10 Dec 2022 23:29:46
well that's over as usual England out of world cup right let's get back to the real football come on you Reds!

1.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 02:06:57
To be fair it was an absolute con, referee was awful today, as they were last night. England were the better team against 13 men, France 11 the ref and Southgate.
FIFA NEED this shambles to be a success, so they will do whatever they can for a messi v mbappe final so all of the sad sacks can watch a handing of the torch moment’ argentina and France had the lions Share of decisions for the majority of their games.
Good news is hopefully Southgate goes and we get a manger who’ll actually plays our best players.

2.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 02:19:14
Yes the ref was terrible but we had the opportunity to level and take the game into extra time. We can’t blame the ref for the penalty miss and taking saka off disrupted the attacking flow we had. I think we should focus on the players that didn’t deliver before we berate the ref.

3.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 02:52:05
Bitter much, Jerry? ?.

4.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 02:53:09
The refs were awful
FIFA is corrupt
But I’m unsure how that accounts for Kane’s miss that cost them the game

I’m just glad our lads are coming back unscathed.

5.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 08:22:36
England had enough chances to win the game comfortably no one to blame but themselves unfortunately.

6.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 08:33:23
Ref standards at min poor, especially in premiership. At same time I think we need to accept the players/ managers make it almost a impossible game to ref nowadays, all this diving, rolling around after a tackle pretending your hurt, surrounding refs on every decision. authorities brought in good rule as regards head injuries and it totally abused and used to slow game down when it suits.
In most other sports the officals helped by players, there is an unwritten code among the competitors to be fair on field of play.

7.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 08:37:31
How anyone can continue to have a go at Southgate is beyond me. This site let's itself down when slagging off a manager who is doing his absolute best for his country and has got further in tournaments than most other England managers. The players look completely together with no cliques. His interview after the game was professional, calm, articulate and sensible. Maybe people want a ranting, emotional, blame everyone else type as the manager.

8.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 08:58:50
Good post WM although taking off Saka and Hendo could have cost us extra time.

9.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 09:11:44
Agree with you WW73. The constant slagging of Southgate is tiresome and unjustified. Taking Saka off was a strange decision, but we don't know if he had a knock. I think Hendo had run himself into the ground, but he can be proud of his World Cup.

Back to domestic football. Can't wait to get back to games.

10.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 09:11:54
Surely if FIFA wanted to screw England over then the ref wouldn't have been sent to the screen to look at the 2nd penalty decision?

11.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 09:27:56
I don’t think you can blame the ref personally, the saka foul was soft, players need to learn that not all contact is a foul and you should get back up and bust a gut to get the ball back.

As for the pen not given, I think it’s one of them of where it occurs, although how he didn’t give it as a foul initially is a bit of an odd one.

As for Southgate, I have no issues with him as a man or how he leads the team but tactically I think he’s got one way of playing and no plan b.

I’m fine with him taking hendo off as switching for a creative player when you are going for it makes sense, and he probably ran himself into the ground. The saka one was odd, he was the one player that had them on strings, but I do wonder if he was carrying a knock as he got clattered on multiple occasions.

As for Kane, you can take the man out of spurs but not the spurs out the man. The poor lad will be playing that I’m his head for a very long time.

But, second half in particular, we had France where we wanted them, but they are a good side and ground it out when not playing well. They will be very difficult to stop.

12.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 09:53:27
Southgate is out of his depth, his tactics are inept. His team selection is shocking and his substitutions beggar belief. Yes this team have carried him and failed at every opportunity. Imagine what a decent manager would do with this team.
Harry Kane isn’t a captain or a lone striker, he shouldn’t have taken both those penalties against a team mate who sees him on a daily basis. Having said that I don’t blame Kane for the miss the pressure could of gotten to anyone standing there.

13.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 10:05:58
I thought England were excellent to be honest. Walker kept Mbappe extremely quiet. The midfield 3 were great. They were very unlucky. If they ever get of THAT penalty voodoo. Not too sure if that makes Southgate out of his depth? ?‍♂️?‍♂️.

{Ed025's Note - I thought we were the better side Irish but when it’s just not your day there is not much you can do about it mate..

14.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 10:32:46
Sorry but Southgate IS a poor manager. The whole “he’s taken England further than any other manager” is very misleading. He has benefitted from very soft groups and knockouts in each comp he’s managed, the second we’ve played a good team, we’ve been bested everytime.

His first World Cup we played Columbia and Sweden before losing to Croatia and then Belgium in the semis and 3rd place playoff.

I’m the euros we played an extremely poor Germany team and Denmark before losing to Italy in the final. He lost that final when he decided to defend an early 1-0 lead when we had the Italians on the ropes early doors. In Italy they say that the difference is that Mancini managed that final like he wanted to win it, Southgate managed it like he didn’t want to lose it.

Then we go onto his bizarre selections throughout his tenure. How Maguire could be selected for this tournament is beyond me, and that we only take 1 recognised LB and three RB’s to then only ever really use 1 of them? Kelvin Phillips has something like 4 mins of football in the lead up to this World Cup, Sterling having a poor time for a while in the league.

There’s a level of loyalty which can be understood, but when your loyalty involves that level of players in your key squad and starting 11, questions have to be asked. Like how can you break into the England squad if it doesn’t matter how poor someone’s form is, or if they’re not even being selected for a club like Utd?

He took Maddison based on his form this season and the barely used him.

