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World Cup 2018

crispybug2crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
edited July 2018 in The cake stop
OK, it's two weeks to the tournament kicks off so probably time to start a thread for predictions, reviews etc

So, first the groups:-

Group A

Egypt
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay

Group B

Iran
Morocco
Portugal
Spain


Group C

Australia
Denmark
France
Peru

Group D

Argentina
Croatia
Iceland
Nigeria

Group E

Brazil
Costa Rica
Serbia
Switzerland

Group F

Germany
Mexico
South Korea
Sweden

Group G

Belgium
England
Panama
Tunisia

Group H

Colombia
Japan
Poland
Senegal
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Posts

  • MatthewfalleMatthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    MF has just put a fiver on Harry Kane to win it.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • crumbschiefcrumbschief Posts: 3,399
    Oh those Russians.
  • crispybug2crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    edited May 2018
    So I think the group qualifiers will be:-

    Egypt* Uruguay
    Portugal Spain
    France Peru
    Argentina Iceland
    Brazil Costa Rica
    Germany Mexico
    Belgium England
    Colombia Poland


    Winner:- France
    Runner up:- Spain

    3/4 place:- Germany Brazil

    Top scorer:- Antoine Greizmann or Thomas Muller



    * Only if Mo Salah plays otherwise possibly Russia
  • crispybug2crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Matthewfalle wrote:
    MF has just put a fiver on Harry Kane to win it.


    No you didn't!!!
  • robert88robert88 Posts: 2,696
    Iran Vs Saudi Arabia. One to watch.

    Otherwise I scarcely know my Bale from my Ronaldo.
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 70,707 Lives Here
    Group stages are gonna be an absolute snooze aren't they?

    No real group of death. Best we'll have is an early Spain - Portugal.
    _
  • crispybug2crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Group stages are gonna be an absolute snooze aren't they?

    No real group of death. Best we'll have is an early Spain - Portugal.


    This is where you notice the absence of Italy, Holland etc
  • Stevo_666Stevo_666 Posts: 56,898
    crispybug2 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Group stages are gonna be an absolute snooze aren't they?

    No real group of death. Best we'll have is an early Spain - Portugal.


    This is where you notice the absence of Italy, Holland etc
    Only if you're Italian or Dutch.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • secretsamsecretsam Posts: 5,039
    OK, enough of the yob conversation, this was supposed to be a discussion about the tournament, not how to deal with sub-humans.

    Oh, and the use of the words "moron" and "'tard (short for retard)" are really offensive, particularly for anyone with Learning Disabled relatives. Have a report, both.
    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • my_grandadʹs_bikemy_grandadʹs_bike Posts: 1,300
    SecretSam wrote:
    OK, enough of the yob conversation, this was supposed to be a discussion about the tournament, not how to deal with sub-humans.

    Oh, and the use of the words "moron" and "'tard (short for retard)" are really offensive, particularly for anyone with Learning Disabled relatives. Have a report, both.

    Instant bans for using those words on the FOOTBALL forum I frequent - probably deserve a good shoeing mind :roll:
  • robert88robert88 Posts: 2,696
    It's all par for the course.
  • Ben6899Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Robert88 wrote:
    It's all par for the course.

    You're thinking of golf.
    Ben

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  • my_grandadʹs_bikemy_grandadʹs_bike Posts: 1,300
    Ben6899 wrote:
    Robert88 wrote:
    It's all par for the course.

    You're thinking of golf.

    That's him stymied then
  • robert88robert88 Posts: 2,696
    I'm not that green.
  • verylonglegsverylonglegs Posts: 3,920
    England to make the quarter finals and then go out with one of those usual tournament performances of complete meekness we have come to expect against a Portugal or Argentina. A 1-0 or 2-0 loss which doesn't look so bad on paper but having watched it it will be evident we were never in the game with the players ending exhausted having chased the ball for the whole game like a spaniel chasing its own shadow on the beach. All because they just don't know how to keep the f****** ball but it will inevitably lead to the usual questions about fitness and hot air from the FA...need of a winter break, rebuild the game from the grassroots up blah blah. So, are we all looking forward to it? :D
  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 24,669
    Looking forward to it? No.
    I think you have why England go out wrong. It will be down to cheating, diving dirty foreigners and referees*.

    *Some will say.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • MatthewfalleMatthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    TBH, I and I think that they will get 2nd in the group then get knocked out next game. MF thinks they don't even deserve to be there but they got through so that's that.

    Belgium are a tad handy.

    Not sure who to win - Germany, Brazil, France are the only people sticking out.

    Belgium to make up the above three for the semi finals.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 24,669
    Germany to win. Boring and predictably, Germany.
    For an entertaining tournament hopefully Belgium, and the there is the dream...
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • finchyfinchy Posts: 6,686
    SecretSam wrote:
    OK, enough of the yob conversation, this was supposed to be a discussion about the tournament, not how to deal with sub-humans.

    Oh, and the use of the words "moron" and "'tard (short for retard)" are really offensive, particularly for anyone with Learning Disabled relatives. Have a report, both.

