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Yes, well done to England - a great 1-0 win over the Argentina!
That's surely settled the score for now, bla bla bla....
Enough of that! That's history now, we've got qualification from the Group Stages to worry about now. So let's all start worrying about he Nigeria game, and how we have to draw at least - without fail.
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
Sure, we've beaten Argentina, but we scraped away a draw against Sweden in the first game, and have to rely on getting at least one point against the un-predictable Nigeria.
So far, we haven't had the 'dream start' to the competition that many of us believed we'd have seen by now.
Hang on a minute, why on Earth did so many of us believe we'd do so well anyway?? After all, we're not the team from back in '66, and even if we have imporved vastly since then, so has our competition.
Oh but of course, it's that man again - Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Just because he takes over from Kevin Keegan as a big, foreign name with former-success under his belt, England are suddenly 'the team to beat' and favourites to lift the World Cup in 2002.
Ok, so we did quite well in our first couple of games - in a mixture of friendlies and qualifiers, and the un-forgettable night in Munich - but does a hand-full of decent results really make us such a great team??
Like the old saying goes "A team's performances reflects on the manager's abillities aswell" - or something along those lines.
So if England are playing very well, then it shows the world that Eriksson is a great manager, doing very well at his job.
So surely that means that all of England's recent improvements and good performances are down to this one man??
Nah, I don't believe it! How can one man change and improve a whole XI man team - or even a squad of players!???
Like the old saying goes "There's no 'I' in 'team'" - so no one team member can make any real difference to the team as a whole.
But why then has Eriksson's arrival had such a good effect on England???
Well, I believe that it's all simply down to the fact that the Swede himself has a large world-wide reputation, and instantly gains the respect he demands, wherever he goes.
Having a big-name like Eriksson take-over at one club can instantly have an effect on all players at and envloved with that club - especially amongst the younger lads. They'll see this one manager as such a succesfull big-name and look upto him and respect him in every way.
They'll also vastly improve their work rate and enthusiasm in the way they play and train, just to impress such a 'big shot', just so they get the attention and recognition they desire from this man - so that he'll return the favour and play them - as they feel ontop of the world!
Look at the surprising number of youngsters Eriksson has used in his England squads of the past and present. Look at how well those same youngsters have been playing for their domestic clubs this season.
It's all down to the respect of Sven-Goran Eriksson, and not something extra-special he has taught or told them!
Older, more experienced players also take note of the arrival of a new big-name manager, like Eriksson or even Sir Alex Ferguson - and they too are effected in a similar way.
They'll think they know the trade by now, and that all they have to do is work hard and act proffesional to make it into every squad week-in week-out. With such a respected figure watching over them, they too increase and improve their efforts on and off the pitch in an attempt to impress the new guy.
They may still feel like this is just any other manager, and try to show that this is the only way they feel, but deep down, they'll feel like they have to work extra hard for this new Gaffer in order to impress him.
I bet that even Chris Sutton wouldn't turn down the chance to play in the Engalnd B Squad if Eriksson asked him to!
So you see, it's not all about the managers actually being any good or having to do anything special, the pressnece of a big-name is enough to move even the biggest and laziest of back-sides into first gear!
Sven-Goram Eriksson isn't working wonders for England, they players are just doing the magic for him.
Remember when Kevin Keegan took over??
He's a big name worldwide too - and we started off some great early form with an impressive high-scoring win over Luxembourg!
But the players soon realised he's just an ordinary manager, and soon started to save some energy. The same could happen to the current England squad one day!
Yes, I do dis-like Eriksson, mainly because he's a foreigner and it's an insult to me to see that our lads need to be taught how to play football well by some 'johnny foreigner'!
But as you can now see, he's not all THAT special! ;D
So why do we call it 'Svengland'???
It's our country - not his! He's only inspiring some of our players!
That's surely settled the score for now, bla bla bla....
Enough of that! That's history now, we've got qualification from the Group Stages to worry about now. So let's all start worrying about he Nigeria game, and how we have to draw at least - without fail.
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
Sure, we've beaten Argentina, but we scraped away a draw against Sweden in the first game, and have to rely on getting at least one point against the un-predictable Nigeria.
So far, we haven't had the 'dream start' to the competition that many of us believed we'd have seen by now.
Hang on a minute, why on Earth did so many of us believe we'd do so well anyway?? After all, we're not the team from back in '66, and even if we have imporved vastly since then, so has our competition.
