Blues in international action

Thrilling stuff.

I’ll generally watch any football I can on telly, at any level, but u draw the line at England friendlys.

Hate this stupid international break every year when the season is just getting started, but hopefully it’s a blessing for our team.

It will give us a chance to re-group and reassess the best way forward, as well as giving Lukaku, Eto’o et al a chance to get up to speed (I know our problems go beyond that but I’m trying to be optimistic).

With the attacking options at our disposal, and our obvious shortcomings at the back, we should look at how the RS won games last year - quick out of the blocks and blast teams away before they get settled into any sort of rhythm.

We can then commit more players to actually defending, whilst maintaining a threat on the counter. All good on theory at least (optimistic again).

I doubt something trivial like an injury to Stones would get a mention, with it being Captain Fat-tastics first game and all.

What a sorry state of affairs... Glad I've no investment in England's fortunes (no offence to fellow English toffees).

Gary Cahill’s injury got a mention, but I guess that’s because he plays for one of the media’s darlings.

Because I am not doing cartwheels about our overall transfer activity and spell out why / where I would have liked it to be better, I've suddenly become a harsh critic of our players and the manager have I?

When you find any examples of that let me know. Other than that just stop pouting will you; why reference me on a thread I hadn't posted on?

Stones played it safe and made no mistakes but was well covered by Cahill and never really tested. Chambers didn't look quite so safe but tried to get forward with more force.

Howard's understudy played a blinder for the USA.

I thought Stones was excellent. Baines looked very solid and looked a real threat going forward as the game went on.

Hate them by all means, but don’t be blinded.

Our players looked good and passed the ball about well, when their given time were ok, its when the receiver is pressured we are rubbish!

Baines also had a good game. WeÂ’ll played lads.

Switched off before the end and surprise surprise a redshite player wins a penalty.

I thought that this was a big issue in the World Cup, the Sky darlings were expecting to win free kicks by their theatrics and the refs at the World Cup were generally really good and weren't fooled at all.

Our play suffered for this, as the Sky darlings were used to getting free kicks following their crappy dives.

Anyone see Gibson, or even McGeady? Its been so long, IÂ’ve actually forgotten what Gibson even does/is supposed to do. Is he any good?

Sterling is fast becoming a nightmare for opposition defenders/midfielders... Barry or McCarthy need to hit him hard early in the derby (fairly, of course!)

Gibson was very tidy in the middle but in fairness wasn't up against much so he got time on the ball to shake off the cobwebs. McGeady was McGeady; showed some good touches and ran down some dark alleys. Had a good effort just over the post from a similar position to against Leicester.

Stones was competent but untested really except when he was beaten to a header in the box which Hart saved well. Baines is still to hit top gear; had some good moments but wasteful in others and a poor free kick to boot.

Very difficult to tell how Gibson got on as it obviously showed only the attacks from both sides. He seemed ok but got booked for a fairly wild lunge, ironically around the same place on the same pitch that he suffered his injury.

He was interviewed after the game and seemed happy enough how it went and his passing in what I saw seemed ok.

McGeady had a similar effort to his goal against Leicester, this time hitting the bar.

Nothing of note to report other than Gibson got an hour of football which is good news.

I don't mind if they break both his legs at some point, just don't wanna go down to 10 men so early in the game!

Good to have Gibbo back. Was never his biggest fan but he has played quite well for us and they team seem to have a very good record in the games that he's been involved in.

I didn't think it was a horror challenge but perhaps that is because I'm old school. A rugged challenge, yes; a horror tackle, no. Perhaps others could give their views.

He probably went for the ball but got nowhere near it.

There were no studs involved which is usually where this media description gets applied.

When have I ever claimed or tried to speak for someone else in such an underhand way? I counter / support things people have actually posted, not try to undermine people I have disagreements with by sneakily trying to associate them with unpopular views.

The fact is that the 'Wigaton' nonsense you have posted here does not represent my point of view and does not even resemble anything I have ever posted. That is a tactic I would expect in the playground.

Since I do not give THAT out, I don't see why I should expect to take it.

