Well that was a load of **** from England last night.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

James ****ing Milner :-| Also don't get why he's trying to get every ****ing striker available in the team.

[Ash]

James ****ing Milner :-| Also don't get why he's trying to get every ****ing striker available in the team.

Steady, Billy. You can get told off round here for not recognising Milner's awesome skillz and contribution. I watched the first half - load of pony.

[Burney]

Steady, Billy. You can get told off round here for not recognising Milner's awesome skillz and contribution. I watched the first half - load of pony.

Doesn't he just run up and down a lot to remarkably little effect? :shrug:

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Doesn't he just run up and down a lot to remarkably little effect? :shrug:

That's about it, yes. Hardworking/good engine would be how someone would describe him.

[Luis Anaconda]

That's about it, yes. Hard working/good engine would be how someone would describe him.
Must do something

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-toe-poke/65/post/2884199/uefa-rank-englands-james-milner-as-fifth-best-player-at-euro-2016

he was **** last night though - not that he was the only one

[Burney]

That's about it, yes. Hard working/good engine would be how someone would describe him.

They love a bit of effort, England managers - even when it is to no discernible effect.

[Ash]

Doesn't he just run up and down a lot to remarkably little effect? :shrug:

Barney Ronay described him as a man swimmimg lengths of a pool while around him a water polo match is going on.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

The no.1 ranked midfielder :hehe:

[redgunamo]

They love a bit of effort, England managers - even when it is to no discernible effect.

Right. It's no coincidence the game comes from England; we are the only people on the planet who believe that life is for everyone, not just those who are actually good at it.

[Burney]

Right. It's no coincidence the game comes from England; we are the only people on the planet who believe that life is for everyone, not just those who are actually good at it.

Yes. It's admirable in many ways. Makes for crap international football teams though.

[Ash]

Right. It's no coincidence the game comes from England; we are the only people on the planet who believe that life is for everyone, not just those who are actually good at it.

Well, that's one way of explaining why we are **** at football. A nation of Eddie the Eagles. :-|

[The Jorge]

Well, that's one way of explaining why we are **** at football. A nation of Eddie the Eagles. :-|

Or a nation of James Cordens

[redgunamo]

Yes. It's admirable in many ways. Makes for crap international football teams though.

It's the other way about; if we weren't crap there wouldn't *be* any international football teams. The whole point is beating the English at their our own game.

Nobody likes losing to the British.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Or a nation of James Cordens

Done well for himself tbf. I like that sports quiz he does. Nowhere near as good as They Think It's All Over but it fills the void a little bit. From the bits i've seen of his US chat show it just looks like he has his nose permanently lodged in the arsehole of every guest he has on.

[The Jorge]

Done well for himself tbf. I like that sports quiz he does. Nowhere near as good as They Think It's All Over but it fills the void a little bit. From the bits i've seen of his US chat show it just looks like he has his nose permanently lodged in the arsehole of every guest he has on.

See, mystifyingly popular, in as much as people dont want to flay the fat **** and dip him in a bath of salt.

[Jake]

Barney Ronay described him as a man swimmimg lengths of a pool while around him a water polo match is going on.

lol. Vintage br.

[Jake]

James ****ing Milner :-| Also don't get why he's trying to get every ****ing striker available in the team.

Woy's on the wonk for sure. The system is a shambles: it clearly wasn't working last night so switch to a 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1. I would say that if Rooney got injured it would do us a massive favour in terms of team balance but, tbh, he'd probably put Henderson #10.

[Burney]

lol. Vintage br.

Yes. While he does generally come across as a man quite remarkably pleased with himself and urgently in need of a swift toe to the stones, I will admit that was a good one from Ronay.

[The Jorge]

Woy's on the wonk for sure. The system is a shambles: it clearly wasn't working last night so switch to a 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1. I would say that if Rooney got injured it would do us a massive favour in terms of team balance but, tbh, he'd probably put Henderson #10.

Jack Wilshere stood out like a saw thumb too, what with his ability to pass a ball.

Show off

[Jake]

Yes. While he does generally come across as a man quite remarkably pleased with himself and urgently in need of a swift toe to the stones, I will admit that was a good one from Ronay.

His humour function appears to be somewhat lacking when he's on FW. I also baited him on Twitter last year when he said we'd never make it out of our CL group, sending screenshot of said convo and he got all uppity, saying his kids were Arsenal fans and I should get a life.

Football journos really do not get the WUM nature of twitter.

