[King Gizzard]

Correct me if I'm wrong but all the big big big teams have managers from the same country right?

[Raph]

Originally Posted by Nate

Correct me if I'm wrong but all the big big big teams have managers from the same country right?

I think one team has an Algerian coach.. can't remember which team it was though (and no, not Algeria )

[King Gizzard]

When do the european qualifiers start? september?

[bbfan1991]

Originally Posted by Nate

When do the european qualifiers start? september?

Fabio Capello's side will begin their Group G campaign with a game at Wembley against Bulgaria on Friday September 3rd 2010, before heading to Switzerland for their first away contest four days later.

The Three Lions' two games against rivals Wales promise to be highly-charged affairs, and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium will host the first clash on March 26 before the return fixture takes place on September 6.

[Stacey.]

He seems good, I like him.. but it might be better if we had someone English.

[GiRTh]

England v Germany: Joe Cole admits 'problems' must be addressed

The midfielder, who will now step up his search for a new club after being released by Chelsea, racked up just 44 minutes of England’s four-game campaign in South Africa.

Cole’s absence from Fabio Capello’s starting XI, plus concerns over the manager’s tactics and his reluctance to give the players an early indication of the team, have all been cited as contributory factors to a sense of discontent within the squad.

And with England suffering elimination at the last-16 stage, four years after reaching the quarter-finals of Germany 2006, Cole claims that the time has come to act on the reasons behind the failure of the team to deliver in South Africa.

Cole said: “There are a lot of issues. It is not for me to talk to you guys [media] about it, but we need to just step up.

“I am just devastated, but what can you do? We will go away and start again, but we have to address the problems that are there.

“I don’t want to go into tactics. We just weren’t good enough, but we have to look at ourselves as a group. We haven’t been good enough since the start of the friendlies, so it is back to the drawing board.

“Why is this? I don’t know. ----ing hell, if I knew, I’d put it right. We wanted to do well, but sometimes we just weren’t good enough, plain and simple.

“Fabio Capello is a great manager and we have great players, but there are issues we need to address.”

Steven Gerrard, who captained England during the World Cup due to Rio Ferdinand’s late withdrawal because of a knee injury, insisted that both the players and coaching staff must take collective responsibility for the poor performances in South Africa. The Liverpool midfielder said: “Everyone is to blame. We came into this tournament with togetherness, so it would be very unfair of me to pick out individuals.

“For me it’s the group. If we had won, we would all have had pats on the back, so we have to take the responsibility and the grief ourselves.”

Although a seemingly good goal by Frank Lampard, which hit the bar before bouncing behind the goal-line, was not awarded by Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda, Gerrard warned against using that decision as an excuse for England’s exit.

“If you look at the game as a whole we’ve been beaten by the better team,” Gerrard said. “At 2-1, if Frank’s goal would have counted, it could have been a turning point in the game, but we can’t use that as an excuse. Germany scored four and we only got one, which tells its own story.”

In contrast to Gerrard’s magnanimity, Lampard insisted that the 4-1 scorelined flattered the Germans. He said: “Nobody can stand here and tell me Germany were a lot better than us. They were not 4-1 better than us. But things have conspired against us and maybe we have conspired against ourselves at times. It just didn’t go for us.”

Germany now progress to a quarter-final in Cape Town against Argentina. And captain Philipp Lahm claims that Germany’s victory was partly due to England taking their opponents lightly.

Lahm said: “Maybe England were not prepared for this game as they should be. Maybe they under-estimated us because our players aren’t as famous as the England players.

“We knew that we would have chances on the break if we let England attack. It was very important for us to be strong defensively because we always have the quality to get forward with players like Ozil, Podolski, Muller, Klose.

“The reason England’s defence couldn’t handle our players was because we have very good strikers.”

Sir Alex Ferguson claimed last week that Germany’s mid-winter break proves an advantage over England in major tournaments, but Lahm insisted the Germans simply planned better than England. He said: “We have good fitness coaches who have prepared us, not for three games, but for the whole tournament.”

Source

[Big Brother Fan]

Ghana dont have a manager from their country nor did South Korea who made the semi-finals in 2002.

