91热爆

Did I detect the influence of Steve McLaren with those substitutions, perhaps reminiscent of the Middlesborough games when they came back from the dead ?

Yes it is always going to be difficult with 10 men behind the ball, but on occasions 5 of them were ours and they had less idea what to do with it than Trinidad did. A complete lack of guile and movement meant we managed a result which flattered to deceive. Hardly surprising the supporters are running out of patience. With Germany or Ecuador waiting in the knockout round even the quarter finals are looking optimistic.

I think comments on the lacklustre display are pretty much superfluous. My son of 7 years old basically summed it up with his "Dad, England still haven't scored against Trinidad and its boring" every 5 minutes...

What was far worse was the fact that, living in Germany, I had to watch the game with one of the worst commentators possible even by German standads who did nothing but slate the team, Sven and the supporters for the whole game.

Just for your information at ZDF, the T&T team are professionals and most of the squad play in English league teams, the only "Amateur" last night was your commentator.

On the hair stakes never mind, think of the money you will save on spray and styling. As for England my main cause for optimism is they do seem to be able to raise their game when they meet up with better teams, well thats what I am hoping, after the first half yesterday it can only get better.
For once Svens substitutions actually made sense, it seems to have been a long learning curve though. As for poor old Michael I still believe he can come good, but even on the bench he can come on and perhaps catch out tiring defenders.

I agree with Mr. McNulty's comments on the fickle quality of supporters.
Not only were those at the match calling for Rooney to be substituted for Crouch, they show Sky sports reports here in the U.S. and one pundit was noting he expected Rooney to replace Crouch, not Owen.
With a few more goals, I have no doubt Crouch will silence the critics. By the way, I normally listen to the Spanish broadcasts here, because the American announcers are ignorant.

sven should learn how to use his subs.he took theo walcott ut there and he hasn't even made an appearance.

Is it just me, or was Gerrards performance the worst I have seen from him in an England shirt?
Rated as one of the 10 best players at the tournament I am in shock at his inability to make a pass.

I was at the game yesterday to support Trinidad, and the Soca Warriors were brilliant. I'm a scot living in N眉rnberg and decided to support Trinidad before they were drawn with England. I support them mainly because half the squad play in Scotland however it's always nice to support whoever is playing the auld enemy. I was getting excited after 80 mins and thought a big upset was on the cards unfortunatley Crouch popped to shatter my dreams of England going out at the group stage. I just wish they would hurry up and get knocked out so i can enjoy the world cup without the fear of another 40 years of listening about an England World Cup win. I don't think i could ever move back to the UK if they win...! Anyway the one thing I took from the game is that England aren't good enough to win the world cup. I think they'll make it to the quarters but after that it could be tough.

The only major problem with the England performance was nervousness in front of goal which compounded itself the longer the game went on. If we had scored early, the chances are we would have got a hat-full, we must have created about 10 plus really good chances!
I think that the goals will have released a load of pressure but I wish there was a bit more support in the press when things do go right!
2 attacking substitutions, 2 quality goals against hard working opponents bent on defending deep, the longest winning streak in post-war history and we've scored in the second half of a world cup game! It ain't all bad!

In the Sweden game Sven should start with Rooney and Walcott and maybe finish with Crouch and Owen . Walcott needs to be played. Its no good saying that he hasn't the experience, because if thats the case, what is he doing in the squad keeping the likes of Andrew Johnson out. In my view Sven should have included Johnson in the squad because he is a proven goal scorer at the highest level, unlike Walcott. I wish Sven could prove me wrong but he will only do that if we can have a look at Walcott

Yesterday's game was an odd one - I felt that England certainly did not, in all honesty, deserve the win and probably were lucky with a draw. That said, it was pleasing to at last see some goals emerge from open play. It shows that England aren't just relying on David Beckham.

