England. 4th in the World.

[Beefy]

http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html

We're only three points off of Uruguay so if we beat Italy next month I'd imagine we'll be in the top three.

FOOTBALLS COMING HOME!

 

[Pubey]

It's worth while remembering that we do have a very good competitive record recently (unbeaten in Euro 2012), and recently we've done well in friendlies (lost against Netherlands but beat Spain). We probably aren't 'better' than some of the teams we're above, however we're not as bad as perhaps people think. The ranking system isn't flawed (in terms of not being transparent), it just doesn't take into account the difference in the importance of a first group match against France compared to a QF against Italy. Both matches had the same 'importance' score and a difference based on the quality of the two teams. Also, we got 1 point for our draw against France, and 1 point for a loss against Italy. That is suggesting that a penalty shoot out is just luck (50/50), when we no from experience that it isn't.

 

[Jam_Man]

Wow 4th yet cant get past the quarter finals to get into the last 4 of any tournament in nearly 20 years.

Not sure how much I value that system.

In qualification the last couple of years we have done very well, but we dont do it against the big teams so theres no way we can class ourselves in the top 4.

 

[Beefy]

Wow 4th yet cant get past the quarter finals to get into the last 4 of any tournament in nearly 20 years.

Not sure how much I value that system.

In qualification the last couple of years we have done very well, but we dont do it against the big teams so theres no way we can class ourselves in the top 4.

Surely if we have a better record in a four year period than all but three teams then we can class ourselves in the top 4.

We fixate on the England team and moan about it but that's because we're English. If we were any other nationality we'd be equally fixated on another team.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

So the Netherlands have slipped below us, seems fair enough.

Brazil have also dipped below us - not sure what their results have been recently but I get the impression that this isn't a classic Brazil team by any stretch of the imagination.

Italy haven't quite done enough to go above us. On the basis that we were all square after 120 minutes this again seems fair enough.

IIRC we were one of four group winners, along with Spain and Germany (both above us) and was it Czech Republic.

I think England get a lot more respect abroad than they do at home.

 

[BrettieAngell]

If these teams are so much better than us why do we only lose on penalties?

 

[Davros]

Brazil dipped below us and will probably stay there for a while, as they have no competative games to qualify for the WC since they are hosts.

 

[Rob1920]

If these teams are so much better than us why do we only lose on penalties?

Cos we park the bus. we're not gonna win many with 11 men behind the ball for 80% of the game. Not that we can do much else because we don't have the players. We are hard to beat granted, but we only rarely threaten at the other end against top sides.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Cos we park the bus. we're not gonna win many with 11 men behind the ball for 80% of the game. Not that we can do much else because we don't have the players. We are hard to beat granted, but we only rarely threaten at the other end against top sides.

I don't think its always as simple as that! I think we can live with most of the top teams, we were clearly not good enough against Italy on the day but it was a youthful/patched up team really.

 

[Beefy]

http://www.football-rankings.info/2012/07/fifa-ranking-august-2012-preview.html

England are guaranteed to rise to third in the rankings next month.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Lies, damn lies and statistics.

The gulf between England and most of European football is far, far wider the the English Channel.

 

[Grayson]

England have lost two competitive games in the last 3 years I believe. That's why we are ranked highly. It is only because the rare games we do lose are in the early knock-out stages of tournaments that we become surprised by the rankings.

 

[Jam_Man]

Surely if we have a better record in a four year period than all but three teams then we can class ourselves in the top 4.

We fixate on the England team and moan about it but that's because we're English. If we were any other nationality we'd be equally fixated on another team.

If its based solely on results then yes but our tournament record against top teams is poor compared to our qualification.

Look at the teams we beat , so many below par teams in the qualifications.

Its hard to compare us to Spain/Germany/Portugal/Italy and say we are a better team than them. Yes we only lost on pens to Italy but we lack any sort of class at the moment its shocking.

Bring in Argentina and Brazil and Id be hard pushed to say we are top 5.

If we played in a league with all those teams I wouldnt expect us to finish in the top 4.

For me its not just the normal negativity, I really think this is the poorest England team since Carlton Palmer graced the hallowed turf (and at least we had linkeker et al then).

Guess they need a way of ranking and winning the games you play is clearly the only way to do it, just dont think its accurate.

 

[MK Shrimper]

We're now the 3rd best team in the world. :stunned:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

If its based solely on results then yes but our tournament record against top teams is poor compared to our qualification.

Look at the teams we beat , so many below par teams in the qualifications.

Its hard to compare us to Spain/Germany/Portugal/Italy and say we are a better team than them. Yes we only lost on pens to Italy but we lack any sort of class at the moment its shocking.

Bring in Argentina and Brazil and Id be hard pushed to say we are top 5.

If we played in a league with all those teams I wouldnt expect us to finish in the top 4.

For me its not just the normal negativity, I really think this is the poorest England team since Carlton Palmer graced the hallowed turf (and at least we had linkeker et al then).

Guess they need a way of ranking and winning the games you play is clearly the only way to do it, just dont think its accurate.

And this is the poorest Brazil team since when?

 

[Reg Martin]

I cannot seriously see us as better than any of Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Argentina and Brazil. I would probably throw in France and Holland as well when they're not fighting amongst themselves.
That may still put us in top ten in world which would be consistent with regular last 8/last 16 positions in tournaments.
But the gap between the top 6 to 8 countries and England is wider than it's ever been and probably getting wider.

 

[Beefy]

How much of Portugal, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, France and Holland have you seen recently?

England are above those sides for one simple reason - we've achieved better results than them over the last four years.

 

[MK Shrimper]

How much of Portugal, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, France and Holland have you seen recently?

England are above those sides for one simple reason - we've achieved better results than them over the last four years.

Yet put us up against any one of those sides and we'd get spanked. Dodgy statistics aside, the English team are dismal.

 

[Beefy]

Would we? We played two of them in the last couple of months and neither could beat us.

Spain and Germany are light-years ahead of everyone else. Then there are a bunch of mediocre sides with mixed records and weak points in each of their teams. We're in that pack, it's just that we don't see the others very often to assume that they're better than they are.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I (we) would love for England to truly be the 4th best team in the world but it isn't correct; statistics and lies!
The Prem is the best league in the world and when the clubs in it take their responsibility and play with at least 6 home country players in each 11 then we might be great again. However that is a likely to happen any time soon as Fossetts Farm is to get started. Is foreign ownership and sales of oversees tv rights and shirts parts of the problem?