Irrelevant Nick KP

I'll try not to.

Is it really a popular myth? I knew that and everyone did at the time since it was all over the media that 2nd place would take us into a play-off with the Ukraine and Shevchenko in his pomp. I think you make fair points about Sven, as I've said. However labouring the point when he has as much chance of getting the England job again as Keegan has is a bit tedious. As are comments like the bit in bold to try and show how clever you are. Well, childish accusations about me trying to show how clever I am, without proof (and false by the way) don't do you any credit, in my view. But yes, I've hear many people say that we were close to being knocked out until Beckham 'saved' Sven. Sven came in when England was in trouble, and turned things around. Greece at Old Trafford was a little warning from Greece about what would happen 3 years later.

No, I can't see how that can be nailed on. Germany didn't have a very hard route to the final that year, and many thought it was one of the poorest ever finalists.

By the way, it is a popular myth that we would have been knocked out if it hadn't been for Beckham's free-kick against Greece. We would have finished 2nd and had to go through the play-offs like Germany had to. When Sven arrived we were struggling in that group, and Sven ended up getting us to the top spot, although as I've said, had Beckham's free-kick not gone in, we would have got a chance in the play-offs. England lost only 1 qualifier in Sven's 6-year stint, against Northern Ireland.

Search the forum for threads started by accadacca, he was castigated as a mackem wum but was in fact a realist and a visionary. I didnt agree with your happiness thread but i found it interesting and if history judges Sven as harshly as the media did at the time, i'll be surprised. I dont think the problems in English football can be condensed down into just a discussion of the manager but i find it very easy to agree to a revision of Sven's performances given what has followed. That was a response to Dr. Gloom, I corrected it afterwards. And predictably I agree with what you say here.

DrGloom because I think he has an excellent track record. I think guiding England to 3 quarter-finals is an excellent track record. Yes, he was knocked out in all of them, I'm not blind to that fact, but I personally would give him the benefit of the doubt that those eliminations were largely due to misfortune, particularly the 2 penalty shoot-outs. I also think his players were overrated in that so-called Golden generation. The best player was never on the pitch when they were eliminated (Rooney). Owen wasn't the player he had been. Joe Cole was excellent, that I'll admit, but Beckham was used to the best of his abilities by Sven and either scored or made, loads of goals.

That is a false accusation. It doesn't bother me, we must expect false accusations from a certain kind of person on these forums. But I'll always correct false accusations.

Oh, have a bit of respect for yourself. Don't be like the 4-5 kids who are having a mock-feast against 1, only to start crying for mummy when that 1 answers back.

I have come to expect some moronic responses, yes. But i'll continue to post things that I genuinely believe (like thinking that the only man who has taken England to a quarter-final away from home after 1990 wouldn't be such a bad idea). Not going to allow what I believe to be moronic responses (like a couple of yours) to stop me from saying what I think.

Wow! You would be spitting thunderbolts!

I gathered that.

Yes. I just told alex you were, Nick. I know.

Yes.

Howmanheyman you may think it does, but clearly I don't agree, since, as I've said, I find those responses which I mentioned, totally moronic.

You've had a few waxers as topics, Nick. You have to give people the benefit of the doubt, but in your case, it wore out. LM reckons you're the only person he's put on ignore. Now LM likes an argument, but even he can't be arsed. The feeling is mutual with LM, and as I have said, I find most of the first responses to this topic, utterly moronic.

yes, it's the posts following yours that are moronic I think so, yes.

I don't know if I'm doing myself any favours. What I do know, is that I consider most of the first 6-7 responses to this thread to be totally moronic. I think anyone who can be provoked by the initial posting must be a bit dim. Paul Scholes chose to retire early.

Do you like Sugar Puffs? :lol:

James #: Good, but not exceptional and prone to howlers. Neville: Excellent, but not world class. Ashley Cole. Not quite excellent. Carvalho better. Terry. Over-rated. Rio. Over-rated Beckham. Non-match-fit in 2002, that was obvious. And in 2006 people were bashing Sven for picking him. Der! Lampard. Has never been as good for England as he has for Chelsea Gerrard. Did well when Sven used him as a forward, depiste the player protesting. Joe Cole. World-class, and a gem of a player at that time. Rooney. He can be discounted, sinced Sven never got knocked out with him on the pitch Owen. Went off the boil in 2002-2004 and never regained his old athleticism.

Okay, the answer to the riddle is... They are both complete and utter bullshit. A bit like saying Keegan was rubbish at Newcastle, because Everton won the Cup while he was at Newcastle.

Here's a little riddle; These 2 statements have something in common. -Greece won Euro 2004, so it's a disgrace that Sven didn't win anything with England. -Denmark won Euro 1992, so it's a disgrace that Venables didn't win anything with England. What do those 2 statements have in common?

Sven won the Double in 3 different countries, taking Gothenburg to UEFA Cup glory, Lazio to glory in the Cup-Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup, as well as taking Benfica to the final of the Champions League. He led England in 2 World Cups and 1 European Championship, and never failed to take them to the quarter-finals, a feat which eluded Hoddle, Keegan, McClaren and (thus-far) Capello. It was absolutely ridiculous of the FA to sack Sven (although I'll admit that they shouldn't have offered him such a large salary. Quarter-Finals are nice, but we shouldn't be paying 5 million a year for them, when Uruguay have proved that you can get a semi-final for 400,000 a year). I remember vehemently defending Sven when he was facing a barrage of criticism in 2006. But then he went into decline. Man City... He disappointed at Man City. Mexico... He disappointed at Mexico. Ivory Coast... He only had 3 matches with Ivory Coast, and although they got knocked out in World Cup round 1, they had the best stats of that half of the World Cup teams that suffered 1st-round elimination Then... Leicster City... He came to them when they were very near the bottom, and steered them to an eventual 10th place (and didn't spend so much money I think (or did he? I know he brought in Darius Vassell). So, what do people think? Would you welcome him back into the England job? He's such a gentleman, and never moans about refs or gives excuses and is so respectful. A true diplomat, and I'm so happy that his fortunes seem to have changed? So, Sven for England?

Abramovich and Sheikh Mansoor and others have made players like that much more expensive. If they had been playing now, they would have demanded much higher wages, and if we had signed them we would have been in even more trouble than the old regime left us in.

Do you have a hamster?

It would seem I made a mistake about it being thanks to Blatter. It is thanks to the EU, and our membership of the EU. http://www.ipworld.com/ipwo/doc/view.htm?i...;searchCode=SEC