I'm not confident that England should be looking to Rooney against Sweden - qualification is in the bag and his fitness levels are still, in my opinion, in question. He didn't bring much to the game other than a confidence boost yesterday - better to let some of the other players build up some confidence by scoring and then increase Rooney's hunger through his competitive streak.

I hope plucky Trinidad manage to beat Paraguay to qualify (assuming we beat Sweden who are, let's face it, a bit of a bogey team for England).

I think the english press and fans are far too harsh on the England team. Let's look at the stats...67% possession, shots 25 - 9...it looked to me that inevitably England would capitalize on their efforts, and they did, albeit late. 2 games, 2 victories, they're improving their form. Let's remember England has NEVER won their first 2 WC fixtures. All in all a fine start and the best lies ahead!

I think Mr. Sven is now free from the journalists because they have no chance to ask about Rooney. Fans are also relieved from their worry and for sure, they are now waiting to see some magic from him. Though it is true that Rooney could able to give more pace in the match but it is true Rooney has to go a long way to show his highest performance.

Isn't it about time the Sweaties removed the chip from their collective shoulder - we do bankroll their comedy nation, after all.

How I laughed when Murray got knocked out of the first round at Queens.

Wimbledon champ? You're having a laugh!

What on earth is the matter with the English press and a fair proportion of so called England supporters?

Who really gives a hoot how we have played so far? Are they now awarding goals for technical ability? No of course not. Points really do mean prizes. And the real prize is to progress through the tables, and the latter stages on to the final.

We are already through to the second stage and haven't yet conceded any goals, and still we receive derision.

It never ceases to amuse (and frustrate) me, when people feel hard done by when we haven't scored 4 or 5 or even 6 goals against lesser opposition. These teams are in the World Cup for good reason and they sure as hell aint going to go wild whilst they are there. They want to draw and frustrate as its to their advantage longer term. A draw against Sweden was great for T & T and the best of luck to them. They were a well organised team whose sole purpose was not to lose, notice the difference to actually going for a win. Its a big difference.

We shouldnt forget there are just 3 games in the group stages and thus getting results is paramount. It really is function over form (yes, not that form!). Slip up in one game or lose a key player through over-exertion and it could be fatal later on. Look at Poland, they crumbled after losing their first game. How often in the past have England had to go out full guns blazing in the last group match just to get second place and then play a tougher table-topper in the second stage? Think on, its all about the long game and mapping your route to the final, not playing every game beautifully and struggling to get by.

So come on the English press and supporters, get behind the team. They are after all progressing rather well and have bags of performance to draw on when it REALLY counts....

As I see it, the biggest issue for the English management and the team is trying to dampen the expectations of the English media and public!

I can't understand why members of the English football team insist that they can win the World Cup when they clearly don't have the players or the temperament to achieve it.

This is no slight on the team. They are a talented bunch but the manager isn't living in the real world. I really believe the team suffers under the extremely heavy burden of unrealistic expectation that the English media and public exerts.

I think that Walcott should be given a run out. England will know which position they need to finish in by the time that they play Sweden. I really think that they need to avoid Germany in the second round if possible.

England got the win and that is the only thing, I repeat, the only thing that matters at this stage. Ofcourse we would all have like them to have played better and won but nobody would want them to play well and lose. I can not remember such negativity before in any other big tournament. What is different this time? Is it because Sven is going and people will be happy to see him fail just so they can say 'told you so'??

England are a team devoid of invention, talent and management. The game against Trin. & Tobag. was a farce, simply for the fact that we watched over-paid and over-rated players brought down to earth by second and third division has-beens. The 91热爆 panel were a disgrace to dignify this exhibition with 'expert' opinion. A team of bluffers lead by a clown. The result, a travesty.

I wouldn't call Crouch's actions a 'sly tug'

See here for the assault:-

It was further proof that Gerrard and Lampard cannot play together, and that Beckham must stay in position. Lennon was excellent when he came on, but his delivery still needs work. But more importantly he hugged the touchline, giving us width and the ability to spread the play.

