World Cup 2018

pblakeney

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Who's MF? It's difficult to keep track of all the abbreviations and acronyms on a forum as it it is!

MF = Matthew Falle. He's worried about Russian cyber hacking so I and I are relaying for him.

That way they can't profile him.

CUNNING

Ohhhhh, I see, you started referring to yourself in the third person and thought it would be funny to keep doing it?

Well done. Very funny.

No. I and I are me, MF is MF, not me. Completely separate people, not the same.

Who is the third person? Pinno?

Orson Welles.

mfin

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Who's MF? It's difficult to keep track of all the abbreviations and acronyms on a forum as it it is!

MF = Matthew Falle. He's worried about Russian cyber hacking so I and I are relaying for him.

That way they can't profile him.

CUNNING

Ohhhhh, I see, you started referring to yourself in the third person and thought it would be funny to keep doing it?

Well done. Very funny.

No. I and I are me, MF is MF, not me. Completely separate people, not the same.

Who is the third person? Pinno?

Hilarious.

Matthewfalle

mfin wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

mfin wrote:

Who's MF? It's difficult to keep track of all the abbreviations and acronyms on a forum as it it is!

MF = Matthew Falle. He's worried about Russian cyber hacking so I and I are relaying for him.

That way they can't profile him.

CUNNING

Ohhhhh, I see, you started referring to yourself in the third person and thought it would be funny to keep doing it?

Well done. Very funny.

No. I and I are me, MF is MF, not me. Completely separate people, not the same.

Who is the third person? Pinno?

Hilarious.

No, not really and not really that difficult to work out. Much like Innngeeeerrrland's tactics in the footy.

Stevo_666

Matthewfalle wrote:

No, not really and not really that difficult to work out. Much like Innngeeeerrrland's tactics in the footy.

Fair point, we should look to Italy for our World Cup tactics.
https://youtu.be/iyUqF9ceEHI

Matthewfalle

Stevo 666 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

No, not really and not really that difficult to work out. Much like Innngeeeerrrland's tactics in the footy.

Fair point, we should look to Italy for our World Cup tactics.

4

Matthewfalle

Best 2 goals in the entire history of football.

MF is sobbing with joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VreNIuu3Ca0

crispybug2

Whisper it quietly but England have been pretty good in their last two matches before the World Cup, Gareth Southgate has been moulding the team into a, unusually for England, a cohesive team with a clear idea of what’s required of them.

I don’t for one minute think that they’ll win of course but for the first time in ages they appear to be moving in the right direction.

mfin

England will have to be a lot more of a goal threat than they were last night if they want to get anywhere. It was a genuine lack of threat as against a repetitive f**king up of it though, then again, not having Sterling on the pitch had a lot to do with that. It saved a lot of people having to swear at their telly for a couple of hours.

With all the warm up games and sessions. I bet England think to practice holding on to a lead for the end of the match, if they could sometime figure out that it's worth practicing playing like you need a goal it would be good.

Anyway, yesterday they looked alright against crap competition (so they should), so it didn't demonstrate much but that an 11 that is not a starting 11 were stringing together passes against a weaker team.

robert88

So long as they don't have to beat Iceland.

kingstongraham

Are France any good these days? Got them in the office sweepstake.

crispybug2

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are France any good these days? Got them in the office sweepstake.

One of the favourites, excellent squad but doubts about the manager.

For an office sweepstake you should be pretty pleased

kingstongraham

crispybug2 wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are France any good these days? Got them in the office sweepstake.

One of the favourites, excellent squad but doubts about the manager.

For an office sweepstake you should be pretty pleased

Great. Apart from feeling wrong for now wanting France to win.

robert88

Easy, just place a bet on someone else.

laurentian

I'm really looking forward to the World Cup. I'd be looking forward to it even if England weren't in it but as we are, it adds to my anticipation.

I'm warming to Southgate and his team. Some great players, some good players and some adequate players. Good enough, I think, to get out of the group and then who knows?

None of the squad are bad players but the perennial problem with English football in tournaments is that they fail to perform to the sum of their parts, let alone become greater than it.

