Pickford clean sheet as England put 5 past Albania

Patterson having a decent game and just scored. I didn't realize how many good Scottish players there are.

Gilmore, McGinnis, Adams, Armstrong, Robertson, Tierney, McTominay etc.

Doesn't sound too bad to me, Kieran, but this is England – under-performance is the norm, so no great expectations.

I think it's easy to forget he wasn't an international when we signed him.

Very true, I’d rate him higher than Shearer or Lineker because of his all round game.

Not that pointless given it's a World Cup qualifier.

But for the whole package, I'd have to agree with you: Harry Kane is an exceptional footballer.

Kane may be the best striker out of them 3 named but, let's be honest, none were better than Rooney. He was just phenomenal.

Pickford has already broken the record but you were close with Alan Ball 39 caps and Ray Wilson with 34 or 36, just checked it but have forgotten Ray Wilson's total already!!

Rather have Shearer than Kane to be honest but it's just opinions.

Cheers, funny he's not really that appreciated in these parts.

I was talking about Shearer the footballer; not fussy on the boring man myself!!

Was talking about Pickford.

I'd say it was a toss-up between Kane and Shearer, Dave, and wouldn't be surprised if more people actually rated the Geordie, who was as tough as old boots, and was also very instrumental in helping Blackburn to win the Premier League.

Don't forget Phil Jagielka – 40 caps.

I liked Shearer but his injuries took a toll. By the time he went to Newcastle, he was pretty static but could score from anywhere inside the 40-yard mark. When he was in his early 20s, I'd say he was Kanesque.

Yes, with you now. I was comparing the merits of Kane and Shearer. I understand why Jordan is not appreciated by some Everton fans!!

Wow, must have been decent at Blackburn then.

Tongue firmly in cheek, Kieran?

Yes, Jagielka with 40 caps. I seen his name but never looked at his number of caps, just dismissed him as not having played that number of games for England.

Seems such a lot for a whole-hearted and committed player... I mean Dave Watson was similar in style but much better than Jags, to me anyway.

How the fuck?

Only 39 playing for us. He got 72 in all.

"Yes with you now, I was comparing the merits of Kane and Shearer, understand why Jordan is not appreciated by some Everton fans!!"

Because Pickford is playing for Everton.

Jagielka being our most capped English outfield player is a bit of a surprise. He was a good but never a great player. It probably shows the shortage of really top quality English centre-halves during that period of time.

Another interesting stat is that Calvert Lewin is 3 goals away from being our 4th highest England goalscorer in our history, and 6 away from being our second highest England goalscorer.

That's a pretty sad statistic.

The problem is that, in the last 50 years – outside of 3 years under Kendall and 1 year under Royle – we've been pretty mediocre or crap. That era also coincides with the boom in international games.

Dixie Dean got 18 in 16 games but, back then, all we had were sporadic home nations games. He never got the chance to play endless qualifiers versus Andorra and San Marino. If he had, he'd probably have 100 international goals.

The positive (?) is that, if you look at the all-time top scorers, one was Everton-bred (Rooney) and another (Lineker) won the golden boot and made his mark while at Everton. Maybe not as impressive as Spurs with Greaves, Kane and the aforementioned Lineker but, at the same time, when did Spurs last win the league?

1961 – Before color TV, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. And for all their goals, the only time England won anything was when a fellow from West Ham got a hat-trick, ably supported by an Evertonian full-back.

U-S-A!!!!!!!!!!!
U-S-A!!!!!!!!!!!
U-S-A!!!!!!!!!!!

We have to keep breaking up club football, then get an overload of games at Christmas, just to see these frankly glorified training sessions for the big European nations.

There's no level playing field and it's not entertainment for fans anymore.

Then you have Seamus Coleman making himself available at 33 and not exactly fully fit in a dead rubber game for the Republic of Ireland, so annoying.

That's, er, 80,366 people on a wet and cold Friday night in November who have given their opinion on the lack of entertainment provided.

For England his distribution is excellent, nearly brilliant.
For Everton it is shit.

For England he ever shouts at the defence when they make mistakes (Walker).
For Everton he constantly moans at the defence (I realise he has more to moan at but seems to show other teams players more respect).

For England he commands his box.
For Everton he couldn't command a match box.

I think what I'm trying to say is can we have the England Pickford and not the egotistical dick we get.