Beckham once more drifted inside, blocking Gerrard's runs and making the latter effectively sit out of the game. Finally, Beckham showed that his best work is still seen when he does stay wide.

As for Lampard, his was the most inept display in a serious of below-par performances by him for England. We need to drop him, play someone behind Gerrard so his attacking prowess is not wasted.

Gerrard and Lampard are not proving to be a successful midfield partnership. It appears to me that they need to play seperately to perform and at the moment I would select Gerrard ahead of Lampard. Perhaps Carrick should then come in as the holding player enabling Gerrard to get forward.

The main problem with England remains the balance in midfield. Beckham and Cole cut inside far too often yesterday which limited the width of the team and left the centre backs and central midfielders no alternative but to look long for Crouch. Lampard seems to have the right to go forward at will while Gerrard, the most potent attacking threat from midfield in the team, is left to play a holding role which only serves to shackle his dynamic and devastating thrusts forward. As every pundit worth his salt has noted: "It's time to wake up Sven and work out how to unleash the best of Lampard AND Gerrard."

You think German commentators are bad? I am in New York listening to commentators call England...Germany. Beckham...Michael Beckham. They keep saying: "Yeah that's smart, make a professional foul right there." There is a constant reference to switching fields, I only see one pitch. The dressing rooms are called locker rooms which conjurs up images of jocks towel slapping nerds. Put these all together and you only have an inkling of what dismay and constant embarrassment I go through every time I watch a game publicly. This from a country who really believed their team were going to go out and conquer the Czech Republic by two or three goals from Landon Donovan.

At least football is played in Germany.

You think German commentators are bad? I am in New York listening to commentators call England...Germany. Beckham...Michael Beckham. They keep saying: "Yeah that's smart, make a professional foul right there." There is a constant reference to switching fields, I only see one pitch. The dressing rooms are called locker rooms which conjurs up images of jocks towel slapping nerds. Put these all together and you only have an inkling of what dismay and constant embarrassment I go through every time I watch a game publicly. This from a country who really believed their team were going to go out and conquer the Czech Republic by two or three goals from Landon Donovan.

At least football is played in Germany.

No team is at the World Cup by accident. Be it Brazil or T&T. They all know how to play football, and nobody should expect any walkovers. Look at how Brazil and France under-performed.

I must say that until Rooney came on, England looked nervous, negative and tired out by the heat. I think this has taken a lot of teams by surprise.

I can only just remember the last time England lost, and it was a long time ago. Sven gets the blame for most of England's problems, but remember that the final solution rests with those 22 legs and one pair of hands on the pitch.

I live in Holland, and watched the game on Dutch telly. All our commentator did was ask 'where is the courage ? where is the magic ?'

good questions, i think...

What fun the World Cup is. I agree with the basic thrusts about the England Team performance. I watched the game in a nice pub in Oundle, England and listend to the moans and groans and personal jibes at players from the loyal drinking public. Ironic that T & T put on a spirited display of football and all played their collective hearts out, yet the England boys are slated. Every team and country expects to win the cup--that is the point and dream--on the grass on any given day any team can win.

Now stop grumbling, get a pint (of whatever) and enjoy the rest of the matches!!

Ok it wasn't the most amazing performance last night but we done the job and it was an improvement from Saturday.
After the match I enjoyed a few beers in the pub feeling good about the rest of the cup and the fact that we have started scoring.
Then I get up this morning and hear abuse from every media source about the England team. I don't feel down about our chances of winning the cup. I feel down because every englishman moans like an old woman. We have won our first two games, we haven't conceded a goal. Yet the english nation is still not happy. Let's hope we win the final 10 - 0 otherwise the nation won't be pleased.

Hey mspoke - that T&T lad should have got a hair cut before the game!!

