We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
EURO 2012 starts here! We'll be looking for the Three Lions to get off to a comfortable start with three points at home against Bulgaria this evening. I'll be skiving off early from work to watch the match from the comforts of Blue Devil HQ. Join me here from 3pm on FSC. Come on, you England!
posted by The Blue Devil @ 9:46 AM
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
110 Comments:
I won't be able to make it fellas. I will be watching my boys play in a scrimmage. I have taped it and will comment after the match.
I think FSC have the Switzerland match too on Tuesday. I won't be able to watch that either! The boys have their first matches of the season
Fingers crossed
Cheers, mate - you'll be missed. Best of luck to your lads this afternoon.
Ahead of this evening's qualifier, Capello has insisted that this is "a big game for England, not for me." I beg to differ. England and English football could, and would, survive an indifferent result - not that I'm hoping for that, of course - but I'm not sure that Don Fabio could. He needs a result today to restore confidence in his leadership at the helm.
In some earlier results:
The Republic of Ireland have scored a decent away 0-1 win to Armenia.
Wales are currently 0-0 away to Montenegro.
Haven't left yet
Tickets still available outside of the Wembley for 30 Pounds
70,000 expected
7 of the 11 started against Germany!
Starting line up
Wales are losing in Montenegro 1-0
England's line up
Hart; G Johnson, Dawson, Jagielka, A Cole; Walcott, Milner, Barry, Gerrard; Defoe, Rooney.
1907: Joe Hart's selection for England tonight, by the way, is cracking news for Shrewsbury - who net £500,000 from Manchester City due to a clause in their sale to the Premier League side based on international appearances. Happy days.
Lawrenson says that the Wembley turf looks really good!
About time!
I'm not at all happy with that starting XI. Obviously the central defensive pairing is a forced choice given Rio and JT's injuries. As you've pointed out in the past, there's no reason to instinctively pick a holding mid. In this case - a home fixture against a third tier European side - I'd have gone with another attacking option. And what can you say about the choice of Roon?
Russia now 0-2 up in Andorra.
Scotland's match has started in Lithuania.
Montenegro are all over the Welsh
Montenegro have taken the lead against Wales - same old leak eaters, eh? They're hopeless.
Afternoon, Dave - good to have you around for a bit.
I'll be optimistic and predict a 2-0 England win today. How about you, Dave?
I agree with you about the holding midfielder
I am pleased that Gerarrd will be central
As for Rooney, he was the one player that you wanted Capello and SAF to wrap in cotton wool! He had a tough summer and he was England's worst player. I feel that he is better after being back at Old Trafford and will not be as bad!
I will hope for that. I feel that Bulgaria might score though
I have to leave... fingers crossed!!!
TTFN
As for Roon, you're absolutely right that I thought of him as the one guy who could elevate England to real competitors. But did Fergie and Fabio wrap him in cotton wool? Far from it - they ran the poor sod ragged and you saw the results in June.
I think WC 2010 was a confidence shattering experience for the kid. Up til then, he played like he was still playing on the streets without a care in the world. Now, he seems a shadow of the player. If I were Fergie, I'd play him in the reserves until he starts scoring again. Crouchie scores for England and has scored three goals already - how can you ignore that?
England subs for today:
12 Ben Foster, 13 Kieran Gibbs, 14 Gary Cahill, 15 Michael Carrick, 16 Adam Johnson, 17 Ashley Young, 18 Darren Bent.
The Bulgaria line-up for today:
Mihailov, Ivanov, Milanov, Manolev, Iliyan Stoyanov, Yankov, Angelov, Stiliyan Petrov, Martin Petrov, Bojinov, Popov. Subs: Vladislav Stoyanov, Minev, Kamburov, Rangelov, Peev, Domovchiyski, Genchev.
They only two players I know from that line-up are the two Petrovs from Citeh and Villa.
As usual, FSC are cutting it fine. It's eight minutes to kick-off and they're still showing the second half of Saturday's Spurs v. Wigan match. Why?
So, Montenegro have beaten Wales 1-0 and top the group ahead of this match. We need a nice comfy win please.
The teams are out and we're ready for kick-off on FSC.
Come on, you England!
Four draws and four defeats for Bulgaria in the previous eight meetings with the lads.
