Football

[Darandio]

Terrible. However, the decision to disallow that goal was a disgrace.

 

[brad465]

Can we have Gareth Southgate back? England have reverted to type since he left the job. I personally don’t rate Tuchel as a manager but even I’ve been surprised how flat, slow and ponderous we look with the ball and disorganised without it.

I won't hold my breath on England learning here, but the national team need some serious failures in order to knock some sense into them and make them learn. For the last few years the team has mainly ridden on luck and often scraped through certain games to get a long way through tournaments. This has created a false perspective of a top class team. The key to true success is to fail.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I won't hold my breath on England learning here, but the national team need some serious failures in order to knock some sense into them and make them learn. For the last few years the team has mainly ridden on luck and often scraped through certain games to get a long way through tournaments. This has created a false perspective of a top class team. The key to true success is to fail.

The main point is they never won any of those tournements.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Terrible. However, the decision to disallow that goal was a disgrace.

That I fully agree with. How anyone who understands the game (and the rules!) can see that as a deliberate handball is beyond me. I’ve got no issues with female refs but this particular ref wasn’t great.

 

[Peeled Apples]

Awful performance.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

The main point is they never won any of those tournements.

England came exceptionally close to winning Euro 2020. Once you get to penalties in the final it’s pretty much a lottery.

 

[75A]

Think I made the right call watching the cricket, sounds like this was a grim game.

 

[dangie]

Think I made the right call watching the cricket, sounds like this was a grim game.

Thankfully I actually forgot it was on. Sometimes old age has its benefits.

 

[Purple Train]

Can we have Gareth Southgate back? England have reverted to type since he left the job. I personally don’t rate Tuchel as a manager but even I’ve been surprised how flat, slow and ponderous we look with the ball and disorganised without it.

It is the same bunch of players, so I'm not surprised at how dreadful England were. Hopefully Tuchel will be able to spend the next 12 months finding the proverbial rocket.

There is just no creativity whatsoever. I'm all for possession as you need the ball to score but you get no points for passing backwards.

 

[brad465]

Thankfully I actually forgot it was on. Sometimes old age has its benefits.

Likewise, for all my earlier advice I don't follow the team much, although the further they progress through tournaments, the more opportunities I have to go cycling while the roads are dead (I did this during the Euro 21 and Euro 24 finals, among other prominent England matches).

 

[SuspectUsual]

That I fully agree with. How anyone who understands the game (and the rules!) can see that as a deliberate handball is beyond me. I’ve got no issues with female refs but this particular ref wasn’t great.

The interpretation is that the England player sees the flight of the ball and doesn’t attempt to get his arm out of the way, which then makes it deliberate

I don’t agree with it, but I can understand it

The bigger question isn’t deliberate or not, but whether it was actually handball or not, as the ball hit him right at the top of his arm, above the so called tshirt line

 

[AlterEgo]

The ball contacts Colwill below the t-shirt line. The centre of the ball is touching him literally below his shirt sleeve so it could not be clearer. Handball.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Why is Albert Steptoe managing the England side?

 

[DarloRich]

I wonder if the whoppers who went after Southgate kept the receipts..

 

[dangie]

…. although the further they progress through tournaments, the more opportunities I have to go cycling while the roads are dead….

Unfortunately, if this and the previous performance are anything to go by, the roads will be extremely busy

 

[DarloRich]

The ball contacts Colwill below the t-shirt line. The centre of the ball is touching him literally below his shirt sleeve so it could not be clearer. Handball.

yeah - it's a hand ball in modern football but in proper football: Goal!

 

[Haywain]

yeah - it's a hand ball in modern football but in proper football: Goal!

In proper football it wouldn't have been seen as deliberate, so where contact was made would not be important.

 

[dangie]

yeah - it's a hand ball in modern football but in proper football: Goal!

So we'd have lost 2-3 and not 1-3. Yes I know it's not that simple. Goals change matches.

 

[scarby]

The main point is they never won any of those tournements.

Nor did all but one of the other participants.