[Ash]

See, mystifyingly popular, in as much as people dont want to flay the fat **** and dip him in a bath of salt.

I do. Well I would if I were a bit more RamsayBoltonesque.

[The Jorge]

I do. Well I would if I were a bit more RamsayBoltonesque.

I'm not really Ramsay-esque but that fat **** does bring out the Bolton in me.

[Ash]

It's the other way about; if we weren't crap there wouldn't *be* any international football teams. The whole point is beating the English at their our own game.

Nobody likes losing to the British.

I can't help thinking that your take on this might be a teensy bit anglocentric, reg. I reckon that since the Hungarians showed us how it should be done all those years ago, beating England is just beating a second tier side. No big deal, really. Beating a BIG side - the likes of yer Germanies or Italies or Brazilz is where it's at.

[redgunamo]

I can't help thinking that your take on this might be a teensy bit anglocentric, reg. I reckon that since the Hungarians showed us how it should be done all those years ago, beating England is just beating a second tier side. No big deal, really. Beating a BIG side - the likes of yer Germanies or Italies or Brazilz is where it's at.

Footballistically, perhaps, but football goes much deeper than mere *football* doesn't it.

[Sir C]

Steady, Billy. You can get told off round here for not recognising Milner's awesome skillz and contribution. I watched the first half - load of pony.

He's like Neeskens, really. Possibly not quite as good, but almost certainly fitter.

[The Jorge]

He's like Neeskens, really. Possibly not quite as good, but almost certainly fitter.

:hehe: I can only imagine the face you pulled when typing that

[Ash]

Footballistically, perhaps, but football goes much deeper than mere *football* doesn't it.

Well yes, actual shooting wars have started on a football pitch but between neighbours that didn't include England. So far, anyway.

[Sir C]

:hehe: I can only imagine the face you pulled when typing that

No, no. I'm a great admirer of the offensively dull ex-Lidslidslids man.

Neeskens did the work that allowed Cruijff to play and found the time to do some fancy stuff himself, on occasion. Milner seems to me to perform a similar function and, generally, to do so admirably.

[Ash]

No, no. I'm a great admirer of the offensively dull ex-Lidslidslids man.

Neeskens did the work that allowed Cruijff to play and found the time to do some fancy stuff himself, on occasion. Milner seems to me to perform a similar function and, generally, to do so admirably.

So who's Cruyff in the England setup?

[Sir C]

So who's Cruyff in the England setup?

Hmm. I'm going to have to get back to you on that one, a.

Is it Rooney? :-(

[The Jorge]

No, no. I'm a great admirer of the offensively dull ex-Lidslidslids man.

Neeskens did the work that allowed Cruijff to play and found the time to do some fancy stuff himself, on occasion. Milner seems to me to perform a similar function and, generally, admirably.

Yes but Neeskens' work formed the structure for great work to be built on, like John Paul Jones in Led Zep. James Milner prodvides the same function, granted, but the end results are more like whatever the bassist's name out of The Kaiser Cheifs is.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

So who's Cruyff in the England setup?

Lallana seems to do his best Cruyff impression every game and ends up falling on his arse.

[The Jorge]

So who's Cruyff in the England setup?

Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs, duh

[redgunamo]

even with people it would rather shoot. The inclusivity of the game even extends to your bitterest enemies!

This is uniquely British because foreigners ask the question, their most important question is, Are You Any Good. Whereas we ask, what's most essential to us is, Do You Fancy A Game. The Germans, for example, are good at football precisely because their system and way of life, and the way it is necessarily applied to everything else, even sport and leisure activities, is specifically designed to exclude anybody who isn't (apparently it's because traditionally they finish school at mid-day, lunchtime, so there's not really space or time in their curriculum for football. Or any other sport).

Also Capello and Ranieri, two football managers from Italy, but with contrasting recent experiences in English Football, both agree that the key footballistic difference between the two countries is that in Italy, players see training as a solemn duty, a professional responsibility. In England, on the other hand, players tend to see training as an opportunity to hang around with your mates and have a laugh. Those two gentlemen have been raised to esteem footballing competence and seriousness, however in England we respect, above all, the honest trier, which is basically everyone; a fact which only one of these men, albeit belatedly, realised to his great advantage.

That's the fundamentals and principles that means whatever game we devise can be universally, globally popular. The result doesn't matter too much to us; we "win" whenever somebody somewhere kicks a ball. And the world hates us for it, wants to bring us down to their level.





Well yes, actual shooting wars have started on a football pitch but between neighbours that didn't include England. So far, anyway.