Football 365 Mailbox
From ARFOPEDIA
I can't understand how you Englishmen haven't realized that you have a lousy, lousy, loooouuusssssyyyy manager, that is making a mockery of your game and is ruining the best generation of players England have ever had, it would be better for you not to go to the World Cup with this guy on charge, you would save yourselves a world wide embarrassment, the funny thing is with pretty much any other manager you could win the World Cup and you choose to keep the one that could really screw you up. What's wrong with you guys. Stefhan Taylor
Every game must finish eleven against eleven otherwise it turns into a negative farce.
If a player receives a red card he gets a ban but that should not include the present game. If the player cannot stay on the field of play because of gross violent behaviour the referee should order a substitution.
Mark Nova
Both cautions were correct.The first was an arm in the face,definite caution.He then fouled the same player seconds later. The same player was deliberately fouled again. By falling on his face afterwards, he thought by being Beckham he would get away with it...he didn't. I have refereed players just as good as Mr.Beckham and know what I am talking about, the commentators do not even understand or know the Laws. Mr.Shearer even said that he did not mean it...intent went out years ago !
Mervyn J V Hughes, FA Assessor
…I sincerely trust, given England's (yet again) utterly inept performance against Austria, that two things now happen.
Those who criticised Peter Crouch have the grace to publicly eat their words. He was the most creative player on the park - not bad for a tall target man up front - his first touch was usually excellent and he played more brilliant through balls than the entire England midfield put together.
Secondly, that the Swedish man who has successively reduced England to an unimaginative, boring, and very pale imitation of a leading soccer nation is FINALLY made to stand down from his vastly overpaid post.
Remember, this was against a team ranked 79th in the world.
If anyone thinks England will get anything but hammered in Germany with this mob and with this management, they need their heads read. Nothing has changed since England's supine inability to score - or even look like scoring - against ten-man Brazil last time.
Go Angola, I say. Yolly, Melbourne
Please Sven, now we have qualified, show that you have some notion of attacking, entertaining football. Stick Owen and Rooney up front, push Gerrard wide right with Carrick or Neville as a holding midfielder, and start Richardson on the left. Did Carragher ever cross the half way line?
Still fuming! Al Regan, Vancouver
Get Sir Alex in now.
Peter Brandl
There was an advertising hoarding at the England game that said Pride, Passion, Belief - In what I can only assume must be a clever reference to the England team.
Well, I ain't proud of you, you looked about as passionate as my Nan, and frankly I believe you will go out in the group stages.
Oh and sack Sven... Alec Burrett, Edinburgh
You don't have to be a nutter to think he's not the right man for the job. Try these for size, John.
1. SGE totally wastes every England friendly then decides to try a new formation in an important world cup qualifying double header, result we play crap, lose one and scrape through the other. Nice work?
2. He leaves before the end of every game he watches. Very occasionally he may be watching two games in one day and have to get to another game, but he always leaves early. What does he have to do that is so much more important than his rather well paid job? Just where does managing England fit into SGE's list of priorities?
3. He cowers before the likes of Sir Rednose and Arsene Whinger - No of course I won't tire out your players, it's only an England game. A decent manager would tell them "F*ck off, this is England, if they come back knackered, you rest them!"
4. He can't change a game from the touchline, surely one of the first things you look for in a top manager.
5. This is a special generation of players whether John agrees or not. I don't think that sacking Sven would automatically win us the World Cup but I do think these players with the right manager would have an excellent shot at it.
With Sven in charge we can still do it, but the chances are slim. England fans know this, they also know we might have to wait 20 years for such a good chance to come along again. Watching Sven balls it up is VERY frustrating.
Anyway the men in white coats are at the door, so I'd best be off, yours in nutterdom. Marcus Chapman
I'll always maintain that Heysel was a conspiracy to get English clubs, who'd dominated Europe for the best part of a decade, out of European football competitions.
The previous year had seen Liverpool fans attacked (including stabbings) in Rome by Roma fans (what a surprise) and Heysel was Liverpool's and England's revenge. However only UEFA had the power to award the 1985 final to a stadium that was crumbling and too small. Did they hope there would be violence to give them their excuse to kick the English out?
Now 20 years later, where's their enforcement against the Italians?
2001 sees Roma fans attack Liverpool's - no action taken against Roma.
The 2005 semi-final between Milan and Inter sees Inter supporters launch a moped off the stands (how the feck did they get that into the ground) and hurl a flare onto Dida's head, injuring him - result is four matches behind closed doors (wow).
2006 see Roma fans (are we seeing a trend here) attack Middlesbrough fans in the Olympic stadium - result is no action against Roma.
Now we have Roma fans attacking Utd fans, police do nothing, Utd fans react - result is police wading into Utd fans. Remind anyone of Italy v England in Rome 1997?
The other day Michel Platini aired his view that violence at football isn't a footballing issue but a social and policing issue. Why wasn't this the view after Heysel? Does he hold this view now that England is no longer the country with the real football hooliganism problem? Is this another way for the corrupt continentals to protect their Italian chums?
It's time for the FA and the Government to start standing up for British, but specifically English clubs in Europe and asking UEFA to take action against the Italians even if this means kicking them out. Or can UEFA no longer afford to lose the income the Italian clubs generate from being in Europe, something which wasn't such an issue in the mid-1980s when they booted the English out.
If the above fails the Utd fans can always give Roma fans a nice welcome at Old Trafford. Maybe the Manc police also should abandon their softly-softly approach and adopt the tactics of their Roman counterparts - if it's Italian and it moves, tw*t it.
Neil Harris