They just seem to vacuum up any upcoming talent without developing the players. Pulisic, Ziyech, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson- Odoi, all would be better advised to move on and reinvigorate their careers.

Maybe with Jordan, he's more comfortable playing for England with what's in front of him.

With Everton, he's got a defence that pins him into his 6-yard box, rarely venturing too far from his own goal line. Subsequently, most of the time he just wants to "get rid" and get it away from danger rather than distribute more effectively. Which he can be good at.

Still a waste of time in my eyes.

There's no contest in them, take the San Marino match, every man and his dog knows England will win comfortably by five goals and that the opposite team will most likely not get a corner.

Not my cup of tea these games but that's just my opinion.

I'm an England cynic so caveat that on opinion!

And the answer to all the above about goals and appearances? England have now played 1027 matches (https://www.myfootballfacts.com/england_footy/england_national_football_team/england-football-record/)
The World Cup Final was No.409. Half way is June 1977. So England have played as many games in the last 44 years as they did in the first 105. We have played over 250 games this century. No wonder modern players have more caps than the older guys.

Not my cup of tea either. What seems like years of endless qualification matches against much weaker teams and small nations. Doubtless the usual protocols will be observed. Qualify with ease, get through the group stage. Go out in quarter or semi-finals.

1900 was the last year of the 19th century. 1901 was celebrated as the start of the 20th Century by Victorians.

Unfortunately, 99 years later, the world seemed to have forgotten how to count – I blame computers!

Another poor statistic re Everton players getting capped by England. I think Brian Labone was the first Everton player after the Second World War to be capped by England, in a full international, around 1962.

It says a lot when Jagielka played 40 times for England. That has actually shocked me but also confirmed my thoughts. If he played in an Everton team that won nothing, what does it say about the standard at the international level if he played that many times?

There is a generation that reveres Jagielka, my brother included. I saw a half-decent centre-back who won us a semi-final with a penalty, yet was mostly passive on the pitch. Not a winner, not a captain. Go with the flow and "It's okay, Ross, don't listen to the nasty men shouting at you".

Be rid of this passive mentality.

Apologies. Been home for the the weekend and amongst the tribes. Yes both colours!!

It says a lot when Jagielka played 40 times for England. That has actually shocked me but also confirmed my thoughts. If he played in an Everton team that won nothing, what does it say about the standard at the international level if he played that many times?

Thanks! I now have a stiff neck from nodding so vigorously.

The England team has been in the toilet since the misnomer of the "golden generation" conned people into thinking we had more than bog ordinary types in the form of Beckham &co.

Niall #43, these games are always fierce. It's an intense border rivalry with lots of taunting on both sides. Historically Mexico has dominated, but currently it's the US and that's agonizing for the Mexicans.

However, I'm gonna disagree with you on Pulisic at Chelsea. He's missed a boatload of games with injuries, but both Lampard and Tuchel have played him whenever he's been available. And he has developed superbly there. He's tougher, more professional, more efficient with his skills than he was at Dortmund. And he's the unquestioned leader of the US having just turned 23. His time at Chelsea has grown him immensely.

As for Jagielka getting 40 caps. Remember those wonderful days in the late '70s when Ipswich signed Mühren and Thijssen and Jonny Metgod signed for Cloughie in the '80s and the Danish scouser across the park. You could count the number of non-Brits and Irish playing in the first division on the fingers of one hand.

I would suggest that, if we had not had the influx of overseas players (and money) as a result of Premier League, then Jags would either have been in an Everton team which won something or been sold to a Premier League team which would win something.

As it was, he was behind the likes of Desailly, Toure, Hyypia, Kompany so no wonder he was in a team which won nothing but was first choice for England. All the rich clubs bought in the best of overseas players.

Disagree strongly. Jags was a quiet, modest leader, but he was an outstanding one, and that clutch pen wasn't his only great moment by a long shot -- this remains one of my favorite goals ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcu_CXukkDE

I jumped OVER the sofa.

And then, on the occasion of my first visit to Goodison, the captain flies highest for the gamewinner, and then flies again to flick on for Rom's clincher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnFk7DNlq90

Not our most talented centre-back by a long shot, but well-deserving of the appreciation of most Everton fans.

Jagielka was indeed the best centre-back we had in a generation. But a generation that never won anything. Or ever hoped to.

