Category: England

England drawn to face Netherlands in Nations League semi-final

Jason Bourne

England will play the Netherlands in the semi-final of the Uefa Nations League on 6 June 2019 at Estadio D Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes. Hosts Portugal face Switzerland on 5 June at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao. The final will be played on 9 June in Porto, with the third-place play-off game taking place the same day. Uefa confirmed Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used in the competition. The winner of the tournament will receive £6.67m in prize money while the fourth-placed nation will earn around £4m. Gareth Southgate’s side…

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Gareth Southgate says England have improved since World Cup

Jason Bourne

Gareth Southgate believes England are a better side than they were when they faced Sunday’s Nations League opponents Croatia at this summer’s World Cup. The two meet at Wembley, four months on from Croatia’s semi-final win in Russia, in a game that will settle both promotion and relegation from Group A4. The winner will top the group and seal a place in the last four, with the loser dropping to the second tier. “We’ve learned with every experience that we’ve had,” said Southgate. “We’ve added more depth to the squad…

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Some ex-players bitter about England’s success, says Wayne Rooney

Jason Bourne

Wayne Rooney says some ex-England internationals are struggling to embrace the current side’s success under Gareth Southgate. Rooney’s record-breaking international career finally came to an end on Thursday with his 120th cap against the U.S. national team at Wembley. The DC United striker was a member of England’s much-vaunted ‘golden generation’, who were often criticised for failing to live up to their reputation at major tournaments. Rooney insists he has no bitterness about how his international career panned out, but says it’s a different situation for some of his international teammates.…

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Paul Gascoigne charged with sexual assault over August train incident

Jason Bourne

Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman on a train. The 51-year-old is alleged to have committed to offence on a service from York to Durham on 20 August, British Transport Police said. He was arrested at Durham Station and later charged with one count of sexual assault by touching. “A man is due to appear in court next month charged in connection with the sexual assault of a woman on board a train from York to Durham,” a spokesman for the force said. “Paul Gascoigne was charged via postal…

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Wayne Rooney to return to England squad for friendly match against USA

Jason Bourne

Wayne Rooney is set to come out of international retirement to make a farewell appearance for England against the United States later this month. The 33-year-old – England’s record goalscorer with 53 – has not played for the Three Lions since a 3-0 victory over Scotland in November 2016. But Rooney, who plays for DC United, is expected to earn his 120th cap in the friendly at Wembley on 15 November. The match will be called ‘The Wayne Rooney Foundation international’. The Wembley Arch will be lit up in the…

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Borussia Dortmund teenager Jadon Sancho gets England squad call

Jason Bourne

Borussia Dortmund teenager Jadon Sancho was a surprise selection when England manager Gareth Southgate named a 25-man squad on Thursday for this month’s Nations League matches away to Croatia and Spain. Mason Mount and James Maddison were also given their first senior England call-ups by Southgate as it was announced that the 48-year-old had signed a new contract that will keep him with the national side until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 18-year-old Sancho was called up having already played in the Champions League for German club Dortmund, with…

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Gareth Southgate set to sign contract to stay as England manager until 2022

Jason Bourne

Gareth Southgate is set to agree a new four-year contract on improved terms to stay as England’s manager to the end of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. The proposed deal will be put before the Football Association’s board on Thursday and, with the national side having achieved a fourth-place finish in Russia in the summer, is likely to be ratified without any issues. Southgate had been relaxed about his contract situation – his deal is due to expire after the 2020 European Championship – and although he has made no secret…

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Raheem Sterling to miss England games against Spain and Switzerland

Jason Bourne

Raheem Sterling is set to miss England’s first fixtures since the World Cup after the winger withdrew from the squad preparing to face Spain in the Nations League opener and a friendly against Switzerland with a back injury. The Manchester City forward, who has started the season in fine form including the first in his club’s 2-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend, will remain at his club for treatment, with England manager Gareth Southgate not intent on calling up a replacement. The other 22 players reported for duty at…

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Belgium vs England – Third Place Playoff – Preview, Predictions and Betting Tips

