Algeria could have won the match, England didn't seem to have a scooby, some of these "World Stars" home clubs must be wondering why are we paying them the millions we do, imagine England v France what a match that would be eh!!, the pampered cream of the English premiership dishing up that drivel, both sets of fans booing them of the pitch, then back to the teams luxurious hotels for a "scratch at their heads" then a couple of hours on the playstation it's the only game I can see any of them winning

Hi IceCreamMan: indeed. As I pointed out a few posts above. However, Mr Ripitup hinted that BlackCatBone might have been getting at something else entirely...

Anyhow. To my fellow countrymen - do you think we actually WANT to go through to the next round? Good grief... [Sigh]

Cheers - C

Hmm perhaps I should rephrase Ceri, do YOU have a squeeky bum on Englands forthcoming match ? & Fab / Fabio see what I done there

I think I'm too old. Or too young. Or just too green for this conversation...

Heehee - C

Most likely weary with all the World cup exitement

World Cup excitement? Nope, that's one thing I haven't had too much of, yet...

- C

England were bad, on so many levels, where do you start? There appears to be something seriously wrong in that camp and I can't see them putting it right in time for the Slovenia game.
One bright thing though!! England will be on their way home and we can all start to enjoy the tournament, free of the pain.

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I can't explain how awful Rooney has been in both games. He is just non-existent out there. He was impressive all season in the EPL but has just disappeared in the WC. I don't think Heskey playing up front with him helps him at all, I would like to see them pay a different striker alongside Rooney. I do hope England and Slovenia manage to advance though.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

The useless git then had a go at the England fans giving em a hard time when they came off the pitch. Jeeze...
Id have been tempted to ask him if hed actually been on the field as no one had noticed him


Wish he would go awol and disappear like the Koreans lol.

Rooney wants to play the lone striker, like he so often is with Man. Utd with Gerard hanging back off him in a forward central position. Good point, Gerard is completely wasted and uncomfortable out on the left.
This would create the opening to bring in the in-form Joe Cole on the left, Lampard and Barry centre and I would use the speed of Wright-Philips on the right.
There you have a five man midfield, with Gerard getting forward to support Rooney and Barry acting as link between the back four and midfield. The role he likes to play. Then David James in goal, who, in my opinion is, by far the best Keeps we've got.
Here we have a team that is much happier because they are all playing in their favoured positions and the football would become more bearable to watch perhaps and maybe a win, at last.
However Fabio, for some reason is reluctant to play this and stubbornly sticks to his own agenda but he will have to change something and when he sees it, well, it will probably be too late.
I have seen some bad England performances in the forty odd years I have been watching them but I don't think I have seen anything like that against Algeria. They looked physically and mentally exhausted somehow.
Well, whatever, they are supposed to be professional athletes and something dramatic will have to happen now in their camp, to swing this around. But I can't see it, the pressure within the team seems to be intense, it's weird, they can't even pass a ball straight. These are just not the players that play in the english premiere league every week.

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I agree there not the same players, not even the same players that qualified so easily. The odd thing is there in probably the easiest group to progress to the knock out stage and it looks like they might blow it.

Fab seems to want the rigid 4 4 2 system but like you say Rhumba there all out of sorts and position.

We can only hope it changes for Slovenia even if its just so we get a decent game to watch.

See the thing is I have heard that he is always advocating the use of Heskey, who for the life of me I can't see how Heskey is considered a world class player.

I agree about Gerrard wasted on the left and you bring up an even better point

WHERE IS JOE COLE!?!?!? The guy is an excellent player and he should be out on the pitch for his country. All I can think of is politics within the team may be playing a role.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

i agree Fabianos goal should have been called back, even the ref was laughing at him afterwards like he know it was intentionally played with the arm.

disagree about the red card. that was not a red card, yellow maybe but even that is questionable. it's plays like that where the "hurt" player runs into someone else and pretends to be injured that give futbol a bad name. the ivory Coast player should have been yellow carded for sure. Kaka is a class act and one of the best in the world, that was a poor decision on the second yellow.

Drogbas goal was very good though, but I HATE Drogba! Sweet goal nonetheless ...

Dani Alves should be starting for Brasil, hopefully Elano isn't out for the rest of the matches because the tackle on him was dirty and what really started all the little scuffles that were going on, although the CI team was playing pretty dirty the whole game.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I thought Brasil deserved to win, I thought that goal of Fabiano's should have been disallowed for handball, I thought Kaka's sending off was the most shocking refereeing decision of the tourney so far, he didn't touch the big fairy that rolled about as though he had been shot by some sniper, he alone was the cheat who should be sent packing, again all it would have taken was for the ref to glance at the replay on the big screen, but yet again Blatter & co sit and watch the game they purport to love descend into farce, it's bad enough watching and listening to the prima donnas of todays game under perform and then blame everything on " we were bored, there's nothing to do " pathetic, I saw some tackles in todays game that should have been a straight red card, staight leg, studs up leg snapper type tackles, yet just a wag of the finger from the ref, all this crap we see, sets in the minds of the kids playing today I see it every weekend, seems that Blatter & co condone it all, my 8 year old neice could run the game better than the buffoon's that run it today, TV evidence has to be used as a result of the decisions made at this world cup, Blatter himself has been at the games watching as they were made, he must surely have looked at the replay's and cringed, digital tv can be rewound in seconds, it's the only way to stop the blattent cheating the prima donnas are serving up to us week in week out, anyone remember Rivaldo going down as though he'd been shot in the face and the uproar that followed, youl'd have thought it would have sunk into thicko's of todays game that their on tv and to avoid being branded a cheat, but no, seems you get rewarded for it. and this years Henry goes to...take your pick the nomimees are .............

you're right, there was many brutal challenges that didn't get called then someone runs into Kaka and he gets tossed. The tackle on Elano was a straight red in my opinion.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!