    I have learning disabled relatives - one cousin with Downs Syndrome, a nephew who we suspect is autistic, but his parents won't have him tested because of the stigma in his country and my Granddad suffered severe dementia, so at the end of his life he was completely incapable of looking after himself. And if I see somebody who is wishing severe bodily harm on others, I'll call that person a moron. If you find that offensive, I suggest you look at your own language, because a quick look through your posting history shows that you have used insulting words such as "idiot" and "stupid" (an idiot was considered to be even more mentally disabled than a moron, in the days when these 2 words were used by psychologists - moron designated someone with an IQ of 51-70, idiot was 0-25). You have also used the word "moron" yourself on several occasions. You'll be reporting yourself now, won't you?

    Back to the football - Brazil to storm back from their 2012 disappointment, Neymar to score the winning goal in a 2-1 win. I'm not sure who the opponents will be. Group stages to be mainly dull, 2nd round and quarters really exciting, semis onwards to be tedious as the top teams tire.
  • BelgianBeerGeekBelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Can see this thread being shut off quickly. My tuppenceworth: idiot and moron seems ok, other terms less so. Whatever.

    I predict Poland will go a long way in this, due to the lack of good teams entering. Belgium to win.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • finchyfinchy Posts: 6,686
    BelgianBeerGeek wrote:
    I predict Poland will go a long way in this, due to the lack of good teams entering. Belgium to win.

    Is it really a lack of good teams, or is it just that no team stands out quite as much due to the raising of standards in some of the smaller countries? I noticed at the last WC that the big teams had to really work hard in the earlier stages - Germany vs Algeria, for example, was a really hard-fought victory - and were tired in the later games.
  • robert88robert88 Posts: 2,696
    Smaller countries? I see you can get 2000/1 on Panama.
  • ayjayceeayjaycee Posts: 1,277
    Have some posts been deleted from this topic?
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  • mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,569
    ayjaycee wrote:
    Have some posts been deleted from this topic?
    It looks tht way.

    I've managed to blank out football this last year. I didn't reigister who was in the FA cup final until the day before this year, my brain has just had football on ignore, it seems. However if my son is around much in his Summer hols. we'll probably watch. I have no predictions apart from England continuing to disappoint after the group stage.


    I have said before and will again here, it is the most drawn-out, over-milked elite sporting event in the calendar. There's no reason it shouldn't be over in a fortnight.
  • mfinmfin Posts: 6,726
    Looking forward to it. Not looking forward to watching Raheem Sterling fail to do anything good for 90 minutes every game though, so can only hope he gets injured in the final friendly. He is censored for England, censored .

    Would have liked to see Wales there for another home team to watch too.
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 70,707 Lives Here
    Why does sterling get so much stick?

    About the only player England has with any pace.
    _
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 19,967
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Why does sterling get so much stick?

    About the only player England has with any pace.

    Do you watch football? You need more than pace. To answer your question he has no composure in front of goal so frequently misses unless inside the 6 yard box. Apparently he has been better this season, but not when I have seen him play.
  • DeVlaeminckDeVlaeminck Posts: 8,688
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Why does sterling get so much stick?

    About the only player England has with any pace.

    Vardy, Welbeck, Rashford and Walker are all known for their pace - there are probably others - I imagine some of the wing backs are quick - but it's not a squad short on pace.
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  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 70,707 Lives Here
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Why does sterling get so much stick?

    About the only player England has with any pace.

    Vardy, Welbeck, Rashford and Walker are all known for their pace - there are probably others - I imagine some of the wing backs are quick - but it's not a squad short on pace.

    Fair.

    BB - I watch a bit yeah. He can dribble, he finds space, he understands how to draw players away and under Guardiola his finishing has improved; he’s scored something like 22 this season, and he’s picked up quite a few man of the matches in a pretty stellar squad.

    Guardiola rates him highly, and to me that makes sense.

    He’s not world class but pretty much no one (perhaps Kane) is in the squad.

    I can’t really imagine anyone in the England squad making the world’s best squad.
    _
  • verylonglegsverylonglegs Posts: 3,920
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Why does sterling get so much stick?

    About the only player England has with any pace.

    Vardy, Welbeck, Rashford and Walker are all known for their pace - there are probably others - I imagine some of the wing backs are quick - but it's not a squad short on pace.

    Fair.

    BB - I watch a bit yeah. He can dribble, he finds space, he understands how to draw players away and under Guardiola his finishing has improved; he’s scored something like 22 this season, and he’s picked up quite a few man of the matches in a pretty stellar squad.

    Guardiola rates him highly, and to me that makes sense.

    He’s not world class but pretty much no one (perhaps Kane) is in the squad.

    I can’t really imagine anyone in the England squad making the world’s best squad.

    Sterling was one of the biggest underperformers in the last tournament from what I remember, guilty of some poor finishing and being anonymous during periods of play, I think he started one of the later games on the bench as a result of how bad he was. I'd like to see him produce his club stats in an England shirt, I wouldn't leave him out. I think a lot of the grief he gets is in the eyes of those with club allegiances because he left Liverpool after one very good season for the Man City money train and then had two very average seasons. I couldn't care less myself but that is the impression I get. As for the tabloid interest in him...welll we all know what they are like by now.
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