As for Harry Kane - sorry, I must be watching the wrong tournament. England is undefeated, has six points (more than they got in Japan 2002), hasn't conceded a goal and is through to the next round. "Bought down to earth"? Wake up - I think England won!!

To Genghis Khan: Instead of being racist against England, you could add a useful comment, or an interesting one. I work with many Scots here in Berlin, who are all sound and lighthearted in Englands triumphs and defeats. Would be nice if all Scots were like that. Go and eat your humble pie out the way.
As for the football: The table looks perfect, even if the team doesn't. England will improve as we go on. Even if we don't we're still winning and haven't conceded a goal. So i'll see them here for the final.

COME ON ENGLAND!!

Ah. You can always rely on the English!When things are not going as you hope, have a go at the 'sweaties' -or any other culture which you consider to be inferior to yours - which basically means everyone else. Win the world , not on the evidence of the last two performances - you're aving a laugh ---

Michael Owen was rightly taken out.Crouch, with all the misses,has twice the vitality and desire to play than Owen.Shearer's comments that you need Owen to score goals are as bad as he was when playing for England.His lackustre career at an international level is not a secret.He will never managed to be the player Gascoine was.
Lennon was brilliant and he much better than Ashley Cole who constantly makes mistakes.
Trust the Girrafe and he will deliver.

yes and did you see Crouch pull the hair and hence the head down of his opponent when scoring that first goal?

you can just see it on one of the replay angles if you slow it down

he didn't just break the deadlock but pulled the dreadlocks!!

With all the negativity being levelled at the England team performances so far it should be pointed out that Ericson and the team have achieved maximum points with no goals conceded - a perfect result what more do people want.

OK the team hasnt played the most attractive football but neither has Brazil supposedly the most attractive team in the world.

I am certain that when the time comes you will see Gerrard rampant, Beckham will move up a gear and Terry will score from set pieces be patient

COME ON ENGLAND!
Evryone is saying how badly we actually did against T & T but i think a win is a win. Stevie Gerrard and JT shined throughout and the sub Lennon showed fantastic effort, haven't you noticed how much of a difference Rooney mad when he came on! Keep the ball on the deck and no stupid balls high for owen.

COME ON ENGLAND

I fully agree with Jonathan - Gerrard is being wasted (just look at the result almost the first time he got forward without having to worry about covering...), and Lampard isn't proving a massive success in the advanced position. He missed a number of clear-cut chances against T&T. Personally I would love to see Rooney as second striker operating with Gerrard as advanced midfielder - think that could be awesome. To do this, we need a proper holding midfielder behind, not Lampard. However I also think there is less cause for alarm that many think - 2 games, 3 goals, none conceded and 6 pts is not in any way a bad start!

I had the pleasure of watching the England V T&T game in Ireland, which, although I am English is my current home.

The RTE (equivelent of the 91热爆 over here) full time analysis by Eamon Dunphy was painful but ture when he said "Well we were all having a laugh for 80mins any how".

As always expecations are high, the amount of "attractive" football is low. Does it matter if we still win and don't play "sexy" football. Well i guess not in the short term but just look how Argentina, Spain and Italy all make England look like a Irish league team at the moment!!

As I have said to my friends over here... "Come on England.... you useless bunch of over paid soft lads!!!!PROVE.....ME......WRONG"

I really hope they do, I really hope they do. They have the talent, they need to perform. After all these years of having my head in hands through 80% of the game, I believe they will raise the game when they need to. Wining against Sweden for the first time since 1968 would be a start.....

In response to Russ Moores comments re Gerrard, Its true he did not have one of his best games , howver when Sven keeps playing him out of position and makes him play the holding role for lampard, he's hardly likely to be effective. First time he's allowed to go forward he Scored more than Lampard did in five attempts. Sven should either play three at the back and five in the middle allowing both lampard and Gerrard to go forward with Carrick as the holding player OR drop either lampard or Gerrard if he still insists on playing the lame duck caprtain and have a holding player. Both Gerrard or Lampard will then be effective and Will score goals. I personally think Gerrard is the better player so would choose him.But knowing Sven he'll probably drop both and play Hargreaves!!!!

