Even the last one when we were semi-finalists?

To my mind the tournaments are all quite different, so that’s kind of my point - I don’t get what hallmarks you’re referring to.

There was a media circus, media gimmicks (is that really two different point) and media incidents (a third point!?) at the last tournament and we were semi-finalists, so clearly those are not 'hallmarks of a shambles'.. isn't that just the media existing?

The players are performing - you commented off the back of a friendly game, which they won, where half of the final squad weren't available - nothing meaningful can be taken from that. It is telling though, that you consider Croatia and Scotland dangerous, despite both having far worse results in their own warm-up games.. why are they dangerous and we are a shambles?

Average to poor manager, agree

Don't agree it's a poor selection at all - taking influential players who are carrying a knock is debatable, but it's a long way from a poor squad. i suspect we've actually taken White for his ability to play both centre half and central midfield (where we are also light) - versatile players have always been valuable in tournament football.

Who are the 'usual suspects' who never perform in tournaments? Has anyone in this squad even played another tournament outside of the successful 2018 one?

What other 'read out nonsensical political statements' have been a hallmark to a distaster? Struggling to think of any examples.. you'd think politics has never been discussed in football before this week the way some people are going on.

How the team suddenly stop performing - I mean that's just a subjective prediction

Lack of authority - possibly

Clearly no plan B - we've played a few different systems in recent months and there's a lot of debate as to how we'll start the tournament, so struggling to understand how that can be accurate

Media incident is a prediction, so certainly not a hallmark of anything.

Just feels like a bunch of throwaway lines not based on a lot.

I think we'll do badly because there's a lack of 'know how' in the side - the kind of qualities Croatia showed when they beat us in 2018, what the likes of Modric, Mandukicz, or Cavani and Pirlo possess. We've got young players with tricks, but I'm not sure we've got what it takes to rally and find a way to win under pressure. Mount has great skill and can pick a pass but I think someone like Coufal (Czech/West Ham) can have more influence on a game. Stirling looks like a headless chicken these days, I don't think Rice is ready to play the anchor role yet at international level - to me it feels the same way before the world cup in 2010 in S Africa, I think we've stalled a bit, there's a lack of progression - we were a close knit squad in 2018 we don't look that way now.

Well I think to describe it as having the 'hallmarks of a shambles' is incredibly harsh, and wholely inaccurate.

It's not "some better players, arguably, coming in" - it's a whole new team .. I think only Grealish, Rashford and Shaw from the Romania XI have any chance of making the team - that's why I say it's meaningless to draw conclusions from.

In Croatia's last 6 games, they've lost to Portugal, Belgium and Slovenia, drawn with Armenia, and beaten Malta and Cyprus - if we're going to pretend that form from warm-up games is really telling, then surely we've got nothing to worry about?

I'm optimisitc, obviously, but tournament football is unpredictable by nature - I don't think we'll have any issues in getting out of the group, and would be disappointed if we didn't at least make the QFs.

Edited by EverybodyDannsNow (10 Jun 2021 9.53am)

You are entitled to think what you like. Blind optimism isn't going to help. The current England side and set up is the blind leading the blind.
Your entire ambition is quarter finals? That's shambolic for the best league in the world. However, two seconds thinking time gives me four better sides in Italy, France, Portugal and Belgium. Currently reckon England can mix it with people like Denmark. Better practice those penalties.

Red and Blue Army!

I agree with much of this, but I hope by 'Close knit squad in 2018' you are not suggesting we were any good.

We stumbled through the group stages, tried our very best to lose vs Columbia and made hard work of a poor Swedish side only to lose to the first half decent opposition we faced. How we ended up in the semi finals I still do not know.

I do see as progression from then; In many of the qualifiers, and even nation league games we've managed to put away the smaller teams a lot more convincingly than I remember. We have a good versitile attacking unit but with no defenders or defensive mids(I agree, Rice isn't there yet) to back them up.

should be an Interesting tournament. we're gonna score some...but we gonna concede too. Get Super Kevin Keegan back. This team is made for him!

"It was a Team effort, I guess it took all players working together to lose this one"