From BBC News -

Captain Steven Gerrard has vowed that England will adopt a "do-or-die" mentality as they bid to avoid crashing out of the World Cup on Wednesday.

Fabio Capello's team, who have drawn their first two Group C games in South Africa, must beat Slovenia to guarantee a place in the last-16 knockout stage.

"It is a do-or-die situation," conceded Liverpool midfielder Gerrard, 30.

"It would be an absolute disaster for this group of players to go home after the group stages."

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8755334.stm

What is the point ? They had the easier route to the finals and were in the very easiest group - and still make a hash of it !

Even if they manage to scrape a win tonight - ALL games are must-wins from here-on-in, and they HAVE to meet a decent team eventually !

The piece goes on to say -

England have not failed to qualify for the knockout stages of a World Cup since 1958 but their ongoing participation in the 2010 tournament now hangs in the balance after two performances that its Premier League stars admit have not been good enough.

Really ? What about the times whey they didn't even qualify at all ?
BBC re-writing history yet again !

I love the idea of 'lucky red shirts' as the solution to their problems on the pitch. It's the footballing equivalent of Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, reacting to disaster by suggesting the band should launch into 'Jazz Odyssey'. England have been resorting to their 'lucky red shirts' on and off for 44 flipping years and they've never failed to disappoint. The Italians, the Spanish, the Germans and most other national teams react to setbacks by THINKING. England react by going after different colours. They make the whole nation look like knuckle-dragging dullards.

I think I speak for the majority of Scotland saying that I hope the smug English idiots get knocked out. Christ, if the English media stopped adopting the "this time we can do it " attitude maybe the rest of the British Isles would give you some respect. Roll on 3 oclock!!!

Looking good at half time - but still 45 minutes for someone to do a "Robert Green" moment.

Very one sided this game so unlikely.

England to go to next round ( Probably ! )

BR wrote:
England to go to next round ( Probably ! )

... and then meet a team who can play football ?

You are just delaying the inevitable BR !

Angel wrote:
I think I speak for the majority of Scotland saying that I hope the smug English idiots get knocked out. Christ, if the English media stopped adopting the "this time we can do it " attitude maybe the rest of the British Isles would give you some respect.

Agree wholeheartedly, Angel

If they win against Slovenia the whole country will go potty - AS IF they have actually achieved something LOL !

Bring on the Germans !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In The Know wrote:
Angel wrote:
I think I speak for the majority of Scotland saying that I hope the smug English idiots get knocked out. Christ, if the English media stopped adopting the "this time we can do it " attitude maybe the rest of the British Isles would give you some respect.

Agree wholeheartedly, Angel

If they win against Slovenia the whole country will go potty - AS IF they have actually achieved something LOL !

A game against Germany probably with extra time and penalties and then replays of the misses.....

Almost an inevitable pattern to each World Cup for England.......

Let's be honest: it was dire!

I think I speak for the majority of Scotland saying that I hope the smug English idiots get knocked out. Christ, if the English media stopped adopting the "this time we can do it " attitude maybe the rest of the British Isles would give you some respect. Roll on 3 oclock!!!

I think you're mistaken if you believe other big countries don't have the same attitude Angel. In fact, I've been reading Das Bild (Germany's equivalent to the Sun) and their attitude is far more arrogant than ours.

What gets me is our country's refusal to acknowledge how terrible we are at sport in general (and that includes Scotland).

We only punch our weight in sports like athletics or boxing, which don't require much IQ or team thinking, or else in 'sports' such as Golf in which we have far more players than in any other European countries.

Scotland's record in international football is dire, and you keep coming up with the excuse 'we're only a small nation, blah blah blah.' I could name a number of European countries who regularly achieve far greater things than Scotland at football with similar populations (and yet less fanatical fans) ex : Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, Serbia, Croatia, Ireland..

I remember my father telling me that everybody in Scotland believed you were going to bring back the word cup in 1978 (and you might have if your players hadn't preferred boozing the night before games).

English, scottish, welsh, all useless at sport. Probably the reason being we have the dumbest and fattest working class population in Europe.

