Interesting stat that highlights how woeful England are, the highest pass completion between two England players last night was Joe Hart to Andy Carroll; the keeper to a striker that was on the bench for an hour

Not really surprising though Matty, did anyone do any stats on ho wmany times Gerrard and Rooney passed to an Italian

---

We did well to get out of the group but the remaining 4 teams in the competition are all streets (and I mean streets like the M1) ahead of us in terms of ball retention, movement, football knowledge and understanding of the game.

I think a lot of that has already become a myth because from what I saw we had a lot of luck in the group stage and we rode it. Against France we were often dire, and Sweden outclassed us for large parts of the game. I can't really recall the Ukraine match which probably says enough in itself. Has Woy moved things on? Would we have done worse or better with Postman Pat? I don't know, but the experience of the last couple of decades says it probably wouldn't have made much difference.

---

 

Hart - 6.5

Johnson - 7.5

Terry - 8

Lescott - 7

Cole - 6

Parker - 6

Gerrard - 8

Milner - 5

Young - 3

Wellbeck - 4

Rooney - 2

Walcott - 4

Oxlade-C - 6

Carroll - 5.5

Henderson - 4

Downing - 3

Defoe - 3

Can't argue with them Marks, And funny that the 2 highest are the 2 oldest players !!

...Roll on the Olympics, C'mon Team GB

I suggest you should get the job rating in the  the Daily Telegraph.  I've just had a look this morning and yet again it flatters our players considerably.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9353347/Euro-2012-England-v-Italy-player-ratings.html.  What a load of dishonest bullexcrement - and lets not gets started on our players!

Forwards and midfield didn't turn-up last night. Had it not been for some stout defending and woeful finishing from the Italians, we'd of been dead and buried in normal time.
All the good spirits and teamwork mean squid all if you haven't got the class required to do the basics.
Italy deserved the win but the Germans will be a different class of opposition on Thursday.
Spain - Germany final for me.

---

Positives last night that we defended well and we didnt lose the game. But England will never get close to winning a tournament if we cant keep hold of the ball. This is something that is not going to change quickly but perhaps with the new Burton National Football centre we can begin to address this problem.  I think Roy was a good appointment and has got the most out the players he has, we have a few good players to come back from injury that we will need to qualify from a difficult World cup group.

At the moment England are very much a also ran in world football as we have been for over 40 years. I dont think that is going to change anytime soon.

---

The fact that midfielders doubled up as defenders says it all sadly. Subconciously our game plan was to defend. Pirlo was given free reign of the pitch and Rooney was pulled out of his natural position to track him. Our attackers have the capability to run at defences and rip them apart. We are a relatively unknown team on the big stage and the opportunity was there for us to shake an Italy side considered poor before the competition started.

We lost the game before we even started sadly. We played defensively and hoped to rely on the lottery of penalties to progress. The fact that Hart had studied countless footage of Italian penalties while Buffon resorted to watching porn says it all realy !

 

---

Poor performance by England. They were overrun by a mediocre Italian side (Pirlo apart). They did defend well, however, but I also thought they sat too deep.

Flag Down ,ready for 2014.Lets hope england controls the ball by then...

Poor performance by England. They were overrun by a mediocre Italian side (Pirlo apart). They did defend well, however, but I also thought they sat too deep.

Far, far too deep.

I don't take the flag downs though as I also like a host of other sports that deserve my support and I'm patriotic sort.........not to be confused with jingoism

 

---

Poor performance by England. They were overrun by a mediocre Italian side (Pirlo apart). They did defend well, however, but I also thought they sat too deep.

Far, far too deep.

I don't take the flag downs though as I also like a host of other sports that deserve my support and I'm patriotic sort.........not to be confused with jingoism

 

Durham or England though?

How did Downing and Defoe score points for not even playing?...... Ah, right, yeah I see now :-P

Whilst Defoe did make a 13-minute cameo at the end of the France game, Downing only made an appearance in our collective nightmares! (which apparently seemed so real to me...)

---

I think that any fans out there (no one here I must emphasise) that thought the Italians were going to be pushovers last night were seriously deluding themselves. Quite a lot was made in the media during last week about how fortunate England were to have avoided Spain in the last 8, but most people knew that last night was going to be a hard slog for England, and that's exactly how it turned out. When it went to penalties I did think that England had a slight chance, mainly becuase Italy don't have a great record themsleves in shoot-outs (they went out of three successive World Cups on penalties in the 90's and also went out of the last Euros in 2008 to Spain in this way). Italy were definitely the better team on the night though.