He was a passive and accepting captain in a passive and accepting generation in my opinion. That culture has unfortunately defined our club.

6th is best to hope for...

Not me. We're taking the Cup and League to Bramley-Moore Dock!!

Ask yourself. Would we have won more with a different captain?

And could things have been even worse with a different captain?

Passive and accepting? Not the guy I saw.

I saw a fierce commitment to the shirt that shamed some of the guys he played with.

I'll take Phil Jagielka. All day long.

Cold Comfort Farm has been for us fans to endure as the Kenwright clan made themselves comfortably well-off whilst achieving nowt at the ass-kissing haven that is Finch Farm.

He was selected for England whilst with us, and at his peak, was better than any of our current options. He would be the first name on the teamsheet if he was still here.

They are simply money-spinners and I for one wouldn't waste a penny to attend one of these games. The World Cup and Euros are only worth watching when they get to the finals. They are just not competitive enough and quite honestly become so boring as the opposition are so far behind in quality.

Many would agree that most of the match-ups are one-sided in the qualifiers, however, this argument is one that the elite clubs and the power brokers are making for European club football. and their call for a Super League.

I would prefer to see a seeding system that pits the minnows against each other with a couple of them qualifying for the finals, but that won't happen because there would be more chance of a top tier Nation finding themselves out of the finals and FIFA definitely don't want that to happen.

The big nations, similar to the big clubs, want all of the rewards but none of the risk.

Jags was a far better player than Keane. An absolute steal at £4m. 12 years of service in the Blue shirt, one of the good ones

That should not be confused with being a leader on the pitch - that he most certainly was not - he perfectly adopted the Moyes/Kenwright narrative of 'plucky Everton - let's do what we can but likely we will lose'

In my view, he would have benefitted from playing alongside a strong leader himself - something we badly need and have done for a long time

He was another "nice guy" but bang average footballer and founder member of the Moyes comfy crew who enjoyed "big club" trappings without having to do "big club" things. We're still suffering from that decade of non-ambition as managers of all types fail to reverse the trend.

I do think the outstanding (at the time) Joleon Lescott and then Sylvain Distin made life far easier for Jagielka's lack of overall athleticsm.

One thing I'd say is, if we had Jagielka, Arteta and Yakubu in that 2009 FA Cup Final, we just might, just might have rumbled Chelsea that day.

A very tight first half yielded few chances. 5 minutes into the 2nd half, the floodlights failed, the ref took the players off, an announcement said he was going to give it 20 minutes before abandoning the match.

A Dunston midfielder turned out to be a sparkie and had a go at fixing the problem, but he didn't have the necessary tools with him! So the Marine CEO drove an electrician watching the match home to get his gear, the lights came on after a 50-minute pause in the game.

Marine went 2-0 up. Dunston pulled one back when their centre-forward appeared to punch home a cross. Then they equalised. Then Marine had a man sent off, but withstood great pressure to gain a 2-2 draw.

Straight to penalties. 4-4, 8 great pens, then over the bar from Dunston, Niall Cummins stepped up to win it 5-4 for Marine's fifth shootout win over the past 2 seasons, scoring 25 out of 25 in the process.

My young grandsons loved it,

That's my take on things these days. I love Everton, can't give them up for so many reasons, but I enjoy the Marine games more.

I love footie; for that reason, I loathe the wasters who steal a living in the “top flight”, and I particularly hate meaningless international games. We all know who those wasters are, the managers and players who are fortunate enough to make a fortune, coasting through their careers, not arsed whether they win or lose, some of them actually incentivised to lose so they will get sacked and paid off.

There was plenty of will to win at Marine today.

I get what you say about Jagielka, Mike Gaynes, and often have that discussion with my brother, who admires him as one of the best defenders he's seen. But for me, the benchmark was Kevin Ratcliffe, who I saw arguing with Peter Reid, other winners and lift trophies for Everton. Jagielka was a fine servant, an honest and committed player, but not where I wanted or want to see Everton. Better than what we've got today? Not sure. He probably played in a better team, I would say.

On Marine, not my end of the city. I did look out as I was at Liverpool South Parkway station this morning, looking at the car park that used to be the South Liverpool ground. I know it's been reformed, but what a shame that folded. When we talk of feeder clubs, image if Everton invested in local football and the likes of Marine or South Liverpool?

