WORLD CUP 2018

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  • proggyproggy Frets: 5827
    FOR SALE: 1 lucky waistcoat......
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  • Creed_ClicksCreed_Clicks Frets: 1385
    That Ian Wright is a gobby pr*ck as well. Mocking Roy Keane’s accent when all else failed ..
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14035
    tFB Trader
    Morning after

    hope Gareth continues for at least 4 more years and tries to build on his start. 12 months ago and no one would have believed that a semi final was achievable. No he knows what to build on. Alas he may have few options. Especially as a Modric style linch pin to control the game and conduct the team. Wilshire  is/was the closest we had and not wanted, so not sure who will come through for this roll

    out but in truth we can't be disappointed 

    sod 3rd place play off. Surely it will be the B team as only 2 days off in between matches 
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  • JAYJOJAYJO Frets: 1526
    Missed massive opportunity. The draw was on our side and we cocked it up. Harry one eye on the golden boot and no trust in sterling. Southgate no trust in his substitutes. The changes made us weaker. why have 23 players. We beat Tunisia  Panama Columbia and Sweden. Lost to Belgium and Croatia and could still lose to Belgium again on Saturday. 
    IMO The Manager got it wrong. It was there for the taking and He did nothing he played it as safe as could be. The goals were soft. Walker off Alexander Arnold on. Lingard off Vardy on. Half time changes. Lovren was on the ropes and we let him off. Croatia now go to the final and we go home having made the Country Proud.... of what?   Having experience of losing to help us going forward....By the way Me and the Mrs are not talking today and it has everything to do with the football.  Wonder what was going to be for tea tonight... Another missed opportunity lol.

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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15476
    I don't follow football, so this observation may be off, but one of the things that concerned me was there seemed to be a basic lack of skills in our players, things like accurate passing, able to control the ball when it was passed to you, the Cro players seemed much more in control of the ball when they had it, they seemed to find space to pass into more often. I'd love to see the stats, but I reckon our players ran a lot more than theirs, so instead of them fatiguing it was ours who looked tired after ET.

    All that said, we got to the semi's, when a lot of folks (including me) were predicting disaster. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    JAYJO said:
    Missed massive opportunity. The draw was on our side and we cocked it up. Harry one eye on the golden boot and no trust in sterling. Southgate no trust in his substitutes. The changes made us weaker. why have 23 players. We beat Tunisia  Panama Columbia and Sweden. Lost to Belgium and Croatia and could still lose to Belgium again on Saturday. 
    IMO The Manager got it wrong. It was there for the taking and He did nothing he played it as safe as could be. The goals were soft. Walker off Alexander Arnold on. Lingard off Vardy on. Half time changes. Lovren was on the ropes and we let him off. Croatia now go to the final and we go home having made the Country Proud.... of what?   Having experience of losing to help us going forward.

    Here's a perfect example of the English sense of entitlement this World Cup has largely and healthily swept away. 

    They have done pretty well this time against similar level countries, and eventually ran out of steam and imagination against classier opposition. 

    They got a very long way on tenacity and tactics but there are obvious shortcomings in terms of flair and creativity against better teams. 

    This is in no way a criticism, but when England progress to a semi- or a final these are FREAK EVENTS, not England's rightful and God-given place in the world. England are, and always have been footballing minnows, and a realistic and honest utilisation of the assets at their disposal has got them a very long way this year. 

    I honestly fear for them at the Euros, the press gave the coach and squad an easy ride this year, but their success will have them baying for a 6-0 win in the Euro final or they'll tear them to shreds. 
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4671
    The only comment I have to make, as a non-football fan, is that, rather than sitting around dejectedly at the end and wallowing in the grief, the team, should have been on their feet, waving to the fans and putting out the message, didn't we do well.  Wallowing like that is very very negative for everyone concerned.
    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    Last night England seemed to revert to type in that they hit the ball long and stopped playing the ball out from the back. I think our early goal made us look for long ball over top quick counterattack far too often. Whereas, Croatia played like the experienced top players they are, worked their way into the game and progressively dominated the game.
    The end result is that we've given France a weary and battered team to destroy in the final.
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  • JAYJOJAYJO Frets: 1526
    p90fool said:
    JAYJO said:
    Missed massive opportunity. The draw was on our side and we cocked it up. Harry one eye on the golden boot and no trust in sterling. Southgate no trust in his substitutes. The changes made us weaker. why have 23 players. We beat Tunisia  Panama Columbia and Sweden. Lost to Belgium and Croatia and could still lose to Belgium again on Saturday. 
    IMO The Manager got it wrong. It was there for the taking and He did nothing he played it as safe as could be. The goals were soft. Walker off Alexander Arnold on. Lingard off Vardy on. Half time changes. Lovren was on the ropes and we let him off. Croatia now go to the final and we go home having made the Country Proud.... of what?   Having experience of losing to help us going forward.

