Come anticipate Fabio Capello's two years as England manager with me

Obviously I used to hate England - but as things are, for a sheer entertainment roller-coaster ride they cannot be beaten

can i get this on a tshirt pls

* off-pitch only

Actually, even that's unfair - up there among last night's oh so many lols was Rob Green's howler on a loop on the BBC rolling news.

love watching England

sometimes gruelling

motherfucker is that a famine reference

hear that NN he made a famine reference this is incredible

chips on your shoulder?

goddamit and the mods all busy too

love watching english people who love football convince themselves they don't care about england or hate england, when i have the sinking suspicion their eyes would well with big, st george cross shaped tears if arry won the world cup.

They are one of the most boring teams, football wise, in world football

ah yeah

i mean, i sometimes read the real-time updates from the thread during the germany game in the WC

suuuure you guys don't care

suuuuure

Hardly ever play any football worth watching. They're like a good version of Norway.

love watching english people who love football convince themselves they don't care about england or hate england

if you say so

but seriously, i love football more than is healthy and my relationship with the england team is only ever gonna be as complicated as my relationship to the english nation. well, maybe fractionally less complicated.

the english football team changes personnel every 4-7 years tbf

i mean clearly i spend time thinking about "the england football team" but i'm pretty fucking certain i'm not just hanging on for an excuse to paint a red cross on my face and punch the nearest german

and, once again, i love my club...the national team is this weird tragi-comic distraction mainly worshiped by southerners afaict

lol at NV in role of prime apologist

the english football team changes personnel every 4-7 years tbf

Yeah but they don't change much

when, if ever, did you stop caring about the English football team?

I've never stopped caring, I love watching them lose tbh

lol at NV in role of prime apologist

:D

i think about this shit quite a lot when tournaments roll round - in some sense, from childhood, england is "my" team, but def not my team in the way Wolves is. and the social history and politics of England is fascinating i think. but i am certain there isn't some diehard nationalist lurking away in the middle of me underneath onion-skins of liberal guilt or whatever

England are fun, apart from to watch obv, and I almost always enjoy their exit from a tournament. Although against that I loved loved loved the last Euros and coincidentally England weren't even there. The only enjoyable aspect of England one day winning the World Cup would purely to be to see what the country would be like the next day after everyone (well the 35% of people who vaguely give a shit about football) loses their collective minds.

Bit like me and the Scotland rugby team, fuck 'em for the most part (unless they're playing England) (xp)

can't wait til Ireland meet England in the Euros. Then we'll see the true face of ILF

posts, flags

when, if ever, did you stop caring about the English football team?

France 2-1 England, June 13, 2004

harsh, england were p good that match

yeah, i was feeling the fear that day

England - Ireland is always a footballing treat tbf

why can't i find a pic of that little fecker crying at the Landsdowne game?

harsh, england were p good that match

They spent a good deal of that game defending their lead, unsuccessfully as it turned out. I watched it w/an Irish friend (who was a good deal more pro-England than I was, oddly) and I told him I didn't mind who won, but by the end I was laughing at Englandd and happy for France.

Take no offence Angliski, I laughed at France when Senegal beat them in 2002.

Who the fuck is richard williams and why is his puke festering on the pages of my national newspaper

― Dr Frogbius (darraghmac), Thursday, February 9, 2012 9:57 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

glad someone else noticed. i did read it right didn't i?

'if foreign manager had learned more of our language and customs this wouldn't have happened (and england would be a better football team)'

it was a disgusting and stupid piece, as concentrated in its idiocy as anything i've seen/read outside of fry and warnock on SSN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHt1-GKwxYY

Even by the bonkers standards of NMA TV that was quite something.

Terry Venables for England!! Come on give El Tel th job!

Or maybe Waddle and Hoddle.

The NMA John Terry is perfect:

http://i.imgur.com/WqoVY.png

Chuffing marvellous

john terry visits the US Marines
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58417000/jpg/_58417129_58417007.jpg

'if foreign manager had learned more of our language and customs this wouldn't have happened (and england would be a better football team)'

Because, apparently, the English are incapable of being smart enough to understand tactics and need to play under Hal V, w/his leadership skills. Apparently you are now a colony of the kind of Disney ethos that America adores, only at least, we do it way better than you.

Fabio Capello should have been removed as England manager following the 2010 World Cup, according to Football Association councillor Peter Coates.

Capello, whose side were defeated in the second round in South Africa, resigned on Wednesday.

Coates told BBC Sport: "We had a terrible World Cup, he was responsible for that and he should have gone then."

The Stoke City chairman also criticised Capello for "never having bothered" to fully learn English.
Use accessible player and disable flyout menus

Former Real Madrid and AC Milan manager Capello took charge of England in 2008, but after a successful World Cup qualifying campaign, his side were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the last 16 of the tournament.

The Italian also led England to qualification for the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine before resigning, but Coates feels that Capello's tenure was a failure.

"I don't see what we've gained under his term as manager," said Coates, who also sits on the FA's international committee.

"When they talk about qualifying for these competitions, I just can't go along with that. If we can't qualify for major tournaments, we are failing abysmally because we're seeded to get through. It should be a matter of course.

"I wouldn't give any manager great praise for achieving something that should be routine.

"You have to get into the last four [of major tournaments], if you've done that, you've done a good job."

Capello's resignation followed the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy after he was charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, claims the Chelsea defender denies.

Coates agreed with the FA's actions and feels Capello could have used the situation to engineer his exit.

"It was very difficult decision for the FA, and I think they got it right," he said.

"They should have had Capello as part of the discussion, that's what would normally happen at a football club.

"But the cynic in me says he might have manipulated this. He might have decided that was his opportunity to get out and he's taken it."

England Under-21s manager Stuart Pearce will take charge of the senior side for the friendly against the Netherlands, with the FA now beginning the search for Capello's permanent successor.

Coates says the FA needs to have learnt from Capello's reign, and joins the list of those calling for Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp to be appointed England manager.

"I hope lessons have been learnt because I would never have a manager who couldn't speak English. Capello never bothered to get himself proficient in the language, even though he said he would.

"I would never have a manager who had not had exposure to the English game. It has been proved that it doesn't work.

"I think the stand-out candidate is Harry Redknapp, every man and his dog knows that. He would be a good choice in my view and if a deal can be done I'm sure he'll get the job.

"Obviously it's complicated because he's got a big job at Spurs, but I'm sure he'd want the England job and it would be perfect for him.

"They sometimes ask you what you [the international commitee] think, but they know my views. It's their decision, and I hope they get it right."

Harry Redknapp, every man and his dog

his incredibly rich dog

why doesn't it surprise me that someone from Stoke would say "I hope lessons have been learnt because I would never have a manager who couldn't speak English. Capello never bothered to get himself proficient in the language, even though he said he would.

I kind of agree that a manager should be able to communication with his players.

Although "I will kill you Theo" seems fairly fluent to me.

"It was very difficult decision for the FA, and I think they got it right," he said.

"They should have had Capello as part of the discussion, that's what would normally happen at a football club.

"But the cynic in me says he might have manipulated this. He might have decided that was his opportunity to get out and he's taken it."

to string these 3 thoughts together diplays an idiocy that far outshines not being able to spell

the fa got it right
actually they messed it up
i still think that foreign chap is sneaky and unworthy