How do you rate England’s campaign?

[Yorkshire Blue]

We lost on penalties. Last night we didn't even get to penalties.

That said, I agree with your main point that it was there to be enjoyed. We have a young squad who did better than we all expected. I'd have taken a semi final place before the tournament started

Hmm, not at all convinced a penalty shootout is technically further. If anything we were closer this time as we had the lead. I suppose we may have stayed in for longer in '90 but we certainly didn't progress any further.

Anyway it's up there alongside Italia 90 and Euro 96 and all the what ifs from those tournaments...

 

[Shrimpersfan]

Some views on here I really agree with. I gave an 8 for a number of reasons, mainly for the fact that this is probably the first time since watching England that I have been proud to be an England fan.

I don't believe for a minute that this is the end for this group of players. I genuinely believe that we have a real chance at the Euros and WC 2022. The fact that we had the 2nd/3rd (can't remember which is right) youngest team at the tournament means that the bulk of this side will be in the England squad for the 8-10 years.

Gareth Southgate has been a breath of fresh air. Finally an England squad made up of players who are picked on merit rather than name.

As I said previously, I couldn't be more proud of my national team. As a team (and not indivduals) they did us proud.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Blimey I admitted to giving a 6, gave my reasons and got shot down, who gave a 3 and a 4?!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Not my lookout if you can't enjoy the furthest an England team has got in my lifetime because you're too busy regretting that the glass is half empty.

This is a good team, who did well on the same side of the draw as Spain; as Sweden who qualified out of the groups in place of Germany and from qualifying ahead of Netherlands and then Italy in the play-offs.

It's not half full or half empty. I gave plenty of praise as while it lasted as it was great, but at the same time some reality and reasoning needs to be brought into the argument.

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

I gave an 8 - mainly coz I enjoyed it. I enjoyed watching England play football, when was the last time anyone could say that? briefly in 2004?
We had some great highs and lows and I enjoyed them. But most of all I loved the atmosphere. Being down the pub with my mates, arms around each others shoulders for the penalty shoot out. the pub being so packed you could hardly move. everyone chanting like they were at the game. strangers smiling and laughing.
the whole country getting behind it, being proud to be English and feel like they could actually say that out loud without getting shouted down.
These things are never just about the football on the pitch.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

I gave it a 7. I think there have been a lot of positives from this campaign:

- The manager. When was the last time England fans had a chant for their manager? Says a lot. The culture and atmosphere he's created in the national team has been spot on and he's conducted himself in a calm, sensible and dignified way, and seems to genuinely care about England and the players. I think many of his decisions (captaining Kane, playing Sterling ahead of Rashford, Henderson ahead of Dier, Pickford in goal) have been vindicated.

- We're playing probably the best football I've seen from an England team in my lifetime. We have more of a playing philosophy and an identity than we've had in a long time.

- The performance of players like Pickford, Trippier and Maguire, who have only recently broken into the team.

- They've reestablished a connection with the fans and got us believing again. After years of underachievement, this time we arguably over-achieved. There aren't as many egos and superstars as previous tournaments, they just seem like a group of honest lads who get on and want to do well for the country. It's reminded us of the power sport, in particular football, has to bring the country together.

- This team have largely got age on their side so hopefully this experience will do them good and we can have a real go at the Euros in 2020 and the next World Cup. Rather than having the usual inquest and change of manager we have after England exits, we can look forward to the future with (hopefully) the same manager and players.

On reflection, there are a few disappointments. I think some of our bigger names underwhelmed - Alli in particular although he never seemed fully fit. I think we could've got more out of Sterling and Kane, but both got some pretty rough treatment from defences.

While it's great we scored so many goals from set-pieces and we have defenders like Stones and Maguire who are a threat, we did rely on them quite heavily. We struggled to score in open play.

And there is the disappointment of being so close and wondering if we'll get a better opportunity to win it again. Let's be honest, we had quite a kind draw and on paper we should've beaten Croatia.

Overall, though, it's been largely positive and I think it's been a great World Cup overall. Let's go out on a high and beat Belgium!

 

[sadsy]

I remember Italia 90 vividly , we weren't that great :
Group stages
Rep of Ireland 1-1 awful game
Netherlands 0-0
Egypt 1-0 (Mark Wright header from set piece)

Knock-out
Belgium 1-0 (Platt scored last minute extra time - set piece)
Cameroon 3-2 aet (2 pens Lineker)
Germany 1-1 played really well lost on pens

Not that dissimilar from this lot !

 

[EastStandBlue]

Few thoughts from me;

Going into this tournament I was confident we’d have enough to get out of the group, possibly enough to make it into the quarter finals, but didn’t hold much hope of progressing any further than that. To make it to the final four of a World Cup and come within 28 minutes of the final is quite the achievement and if you’re only interested in dealing in real terms, the campaign has to be regarded as an unmitigated success.