I thought England had plenty of chances even though we lacked creativity through most of the first 75 minutes. T&T put up a valiant fight. What we appear to lack is an ability to put the ball on target, between Lampard and Crouch we had at least 8 chance of substance, none of which resulted in the keeper needing to make a save. We just kept missing...At the international level you simply cannot afford to waste chance without at minimum making the keeper do some work.

T&T did their supporters proud! However, England have done enough for us to get through and it is difficult to get through 9 "defenders" (i'm sure Yorke played up front for United?????)....

Yes we do need "magic" in the play, SO...Sven needs to stop "defending" every single game and start using some of our great talent to attack the game - at least until we are in a comfortable lead (at least 3-0)...We haven't got the best strike force at the moment, Rooney and Owen are not match fit, Crouch - although scoring last night, seems to struggle to control anything and as for Walcott - i've never even seen him play so i can't comment! Our defence is quality, so use our midfield for what they are good at, attacking and scoring goals!

We're doing ok, they've done the job and i am sure we can do this! Come on England!

PS Message to the Scots - Jealousy is a nasty thing - can eat you up inside!

I think what the England squad needs is to stop having players in the squad with GAURANTEED places even when they are not performing very well. The players have become far too complacent and have lost their hunger for success. What we now need to do is create a situation where the players know that if they want a place in the squad they have to earn it, in other words if they dont peform they will be dropped. We have a lot of talent in the league just waiting to prove themselves given the chance. But due to how the selection and placings occurr they do not get the benefit. Gauranteed players, D.Beckham, W.Rooney, J.Terry, R.Ferdinand, F.Lampard, S.Gerrard, M.Owen and G.Neville. So this leaves us with potentially 2 outfield places up for grabs excluding the goal keeper, injuries and suspensions (some players have gauranteed places even with broken bones) and I am sure you will notice that the players selected for these avillable positions usually perform well even when the team as a whole performs poorley. I understand the result is ultimately what is important but what happens when we face real stiff opposition or even a team with the ability to score consistently. I hope England do well this time as we certainly have the ability and talent but we need to seriously look at this issue of player selection to improve the team performance. IT THEY WANT TO PLAY FOR ENGLAND LET THEM PROVE IT

I think what the England squad needs is to stop having players in the squad with GAURANTEED places even when they are not performing very well. The players have become far too complacent and have lost their hunger for success. What we now need to do is create a situation where the players know that if they want a place in the squad they have to earn it, in other words if they dont peform they will be dropped. We have a lot of talent in the league just waiting to prove themselves given the chance. But due to how the selection and placings occurr they do not get the benefit. Gauranteed players, D.Beckham, W.Rooney, J.Terry, R.Ferdinand, F.Lampard, S.Gerrard, M.Owen and G.Neville. So this leaves us with potentially 2 outfield places up for grabs excluding the goal keeper, injuries and suspensions (some players have gauranteed places even with broken bones) and I am sure you will notice that the players selected for these avillable positions usually perform well even when the team as a whole performs poorley. I understand the result is ultimately what is important but what happens when we face real stiff opposition or even a team with the ability to score consistently. I hope England do well this time as we certainly have the ability and talent but we need to seriously look at this issue of player selection to improve the team performance. IT THEY WANT TO PLAY FOR ENGLAND LET THEM PROVE IT

The morale boost that the bringing on of Rooney seemed to give to the rest of the team was only equaled by the sheer exuberance that Lennon's play injected into the proceedings.Clearly this should be the shape of the side for future England matches in the competition.With both Rooney (essential) and Owen (only to be used as a last resort on current performance)not match fit however Sven is going to have to play Walcott at some time if England are to make it all the way to the final.The Sweden match would seem the best opportunity to experiment without damaging prospects too much.

