Rightly dismissed, due to the logistics & impact on established FL clubs.

But I do see the logic. It would allow young players, who show great promise but clubs are reluctant to gamble on by playing in the first team (given the financial peril of dropping out of the PL), chance to play against fully grown & experienced professional players.

But, like I said in another post, the problem is that certain PL clubs just grab as many promising youngsters as they can, put them through the sausage machine, and see if any turn gold.

One solution would be a sort of draft system, so the best young players are divided up more fairly between clubs - but I can't see how that would work in practice. In reality, it's up to parents and young players alike to put footballing principles & future career prospects ahead of short-term cash inducements.

IMO we have two main problems, the first being the amount of overseas players and the latter being how technically inept we are. This isn't something that's just appeared from nowhere though, our technical skills have long been suspect where a kick and rush em approach has long been our best approach. The whole structure of the English game needs addressing from the grassroots.

I don't like the idea of an 'extra' league either. I'd be more inclined to cut the number of teams in the PL and reduce the number of cup competitions OR, in the latter instance retain them but insist each team has to play a certain number of academy players.

I don't think the number of games played each season does teams any favours when it comes to fitness.

I'd also revamp the Champions League format.

Of course none of this will ever happen.

Honduras vs Ecuador coming up. There just has to be a red card in this match. The question is, how early will it be? 

Yeah, it wont be one for the purists perhaps 

Might belt the **** out of each other.

No doubt the winter break thing will come up again. I think the EPL is one of the few main competitions that doesn't have a winter break? I know the Bundesliga has a mid winter break, not sure about Laliga?

Just checked, La Liga does have a winter break.

First foul only took 3 seconds 

So would I- change it back to champions only!

Honduras really are a poor team, and dirty at that.  That they scored before Ecuador was a massive surprise.

France in the game before looked assured.  Probably a better 'team' without Ribery and Nasri (take note Hodgson).

I had a chat with someone in the pub about 6 months ago and he infirmed me that we'd not get through the group stages.

I wish I could remember who it was because my God that was some foresight to forecast Englands worst performance since 1958.

I know what you mean Matty - when the guy said it to me I didn't argue with him - It sure surprised me that we had such an ill prepared team .

Watching us play was awful and I don't describe myself as a football expert.

It was terrible - it really was. 

For decent football - contrast Englands play with the Holland versus Spain game.

England ratings from Spanish paper AS.

Gerrard didn't warrant one because he was so bad.

And French paper L'Equipe.

An interesting thing in the last 20 years is how the French national team seem to have benefitted far more from immigrants than England has. Back in the early to mid-80s I thought (West) Germany, Italy and Holland were the League 1 national teams in Europe, with England just ahead of France in the second tier. Spain were in a different boat for a number of reasons. Since the 1990s the French have definitely pulled ahead of England, and again at this tournament they are looking quite good. I know in 2010 the French were out in the first round, but you've got to look at how teams perform over an extended period.

One thing I've also noticed is the foreign pundits on the Beeb/ITV don't seem to obsess as much about rigid formations and player positions as the English ones do. Don't know if this is down to language issues or a different (more fluid and flexible?) approach to the game.

On a par with Henry Winter's recent lamentable efforts IMVHO. 

This is my favourite ITV World Cup theme, from Italia 90:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eFpIdXBShY

The whole "Golden Generation" thing was a media creation IMO; I honestly don't think the England teams that played in 2002, 2006 and even 2010 were all that the media at the time hyped them up to be. I can hardly think of one England game I watched from any of those World Cups where I was so impressed with how they played that I thought "This team has a real chance". Not once.