'3' [read 5 or maybe 8] at the back is a truly terrible way to play football [says the total football Brighton fan who has witnessed it ad infinitum]. Never any of your own players forward when you want them, but very much plays into the 'sharp end zeitgeist' of just being really defensive and hoping the other team make a mistake. Yawn. Has worked well for waistcoat though so no hope of England ever fielding a decent XI. Alexander Arnold needs to be kept away from such systems for obvious reasons, also doesn't function very well against compact defences or teams who have no capable forwards to kick the ball at, so, you know, England and the back 5 is very much a no no. Not sure he's ever going to make the Bale leap either so could be an interesting career for him.
The Waistcoat Method is purely design to grind out qualifying and then be competitive in tournament football. Problem, as we've seen, is if you come up against a team doing the same thing then you struggle to create anything with the 7 defensive players you've chosen to do the job.
Youtube just popped this into my recommendations.
1) It was never "Yari" Litmanen, was it?
2) I'd entirely forgotten that Ravanelli had a stint at Derby.
3) My favourite thing in the whole video is the reaction from the Blackburn player who Collymore backheels the ball away from. Absolutely seething and zero interest in tracking back.![]()
I think it was spelled with a J but I never remember anything other than the Y pronunciation.
I saw yesterday that the Charity Shield is on July 30th.
And there's another Afcon next year, albeit this time in the summer.
It’s Jari you heathen. The finest footballer to grace the planet.
There’s a bloke playing for Sao Paolo called Thierry Henry.
Zinchenko nailing it on and off the pitch.
The taffs have got this. Their various class players a far cry from the shambolic piss-stained tramps and children fielded by the picts in the week.
You forgot the phwoar on the end of that.
I love this ref. Someone puts in a shit late tackle, gives them a yellow, Dan James screams 'fuck off' in his face, instant yellow for him too. All inside two minutes. Should have been a red really but what can you do.
None of the bullshit 'ooh it's too early' rubbish that prevails in refereeing.
I think I want Wales to win this. I know.
I want Ukraine to win and go on the piss for a couple of days.
I do, and I also wanted Scotland to win the other day. We Home Nations should always stick together.
Ukraine vastly the better side though it would appear.
This big number 9 for Low Belarus has a magic first touch.
Seriously jammy goal.
That's a penalty.
Never in a million years. It'll get given though.
I thought it was too, maybe slow motion exaggerated the contact.
Dan James is 2020s football summed up. His job is to run: run, and run, and run, and run, all day. He has no other attributes whatsoever. Just running. But that's enough.
It's not enough. The players you generally proclaim to just run all day are also actually really good at football. He isn't. He's like the quick kid at school who gets stuck on the wing for pace alone but is absolutely useless.
These conditions are superb.
Keiffer Moore plays for Wales and is soon to be a Premier League player.
Why is this being played in the crap stadium? I know they took it on because their crowds dip when they're shit, but a play-off like this would surely [almost] sell the big stadium out.
Maybe it's just a personal preference, the same reason I find men's tennis utterly unwatchable since about 2005. You've been to the gym and done a bit of cardio, well done.
What a save that is.
This is going to be a long 15 minutes.
Bring creative midfielders back.
5 day weekend in Wales then.
England QUALIFIED. Wales QUALIFIED. Northern Ireland FAIR ENOUGH. Scotland LMAO.
Bale shouldn't sign for a club. He should just train with Swansea or something until November.
I'd have rather seen Ukraine in the tournament.
Fuck Ukraine and two pound petrol.
England, Wales, USA and Iran is a proper plebby group, mind. Like a group from the world 9-ball pool cup or something.
Canadian mens team is on STRIKE.
Ugh. I take back my praise. Stay in your lane, mate.
Should have gave them the penalty if he was really sad.
Smallbone has been an absolute beast in this U21 window. Good enough you’d be worried he’ll fuck off now.
Agreed. Fuck these identikit players.
It's entertainment after all. If people stop watching it's done.