Ecuador are on pace to outscore European powerhouse Germany by one goal or more according to current computer analysis. This does not bode well for England who have yet to demonstrate enough separation from the competition or scoring ability to give English fans a sense of confidence as England prepare to play Sweden. Measuring against T&T is a fatal mistake for England. England need to demonstrate an ability to pressure for 90 minutes and into injury time. Disclaimer: These results are for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be utilized to make a profit.

Have to say, if England had of beat them 6-0, everyone would have been saying great score but it's only against a poor side that was on the cards, but because we only beat the 2-0 in the last 10 mins people are saying England didn't play very well should have beat them by more, they can't win really what ever they do. Ok they were very poor in the first half, had some good chances but Hey at the end of the day we won, a win's a wins guys........

Although England have 6 points, I think its the fact that both games have been difficult for them (second half against Paraguay and most of the game against T and T) and England didn't seem up to the challenge of those teams (bear in mind your three goals have consisted of one wonder strike [can't expect that every game], one foul [won't get away with that every game] and one own goal [unlikely to have more than one in a tournament]).

Yes, England have six points. But what if they had been in Holland and Argies group? The fact is, based on how they have played and their inability to raise the performance when things weren't going their way, they would have 0 points, and that is why England will go out in one of the first 2 knockout games.

Lets hope that Sven starts with the players he finished with yesterday on Tuesday, but put Walcott in for Rooney until half time. No need to let the opposition know if he is 100% yet. Tuesday is a chance to try out players that maybe there wont be a chance to run out later.

The introduction of Lennon and Downing gave is so much more width to the game. This is where we've excelled in the past. Before last night's substitutions, our game plan was one of two dimensional route one football. The T & T defence fully anticpated the moves once they'd seen another speculative long ball drift towards Peter Crouch.

I have got more chance of winning the lottery than England becoming world champions

Lets hope that Sven starts with the players he finished with yesterday on Tuesday, but put Walcott in for Rooney until half time. No need to let the opposition know if he is 100% yet. Tuesday is a chance to try out players that maybe there wont be a chance to run out later.

These are our top professional footballers. They don't have other jobs, they train at kicking/passing a football for a living and get paid millions to do it. The inability to pass a ball 10 yards to a colleague's feet repeatedly seems quite incredible. We always slip into a Long-Ball game when short, crisp, triangular passing is required to unlock a defense. If you punt the ball at the T&T defense for 90 minutes they will run it back at you and maybe get a couple of chances. If you punt the ball at the Italians, Spanish and Brazilians for 90 minutes they will run it back at you and get 20 chances (of which 5 will go in). We quickly need to get the ball down, under control and start keping hold of it until the right oppotunity becomes available.

I hadn't actually thought about how the "other" England strikers must be feeling with the onset of Rooney mania. Owen especially must feel a little dejected having once been the boy wonder himself and I think this perhaps showed in his performance yesterday.

It would be nice to think the England supporters would get behind the rest of the strike force as much as they do Rooney but it aint gonna happen!

So far England's performances in the WC have been typical England.

Remember Spain 1982? Breezed through their group winning all three games at a canter, then performances dropped off in the second round, they managed two 0-0 draws and went out.

Or how about Italia 90? Scraped through the group with draws against Ireland and Holland and a 1-0 win over Egypt, then got their act together and went to the semi-finals.

Personally I would settle for a repeat of the 1990 scenario rather than look magnificent in the group phase and then lose it.

Or how about a little closer to home ... the 1-0 defeat by NI in qualifying. Massive doom and gloom after what was an abject performance, followed up by a great performance against Poland to clinch top place in the group.

The lesson? England seem to have a way of allowing the opposition to dictate their game. They find it hard to cope with a supposedly weaker nation putting men behind the ball, but perform well when confronted with a side that has the talent and ability to attack them.

The next couple of games, against better opposition will make clear exactly how good England's chances are.

