Jarrod Bowen feels 'extremely bad' about the Mailbox after receiving the Andy Johnson treatment. England have made progress with Thomas Tuchel in charge.
Delulu of Grandu (resembles a Star Trek chapter)
Dude, football supporters are absolutely the worst.
Tuchel’s initial match was a catastrophe, right? Even prior to addressing the fact that we, you know, easily secured a win in a qualification match against a lower-ranked yet competent team, with no sign of risk whatsoever – take a look at the first match of the last 5 managers in charge: Jarrod Bowen feels ‘incredibly bad’ after receiving the Andy Johnson treatment. England have scored points with Thomas Tuchel at the helm.
Steve McLaren – England 4-0 Greece (friendly) – the most straightforward “best” outcome on this list, yet still unremarkable considering the time (Greece had become merely a shadow of the team that won Euro 2004), plus it distinctly indicates that a “thrilling debut match” barely correlates with “manager will thrive in the position” #WallyWithABrolly
Fabio Capello – England 2-1 Switzerland (friendly) – Save the “the Swiss are a strong team” cliché; this was nowhere near their best performance.
Roy Hodgson – Norway 0-1 England (friendly) – To be fair, Norway had a strong team and England's starting XI was quite experimental, but this performance was definitely no improvement over Friday.
Sam Allardyce – Slovakia 0-1 England (WCQ) – Now we’re getting somewhere, a solid victory in this context – hold on, what’s that, we triumphed thanks to a last-minute Adam Lallana goal after facing ten men for the final 35 minutes of the match. Nonetheless, giving credit where it's deserved, Allardici will forever remain the sole England manager with a 100% win rate.
Gareth Southgate – England 2-0 Malta (WCQ) – In the unforgettable phrases of Blue – I rest. my. case. A cozy, albeit unremarkable victory in a qualifier for a major tournament from a coach who would later enjoy the most successful term as England's Head Coach since Sir Alf, who was in charge during the referees' lapse in judgment at Wembley.
Moreover, with a cheeky tone, many of you (as fans of top clubs) will surely agree that these players remain in top shape by the end of March in a lengthy season – none are dealing with injuries, experiencing the toll of a long season, or focused on the rest of the season for their team.
Is Tuchel going to be a major success? Who can tell, it seems statistically improbable at first glance, doesn't it? To imply that a straightforward 2-0 victory represents some kind of failure clearly demonstrates that numerous England fans either possess unrealistic expectations at best or, at worst, have a fundamental misunderstanding of the game's basic principles.
Harold Everton Hooler
P.S – I know that I could quickly be taken off this high horse tonight if England doesn’t win against Latvia – or worse, this message might be published AFTER that happens to bring everyone’s most irritating commenter crashing down.
MC – Sorry.
Depart them desiring additional.
I believe the sole lesson I took from the two England matches was regarding your player ratings, specifically that it’s “as is his wont” and not “as is his want.” So thanks for that.
England triumphed, but if Tommy T is looking for ‘consistent patterns of play’ on the field, he has plenty of work ahead, as I saw Kane once more contributing nothing as a 10, with Bellingham drifting into that area and sometimes delivering brilliant passes like the one to Lewis-Skelly, while the wide players lacked any structure for success and were simply expected to conjure up some magic individually.
Felt really sorry for Bowen. Since Antonio's injury, he has only been playing as a forward for West Ham, so asking him to play wide as a striker dropping deep against a stubborn back four appeared to be a challenging situation to excel in. Similar to when Sven ultimately succumbed to the pressure and called up Palace and Everton forward Andy Johnson to validate his tally of 21 league goals in a single season, only to use him in a wide position. Outstanding. What is anyone going to gain from that? England continues to engage in the same activities in 2025 as they did two decades earlier.
Get your phill
Dear Ed,
Whenever a player addresses the pressures or challenges they have faced (Dele Alli, Aaron Lennon), you remind us to show compassion.
Keeping this in mind, on the same day Matt Stead publishes an article stating that Phil Foden feels embarrassed by 21 England players, it is revealed that he is struggling and that his teammates and staff are concerned for him – and he sees the reports.
He has previously given interviews this season, expressing that he felt exhausted and was affected by the criticism of his performances for England.
The piece by Matt Stead and another by George Simms in the I on Friday are completely disgraceful, unless it’s only we fans who must show kindness and not the writers?
Keith
I understand that the Chelsea owners and board may be incompetent, but they must surely recognize that they need to transfer that money to United and allow them to handle him.
I’m uncertain about what’s troubling Sancho; it could be matters hidden from us that we might never learn about. However, Chelsea should not continue with a player who is essentially injured and doesn't need to purchase. The majority of the remaining team members are poor enough without him occupying a spot.
Will.
FFP, FFS
This is a bit lengthy since it has taken me some time to understand, but with the upcoming announcement of the verdict regarding Man City’s FFP charges, the duration it has taken, and the probable appeals, I started to reflect…
What if City merely responded, “Oh, sorry about that – you caught us, and we won’t repeat it”?
No appeals, no inquiries; the penalties conclude everything. Suppose the penalty is the most severe it can get. The money isn’t important, so devoid of all titles (those Community Shield defeats will sting) and dropped to National League North. Therefore…who would be impacted:
The Founders
While their revenue may decline slightly, it would be a significant story for them to compete against many lesser-known teams in England and host them at their stadium. I believe that interest, and consequently revenue, would be sufficient to support the club right back to the Premier League, which shouldn't take long. Moreover, they would make a strong effort in the tournaments.
