U21 Euro 2013 Tournament

[Kenneth]

Roy Hodgson and Stuart Pearce. Progressive coaches.

You know at international level we're doomed as a country when you've got them two in charge.

And when you have an FA that appoints such dinosaurs.

[saj]

Henderson tries to do things that he just can't pull off. Stupid long balls and choosing too hoof when there is an easy pass available. He's been ****e the last 2 games for the U21's. Zaha wasn't great either today.

[McDermotX]

'players haven't done themselves justice'

Pass that buck Stuart...pass that buck..

[red g]

Shelvey looked lost when he came on too.....

[Chris]

Pearce blames the players after the game, the ****ing cheek. He's one of the worst managers football has ever seen the fist pumping cunt.

[AnfieldForever]

I'd laugh if uncle Roy failed to take England to the world cup and promoted this muppet

[Bender]

"Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana,. Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!

[RichC]

The national team is a shambles from the dinosaurs running the English FA down to the dinosaurs managing the teams.

[Bender]

The national team is a shambles from the dinosaurs running the English FA down to the dinosaurs managing the teams.

And a lot more

[Exiled_red]

The national team is a shambles from the dinosaurs running the English FA down to the dinosaurs managing the teams.

[saj]

I have to say Stuart may be fairly youngish for a manager but he does have the mentality of a dinosaur. He is a woeful manager

[Exiled_red]

In fairness to Pearce he didn't quite well in the first half of his career as Under 21 manager. I remember they lost an epic penalty shoot out (that went to something like 17 pens each) and I think they were runners up the next time, but I think the last couple of tournaments they have been dire and they have gone out in the group stages. I think it's time they replaced him, but it seems he's the next England manager in waiting but if he can't handle tournament football with U21s what will it be like with the first team

[Neil Young]

His contract expires in June and he hasn't been offered a new one. If they reappoint him in the wake of this dire performance they'll draw a lot of flak. If there's one thing the FA dickheads like to do it's cover their own backsides.

[marcus50bucks]

In fairness to Pearce he didn't quite well in the first half of his career as Under 21 manager. I remember they lost an epic penalty shoot out (that went to something like 17 pens each) and I think they were runners up the next time, but I think the last couple of tournaments they have been dire and they have gone out in the group stages. I think it's time they replaced him, but it seems he's the next England manager in waiting but if he can't handle tournament football with U21s what will it be like with the first team

In my opinion it's more deeper than that and it's something I've touched on a few times over the years. I think the quality of coaching in this country is still pretty poor and it goes all the way back to grassroots level. We're still poor when it comes to developing players technique, we are ****e at playing possession based football and haven't a clue how to control a game etc. Pearce has been in the job for 6 years now and what has he got to show for himself? His post match interview was a load of nonsense. It's easy to make excuses and disregard your own shortcomings. Personally I think England have some pretty good players, they just have a manager who is tactically inept. Look at the Italy team ffs. Quite a number of their players play in Seria B, yet look how they have performed in their opening two matches. I don't see the state of English football improving anytime soon.

[Exiled_red]

In my opinion it's more deeper than that and it's something I've touched on a few times over the years. I think the quality of coaching in this country is still pretty poor and it goes all the way back to grassroots level. We're still poor when it comes to developing players technique, we are ****e at playing possession based football and haven't a clue how to control a game etc. Pearce has been in the job for 6 years now and what has he got to show for himself? His post match interview was a load of nonsense. It's easy to make excuses and disregard your own shortcomings. Personally I think England have some pretty good players, they just have a manager who is tactically inept. Look at the Italy team ffs. Quite a number of their players play in Seria B, yet look how they have performed in their opening two matches. I don't see the state of English football improving anytime soon.

I certainly agree that there is a lot wrong with the youth game in this country and the way that it seems we aim to develop players (with little focus on technique) and the way many British managers aim to play the game ('tactics such as hoof it up to the big man) are all problematic, having someone like Hodgson in charge of the national team, whose football philosophy is exactly that doesn't help inspire anyone.

No doubt a number of people will trot out the same old excuses and blame the lack of development of young English players on the in flux of foreign players in the league but we really need to address the underlying issue which is a lack of quality both in terms of player development and coaching staff able to aid their development. In some ways there is little the U21 manager can do, but I just don't think Pearce is that good, he's been touted for a while as potential England manager and I have just never seen why as I just don't think he's that good a manager. Although having appointed Roy Hodgson and Steve McClaren in recent years it doesn't seem that been a good manager is a prerequisite