The Scots were always hilarious at World Cups. They'd start with an absurd song (such as Rod Stewart's ghastly Ole Ola, which sounded like an asthmatic stuck inside a vacuum cleaner), there'd be incredible boasts about what they were going to do (remember that sweet little shrinking violet Ally MacLeod?)...and then a player would be sent home in disgrace and they'd be embarrassed by teams like Haiti. And all of this in spite of having world class players like the magnificent Kenny Dalglish! So the 'English arrogance/Scottish humility' argument is pretty rich! They're as bad as each other. It's the Irish who just go there to enjoy themselves and try their best, and it's no great surprise when such an attitude leads to them doing rather well.

Blackit wrote:
In fact, I've been reading Das Bild (Germany's equivalent to the Sun) and their attitude is far more arrogant than ours.

... with some justification ?

How many times have Germany WON the WC since 1966 ?
How many times have they been runners-up since 1966 ?

Blackit - your post made me laugh. Spot on.

I think ITK's bitter comments on England's chances should simply be ignored.

Old misery guts has gone on record plenty of times before, stating that he has no absolutely interest in football.

Usually, when people display no interest in a particular subject, ignorance of that subject inevitibly ensues.

So, ITK, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about.

Plissken wrote:
I think ITK's bitter comments on England's chances should simply be ignored.

Old misery guts has gone on record plenty of times before, stating that he has no absolutely interest in football.

Usually, when people display no interest in a particular subject, ignorance of that subject inevitibly ensues.

So, ITK, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about.

Ahhh ... but I think I do ! LOL !

Go on ... put me right ... JUST WHAT HAVE ENGLAND WON (or even come close to winning) IN THE LAST 50 YEARS ?

Blackit wrote:
I think I speak for the majority of Scotland saying that I hope the smug English idiots get knocked out. Christ, if the English media stopped adopting the "this time we can do it " attitude maybe the rest of the British Isles would give you some respect. Roll on 3 oclock!!!

I think you're mistaken if you believe other big countries don't have the same attitude Angel. In fact, I've been reading Das Bild (Germany's equivalent to the Sun) and their attitude is far more arrogant than ours.

What gets me is our country's refusal to acknowledge how terrible we are at sport in general (and that includes Scotland).

We only punch our weight in sports like athletics or boxing, which don't require much IQ or team thinking, or else in 'sports' such as Golf in which we have far more players than in any other European countries.

Scotland's record in international football is dire, and you keep coming up with the excuse 'we're only a small nation, blah blah blah.' I could name a number of European countries who regularly achieve far greater things than Scotland at football with similar populations (and yet less fanatical fans) ex : Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, Serbia, Croatia, Ireland..

I remember my father telling me that everybody in Scotland believed you were going to bring back the word cup in 1978 (and you might have if your players hadn't preferred boozing the night before games).

English, scottish, welsh, all useless at sport. Probably the reason being we have the dumbest and fattest working class population in Europe.

You're missing the point Blacklit. I never once said that Scotland were ever any good at sport nor do we as a nation believe that. If you heard what WE think of our teams rather than through most forms of media you'd get a different side. Nobody up here can deny that the 78 campaign was cringeworthy. In fact its become more of joke to fans of Scottish football. The difference here is that England keeps spewing that very same cringeworthy rubbish tournament after tournament. You English do take yourself far too seriously sometimes. Your defensive reaction to my post proves that.

Angel wrote:
In fact its become more of joke to fans of Scottish football. The difference here is that England keeps spewing that very same cringeworthy rubbish tournament after tournament. You English do take yourself far too seriously sometimes.

Spot on, Angel !
To keep professing that England have an earthly chance is bordering on the delusional !
Which is where we came in when I asked ... "What is the point" ?

I just wish the hype would stop. We need an Eddy 'The Eagle' Edwards approach. Admit we have a poor team but support them nontheless. Put some fun into it - even laugh at and with them. Posturing and pondering about what Wayne Rooney can do "under the right conditions" is just setting ourselves up for a fall. It seems UK football supporters only have set feelings - euphoria, aggression and despondency. The fun has gone.

There will be blood on the streets if England get beaten. Mark my words.

@angel

Actually, I'm Glasgow Irish, although living in london for so many years I now regard myself as simply British.

This is a interesting article I found about Scotland's world cup history (well worth reading) :

www.bigissuescotland.com/features/view/296