Bit of a chippy start here with a lot of wild challenges flying in on both sides. Roon, unfortunately, is already looking to drop deep into midfield hunting for the ball.
GOAL! The dream start for England. Milner causes trouble down the left. Rooney chipped a nice ball into Cashley who found Defoe alone in the middle. Defoe rocketed it into the top of the net.
1-0 England after 3 minutes!
Popov is really having a difficult job handling the combination of Cashley and Milner down the left. A lot of joy down that side so far.
Gerrard is hacked down and that's going to be an early card for Angelov - no the referee has let him off with just a ticking off.
Everything is going through Gerrard now. He seems a towering figure as skipper.
Theo tries an effort after jinking inside from the right. Nice idea.
Rooney has looked good in his linking play but I really would like to see him further up front.
Johnson does well to get free on the right but his final ball is at the keeper. England are all over Bulgaria at present. Really commanding performance in the opening ten minutes.
Martin Tyler is commenting that a lot of the seats are still empty with fans arriving late from Friday traffic.
First touch of the ball for Joe Hart on the 11 minute mark.
That's Jermain's 14th goal for England in 45 appearances. Not the greatest strike rate but he's starting to become a more dependable source of goals.
Barry really is a liability. He's already hacked a player down and should have picked up a yellow. And just then he barged Popov over as he was running into the D.
England have dropped off the tempo a bit since that furious first five or ten minutes. They need to click up a gear or two again.
Good interplay between Johnson and Walcott but Theo's ball in found no one.
The Bulgarians are going down with the slightest breeze but fortunately the ref is waving a lot on.
Jesus! A ball went over and Glen Johnson played it very casually there. I think he wanted to dink it behind for a corner but Joe Hart had to collect sharply down to his right. Good save!
A few worrying signs there but Milner has a chance to swing a corner over now. We don't have a lot of good targets today so it's knocked out again.
Bloody hell - here's a turn-up. The Italians have gone 1-0 down away to Estonia!
Rooney showing his World Cup form there, collecting and then running it off. Some boos from the fans.
Jagielka's positioning was horrible there and it was only the poor touch of the Bulgarian that saved him. England looking wobbly at the back.
Some real problems on the right for England. Johnson and Walcott are working well going forward but Johnson keeps getting pulled inside by Petrov's running and the overlapping full-back is finding acres of space when Theo doesn't track back.
Half-way through the first half and I'm reasonably satisfied. Bulgaria has been dangerous at times but this is very much a make-shift central pairing.
England players are certainly making Joe Hart earn his corn tonight. A dangerous back-pass there from Barry. I suppose that shows some confidence in him.
Kuyt and Huntelaar have fired Holland 0-2 up in San Marino.
Theo does well with a mazy role which ends with a deflected shot that the keeper tips over.
Jagielka flicks a header on from the corner but no one is following up.
Rooney found Gerrard well there and I just thought that Stevie could have bombed on into the box. Instead he chose a reverse ball that was too high for Defoe.
Barry delays the pass and Milner is offside. I'd have Gareth off at the half and try Michael Carrick.
The Wave is inching around Wembley now, which gives you an indication of the entertainment value in the last ten minutes.
England trying to end the half on a high now. Waves of attack again. Come on! I'd love to see them go in 2-0 up.
Ten minutes left of the half.
Sweden are 2-0 up over Georgia at home.
Milner did well there to save the ball, played it to Roon who's flick was well off the boil. Get him off!
Oh - Milner lets fly from out wide left. The keeper did well to save the right-footed shot.
Nice short corner between Milner, Johnson and Walcott who crosses into the six yard box and Defoe should have had his second there. Keeper did well.
I'm surprised that Bulgaria haven't used Martin Petrov more on the counter. He's barely been in the match, a lonesome figure on the left wing.
Coming down to the final moments of the first half now....
Half-time: 1-0 England
A fabulous start and plenty of good stuff in that first half. More of the same please.
Pluses - Hart's confidence, Gerrard dominating midfield, lots of width from Milner and Walcott, and Defoe's predatory instincts on the goal.
Minuses - The central pairing's wobbliness; Barry and Rooney's lack of form.
Back for the second half then. Let's have another quick one, lads. England get us started.
Huntelaar has added a third for the Dutch.
Oh - Roon tries an audacious chip and the keeper did well to get back.
