Three things:
Furthermore, in the UK drinking and football are completely intertwined. For huge numbers of people Football culture is drinking culture. The experience of going to the match is also getting shit-faced. You don’t do one without the other.
Not a great analogy. Cars don’t render you incapable of making rational decisions.
Ever been on the Autobahn? ( 
)
Actually I said alcohol half jesting. Alcohol itself is definitely not the problem because most people can enjoy alcohol responsibly. But just to illustrate what I meant was what my 2 friends who had bars in 2 countries and they tell me, there are 3 nationalities they are most afraid of in terms of them after drunks (not all of them of course but those who create trouble after getting drunk, the percentage of them coming from these 3 countries are the highest.) One of them is British. I will not name the other 2.
I think it seems that some of them become different person the moment they get intoxicated. Fortunately, of course its only the minority who are like this, but enough numbers to create a headache.
PS: its purely an observation from my friends. There are idiots from any country and nationality who will create trouble regardless of alcohol.
You’ve nailed it there mate. Exactly how I , and most people I know , feel about it.
Find it so odd that you give 2 of the 3 pens to 2 players who hadnt touched the ball.
Also if you are going to do that pen where you run up, stop and pass it in you better be accurate especially if the keeper is 6’6. The last 3 pens were just dreadful.
That’s my biggest gripe with their performance. During the first half, they were all over Italy, found bags of spaces between the lines and on the sides, and yet, they did nothing with it whatsoever. They should have built on that early momentum. In this moment, attack was the best form of defence. Instead of this, they were happy to sit back most of times, and then let Italy come back into the game during the second half. I also don’t understand why Southgate didn’t gamble earlier in the extra-time, and didn’t bring on Rashford and Sancho earlier. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but he should have gambled a bit more instead of just closing shop and waiting for the penalties.
And if he was putting all his faith on the penalties, then he had to let the seniors in the team shoot them, not peripheral players and youngsters. As soon as Sancho and Rashford came in just before the penalties, I just knew with 100% certainty that they’d miss and be responsible for England’s defeat. As it was, Italy were pretty miserable with their shoot-out too, so the fifth England shooter had still a chance to keep them in the game. And whom does he chose? 19-years old Saka… that level of stupidity beggars belief to be honest.
Southgate is a decent chap and has done a great job to unite his squad and have them work together, among others by minimising traditional club rivalries, but considering the amount of talent available to him, he wasn’t decisive enough in that game. It’s noticeable how Mancini managed to find a tactical answer to Italy’s woes during the first half, while Southgate remained passive during the second half of the game, when it was slipping away from him.
All in all, Italy’s victory is logical and deserved. The English did well, but considering that they almost played the whole tournament at home and were thus heavily advantaged, plus considering the wealth of talent available to them, I feel it wasn’t enough. It was their big chance, and they bottled it.
I want to see our pre-season games, and can’t wait for them. 
Yeah, I’ve been wondering too where all that hype came from. He seems a very ordinary player to me, but I haven’t seen much from him yet admittedly, bar in this tournament.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ll never comprehend the urge to drink until you drop. There is a video of a moron jumping up and down in the midst of a crowd holding the English flag and wearing absolutely nothing. There is a photo from a Leicester square showing a bent over idiot with a live flare in his rectum while another idiot seems to be clapping his rear end. It gets worse because they repeat the same behaviour abroad when they go on holidays. There have been cases of young English tourists, some of them barely out of their teens, getting so drunk that they would have oral sex contests in public.
That’s not normal behaviour and what’s even worse is that it isn’t even viewed as an issue.
Don’t be silly. They’re just ‘avin’ a larf.
Southgate has done a fantastic job off the pitch, managing the media. However he is limited as a manager.
Having an organised team is not enough. I look as this as a huge missed opportunity rather than exceeding expectations.
The cards fell nicely in this tournament, as they did in the last. But we failed to capitalise.
Lots has been spoken about the song 3 lions. But for me it’s about missed opportunities where England should have done better. Today is just another extension.
Less limited managers, with much better England teams, have done much worse…
Don’t disagree at all, and the failures have been multiple. Self sabotage by UK media, lack of team spirit, arrogance, square pegs in round holes, inclusion by reputation rather than form, WAGs, and plain simple bad luck.
In truth until recently I had totally fallen out of love with England. Such was the repeated disappointment, and underperformance.
I think we have all been blinded by the hype regarding the much vaunted abilities of the English players.
In reality most of the team are artisans, not artists. It isn’t the players’ fault; it is simply that the English game is predicated upon athleticism, pace and physicality. There is a general failure to identify and nurture technical skills.
Sweat, earnest endeavour and the ability to run flat out for ninety minutes are more highly valued than technical ability on the ball.
Sadly this was brutally exposed yesterday when we proved incapable of holding onto the ball for more than a few seconds or passes, as, after a shaky start, the Italians gradually worked their way back into the game, eventually looking the most likely winners.
As well as the rule Britannia element, I started to fall out of love with the National team when Barnes was getting booed. I’ve never looked back.
This time round I almost questioned myself on whether I should have been more into it, right up to and after the penalties but then there was the aftermath perpetrated by the minority and my introspection was unnecessary.
Roll on the season!
… and Sterling leans so much he is half way to the ground before anyone has touched him.
Overall I thought Southgate did a decent job but taking off two experienced players and putting on two youngsters, just to take pens was ridiculous. Surely he knows it is a world of difference knocking in pens in training to actually doing it under the pressure if an International cup final !
England have those players comfortable on the ball, players who are good in attacking 1v1 situations but they weren’t playing. Grealish, Mount, Foden, Sancho, Bellingham are all top players comfortable on the ball (think Mount is a little overrated myself). But the manager hasn’t the belief to play them, that’s something that he needs to remedy.
I found it interesting the praise Rice is getting. He broke up play well and did a good job, probably one of England’s best on the pitch. But reading how he drove forward with the ball is laughable. He drove forward, and promptly ran into a tackle. You could say he had no support. But you could also say he wasn’t aware and just used his physicality to make ground and then instead of slowing down and waiting for support or turning back to keep possession, he just gave it away.
Highlights what you’re saying Lowton about prioritising physical attributes instead of mental and technical.