Vyom Chaudhary

Sadly, Football is not coming home, but the Three Lions are not yet done in the FIFA World Cup. England will face other losing semi-finalists Belgium in the third-place play-off at Saint Petersburg Stadium on Saturday. England lost to Croatia in the extra time of their semi-final in a heart-breaking manner. Following an early goal from Kieran Trippier, England looked set for their first World Cup final after 1966. However, goals from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic dumped England out of the competition. Despite their exit, the English side has…

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Sweden vs England – Preview, Betting Tips and Predictions

Vyom Chaudhary

England registered a rare penalty shootout win over Colombia to book a last-eight meeting with Sweden at Samara Arena on Saturday. It was the only second shootout win for the Three Lions in eight attempts in major tournaments since 1990. England are infamous for their inefficiency in shootouts, and their fans would argue that the win over Colombia proves that the footballing gods are with them this time. Maybe, it’s coming home. The English are on the verge of reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990,…

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Secrets to winning on penalty shootouts – A statistical analysis

Vyom Chaudhary

Recent penalty shootouts in the last-16 round of FIFA World Cup has once again sparked a really old debate in the world of football – “Are penalties are a fair way to decide a game of football?”. Three out of eight games in pre-quarterfinals were decided by penalties and cost the likes of Spain, Denmark and Colombia place in the next round. Simon Jenkins recently compared penalty shootouts to Love Island in his piece on the Guardian. Penalty shootouts have never managed to find the approval of football purists, and…

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England huge favourites to seal qualification against Panama

Vyom Chaudhary

England’s campaign in Russia is only one game old, and the Three Lions have already improved on their performance in Brazil. The Three Lions found themselves along with Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica in their group four years ago and could manage only one point from their three games. Obviously, Gareth Southgate’s men have been rewarded with a much easier group this time, and it’s too early to judge their title changes. However, their win over Tunisia has almost ensured their place in the last-16, and there is a new-found…

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Five reasons to love this England team

Vyom Chaudhary

It’s been easy to feel fatigued following England in recent years. Whether it’s the slightly cheesy ‘car flags and bunting’ that surrounds a tournament or the predictably poor performances in big games, many fans have fallen out of the love with the national team a bit in recent years. Most prefer club to country. So, it’ll be more of the same this time, right? I mean, if I gave you £20 and told you to name the finalist with williamhill.com then it’s unlikely that you’d put your cash on the…

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World Cup 2018 Group G – Betting Tips, Predictions & Preview

Vyom Chaudhary

Will the football finally return home this year? England are not among the favourites to win the tournament, but they will certainly fancy themselves to book a place in the last-16. The Three Lions will compete with formidable Belgium for the top spot in Group G. Tunisia and Panama are remaining nations in the group. We take a look at four sides and their hopes of qualifying from Group G Belgium The Belgian squad is brimming with talent, but they have underperformed in recent tournaments. In 2014 Brazil, the Red…

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England’s latest appointment evokes mixed response from fans

Vyom Chaudhary

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has been named the captain of England national team for the World Cup qualifier against Slovenia on Tuesday. The 26-year-old was handed the responsibility after Wayne Rooney was dropped to the bench for the game. Rooney’s exclusion from the starting eleven drew a huge cheer from England fans, but the fanbase is not so sure about Henderson’s appointment as the captain of the national side. Obviously, the Liverpool fans are happy, but the others – not so much. The happy bunch: Jordan Henderson, England captain. Soz…

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Gareth Southgate is the new messiah for England fans

Vyom Chaudhary

England interim manager Gareth Southgate has done what his predecessors Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce failed to do. Southgate has dropped his skipper Wayne Rooney from his starting eleven for the World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. In a press conference before the game, Southgate confirmed: “It’s very straight forward. We’ve looked at the way Slovenia play, which we did midway last week. And we profiled the kind of midfield we wanted to play. “It is in no reflection to Rooney’s performance at the weekend, in fact we were happy with…

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Former PL winner linked with England job

Vyom Chaudhary

It is common knowledge that the FA are on the lookout for a permanent replacement of former manager Sam Allardyce. Following the sacking of Allardyce, the FA handed the duties of the senior squad to U21 coach Gareth Southgate on an interim basis. Southgate is expected to stay in charge of the senior squad until the next international break in November. Following the international break in November, the Three Lions won’t be in action until March and the FA aims to appoint a new manager before then. Several names have…

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Another poor display from Rooney results in another battering from fans