Oh but of course, it's that man again - Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Just because he takes over from Kevin Keegan as a big, foreign name with former-success under his belt, England are suddenly 'the team to beat' and favourites to lift the World Cup in 2002.
Ok, so we did quite well in our first couple of games - in a mixture of friendlies and qualifiers, and the un-forgettable night in Munich - but does a hand-full of decent results really make us such a great team??
Like the old saying goes "A team's performances reflects on the manager's abillities aswell" - or something along those lines.
So if England are playing very well, then it shows the world that Eriksson is a great manager, doing very well at his job.
So surely that means that all of England's recent improvements and good performances are down to this one man??
Nah, I don't believe it! How can one man change and improve a whole XI man team - or even a squad of players!???
Like the old saying goes "There's no 'I' in 'team'" - so no one team member can make any real difference to the team as a whole.
But why then has Eriksson's arrival had such a good effect on England???
Well, I believe that it's all simply down to the fact that the Swede himself has a large world-wide reputation, and instantly gains the respect he demands, wherever he goes.
Having a big-name like Eriksson take-over at one club can instantly have an effect on all players at and envloved with that club - especially amongst the younger lads. They'll see this one manager as such a succesfull big-name and look upto him and respect him in every way.
They'll also vastly improve their work rate and enthusiasm in the way they play and train, just to impress such a 'big shot', just so they get the attention and recognition they desire from this man - so that he'll return the favour and play them - as they feel ontop of the world!
Look at the surprising number of youngsters Eriksson has used in his England squads of the past and present. Look at how well those same youngsters have been playing for their domestic clubs this season.
It's all down to the respect of Sven-Goran Eriksson, and not something extra-special he has taught or told them!
Older, more experienced players also take note of the arrival of a new big-name manager, like Eriksson or even Sir Alex Ferguson - and they too are effected in a similar way.
They'll think they know the trade by now, and that all they have to do is work hard and act proffesional to make it into every squad week-in week-out. With such a respected figure watching over them, they too increase and improve their efforts on and off the pitch in an attempt to impress the new guy.
They may still feel like this is just any other manager, and try to show that this is the only way they feel, but deep down, they'll feel like they have to work extra hard for this new Gaffer in order to impress him.
I bet that even Chris Sutton wouldn't turn down the chance to play in the Engalnd B Squad if Eriksson asked him to!
So you see, it's not all about the managers actually being any good or having to do anything special, the pressnece of a big-name is enough to move even the biggest and laziest of back-sides into first gear!
Sven-Goram Eriksson isn't working wonders for England, they players are just doing the magic for him.
Remember when Kevin Keegan took over??
He's a big name worldwide too - and we started off some great early form with an impressive high-scoring win over Luxembourg!
But the players soon realised he's just an ordinary manager, and soon started to save some energy. The same could happen to the current England squad one day!
Yes, I do dis-like Eriksson, mainly because he's a foreigner and it's an insult to me to see that our lads need to be taught how to play football well by some 'johnny foreigner'!
But as you can now see, he's not all THAT special! ;D
So why do we call it 'Svengland'???
It's our country - not his! He's only inspiring some of our players!
The reason why the appointment of Sven motivated the players is because he had no previous club connections and was not biased towards any players, (unlike Keegan with Shearer for instance). It was a level playing field so every player had to prove themselves and the door was open to any player who could prove themselves worthy. There is nothing like a bit of competition for places to motivate players.
Well done the lads today, keep it up - who knows the Argies just may "croak" as well as the Frogs!
Well done the lads today, keep it up - who knows the Argies just may "croak" as well as the Frogs!
were are not homefree by any means but we in all honesty expected to be on 3 points with argentina top on 6 points and us joint with sweden. we are in the best position anyone could reasonably expect.
Brilliant???
We're not quite through YET matey and we still have to play the un-predictable Nigeria who can do ANYTHING - even if they've got nothing to play for! It won't be as easy as you think!
And even if we do draw against them, it's not like Denmark or Senegal's gunna be an easy ride either. With players like Elhadji Diouff and one of the shock performances of the tournament, anything could happen!
And Denmark are also a strong side - not just physically!
It only gets harder from here-on - even if we do seem to be on 'Easy Street' right now.
We're not quite through YET matey and we still have to play the un-predictable Nigeria who can do ANYTHING - even if they've got nothing to play for! It won't be as easy as you think!
And even if we do draw against them, it's not like Denmark or Senegal's gunna be an easy ride either. With players like Elhadji Diouff and one of the shock performances of the tournament, anything could happen!
And Denmark are also a strong side - not just physically!
