Note To Gareth Southgate

[andy-hughes]

Don't give penalties to young players - you couldn't handle it, neither can they!

[emmie]

i didn't watch the match, but i agree, its bad enough when you are older and more experienced, but a 19 year old, come on.....

[anneasquith]

This is true .

[emmie]

shame as it must have been a tough old game.... well done for getting to the final however.

[Ken4155]

Had any of the young lads not wanted to take pens, i'm sure they would have let Southgate know. In my opinion, his mistake wasn't in asking them to take the spot kicks, but putting them on so late the spot kick was virtually their first touch of the ball.
You do appear to have forgotten that 2 of Italy's penalties were also missed - one by a 27 year old, the other by a 29 years old.

[Peter Pedant]

i dunno
The younger Pitt was prime mininster at 24 ....

( dat Y he young see? - - a little note for Abers)

[Peter Pedant]

// Had any of the young lads not wanted to take pens,//

pens? what - - - -can they write? ter daah !

o penalties, penalties, yeah sozza

[Peter Pedant]

Hi Andie - er are they looking for a new England manager?

[johnny.5]

even so
the note should be a thank you note

Am I right ?
I'm Not Wrong !

[bobbinwales]

It did seem odd to bring on 2 young players at the end just to take penalties and taking off experienced players like Henderson (who couldnt get into the game after he came on) and Walker. And why not let an experienced player like Sterling or Shaw take one, surely Shaw would of been good. But as it was so pre-planned I guess they'd being practicing all week and the young lads like Saka, Rashford, Sanchio (£70 million ) must of been the best in training apart from the excellent Kane and Macguire.

[saintpeter48]

I think Southgates mistake was not putting on Grealish earlier, we scored one goal and then sat back and tried to defend for about an hour or more, you could just see the Italians getting closer and closer as the game went on.
Another fact about last night, Kane, our top striker never had a shot on goal and NEVER touched the ball once in the Italian penalty area, that is just not good enough if you want to win trophies!

[Tilly2]

...and we could all do better, couldn't we?

[bednobs]

may i suggest you change your job then - perhaps you'd like it ? Arent they all young?

[Mozz71]

I agree with Ken. The guys who took the penalties are the ones who wanted to. I'm sure the team had practiced them and the five selected were all confident. I have to admit, when I saw Saka come up for the fifth, rather than Grealish or Sterling, I immediately feared the worst.

A shame, Pickford deserved better after that save the pen before.

[tamborine]

If yellow cards were accountable England are winners with least. This would encourage fair play.

[vulcan42]

Gareth Southgate was twenty six when he missed the penalty, hardly a young player. Perhaps it's time for some radical changes, how about everybody in the team takes a penalty or perhaps the two goalkeepers shoot it out; or follow American football and have specialists come on to take a penalty? I'm joking by the way, the suggestion by tamborine is a good one, do away with the penalty shootout altogether.

[highbury57]

Doing away with the penalty shootout is a good idea. What about taking off a player every seven minutes in extra time? You’d get a goal or two. And it would resemble a football match instead of one arbitrary element being made the be all and end all.

[Ken4155]

Rather a penalty shoot-out than the toss of a coin.

[Ken4155]

highbury; who would decide which players would come off?

[highbury57]

The coach. He decides who to put on and take off. It’s his job.

[dannyk13]

Do away with the penalty shoot out and replace it with playing extra time until a goal is scored.