[30stone]

Hiddink!!! Please

[Nemo123]

Sack the permanent govt. - the FA. They have consistently failed. They've always been a cosy old boys club, since when they wouldn't employ Clough, and hired "gentleman" Ron Greenwood instead. Sir Trevor Brooking is the very personification of that bumptious,unctuous old boys club.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Nemo123

Sack the permanent govt. - the FA. They have consistently failed. They've always been a cosy old boys club, since when they wouldn't employ Clough, and hired "gentleman" Ron Greenwood instead. Sir Trevor Brooking is the very personification of that bumptious,unctuous old boys club.

I agree with you but dont have a pop at Sir Trevor. HE was the one who highlighted the lack of skill in English football and if they'd listened to him earlier and did what he wanted then maybe England would produce more skillful players and not the work horses we currently have.

[Raph]

last world cup, Japan had a brazilian coach.

[Nemo123]

Can't stick Trevor Brooking - he's just all wrong. He's yer typical noncy-pocy FA type.

[Big Brother Fan]

England fans can be too hasty to call for their managers heads, and end up forming wrong opinions of the management of their national team.

I was watching 'You're on Sky Sports' last night when a angry caller voiced his opinion on Capello, saying that he wouldn't even have won the Welsh cup. This reminded me of Steve McClaren a couple of years ago who had a very good spell as Middelsbrough manager before taking over as England boss but let England down and gained a reputation as being a poor manager I have a feeling a lot of English people will think this in future when hearing Capello's name. The caller on the programme last night failed to remember the successes of Capello in Italy and Spain and no matter what he achieves, four games could give him a bad name forever with the England faithful.

To me, it wouldn't have mattered who had managed these group of players, they have never been good enough as a team to match major South American nations or even the Europeans at that. I think for once England should give their man a chance, four games ago he was set to become one of the greatest managers in England history, now his reputation in England is in the gutters. His team has relatively the same players that won their qualifying group, he's using the same tactics and players now as he was then.

Can a manager really change that much over 4 games in all honesty?

[Nemo123]

The Premier League top scorers are currently not English....The FA Premier League has not helped the England national team at all. It has simply been a monetary success for the FA itself.

written just before McClaren's sack.

http://www.buzzinfootballblog.co.uk/...sack-the-fa/98

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Big Brother Fan

England fans can be too hasty to call for their managers heads, and end up forming wrong opinions of the management of their national team.

I was watching 'You're on Sky Sports' last night when a angry caller voiced his opinion on Capello, saying that he wouldn't even have won the Welsh cup. This reminded me of Steve McClaren a couple of years ago who had a very good spell as Middelsbrough manager before taking over as England boss but let England down and gained a reputation as being a poor manager I have a feeling a lot of English people will think this in future when hearing Capello's name. The caller on the programme last night failed to remember the successes of Capello in Italy and Spain and no matter what he achieves, four games could give him a bad name forever with the England faithful.

To me, it wouldn't have mattered who had managed these group of players, they have never been good enough as a team to match major South American nations or even the Europeans at that. I think for once England should give their man a chance, four games ago he was set to become one of the greatest managers in England history, now his reputation in England is in the gutters. His team has relatively the same players that won their qualifying group, he's using the same tactics and players now as he was then.

Can a manager really change that much over 4 games in all honesty?

I see what you're saying mate and I agree but, for me, I was stunned by his lack of ideas. Hiddink was mentioned earlier, if he'd been in charge he'd have done more. I had a long discussion with a couple of people last bight in the England Germany thread where they basically said England were completely outclassed all the way through the game and frankly were never in the game. I didnt agree and I still dont agree. I think that if bolder substitutions were made and maybe a change of formation then things might have been different. Germany were perfectly set up to play against yesterdays England side and Cappello did ***** all about it. Thats poor management IMO

[Tom4784]

I'd say get rid of him, the man's done nothing right all World Cup and he relied on the same formations and such all the time. He had no adaptivity at all, He had a lot of potential when he first started but he's *****ed up in a major way at the most important football even there is.

New manager and a team reshuffle please.

[Nemo123]

I heard on the News the Uruguay manager earns €200,000 pa. Capello is paid 40 x that amount, €8000,000 pa.

8m is an obscene amount. Pay peanuts - get monkeys; pay millions still get monkeys. People should be repulsed by such a sum of money being paid to one individual.