    Here's a perfect example of the English sense of entitlement this World Cup has largely and healthily swept away. 

    They have done pretty well this time against similar level countries, and eventually ran out of steam and imagination against classier opposition. 

    They got a very long way on tenacity and tactics but there are obvious shortcomings in terms of flair and creativity against better teams. 

    This is in no way a criticism, but when England progress to a semi- or a final these are FREAK EVENTS, not England's rightful and God-given place in the world. England are, and always have been footballing minnows, and a realistic and honest utilisation of the assets at their disposal has got them a very long way this year. 

    I honestly fear for them at the Euros, the press gave the coach and squad an easy ride this year, but their success will have them baying for a 6-0 win in the Euro final or they'll tear them to shreds. 
    mmmm i may feel differently when i sober up a bit. This is a good post.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    I was really pleased with the first half the speed and accuracy of our passing was genuinely world class and anyone would have struggled with us, had we got a second I think we would have held the lead.  Second half their midfield was too good for us as most people suspected.

    Overall great showing at the tournament, if we can find a gazza we'll be as good as anyone.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Last night England seemed to revert to type in that they hit the ball long and stopped playing the ball out from the back. I think our early goal made us look for long ball over top quick counterattack far too often. Whereas, Croatia played like the experienced top players they are, worked their way into the game and progressively dominated the game.
    The end result is that we've given France a weary and battered team to destroy in the final.


    Very true.  With Sterling's pace advantage over the Croatia defenders I can see why they were trying to take advantage of it. There may have been some element of a deliberate strategy there.

    What you need to do though, is establish that threat with the odd long ball so the defenders sit deep.  You can then take advantage of the space that should make in front of them, but we just didn't mix it up at all.

    I'm not sure there was the movement for us to play it out from the back either.  Young wasn't getting forwards enough.  Rose should have been on half an hour earlier (if not from the start).  I didn't see much of Alli, Lingard, or Henderson moving in front of the defense to give the option of a short pass either.

    We didn't play well in the second half.  That team has it in them to play better, but I think a lot of it was inexperience in the big situations.  How many of our players are even the key playmakers at their clubs?  A lot of the time it's some expensive foreigner who the team is built around.  If our players aren't used to controlling a game at club level, it won't come easily at international level.  They will be better for this experience though.

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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641
    p90fool said:


    This is in no way a criticism, but when England progress to a semi- or a final these are FREAK EVENTS, not England's rightful and God-given place in the world. England are, and always have been footballing minnows, and a realistic and honest utilisation of the assets at their disposal has got them a very long way this year. 

    I think the fans can be more positive about the future than dismissing the tournament as a freak event.  The team is young and showed a lot of spirit and had many qualities we've not had for a while.  Expectations from some quarters go way overboard but after the best tournament for 28 years, a young English manager and a good setup to build on, the team is looking good. 

    Also note, England are world champions at U17 and U21, which is not that bad a place to be for such minnows ;) 

    As for the general performance, we need a world class creative midfielder to progress, all round performance, organisation, set pieces were all great, but simply not enough chances created to go all the way.  The tournament flattered the team a bit, getting the easier draw, but still, we look so much better than 2016.  Also with 2 age groups of world champions feeding into the team over the coming years, a Premier league winter break on the cards, it all looks good.
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    crunchman said:
    Last night England seemed to revert to type in that they hit the ball long and stopped playing the ball out from the back. I think our early goal made us look for long ball over top quick counterattack far too often. Whereas, Croatia played like the experienced top players they are, worked their way into the game and progressively dominated the game.
    The end result is that we've given France a weary and battered team to destroy in the final.


    Very true.  With Sterling's pace advantage over the Croatia defenders I can see why they were trying to take advantage of it. There may have been some element of a deliberate strategy there.

    What you need to do though, is establish that threat with the odd long ball so the defenders sit deep.  You can then take advantage of the space that should make in front of them, but we just didn't mix it up at all.

    I'm not sure there was the movement for us to play it out from the back either.  Young wasn't getting forwards enough.  Rose should have been on half an hour earlier (if not from the start).  I didn't see much of Alli, Lingard, or Henderson moving in front of the defense to give the option of a short pass either.

    We didn't play well in the second half.  That team has it in them to play better, but I think a lot of it was inexperience in the big situations.  How many of our players are even the key playmakers at their clubs?  A lot of the time it's some expensive foreigner who the team is built around.  If our players aren't used to controlling a game at club level, it won't come easily at international level.  They will be better for this experience though.

    Yep, once Rose came on both he and Trippier moved further forward and we started to string some passes together. I think Alli was probably knackered from having to mark two men at once for most of the game.
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    @menamestom I totally agree, it's still a foundation on which to build, even if it technically is punching above their weight. I didn't mean it was a fluke, because they certainly earned their place in the semi-final, just that expectations are often crazy given England's natural place in the world of football.  

