All together now!
There’s only one Gareth Southgate
One Gareth Southgate
There’s only one Gareth Southgate
ONE GARETH SOUTGATE
ETC
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Let’s not get carried away Gravitas .
It was Panama.
Yes it was only Panama but gosh it felt good 
Yes … you can say that again, Summer! 
The best England side I’ve seen for years, they all played as a team for a change.
Who?
Oh, bloody football…
Actually, I was expecting that response. There is more to come, which should make it all clear. (It’s just a case of working up the will or retrieving a previous post elsewhere)
Without these/this additional post/s it would be like one of the other shit threads. And I don’t do shit threads.
Leave it to me chuck.
Yes, that’s what was lacking from the old guard - all after personal aggrandisement for their own ends rather than for the good of the team. They could have had a player stood in front of an open goal, and does another player cross the ball to him? No. He’d rather fight his way through the opposing team’s defenders and try and score a goal himself.
Here it is (fresh of the press and exclusive):
There has been a revolution in recent times in the way football is coached (including down the age groups in the academies). It’s a more “enlightened” and “progressive” style of play which has evolved. And it is already paying off with the unprecedented success of the youth teams at all levels, last year.
Man United’s embarrassing thrashing by Barcelona in 20011 was a wake up call to the English leagues as well - shorter,more considered passes and patient build up. With defenders having the skill and composure to play the ball out of defence (rather than just lumping it all the time).
Southgate has taken all this (and more) on board and in future we will be able to compete with the best far more than in previous decades.
Already there is some genuine, top top talent coming through. For further details see my thread on three gems, on the way to the senior team:
no wonder they get paid so much… Beckham, relaxing.
Unbelievable David beckham 3 balls into a trash can!! - YouTube
And only one match. Mind you the weather has been nice. 
Two England World Cup matches, actually, but as my last post explained: It’s a lot more than that (to make me refer to a “new dawn”).
The revolution is well under way.
Oh come on !! it is many years since England defenders main tool was thumping it down field. For years they have majored in time wasting ineffectual retention of the ball as they played out of defence, so called, only to give it away the moment they tried anything resembling skill. Square passes, back passes, we have been excellent at that providing there was no opposition nearby.
We have lacked any players since Bobby Moore with the defensive skills allied to passing skills required at the top level. So far we have played two minnows, let’s see what happens when we face some decent opposition. Certainly we shall have to step up on anything seen for many years.
Last nights match .
Was this just a lack lustre performance or a deliberate ploy to avoid playing Brazil in the next round ?
If so is this sporting ?
My thought Muddy, my as well watch a Chess Game, on one front though, we did win, 39-36.
Spits that is.
Never heard of him!
I found last night’s match very boring … bring on Wimbledon! 
Oh gawd ping pong for the coma crowd. 
It’s good exercise for the neck too Nom ;-)
A ploy that has been used many many times in the world of football domestic and international, the end justifies the means as Gareth Southgate would say.
Belgium has now been dumped with Brazil a good result for England.
There’s no way they were going all out to win. Normally, England have a last minute spell, where they look like they are going to score but don’t. Last night, they were still back passing in the dying seconds. If you want to score goals, you put your top goal scorer on, not leave him on the bench.
Personally, I think Southgate announced they intended to win but told the players not to. If we do well in the next round, last night’s boring match will be forgotten.