Skinny
, 02:45 PM
http://footiethreads.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=799&stc=1 Country Info
AREA: 132 589 sq km
POPULATION: 49,536,600
NEIGHBOURS: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland
LANGUAGES: English
CAPITAL CITY: London
England may just be part of a small chain of islands on the edge of Europe, but it has played a massive part in world history. It is the nation that gave birth to football, the industrial revolution and perhaps most importantly of all, the English language.
Ancient history
While the vast array of mysterious Neolithic monuments - most famously Stonehenge - are testimony to a history which stretches back as far as 4000BC, the indigenous people of England had been overrun by invaders many times before the 19th century, therefore making any concept of an English nation dubious.
Invaded island
The ancient Celts gave way to the Romans and then the Germanic Jutes, Saxons and Angles - from whom the country, 'Angle-land', takes its name - and in 1066, the Scandinavian-via-Normandy Normans. All made their contribution to the development of the English language, which generations of subsequent settlers have conspired to forge into the most flexible tongue on earth.
World power
However, while English history has been shaped by invaders all of whom were eventually stirred into the great casserole of Englishness, it is as a colonial power that the nation left its stamp on the world,ng up huge areas of Africa, Australasia, India, the Far East and North America to European culture.
Football culture
Football, however, would have a more lasting influence. The game existed in some form as far back as the middle ages - indeed it was banned a number of times in the centuries before the formation of the English Football Association, the first of its kind, in 1863.
Modest achievements
The English were the giants of the early years of football - although, admittedly few other nations played the game - but the national team have rarely matched their historical contribution with results. A solitary FIFA World Cup win in 1966 and the international exploits of Liverpool FC, Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester United FC remain England's proudest moments.
Preview
When England were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals by losing 2-1 to Brazil in a match they had led, coach Sven-Göran Eriksson admitted: "We did well in the first half, until added time. We seemed tired and lost a little bit of our shape."
Second-half comebacks
Less than two years on, and England are no longer a team that shows their best before half-time. Indeed in winning UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying Group 7 they did not concede a single second-half goal, and came from behind in three of their six wins, as well as their draw at home against F.Y.R. Macedonia. Their new-found mettle was also shown in both games against runners-up Turkey, as they won the home match 2-0 with two goals in the last 15 minutes and withstood a late bombardment to draw the final fixture 0-0 in Istanbul.
Stable team
Eriksson was helped in his task by his stable squad - his first-choice team at the end of qualifying differed little from the one that started the campaign. The most important change was in goal, though, where slips by David Seaman in the October 2002 draw with the Macedonians persuaded Eriksson to turn to the younger, but experienced, David James, who kept four clean sheets in the remaining six games.
Defence constant
The first-choice defence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole remained constant and reaped the benefits of familiarity. Wayne Bridge proved an able deputy at left-back for Cole, while John Terry produced a magnificent performance as Ferdinand's replacement in the decider in Turkey, with Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate also having filled in at centre-back during qualification. Phil Neville remained a versatile replacement, not least for brother Gary.
Reshuffled midfield
While captain David Beckham went from strength to strength on the right of midfield, scoring five goals and producing some inspirational performances, the left remained a question mark. Eriksson's favoured solution became the switch of Steven Gerrard from the middle to the left flank, with Nicky Butt taking over the anchorman role and Paul Scholes supporting the attack. Kieron Dyer, Frank Lampard and Owen Hargreaves all played their part in reserve.
Owen leads the line
In front of Scholes, Michael Owen remained the main striker and scored five times in the campaign, but alongside him teenager Wayne Rooney edged out Emile Heskey for the home game with Turkey in April 2003, and scored in the September games against F.Y.R. Macedonia and Liechtenstein. Rooney - the youngest ever England international and goalscorer - and Heskey both played in Turkey with Owen injured, while Darius Vassell proved a useful substitute,ng the scoring at home against the group runners-up 15 minutes from time.
Team spirit
But as much as talented individuals, it was team spirit that was vital to England, with Beckham often the single-minded personification of that will to win. Even when the squad was unsettled by the Football Association's decision to exclude Ferdinand on the eve of the trip to Turkey for missing a drugs test, they responded with a determined performance to clinch the group by a single point.
High expectations
England have only reached two UEFA European Championship semi-finals, which by the high expectations of the home fans is a disappointing return. The blossoming of what has long been touted as a golden generation of talent seems finally to be coming to fruition, though, and provided the squad is not again exhausted by the gruelling domestic season - all but Beckham and Hargreaves play in England - for once their fans' faith may not be misplaced.
