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As a team, England have proven how far they can really go with in the World Cup this year - and also in qualification for this same competition. Many are instantly naming Sven-Goran Eriksson as the main cause for this - but anyone knows that when you've got a team of 11 players who can work well together, no natural force will be able to stop them with ease!
England owe a lot of where they are today to one nation - Sweden.
No, not because Mr.Eriksson has taken control after success at the likes of Lazio, but because of how on several occasions, the Swedes as a nation have helped us English to actually get somewhere on the big stages.
England's group (which also contains Sweden) has now come to an end in this World Cup as the 'real teams' have been seperated from the no-hopers as we progress into the REAL World Cup Finals.
Not seeing Argentina get any further in Batistuta's last international year is a huge shock to everyone - they were favourites to win the damn thing!
So why are the Argies saying goodbye with handbags and everything???
It's mainly thanks to the Swedes.
Sweden themselves had qualification wrapped up from the Group Stages, and they also looked set to top the group - as long as they won their last game, against Argentina.
England has already done the damage with a long-awaited 1-0 in the week before this game, and it was set as a race between us and the old enemy for that second place into the 2nd Round.
As long as we drew with Nigeria, we'd be ok. But, if Nigeria were to stun us with an unstoppable display, we could be saying goodbye if Crespo and co. could strike the back of the net more times than Larsson.
We only drew with the Nigerians, in what was a pretty dull match - but Argentina were still fighing, so it could've gone wrong.
Luckily it didn't as Sweden were ready to fight - even though they had nothing much to play for. They stopped the Argies who were having a nightmare with luck infront of goal!
So we owe a lot of thanks and grattitude to the Swedish team of '02 for holding of the Batistuta and co. while we sloppily cruised into the next phase. The other remaining teams in the competition may also be grateful as they now do not have to fear the possibillity of facing these particular South American danger-men!
This year isn't the first time we've had to rely on a little 'Swedish Aid' either - think back to the Euro 2000 qualification....
Once again, Sweden were in our group. Along with Bulgaria, Poland and Luxembourg - all desperate to beat-off Kevin Keegan's side for a place in amonsgt the stars in Holland and Belgium.
It didn't start to well for us after the Luxembourg game although we did do ok. A large number of draws and a minute number of wins left us having to rely on on a Sweden win on the last day to nip 2nd place away from Poland.
Of course, Sweden were on fire in their final match against the Poles, and they played like our country really meant a lot to them (possibly due to Ikea?). If we'd had beaten the Polish in our final group match then we wouldn't have been in such a tense situation. In order to reach the promised lands and save our reputations under our new manager )and former national hero), we had to rely on good ol' Sweden and their boys.
As you can see, in recent years we've had to rely on other teams (namely Sweden) to get where we wanna go as 2nd place is not quite good enough.
Maybe this kind of thing has been going on for years - un-noticed. But being a relatively younger football fan I wouldn't know all that much about the past - meaning 1966!
This obviously doesn't say good things about England as an international football team in amongst the big boys.
It shows that we need help - and that even under a new manager with a proven track record our situation would be bad without their help!
We've already had the assistance from Eriksson the Swede, but that wasn't enough prior to the kick-off of this 2002 World Cup.
If the need for help has doubled in size since 2000, how bad could it be in the European Championships of 2004 - or even World Cup 2006!!
It's quite concerning to say the least when you think about it!
Our reputation is growing but do we really deserve it???
How much further can other teams take us in this World Cup - can we rely on Danish slip-ups to help us progress and avoid the problems that could soon follow from our glory-hunting World Cup Hooligans????
Will we soon degrade to a country that depends solely on the results of other nations to get where we need??
I certainly hope not! So we'd better start shaping up soon!!
England owe a lot of where they are today to one nation - Sweden.
No, not because Mr.Eriksson has taken control after success at the likes of Lazio, but because of how on several occasions, the Swedes as a nation have helped us English to actually get somewhere on the big stages.
