OFFICIAL EUROS FINAL - Spain (A)

[Hoover Attack]

Bellingham is the only one from our team who would get into theirs, playing the way they do.

[Celtient]

Morata is awful and I wouldn't take him on at the O's on a free transfer. Olmo was terrific and would be my man of the tournament

[DrWindy]

I very rarely if ever watch top flight football and this was the first game in the euros I have watched. I thought it was dreadful. Since when did football become the kicking equivalent of basketball. One team has the ball for 3 minutes. Then the other team. Passing it around going absolutely nowhere. Any tackle is a foul. Not a shot on goal in the first half? I know I am supposed to be impressed and hoover will be on telling me I am stuck in the 1970’s but I can’t wait for orients first game and the first time someone lumps it forward and 3 players all fall over trying to control it.

Exactly this. My first game too. Given up watching this crap. Everyone falling over and cheating. Declan Rice defending a corner and not even looking at the ball and just blocking the attacker. I’m told not even close to a penalty apparently. What happened to our beautiful game. Give me League One football please.

[Fellowo]

Anyone else find it strange that our players looked more tired than pretty much any other country across this tournament.

Maybe other countries 'computers' look after the players better than ours (sarcastic comment based on the fact that football seems to rely more on computers to determine what players are capable of).

[PoundhillO]

I very rarely if ever watch top flight football and this was the first game in the euros I have watched. I thought it was dreadful. Since when did football become the kicking equivalent of basketball. One team has the ball for 3 minutes. Then the other team. Passing it around going absolutely nowhere. Any tackle is a foul. Not a shot on goal in the first half? I know I am supposed to be impressed and hoover will be on telling me I am stuck in the 1970’s but I can’t wait for orients first game and the first time someone lumps it forward and 3 players all fall over trying to control it.

Spot on, boring, boring , negative football our beautiful game has been ruined.

[Celtient]

One swallow does not make a summer !

Was Spain playing their under 18 team .

Rodri was certainly crying like a kid after the game because he reckoned they lost because it was raining and the grass was too long

[PoundhillO]

I think Peter Kitchens fb post sums it up very well:

It’s not coming home because we weren’t brave enough. We have the players to have won this but a Manager whose mindset is cautious, safe & negative & shows in his team selection. His system does not get the best out of his players & Kane needed more offensive support . We’re sitting back far too deep with Rice playing in amongst the back players most of the time. We surrendered the initiative & allowed Spain to boss the game & then only play when we’re chasing the game. Palmer should have started & would have caused Spain problems from the start, caused them problems & helped support Kane. His substitutions are also too late with Toney coming on with 2 mins left.

Totally agree, Southgate has to go .

[PoundhillO]

I think Peter Kitchens fb post sums it up very well:

It’s not coming home because we weren’t brave enough. We have the players to have won this but a Manager whose mindset is cautious, safe & negative & shows in his team selection. His system does not get the best out of his players & Kane needed more offensive support . We’re sitting back far too deep with Rice playing in amongst the back players most of the time. We surrendered the initiative & allowed Spain to boss the game & then only play when we’re chasing the game. Palmer should have started & would have caused Spain problems from the start, caused them problems & helped support Kane. His substitutions are also too late with Toney coming on with 2 mins left.

Controversial take Peter is clearly stuck in the 1970s.

On the hand ful of occasions we went for it in both the semi and final, we were cut apart. Spain are a class above us. Southgate’s boring tactics kept us in the game.

Unfortunately Southgates boring tactics whilst keeping us in the game will always leave him a loser in Major competitions and with the majority of fans that want a winner that doesn’t bore you to infinity.

[Hoover Attack]

I very rarely if ever watch top flight football and this was the first game in the euros I have watched. I thought it was dreadful. Since when did football become the kicking equivalent of basketball. One team has the ball for 3 minutes. Then the other team. Passing it around going absolutely nowhere. Any tackle is a foul. Not a shot on goal in the first half? I know I am supposed to be impressed and hoover will be on telling me I am stuck in the 1970’s but I can’t wait for orients first game and the first time someone lumps it forward and 3 players all fall over trying to control it.

