It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Yep, apologies to the italians for my earlier remarks. Outplayed us and deserved the win.

And may I suggest that Team GB learn from this and make sure they have 5 non English players on the pitch if a penalty shoot out looks likely.

A sickeningly reassuring result - business as usual!

No midfield play at all.....not a good performance at all......and to cap it all we go one up in the penalty shootout only to let it slip.....crazy !...the last penalty kick was very poor.....but you have to say overall Italy were by far the better side.....England have a good defense, a good attack but no midfield at all....

A good attack - you are having a laugh !!!

Milner - ineffective bar 2 mins v Italy
Young - worst england player fielded during the whole tournament
Welbeck - couldn't hold the ball or play to another player in white
Rooney - well below par
Caroll - best of a poor bunch and that's saying something - throws his weight around and largely ineffective
Walcott - was good v Sweden but inconsistent - imo the only one of the above that given a choice I'd persist with

Agree entirely with you Joe - why is that we can see it but those paid a fortune in a too large mangement team cannot. After the first game Oxlade-Chamberlain should have played instead of Young. We no doubt missed Lampard and Barrie but why oh why was Pirlo allowed so much room - I could go on and on but we no doubt will see the old guard again in September. Is it because they are paid these obscene amounts that they are not hungry and already with immense egos.

Young was a disappointment.....there is no midfield play at all that is the big problem and nobody presses the opposition .....O-Chamberlain should have played...

Something has to be done about the energy levels for these players.....it always seems that they run out of steam by the time the knockout stages arrive...perhaps a midwinter break should be introduced in this country : just ten days or so....or a forced midwinter rest for the main players and the reserves or normal nonstarting eleven play for at least two games during january.....made compulsory for all premier league teams but the manager can pick the period during january or february : that way the big players like Rooney and such might feel a little fresher at crucial times for the national side and the run in for the league etc....this could be only every two years in the run up to main competitions that England have qualified for....in the years that England have the misfortune not be involved in this could be discarded.....

Performance enhancing drugs perhaps? ...Or the threat of a loss of salary if they underperform?

Germany out. Bookies delight! I wonder if italians can now complete the task?

I thought that the Germans had a suspect defense......the Spanish are a different proposition.....impossible to predict.....Italy are not going to enjoy the neat passing from the Spanish camp......no bets from me for that one.....as we haven't had a sending off so far : there might be one in the final !.....and what about Nadal out ?......could not believe it !....

Oi Stan , we win our first game at home to Huddersfield and we 3 points clear at the top of the league :-)

What you lot playing Friday night? make the most of it it'll be your only time -):

Good luck to Spain and Italy.....fabulous finalists !....

Bravo !..once again Espana.....super football.......that performance ranks of one of the greatest of all time !......only Ajax (69-73)(club) and Brazil 1970 (national) might surpass that.....(and Holland national 1974) ...really fantastic and it shows how good they are that I have to compare them with the mightest of them all.....quite incredible !......

7 out of the last 8 predictions correct (and thus at the right stage) - only one wrong for me was Holland

Made me laugh when Shearer said Spain were better than the Brazil team of 1970 ... he wasn't even born then was he so how the hell would he know ?

rf , as much as I loved the Dutch team of 74 (and 78) they were beatable , Brazil 70 and this Spanish lot looked/look untouchable.

Enjoyed the tournament one of the better Euro's in my opinion.

I watched quiet a few games as a child in 1970 and remember that England with a little more luck could have beaten them in the group stages...two shots just missed by a fraction !.....Brazil 1970 were a great side and their fourth goal against Italy in the final I think scored by Carlos Alberto if I remember correctly is one if not my favourite goal of all time : the build up leading to that goal was mindblowingly good !.....this Spanish side rank amongst the greats ....but to me the greatest footballing side of all time is Ajax Amsterdam (69-73)....that period of 5 years......they would beat anybody at their peak !....Holland in 1974 were unlucky to come up against Gerd Muller's lot in the final, but the progression of that dutch side during that summer was fantastic....it just shows how good Spain are that you have to compare them with those sides !.....time England start passing the ball a lot better instead of that stupid long ball kick stuff....

I can just about remember the group game v England in 70 and England probably put up the best display of the tournament against them although it was based on nullifying the threat rather than creating much themselves.

Ajax were serial under achievers (1 European Cup win v Panithanikos I think) a bit like the Dutch national team but both were probably the most entertaining club and national side I've had the pleasure of watching (Argies 78 were also special).

Them were the days :-)

argies 78 got through on a fiddle - negates one hell of a lot as a result