Others who flatter to deceive based on overall displays are Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sterling (although he did make two great passes). The team is crying out for a Gazza or Shearer.

It’s irrelevant who is the best player in whatever position. Ingerlund spent years putting the Crease Head and Fat Frank in the middle – why? And apparently there wasn’t one English left-footed fubbler in the country for about 10 years a while back.

In essence they couldn’t give a shit – like having a Merseyside derby semi-final in London at lunch time on a fucking Saturday – unless there is loads of money in it for them.

International football is dyiing in England and all of us are to blame: administrators. owners, players and fans alike because we all sat back and let it happen.

I don’t blame the manager. He is potentially one of the best... This season will be a big test. I was very dismayed we did not sign anyone on the last day of the window.

We may have a good cup run, but I don’t expect us to finish higher than about 10th. Martinez worked wonders last season with all aspects of the club. We suddenly saw the world in colour, not black and white. It doesn’t look like he is being given the financial backing needed.

Having said that, getting Eto’o will prove to be a masterstroke in my opinion. Besic looks like another great signing. COYB

Nicholas Page,Roy Hodgson picks a team full of players from certain clubs so that fans come to watch them and then support these clubs.

Maybe, just maybe, he wants his team, his country to win a tournament and picks a team accordingly.

I used to work in Wembley and on England matchdays you saw plenty of shirts from all over the country but very few Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd etc.

He played well enough and kept the ball moving. 70 minutes of game time will have done him the world of good.

International football is less interesting because relatively it is not as good as it was - absolutely it is probably as good as it was, but not relatively, ie, relative to what we see, week-in & week-out.

You've then got a team who have delivered just one decent tournament since 2000, where any deficiencies were quickly brushed over with the headline making celebrity footballer era that is thankfully on the wane.

If they didn't give a dam about the shirt, why should the fan? And they can all come out with their media-training skills to say how much wearing the three lions means to them, but bulllllll shit.

But the problem now is how England play at international level. You have all the top nations where their players have a certain playing identity, and this is replicated in their own top flight and again at international level. Three points of a triangle tightly and neatly placed around a central point.

The English player? What is that? A brand more than anything. And the Prem style is a mish mash of foreign influences. Yet there's no premiership style played with England through fear of giving the ball away. So there's some crazy obtuse triangle with points all far removed from a central focus because no one really knows what any of them are. And yet at the world cup the goal against Uraguay followed a perfect example of Premiership football on the break-away and was of excellent quality.

Add in to the pot that all foreign teams have many of their players playing abroad to give a differing education, not just as a footballer but as a man.

And what do we have? A bunch of kids come through who know nothing of Butcher and his bloodied head but of a sarong wearing Beckham whose bank account takes precedence over his career.

I'd guess most footballers saw this international break as we do, pain in the ass getting in the way of their club.

national side.

If someone did this to Gibson it would be the end of him. He more than anyone should be more decent

I don't care much about it, but I count one decent tournament for England since 1990 ('96).

Not having a go, just interested in which one you consider decent?

Cheers

It was a game full of a million passes and very little action where it mattered. Perhaps they could change the rules so that any team only has so much time or so many passes before the have to play the ball into the opponents half. Okay, we know it will never happen but the game is sinking fast as a spectacle and only when a team scores early does a game become more intense, unfortunately like Everton’s last Saturday.

How often nowadays do you see a team take a corner kick and within seconds it’s back in the hands of their own keeper because keep-ball is absolutely number one priority?

The flair of people like Gazza has no room in the modern game and of late I even see Messi struggling compared to what he was.

I watch because there’s nothing else to watch. I take note of how the international Toffees fare, and hope like hell nobody gets injured.

It's always been about who is considered the best XI players we have....right put them into a formation and hope it fits and works.

A prime example was the Ulrika banging beaut taking Walcott to a World Cup without ever watching him play ever, just because he played for Le Arse.

Gerrard would have been dropped years ago if it was on performances, at least Fat Frank scored a few goals.

Terrible tackle by Gibson.....(cue Dick Emery type of voice) but I liked it.