Exactly this. My first game too. Given up watching this crap. Everyone falling over and cheating. Declan Rice defending a corner and not even looking at the ball and just blocking the attacker. I’m told not even close to a penalty apparently. What happened to our beautiful game. Give me League One football please.

Have you not noticed Beckles marking at corners?

[Hoover Attack]

I think Peter Kitchens fb post sums it up very well:

It’s not coming home because we weren’t brave enough. We have the players to have won this but a Manager whose mindset is cautious, safe & negative & shows in his team selection. His system does not get the best out of his players & Kane needed more offensive support . We’re sitting back far too deep with Rice playing in amongst the back players most of the time. We surrendered the initiative & allowed Spain to boss the game & then only play when we’re chasing the game. Palmer should have started & would have caused Spain problems from the start, caused them problems & helped support Kane. His substitutions are also too late with Toney coming on with 2 mins left.

Controversial take Peter is clearly stuck in the 1970s.

On the hand ful of occasions we went for it in both the semi and final, we were cut apart. Spain are a class above us. Southgate’s boring tactics kept us in the game.

Unfortunately Southgates boring tactics whilst keeping us in the game will always leave him a loser in Major competitions and with the majority of fans that want a winner that doesn’t bore you to infinity.

If this team had tried to play open, expansive football, we'd have gone out in the group stages.

(Also, you can't play open, expansive football at Inernational level with Declan Rice as your link player).

[DrWindy]

I very rarely if ever watch top flight football and this was the first game in the euros I have watched. I thought it was dreadful. Since when did football become the kicking equivalent of basketball. One team has the ball for 3 minutes. Then the other team. Passing it around going absolutely nowhere. Any tackle is a foul. Not a shot on goal in the first half? I know I am supposed to be impressed and hoover will be on telling me I am stuck in the 1970’s but I can’t wait for orients first game and the first time someone lumps it forward and 3 players all fall over trying to control it.

Exactly this. My first game too. Given up watching this crap. Everyone falling over and cheating. Declan Rice defending a corner and not even looking at the ball and just blocking the attacker. I’m told not even close to a penalty apparently. What happened to our beautiful game. Give me League One football please.

Have you not noticed Beckles marking at corners?

I haven’t seen any player in League One do it to that degree. Should be a penalty.

[Hoover Attack]

I suggest you have a closer look next season.

(Don't disagree tho, I've no idea how that's allowed yet any other minimal contact in any other circumstance warrants a free kick)

[DrWindy]

I suggest you have a closer look next season.

(Don't disagree tho, I've no idea how that's allowed yet any other minimal contact in any other circumstance warrants a free kick)

I will watch with interest

[Hoover Attack]

Passing it around going absolutely nowhere. Any tackle is a foul. Not a shot on goal in the first half? I know I am supposed to be impressed and hoover will be on telling me I am stuck in the 1970’s but I can’t wait for orients first game and the first time someone lumps it forward and 3 players all fall over trying to control it.

Um, don't get to many Orient games, do you? If passing it around going nowhere not having shots isn't your thing, you're in for a nasty surprise.

[Dunners]

If this team had tried to play open, expansive football, we'd have gone out in the group stages.

(Also, you can't play open, expansive football at Inernational level with Declan Rice as your link player).

I've now lost count of how many times you've made this point. But I reckon there's a good chance that the next time you make this point it will finally be understood.

[Mistadobalina]

Controversial take Peter is clearly stuck in the 1970s.

On the hand ful of occasions we went for it in both the semi and final, we were cut apart. Spain are a class above us. Southgate’s boring tactics kept us in the game.

Unfortunately Southgates boring tactics whilst keeping us in the game will always leave him a loser in Major competitions and with the majority of fans that want a winner that doesn’t bore you to infinity.

