World Cup Thread

[Copps is Magic]

What an absolutely mag f**king nificent complete performance form England.

A little OTT. It was a thoroughly competent performance against a Championship standard side. That’s not a criticism by the way. But “magnificent” is stretching it a bit.

Sweden Championship standard side 

A team that beat France and Italy in qualifying, finished above Holland and then finished above Germany in their group. Which championship side can match that?

I don't know what 66 was like for you Billy but in my lifetime this is the best I've seen.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It's the style Billy.  They're acting like men not spoilt rich boys and I think that's what makes it exciting.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Italy and Holland have their worst sides for a generation. Arguably Germany too. France? Yeah, good result. It happens.

My point is that we’ve just seen a perfectly competent performance from England against a side that was probably the weakest or second d weakest in the QFs. And that’s fine. You can only do what you need to do to beat what’s in front of you. We’re doing that well. And maybe there’s another gear for when we play a very good opponent. But I’m not really seeing it at the moment.

None of that says I won’t be on the edge of my seat on Weds night. You can be partisan and realistic at the same time.

I wouldn’t know about 66. I wasn’t born. Personally, I’d rank the current lot (in absolute terms and at the moment) behind the 82, 86 and 90 squads. They all showed that they had the ability to go toe to toe with the very best in the tournament and all three were unlucky not to go further. The current crop may well top them all. They’ve done very well to take advantage of the luckiest group and KO draw since Germany in 2002. Let’s see if there’s better to come.

[IDM]

IMHO all we need to add is a bit more free flowing one touch passing and early crossing to our game..  having the ball in a great position on the edge of their box to cross to 3 or 4 waiting players but ending up at our goalie isn’t great to watch..

But we won.!!

[NickDRFC]

BST, do you not think you’re contradicting yourself? How can you possibly say in absolute terms that this squad is behind the 82 squad? You talk about how Coppinger, a career lower league player, was streets ahead of the best players in the world 50 years ago, and yet you think that this squad isn’t any better than their counterparts of 36 years ago?

You might call yourself a realist and you could be right, but f**k me it must be depressing. I’m all aboard the it’s coming home bandwagon.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Nick

Yes. Bad choice of term. In fact totally incorrect choice of term. I meant “relative to the standard of the tournament.”

[rich1471]

wow watching England under Southgate is different we expect them to lump  the ball forward get a flick on and chase it , much more intelligent football been played and patient build up not what we expect but if it win again who cares   

[BillyStubbsTears]

Not depressing in the slightest me old cocker. You’ve obviously never seen me in action during a match...

[Copps is Magic]

wow watching England under Southgate is different we expect them to lump  the ball forward get a flick on and chase it , much more intelligent football been played and patient build up not what we expect but if it win again who cares

It's very intelligent football isn't it.

And that's what you need in a tournament. All the analysis about levels can be done later, it's irrelevant now.

[Tarkovsky_Mikluzhkin]

In 1990 we only beat one team inside regulation time (egypt) and needed two!! Pens to beat an African team in the quarters (lowest ranked shittiest team left in it), England cried when they won, They cried when they lost, they cried before the match, they cried during the anthem and they cried when they got booked = overated primadonnas the lot of em.

66 they played all their games at Wembley . Worst Uruguayan and French teams in history and even though the Germans had loads and loads of World and European champions on their team they were still one or the poorest german teams ever.

This lot are shit too!! Semi Final whatever!

Best England Team ever = that one in the 80s that got two 0-0 draws in the last 12. Joy division, the clash, buzzcocks, Billy Bragg and i was 21 job done.

[RedJ]

Couldn't give a f**k how good the squads are relevant to tournaments past or how good or bad the standard of the tournament has been as long as we're the ones lifting the trophy at the end of it.

[NickDRFC]

Couldn't give a f**k how good the squads are relevant to tournaments past or how good or bad the standard of the tournament has been as long as we're the ones lifting the trophy at the end of it.