Jagielka was a quality player who would walk into today's team. He was, in his prime, hands down better than Keane, Mina, Godfrey or Holgate. I would say he is the best centre-back we've had since Dave Watson.

Did he win trophies? No. That doesn't make him a bad player.

One of the best athletes in the entire league. In Jags and Distin, we didn't just have (far and away) the paciest centre-backs in the league, we had two of the paciest players in the league regardless of position.

If Jags was 3 inches taller, he'd have been another player Moyes had to sell for transfer cash.

As with any player, especially centre-backs, he got better as he got older. Supporters – take note. Centre-backs develop and peak later. Be patient with young centre-backs. I'm in the centre-back union so excuse me.

Alongside Distin, that was a good partnership.

I remember though, didn't we originally buy him as someone who could also play the holding midfield role? I think that lasted all of 3 games! Those calling for Holgate to play that role – take note! And, yes, I broke to public opinion in giving that a go last match.

Still not as bad as when we tried Stubbs there in the FA Cup match against Norwich years ago. I think Moyes gave that 2½ minutes before changing it!

Link

It surprises me that Digne is our reserve captain when Seamus is out. Why not Keane?

Jags was written off a few times once he reached 30 after a few slow starts to the season but, once he got going, he was totally dependable and formed excellent partnerships. The teams he was involved in over the years had enough desire and belief but the odd injury here and there meant we couldn't reach the line because we always lacked those couple more quality players.

I've said a few times on here that those partnerships are what make a team. That's what's lacking in our current squad. Injuries haven't helped us and have disrupted our rhythm and shape. 3 out of 6 midfielders usually injured is the crux – along with some poor and bewildering signings.

We still can't say who our best centre-back pairing is. Two players haven't dug in and become the rock-solid base we've needed. Jags would walk into this team.

We had players that were hard wall defenders over the years but seem to lack them now. Even names that don't instantly spring off the tongue, the likes of David Weir – he was an outstanding defender – and Richard Gough who, even at 37, schooled Michael Owen in the derby.

I think we have lost track of what makes a good defender these days.

I'm glad you and your grandsons had an enjoyable day. We get regular updates on Marine in the Isle of Man media as Niall Cummins hails from here – his cousin is a TT motorcycle racer.

I guess what you say about modern football rings true with many on here – it certainly strikes a chord with me. As you say, seeing a good game with both teams going for the win is a highly enjoyable, if often heartbeat-rising occasion.

As has become customary, Niall netted the final penalty.

He's a canny player, not the most mobile any more, but he knows the game and a few tricks of the centre-forward's trade. He's a nice guy too, I had a chat with him on the way home after the last round, something that doesn't tend to happen when I'm returning from Goodison.

He was athletic and could also be aggressive, especially when playing against Torres, who he usually matched stride for stride, but I thought Suarez, used to play on Jagielka's blindside, causing him untold problems. But I went off our captain when he done the ice bucket challenge on Roberto Martinez out the balcony at Finch Farm.

More than a bucket said Roberto, with it being obvious right then that his captain had no respect whatsoever for his manager.

This probably started after Martinez had kept him on the sidelines towards the end of the previous season even after his captain had recovered from injury, and possibly because the young ball-laying John Stones, suited our style more around this time.

I constantly screamed out “Don't fuckin' think, Jags!” because, at the end of the move, he'd just whack the ball up the field and the ball could go anywhere. Same applied to Tony Hibbert, a very good defender but not very good going forward.

That is good to know about his character. I know the cousin through business and motorcycling and he too is a very pleasant and modest person despite having a high local profile in a small community and no small amount of talent in his chosen sport.

I will look forward to my 'local' sports paper on Tuesday to get their update on Marine's centre-forward.

A decent defender - No more, who for me dined out on his performance against a clearly not fit Torres in the Gosling derby for far too long. Easy meat for the cleverer strikers.

He will always have a special place in the hearts of Evertonians because of his goals against Liverpool at Anfield (still one of my favourites) and the penalty against the Mancs in the shoot out... but let’s not re-write history here.

Still mystifies me why John Stones was was hounded by the Park End Panic Merchants. And Jagielka is so revered.

One of them was always destined to poached by a massive club, become England’s first choice centre-back, and win loads of trophies... The other attracted zero interest from the big boys and only played for England when first choices claimed they were injured.

If TW decide to have a vote for post of the month I think you just secured mine.

