Page 4 - England
- - September 12, 2015
The England national football team may have had their worst-ever World Cup performance in 2014, but that fact likely won't matter at all when it comes time for the squad to start a qualifying campaign for the 2018 tournament. The Three Lions are the clear frontrunner in World Cup 2018 UEFA Qualifying Group F, and should have no problem outpacing the likes of Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Malta for the top spot and the WC qualification.
A Rise from the Ashes
Granted, England have made something of a 180 since last summer's World Cup in Brazil. After losing two of their three group stage matches-and drawing the third-the English side bowed out of the cup in 26th place (out of 32 teams). It was easily the worst FIFA finish in history for the Three Lions-who had previously bottomed out at 13th place, in the 2010 World Cup-and it left British soccer fans wondering whether or not their country would ever again be able to compete with the likes of Spain, Germany, Brazil, and Argentina - - August 27, 2015
The qualifying competition for UEFA's 2016 European Championship in France has brought its fair share of surprises, from the underwhelming performances of teams that excelled at the 2014 World Cup (Germany and the Netherlands), to the remarkable six-game winning streak of Slovakia-a country that has never even qualified for the European Championship in the past. However, perhaps the biggest story of the qualifiers so far has been the surprisingly great campaign of the England national football team. But can England remain unbeaten throughout the Euro 2016 qualifying tournament?
Indeed, if you had predicted that England would be looking at an undefeated run in the Euro qualifiers a year ago, you wouldn't have gotten much support. The Three Lions were coming off their single worst World Cup performance ever, a 26th place finish that ranked the Brits as one of the worst soccer teams in the entire tournament.
The 2014 World Cup Fiasco
In 2014, England were eliminated from the World Cup after - - July 08, 2015
Roy Hodgson, the most current of the England national football team managers, has been enjoying a successful run with the Three Lions in the 2016 European Championship qualifying stages. But who was England's best manager ever? Who do English football fans still respect and remember fondly? And on the other side of the coin, which managers failed to make much an impact with the national team, but have gone on to be successful in other avenues? Read on for a brief history of English national team coaches!
The Top Dog
It would be impossible to have a conversation about England's all-time greatest managers without talking about Alf Ramsey. While Ramsey's version of the Three Lions failed to qualify for three major tournaments (the 1964 and 1972 European Championships, and the 1974 World Cup), he also coached the English team to their only World Cup victory in history.
Ramsey was an English hero in 1966 when he guided the Three Lions through a top group stage finish (over Uruguay, Mexico, and - - July 04, 2015
Since the inception of the UEFA European Championship in 1960, the England national football team has qualified for the event eight times. Never before, though, has the team gone undefeated in the qualifying competition leading up to the tournament-a feat that they are currently chasing in Euro 2016 Qualifying Group E.
In fact, right now, as soccer fans wait for game seven of the Euro qualifying rounds (set for early September), England is in a better position than any other team in the entire qualifying competition. Indeed, if you were to rank all 53 of the teams vying for qualification into one standings table, based on their current statistics, England would be at the top of the list with six wins, zero draws or losses, a point total of 18, and a goal difference of +15. (Slovakia are the only other country with a perfect 18-point, six-game record, and their GD rating is +10.)
Four Games to Play
With that said, there are still four games to play in the qualifying competition, - - June 30, 2015
As England exits Euro U21 tournament we ask what can be done to improve the chances of the English national team? Last summer, when the England national football team was eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup without winning a single game, many wondered how England had fallen so far from football prominence. It wasn't that they were expected to win the tournament: on the contrary, the English side have only won the World Cup on one occasion, and that was almost half a century ago. But 2014 was the worst World Cup performance in history for the English team, featuring only two goals (the only other time England went home winless, in 1958, they at least netted four goals) and ending with a 26th place finish out of 32 teams.