Current and former players/managers
It wasn't them who violated the rules; the players and managers present at that time were merely fulfilling their responsibilities. It would be unjust to request that they give back their medals since they weren’t influencing any decisions, so from my perspective, everything is fine for the players and coaches.
The Supporters
At this point, it could truly be painful. All the titles have disappeared. Granted to the individual who secured second place. Nonetheless, City supporters will always remember the Aguero moment, always recall Yaya clinching the FA for them, and the remarkable dominance exhibited by the current team. Those moments cannot be taken from us. I compare it to when an athlete gets disqualified after a drug test a year later, leading to the silver medalist being upgraded to gold. Well done, you received a gold medal. I don’t believe they will hold the medal ceremony for you again. Is Man United actually planning an open top bus parade for the title-winning team of 2017-18 and inviting back Jose and Paul Pogba for the occasion? Nooooooo. The fact is that regardless of what the record books indicate, City supporters will always remember those moments, gained legally or otherwise. Additionally, City fans, wouldn’t it be amazing to visit stadiums you’ve never been to in the lower leagues before going back to the league that expelled you, fully prepared and seeking vengeance? I believe that would be quite amusing.
Competing Supporters
If City is acquitted of even a single charge, opposing fans will still doubt. In the view of many opposing fans, City has cheated and deserves to be penalized. Any argument implying differently will be ignored. By acknowledging it and accepting the consequences, opposing fans won't be able to leverage this as fuel for anything (likely untrue considering the nature of some of the internet's darker corners).
And… I believe that’s everything. The more prolonged it becomes, the more detrimental it is for all. We could finish it off right now. It could be an unusual few seasons for City and their supporters, but you may also reflect on your visit to Tadcaster Albion where you enjoyed an excellent pie and pint.
I’m curious to know what City supporters would feel if the club acknowledged the charges – wouldn’t it be wonderful to resolve this issue?
Mannix (Boro Supporter)
Shipping from USA
Currently, there is unmatched negativity in American soccer. After not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the American team's showing at the 2022 tournament brought some hope, featuring a youthful squad showcasing a different playing style compared to earlier teams. Everything is gone now. What occurred?
The main issue is that the USA is a relatively young soccer nation, and there aren't many adults who are familiar with the sport. Supporters here observe our population size and assume it will lead to a strong soccer team, not realizing that China and India also aren't very good at the sport. It's an issue with America overall: observe something that others are excelling at and believe you can outperform them simply because you're American. The boundary between a positive mindset and extreme arrogance is narrow. From my experience, young fans of the sport in America are familiar with stats from Playstation games and can identify the logos of major clubs, but their comprehension tends to not extend much beyond that. You're either Mbappé, the greatest of all time, or you're not good and playing for Fulham. In America, there are hardly any individuals who have followed the game for two decades. The majority of soccer enthusiasts here are essentially Todd Boehly minus a hedge fund.
Combine this with a player pool largely made up of the privileged offspring from wealthy upper middle class families, often referred to as a "Golden Generation" for years, and you get the current USA team. Poisonous environment. If Pochettino believed the Chelsea position was a challenge, he certainly has his hands full. Following the recent World Cup, Gio Reyna’s parents extorted coach Gregg Berhalter as they believed their beloved son (who has yet to make any significant impact in the sport) didn’t receive adequate playing time. AND HE WAS REINSTATED TO THE TEAM. Berhalter was pushed out of his position in the most organized campaign I've ever witnessed in American soccer media. Now that we have a high-profile manager in Poch, it’s becoming clear that Coach Gregg might have been the one who could motivate the players by flattering them, providing support, and boosting their confidence. Christian Pulisic, perhaps thinking of himself as the “LeBron James of soccer” (a sentiment sometimes expressed in America), declined to be substituted during the 3rd place CONCACAF Nation’s League match last weekend. All this so he could execute yet another dreadful set piece. And he is the leader!
"Golden Generation" is a promotional phrase coined by American sports media to market this team to the U.S. audience. These players aren't superior to their predecessors — they are evidently inferior in every aspect except left back — yet they are the initial group to gain broad access to major European academies. After years of tracking players at Fulham (surprise!) or Everton (dismay!) or Hannover 96 (what a shame!), American supporters were at last witnessing Serginho Dest at Barcelona, Weston McKennie at Juventus, as well as Pulisic and Gio Reyna at Dortmund. A genuine moment when we’ve reached our destination, correct? Incorrect. Dest got ripped apart at Barca and still struggles with defense, McKennie is a versatile option for the worst Juventus squads anyone alive has ever witnessed, Pulisic enjoyed one decent phase for a Milan team I wouldn’t care to watch, and Gio has been injury-prone and a terrible character for years. Matt Turner, previously showing potential as a goalkeeper, has seen his confidence wane due to unsuccessful efforts to build a career in Europe. We have not generated a quality center back since Carlos Bocanegra. If there's a standout player in the team, it's Antonee Robinson, who is the finest left back we've ever had and has dedicated several years to playing for… Fulham.
All of this is leading to what might be a truly catastrophic 2026 World Cup. The Trump Global Championship. You can be confident he will take charge of the situation. If the home team is not doing well, I sense he may urge them to cheat like the Russians did in 2018. The team is already a target because the president is a jerk. He menaces and belittles nations such as Mexico, Canada, and Panama, all of which have recently surpassed the USA team in outcomes and performances. At this pace, everyone globally would prefer to have this pampered, weak USA team in their group merely for the opportunity to defeat them.
Shiftless Feline Father
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