England's group (which also contains Sweden) has now come to an end in this World Cup as the 'real teams' have been seperated from the no-hopers as we progress into the REAL World Cup Finals.
Not seeing Argentina get any further in Batistuta's last international year is a huge shock to everyone - they were favourites to win the damn thing!
So why are the Argies saying goodbye with handbags and everything???
It's mainly thanks to the Swedes.
Sweden themselves had qualification wrapped up from the Group Stages, and they also looked set to top the group - as long as they won their last game, against Argentina.
England has already done the damage with a long-awaited 1-0 in the week before this game, and it was set as a race between us and the old enemy for that second place into the 2nd Round.
As long as we drew with Nigeria, we'd be ok. But, if Nigeria were to stun us with an unstoppable display, we could be saying goodbye if Crespo and co. could strike the back of the net more times than Larsson.
We only drew with the Nigerians, in what was a pretty dull match - but Argentina were still fighing, so it could've gone wrong.
Luckily it didn't as Sweden were ready to fight - even though they had nothing much to play for. They stopped the Argies who were having a nightmare with luck infront of goal!
So we owe a lot of thanks and grattitude to the Swedish team of '02 for holding of the Batistuta and co. while we sloppily cruised into the next phase. The other remaining teams in the competition may also be grateful as they now do not have to fear the possibillity of facing these particular South American danger-men!
This year isn't the first time we've had to rely on a little 'Swedish Aid' either - think back to the Euro 2000 qualification....
Once again, Sweden were in our group. Along with Bulgaria, Poland and Luxembourg - all desperate to beat-off Kevin Keegan's side for a place in amonsgt the stars in Holland and Belgium.
It didn't start to well for us after the Luxembourg game although we did do ok. A large number of draws and a minute number of wins left us having to rely on on a Sweden win on the last day to nip 2nd place away from Poland.
Of course, Sweden were on fire in their final match against the Poles, and they played like our country really meant a lot to them (possibly due to Ikea?). If we'd had beaten the Polish in our final group match then we wouldn't have been in such a tense situation. In order to reach the promised lands and save our reputations under our new manager )and former national hero), we had to rely on good ol' Sweden and their boys.
As you can see, in recent years we've had to rely on other teams (namely Sweden) to get where we wanna go as 2nd place is not quite good enough.
Maybe this kind of thing has been going on for years - un-noticed. But being a relatively younger football fan I wouldn't know all that much about the past - meaning 1966!
This obviously doesn't say good things about England as an international football team in amongst the big boys.
It shows that we need help - and that even under a new manager with a proven track record our situation would be bad without their help!
We've already had the assistance from Eriksson the Swede, but that wasn't enough prior to the kick-off of this 2002 World Cup.
If the need for help has doubled in size since 2000, how bad could it be in the European Championships of 2004 - or even World Cup 2006!!
It's quite concerning to say the least when you think about it!
Our reputation is growing but do we really deserve it???
How much further can other teams take us in this World Cup - can we rely on Danish slip-ups to help us progress and avoid the problems that could soon follow from our glory-hunting World Cup Hooligans????
Will we soon degrade to a country that depends solely on the results of other nations to get where we need??
I certainly hope not! So we'd better start shaping up soon!!
John Arne Riise wrote:
>....and only draw with people like South Korea and Cameroon.
But we didn't lose and it didn't matter. Friendlies are all about preparation and England were trying to prepare for the heat and humidity of Korea and Japan.
Post something slagging off England when we are finished in the World Cup.
>....and only draw with people like South Korea and Cameroon.
But we didn't lose and it didn't matter. Friendlies are all about preparation and England were trying to prepare for the heat and humidity of Korea and Japan.
Post something slagging off England when we are finished in the World Cup.
They are the Chelsea of international football. Pump themselves up for big games and win against teams like Germany and Argentina but think the weaker teams will be easier and only draw with people like South Korea and Cameroon.