Squad List (subject to change)
David James
Chris Kirkland
Paul Robinson
-------------------
Wayne Bridge
Phil Neville
Jonathan Woodgate
Gary Neville
Sol Campbell
Ashley Cole
Gareth Southgate
John Terry
-------------------
Kieron Dyer
Steven Gerrard
Nicky Butt
David Beckham
Paul Scholes
-------------------
Michael Owen
Emile Heskey
Wayne Rooney
Darius Vassell
Fixtures
v France 19:45
v Switzerland 17:00
v Croatia 19:45
(Match kick-offs are listed in local time)
In charge
Sven-Göran Eriksson
http://www.aftonbladet.se/sport/0302/27/SPORT-27s97-svennis2-4.jpg
Sven-Göran Eriksson has transformed the fortunes of England. Having first taken them from the bottom of their 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying group to the quarter-finals in Korea/Japan. The Swedish coach then took them unbeaten through qualification for UEFA EURO 2004™.
Knee injury
As a player Eriksson was a right-back but his career was cut short by a knee injury while with Swedish second division team KB Karlskoga in 1975. The following year he took over as coach of third division Degerfors IF, and within three years had guided them to the top flight.
UEFA Cup glory
In 1980 Eriksson moved to IFK Göteborg and led them to league and cup success and then on to UEFA Cup glory in 1982, making them the first Swedish club side to lift a European trophy. He won two Portuguese titles with SL Benfica before heading to Italy, taking his former Degerfors mentor Tord Grip with him as his assistant.
Long-awaited title
After spells with AS Roma and AC Fiorentina, he returned to Benfica and took them to the 1990 European Champions Clubs' Cup final and domestic title success in 1991. He then took charge at UC Sampdoria, before a move to S.S. Lazio finally saw Eriksson win Serie A in 1999/00, having guided the Roman club to their first European trophy - the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - the previous season.
First foreign coach
Eriksson took over as England coach in early 2001 and soon won over the fans with a string of impressive results – including a memorable 5-1 win against Germany in Munich – that helped England gain automatic World Cup qualification.
Significant win
The 2002 tournament was notable for another long-awaited victory, as a 1-0 win against Argentina helped Eriksson’s side reach the knockout stages. A resounding 3-0 win against Denmark earned a quarter-final against Brazil where they were finally beaten 2-1 – the coach's only competitive defeat with England.
Strong recovery
The EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign began in equally uncertain fashion, with England forced to come from behind to win 2-1 in Slovakia before drawing 2-2 at home to F.Y.R. Macedonia. However, a 2-0 win at home to Turkey put Eriksson's side on course to qualify, and the resolute defending and solid organisation that has characterised all Eriksson's sides was evident again in a battling display in the reverse fixture that earned the draw needed to qualify.
Odds
7/1
AREA: 132 589 sq km
POPULATION: 49,536,600
NEIGHBOURS: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland
LANGUAGES: English
CAPITAL CITY: London
England may just be part of a small chain of islands on the edge of Europe, but it has played a massive part in world history. It is the nation that gave birth to football, the industrial revolution and perhaps most importantly of all, the English language.
Ancient history
While the vast array of mysterious Neolithic monuments - most famously Stonehenge - are testimony to a history which stretches back as far as 4000BC, the indigenous people of England had been overrun by invaders many times before the 19th century, therefore making any concept of an English nation dubious.
Invaded island
The ancient Celts gave way to the Romans and then the Germanic Jutes, Saxons and Angles - from whom the country, 'Angle-land', takes its name - and in 1066, the Scandinavian-via-Normandy Normans. All made their contribution to the development of the English language, which generations of subsequent settlers have conspired to forge into the most flexible tongue on earth.
World power
However, while English history has been shaped by invaders all of whom were eventually stirred into the great casserole of Englishness, it is as a colonial power that the nation left its stamp on the world,ng up huge areas of Africa, Australasia, India, the Far East and North America to European culture.
Football culture
Football, however, would have a more lasting influence. The game existed in some form as far back as the middle ages - indeed it was banned a number of times in the centuries before the formation of the English Football Association, the first of its kind, in 1863.
Modest achievements
The English were the giants of the early years of football - although, admittedly few other nations played the game - but the national team have rarely matched their historical contribution with results. A solitary FIFA World Cup win in 1966 and the international exploits of Liverpool FC, Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester United FC remain England's proudest moments.
Preview
When England were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals by losing 2-1 to Brazil in a match they had led, coach Sven-Göran Eriksson admitted: "We did well in the first half, until added time. We seemed tired and lost a little bit of our shape."
Second-half comebacks
Less than two years on, and England are no longer a team that shows their best before half-time. Indeed in winning UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying Group 7 they did not concede a single second-half goal, and came from behind in three of their six wins, as well as their draw at home against F.Y.R. Macedonia. Their new-found mettle was also shown in both games against runners-up Turkey, as they won the home match 2-0 with two goals in the last 15 minutes and withstood a late bombardment to draw the final fixture 0-0 in Istanbul.