Even if we don't win the trophy, it's some achievement. People will talk about Spain, Germany, Argentina falling out earlier, Italy and the Netherlands not even qualifying, but before the tournament how often did you hear that this is the worst England World Cup squad ever? That Gareth Southgate was a nodding dog, FA Yes Man (and that was probably the amongst the more polite of descriptions, I heard far worse)?

However we've done it, we've got to the semi-final of the biggest tournament in the world, and we've done it with a squad who seem to be all in it together and have done it with a smile on their face. If people want to pick fault in that, so be it, but for me even if we lose the next round I'll be proud of our side and look back on this tournament as the first one in some years that I've really enjoyed as an England fan.

[GazLaz]

All we have done so far is play four teams we are better than, won three and drawn one. Nothing spectacular. It’s just in the past we’ve failed to even do that.

[rtid88]

Don't understand at this point in the tournament how any English man can possibly be negative. We are in the Semi Final of the World F@cking Cup!! We have come across teams that have literally jumped on the backs of our players, rugby tackled our players and beaten them. We have beaten a team today that has previously had 3 clean sheets and beaten major international teams in the last year.
In the past an England team would have lost the last 2 games and drawn against Tunisia team but this team under Gareth Southgate have got fight, a style of player and a passion I have not seen from an England team probably for a long time!! Come on England!!!

[RedJ]

Couldn't give a f**k how good the squads are relevant to tournaments past or how good or bad the standard of the tournament has been as long as we're the ones lifting the trophy at the end of it.

Even if we don't win the trophy, it's some achievement. People will talk about Spain, Germany, Argentina falling out earlier, Italy and the Netherlands not even qualifying, but before the tournament how often did you hear that this is the worst England World Cup squad ever? That Gareth Southgate was a nodding dog, FA Yes Man (and that was probably the amongst the more polite of descriptions, I heard far worse)?

However we've done it, we've got to the semi-final of the biggest tournament in the world, and we've done it with a squad who seem to be all in it together and have done it with a smile on their face. If people want to pick fault in that, so be it, but for me even if we lose the next round I'll be proud of our side and look back on this tournament as the first one in some years that I've really enjoyed as an England fan.

I was very sceptical of his appointment. But he really has made the nation fall in love with this group of players and he's made us believe, even if it does go tits up between now and Sunday.

[drfchound]

I have to laugh when I read some of the posts, knocking this England team.
Good grief, apparently this is the worst set of opponents we have had to face, we have only beaten some second rate teams etc etc etc.

Befor the tournament began I got fed up of reading about the great German, Spanish and Brazil sides, even Belgium, and how we had no chance of winning it when those teams were in it.

Well, we have given ourselves a great chance of winning it and three of the teams that people were salivating over are at home watching us.

If we do end up as winners then no doubt the same people will be telling us how poor France or Belgium were on the day or that we got lucky when so and so happened in the game, but so what?

It will be a brilliant achievement by our young men and they should get the credit they deserve, not be looking for reasons why they were lucky to do so.

Even if we lose on Wednesday it has been a great tournament for us.

[Tarkovsky_Mikluzhkin]

OK so England might win the world cup but it's the worst standard of players at a tournament in living memory. Messi Ronaldo neymar mbappe hazard, none of those will be remembered as all time legends like the class of 82: such as that bloke that got knocked out by the German GK, A 15 year old Maradona and that Brazilian team that were out by group stages and as for OUR team wow! Ian Curtis, Joe Strummer and the goth guy from The Cure. What a team! 0-0 and then another 0-0 best two games we've ever played.
Not like this bunch of over paid, arrogant kids with too many over seas teammates and no winter break or 2nd division of top division reserves, they will never amount to anything.

[GazLaz]

There’s a difference between being negative and saying it how it is which me and BST have. Having the chance to get to a WC final without having to beat a major nation is a miracle.

