Football Focus

[mockney piers]

points taken otta, though in fairness it's not the money i object to (it is over the top but if there aren't many people who can do what you do then I understand being paid a premium to attract you to a job) it's more the way they conduct themselves and regard themselves, and its a different football culture in Spain. For starters it's quite acceptable to be intelligent without acting like David James ;)

Also there's a real sense of team spirit that the England setup would do well to learn from.Weirdly you don't hear liverpsain much from certain quarters anymore, mind you you don't hear anything from certain quarters any more.

[Bluerevolution]

So Freguson wasn't on the verge of being sacked 3 years in because he brought NOTHING? Sorry for letting facts get in the way. You got some very good frees but forked out quite a bit too.

[Undisputedtruth]

Over the last ten or so years England have never found a style of play that suited their players.

However, I'm very optimistic about England in the future (possibly two to three years). I like the look of Mceachran and Wilshire with their passing abilities. I'd say Mceachran is a better passer than Wilshire. But there's a question to whether Mceachran will get enough games with his current club to develop as a player. Also like the look of Kyle Bartly and Jack Rodwell as central defenders. Both comfortable on the deck and in the air. Shame about Frimpong because he would have added steel to the midfield. With Rooney upfront and Hart as goalkeeper England would have a solid spine in the team.

[DJKillaQueen]

But none of those players compare to the versitility and individual ball skills of a Xavi or Alonso or Villa. It's a fundamental flaw in the style of football we play that is at the heart of the porblem (you only have to look at the contrasting success of the emerging young team from Germany to see that).

And before an English player makes it to a first team (if they are lucky enough to make it) they go through a coaching system that knocks individual flair out of them. When clubs of other countries, like Spain, Germany and Italy etc fight to buy the likes of Rodwell, Wiltshere and Bartly, then we can say we have a world class team. The sad truth unfortunately is that we produce very few players of world class standard these days.

Yes those players will be the future of the England team but just as with Scholes and Beckham and that generation before them, they will not live up to expectation without some truly creative and talented world class players in amongst them. Rooney alone is not enough.

[emc]

How did the lunch at The Mag go??? A success??

[Undisputedtruth]

When Wilshire played against Barcelona in the Champions League he matched the likes of Xavi & Iniesta. So England can and still do produce world class talent.

In 2009, Rodwell played against German U21s and had a very good game against them winning 1-0. However, Rodwell was not picked for the World Cup and some of the German youngsters were and became stars overnight.

I remember players like Lampard, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Owen, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Beckham, and Scholes from when they were upcoming players. They were all mentioned as England hopefuls at the time and eventually one by one were drafted to the full England squad. For some unknown reason, England fans expects the next generation of players to be a carbon copy of the ones before rather than appreciating the qualities that are unique to the players and how they add value to the squad.

Back in the eighties players like Trevor Francis, Liam Brady, Graeme Souness, etc all played in Italy while their International team won naff all. During the 70s & 80s British omestic teams used to be feared throughout Europe.

Out of the crop of youngsters, Josh Mceachran takes my pick. So comfortable on the ball. Wilshire and Mceachran are the next Iniesta & Xavi type players. England's future are with them.

[jenniejenjen10]

shamefully i did not make it as i was ill, but i am defo going to the next one! i heard it was great.

it is on sunday 18th september i think it will be at 1pm but this time at the palmerston (if that's how you spell it. once again if you are interested please let me know by either posting on this thread or PM me on here and I will give you the email address to book your space. last i heard we now have 3 tables of 8 booked for the next one which, judging by the size of the palmerston, couold mean we basically will be having a private sunday lunch party in there, ha....come along it will be fun for sure!

[emc]

Did some men actually go then?! I just imagined a room full or lovely women but no blokes as men are so rubbish at turning up at these things....

[the-e-dealer]

Yes

[jenniejenjen10]

so emc are you a single male in East Dulwich?

e-dealer did you go?

[jenniejenjen10]

any single boys wanting to join the lovely ladies of east dulwich on sunday 18th sept at the palmerston for a delish roast please email emma and emily on [email protected] to save yourself a spot!

[the-e-dealer]

No I see my Stepson at weekends.

[ianr]

>....Oh and I forgot to mention it is for those single people between 30 and 40 something

So put it in your title?

[the-e-dealer]

So I am excluded great thanks.

[the-e-dealer]

Sod you!

[the-e-dealer]

Anyone under 30 or over 40 and single want to do the same without Miss Picky?

[jenniejenjen10]

Hahahahaha, oh dear. I did not mean to offend anyone I am literally just helping the girls who have set it up. I seem to have raised the temperature on this thread!

However, aside from the Sunday Lunch recruitment, the question still stands 'Are there any single men in East Dulwich?'......eligable for single ladies in East Dulwich in their 30s?

[emc]

I'm a girl!

[the-e-dealer]

are you in the picky age range or outside it?

[Loz]

jenniejenjen10 Wrote:

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> any single boys wanting to join the lovely ladies of east dulwich on sunday 18th sept at the

> palmerston for a delish roast

Oh boy, if you get any footballers along are they going to be a little confused. And possibly disappointed.

[ianr]

Is there _any_ word for which you can't find a salacious, possibly spurious, entry in Urban Dictionary? Even Loz and Lozenge. Nul points and own goal.

[Parkdrive]

Bluerevolution Wrote:

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> So Freguson wasn't on the verge of being sacked 3

> years in because he brought NOTHING? Sorry for

> letting facts get in the way. You got some very

> good frees but forked out quite a bit too.

is it not also true that Chelsea spent shed loads of money during the last window and in the previous season, which seems to have passed many by. Its the way it is, unforunately, whether we like or loathe it.

[Parkdrive]

Garry Cook of City has resigned.

[DJKillaQueen]

But here's the problem UDT...when an English player plays in the Champions League, he is surrounded by foreign world class players in his team. Lampard is a very good example of that. He's performs well flanked by the foreign megastars of Chelsea but is lost within the England outfit. It takes 11 world class outfield players to make a great international Team.

Wiltshire and Mceachran (for all the promise they show at present) will never be enough on their own to make much difference to Englands prospects....not when you have international teams like Spain, full of world class players. I would also argue that the longer they stay playing in the premiership, the less likely they are to develop the level of intricacy and game play that we see in the possession football of the Spanish or other leagues (this is partly Rooney's problem too imo).

There's a very good reason why that young German side is already so far ahead. Germany changed their coaching system 16 years ago to adapt for the future of international football (Spain 30 years ago). These countries place an importance in doing well at international level and shape their league systems to benefit that. The FA doesn't.

When we have international clubs trying to buy English palyers, then we can say they are world class.

[AlexC]

I'm a single guy who's 30, but as this gathering seems to involve ladies in their 30s and 40s, it's sounding too much like cougar town for me :))

I'll gatecrash the under 30's event...>:D<