It only gets harder from here-on - even if we do seem to be on 'Easy Street' right now.
solskjaer said:
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
yes it has it could hardly be better. If i had said to you that after 2 games england would have 4 points most fans would be very pleased. If i then told you you were a point ahead of argentina after two games with the weakest team left to play you would be downright ecstatic. Not many people thought england would be ahead of argentina most people expected england to get 6 points if we did well. (beating sweden and nigeria) or maybe 7 if we got a draw with argentina. Now we are masters of our own destiny and do not have to rely on other results as we would have had to if we had drawn today. And are favourites to top the group and then meetsenegal or denmark in the next round opposed to france. I reality england never dreamed that they could have done so well and that the next rounds are likely to pan out so well. Its a brilliant start to say the least.
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
yes it has it could hardly be better. If i had said to you that after 2 games england would have 4 points most fans would be very pleased. If i then told you you were a point ahead of argentina after two games with the weakest team left to play you would be downright ecstatic. Not many people thought england would be ahead of argentina most people expected england to get 6 points if we did well. (beating sweden and nigeria) or maybe 7 if we got a draw with argentina. Now we are masters of our own destiny and do not have to rely on other results as we would have had to if we had drawn today. And are favourites to top the group and then meetsenegal or denmark in the next round opposed to france. I reality england never dreamed that they could have done so well and that the next rounds are likely to pan out so well. Its a brilliant start to say the least.
Yes, well done to England - a great 1-0 win over the Argentina!
That's surely settled the score for now, bla bla bla....
Enough of that! That's history now, we've got qualification from the Group Stages to worry about now. So let's all start worrying about he Nigeria game, and how we have to draw at least - without fail.
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
Sure, we've beaten Argentina, but we scraped away a draw against Sweden in the first game, and have to rely on getting at least one point against the un-predictable Nigeria.
So far, we haven't had the 'dream start' to the competition that many of us believed we'd have seen by now.
Hang on a minute, why on Earth did so many of us believe we'd do so well anyway?? After all, we're not the team from back in '66, and even if we have imporved vastly since then, so has our competition.
Oh but of course, it's that man again - Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Just because he takes over from Kevin Keegan as a big, foreign name with former-success under his belt, England are suddenly 'the team to beat' and favourites to lift the World Cup in 2002.
Ok, so we did quite well in our first couple of games - in a mixture of friendlies and qualifiers, and the un-forgettable night in Munich - but does a hand-full of decent results really make us such a great team??
Like the old saying goes "A team's performances reflects on the manager's abillities aswell" - or something along those lines.
So if England are playing very well, then it shows the world that Eriksson is a great manager, doing very well at his job.
So surely that means that all of England's recent improvements and good performances are down to this one man??
Nah, I don't believe it! How can one man change and improve a whole XI man team - or even a squad of players!???
Like the old saying goes "There's no 'I' in 'team'" - so no one team member can make any real difference to the team as a whole.
But why then has Eriksson's arrival had such a good effect on England???
Well, I believe that it's all simply down to the fact that the Swede himself has a large world-wide reputation, and instantly gains the respect he demands, wherever he goes.
Having a big-name like Eriksson take-over at one club can instantly have an effect on all players at and envloved with that club - especially amongst the younger lads. They'll see this one manager as such a succesfull big-name and look upto him and respect him in every way.
They'll also vastly improve their work rate and enthusiasm in the way they play and train, just to impress such a 'big shot', just so they get the attention and recognition they desire from this man - so that he'll return the favour and play them - as they feel ontop of the world!
Look at the surprising number of youngsters Eriksson has used in his England squads of the past and present. Look at how well those same youngsters have been playing for their domestic clubs this season.
It's all down to the respect of Sven-Goran Eriksson, and not something extra-special he has taught or told them!
Older, more experienced players also take note of the arrival of a new big-name manager, like Eriksson or even Sir Alex Ferguson - and they too are effected in a similar way.
They'll think they know the trade by now, and that all they have to do is work hard and act proffesional to make it into every squad week-in week-out. With such a respected figure watching over them, they too increase and improve their efforts on and off the pitch in an attempt to impress the new guy.
They may still feel like this is just any other manager, and try to show that this is the only way they feel, but deep down, they'll feel like they have to work extra hard for this new Gaffer in order to impress him.
I bet that even Chris Sutton wouldn't turn down the chance to play in the Engalnd B Squad if Eriksson asked him to!
So you see, it's not all about the managers actually being any good or having to do anything special, the pressnece of a big-name is enough to move even the biggest and laziest of back-sides into first gear!
