3 england teams in the past week playing in friendlies and in compitition with not a performence amongst them that England can honestly say was a improvement after ten years or Hope Powells era getting any nearer to get even a good result when it really matters.Any body else think like me or am i the only person that thinks

I thought they'd made headway when they qualified for the World Cup and got to the quarter's at the World Cup , even though they let there heads drop against the USA. But for the second time in a row in a friendly with Germany they let themselves down. Maybe team selection needs to be looked at from a managerial point of you.

I think the set-up has really improved over the years :

It used to be staff of like 2 people years ago when she took over. I was in Sweden at the Nordics and they had 3 coaches 3 medics 1 video analyst 2 senior FA exec and a very pretty secretary (funny to have to go to sweden to see beautiful brit girl lol)

The standard of player has improved as well but as they are mainly amateur or semi-professional they cannot really improve as fast as needed.

Tactically wise the players seem to be a bit naive sometimes and the coaches take a lot of time working on the defensive side of the 4-5-1 especially the right positionning when the opposition has the ball. They do it from the U17 to the seniors. I have always thought they are overdoing it to be honest but after seeing the two games at the Nordics I have now understood that at international level, mistakes are swiflty punished : one of the midfielder was really poor in the u23 against the USA and the whole team structure fell over a few times. The counterside of this is creativity is restrained a fair bit by this and attacking in numbers is difficult.

Last point players selection : well some choices look strange to me indeed but that's the same for all international managers. I think they should phase out some players after the U20 world cup and introduce players like fern whelan or natasha dowie so that they are on the bench at Euro 2009 and ready for the WC 2011.

Thank you for your reply..
Staff do not run around a pitch for ninety minutes and have never lifted Silverware
Plus I am not talking about whats going on off the field but whats going on it.I love facts the FA employs hundreds of staff but not one employee since 1966 as given our Nation something to cheer especially a trophy at any levels Men or Womens shame but these are facts.We complain that we think it our players are not good enough but they all play in The Premier League for their clubs all being coached or from acadamies full time. Poor Brazil do not even have a league to play in Still made the World Cup final that’s progress. Hope Powell 10/12 years in charge are going backwords not foreward Euro”s held in England finished bottom “no comment on that speaks for it self” World Cup next? 4 centre halfs playing in defence goalkeeper making same mistakes then & again this week kicking a ball that’s not there.I also heard that England almost took as many staff as players and one of the reasons players complained about the monies of forty pounds a day was not good enough?Did more money go on staff than players?If Hope Powell had a winning mentality and skills none of these things would have happened more emphasist for the team.Is their any body out there who could do better ,I sure their is” Iike some of your opinions as to who the next England coach should be given the opportunity ….

I think that we cannot base England's football improvements on these last games. Havn't we just been at our highest world ranking?
And we did great to get in the world cup and put in a good performance I reckon.

I think we are just on a downer from the world cup and that next season things will get exciting again expecially with the new transfers and hopefully spirits will lift and we'll get a bit more passion into our game.

Also it was an off season game. Rachel Brown has just come back from injury and had a good game apart from her air kick. Hope did say that she was treating the game as a pre season match for the ladies.

But maybe we could do with a new manager though I'm not convinced myself, but my husband thinks she should go and bring in the Everton manager, Mo Marley (I think).

why not vic akers he has won everything with Arsenal
it would be a new goal for him to win something with the national side

I like the thought of Vic Akers he should have been involved somewhere over the last twenty years but its to late on that one now, but it would be interesting if we could get a opinion from him on who could help to take them up another level.Mo Marley has more England Internationals playing at Everton Than any other club in England cant say she is a winner Under 19 done better last season than this also part of the currant regime she can only win a trophy if Arsenal lose it.Her attempts put a side out against Arsenal last season was to keep her team in their own half and to get a draw when they needed to win.I watched the match and came away that the coach is also involved heavely with England.......surely there has to be other candidates??????

Rubbish England. Cant even beat Germany!

I think there are two differents problems here :
1. The players and the playing structure around them
2. The manager

Clearly the level of the actual England players is good but nowhere near the level required to win a tournament Euros or World Cup.
I mean there is one proven world class player in the team, a few who have won the UEFA Cup and the rest who have played a few tournament but did not go far away. In term of experience at top level it is quite limitated.
Players also do improve slowly, why ? because it is still a more or less amateur/semi-professional approach. Hopefully with the arrival of the new summer League and the franchises the competitivity of the PL will improve and prepare a bit better the players for international football. Also a few players playing in the USA would be a good thing as it would improve them quickly.

