matty

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But in an important game, that was the point. Burnley was Carling Cup, and the difference in relative status was more akin to Liverpool playing a Division 4 side. I'm not sure I can remember when England last beat a world class side in a competitive match. Euro 04 we lost to France and Portugal. last World Cup we beat Argentine, and lost to Brazil. Euro 2000.....er....Euro 96. Beat a poor Holland side and an average Spain.... Don't think the Germany side we beat 5-1 was a classic. So it's Argentina.

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my word, Rafa is ambitious.

It was the equivalent of Liverpool getting turned over by Stevenage Borough. And it's not as though the other performances were impressive. Drawing with Macedonia, etc. I don't think England are s***, but they've achieved nothing to say that they go to the World Cup with any better credentials than the teams Stevie H mentioned earlier. granted, Italy, Spain, Holland, Czechs are all as prone to off days, but that doesn't mean we'll do them. Eriksson's been blessed with a fine generation of players - he doesn't know how to use them.

"It's a schitty pitch, when you're still getting spanked"

It did matter at the time because we hadn't won the group by then, and it was a highly competitive and important match when it was played. You can't look at these things with hindsight and say the s*** performance didn't matter. Christ Sammy. Eriksson is woeful tactically. When the 70 yard balls start getting hoofed upfield because he's run out of ideas and doesn't have the guts to play people where they should be playing, you'll remember that fact.

England go exactly the same way in every tournament. A scrappy draw, an easy win, then a tense win to secure qualification. Second round routine win, then a plucky defeat to the first decent team they play. Gerrard will have a rubbish tournament, Rooney will have a disciplinary problem, Ferdinand will gift a soft goal to someone.

And people think Americans aren't healthy! tsk.

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Smicer. Istanbul excepted.

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