England v Iceland....

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il_martello_di_genovesi
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by il_martello_di_genovesi »

England have failed to break down Russia and Slovakia, yet a team who are also unbeaten from their group are now easy? :lol:.

Pure disrespect to Iceland here...they have scored 4 goals in their 3 games, defend fantastically well and have some decent footballers in their team.

All this Iceland defend for 90 minutes is b*llocks. They have defended when they have taken the lead, but they have always set up to score and attack from the start.
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James P
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by James P »

No disrespect to them at all from me. I just think England are a far stronger team and the knockout format of this game will play into our hands. I think we will have to work hard but I think we have the players to get one goal and then with a lead and Iceland having to attack more opportunities will open for us.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by bobcar »

Denbighammer wrote:Another game against a team that will do nothing but defend.

I was 100% certain we should have left Carroll at home before the Euro's started. Since 1990, International football has become an unwatchable procession of minor fouls and rolling around on the floor. However, seeing how the referees are allowing some physical play and adding in how defensive all our opponents have been so far, I'm wondering if a player like Big Andy might have been a worthwhile inclusion after all?
I always thought he should have been included and said so before the tournament started, he offers us something different to what we have and almost any team is going to face the situation of another team defending deep at some stage. I think most other teams even those better than England would have included a potent weapon like Carroll in their squad - they wouldn't have started with him but would have had him there for when or if needed.

I think it's a case of Hodgson just picking the "best" players or those that "deserve it" rather than getting the best most versatile squad.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by fmgod »

If we don't beat these it's an utter failure but then we failed to score from open play against a diabolical Russia side and Slovakia so who knows

Also we know exactly what they are going to do before we play them, pack men behind the ball etc, no excuses
Last edited by fmgod on Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
bobcar
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by bobcar »

il_martello_di_genovesi wrote: All this Iceland defend for 90 minutes is b*llocks. They have defended when they have taken the lead, but they have always set up to score and attack from the start.
Iceland have been very defensive from the start. That is not a criticism they have done what is needed and fully deserve to be where they are.

Yes they are capable of beating England but if they do it will be the way they have done well so far which is defend very well and then snatch a goal. They will not be on the front foot from the start because if they do they will be much more likely to lose the game, they know their strengths and limitations and will play to them.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by il_martello_di_genovesi »

Iceland have defended with a lead, which is fair enough. They scored the first goal in 2 of their 3 matches by attacking their opponents. The games against Hungary and Austria they came out with an attacking mentality in the first half, got their goal and of course have defended from there. They can mix it up a lot more than people are giving them credit for. Let's not forget they were 1-0 down against Portugal, and had enough to get an equaliser and stop Portugal getting a winner.

Of course England are the stronger team and should be winning the game, but the same would've been said for the 3 group games and only one of them yielded 3 points. No way Iceland should be underestimated.
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James P
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by James P »

il_martello_di_genovesi wrote:No way Iceland should be underestimated.
Hodgson will not allow England to underestimate their opponents. He never does.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by xmas01245 »

Denbighammer wrote:Another game against a team that will do nothing but defend.

I was 100% certain we should have left Carroll at home before the Euro's started. Since 1990, International football has become an unwatchable procession of minor fouls and rolling around on the floor. However, seeing how the referees are allowing some physical play and adding in how defensive all our opponents have been so far, I'm wondering if a player like Big Andy might have been a worthwhile inclusion after all?
100%. That Slovakia game was crying out for big Andy to come and score...or at least cause mayhem and open up the game.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by chalks »

so when we get knocked out by Iceland it will be because they didn't allow us to play?

yet if it was Portugal its because they are too good for us

:lol:
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Jumby »

I take it everyone who supports England will be moaning about yet another team that will defend rather than play openly and into England's hands.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by chalks »

Jumby wrote:I take it everyone who supports England will be moaning about yet another team that will defend rather than play openly and into England's hands.
no, just pissing ourselves with excitement pretending West Ham players were playing apparently :lol:
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by bobcar »

Jumby wrote:I take it everyone who supports England will be moaning about yet another team that will defend rather than play openly and into England's hands.
Only if they were moaning about that in the first place. Most people have been accepting that was how the other teams played against England and bemoaning the fact that England couldn't break them down and score.

Saying that if the other teams had played open football England would have been more likely to win is not the same as moaning about the other team's tactics which they choose because they know what is best for them. I will take issue with anyone that says that Wales are better than England just because they got more points in the group matches but that is a different issue.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by simonirons »

Shame we haven't got anyone in the squad who could have a word in Gudjohnsens ear.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Jumby »

bobcar wrote: I will take issue with anyone that says that Wales are better than England just because they got more points in the group matches but that is a different issue.
I wouldn't say Wales are better than England but then again are Arsenal better than Leicester because they beat them twice but finished behind them? Wales had three games, the same as England, they may have lost to England (narrowly, in the last minute of injury time I might add) but in the other two games they did what England couldn't do and won them, thus finishing top.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by bobcar »

Jumby wrote: I wouldn't say Wales are better than England but then again are Arsenal better than Leicester because they beat them twice but finished behind them? Wales had three games, the same as England, they may have lost to England (narrowly, in the last minute of injury time I might add) but in the other two games they did what England couldn't do and won them, thus finishing top.
Leicester finished above Arsenal after a whole season, this was three games. Do you really think that over a whole season Wales would finish above England?

Wales had it easier against the other teams because those teams did not play so defensively against Wales and gave them more of a chance. That is not (as I've already said) complaining about those tactics that was right for those teams but it is a factor and comments like "Wales did what England couldn't" don't show the bigger picture. England's reputation definitely played against them in the group.

Tournament football is all about results and in this case Wales came out top so good for Wales but play the same round of matches many time under the same circumstances and most times England will come out on top, this time it was Wales so I repeat good for Wales.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Jumby »

I get your point but sides that win the league have to put up with other teams defending all game against them, if the team is good enough they'll deal with it. In tournament football you have to find a way to win, Germany do it, Spain do it.......I think England are better than Wales, in theory, but the problem is that England, and the manager in particular, think they're better but when sides play against them as if England are better England struggle to prove this, as we've seen. Two draws and an injury time winner against a side that started the game with one up front, a player released by Reading.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Morocco Mole »

I'd take Sigurdsson over any other midfielder we have.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Rio »

Law of averages suggests we can't keep creating that many chances and not converting them.

It also suggests we've created more than our quota of chances and therefore won't have many.

Either way I'm not expecting much more than 90 minutes of frustration before narrowly scraping a win. Actually I am. I'm expecting 120 minutes of frustration before narrowly scraping a win.

I'm also expecting a miserable experience watching it as I desperately try to find a pub near Bond Street/Marble Arch to watch it in that isn't inhabited by complete assholes.
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James P
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by James P »

Some people were really irked when we beat Wales and were really irked when we didn't crash out in the group and are really irked that we haven't got a tough draw in the next round. I fully expect these people to be really irked when we win comfortably Monday night.

At least they can look forward to us hopefully losing to France. That should be some consolation.
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Re: England v Iceland....

Post by Paddy O'Hammer »

Ireland v Iceland in Paris will be mad


















8-)
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