If this team had tried to play open, expansive football, we'd have gone out in the group stages.

We have hammered better teams at previous tournaments under Southgate. This narrative is ridiculous. It's definitely the worst we've performed under him (purely based on quality of our play) and by his own admission, we hadn't figured out how to set up our midfield going into the tournament, which is a big issue if trying to win something.

Credit where credit is due, he's got a lot of the other stuff right and wasn't afraid to switch things up when they weren't working. But we spent half the tournament working out how we want our midfield to play, which isn't going to lend itself to a cohesive team.

[Hoover Attack]

Delusional.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

How frustrating must it be to be Southgate where most 'fans' fully don't appreciate why you play a certain way.

I think Rice has had a good tournament but the Spanish were running rings around him last night. Every time we sent men forward they had a chance. If we'd gone gun ho from kick off we'd have been about 3-0 down at half time and then everyone would be going 'Southgate aint got a clue tactically'. The fact he got us to the final and kept it close against a team who might well dominate world football over the next 10 years is a marvel really.

[Hoover Attack]

We should get El Tel back, what's he doing these days?

[Currywurst and Chips]

If we ain’t going to win the trophy anyway, I’d rather see us go out in the groups playing 3-2-5 formation attacking football than sleep inducing bollocks and going out in the final

[Orient_Man_And_Boy]

We should get El Tel back, what's he doing these days?

‘Pushing up the daisies.’

[Sid Bishop]

Controversial take Peter is clearly stuck in the 1970s.

On the hand ful of occasions we went for it in both the semi and final, we were cut apart. Spain are a class above us. Southgate’s boring tactics kept us in the game.

There's been lots of criticism from pundits and ex-players who have never played in or managed an England team to an international tournament final. Southgate's tactics kept us in the game, meant we weren't embarrassed, and kept us with a chance.

There's no way to know that. I don't think it's a case of being too negative or too positive, but more a case of setting up the team to have the best chance of winning. Kane didn't work at all in way we played, so was like playing with 10 men. Up until the last 2 games we were playing with 9 men as Bell and Foden covered almost identical locations on the pitch. Southgate's tactics may or not have been sound, but he chose to put square pegs in round holes for most of the tournament (TAA in mid, Tripp at left back, Kane up front, Bell and Foden). If those are the players he wanted to play (which clearly they were) he should have set the team up to give them a chance to play well. That was his major failing in this tournament. I would argue that our squad is as good as Spains, and they did as well as they could with the parameters that southgate set for them.

Correct, Southgate put square pegs in round holes. So different to Ramsey who left out some good players in the 66 world cup, he had a system and picked players who could fit his way off playing. Some say the system did not suite Harry Kane, well in that case pick Watkins who could do the job required. watching Kane last night was like watching WALKING football !

[Monkey Boy]

I don’t like Southgate as a manager but yesterday wasn’t really his fault, the only this he did wrong was starting with Kane. Certain players let him down. Foden the wonder boy has turned into Jack Wiltshire, stretching and pushing the ball to far in front of him, Kane has reached his sell by date,Watkins when he came on didn’t appear to be closing the defenders down and Bellingham wants to take on the whole team by himself plus Saka plays one good game one bad.The turning point was when Rodri was taken off. They were like us playing with ten men,it gave them more options in midfield and we didn’t combat that. But all is not lost. We have discovered two new young CB’s and a terrific young holding midfielder. Credit where credit is due Spain were the better team on the night.

[Give it to Jabo]

Southgate had Gallagher and Trippier warming up to take us into extra time. We needed Eze.

[one o in huntingdon]

Southgate had Gallagher and Trippier warming up to take us into extra time. We needed Eze.

Southgate saw the equaliser as opening the door to get extra time and penalties.
A more astute manager would have seen it as the catalyst to go for a winner in normal time.
He will always stick rather than twist, could be why he remains trophy less.