The Football.....

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Yep. My son, born in 2011 doesn’t remember the 2014 Russian debacle or the loss to Iceland in 2016.

So since 2018 all he known in major champs is semifinal, final, quarterfinal, final, semifinal.

He couldn’t comprehend a situation where England didn’t even qualify for the tournament.

Lucky lad, he has been spared the trauma 😂

In a strange way, even though it was dismal, I don't mind the Iceland one too much as it was such a weird one off type of calamity. I found 2010 and 2014 far worse as we were just collectively so terrible throughout both World Cups. If I had to pick a winner, the whole Capello disaster was possibly the greatest embarrassment of my lifetime. That draw against Algeria was probably the worst WC England performance I have ever witnessed.

This is why I will never criticise Southgate. Yes, we arguably should have won at least one trophy under him, but he actually gave us an England team to be proud of, changed the whole culture of the set up and made last 4 of a major tournament an expectation rather than a distant dream. All England fans should be very thankful for his tenure.

 

[matticus]

Rooney's first insightful comment of the whole tournament

That was a cracker!
But TBH I've actually found him OK this year. MASSIVE improvement on the last time I had to listen to him. And better than almost everyone on ITV - low bar, I know ...

 

[matticus]

Principle stands.
Final score says I/Spain were right and England wrong.
I thought it was universally agreed that England blew it by falling deep. Hey ho…

I guess if you didn't notice they were very diffferent matches/teams; Spain utterly dominated for 100+ minutes before scoring. England were never superior to ARG (well, apart from the 10 seconds leading to Gordon's goal of course!); ARG had zero shots on Spain's goal for 100 minutes.

I thought it was universally agreed

Clearly not - do you have me on ignore?!? :P

 

[swee'pea99]

Pitiful watching Trump having to be almost physically dragged away from his efforts to 'be in the photo' when the team that had won the World Cup was assembled to take the photo of the team that won the World Cup. The President of the United States of America: all the grace, class, and self-awareness of an eight-year-old full of jam doughnuts

 

[Mike_P]

Just be thankful it wasn't renamed the Trump Soccer Cup

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Just be thankful it wasn't renamed the Trump Soccer Cup

I'd delete that before he sees it.

 

[brommieinkorea]

Pitiful watching Trump having to be almost physically dragged away from his efforts to 'be in the photo' when the team that had won the World Cup was assembled to take the photo of the team that won the World Cup. The President of the United States of America: all the grace, class, and self-awareness of an eight-year-old full of jam doughnuts

Every time he upsets Europeans I know he's doing a good job! And congrats on third place for England !

 

[swee'pea99]

Every time he upsets Europeans I know he's doing a good job! And congrats on third place for England !

You really must learn to distinguish misery from contempt. You understand 'pitiful', right?

 

[brommieinkorea]

You really must learn to distinguish misery from contempt. You understand 'pitiful', right?

Despite being an 'American' my english is exceptional. As for the Donald he is a good leader because, like other great leaders he has something rhyming with alls that his predecessors lacked. I also think third place in World Cup futball is pretty good, not being sarcastic or indicating that third is pitiful.
The fact that the final was held in the USA is in itself remarkable, maybe we (us ' mericans) will eventually embrace real football and abandon American Football, which is some sort of messed up rugby.
Heck there's a pope in the Vatican right now who was born in Chicago....maybe the USA will play England for the 'cup someday !

 

[No Ta Doctor]

The fact that the final was held in the USA is in itself remarkable, maybe we (us ' mericans) will eventually embrace real football and abandon American Football, which is some sort of messed up rugby.
Heck there's a pope in the Vatican right now who was born in Chicago....maybe the USA will play England for the 'cup someday !

Swerving the politics like Bellingham going past a French defender, I think that if the only way football can be fully embraced in the USA is by filling it with artificial additives and drenching it in sweeteners then I'd rather you stuck to American football. Chopping the game into quarters, extending halftime to put on a show (the football is the show - halftime is for going to the loo, getting a drink and arguing about which players are rubbish), inserting Hollywood stars and boxing announcers into it, exerting control over footballing decisions with phonecalls to FIFA, and then Trump trying to make it all about himself when the team that had won it wanted to celebrate... Nah. You've got American football, we don't want Americanised football. And I'm pretty sure it's not just Europeans that think this way.

 

[Animo]

Next they will want to double the size of the goals so all the games finish 95-94, decided by a winner in the final millisecond of the fourth quarter just before the buzzer goes.

 

[T4tomo]

If Infantino carries on the way he's going, I can see UEFA pulling out of FIFA and we'll just have biennial EUROs.

 

[matticus]

If Infantino carries on the way he's going, I can see UEFA pulling out of FIFA and we'll just have biennial EUROs.

I don't think it's fanciful to suggest that an ARG win might have lead directly to that happening. [maybe that's why the conspiracy was called off ... ]

 

[matticus]

Swerving the politics like Bellingham going past a French defender, I think that if the only way football can be fully embraced in the USA is by filling it with artificial additives and drenching it in sweeteners then I'd rather you stuck to American football. Chopping the game into quarters, extending halftime to put on a show (the football is the show - halftime is for going to the loo, getting a drink and arguing about which players are rubbish), inserting Hollywood stars and boxing announcers into it, exerting control over footballing decisions with phonecalls to FIFA, and then Trump trying to make it all about himself when the team that had won it wanted to celebrate... Nah. You've got American football, we don't want Americanised football. And I'm pretty sure it's not just Europeans that think this way.

Honestly, I don't object to a little Amerification. Half-time show? Tom Cruise doing a bit? well why not, it doesn't really affect the football.
And the hydration breaks - even though we *know* were there for more adverts - did have a bit of sense to them. BUT the way they did this DID change the game; why not keep team officials out of the drinks area? Simple enough to put it in the centre circle - heck, they could run out with a sponsored gazebo to shade the players, EVERYONE'S happy!

(And it doesn't need saying that Trump interfering with the red card suspension was beyond the pale - that's just straight corruption.)

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Honestly, I don't object to a little Amerification. Half-time show? Tom Cruise doing a bit? well why not, it doesn't really affect the football.
And the hydration breaks - even though we *know* were there for more adverts - did have a bit of sense to them. BUT the way they did this DID change the game; why not keep team officials out of the drinks area? Simple enough to put it in the centre circle - heck, they could run out with a sponsored gazebo to shade the players, EVERYONE'S happy!

(And it doesn't need saying that Trump interfering with the red card suspension was beyond the pale - that's just straight corruption.)

No, the hydration breaks destroyed the game time after time - that's not just because coaches could speak to the team, it's because football is a game of stamina and a game of momentum, of seizing opportunities when you can get the opposition on the back foot. They should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances

A half hour break is also unfair on the players - that's long enough for muscles to cool down and stiffen up. 15 minutes is fine and shouldn't have been messed around with.