Since then, most soccer fans have backed off from the "English football is doomed" stance, thanks in part to the senior national team's performance in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Indeed, the wearers of the England football shirt have bounced back substantially in the - - June 19, 2015
The national women's football teams from Japan and Brazil won three games apiece in the Women's World Cup 2015 group stage, establishing themselves as early tournament frontrunners. The FIFA tournament will now move into the knockout stage, with the round of 16 set to begin tomorrow (20th June 2015). Other knockout stage qualifiers include England, the United States, France, Germany, and the Canadian host team.
Groups A, B, and C
The group stage for the 2015 Women's World Cup was split into six groups of four. The top two teams from each qualified to advance to the round of 16, as did the four highest ranked third-place teams.
Of all the groups in the tournament, Group A likely proved to be the weakest. Despite having the home field advantage, the Canadian women's national team only managed one victory (in a tournament opener against China). Luckily, the Canadian hosts also avoided a loss, drawing fixtures with New Zealand and the Netherlands to finish at the top of A. - - June 12, 2015
We take a look at the England Euro 2016 qualification campaign so far, and ask if a place in the finals is guaranteed? After a truly dreadful campaign at last year's FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the English national football team could use some good news. Their fans could too, which is why the soccer squad's current standing in the qualification process for next year's UEFA European Championship looks so promising. Going into this Sunday's qualifying game against Slovenia, England is up six points in qualifying Group E. Barring some complete disaster, it seems as if the Three Lions are more or less guaranteed a spot in Euro 2016.
It certainly stands to reason that England would have little issue making it to next year's European Championship in France. In the past three decades, the Brits have only missed out on Euro qualification once-in 2008. They followed up that disappointment with a quarterfinal run in 2012, ultimately finishing the tournament in fifth place. With a record like that, - - April 01, 2015
Jersey designs for the 2014 2015 England national team are currently available at Soccer Box for great discount prices. The white and blue home shirt, for instance, is 25% off, while the red Nike England away shirt 2014 2015 is available at a 20% discount. Other cheap prices exist for team-branded soccer shorts, youth jerseys, football socks and more. We encourage you to stop by Soccer Box today and take advantage of these great prices!
Lithuania
Fans in the 2014 2015 England jersey had plenty of reason to be proud on Friday, as their squad leveled Lithuania on the pitch at Wembley Stadium. The two countries were facing off as part of the Euro 2016 Qualifying Group E, and neither had played a match-competitive or otherwise-since mid-November.
If the Three Lions were shaking off any rust from the lengthy break, though, they certainly didn't show it. Taking the lead at the seven-minute mark, with a goal from Team Captain Wayne Rooney, the English side used their home field advantage to immediately - - March 18, 2015
The England national football team had something of a mixed bag 2014. On one hand, they crashed out of the 2014 World Cup in disastrous fashion. On the other hand, they won all of their games during the
second half of the year, including four qualifying fixtures for the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Now, after a long break, the Three Lions are preparing to recommence Euro qualification play with a March 27th home game with Lithuania. Cheer for the country today, with a new set of 2014 2015 England shirts or kids kits from Soccer Box!
Soccer Box is currently carrying a wide range of England football shirts, from the blue and white home jersey to the radiant red away shirt, all the way to the yellow Nike goalkeeper kit. These shirts are the same uniforms that the Three Lions wore at the 2014 World Cup, and they will continue to be worn throughout 2015 as England works toward European Championship qualification. We even have an England kids home jersey 2014 2015 available, so that you - - February 08, 2015
At Soccer Box, we have a range of different shirt options for the British football squad. If you are shopping for a shirt option for your kids, check out the England kids away jersey 2014 2015. The shirt comes in a small, kid-friendly size but is otherwise identical to the radiant red away jersey that English players wore on the pitch at 2014's World Cup and Euro qualification matches. Soccer Box also carries kids' and adult sizes of the 2014 2015 home jersey, as well as several different goalkeeper shirt and training jersey variations.
The European Championship
Regardless of which England shirt you choose, you are probably in agreement with the words of Lukas Podolski. The striker was recently loaned to Inter Milan, where he will play the remainder of his 2014 2015 season. However, he had a lot of good things to say about his experience playing football in front of British home audiences.
"They love and live for football," Podolski said of the England squad, speaking to a German newspaper.