Euro 96 was, without doubt, the best time I have ever had during a tournament (even more so than Italia 90). This probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was held in England but it was mainly to do with how England played. Looking at the results on paper, we didn't really set the world alight but that game against The (highly rated) Dutch was one of the best 90 minutes of my life watching football. We took them to pieces with the likes of Gascoigne, Shearer, Ince, Platt and Sheringham laughing as they did it. I watched the penalty shoot out against Spain fully confident that we'd go through (that's what it must feel like to be German!) - its been a long, long time since England have played with anything like that kind of elan.

I want to see them playing with a smile on their face, having a go and doing the best that they can, however far that takes them. Most of all, I want that one, nation stopping game of football when the match is headline news, people are given a couple of hours off work, the kids have TVs in the schools, the pubs are packed, the flags are flying and the kettles going on at half time cause a power shortage.

It's the hope that kills ya!

mfin

I don't think you'll get "that one nation stopping game". You need a bunch of players who are revelling in enjoying what they do and risking things, this lot don't have that. Plus, they don't have any charisma as individuals, look at Kane for example, he's like steve davis or andy murray with all the joy taken out.

orraloon

I recommend the Athletico Mince podcast by Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson, partic the Gangs of the EPL segments, for rare insight into the internal dynamics of the Ingerlaand team and its factions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletico_Mince

dinyull

Are the press getting slightly carried away again? As per usual tbf.

Haven't seen any of the warm up games, but reading the Guardian and BBC you'd think we have a chance of winning the thing.

kingstongraham

Dinyull wrote:

Are the press getting slightly carried away again? As per usual tbf.

Haven't seen any of the warm up games, but reading the Guardian and BBC you'd think we have a chance of winning the thing.

It's traditional. We beat Costa Rica - which I suppose is progress from 4 years ago.

All I've seen from the games is that piece of skill from Rashford which is pretty sweet. I gave up watching training games a long time ago.

laurentian

Dinyull wrote:

Are the press getting slightly carried away again? As per usual tbf.

Haven't seen any of the warm up games, but reading the Guardian and BBC you'd think we have a chance of winning the thing.

Well, I've not heard that . . . quite the opposite in fact but maybe haven't heard or read the same things as you.

England are 10 games unbeaten and have lost one since Southgate took charge (3-2 to France in France) including creiatble draws against (good sides from) Brazil and Germany. Obviously one shouldn't read too much into that given some of the opposition but I would say there should be a positive but realistic anticipation going into this one.

We're in a post-Leicester world now . . .

Matthewfalle

laurentian wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Are the press getting slightly carried away again? As per usual tbf.

Haven't seen any of the warm up games, but reading the Guardian and BBC you'd think we have a chance of winning the thing.

Well, I've not heard that . . . quite the opposite in fact but maybe haven't heard or read the same things as you.

England are 10 games unbeaten and have lost one since Southgate took charge (3-2 to France in France) including creiatble draws against (good sides from) Brazil and Germany. Obviously one shouldn't read too much into that given some of the opposition but I would say there should be a positive but realistic anticipation going into this one.

We're in a post-Leicester world now . . .

Yup. Recent wins against Kenya and Costa Rica. World class.

The one team who are any good who bothered to turn up beat you.

The hyperbole returns........

rick_chasey

Even if they're rubbish, they feel a lot more likeable than the lot a few years ago.

They're younger with less club baggage to make you think they ought to be done better.

laurentian

I guess I should invite you to read the post again which is anything but hyperbole but I won't bother.

I'm not expecting England to win the thing (although I make no apologies for hoping they do) and would suggest that their record since the Iceland defeat are probably as good as any other international team.

Germany (rightly many people's favourites) have lost their last two matches (Brazil and Austria) although, to be fair, their recent and upcoming opposition is far superior to that of England as they did stuff the footballing leviathan of Azerbaijan 5-1 before the losses to Austria and Brazil and have a tricky home fixture against Saudi Arabia tonight.

Any team can only play what's in front of them and all, including the giants of the game, by necessity in the qualifiers play "lesser" footballing nations. The pre - tournament friendlies are, again by necessity, played against teams that didn't qualify. I know you'd like to see it as England football supporters getting ahead of themselves as it fits a tedious stereotype but, as mentioned up thread, I simply want them to play as well as they can and see how far it takes them. That's not hyperbole, that's support.

Matthewfalle

Rick Chasey wrote:

Even if they're rubbish, they feel a lot more likeable than the lot a few years ago.

