The England thread

[King Ellis]

We weren't given the day off, but I remember going in after the Brazil game along with at least half of the rest of the school going in at the same time.

Heh, I was on work experience at the time and the same happened to me. I was soooo late, so much traffic. No one seemed to care though as it was my last day anyway.

[The One Bad Ass Outlaw]

Yeah, we got to miss lessons and all watch the games together in the assembly hall. Great atmosphere.

[Darloboy]

I remember about 50 kids in my year came into school at about 7am to watch the England/Nigeria and England/Brazil games at the last World Cup.

Shame none of the games are in the middle of the afternoon, our college would probably let us go home early.

[SilentBob2004]

Damn, I finish work at 5:30pm! Gonna have to miss a bit of the Trinidad game! Or i could just take half hour lunch, sprint to the tube station (much quicker than bus), and be home in about 20-25 mins.

[MDK]

Gotta love that planning, silentbob, 6 months preperation for it. Good work

[Dunny]

Some of us have to work Saturdays

[therockbox]

Book it off well in advance? That's what I'm going to do.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I've gotten up early in the morning TWICE to watch a sporting event.

One was England vs Brazil in 2002, the other was Pinsent going for a fourth gold in the rowing at the Olympics last year.

[King Ellis]

I got up at 5.30am whilst on holiday in America to watch England vs Sweden. Hardcore.

[EZE]

We were in school. But everybody including the teachers were more interested in the matches than the work. So Every class we went to we just crowded on the front desks to watch the television. A swearing sixty year old physics teacher as he tries to clear up the picture on his TV is a funny sight.

Good times this year. So hope im not doing stuff on those days.

[The Third Dukes]

TURIN, Italy (Ticker) - Apparently, Juventus coach Fabio Capello has been offered the English national soccer job.

According to a report in The Corriere dello Sport, the English Football Association is prepared to offer Capello a four-year, $32.6 million deal which runs through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as well as a luxury apartment in London.

There has been increased speculation of late that the FA would appoint an English manager ever since Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson decided to step down after the 2006 World Cup amid controversy.

Likely successors have included former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce and Sam Allardyce of Bolton Wanderers.

But now it has emerged that a more high-profile foreign name is being sought, with Capello now at the top of the list.

The Juve boss, whose team leads Serie A by 12 points over AC Milan, is contracted at the Stadio Delle Alpi until 2007. However, his future at the club is in doubt.

Juventus' COO Antonio Giraudo hinted this week that the Bianconeri are on the lookout for Capello's successor with Roma trainer Luciano Spalletti the prime target.

[NobBe Nobbs]

32 MILLION DOLLARS?! Fuck off should he be given the job anyway, but 32 million? I'd do it for a percent of that (that said, I am applying for the Charlton job as soon as Alan Curbishley leaves, so take that with a pinch of salt), and anyway, the next boss should be British, if not English. Cappello, is he proven at the international level?

[Liam]

The FA came out today and said they haven't approached him.

[Grounded Wingman]

Capello is a great manager/coach, but I suspect he might be joining Madrid in the summer. Most top managers don't want to be an international boss until they near retirement, and I reckon Capello has at least 1 club job left in him.

[marksbros6]

What nationality is Cappello anyway, Italian?

I feel very strongly that the next England coach should be British, if not actually English (from what I can see the press are using 'British' as a concession to O'Neill being considered). Big Sam or O'Neill would get my vote (if anyone cared enough to ask. lol). I just think an English manager will have more passion for managing the National side, it will mean more to them. Eriksson's appointment was really a reaction to Keegan's managment, but I think they now regret it, in that he doesn't seem to have the desire to win for the country, the English people, he just seems to want to win for his own reputation. I don't think any foreign boss can truely have the passion to win with England, even Jose Moriniho would be more concerned with how the performance reflected on his managment skills, rather than how it affected the English Fans IMO.

[Sam]

Isn't Capello being strongly linked with taking over at Manchester United?

[Guest Small Red]

Who the fuck cares what nationality the manager is? If he's a professional enough manager then he'll select the best squad regardless of whom they are playing.

[Guest muddatrucker]

Its called passion, something that I believe only a national or a long term resident of the country has.

[AJ]

Who the fuck cares what nationality the manager is? If he's a professional enough manager then he'll select the best squad regardless of whom they are playing.

It can be argued that their heart wouldn't be in it like an English manager's would be. I mean look at all the diplomatic crap we have to deal with from Sven whenever we played Sweden. I'd easily take Big Sam over any top Italian manager. That being said I would be rather sad to see him leave Bolton, a side he's moulded into being capable of taking their place in European competitions.

[Hobo]

The nationality of a team coach doesn't make any difference at international level. Look at countries like Japan, South Korea and The Republic of Ireland as well as some African nations who've all done well under coaches who weren't nationals. The Irish team had Jack Charlton as manager for years and it did us the world of good. Be the next England manager English, Northern Irish, Italian or Martian what does it matter as long as they're good enough to do a good job?