I think its about time that the midfeild of Becham, Lampard & Gerard was broken up. They dont play well together in the 4/4/2 formation. I think Gerard had a fantastic game against AC Milan in the european cup final when he was put in the right back position (just a suggestion) but I think Lampard may be dropped because of all the missed passes & shots in his last game against 'tobago'. Gerard & Becham have been hit & miss too, I think its time for the midfield to be shaken up & to open up some of these positions to create a bit of competition as reputation seems to be getting people into the team rather than performances. There are some decent players in the squad that could be used in the last game against Sweden while dropping one or two of the big names in midfield. Unfortunatly these experiments should have taken place well before the world cup, so enough said on that situation as Sven is leaving now anyway.

Come on England, start playing.

What Dave said is so true, it's a team not just one player. Give them all the support, hope Sven does the right thing and by the 10th July we will all be celebrating... If he has picked players for the squad there should be no reason not to play them, Lennon and Downing made more impact than Rooney in my opinion, but they were all valid substitutions. Be positive!

Jem has lost the plot (21). How can you drop a player of Lampard's quality? With the introduction of Rooney we have an extra dimention in attack and should continue to forge the partnership of Lampard/ Gerrard which if successful, could be the catalyst for World Cup Glory. The calls for immediate changes after a couple of average performances has hampered the success of our national team for too long. When will we learn?

all the clamour was for rooney.but who was it that took on the tt defenders?who was it that got behind the tt defenders?who was it that made beckham look natural at right back?who was it that brought pace to the team?Answer :LENNON.

I see Argentina just won their match 6-0 which I guess sums up the difference and the need for a reality check .

Oh , and for the Scotsmen who are constantly deriding England , it is my one regret that English supporters will probably never get the opportunity to criticise a Scotland team performance at the world cup.

Interesting to hear about the German commentary. In France the commentator was mocking England and the co-commentator, Christophe Dugarry infact, came to our defence. But a tough uphill struggle lies ahead as anybody who has just watched Argentina will no doubt agree. I haven't lost confidence in Owen though ; he'll come good.

... and interesting to hear about commentary from those other countries as well which didn't show up when I first read the comments. Not surprised that it's dire in America as they don't even know what the game is called.

A pretty below par performance for the first 2 games, but max points and no goals against is good news. The one thing that seemed to be missing was the ability of 'one of the best' attacking midfields in the world to do anything with the ball other than hoof crosses in from deep or the by line in the hope that Crouchigol could get on the end of it. Not much chance for Owen to get on the end of them though, as fair play to T&T - they defended very well. Rooney's introduction, although obviously lacking fitness allowed the ball to be played into attacking positions on the floor. In the end the intro of the wingers got the goal, but would this be productive in a team with no Crouch up front? Interesting game against Sweden lays ahead; they only need a draw to qualify, so will they be another '11 men behind the ball team and try and sneak one on the break' team?? - If so, we may need to wait another game until we see the marked improvement in the England performance (not necessarily the result though!)

I'm glad to see some comments here suggesting Gerrard should be playing the role Lampard made such a mess of yesterday. Whether Carrick is better than Lampard at playing the defensive role remains to be seen (as long as it is not Inconsistency Jenas there!).
In all likelihood I doubt we will see anything of Gerrard or Crouch in this next game (yellow card fears of over-cautious Eriksson!). I'd like to see Lennon start the match against Sweden but again this seems unlikely. I figure Owen will get more game time but he desperately needs a goal and I can't see Sweden giving him anything easy (which is really what he wants right now for confidence). All in all, we DID break down a team that was playing for a 0-0 result....it took too long but we DID succeed. We DID qualify for the next round and we CAN avoid Germany in the next round (if we choose to). Playing Germany may be a blessing though - a team much happier to attack will allow the likes of Gerrard, Rooney, Lennon and Walcott to all give something to offer.

