saintant

Time to ditch the tried and failed formation and try something radical although, with Southgate in charge, we know it won't happen. I'd play 3 at the back with fast attacking wing-backs either side. Also, when the time is right allow Stones to move into midfield. Play three midfielders with two attackers given licence to roam. Pickford Walker Dunk Stones Konza Saka Palmer Bellingham Foden Kane Watkins Play to our strengths just for once and let the opposition worry about us. Get the wing backs out wide and encourage them to get forward at every opportunity. Play Foden and Palmer in inverted roles to give the wide space to the wing-backs and let Bellingham play off the cuff. We are far too rigid and predictable. Time to do something different.

Southgate just can't help himself. We'd managed to get on top then equalised at the death. We then came out of the blocks in extra time and went ahead. Rather than keeping our foot to the pedal Southgate orders a complete retreat and hands the initiative back to Slovakia. What is wrong with the man, he could easily have cost us a victory which we scarcely deserved.

Let's not kid ourselves, some huge cracks were thinly papered over today. A moment of individual brilliance from Bellingham and a sliced kick from Eze that found Toney's head. Aside from that we were woeful in every department. Even when we got ahead in true Southgate style we dropped back and let Slovakia come at us which was a very stupid tactic especially after taking off Kane and Bellingham. We'll have to play loads better against a very good Swiss side and I don't have much confidence that this side managed by this negative coach can win that game. That performance was excruciating and unacceptable in every sense other than that we fluked a win.

Bednarek may not be one of the top centre backs in the Prem but I think he is good enough to more than hold his own and, of course has plenty of experience. He also played well for Poland in the Euros. Ok, we may need to bring in one more but Bednarek and THB are a good enough pairing in my book.

You mean you would have rather played Switzerland than Italy in the next round if we beat Slovakia?

Watching that match Italy reminded me so much of England under Southgate - they offered nothing and looked clueless. Can anyone really imagine England beating this Swiss side assuming we bumble through against Slovakia. Switzerland were everything England are not and we will need massive improvements all over the pitch just to make any sort of game of it.

How much money do you think we have offered McCarthy for a new 2 year contract? There'll be no more keepers coming after committing that amount to the overall salary bill.

It seems fairly clear that the club has decided McCarthy will be our number one keeper until Baz returns. I don't agree with it but he hasn't been given a new two year contract to sit on his ass.

We won't. He's not been given a 2 year deal on what is presumably a very good wage to warm our bench. He'll be number one pending the return of Super Baz.

So what happens if Macca picks up a bad injury in the opening match? We'd be left with Lumley and who exactly?

H'll have to take a pay cut or retire. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay a player his age with his injury history what he is earning at West Ham.

One change would improve England's performances without doubt. Increase the tempo from the first whistle. In every match they come out with zero urgency and proceed to attempt to play keep ball in their own half and what is even worse they think they are good enough to do it at walking pace. This sets the trend for how we play and sends a message to the opposition that we are not going after them. Southgate needs to stop this pathetic walking football and get the whole team looking busy, aggressive and front footed from the start. If he doesn't we'll be exiting the tournament with a whimper and miss a massive chance having had the huge slice of luck in finding ourselves in the far easier half of the draw. Unless we improve he will get even more pelters from the press and fans.

Slovakia it is - they are ranked lower than Scotland but we all know Southgate will make hard work of it.

They have more skill and tactical awareness too - they aren't just about hard work. Far better than we've seen from pedestrian England led by Mr Negative.

In what wold do we offer him a new contract on more money at his age! That would be insane.

The first ten minutes told me all I needed to know to guess how this game would evolve. Rather than coming flying out of the blocks and making a positive statement England played timid keep ball in their own half at walking place. I knew what was coming after that and so it proved.

This is the crux of our problem and what you get from a Gareth Southgate team in a tournament. He will be over the moon that we have conceded just one goal in three games and kept two clean sheets. Unfortunately he sets us up to be so hard to score against that he squeezes the life out of any creativity and the players are clearly drilled not to take any risks. It's mind-numbingly dull and i'm convinced we'd do far better by going gung-ho and attacking teams at pace from the first whistle. Palmer and Mainoo both staked good claims to start the next match but will likely be back on bench-warming duties while the plodders plod around and stick to Southgate's game plan.

Too much flair and creativity for Southgate's taste.

Too much walking football - you're meant to be elite players not 60 year old blokes!

Different game same old shit - clueless. No movement, gaps between players too big, poor passing, lack of courage to commit men forward. Cowardly display presided over by Mr Negative.

Whilst I fully respect your opinion we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

You're saying he stuck his leg there deliberately I'm simply saying at that speed he would not have had the time or awareness to think about where his leg was. He was chasing the ball and managed to get between the defender and the ball - what happened after that was caused by the defender who, in desperation, almost fell onto Stu as he was doing anything he could to stop him getting a shot away. Anywhere else on the pitch and that referee immediately awards a free kick to Scotland.

Not sure Stu could have done much - he's not blessed with pace and Scotland were trying to score from his corner when Hungary broke away at speed. As the Sottish female pundit said the guy in the middle should have fouled his man and taken a yellow card..

At the speed of the incident I doubt Stu would have had time or awareness to think to himself 'if I put my leg in a certain position and go down I'll get a penalty' Ludicrous to suggest he was playing for it ergo it's a penalty as contact was clearly made and should have been spotted by VAR.

Stonewall penalty that.