You know what, I used to be a massive England fan, I guess like a lot of people. I'd love to be again but with the mentality we have of continually picking and playing, somehow, what people see as "our best players" and hoping it works, rather than picking a system and the best players to fit it, it's never going to happen.
I remember 1966, I watched it, all of it and we were never expected to win it. Portugal were the favourites and we beat them in the semis. I remember something that Jack Charlton said years later about being selected for the squad, he questioned why when there were better CBs in the country and Ramsey told him he was the best player to play the position how he wanted it played, to partner Moore.
This tournament has been a mess from start to finish, anybody who couldn't see last night coming doesn't understand football. My Paul was at work last night so had to listen to it rather than watch it and was fuming when he got in, raging against the players and how crap they all are, refusing to listen to me trying to explain that Roy fu**ed up.
He had 5 Liverpool players and 5 Spurs players in his squad, both teams play a high line, quick interchanging passes, press like madmen and in a 4231 formation or variations of it. People were amazed during qualification that Roy had moved away from his traditional 442 system, praising him for being "progressive" and what does he do during the tournament, he plays 433
Even the squad he selected didn't make sense, taking players that had barely played all season due to long term injuries and those who had had abysmal seasons at Club level. Hendo, Wilshire and Rooney as his "main" midfielders ffs.
Leicester last season and Iceland last night proves that you don't need the best players to win games, you need a set way of playing that gets the best out of the players available. Those highly paid professionals last night looked lost, like a pub team, a bit like we looked at the start of last season. Players playing in a system they didn't understand, not in their natural positions, with no direction, no plan and no F***ing idea what the F**k they were supposed to be doing.
As I've just said to Paul, it's a bit like him and his colleagues going into work not knowing what work needs to be done and nobody telling them. They all know their job but without direction, without a plan they'd all be walking round scratching their heads.
Whoever the next manager is for me they need to have a distinct way of playing, someone everyone will know before their first game how we're going to set up and play, that we have some sort of identity, methology and knows how to "coach" their way of playing.
That's my two penneth anyway, now I can get back to proper footy and look forward to watching a manager who knows what the F**k he's doing