Stable team
Eriksson was helped in his task by his stable squad - his first-choice team at the end of qualifying differed little from the one that started the campaign. The most important change was in goal, though, where slips by David Seaman in the October 2002 draw with the Macedonians persuaded Eriksson to turn to the younger, but experienced, David James, who kept four clean sheets in the remaining six games.
Defence constant
The first-choice defence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole remained constant and reaped the benefits of familiarity. Wayne Bridge proved an able deputy at left-back for Cole, while John Terry produced a magnificent performance as Ferdinand's replacement in the decider in Turkey, with Gareth Southgate and Jonathan Woodgate also having filled in at centre-back during qualification. Phil Neville remained a versatile replacement, not least for brother Gary.
Reshuffled midfield
While captain David Beckham went from strength to strength on the right of midfield, scoring five goals and producing some inspirational performances, the left remained a question mark. Eriksson's favoured solution became the switch of Steven Gerrard from the middle to the left flank, with Nicky Butt taking over the anchorman role and Paul Scholes supporting the attack. Kieron Dyer, Frank Lampard and Owen Hargreaves all played their part in reserve.
Owen leads the line
In front of Scholes, Michael Owen remained the main striker and scored five times in the campaign, but alongside him teenager Wayne Rooney edged out Emile Heskey for the home game with Turkey in April 2003, and scored in the September games against F.Y.R. Macedonia and Liechtenstein. Rooney - the youngest ever England international and goalscorer - and Heskey both played in Turkey with Owen injured, while Darius Vassell proved a useful substitute,ng the scoring at home against the group runners-up 15 minutes from time.
Team spirit
But as much as talented individuals, it was team spirit that was vital to England, with Beckham often the single-minded personification of that will to win. Even when the squad was unsettled by the Football Association's decision to exclude Ferdinand on the eve of the trip to Turkey for missing a drugs test, they responded with a determined performance to clinch the group by a single point.
High expectations
England have only reached two UEFA European Championship semi-finals, which by the high expectations of the home fans is a disappointing return. The blossoming of what has long been touted as a golden generation of talent seems finally to be coming to fruition, though, and provided the squad is not again exhausted by the gruelling domestic season - all but Beckham and Hargreaves play in England - for once their fans' faith may not be misplaced.
Squad List (subject to change)
David James
Chris Kirkland
Paul Robinson
-------------------
Wayne Bridge
Phil Neville
Jonathan Woodgate
Gary Neville
Sol Campbell
Ashley Cole
Gareth Southgate
John Terry
-------------------
Kieron Dyer
Steven Gerrard
Nicky Butt
David Beckham
Paul Scholes
-------------------
Michael Owen
Emile Heskey
Wayne Rooney
Darius Vassell
Fixtures
v France 19:45
v Switzerland 17:00
v Croatia 19:45
(Match kick-offs are listed in local time)
In charge
Sven-Göran Eriksson
http://www.aftonbladet.se/sport/0302/27/SPORT-27s97-svennis2-4.jpg
Sven-Göran Eriksson has transformed the fortunes of England. Having first taken them from the bottom of their 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying group to the quarter-finals in Korea/Japan. The Swedish coach then took them unbeaten through qualification for UEFA EURO 2004™.
Knee injury
As a player Eriksson was a right-back but his career was cut short by a knee injury while with Swedish second division team KB Karlskoga in 1975. The following year he took over as coach of third division Degerfors IF, and within three years had guided them to the top flight.
UEFA Cup glory
In 1980 Eriksson moved to IFK Göteborg and led them to league and cup success and then on to UEFA Cup glory in 1982, making them the first Swedish club side to lift a European trophy. He won two Portuguese titles with SL Benfica before heading to Italy, taking his former Degerfors mentor Tord Grip with him as his assistant.
Long-awaited title
After spells with AS Roma and AC Fiorentina, he returned to Benfica and took them to the 1990 European Champions Clubs' Cup final and domestic title success in 1991. He then took charge at UC Sampdoria, before a move to S.S. Lazio finally saw Eriksson win Serie A in 1999/00, having guided the Roman club to their first European trophy - the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - the previous season.
First foreign coach
Eriksson took over as England coach in early 2001 and soon won over the fans with a string of impressive results – including a memorable 5-1 win against Germany in Munich – that helped England gain automatic World Cup qualification.
Significant win
The 2002 tournament was notable for another long-awaited victory, as a 1-0 win against Argentina helped Eriksson’s side reach the knockout stages. A resounding 3-0 win against Denmark earned a quarter-final against Brazil where they were finally beaten 2-1 – the coach's only competitive defeat with England.
Strong recovery
The EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign began in equally uncertain fashion, with England forced to come from behind to win 2-1 in Slovakia before drawing 2-2 at home to F.Y.R. Macedonia. However, a 2-0 win at home to Turkey put Eriksson's side on course to qualify, and the resolute defending and solid organisation that has characterised all Eriksson's sides was evident again in a battling display in the reverse fixture that earned the draw needed to qualify.
Odds
7/1