#14 England 2-1 Tunisia ~ Group G

[nickkarkie]

For everyone’s sanity, including mine, I’ll keep off this forum while England are still in that tournament. Best of luck to all involved

I think I should as well, I personally think I am being completely realistic when I say that we are absolutely average, poor technique all over the field, nobody who can pass, lack of quality defenders and obvious tactics that are easy to defend against. We can still do well if we have the breaks as Portugal proved, I hope we do.

[pablo jaye]

I hate being negative and want us to do well but we just go through the same old pattern year after year and expect something magical to happen.

This year I've really managed to suppress my expectations of us, so I haven't been as negative. However, I can see that going out the window if we beat Panama relatively easily.

Dan and Nick - I think your posts are a good temper on those of us likely to get overexcited, and are welcome on the England threads.

[e17]

The pub I was watching the game in was in Woodford and people were singing ‘come on you Spurs’ when Kane scored the winner. Am I wrong to want England to lose in these circumstances ?

Yes. Get on the tube and get into a Chigwell or Hainault pub

[WCpete]

You getting death threats or something? Don't see any issues with your apathy. it happens. Of course I'm not from the UK so maybe the pitchforks are out.

[Faithless]

Turn on the Sports Bar in 20 minutes and I can guarantee it's going to be toxic. Actually, don't turn it on. It can be soul sapping.

I have no idea what the Sports Bar is :lol: but I'm guessing it's a phone in? If so I never tune in, switch off radio 5 live the moment 606 starts up. Can't stand the types that phone in only 5% are human most are reactionary muppets.

Today wasn't brilliant start to finish but I've read all of the match threads on here since the tournament started and the number of complaints about lesser sides defending deep etc and Tunisia did exactly that. We didn't resort to play acting or trying to get the opposition booked/sent off i(see France/Brazil) instead we plugged away and got a deserved winner.

I'm happy with that

[Rays Rock]

Well done England.

A well deserved victory against, not only Africa's best football team (apparently !), but easily one the dirtiest and most negative performances of the teams who have played so far.
Tunisia went out for the draw, tried to stifle the opposition and had no intention of making a game of it, which makes England's performance even more satisfying and impressive.

As for what negativity the twitter mongs and the microwave generation have to say about it, I couldn't give a flying fig.
We have to remember that very few teams at any level of Football, actually manage to totally dominate the opposition for 90 mins. Why should England (who are a 2nd tier side on the international scene) be judged any differently ?

[nickkarkie]

I'm delighted that we beat them late after their playacting

[smuts]

VAR is a farce. If FIFA are serious about they should throw the team of clowns out who did tonight's game. Either leave it to the ref or do it properly, not pick and choose your moments.

[Harry Hound]

We made very hard work of that and Kane appears to be the only attacker who knows where the goal is. Sterling needs to be on the next plane home and Lingard should at the very least be left in the hotel, absolutely dire.

Tunisia really didn't turn up and we really should have beaten them by 3 or 4, still I'm pretty sure that we'll get out of the group as we'll beat Panama and Tunisia will not get any sort of result against Belgium if they play like they did tonight.

[Loftyhammer]

Real mix tonight....dynamite going forward in that first half an hour; but then we started to get sloppy at the back which eventually led to their pen. Then it all got a bit slow and niggly....but fair play they kept going and didn’t just resort to lumping it into the box at the end

Definitely make a couple of changes though....anyone for Sterling please. I don’t know what it is about him playing for England but it ain’t working. And please can we have a left footer playing on the left?? So Rose for Young too

Thought Alli got a knock hence going off the boil? RLC should have come on much sooner for that IMO

All in all still pretty positive!

[the pink palermo]

Had we taken any one of the three or four decent chances we had in the opening 30 minutes it would have been a very different game. Alas though we fluffed our lines in front of goal save for the excellent finishing by Kane.

Every other Manager though would have looked at Walker in that role and said quietly to himself "He's the one to exploit".

Still it's tournament football and a wins a win.

[Korea Hammer]

I thought we played well and should have own by 3 or 4. The double standards on the penalty incidents was ridiculous. Lots of positives, and a vital win in the bag. Surprised at some of the comments and I agree with the poster that said the players should stay away from computer screens. Kane's 2 finishes were great poaching, especially the second,

I would like to see Loftus Cheek play a full 90.

[Samba]

VAR is a farce. If FIFA are serious about they should throw the team of clowns out who did tonight's game. Either leave it to the ref or do it properly, not pick and choose your moments.

Very true.
If FIFA aren't careful, VAR will stink this tournament out.

[MadMart]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we stunk the place out against very poor opposition...

[Korea Hammer]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we stunk the place out against very poor opposition...

They were all over the place in the first ten minutes mart, but they sorted it our after that and had a good shape. Our energy dropped in the middle third of the game but we kept at it and got the goal our performance deserved. it was a mixture of 6 and 7/10 performances tonight, with something to build on.

I liked the way Stones and Maguire supported the attack, also some of the running by Kane, Ali, Lingaard and Loftus Cheek. TPP is right that Walker was our weak link at the back and Sterling had a poor game, but overall we played well.

[Ludeksgloves]

I’m relieved. We completely dominated the first half and were unlucky not to go in at the break 3 or 4 up. This is a young team, and they kept their nerve and got the goal at the end. Not great, but far from bad.

If this was Germany grinding out a win like this people would be praising them for their never say die attitude. The winners of the tournament always start slowly don’t they?

[James P]

Those who are threatening to stay away because they can’t be happy about a successful England team.

Why don’t you just not?

It’s not a competition of who can be right.

Try giving getting behind the England team a go.

You don’t HAVE to be the sarcy know it all.

[James P]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we stunk the place out against very poor opposition...

They’re fodder here to be obstacles for teams like us who have realistic plans of making the knockout tournament. Despite all their gamesmanship we overcome them. On to the next.

[e17]

James

[Vic_Watson]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we stunk the place out against very poor opposition...

It's you. We were very good. Should have scored at least four and would have done had the officials done their job. More of the same please against Panama who were hopeless against the Belgians.