    Sometimes I think the worst thing they ever did was win it all those years ago. If they never had English football fans would enjoy the journey every time far more, without all that "Coming Home" bollocks. 

    Anyway, time to go and flip another page over on my free gift Viz 'Years of Hurt' calender. ;)

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  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    An interesting point made by the German press is how many quality players at the World Cup play in the UK Premiership. They say that's part of the reason for our success.

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641
    p90fool said:
    @menamestom I totally agree, it's still a foundation on which to build, even if it technically is punching above their weight. I didn't mean it was a fluke, because they certainly earned their place in the semi-final, just that expectations are often crazy given England's natural place in the world of football.  

    Sometimes I think the worst thing they ever did was win it all those years ago. If they never had English football fans would enjoy the journey every time far more, without all that "Coming Home" bollocks. 

    Anyway, time to go and flip another page over on my free gift Viz 'Years of Hurt' calender. ;)


    Yeah I agree then, the expectations and media go way over the top.  We played better than last time and have some good foundations to improve, nothing more, nothing less.   Despite being in the last 4 we're still a long way behind the big footballing nations (including some who weren't there).   It may never 'come home', but if we can be the best we can be, you can't ask more than that.

    I think everybody is ready is ready for a break with the coming home shite.
    The Irony now is though, you can't blame the media anymore, it used to be the red top papers whipping it up, now it's mainly the fans on social media....
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  • jonevejoneve Frets: 1468
    p90fool said:
    @menamestom I totally agree, it's still a foundation on which to build, even if it technically is punching above their weight. I didn't mean it was a fluke, because they certainly earned their place in the semi-final, just that expectations are often crazy given England's natural place in the world of football.  

    Sometimes I think the worst thing they ever did was win it all those years ago. If they never had English football fans would enjoy the journey every time far more, without all that "Coming Home" bollocks. 

    Anyway, time to go and flip another page over on my free gift Viz 'Years of Hurt' calender. ;)


    Yeah I agree then, the expectations and media go way over the top.  We played better than last time and have some good foundations to improve, nothing more, nothing less.   Despite being in the last 4 we're still a long way behind the big footballing nations (including some who weren't there).   It may never 'come home', but if we can be the best we can be, you can't ask more than that.

    I think everybody is ready is ready for a break with the coming home shite.
    The Irony now is though, you can't blame the media anymore, it used to be the red top papers whipping it up, now it's mainly the fans on social media....
    This was one of the best things about the last 3 weeks. They've bought a nation together and given us something to cheer about and take our mind off the fucking car crash of the people running our country who couldn't negotiate their way out of a paper bag and fucking everything else up for us.

    The scenes from Hyde Park last night were nothing short of incredible. I can't imagine how amazing the atmosphere was when Trippier's free kick went in. I've not seen anything like that (on that scale) since Euro 96.

    Some of the It's Coming Home memes were genuinely hilarious, and the one that circulated yesterday parodying the famous Hitler meltdown scene in Downfall was incredible.

    Gareth Southgate and the whole team have done the impossible; they've taken a nation of disillusioned fans who have had 20 years of celebrities who gave absolutely ZERO fucks about representing their country, and completely turned it around (in two years!) to give us a team we can and want to believe in again.

    The passion and heart this team showed was second to none. Who else just assumed, when Colombia equalised with the last kick of the game, that we'd blown our chance. Previous teams would have crumbled, dropped their heads and let teams roll us over. They showed great resolve and grit to get through that game and break the Penalties curse.

    Let the fans drum up the frenzy, it's been a great three weeks - just a shame the ride is over.
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  • Ben8010Ben8010 Frets: 150
    Emp_Fab said:
    What's worse than England losing is being in a pub full of pissed Yorkshiremen barking about what England's tactical mistakes were as if they were the world's greatest managers instead of builders from Bradford.
    You wanna try living here mate. I had to bite my tongue a few times last night to not get into an argument with some whinger who thought they were Brian Clough. 
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  • mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
    Rocker said:
    Croatia are bound to be tired after two ET games so I rate England as favourites to make the Final. And I think Belgium will just about shade it over France tonight.

    Alert. My predictions history is dodgy to say the least.
    aye you can say that again   =) :o :/
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  • Ben8010Ben8010 Frets: 150
    For the first time in my life I wasn't pissed off about going out last night. I am completely gutted about it but also proud of what the team did. They got further than what anyone expected and induced some spirit into the nation, which prompted the majority to get behind them (even my Mum was getting into it, and she usually does nothing but complain about it). Best of all they made me genuinely believe again that we could win it. All of this made for the most enjoyable WC I've had.

    Croatia are a good team with some very good players. We should have put them away in the first half, but there's no shame in losing to them and I'm certainly gonna be willing them on in the final.

    I put a fiver on Croatia at 5/1 at half time so I had something to soften the blow if we cocked it up. It turns out I should have put a lot more on because I'm still fucking gutted and a £25 win is not doing a right lot to soften it.
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