Enchanting stuff

I find myself in full agreement with everything you have posted regarding Jagielka. He shied away from any committment as a defender, often viewed as lack of leadership. He really did have a cushy time at Everton and his regular International selection says al lot about the England team of that time.

I wasn't sure whether to make a post about Marine, I thought it might attract Michael's red pen, but he has generously let it stand. So thanks to him, too.

Re Jagielka, I know Arsenal were sniffing around him at one point and were told he didn't want to go there. A good, solid defender. Stones is a better footballer who needs a strong partner.

Seems like madness for him to be playing two matches in the space of four days given his age, history of hamstring problems and the fact that the game is pretty meaningless.

Most of the Irish media expected him to be rested tonight.

Wonder has there ever been an occasion when two brothers played against each other at senior international level, although unlikely with Michael Keane's recent form.

Didn't those Boatengs play for Germany and Ghana?

Jagielka never could pass a ball, long or short. His skills were lacking. But he was superb defensively, especially in the air, and he scored big goals. And his mental toughness never wavered.

Stones was clearly the superior all-around footballer, but he made mental mistakes defensively, and he still does. Man City found that out after they bought him from us, and he's still not a full-time starter for them after more than 5 years.

Both Roldans were eligible to play for the US, El Salvador and Guatemala, but Alex never had a prayer of making the US squad and was recruited by El Salvador manager Hugo Perez, a former US international.

(Way off topic, I once was assigned to mark Perez in an over-35 exhibition match in San Francisco. I never stayed close long enough to even tell him what a big fan I was. Mercifully, I was pulled at HT.)

He lacked the bit of footballing skill of say Bobby Moore or John Stones, who had that calmness on the ball to pick out a pass, but other than that, he gave every ounce of effect on the pitch, so so unlucky to get the injury and to miss out on an f a cup final appearance.

When others came knocking and taking our best players, Jagielka stayed loyal and turned Arsenal down, even when his legs finally caught up with him he still gave us that last finale, with that screamer of a goal, in front of the Kop.

For that, some of you should remember the guy, not for his lack of skills, but for putting his body on the lines for our football club.

Spain goes back to the World Cup.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=beOgcp2VM9k

I'd be quite happy to post more, but I have to respect that this an Everton site. I mean, if I were to mention that the Man of the Match yesterday was David Raven, an ex-Red Shite, it might just fry Michael's brain!

The story made the papers. Hope it wasn't too cold.

Dunston midfielder fixes floodlights for side's FA Trophy clash against Marine

Wasn't it in South Africa 2010? Bad news for Scotland and Wales with Portugal heading to the playoffs.

Serbia seem to have finally abandoned their 1950s Italian ultra-defensive style and went on the attack today in Lisbon. I've never understood why they've been ultra-defensive since — not sure 'independence' is the word as everyone wanted independence from them — but they've wasted some good talents down the years with that approach.

I remember back in 1992, they were favourites to win the Euros with a very attacking mostly Serb Yugoslav team before the civil war and being banned from football. Amazing really that the smallish (population wise) former Yugoslavia has spawned two World Cup qualifiers, and a third in the playoffs. Plus Bosnia and Slovenia have qualified for major tournaments in recent times.

Each of these nations bar Serbia having populations of just 3 or 4 million. Makes the old Soviet States look bad with only Russia (150 million people) and Ukraine (40 million) ever having even made a major tournament final.

I guess we should be glad though that neither Germany nor Italy have devolved into the multiple 19th Century states or we'd have another 20 odd teams punching above their weight.

Seamus was, you probably know, queried regarding retiring from International duty at a recent press conference. He said he had no intention of retiring.

I agree with you regarding his schedule, but wonder why Everton have not prioritised a back-up or replacement for the right-back position for these past 3 years. It is obvious to everyone they should have been.

Everton are not good at having difficult conversations with players.

He was a colossus producing "arse pocket" performances against some of the world's best. He also went through the group stages in Europe with England without conceding a goal. Then past the Germans. Then the Croats,

When England eventually conceded in the semi-final against Denmark, it was directly from a free-kick. Some record for a clanger merchant.

Just like last season, he came back injured and has had to bide his time, hoping Dias or Laporte drop off in form or get injured; that happens at Man City.

He is 27 now, an age when many a good judge say a centre-half really start to blossom. He probably has 5 years to keep on adding to his medal haul and the 54 caps he already has.