I am English living in the US. I second the fact that the commentators here are ignorant. I heard one call the manager Svenson yesterday.
Depsite that England are in the next round, have not conceded a goal and still there is criticism. One needs to give Erickson a break. He has had the best team on the field and they have not performed to their abilities. Lampard had 3-4 open goals yesterday and did not put it away. Yes Gerard scored the goal, but where was he the rest of the game. Same with J. Cole. I believe Lennon needs to start against Sweden just on his performance Tuesday. It was him and not Roney that really made the difference. If all goes well England will be up against Ecuador in the next round and be in the QF without needing to put on their best.

I am English living in the US. I second the fact that the commentators here are ignorant. I heard one call the manager Svenson yesterday.
Depsite that England are in the next round, have not conceded a goal and still there is criticism. One needs to give Erickson a break. He has had the best team on the field and they have not performed to their abilities. Lampard had 3-4 open goals yesterday and did not put it away. Yes Gerard scored the goal, but where was he the rest of the game. Same with J. Cole. I believe Lennon needs to start against Sweden just on his performance Tuesday. It was him and not Roney that really made the difference. If all goes well England will be up against Ecuador in the next round and be in the QF without needing to put on their best.

whats wrong with you people?its given that one has to cheer for ones country but what more proof do we want,England is not that good a team as everyone is making out.Of course there are world class players in the team but as a TEAM,England cannot & will not be any where near the levels of the really top teams in the world.They will definately not pass the quater finals phase,if they reach there any at all.

The England team is so easy to pick it is unbelievable.Robinson Beckham terry ferdinand carrick gerrard lampard lennon rooney owen.I would have Becks at right back,Carrick holding,gerrard at point of diamond lennon on the right lampard on the left of the diamond and rooney and owen up front.Think about it.with carrick holding lampard and gerrard can go forward with ease.Not many teams in the world would want lennon lampard gerrard rooney and owen attacking at full pace.Beckham will support from full back to whip in those crosses after lennon would have created the space for him.We have to be adventurious otherwise we aint got no chance.Do you agree?

as that idiot Christieson wrote the lad should have gotten a hair cut. That is no different than saying its alright for the next player who tackles Rooney to intentionally re-break his foot because he shouldn't be out there with a foot that hasn't healed fully as yet. Now if everyone thought like him maybe we should just go ahead make futball a full contact sport with no fouls involved anything goes this way the refs won't have anything to answere for anything, like seeing fouls and not calling them because one team is a superstar and the next isn't. We will call it Hooligan Futball or better yet English Futball.

as Mr. Christieson so stated; the lad should have gotten a hair cut.
That is like saying that it is alright for the next player who tackles Rooney to intentionally try and re-break his foot because he shouldn't be out there with a foot that hasn't healed as yet. Why don't they just go ahead and make futball a full contact sport with no foul or refs who intentionally ignore fouls committed by so called great futball nations. We can even call it Hooligan Futball that would make the english fans happy. By the way hooliganism is sometime that never happens with in the Caribbean we cheer all teams no matter were there from. an yes we boo our own players if they bring futball into ill repute. Maybe people like you and the rest of the hooligans will wake up and see that the majority of people in this world love futball for what it is and not for who can cheat and get away with it. Its time to bring honor and fair play back into the sport.

Hey Jonathon - chill out man - my comment was meant to be tongue in cheek!!

Unlike the rest of you, I think England can win it all this year. You would think that England lost this game, listening to the media and callers to 606. I think as the competition ramps up, the performance from Becks, Rooney, Lamps, Gerrard, etc. will ramp up as well.

Great subs from Sven, bringing on Rooney was a psychological boost for the team, and the addition of the two pacy wingers gave more space for Becks to deliver the pinpoint cross to the noggin of Crouch, which is what I've been waiting to see (and the main reason I put Crouch on my fantasy team :), as well as giving Gerrard space to operate in the midfield which paid off with a last gasp goal. So chill out people and enjoy the World Cup!