---

The fact that midfielders doubled up as defenders says it all sadly. Subconciously our game plan was to defend. Pirlo was given free reign of the pitch and Rooney was pulled out of his natural position to track him. Our attackers have the capability to run at defences and rip them apart. We are a relatively unknown team on the big stage and the opportunity was there for us to shake an Italy side considered poor before the competition started.

We lost the game before we even started sadly. We played defensively and hoped to rely on the lottery of penalties to progress. The fact that Hart had studied countless footage of Italian penalties while Buffon resorted to watching porn says it all really !

 

We lost the game before we even started sadly. We played defensively and hoped to rely on the lottery of penalties to progress. The fact that Hart had studied countless footage of Italian penalties while Buffon resorted to watching porn says it all realy !

 I heard that about Buffon and it made me laugh! TBH studying 'countless footage of Italian penalties' sounded like a recipe for confusion, although to be fair pens are a lottery. Actually Hart when down in my estimation though because of his ridiculous face pulling and arm waving. I expect he thought it made him look self confident and assured. Now I'm no psychologist, but to me it came across in completely the opposite way, making him look as though he was bricking it and completely insecure.

---

I don't know why people are being so negative about England. We surpassed expectations by topping the group and reaching the quater finals. That's the best we could have hoped for from England.

I didn't even bother watching the shootout as the outcome was inevitable before the first penalty was taken.

I don't know why people are being so negative about England. We surpassed expectations by topping the group and reaching the quater finals. That's the best we could have hoped for from England.

I didn't even bother watching the shootout as the outcome was inevitable before the first penalty was taken.

Agreed.

I am surprised by all the moaning, people should expect nothing less from England who have been flops for the last 30+ years. Unfortunately many get swept up and dare to dream!!! That being said, I watched it last night because I knew it would give me a good moan. Mrs BritBob hates me watching England play.

Our players apart from the rare one or two have always lacked skill. We play such dull and useless tactics. We can't pass, we can't retain the ball, we hoof and hope. It doesn't matter who manages the team, if the players lack the skills and basic ones for that matter we'll alway be flops.

Time to pack away the tacky St George paraphernalia for another time!

I don't know why people are being so negative about England. We surpassed expectations by topping the group and reaching the quater finals. That's the best we could have hoped for from England.

I didn't even bother watching the shootout as the outcome was inevitable before the first penalty was taken.

I find it baffling that anyone would watch the whole game, but switch off for the penalties. How odd?

I think the reason why people are being negative is they cannot understand why the nation with the greatest football wealth in the world consistently produces sub-standard crap like we do at international level. Not many positives really are there all things considered? Should a country like this, with the countless millions that are poured into it be happy being the 7th or 8th best side out there? No, and rightly so. If we could see progression then I'm sure people could swallow it a bit easier, but it's the same excuses every few years. The same deficiencies on the pitch. The same outcome. We always hear that we will learn from this, but we never do. Next time round it'll be the same again no doubt.

As for being happy with how far England progressed? I don't buy into that belief. It's that sort of "it's the taking part that counts" philosophy that has done this country no good whatsoever over the last few decades, and that's not just restricted to sport.

I want to win. As I knew England had no chance, then I'd honestly rather we weren't even there at all.

---

England aren't going to win the Euro's, ever. The world cup win in 1966 was a fluke, never to be repeated again.

---

I think if were to win something in the next 50 years things obviously have to improve. I like how tight we were a times midfield defending but the odd kick and rush would give players like welbeck better chance going forward. The lads at work are of the same opinions as two. Parker impressed me he did a job as did terry cole and hart Gerrard Man of tornament for england. The rest we know on there day would have set the tornament on fire. We lack midfield charge we can hold well in defence I hope the world cup qualifiers introduce a few more tallents. Need a lynchpin like a zidane type between rooney and parker.

 

To add when was england last golden boot ? was it Lineker 90 or A Al in Euro 96 . ??

---

England aren't going to win the Euro's, ever. The world cup win in 1966 was a fluke, never to be repeated again.

Standard Leedslad contribution to anything.

Care to add any substance to this, or are you just leaving it at that?

---