DISQUS

EPL Talk: Joe Cole Can’t Save England Blushes

  • DublinerInKentucky · 1 year ago
    agree....I was lucky that I found the game on there....but another question is why they didn't show the Ireland game on PPV/Broadband as well?
    I was watching the game on justintv.com which had Setanta and RTE coverage of the game
  • kkfla737 · 1 year ago
    Saw much of the game as well and I disagree. Any 3 points win, especially a clean sheet when you are looking ahead in qualifying is good. The same people who criticized the US for our tactics in stealing 3 points in Guatemala are sure to come out and criticize England here. but I respectfully will defend Capello's tactics and the team mentality.

    Keep in mind Russia needed a late goal to beat Andorra to qualify for the Euros at home when England lost to Croatia. They are not the pushover some think and if your media treats them as such it's more a dis service to the players than anything besides looking ahead.
  • Johnathan Starling · 1 year ago
    Sorry Kartik you couldn't be further from the truth.

    Tactics, England abandoned tactics for sixty-five minutes of this game and went back to the tried and failed long ball. Team mentality, I sure didn't see one. For the entire first half, they looked more disjointed than they ever did under McClaren.

    This was a win yes, but a good one no. Croatia looked very good against Kazakhstan (who mind you, got three against Andorra) and I expect them to look the same against England. I will be very stunned if England get any result against Croatia, I thought England looked that bad.

    Are Andorra pushovers, once you get a goal against them yes. They have little to no attacking sense and would rather sit everyone back and hope for the best.

    However as Joe Cole said to Setanta Sports, it's all about Wednesday. They better perform a hell of a lot better than they did today.
  • Jeff Hash · 1 year ago
    Kartik, we can go back and forth on the form England had for the win. It was a poor first half, better second, which may have been a function of the team Fabio trotted out to start and the halftime subs. The tactics worked, but thankfully they still have time before going to Croatia. That said, you shouldn't be caught looking ahead anyway.

    But you are going to argue Andorra is underrated?

    Here's something for you to chew on: these are results of the last 5 international qualifying campaigns for Andorra-

    Euro 2000: 0 points, -25 GD
    World Cup 2002: 0 points, -31 GD
    Euro 2004: 0 points, -17 GD
    World Cup 2006: 5 points (4 of which came against one team, Macedonia), -30 GD
    Euro 2008: 0 points, -40 GD

    A total of 1 win and 2 draws over 52 matches (not counting the two they have already played for World Cup 2010). They lost more matches by four or more goals during Euro 2008 qualifying (4) then the number they lost by one (2).

    Want to defend an average performance out of England? I have no problem with that. You want to make Andorra out to be anything other than an UEFA bottom feeder? I'm sorry, but I have to wonder if your seeing the same game everybody else sees.
  • Richard Whittall · 1 year ago
    England won two nil. They parked eleven men in front of net, Joe found a way through, the end. I'm no Ingerland apologist, but if it had been Italy or France, none of this would have even been talked about. At all. Period.

    The longer England fans expect to see Brazil-like performances, including ten-nil scorelines against the minnows, the heavier the cross self-hating England fans seem to want to bear.
  • Johnathan Starling · 1 year ago
    Richard, you don't know me very well.

    France and Italy deserve to be thrashed for their pitiful performances as well.

    Quite frankly I could give a toss either way with England. The way I saw it, they were pathetic. With the number of chances England had, they should have won AT LEAST 3-0 MOST LIKELY 4-0.
  • kkfla737 · 1 year ago
    I think it was a good performance from England. Nothing spectacular but certainly not as dire as Spain, the US or France today.
  • patrick · 1 year ago
    It irks me that I pay 15 bucks a month for Setanta, and they pull this PPV crap with England.