|
|
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Jun 29, 2018 0:13:01 GMT
drove to my mum and dad's after work through an unusually hot peak district to watch it with them. traffic was bad, missed the first 25. not arsed. ate some tea while it was on and was concentrating more on my plate than the football. i managed to 'county' it by not paying the game much attention. would have been a shitter if you'd had tickets for just that one game, but if we go deep into the tournament, not arsed about tonight at all. my dad did enough grumbling for both of us.
there seem to me to be a fair number of 'alright' teams, and nobody sensational. i don't think football's coming home, but i still think we can have a decent world cup. we could lose to anyone, but nobody out there's unbeatable either. four years ago we had already failed to qualify from the group after two games. in comparison to that laughable effort, this has been alright. let's sit back and see.
|
|
|
|
Post by archie on Jun 29, 2018 8:19:42 GMT
Butland Alexander-Arnold, Cahill, Jones, Maguire, Rose Dier, Delph Welbeck, Rashford, Vardy Posted that team on Tuesday morning and pleased to be in tune with Southgate's thinking. Any momentum (an over-rated concept) loss is amply compensated for by the fact that every outfield player has now had game time. I don't believe that we tried to lose but neither do I believe that the result has much importance. No-one stepped up yesterday and demanded a place in the next match and the selected eleven (the same as started against Tunisia) will have had an extra 4 day's recovery time against a Colombia team who had a hard game yesterday and may well have lost their best player to injury. Tournament football is all about getting to the next stage. Job done. |
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 29, 2018 9:09:56 GMT
Butland Alexander-Arnold, Cahill, Jones, Maguire, Rose Dier, Delph Welbeck, Rashford, Vardy Posted that team on Tuesday morning and pleased to be in tune with Southgate's thinking. Any momentum (an over-rated concept) loss is amply compensated for by the fact that every outfield player has now had game time. I don't believe that we tried to lose but neither do I believe that the result has much importance. No-one stepped up yesterday and demanded a place in the next match and the selected eleven (the same as started against Tunisia) will have had an extra 4 day's recovery time against a Colombia team who had a hard game yesterday and may well have lost their best player to injury. Tournament football is all about getting to the next stage. Job done. I completely disagree with you on this, but it's the fact that you're actually proud to have been "in tune with Southgate's thinking" for that shambles last night that I find most staggering. Forget strategy, people will have paid good money, took vital holidays off work, gave up an evening or even risked getting sacked on the job to watch that f***ing mess. Disgraceful display. If you want to be truly considered as worthy champions, you want to face the best and beat the best, not dodge the best - then if you're lucky enough to pick up the trophy at the end, you can rightly claim to be the best. |
|
|
|
Post by archie on Jun 29, 2018 12:35:45 GMT
All about opinion, Gazz, and yours is every bit as valid as mine. However, I was and remain on the astonished side of surprised that anyone thought that Southgate would do anything else. I emphatically reject the notion that we weren't trying to win and see no need to apologise for picking my side 2 days before the game and explaining the choice. Let's not forget that most of these games are played with temperatures in the upper twenties and recovery takes that bit longer. Most of the comments from supporters who were there (and very few would just be there for the one match) seem to be along the lines of, 'let's wait and see how it plays out' so I don't think that getting worked up about it on their behalf is a flag that I'd follow. www.skysports.com/football/news/12016/11420432/gareth-southgate-comfortable-with-criticism-after-england-loss-to-belgiumCouldn't have put it better myself, Gareth. |
|
|
|
Post by hermannsays on Jun 29, 2018 13:22:35 GMT
While the changes were somewhat presented as ensuring the squad are up-to-speed, I think the brutal reality (now confirmed!) is that we must have as many of our A team out there in the system we use to have any chance of progressing. Making wholesale changes achieved that, not only minimising injury risk but guaranteeing that the A team players could train/prepare asap for the knockout game rather than have a rest day.
All that said, and even when taking into account that the B team personnel aren't well suited to the system so I didn't expect much, the inability of some of them to perform at a basic level (technical/decision making) while others seemed to make little attempt to fulfil the requirements of their role, was unacceptable.
We can't expect to play poor sides now or teams like Tunisia who start so tactically inept. As such, all I would have liked to have seen from Southgate was to use the B team to explore something shape-wise when it seemed apparent that players weren't suggesting they might be 'the answer' off the bench in the normal system used.
|
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 29, 2018 15:10:53 GMT
However, I was and remain on the astonished side of surprised that anyone thought that Southgate would do anything else. So you're actually astonished that I didn't expect our national team manager to effectively throw a game at the World Cup finals in order to have an easier (debatable) passage to the final? I'm not only astonished that you're astonished at that, I'm also astonished that you're openly accepting that decision and subsequent display last night and not questioning the integrity of it all. It was piss-poor and we really are in serious danger of having egg on our faces come Tuesday night. If I was the Colombia manager, I'd show my squad a copy of that game last night and all the comments in the media regarding the 'easier' route - they wouldn't need any further motivation to dump us out of the competition after that. |
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 29, 2018 15:14:24 GMT
Most of the comments from supporters who were there ( and very few would just be there for the one match) Have you got the stats to back that up, archie? That's pure conjecture on your part and you know full well it is. Also, if you read my post thoroughly, it wasn't just about those that went out there. I'm talking about all those that went out to pubs etc to watch, plus those that work nights that used holidays to take time off and stocked up on beer to watch at home, or even those (like me last week) that had to sneak a watch on their phones or tablets while in work. |
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 30, 2018 18:32:03 GMT
The groundsman won't need to touch this pitch after Uruguay and Portugal have finished rolling about on it - it'll be flatter at full time than it was before kickoff!
|
|
|
|
Post by bringbacklenwhite on Jun 30, 2018 19:46:12 GMT
If Ronaldo spent as much time looking at the ball at his feet as he does looking at the
big screen to see if he is on it he would be twice the player he is.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2018 20:13:07 GMT
Pleased Ronaldo has been knocked out (and the rest of them!) - Uruguay were holding on a bit at the end and once Cavani went off they lost their outlet ball. I thought Laxalt was exceptional for Uruguay.
|
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 30, 2018 20:52:07 GMT
If Ronaldo spent as much time looking at the ball at his feet as he does looking at the big screen to see if he is on it he would be twice the player he is. Absolutely THIS ^^^ |
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Jun 30, 2018 20:54:06 GMT
Pleased Ronaldo has been knocked out (and the rest of them!) - Uruguay were holding on a bit at the end and once Cavani went off they lost their outlet ball. I thought Laxalt was exceptional for Uruguay. ... and this ^^^ Godin is a proper world class defender too - more than just a hint of Baresi about him. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 17:07:26 GMT
Spain are out!
|
|
|
|
Post by hermannsays on Jul 1, 2018 20:57:06 GMT
Russia didn't listen to the advice from the studio that they should 'go for it' as they're the hosts - and that's why they went through!
|
|
|
|
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Jul 2, 2018 20:41:13 GMT
sadly the results went wrong today, but japan have to go home with huge pride. excellent, exciting stuff. I've still not watched much of it live when there are highlights programmes every night, but i've watched bits of france v argentina, extra time and pens of russia v spain, and then the last 20 tonight and there really has been some great football and great tension. bizarre how differently this world cup is turning out to how people expected, both in terms of performances, and how russia has seized the self-promotional opportunity brilliantly to help us forget all the institutionalised intolerance and political chicanery.
|
|