Vyom Chaudhary

Wayne Rooney is going through one of the worst phases of his footballing career. The 30-year-old is certainly not the same player as he once was, but he still boasts of a huge reputation at both club and national level. United manager Jose Mourinho, at the start of the season, included Rooney in his starting eleven but he was forced to drop him following his disastrous performance against Watford. The Red Devils have definitely looked a better team without Rooney in the mix. However, Rooney is still too big of…

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Twitter reacts to Sam Allardyce’s appointment as new England manager

Vincent Van Genechten

England has a new manager: Sam Allardyce. The 61-year-old leaves Sunderland and signed an initial two-year contract with a view to potentially extending that deal until 2020. The Black cats will receive a £3m compensation from the Football Association. It’s official. We are delighted to announce that Sam Allardyce is the new manager of the #ThreeLions! pic.twitter.com/7L3y9S62TP — England (@England) 22 juli 2016 The appointment of Allardyce didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter: Now that allardyce is England manager. Does that mean Kevin Nolan will finally get that well deserved 2nd cap? #lovers4lyfe…

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Sunderland lining up former Manchester United coach, Black Cats sell flop midfielder

Vincent Van Genechten

With Sam Allardyce widely expected to be offered the role as England manager, Sunderland are weighing up former Manchester United boss David Moyes as his replacement, according to a report by the Telegraph. Allardyce has not been given any guarantees from the FA at this stage, but the report claims that it is starting to look like Allardyce’s appointment is a “done deal.” Chairman Ellis Short has already identified David Moyes as Allardyce’s potential replacement. The former Everton and Manchester United boss has been out of work since he was sacked by…

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Twitter reacts to big name linked to the England job

Vincent Van Genechten

Former Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink wants to talk to the FA about the possibility of taking the England job and the footballing authorities are happy to give him a hearing, according to The Times. Consequently, Twitter reacted to the Dutchman linked to the job: I learn that Guus Hiddink is interested in managing the English national team. Alright then. — Marius Hollenga (@MariusHollenga) 4 juli 2016 Please, please, please FA, do not swap one old fart – Roy Hodgson – for another old fart – Guus Hiddink. Ye Gods,…

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The definitive video on Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 disaster

Vincent Van Genechten
sterling hodgson

England fans are still shaking after the Three Lions were eliminated from Euro 2016 by Iceland, who beat them 2-1 in the round of 16. Manager Roy Hogdson announced his resignation immediatly after the game and received loads of criticism. Now, a video has been posted on Twitter, showcasing the former England’s boss Euro 2016 disaster in just a few seconds… When you spot yourself on the big screen and want people to think you’ve got a plan… pic.twitter.com/YLX3Mf6kB0 — Danny Blood (@dannyswfc) 27 juni 2016

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Twitter reacts to reports about Arsene Wenger being considered as the next England boss

Vyom Chaudhary

The FA are in search of a new manager to replace Roy Hodgson following the Three Lions’ embarrassing exit from Euro 2016. Reports in England, like this one from The Daily Mail, claim that current Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has emerged as the FA’s number one choice to take charge of the national team on a long-term basis. Wenger currently has one year left on his current deal with the North London club, but the reports suggest that the FA are ready to wait for a year for the French…

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Two staggering Euro 2016 stats about Norwich City and Joe Hart

Vincent Van Genechten

The Brexit at Euro 2016 is almost complete, as England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland were all eliminated in the round of 16. That means only Wales remain in the tournament, but Gareth Bale and his fellow Welshmen are facing a strong Belgium side in the quarter-finals on Friday July 1. Belgium’s golden generation produced an extremely polished performance to beat Hungary 4-0 and breeze into the quarter finals of Euro 2016, where they will play the Inspired by the brilliance of Eden Hazard who set-up one goal and scored another…

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Steve McClaren provided one of the greatest moments in televison history

Vincent Van Genechten

England were eliminated from Euro 2016 with a 2-1 defeat to Iceland. Former boss Steve McLaren was covering the game for Sky Sports and provided one of the greatest moments on television history. He was hailing the Three Lions’ performance and discussing the potential danger of Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, when the latter one scored Iceland’s second goal of the match. Steve McLaren with one of the greatest moments in televison history… #ENGICEpic.twitter.com/I3dLdRxK98 — BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) 27 juni 2016

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