Sven-Goram Eriksson isn't working wonders for England, they players are just doing the magic for him.
Remember when Kevin Keegan took over??
He's a big name worldwide too - and we started off some great early form with an impressive high-scoring win over Luxembourg!
But the players soon realised he's just an ordinary manager, and soon started to save some energy. The same could happen to the current England squad one day!
Yes, I do dis-like Eriksson, mainly because he's a foreigner and it's an insult to me to see that our lads need to be taught how to play football well by some 'johnny foreigner'!
But as you can now see, he's not all THAT special! ;D
So why do we call it 'Svengland'???
It's our country - not his! He's only inspiring some of our players!
That's surely settled the score for now, bla bla bla....
Enough of that! That's history now, we've got qualification from the Group Stages to worry about now. So let's all start worrying about he Nigeria game, and how we have to draw at least - without fail.
It's not exaclty been the greatest start for England in this year's highly-anticipated World Cup now though has it.
Sure, we've beaten Argentina, but we scraped away a draw against Sweden in the first game, and have to rely on getting at least one point against the un-predictable Nigeria.
So far, we haven't had the 'dream start' to the competition that many of us believed we'd have seen by now.
Hang on a minute, why on Earth did so many of us believe we'd do so well anyway?? After all, we're not the team from back in '66, and even if we have imporved vastly since then, so has our competition.
Oh but of course, it's that man again - Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Just because he takes over from Kevin Keegan as a big, foreign name with former-success under his belt, England are suddenly 'the team to beat' and favourites to lift the World Cup in 2002.
Ok, so we did quite well in our first couple of games - in a mixture of friendlies and qualifiers, and the un-forgettable night in Munich - but does a hand-full of decent results really make us such a great team??
Like the old saying goes "A team's performances reflects on the manager's abillities aswell" - or something along those lines.
So if England are playing very well, then it shows the world that Eriksson is a great manager, doing very well at his job.
So surely that means that all of England's recent improvements and good performances are down to this one man??
Nah, I don't believe it! How can one man change and improve a whole XI man team - or even a squad of players!???
Like the old saying goes "There's no 'I' in 'team'" - so no one team member can make any real difference to the team as a whole.
But why then has Eriksson's arrival had such a good effect on England???
Well, I believe that it's all simply down to the fact that the Swede himself has a large world-wide reputation, and instantly gains the respect he demands, wherever he goes.
Having a big-name like Eriksson take-over at one club can instantly have an effect on all players at and envloved with that club - especially amongst the younger lads. They'll see this one manager as such a succesfull big-name and look upto him and respect him in every way.
They'll also vastly improve their work rate and enthusiasm in the way they play and train, just to impress such a 'big shot', just so they get the attention and recognition they desire from this man - so that he'll return the favour and play them - as they feel ontop of the world!
Look at the surprising number of youngsters Eriksson has used in his England squads of the past and present. Look at how well those same youngsters have been playing for their domestic clubs this season.
It's all down to the respect of Sven-Goran Eriksson, and not something extra-special he has taught or told them!
Older, more experienced players also take note of the arrival of a new big-name manager, like Eriksson or even Sir Alex Ferguson - and they too are effected in a similar way.
They'll think they know the trade by now, and that all they have to do is work hard and act proffesional to make it into every squad week-in week-out. With such a respected figure watching over them, they too increase and improve their efforts on and off the pitch in an attempt to impress the new guy.
They may still feel like this is just any other manager, and try to show that this is the only way they feel, but deep down, they'll feel like they have to work extra hard for this new Gaffer in order to impress him.
I bet that even Chris Sutton wouldn't turn down the chance to play in the Engalnd B Squad if Eriksson asked him to!
So you see, it's not all about the managers actually being any good or having to do anything special, the pressnece of a big-name is enough to move even the biggest and laziest of back-sides into first gear!
Sven-Goram Eriksson isn't working wonders for England, they players are just doing the magic for him.
Remember when Kevin Keegan took over??
He's a big name worldwide too - and we started off some great early form with an impressive high-scoring win over Luxembourg!
But the players soon realised he's just an ordinary manager, and soon started to save some energy. The same could happen to the current England squad one day!
Yes, I do dis-like Eriksson, mainly because he's a foreigner and it's an insult to me to see that our lads need to be taught how to play football well by some 'johnny foreigner'!
But as you can now see, he's not all THAT special! ;D
So why do we call it 'Svengland'???
It's our country - not his! He's only inspiring some of our players!