I could go on, but for me Southgate is a shocking manager who’s Lost every game against a good team in tournament football.

I will give him his props for managing to bring the squad together and make them more likeable to the British public, and he did carry himself very well last night when praising the French and not talking about the ref.

But as a tactician and squad selected? It’s a no from me.

15.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 12:13:07
In my opinion, this was the best England team at a World Cup since 1970 (when I started watching the World Cups) . Massive lost opportunity to make it to the final (I don't feel Morocco would have given as hard a time as the French did) .

Win or lose, the manager has to take responsibility. And while I agree with much that has been written here about the ref and the fouls on Saka, the game was lost in the first half. Minutes and minutes were lost with Maguire and Stones either doodling the ball to each other back and forth or launching long balls that were mostly overhit. Why didn't Southgate instruct Rice, Bellingham and Henderson to come in and help out the CB's with moving the ball forward? Why didn't he ask the team to play out faster from the back and keep letting the French adjust quickly (as he later did in the second half)? Is it too much of a sophisticated tactical change that can only be made at half time?

Yeah, Southgate spoke well after the game. But actions speak louder than words. And this is the World Cup. He could have managed the game much better. And greatness is best measured on the world stage; you can't be Captain and miss a penalty. You're "great" only in your own mind.

16.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 12:38:12
I'm not convinced Southgate is the best manager in the world, but. some of the slagging him off here borders on ridiculous. He's been more successful in consecutive tournaments than any England manager in my lifetime, and that includes all those supposedly superior coaches like Capello and Erikson. Would I want him at LFC - No, is he doing a decent job with England - Yes, I think he is, better than many more have done.

17.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 13:04:05
Not English or French so didn't care who won was just looking a good game. Thought France were terrible. Walking about letting England play round them. Mabappe is good but he's not that good, showed him too much respect.

18.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 13:27:48
I thought this tournament was the best we played under Southgate. Only got ourselves to blame. Kane overthought the penalty instead of belting it down the middle knowing the keeper would go the other way.

19.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 13:27:27
Well said ed025. As a neutral, the ref was not the reason you lost. He was bad, but you got 2 penalties lol. Your changes from open play were wasted/ well defended.

While it is a quarterfinal exit, those were the two best teams left. It just want England’s day. I know you aren’t a huge Henderson fan ed025, but englands performances with and without him were night and day. He is exactly what they needed - grit, experience, energy, great runs. Can hold his head high IMO.

{Ed025's Note - i thought hendo done a fine job Tj and was one of our better players mate, but this could well be his swan song im afraid as i expect the focus will be on younger players to step up to the plate..

20.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 14:02:40
BCS, I pretty much agree with your thoughts, there’s been too much political BS which is strange, it’s based on an USA issue (taking the knee), when it wasn’t so long ago a poppy wasn’t allowed on shirts.

Re best England since 70s I’m sorry not buying that, Bobby robson deserves better acclaim for the football his team produced during tournaments, which is better than sanctimoniousgate has dished out imo.

Also Glen Hoddle his team produced good football in a tournament imo too.

Point made above regarding Slabhead and Shaw are pertinent, thought he was going to pick players on form through his tenure, if you’re not playing for your club I wonder where the form is coming from.

If the final should end up being Croatia V Morocco then to me anti football will be winning the biggest Football competition in the world. Maybe I’ve been spoilt regarding attacking football under Klopp it’s definitely the best.

Croatia appears to play every knockout game for penalties, Morocco (don’t want to be harsh), good for them in many ways, but talking to a Saints fan, they never saw that Boufal ever lol,

Question for Ed’s, Denmark alleged to be leaving FIFA with rumours of another 6 countries thinking the same, do you think this is possibly the last FIFA WC? Also any hints at the other 6 nations with good sense to possibly leave FIFA too?

21.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 15:59:08
For those who reckon Southgate is a good manager how many of you have him as the next Liverpool manager?

{Ed025's Note - managing an international team is a different kettle of fish than running a premiership side pegleg, no day to day involvement with players and working with what you have, even the great mr klopp would struggle with that mate..maybe

22.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 16:09:51
as reds would you be happy with southgate as LFC manager? Me definitely a NO.

23.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 16:43:16
Well ed25 he’s done absolutely nothing at club and senior international level, ok he’s had a little more success at international level but apart from winning a kids cup all he’s managed to do is lose.

{Ed025's Note - but who would you replace him with pegleg?..

24.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 17:29:17
To be honest there’s loads better than him, Howe, Potter, Dyche to name a few but would they want the job? All I know is Southgate isn’t the man for me, maybe he is and a change of manager will prove a lot of people right however I feel with a better manager in place we could of done better.

25.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 20:45:37
Pegleg, what have Howe, Potter and Dyche won in England?

26.) 11 Dec 2022
11 Dec 2022 22:03:02
Done a lot more at club level than Southgate has ever done.

27.) 12 Dec 2022
12 Dec 2022 06:54:25
Southgate is nothing more than a mid-level manager, similar to the names mentioned above. He's had his shot. And a fair one over several tournaments. He didn't win, so what's the issue with stepping aside and letting the next guy have his shot?

Brendan Rodgers would at least make the games far more pleasant to watch with his attacking philosophy, and use some of the talents of Foden, Mount, Saka and Bellingham in a far better way. They'd probably let in more goals, but at least this way we'd see the end of Slabhead.