone's team to follow for the rest of the tournament. I wonder what Ronaldo makes of them now?"
His face is priceless!

Well done Iceland.

This is such a good tournament.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13725 - 28/06/2016 17:20:51    1873460

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Replying To s goldrick:  "why is this not on the eleven-a-side forum. surely that's the place for it. it's amazing that nobody mentioned before the game that Iceland were a good team, that they beat Holland both home and away during the qualifiers, that they beat Austria, drew with Portugal and Hungaryin this competition and yet they were still thought of as minnows. It would have been interesting to see how we would have done against them if we had got past france. I thought Hodgson looked baffled on the line. he seemed Frozen, pardon the pun. surely he should have been capable of organising his team to defend those throw-ins and to open up that defence. Maybe he is just past it now and they need a young dynamic manager who jumps on top ofthe dugout."
Conte reminded me a bit of that nut job Simeone at Atleti.Jumping on the dugout and constantly gesturing and roaring on the sideline.Depends on what we all like but i dont like this over-the-top carry on by attention seeking managers.You wouldn't see our own Jim Gavin at that nonsense (:

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 28/06/2016 17:30:04    1873464

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "Seen that Med, CH4 news is the best News Channel in these islands. Those Brexiters around Clacton, Dover, Boston etc who couldn't string a sentence together and who just make noises and grunts are mirror images of the Loyalist 'fleggers' here who are against everything and pro nothing. Their colonial and supremacist history means they need to feel superior to someone else; they are akin to the white trailer trash in the film Mississippi Burning who were bigoted racists because "it's just the way we are". I fear for the future of these islands."
I agree with all of what ulsterman but I don't fear for ireland's future. The north and Scotland will leave the union sooner rather than later unless the tory elite see the mess they've made and order another referendum.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 28/06/2016 18:38:27    1873479

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Minor achievement really.

Louth only have 122k and 3 all Irelands ;)

DoireCityFC (Derry) - Posts: 1580 - 28/06/2016 18:55:19    1873486

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "Seen that Med, CH4 news is the best News Channel in these islands. Those Brexiters around Clacton, Dover, Boston etc who couldn't string a sentence together and who just make noises and grunts are mirror images of the Loyalist 'fleggers' here who are against everything and pro nothing. Their colonial and supremacist history means they need to feel superior to someone else; they are akin to the white trailer trash in the film Mississippi Burning who were bigoted racists because "it's just the way we are". I fear for the future of these islands."
Yeah Ulsterman it portrayed certain places in a terrible light, look at some of the trash they interviewed in Hartlepool. If they had a brain cell each they'd be even more dangerous.

Did you see the bit following England supporters around in France? The fellas abusing Roma kids, worse than that, the one who said he'd give her 5 Euro to "suck me off" as he so eloquently put it. How old was that child? Didn't even look secondary school age to me. I bet the same fella when he's at home is the first to spout off about paedophiles and doesn't see the irony in his own behaviour. Absolutely sickening behaviour.

MedwayIrish (Wexford) - Posts: 2324 - 28/06/2016 19:22:17    1873495

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Replying To MedwayIrish:  "I'd love to pull them in a qualifier for Euro2020. What do you reckon then, official HS lads trip to Reykjavik? :)"
Hmm don't think you'd be rushing to Reykjavik when you'd see their prices! Just back from a trip there... some beautiful scenery but 9 euro for a pint (when it's cheap!) 4 euro for a loaf of bread , 15 -20 euro for basic take-away standard food. Basically everything two and a half to three times what it costs in Ireland!

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1908 - 28/06/2016 20:06:05    1873518

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Replying To GetOverTheBar:  "What has the Premiership got to do with the English National Team? This is one that's always baffled me.

Premier League is easily the best league, simply because of it's unpredictability yet, the majority of the players are of non English nationality. You can name the winners of the Spanish/German and Italian leagues next year now for gods sake (but obviously Spain has the best players).

Just because the English National Team are unable to function as a unit or perform at a tournament it's lazy to blame the EPL for that. By that same rationale, when England won 10 out of 10 in qualifying the EPL was easily the best league in the world?"
The premier leagues unpredictability hahahahaha your having a giraffe mate.
One year they have a team bolt from the pack in what twenty odd years.
Its been easily predictable with man utd, Chelsea, man city and arsenal every year being the only contenders.
The annoying thing is it takes England national team to crash out for people to actually realize what the non fooled know already, sure the champions league regularly does the same for English clubs as what England do in national competitions they blow them up and they get dumped out time and again. Sure sir rolex Ferguson won countless premier leagues yet in all that time only won two champions leagues and was steeped to even get them both. The real quality invthe premier league lies with its marketing guru's as they have all the talent in being able to get people to buy into that it's the best league in the world. That's how they have succeeded in making it the wealthiest but have a long long way to go to make their tag line a reality.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 28/06/2016 20:19:50    1873525

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Well done indeed Iceland! Made my night watching ye last night .