They're younger with less club baggage to make you think they ought to be done better.

Err - not really.

They've gone from a bunch of spoilt primadonnas to a bunch of spoilt primadonnas.

Not much change there.

At least Frank Lampard was occasionally quite funny and Beckham's squeaky voice provided amusement. What have they got this time? The bloke with the gun down his leg who needed counselling after people told him he was a twonk for having a gun tattooed down his leg and errrrr, that's about it. Not really a bunch of characters are they.

Matthewfalle

laurentian wrote:

I guess I should invite you to read the post again which is anything but hyperbole but I won't bother.

I'm not expecting England to win the thing (although I make no apologies for hoping they do) and would suggest that their record since the Iceland defeat are probably as good as any other international team.

Germany (rightly many people's favourites) have lost their last two matches (Brazil and Austria) although, to be fair, their recent and upcoming opposition is far superior to that of England as they did stuff the footballing leviathan of Azerbaijan 5-1 before the losses to Austria and Brazil and have a tricky home fixture against Saudi Arabia tonight.

Any team can only play what's in front of them and all, including the giants of the game, by necessity in the qualifiers play "lesser" footballing nations. The pre - tournament friendlies are, again by necessity, played against teams that didn't qualify. I know you'd like to see it as England football supporters getting ahead of themselves as it fits a tedious stereotype but, as mentioned up thread, I simply want them to play as well as they can and see how far it takes them. That's not hyperbole, that's support.

Yawn ............................

laurentian

Double post

laurentian

laurentian wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

laurentian wrote:

I guess I should invite you to read the post again which is anything but hyperbole but I won't bother.

I'm not expecting England to win the thing (although I make no apologies for hoping they do) and would suggest that their record since the Iceland defeat are probably as good as any other international team.

Germany (rightly many people's favourites) have lost their last two matches (Brazil and Austria) although, to be fair, their recent and upcoming opposition is far superior to that of England as they did stuff the footballing leviathan of Azerbaijan 5-1 before the losses to Austria and Brazil and have a tricky home fixture against Saudi Arabia tonight.

Any team can only play what's in front of them and all, including the giants of the game, by necessity in the qualifiers play "lesser" footballing nations. The pre - tournament friendlies are, again by necessity, played against teams that didn't qualify. I know you'd like to see it as England football supporters getting ahead of themselves as it fits a tedious stereotype but, as mentioned up thread, I simply want them to play as well as they can and see how far it takes them. That's not hyperbole, that's support.

Yawn ............................

Yep, you'll be yawning on the sofa watching Coronation Street and I'll be supporting England in the World Cup a week on Monday.

Have a good kip.

rick_chasey

Matthewfalle wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Even if they're rubbish, they feel a lot more likeable than the lot a few years ago.

They're younger with less club baggage to make you think they ought to be done better.

Err - not really.

They've gone from a bunch of spoilt primadonnas to a bunch of spoilt primadonnas.

Not much change there.

At least Frank Lampard was occasionally quite funny and Beckham's squeaky voice provided amusement. What have they got this time? The bloke with the gun down his leg who needed counselling after people told him he was a twonk for having a gun tattooed down his leg and errrrr, that's about it. Not really a bunch of characters are they.

Sterling does a big amount for charity and literally puts his money where his mouth is - also works with the police to help tackle gun crime.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... r-11325451

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... g-13195259

He also does a lot of day-to-day volunteering in old person's homes etc.

https://twitter.com/sterling7/status/866667484316827652

But, y'know, take your cues from the sun who have a habit of being balanced toward black players :roll:

Frank Lampard is a c*nt. He's not quite John Terry, but he is the guy standing behind John Terry laughing while John racially abused airport staff and responds to being told to move his car out of the disabled parking spot by saying "i don't care i'll pay the fine".

So yeah, a little different.

rick_chasey

Oh, and

dinyull

laurentian wrote:

I'm not expecting England to win the thing (although I make no apologies for hoping they do) and would suggest that their record since the Iceland defeat are probably as good as any other international team.

Replace Iceland and that snippet could have come before the previous 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 tournaments.

England have won 6 knockout games in major tournaments since 1966. Only 3 of them in 90 mins.

Frank Wilson

Rick Chasey wrote:

Oh, and

Probably because he is Jamaican.