qwertyell

No idea how England are still in this - they've been clueless in possession and a shambles at the back. Prowse's set pieces are all we've got. Really hope Saints aren't seriously considering bringing Chambers back. He's a poor defender, to say the least. Penalties or bust here, I'd imagine...

1-1. Gray. Germany have been terrible defending set pieces. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

0-1. Selke (who Saints were linked with a few seasons ago). Chambers didn't have a clue what he was doing.

It does seem to be that way. I'm sure the club have seen him more than I have (in this u21 tournament), but he doesn't stand out in the slightest as a player with anything about him.

Ward-Prowse is one of the elder players at the tournament - and while he's certainly played well, his physical limitations aren't nearly as apparent in the company of younger kids as when he plays with adults. If he's really to kick on, it will be how he copes in high paced, physical games against men that defines him. Too many matches last season passed him by because they were just too quick and aggressive. The Man City game at home was a particular low point - he was second (at best) to absolutely everything, knocked off the ball time and again, and was subbed having contributed precisely nothing, aside from looking lost and bewildered as players and ball zipped around him in a blur. He still doesn't have a settled playing position, because he can't do the defensive work of a deep lying central midfielder (his natural home), is way too slow to play on the wing, and not nearly creative enough to play as a 10. There's a player in there, no doubt, but let's not kid ourselves: he's got a hell of a long way to go yet. I suspect Germany in the semis will be quite a step up for all the England lads after coming through the weakest group by far.

"Saints believe he has a huge future..." Yet they've let his contract run down to its final year before considering offering him another one? I think he at least deserves a chance to try and impress the new manager. Then again, the club decided against giving Jason McCarthy such an opportunity.

If Pellegrino wants to fully implement "high intensity" pressing "where everyone gives 100%" commitment and "supports each other", the plodding, arm waving, whinging about being substituted Tadic doesn't seem like an obvious fit. (And quite how Charlie Austin will survive when he couldn't even manage an hour of jogging around in Puel's sleepy crab football is anyone's guess.)

Grabbed his shirt, then his shorts, then clipped his heels - followed by a "what was wrong with that, ref?" plea. Like watching a young Jose Fonte...

Cheap? Can't say he's stood out as being good or bad tonight - the whole Poland team have been ordinary. Keeper's made some saves, mind.

Easily the best they've played so far. Shame about Chalobah going off - he was bossing it. Will Hughes was a weird choice to replace him. Three midgets in the midfield now without a single tackle between them... John Swift looks like he could do better than Reading.

Proven three years ago (as a wide attacker - Lambert was our striker), perhaps, before his knee exploded. Since then, sadly, all he's proven is that, while an ACL rupture isn't career ending these days, that doesn't mean it can't be enormously career altering. Some players just never return to anything like their previous level. Rodriguez is one of them. If he hadn't gotten injured, we'd have sold him to Spurs for £20m a few months later. So £12-15m now, some years on from his peak, seems a decent fee. If he goes on to recapture that old Jay Rod magic and as a result looks a steal at the price WBA paid, good luck to him - it'd be thrilling to see him back to his best. But he's shown few signs of being that player again in a Saints shirt, so a fresh start surely suits everyone.

That was something Wenger suggested was a possibility when he signed Chambers - only to play him there approximately once, ironically against Saints (4 - 0), where he was absolutely useless. Not sure he's featured in midfield since...

As what, though? He's not a better centre back than Van Dijk or Yoshida, and arguably Stephens; or at least not significantly better to justify such expense. He ended last season playing right back - and he's not better than Cedric (haven't seen enough of Pied to form an opinion). Seems like a lot of money for - at best - a bit part player. And why would he even want to move to a club where he'd be no nearer the first team than the one he left? We robbed Arsenal blind getting £16m for him - let's not ruin what was a cracking deal for a player who won't make it as a top class centre back, because he's too weak in the air, and lacks the pace and mobility to succeed at full back (Montero at Swansea taking him to the cleaners a couple of seasons ago was particularly brutal). It's a no from me.

England haven't created a single chance in a game and a half. The tactics are sideways, backwards, backwards, sideways passing until they can work to either full back, who will then ineptly shank a cross nowhere in particular. Must say, Redmond has been one of the poorer performers.

Sure, they see our clubs coming - but it's still better out there than in England. Everton are signing Ramirez, a La Liga striker who scored 16 goals last season, for £5m; Saints are rumoured to be after a Polish u21 international defender in the same ball park. How much would they cost if the transfers were between English clubs?

I think we compete by generally leaving the English clubs to fritter away their riches indiscriminately and spending our money on elite player development instead. We have the high quality facilities and the infrastructure to source and develop our own talent, but - from the outside, at least - it doesn't seem like our coaching is at the level of the "very best". It's bizarre, for example, that Jake Hesketh still can't play men's football at 21 because he's so physically underdeveloped, in spite of being a professional athlete for numerous years. Does the club cafeteria not have any protein bars? Are we doing everything we can to ensure we have the highest calibre of coaches possible across all the age groups? If we can afford to spend £50-60k a week on bit-part players, can't we afford to pay the going rate for some of the best coaches from around the world? It remains Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany and France that seem to bring through the major playing talents - perhaps we should be recruiting our coaches from there, rather than Les Reed's Christmas card list. We should still be able to pick up decent, value for money signings from abroad, to supplement the first team squad, if our famed scouting network is as good as is claimed. If the new world is a place where £30+ million buys you an average English centre back, while we can sign Van Dijk from across the border for £12m, then it's pointless shopping at home. Whether we can truly "compete" by being sensible in our transfer policies and by playing the long game investing in youth remains to be seen, but it seems the only realistic, sustainable option available to us.

This is a bit Saintsy - moving the ball too slowly, too predictably; a total lack of ideas. I'm sure the presence of Prowse and Redmond is just a coincidence...

Or, perhaps, why we shouldn't appoint Adrian Boothroyd as manager...

Does sound a snip - but he missed most of last season with a serious knee injury and I'm not sure he's returned to the same level. Hasn't kicked on as a player since his early promise, sadly, like so many hyped up English youngsters. I hope the move works out for him - he's a lovely little player to watch when he's on his game.

Gibson looked okay in an ultra defensive Boro set up, but when they finally tried to come out and play, after Karanka was sacked, they shipped goals for fun and he didn't look remotely adequate. It wasn't even like they were playing kamikaze all out attack. Just slightly less hunkered down - and he couldn't cope. File under Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, who seemed reasonable in a dogged Birmingham side a few years ago but have been rather shown up for the limited carthorses they are since. For the price Gibson would command, we should expect to find better - probably overseas, as usual...

Pretty sure that's the first time I've ever seen the words Delph and outstanding used in the same sentence... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Chance of a strong start up until mid-November, when it'll all come crashing down again.. Going to need plenty of points on the board before April - not many on offer in our last six...

They're not the first to report on Tadic having a £13m release clause. Seems unlike us to A) agree to such a clause and B) value our player so low that we'd barely make a profit if we sold them. Didn't Tadic cost roughly that amount to sign from Twente?

Apart from a lack of pace, crossing ability, skill and attacking instincts, he's almost the perfect winger... I think Target has improved defensively in the last 18 months or so and become a relatively solid - albeit limited - back up. That's pretty much his correct place in the pecking order, though.

He's done his ACL anyway - won't be back playing until sometime in 2018. Hopefully we've learned our lesson from Rodriguez, that giving contracts to seriously​ injured players and just assuming they'll return as good as new isn't particularly clever.