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 28/06/2016 20:20:33    1873526

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Replying To hill16no1man:  "The premier leagues unpredictability hahahahaha your having a giraffe mate.
One year they have a team bolt from the pack in what twenty odd years.
Its been easily predictable with man utd, Chelsea, man city and arsenal every year being the only contenders.
The annoying thing is it takes England national team to crash out for people to actually realize what the non fooled know already, sure the champions league regularly does the same for English clubs as what England do in national competitions they blow them up and they get dumped out time and again. Sure sir rolex Ferguson won countless premier leagues yet in all that time only won two champions leagues and was steeped to even get them both. The real quality invthe premier league lies with its marketing guru's as they have all the talent in being able to get people to buy into that it's the best league in the world. That's how they have succeeded in making it the wealthiest but have a long long way to go to make their tag line a reality."
Yeah I'd go along with that Hill. What happened this season did in some ways restore my faith in football from the game I remember (just about!) in my youth. But I'm realistic to know it'll be the same old "global" clubs dominating the EPL for the foreseeable future. I don't have a great deal of interest in top flight football. I'm second generation born and living in Gillingham (Kent) so they're my team. Got a lot of family links from relatives who moved over to Sutton (south London) so Sutton Utd would be my 2nd team. Love it. No dickheads, you can still stand and take your pint onto the terraces without the need for segregation.

Basically what I'm saying is non-league (even lower league is too commercialised for my liking) is like the soccer version of the GAA in Ireland. Everyone has some decent banter, the players are the same and you or me, they have regular jobs and lives. Win or lose it's the spirit of the game that matters and you get to have a chat to the players over a few pints in the clubhouse.

MedwayIrish (Wexford) - Posts: 2324 - 28/06/2016 21:43:08    1873564

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Replying To PoolSturgeon:  "Hmm don't think you'd be rushing to Reykjavik when you'd see their prices! Just back from a trip there... some beautiful scenery but 9 euro for a pint (when it's cheap!) 4 euro for a loaf of bread , 15 -20 euro for basic take-away standard food. Basically everything two and a half to three times what it costs in Ireland!"
4 euro for bread?You sure you weren't in Zimbabwe?

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 28/06/2016 21:48:54    1873568

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I agree with you 100% Hill16no1Man. but I would think the top English clubs are at this moment on the cusp of a period of unprecedented dominance in Europe. The reason? The Sky football deal coming into effect in the coming season which will make the top clubs in England easily the richest in the world. In another couple of years, most of the world's top players will be playing in the Premiership -- future Messi's will bypass Spain and go straight to England because even super rich clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid won't be able to compete financially with the Premiership elite. If Barcelona offer 50 million for a player, Man Utd will be able to come in and offer 100 million for him. Of course this will do nothing for the English national team (more likely it will damage them further) because fewer and fewer English-born players will get the chance to make it in the Premiership. Now that is some irony....they've voted for Brexit because of fears that they are being overrun by immigrants , yet in a couple of years time there will be more foreign players than ever playing in the Premiership because of the huge money to be made in it!

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1908 - 28/06/2016 21:55:26    1873573

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Replying To hill16no1man:  "The premier leagues unpredictability hahahahaha your having a giraffe mate.
One year they have a team bolt from the pack in what twenty odd years.
Its been easily predictable with man utd, Chelsea, man city and arsenal every year being the only contenders.
The annoying thing is it takes England national team to crash out for people to actually realize what the non fooled know already, sure the champions league regularly does the same for English clubs as what England do in national competitions they blow them up and they get dumped out time and again. Sure sir rolex Ferguson won countless premier leagues yet in all that time only won two champions leagues and was steeped to even get them both. The real quality invthe premier league lies with its marketing guru's as they have all the talent in being able to get people to buy into that it's the best league in the world. That's how they have succeeded in making it the wealthiest but have a long long way to go to make their tag line a reality."
Agree with this.SKY have expertly hyped up the Premier League.The players are dripping in wealth but are usually drowning in mediocrity.I support Liverpool - loosely it has to be said - and the quality served up in the majority of games is awful.Lalanna,Henderson,Clyne,Sturridge all England internationals and are usually hopeless.The Premier League is the best soap opera on the box but even Stevie Wonder can see that genuine talent and class are conspicuous by their absence.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 28/06/2016 21:58:31    1873574