He is not just a vastly superior footballer to Jagielka. He is light-years ahead of him as a defender. I don't care if he stubbornly refused to welly it when he was learning his trade. That's how you get to be a top footballing centre-half.

We've not had enough of them at the club, and we hate them of sorts for having the temerity to move on to bigger things – like Lukaku.

But an absolute class act.

Did Niall Cummins play centre-forward for Marine last season when they played Spurs in the FA Cup?

I had him down as a bit of an auld arse, in a nice way, if it was him. He was trying to wind the Spurs players up and won two or three fouls that were not really fouls but put his hands up and gave a smile when he never got the fouls on another couple of occasions, a bit of a character on the field?

It's frustrating to watch such a player make his learning errors with us before moving on. I fear Dominic Calvert-Lewin may follow suit.

He really enjoys the game. He came on as sub a fortnight ago, and was booked after 10 seconds. I spoke with him afterwards and said it must be some kind of record, he replied “I hope not, it was unfortunate, I went up early and their guy jumped into my elbow”.

When he prepared to take the crucial penalty on Saturday, never for a moment did I fear he would do a shimmy, a stutter, and tap the ball. He just did a nice short run-up and kicked the ball hard to one side of the goalie, who never stood a chance. If Tony is on WhatsApp I’ll send him a copy of the video I took of it, followed by my 2 young grandsons celebrating like we had just won the Cup.

Not sure if Tony is on WhatsApp, I'd like to see the penalty, and also your young grandsons letting themselves go and enjoying Marine's winning goal!!

Yes, he was mostly brilliant for the first half of this year (I notice Darren mentions Germany and Croatia, but ignores Poland). However, one hallmark of a "top international player" is consistency of performance level. And Pep clearly doesn't share your opinion that Stones has achieved it. At least not yet.

I still remember that cheeky chip on the penalty in San Francisco. He was just a teenager. Damn, that was fun.

10 - 0 with 5 minutes to go.

Of course Jonjoe Kenny repeated that penalty this year. Don't think we will get £50M for him though!

These qualifiers really are a waste of everybody’s time.

What I cannot figure out is why put in a different goalkeeper, who will not be tested one bit? Makes no sense at all, probably did more movement on the previous stints on the bench, scratching his nuts, than he did tonight.

"He arrives late then gets injured. Aymeric (Laporte) and Ruben (Dias) play so good. Like John did last year. Sometimes you have to wait, like Aymeric had to wait when he played so good last year. Now Ruben and Aymeric play so good."

So there you have it. Straight from the horse's.

Good news: they ended Denmark's 100% record, got to a World Cup Playoff for the first time in decades, suddenly seem to be "back" as it were as a force of sorts.

Bad news: after a moderately difficult playoff game at home, they may have to play Italy or Portugal in the playoff final. I hope they dodge those two. Yes, they made the Euros... but so did 31 other teams. Only 13 European teams make the World Cup so it's much harder and more prestigious and they are overdue for a visit. Come on Scotland!

And a word of praise to both Irelands. New managers, transitionary teams (ie, young kids, lower division journeymen) both got off to a terrible start in qualifying but both ended strongly offering hope for the Euros.

Oh yeah and then there's that other team to the west of England kind of East of Isle of Man, I guess they're not doing too badly.

Joe #133, agreed, but what's the alternative? Tell San Marino and Gibraltar and Malta and Liechtenstein they can't play because they're too small? I have no idea what their budget is, but a big chunk of it must come from these games. They might just cease to exist without it.

Rugby Unions now 6 nations? But that is effectively a closed shop and I don't see anyone coming along to make it the 7 nations soon, but I'd need someone more qualified on Rugby than me. I doubt that is a good model.

A preliminary qualification round? But then you're talking qualification to play in the qualifiers.

Maybe something like the FA Cup format, but leading to the group based actual qualifiers? But then how do we seed and determine who should play in the earlier rounds? Criteria & thresholds would need to be established. It can't be on population, because what do you tell the likes of Scotland, Denmark & Croatia?

Possibly run an A & B tournament in parallel, with promotion & relegation between the 2 for the next one? That's effectively a league system but in tournament format.

Like I say, I don't know, and it's a difficult one for the reason you state. But I just think these matches achieve little other than guaranteed points for the likes of England. And as much of an honour it is for the San Marino players to represent their country, and claim to have played against some of Europe's best players, surely they get frustrated and demoralised?