But there’s far more colour to the argument than that. We made light work of the group stage and, actually, I think the Tunisia game should be held aloft as a prime example of the sterling job Southgate has achieved in what’s still a relatively short amount of time. Despite conceding a shaky equaliser, England never doubted that they could find a winner, never resorted to pumping balls into the box and were rewarded for their patience.

Against Colombia we were resolute, and Sweden was probably the most fun I’ve had watching England in a decade. Confident, assured, resourceful. Yes, Pickford had to make a few saves, but that’s knockout football for you.

Against Croatia we came up against the most balanced and settled midfield at the tournament. Modric and Rakitic supported by either Brozovic or Kovacic, with Perisic and Rebic flanking them, completely outmanoeuvred us. I’m not buying that Croatia found energy reserves as a result of being irritated by press coverage. That’s nonsense. They were the better team over the course of 120 minutes, aided significantly by the sheer amount of big-game experience they could call upon. Croatia found another gear and we didn’t have enough left in tank to do the same.

But that hasn’t offered much consolation. Wednesday evening was about the most gutted I’ve felt through football for some time. Oddly, I’d have probably have felt better had we lost that shoot out in the second round. As it is, to look comfortable for 45 minutes against a superior side must bode well for the future.

In the end I feel split between regarding the campaign as undoubted progress and consternation over what feels like a missed opportunity. France would have undoubtedly outclassed us, but you never know what the occasion might have drawn out of England. I felt throughout the tournament that we had another gear or two to click up to if only the squad knew how to get there – Against Sweden we had the chances to win by four or five clear goals. Against Croatia we could’ve been out of sight at half time.
But at the same time, the rigours of the tournament showed some glaring inadequacies. Pickford, Trippier, Maguire and to a lesser extent Henderson (downgraded because, as a Liverpool player, he’s destined to underperform in an England shirt) have come into their own, and I’ve been very impressed with Stones also, but it’s clear we lack a bit of cut and thrust in the centre of midfield. I’ve a lot of time for Alli and Lingard, but together they lack the impetus to wrestle control of a game like Pogba did yesterday, or like Modric did against us, or like De Bruyne did against Brazil. I also thought Rashford looked off the pace and we could’ve trusted Vardy more. We lack natural width in midfield.

If we’re to go deeper in international tournaments and look more assured in the latter stages, Southgate’s going to have to become more proficient/savvy with his substitutions. Kane looked shot to bits by the quarter finals. If Loftus-Cheek replaces Alli after 55/60 minutes, he might’ve been able to disrupt Modric to more effect.

It’s why I’ve been so split over how to rate this tournament. We’ve come a long way in the past two years, but I can’t help but feel that we had it within us to go that little bit further.

In the end, it’s a 6/10. In two/four years’ time, when this squad of players is that little bit more experience, when it’s buoyed by the arrivals of Sessegnon, Sancho, Foden, Nketiah, Mount et al, when Southgate’s got a little bit more nous, we might be in a position to achieve something. Or we might **** it up the wall.

Major hat tip to Sam Wallace and the Tele’s undercover team though. Without their intervention we’d have been led by Allardyce into this tournament and it would’ve been a ****ing drab affair with none of the feel-good progression that’s so aptly buoyed this desperate floating rock in the ocean for the best part of a month.

 

[OldBlueLady]

In the end, it’s a 6/10. In two/four years’ time, when this squad of players is that little bit more experience, when it’s buoyed by the arrivals of Sessegnon, Sancho, Foden, Nketiah, Mount et al, when Southgate’s got a little bit more nous, we might be in a position to achieve something. Or we might **** it up the wall.

Bloody hell, you agreed with me on the rating!

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Everyone keeps mentioning these young players coming through but how many are going to get game time? How will Foden get a game for Man City when they spend £60m on Mahrez?

 

[geoffmundo]

Wow, We were 22 mins away from a World Cup final...! Had Kane made it 2-0 who knows...?

We won a World Cup penalty shoot out for the very first time.

We thrashed a poor team when we previously would have struggled.

Harry Kane is now 2nd highest England goalscorer at the World Cup after Lineker (yep, more than Hurst, Charlton, Beckham, Rooney, Shearer.....)

As far as I could remember we always punched below our weight, too many disappointments. We always seemed to under achieve despite the golden generation. For those that remember 1990 we were pretty awful, but somehow made the S/F!

Above all, this nation obsessed with Premier and Champions league fell back in love with their national team for a few weeks, hopefully longer. Having watched the French TV news over the last few evenings I can only wistfully wonder what might have been.

Yes, I gave a high score. In 4 years time we should be better, but so will many others!