There always has seem to been a strong bond between England and Sweden and it has shown up many a time but in the end Englands succses iso far has been that they fight every inch the only reason why they were poor in there last game was the fact they knew that a draw was good anough and they did not need to win many top clubs play this way. I think we will see a different England in the next match many of the injured players ie D B are now becoming match fit again. People do seem to forget that some of our players didnt play any game for weeks till the world cup.
Excellent post!
:-)
Anyway, I think that England can cope for themselves, but they're just not doing it at the moment.
Sweden do tend to help England a lot of the time, don't they?
:-)
:-)
Anyway, I think that England can cope for themselves, but they're just not doing it at the moment.
Sweden do tend to help England a lot of the time, don't they?
:-)
As a team, England have proven how far they can really go with in the World Cup this year - and also in qualification for this same competition. Many are instantly naming Sven-Goran Eriksson as the main cause for this - but anyone knows that when you've got a team of 11 players who can work well together, no natural force will be able to stop them with ease!
England owe a lot of where they are today to one nation - Sweden.
No, not because Mr.Eriksson has taken control after success at the likes of Lazio, but because of how on several occasions, the Swedes as a nation have helped us English to actually get somewhere on the big stages.
England's group (which also contains Sweden) has now come to an end in this World Cup as the 'real teams' have been seperated from the no-hopers as we progress into the REAL World Cup Finals.
Not seeing Argentina get any further in Batistuta's last international year is a huge shock to everyone - they were favourites to win the damn thing!
So why are the Argies saying goodbye with handbags and everything???
It's mainly thanks to the Swedes.
Sweden themselves had qualification wrapped up from the Group Stages, and they also looked set to top the group - as long as they won their last game, against Argentina.
England has already done the damage with a long-awaited 1-0 in the week before this game, and it was set as a race between us and the old enemy for that second place into the 2nd Round.
As long as we drew with Nigeria, we'd be ok. But, if Nigeria were to stun us with an unstoppable display, we could be saying goodbye if Crespo and co. could strike the back of the net more times than Larsson.
We only drew with the Nigerians, in what was a pretty dull match - but Argentina were still fighing, so it could've gone wrong.
Luckily it didn't as Sweden were ready to fight - even though they had nothing much to play for. They stopped the Argies who were having a nightmare with luck infront of goal!
So we owe a lot of thanks and grattitude to the Swedish team of '02 for holding of the Batistuta and co. while we sloppily cruised into the next phase. The other remaining teams in the competition may also be grateful as they now do not have to fear the possibillity of facing these particular South American danger-men!
This year isn't the first time we've had to rely on a little 'Swedish Aid' either - think back to the Euro 2000 qualification....
Once again, Sweden were in our group. Along with Bulgaria, Poland and Luxembourg - all desperate to beat-off Kevin Keegan's side for a place in amonsgt the stars in Holland and Belgium.
It didn't start to well for us after the Luxembourg game although we did do ok. A large number of draws and a minute number of wins left us having to rely on on a Sweden win on the last day to nip 2nd place away from Poland.
Of course, Sweden were on fire in their final match against the Poles, and they played like our country really meant a lot to them (possibly due to Ikea?). If we'd had beaten the Polish in our final group match then we wouldn't have been in such a tense situation. In order to reach the promised lands and save our reputations under our new manager )and former national hero), we had to rely on good ol' Sweden and their boys.
As you can see, in recent years we've had to rely on other teams (namely Sweden) to get where we wanna go as 2nd place is not quite good enough.
Maybe this kind of thing has been going on for years - un-noticed. But being a relatively younger football fan I wouldn't know all that much about the past - meaning 1966!
This obviously doesn't say good things about England as an international football team in amongst the big boys.
It shows that we need help - and that even under a new manager with a proven track record our situation would be bad without their help!
We've already had the assistance from Eriksson the Swede, but that wasn't enough prior to the kick-off of this 2002 World Cup.