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You have to hand it to SKY and the English media. They have hyped up one of the poorest leagues in Europe to the extent that everyone believes the nonsense surrounding it; it's the Emperor's New Clothes. The poor recent record of English club teams in Europe and the constant failure of their national team shows how bad football in England is. It's a number of things. In the 60's, 70's and 80's when British clubs were successful in Europe they all had a mix of English, Scots and Irish in their teams. These sides all had great ball players who learned their trade on the streets kicking heavy footballs in confined spaces where you had to learn to control the ball, move into space, beat fellas and think. Look at Celtic, Man Utd, Leeds, Spurs, Liverpool from those times and the wonderfullly talented footballers they had. Jimmy Johnstone, Bertie Auld, Bobby Murdoch, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Dennis Law, John Giles, Billy Bremner, Danny Blanchflower, Jimmy Greaves, Ian Callaghan, Ian St. John etc. Now in the mollycuddling, fearful society we live in kids aren't allowed out after 7 o'clock and they play inside in big halls or on pitches with coaches who knock all the ability out of them.
In the current era foreign players go to England for the money and nothing else; they can't get the same salaries, after tax, elsewhere in Europe. However China is now starting to take over from England as the world's top payers and many players are starting to drift there. English, and most other British and Irish players, are technically inept and don't possess the footballing intelligence to compete with the top nations. It's all to do with the footballing culture they are brought up in. Kids in these islands are taught that it's all about winning and skill development, technique and thinking about the game are not even on the radar. If you go to youth matches it's wee lads of 7/8 playing on full size pitches in competitive leagues and when they get a bit older it's all big square shouldered fellas who are 6ft at 15/16 and who can hoof and head a ball the entire length of a pitch. All you hear on the touchlines is 'coaches' and parents screaming 'Clear it son, just clear it'. If I had a pound for every time I hear a so called coach or parent say about a skillful kid 'He's too small' I would make a fortune. The Irish and British game is all about carthorses while the continent and abroad like to promote thoroughbreds. Nothing will change.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9719 - 28/06/2016 22:50:34    1873591

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I agree with most of that Ulsterman. Jamie Carragher said something similar yesterday. He called England's latest failures the Academy Generation. Young fellas of 12/13 now have agents. They are brought up in state of the art academies where their every whim is catered for. They float around in a bubble with their top of the range sports gear and their Dre headphones. 'Coaches' tell them everything they need to do. It stunts character and individualism. As a result, when they're confronted with a situation like England faced the other night, they have neither the composure or outside the box thinking required to get themselves out of it.

Whatever about England the saddest of all is Brazil's decline. The old style street footballer you mention appears to have fallen by the wayside over there as well. Neymar aside maybe. When I was growing up you could list a fair few Brazilian players who would really get you off your seat with amazement as to what they could do with a ball. Guys like Romario, Bebeto, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho etc Going further back you had the 82 team who by all accounts were magicians. Nowadays I would struggle to name an exciting Brazilian player other than Nemyar. They've become this functional, plodding team that don't do the great yellow jersey justice at all in my opinion.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9189 - 29/06/2016 10:11:07    1873660

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "I agree with most of that Ulsterman. Jamie Carragher said something similar yesterday. He called England's latest failures the Academy Generation. Young fellas of 12/13 now have agents. They are brought up in state of the art academies where their every whim is catered for. They float around in a bubble with their top of the range sports gear and their Dre headphones. 'Coaches' tell them everything they need to do. It stunts character and individualism. As a result, when they're confronted with a situation like England faced the other night, they have neither the composure or outside the box thinking required to get themselves out of it.

Whatever about England the saddest of all is Brazil's decline. The old style street footballer you mention appears to have fallen by the wayside over there as well. Neymar aside maybe. When I was growing up you could list a fair few Brazilian players who would really get you off your seat with amazement as to what they could do with a ball. Guys like Romario, Bebeto, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho etc Going further back you had the 82 team who by all accounts were magicians. Nowadays I would struggle to name an exciting Brazilian player other than Nemyar. They've become this functional, plodding team that don't do the great yellow jersey justice at all in my opinion."
Does the "academy generation" not exist elsewhere? ie in successful countries (internationally)

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12133 - 29/06/2016 10:41:44    1873676

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Also think its a bit rich of ex England players ie former spectacular International failures to be high-horsing about the current batch.

The only people to have done anything worthwhile for England since 66 are Terry Venables and The Lightning Seeds.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12133 - 29/06/2016 10:46:46    1873681

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