Either way, these nations will mostly eventually be on the end of some serious hidings. But a different format might just allow them to enjoy the journey better and feel like they've achieved something along the way.

I read an article long ago about San Marino specifically, about how the guy who scored the early goal against England still gets free drinks and autograph requests, and how the bank accountant who got called into goal at the last minute against Sweden still savors the moment he stopped Ibra point-blank in the box.

No two-tiered system is ever gonna fly. Small countries have lots of votes in Fifa. And besides, that abortive Super League idea from the Stupid Six has probably made the idea poison for all time.

My thought is... live with it. It's best this way. So Gibraltar gets pummeled a lot. They get to play in Wembley, the Bernabeu and Allianz, kick a $100 million player in the shins once in a while, and then go home to their teaching jobs and barbershops. What's so horrible about that?

I don't believe for one minute it will change, it's just something I often think about.

I'm on Central time until next Wednesday, so will join you early doors for City! If I recall, you're Pacific?

After all, in my lifetime I have seen an Everton side littered with international stars, knocked out of the FA Cup by a bunch of Liverpool kids.

The old romantics.

I sort of agree as I'm a football romantic who will argue the right for non-league teams to compete in the FA Cup all day long etc but your part of the world starts qualifying off with the lower ranked teams playing each other, does it not, the same as in Africa and Asia, and this really is how Uefa needs to go. Maybe they could use the Nations League format as a pre-qualifier.

As for Gibraltar, they play their home games in Portugal as they don't have adequate facilities and Spain, their next door neighbours, won't allow them to play there. (The Uefa qualifying draws are actually weighted to prevent Spain and Gibraltar being paired together.)

I watched the first half because my young great grandson was staying over with me and he wanted to see the game, McGuire pumping his chest after scoring the first goal, I like to think he was taking the piss out of himself, but doubt it, Kane screaming for a penalty when England were winning 4-0 against a team who, when it came to football, had learning difficulties, fuckin’ embarrassing by both these players, play these these teams by all means but don’t pretend that they are real matches because it is patently obvious that they are far from it.

To be honest, I think a good proportion of today's players are too much in love with themselves to care about anybody but themselves – never mind their opponents.

As I said earlier, people shouldn't be paying at the gate to watch them. These teams are not even Third Division standard.

Surely the name of the game is to win by as high a margin as possible; anything else is cheating in my opinion. I'm not only talking about the likes of England versus San Marino but I've seen a number of professionals saying "We had the game won, but we didn't want to humiliate the opposition." Why?

Same way as a talented player is frowned upon if they decide to take the mickey out of the opposition with flicks and tricks etc... again, why?

I'm afraid that I don't agree with your view on showing respect to your opponents. In my opinion, there is more respect shown by playing completely to your strengths; if that results in a 10-0 drubbing, so be it.

Hi Dave [150],

As you no doubt know, I'm of the old school and I think that today's footballers are yesterday's film stars, and I think that you may share my view.

I have often said on this site that there are more important things in the world than Everton's results, and my claim was reinforced last week when Josh, while playing for his college team, suffered fib-and-tib fractures which required surgery. Ironically he scored the only goal in a 7-minute game.

I have no idea how many Everton matches he will miss and match days won't be the same without him sitting beside me. I bought him his first season ticket when he was 6; he's 17 now.

John Sr. #153, condolences to your Josh... please share my best wishes for a seamless recovery and return to the pitch.

Barry #152, it's called sportsmanship, but as Dave #145 says, it's somewhat out of fashion these days.

Very sorry to hear about Josh's injuries, especially as he seemed to be doing well this season. I hope he makes a speedy recovery and gets back to running the midfield for his team. It will be like losing your right arm without Josh sitting next to you.

On the other topic, I think if you know the strength of your opponents are completely and utterly below the strength and ability of your own, then there is very little merit or joy in giving them a thrashing, especially when you know the massive difference before the game.

I'm sorry to hear about Josh, and wish him a speedy recovery. I've found the club to be very helpful in the past under similar circumstances, if you make contact they may find a seat for Josh in an accessible place while he is unable to take his normal seat next to you.

Oh and James, the private jet-flying skiver, was back in the Colombia team tonight despite his season highlight thus far being him getting red-carded for assaulting his Qatari league teammate. Guess what? He did sweet fuck-all and got subbed. What a waste of talent he is. So much God-given talent... so little heart.