In addition, several big guns have flopped, notably Germany not even getting out of the group in the 2022 World Cup and in fact Germany haven't got near the final in the last three major tournaments.

Lest we forget also Italy failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup with performances that heaven knows what the reaction would have been had it been England doing that.

 

[AlterEgo]

In proper football it wouldn't have been seen as deliberate, so where contact was made would not be important.

In the Sunday league it wouldn’t even have been spotted. I didn’t spot it the first time either. But we are where we are.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Nor did all but one of the other participants.

In addition, several big guns have flopped, notably Germany not even getting out of the group in the 2022 World Cup and in fact Germany haven't got near the final in the last three major tournaments.

Lest we forget also Italy failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup with performances that heaven knows what the reaction would have been had it been England doing that.

Others appear to be able to win tournements, but England cannot. Do English team supporters ever run out of excuses as to why the English national team cannot win tournements?

 

[dangie]

Others appear to be able to win tournements, but England cannot. Do English team supporters ever run out of excuses as to why the English national team cannot win tournements?

If I was the England manager, I’d write to all professional players in the football league, asking them if they want to play for their country. Those which don’t answer, discard them. Those who do, ask for 100% commitment. It should be an honour & privilege to play for your country, whether it be football or marbles….!!

 

[Haywain]

If I was the England manager, I’d write to all professional players in the football league, asking them if they want to play for their country.

I'm sure most would say they do but I'm not sure why you think this a good idea as only a small* number will ever be considered good enough.


*If you really mean the Football League and not the Premier League, replace small with minuscule.

 

[dangie]

… as only a small* number will ever be considered good enough.

It all depends what you mean by ‘good enough’. No good having the skills, if you haven’t got commitment.

 

[Haywain]

It all depends what you mean by ‘good enough’. No good having the skills, if you haven’t got commitment.

And vice versa.

 

[dangie]

And vice versa.

Correct. I’m not sure which category most of the current England team fall into. ‘Not good enough’ or ‘No commitment’ or a mixture of both.

 

[scarby]

While you want a good performance in every match, international friendlies have little or no bearing on what happens in the big tournaments. I realise people pay good money to watch but these days these games are no better than pre-season matches are for league clubs and the results likewise - for example, Sweden lost 1-0 to Luxembourg in March.

It really isn't worth all this heavy analysis over the Senegal game.

Likewise with the qualifiers, all that matters is getting the 3 points. Again, England are far from the only team to make heavy weather of these - speaking of Luxembourg, they even drew 0-0 with France in 2017 - in Paris!

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Lincoln City have lost their Football League status a record five times - in 1908, 1911, 1920, 1987 and 2011. Barnet, Doncaster and Grimsby have been out three times each.

The first team to drop out of the league was Stoke in 1890, and not Accrington as many people believe.

For a full list of membership dates and grounds played at, see the spreadsheet which can be downloaded by clicking on the link at the bottom of the homepage at

Bradford Football Club 1895-1899

www.bradfordfc.org.uk

Three years ago I posted a link to a print out of a spreadsheet I had prepared listing the grounds played at by every Football League and Premier League club, season by season, since 1888.

I have now updated this ready for the new 2025-26 season. See

http://www.bradfordfc.org.uk/assets/applets/clubs-and-grounds-list.pdf

Some members experienced problems opening and reading the old version as it was in xps format - so I have now converted this to pdf which I hope will be more accessible.

Again please let me know of any amendments or corrections. Only league matches count and I have no interest in tracking or recording commercial stadium names.

 

[AlterEgo]

Correct. I’m not sure which category most of the current England team fall into. ‘Not good enough’ or ‘No commitment’ or a mixture of both.

They aren’t good enough.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Correct. I’m not sure which category most of the current England team fall into. ‘Not good enough’ or ‘No commitment’ or a mixture of both.

They’re clearly “good enough” because they play for elite level clubs and contribute to their successes. However, the England team as a collective is less than the sum of its parts and seems to me to have been such for a long time now. Why is that?