If the need for help has doubled in size since 2000, how bad could it be in the European Championships of 2004 - or even World Cup 2006!!
It's quite concerning to say the least when you think about it!
Our reputation is growing but do we really deserve it???
How much further can other teams take us in this World Cup - can we rely on Danish slip-ups to help us progress and avoid the problems that could soon follow from our glory-hunting World Cup Hooligans????
Will we soon degrade to a country that depends solely on the results of other nations to get where we need??
I certainly hope not! So we'd better start shaping up soon!!
England owe a lot of where they are today to one nation - Sweden.
No, not because Mr.Eriksson has taken control after success at the likes of Lazio, but because of how on several occasions, the Swedes as a nation have helped us English to actually get somewhere on the big stages.
England's group (which also contains Sweden) has now come to an end in this World Cup as the 'real teams' have been seperated from the no-hopers as we progress into the REAL World Cup Finals.
Not seeing Argentina get any further in Batistuta's last international year is a huge shock to everyone - they were favourites to win the damn thing!
So why are the Argies saying goodbye with handbags and everything???
It's mainly thanks to the Swedes.
Sweden themselves had qualification wrapped up from the Group Stages, and they also looked set to top the group - as long as they won their last game, against Argentina.
England has already done the damage with a long-awaited 1-0 in the week before this game, and it was set as a race between us and the old enemy for that second place into the 2nd Round.
As long as we drew with Nigeria, we'd be ok. But, if Nigeria were to stun us with an unstoppable display, we could be saying goodbye if Crespo and co. could strike the back of the net more times than Larsson.
We only drew with the Nigerians, in what was a pretty dull match - but Argentina were still fighing, so it could've gone wrong.
Luckily it didn't as Sweden were ready to fight - even though they had nothing much to play for. They stopped the Argies who were having a nightmare with luck infront of goal!
So we owe a lot of thanks and grattitude to the Swedish team of '02 for holding of the Batistuta and co. while we sloppily cruised into the next phase. The other remaining teams in the competition may also be grateful as they now do not have to fear the possibillity of facing these particular South American danger-men!
This year isn't the first time we've had to rely on a little 'Swedish Aid' either - think back to the Euro 2000 qualification....
Once again, Sweden were in our group. Along with Bulgaria, Poland and Luxembourg - all desperate to beat-off Kevin Keegan's side for a place in amonsgt the stars in Holland and Belgium.
It didn't start to well for us after the Luxembourg game although we did do ok. A large number of draws and a minute number of wins left us having to rely on on a Sweden win on the last day to nip 2nd place away from Poland.
Of course, Sweden were on fire in their final match against the Poles, and they played like our country really meant a lot to them (possibly due to Ikea?). If we'd had beaten the Polish in our final group match then we wouldn't have been in such a tense situation. In order to reach the promised lands and save our reputations under our new manager )and former national hero), we had to rely on good ol' Sweden and their boys.
As you can see, in recent years we've had to rely on other teams (namely Sweden) to get where we wanna go as 2nd place is not quite good enough.
Maybe this kind of thing has been going on for years - un-noticed. But being a relatively younger football fan I wouldn't know all that much about the past - meaning 1966!
This obviously doesn't say good things about England as an international football team in amongst the big boys.
It shows that we need help - and that even under a new manager with a proven track record our situation would be bad without their help!
We've already had the assistance from Eriksson the Swede, but that wasn't enough prior to the kick-off of this 2002 World Cup.
If the need for help has doubled in size since 2000, how bad could it be in the European Championships of 2004 - or even World Cup 2006!!
It's quite concerning to say the least when you think about it!
Our reputation is growing but do we really deserve it???
How much further can other teams take us in this World Cup - can we rely on Danish slip-ups to help us progress and avoid the problems that could soon follow from our glory-hunting World Cup Hooligans????
Will we soon degrade to a country that depends solely on the results of other nations to get where we need??
I certainly hope not! So we'd better start shaping up soon!!