As someone who has, at various stages of his amateur career, player and coach, been on both sides of a double-figures result, I have to agree.

The biggest pleasure I ever got was managing to scrape together 10 men for a mid-week evening last game of the season... always tricky with finishing work, traffic and stuff and holding NELTEC to 10, when they needed 11 goals to win the league – jeez, it was hard work, but to see their sad faces... and receiving the grudging handshake / 'well played' after winning 10 - 0 made it all worthwhile.

Personally I am no big fan of England – the current crop of players and manager having about as much charisma as a bag of nuts and bolts – so I don't really bother to watch these games which have little purpose other than to mess up our weekly league fixtures and provide a platform for the gawping Harry (Ghostface) Kane to coast into the all-time records books.

(I was horrified to see him even mentioned by the dreadful Phil McNulty in the same sentence as Dixie Dean a couple of days ago.)

Pointless letting these teams play at the same elite level – there should be a qualifying tier system to filter the worst of them out. It wouldn't be hard.

You must be glad they beat the Mexicans, but also very disappointed that USA could only draw with Jamaica; I just hope you're doing enough to qualify for Qatar.

In the face of extreme provocation both on and off the pitch Brazil stood tall and matched and bettered Argentina's physical approach. They were technically superior also and deserved a win. All without the injured Neymar.

THE big talking point was 30 minutes into the game when City's Otamendi blatantly elbowed Leeds' Raphinha, who went down in a pile. The brazen Otamendi immediately tried to haul Raphinha to his feet...with blood pouring from the latter's mouth.

This link shows the incident. It's not even the best view of the incident, but it is clear what happens.

Otamendi Elbow on Raphinha

VAR looked at it. Result? No action taken. Not even a yellow card. Raphinha remained on the pitch for the remaining 15 minutes of the half with a wad of gauze to control the continued bleeding. His shirt was splattered with blood at the interval. Whatever happened to blood protocols in this game?

The Brazlian coach Tite was justifiably livid post-match. 'It is impossible - IMPOSSIBLE! - to look at that on VAR and not issue a red card.'

I guess the ref and his team just wanted to get out of the stadium alive.

Apparently after the Olympic Gold win, he tweeted "Rival wanted in South America"!!

I fully expect Richy to be re-installed as first pick on his return to the national team.

And yes. To many Brazilians he is an icon. Many identify much more with Richy than they do with Neymar, not least of all for the social and environmental issues he campaigns for, never mind his footy.

I put the blame on the modern technique of tackling, in my footballing days tackles were made with the inside of the foot or the instep, while the ball was within playing distance, this method included the sliding tackle. These days players launch themselves from a distance with studs showing, it's therefore no surprise to me that the youngsters who witness these acts on television are following the example of the professionals. I also believe that it could be rectified by the clubs themselves in their coaching process, assisted via a clampdown by the lawmakers and referees.

Tackling as an art has gone out of fashion as ball retention is pushed these days meaning the youngsters can only emulate what they see the big boys do and that in the main is very poor with studs showing and little care about the danger to fellow players.

Thanks for your good wishes, time will tell how Josh deals with the situation, hopefully he will make a full recovery and maintain his love of football.

I'm speaking as a football fan and not a Granddad, when I say that he is a good player, he spent a spell at Finch Farm but didn't make the grade.

I feel that if the powers that be (the FA and the football clubs) don't address the problem, what Josh has endured will become a common occurrence. At the moment, I think they are turning a blind eye which doesn't bode well for the safety of players at any level.

I will let Josh know that there are some on ToffeeWeb who have extended their best wishes to him. Once again thank you for your comments.

In my opinion, you are absolutely spot on. I can remember Howard Kendall being able to do a slide tackle, and come out of it with the ball apparently glued to his foot, whilst the poor player who lost out to him was left flailing but arose from the turf completely unharmed. What happened to such skill?!

After a full season with Rooney in charge, there were four different captains in the first five matches of 2015-16. Rooney in charge of the first two, then Gary Cahill earning his first honour, and the fiftieth to do so since the war, when Rooney was injured. Then, on 12 October, when both an injured Rooney and a rested Cahill missed the match against Lithuania, the captaincy was handed to Phil Jagielka. The first Everton player to receive the honour

England Captains