England 0 Northern Ireland 1

[MOT]

This is so good to hear!

[Midnight Toker]

This is so good to hear!

At least we're going to the world cup

And yeah, i totally agree with you dude, Sven needs to go, and Allardyce would be my choice to. You need an english manager for the english team, plain and simple.

Sven tries to play continental football, and while our players are all capable of doing that, it completely negates englands greatest quality as a football side, that never say die spirit. When you watch us under Sven, they don't play with the same passion, they don't press the other side and close the ball down, or play with the same tempo as they do in the premiership. He's asking players to play how he wants them to, rather than trying to bring out their best qualities and play in the same style as most of them do, week in, week out. You fit your system around your players, not the other way around.

He's in it for the money, and it shows. When you see him on the touchline during the game, he just sits there and bites his nails while McClaren runs up and down barking all the instructions that Sven should be dishing out. England are starting to play like Sven, slow and boring.

As far as the Austria game goes, as well as Svens tactical ability when Plan A doesn't work, i agree with you entirely. It was obvious that we needed to sit tight and go on the counter attack after Beckhams ridiculous sending off, and to counter attack you need pace. I would have brought on Wright Phillips for Crouch, he and Owen would have had a decent chance of getting in behind them, and as a midfielder could also provide more defensive cover when needed. Like you said, it's the same as the Northern Ireland game, he didn't want to take off a big name, and didnt want to adapt his system, so he took off the only player who looked dangerous.

The England team is completely shambolic at the moment. We can't go to Germany, play like that and expect to win the World Cup. Something needs to change and, in my opinion, it's the manager. I don't think it will happen though, not unless we get severely embarrassed by Poland on Wednesday.

But Peter Crouch will never be a first choice striker for England. Who are you going to drop, Owen or Rooney? Neither are logical, as i think Crouch wouldn't be anywhere near the partner for Rooney than he is for Owen, and you sure as hell can't drop Wayne Rooney.

[tweedle]

Defoe comes before Crouch in the line up for me aswell