[RedJ]

Who would we rather play in the semi final then, Russia or Croatia?

[rtid88]

Ok, let me rephrase rather than negative, stop being so flipping miserable!!! Cheer the chuff up!! #itscominghome

[Tarkovsky_Mikluzhkin]

In all seriousness if England win the World Cup the THEY'VE WON THE WORLD CUP. If England get to the final of the world cup THEY'VE GOT TO THE FINAL OF THE WORLD CUP. they are currently in the Semis something that has only happened in our major tournament history 4 times (and 2.5 of them were on home soil). I think we're better than Italy, Germany,Uruguay,Argentina,Netherlands etc... at the moment but the truth is our inferiority complex means we probably needed the likes of Sweden, Iceland, Mexico, Croatia and Belgium to KO these big names. I would have loved Germany to stay in and I reckon Southgate would have as well, they were very very beatable and what a glorious story of redemption that would have been. Unfortunately Japan were better than them Mexico were better than them and Sweden should have beaten them too but because all those teams were better than the Germans that somehow makes England shit for not playing them. It's very weird.

[Copps is Magic]

If we win the world cup we won't have won the world cup because gaz and bst, sat in their gazebo sipping cognac, thought the draw was too easy.

[PDX_Rover]

Well this is the best world cup I've seen since 1990.

England have no fear and play with poise and confidence. We're where we are on merit. I don't give a f**k about which half of the draw blah blah blah. This set of players have a quiet confidence about them. They have some resolve. They play as a team, not a bunch of highly paid individuals. That's the difference. I'm loving it, tbh.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Gaz

Not quite a miracle. And not even the easiest run to a final Germany in 2002 had Cameroon, Ireland and Saudi Arabia in their group. Then Paraguay in R2, USA in the QF and South Korea in the SF.

That was an awful Getmany side. Worst to get to a final in my lifetime. It happens occasionally. 

[sedwardsdrfc]

Why can't people just enjoy it without trying to rain on everyone else! Is there some weird pleasure people get out of bringing others down, a superiority complex or something like that?

We all know the draw is very favourable so i don't get what stating the obvious at every opportunity  achieves unless it is a superiority "i know better than you" thing, which is just a bit sad. I'm not on about the forum as much as i am in general where this kind of self gratification seems to be widespread (especially behind keyboards)

[BillyStubbsTears]

Copps

Come back when you’re sober.

You might then remember I was one of the ones two weeks ago and more saying England should make sure they lose to Belgium to get in the easier half of the draw.

Pretty straightforward to me. I can want England to win and be realistic about the quality of England and their opponents at the same time.

[bedale rover]

I saw England win the world cup in 1966!
But there was only 16 teams in the competition that year and 10 of those were European teams a couple from south America and North Korea

[BillyStubbsTears]

I love how threads develop a life of their own.

This discussion started off with CiM saying England were magnificent, me saying they did a competent job but it’s still hard to know how good they are.

A couple of hours later there’s folk getting their knickers in twist about negativity.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Pickford has been immense. His focus, his positioning, his shot stopping, his command in the box, and for me the way he's playing the ball out has been outstanding. His kicking is some of the best I've seen. Some of his balls have been inch perfect passes and have been a big factor in England taking an advantage.

Still can't stand the fashion for palming out these days but I guess it's to do with the light balls.

[Donnywolf]

I saw England win the world cup in 1966!
But there was only 16 teams in the competition that year and 10 of those were European teams a couple from south America and North Korea

Good god - I was calming a couple of lads down in local Sainsburys today - and they were singing / chanting etc. I said whoa whoa dont go too early ! Its different for me I said as I have seen England WIN the World Cup so even if Sweden do us (which is unlikely) I at least have the main prize won already

What I did not realise (and I have the Progs etc) was there were so few Teams in it. Never mind we - still won and my other magic memory was that North Korea were the "underdogs" and well supported as well !
Still can only remember Pak doo Ik as a NK Player