Dawson completely misses the header and Jags wasn't covering. Popov in and it's just inches away from an equalizer. Danger there.
Now Dawson has gone down heavily and it really doesn't look for him. Could well be a season ending injury like a cruciate ligament that's gone there.
Harry Redknapp will be furious. Gary Cahill is stripping off immediately and he'll be making his England debut in a moment.
Italy have turned it around in a hurry in Estonia. Goals from Cassano and Bonucci have them 1-2 up.
Miroslav Klose has put Germany 0-1 up in Belgium.
So now it's an even more untested central pairing that will have to defend this slender lead now. We really need to get a second goal before long.
Walcott and Johnson win a corner.
The ball comes back out to Glen Johnson for a really ambitious left footed effort.
Bozhinov seems to have done his hammy. He's waving to the sideline to come off.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!
After a dangerous Bulgarian attack is saved and punched out by Hart, England break quickly, Roon feeds Defoe and he nutmegs the keeper coolly.
2-0 England!
Now Milner is set free and Popov brings him down - yellow card.
Now the Bulgarian striker Bohzinov comes off.
Dangerous free kick from Stevie G. and Cahill nearly got on the end of it.
The Republic have wrapped up a useful 0-1 away win in Armenia.
Wow - another terrific save from Hart there. That looked like a dead cert. He's really made himself England's #1 in the last couple of months. It could so easily have been 2-1 or even 2-2 without him.
To be fair to Rooney, he has played a key role in both England goals tonight.
Huntelaar has wrapped up a hat-trick against San Marino. 0-4 Holland.
Milner gets a nasty high elbow to the neck there. From the resulting free kick, Gerrard comes close.
Stiljan Petrov finds the substitute Rangelov who heads well wide. No probs.
Oh - Walcott should have got the ball on target there. Well wide.
Hart again collects - completely masterful tonight. Can't say enough about the kid. Defoe will collect the MOTM awards but Hart deserves the plaudits.
Walcott's had his last sliced shot of the evening. Adam Johnson preparing to come on.
You know what - Gary Cahill hasn't looked half bad since coming on. Most of the threat has been down Jagielka's side.
Oh - Gerrard hit a nice daisy cutter and Defoe must have thought he was in for his hat-trick. Keeper scrambled it away.
Spain are predictably off to a 0-2 start against Liechtenstein.
Inside the last ten minutes. I'm very satisfied with a 2-0 win to start the campaign.
Oh - Adam Johnson almost marks his appearance with a nice curling effort toward goal.
Oh - Milner found Defoe at the top of the box and he tried a shot but well over.
GOAL! Adam Johnson gets it right this time. Same move, Johnson receives, jinks inside and this time it's in the back of the net.
England 3-0!
Milner still full of running, tracking back and knocking the ball back into touch.
Ashley Young getting prepared now. Surely he'll come on for Milner.
GOAL! And Jermain Defoe wraps up a great night for him and for England. Rooney again laid on for him and he hit it first time with the left peg. Brilliant finish.
4-0 England!
Defoe was caught just as he was shooting and now he's limping off. Ashley Young to come on.
Spain are also 0-4 up albeit against Liechtenstein.
And Holland are 0-5 up! Ruud with the latest goal.
I just hope that England have saved a few goals for Tuesday night in Switzerland. After that disappointment in South Africa, tonight has been a real tonic. "God Save the Queen" ringing round Wembley.
Milner picks up a yellow for a late challenge.
Bit of afters between Petrov and Milner there. Now now.
Into stoppage time.
That's it - full time. 4-0 England.
I'm definitely a happy chappy with that one. More of the same in Switzerland on Tuesday, please.
Hey Bob
I just finished watching the match. A great start but a bit of a worrying performance for a while. Good finishing by Defoe and most of them set up by Rooney. I think he did well but I do agree that he was too deep too many times.
I hope Defoe will be okay for Tuesday. Shame about Dawson but I agree with you about Cahill.
BTW, I wasn't too impressed with Milner and especially Walcott!
Don Fabio this morning is claiming credit for sticking Rooney in the "hole" position that Paul Scholes plays for United, a position that I've thought was his most natural position since I first saw him playing for Everton.
I think that's all fine and good, but if you're going to play Rooney off the strikers, then you have to play two men up front, especially when you're at home against Bulgaria!
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