The manager.
In term of logistics and off the pitch preparation I think everything is done properly and it’s a credit to Hope Powell for changing the mentality and preparing the players as proper athletes and give them resources. For the on the pitch problem, well
I am not a fan of defensive football as it can produce short term results but does not sustain them on a mid/long term basis. I think today’s team is too defensively orientated
Because simply the players are not ready to play an attacking football and dominate the big teams. It’s true a damage limitation mentality seems a bit poor but had England had a proper goalscorer, I think we would be successful while being defensive.
So is it time for a change? The world cup would have been the right time or maybe after the Euros. Keith Boanas is a good manager and could be an option as good as Vic.
I know Mo Marley’s Everton are a defensive minded side and failed I the second group stage in the UEFA Cup last season not to forget the insipid U19 final in Island.

As a conclusion I would say a review should be done in 2009 after the Euros but I am looking forward to Powell's interview in Fairgame this month as I have asked a question about changing to a more attacking system, hopefully fg would have not censored it lol

If you get your question asked whatever answer Hope gives, it will appease me to say she cannot deliver because it not in her in her nature she as had 10/12 years as a defensive coach and for term of logistics and off the pitch preparation,the FA pay a lot FA put a lot of money to that cause.Im sure in saying a lot of that money should be put into the league & then all players will benifit if you say the players are also part of the problem ask Fulham/Chalton Etc I did not see anyone from FA trying help them.Hope Powell commentating at Arsenal/Leeds final said she would like England to play 20 matches a season that’s one every 15 days whats the league to do shout down every other week if the case,what are all the other players suppost do while they seat around doing nothing will that give them experence .Take in what I am trying to say the womens game should be governed by themselves and clubs are starting to relise this which I think is great not a Keith Boanas but by a lady it’s the only way foreward I asked who would fit the bill and 2 men 1 lady no one know any one who as the qualfications someone who as won things and also respected……

I know one women coach who won a quadruple ( a sextuple actually )two seasons ago.
I don't think she is available though but she fits the criteria.

are you saying that you might know somebody who coaches thats meets the criteria of taking England to another level upwards and not backwards as does not have name? why if she his English why is she not inolved with our National team

it's Emma Hayes and she has just left Arsenal to be coaching in the WPS for the Chicago Red Stars,s o there is absolutely no chance for her to coach England right now.

Great shout just looked her up W/league Coach of the Year 2002. 2003/5 college coach of the year if they gave awards to coaches in Europe in 2006 she was the best in Europe as well as being the best in the USA no wonder Arsenal got her and no surprise Chicago went for her When all this is going on did no one at the FA try and get her involved with us with the National Team,Emma Hayes seems not the person to say I am pleased today with the performance only getting beat 3-0.”What a joke”.thank you for putting emma hayes into the reckoning. she has more going for her than all the other candidates put together .If you reckonised her for her abilty I would the FA to tell me why they have not………remember Arsenal 2006 was the best team on the planet attacking football at its best and also done with your one world class player not playing in the major euro games and the England Captain not involved You have made a great shout.........any more candidates you know of.

A good read on Hope Powell interview. A good recap of the England team evoultion over her 10 years.
Very disappointed as my question was not selected as a reader's question. I mean it would have been interesting to see answer as why England plays a very defensive minded 4-5-1. They selected a question aboyt Why Dowie wasn't selecte and her answer is because she is choosing the players no real resason why and another one advice given to player who want to improve their level.
Nevermind, Greece did win the men's Euro 2004...

Hope Powells fears are installed in the way she treats questions asked to her,The fact is her role as head of the England Ladies has never in 10 years a question,can that be right she is no where nearing anything for us if she's there for another ten.Does the roll get a pension at the end.Its installed in her teams i fear her man management skills come over the way the team plays,fear instilled in the players and it comes over for me certaintly very clearly..............

read the Q+A with emma hayes on the womensprofessionalsoccer website
its her inner thoughts our the ladies game should be played and is going to be played........

That interview just goes to show how far behind we really are. They move heaven and earth to promote the women's game over there , something that's is not done in this country. Surely now the time has come to copy what's been done in the states or at least learn form it.

Gutted that Sweden got England's berth in the Olympics still say that it isn't fair for the football in this country. England should have a team all of there own.

It's sounds like Emma has made a choice and will be a success over there. Arsenal have lost a very good coach who could of done wonders for them.