World Cup Thread

[Monkcaster_Rover]

What a thoroughly enjoyable world cup.

England surpassed expectations and seen some cracking goals and ridiculous decisions. Ace.

[Draytonian III]

Ashley Cole ,maybe only a defender but he was world class

[PDX_Rover]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

[GazLaz]

Cole was world class without doubt.

[NickDRFC]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

[GazLaz]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I don’t get why people don’t like Cole as a person. People used to think the same about Defoe as well. Misconception on both parts I think.

[NickDRFC]

It was his book and what he wrote about being offered a new contract by Arsenal, throw in what’s admittedly paper talk about sleeping around and it doesn’t paint a picture of a pleasant individual.

[DonnyNoel]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I don’t get why people don’t like Cole as a person. People used to think the same about Defoe as well. Misconception on both parts I think.

I think with Cole it was the comments in his autobiography re Arsenal "only" offering £55k p/w when he wanted £60k p/w. It was coming around the time that fans were starting to resent the money explosion so he took a lot of flak for it. He did a small interview with The Guardian lately about his life in America and the unfair media perception of him and he came across quite well.

[Filo]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I reckon Paulo Maldini and Roberto Carlos would have something to say about that

[DonnyNoel]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I reckon Paulo Maldini and Roberto Carlos would have something to say about that

He was at his peak when Maldini had mainly switched to centre back and Carlos was just starting to decline. He was the stand out LB at WC 2006 and the best in the world.

[RedJ]

Both were entering their 90s when he was at his peak to be fair.

[idler]

You can only be compared to the players around at the time. It's not your fault if your peers are starting to age. There was a time when he would have got in most good sides, home and abroad.
His comments about his wage at Arsenal were very ill advised. Didn't he say that he felt like a slave? An absolutely ludicrous comment that endeared him to no one.

[NickDRFC]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I reckon Paulo Maldini and Roberto Carlos would have something to say about that

He was at his peak when Maldini had mainly switched to centre back and Carlos was just starting to decline. He was the stand out LB at WC 2006 and the best in the world.

Exactly this.

[GazLaz]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I don’t get why people don’t like Cole as a person. People used to think the same about Defoe as well. Misconception on both parts I think.

I think with Cole it was the comments in his autobiography re Arsenal "only" offering £55k p/w when he wanted £60k p/w. It was coming around the time that fans were starting to resent the money explosion so he took a lot of flak for it. He did a small interview with The Guardian lately about his life in America and the unfair media perception of him and he came across quite well.

Ask Ronaldo who the best left back he’s played against is....

Regarding the money at Arsenal, he was promised a deal that never ended up materialising. They said one thing and did another, that’s what pissed him off.

[DonnyNoel]

Ashley Cole? He was awful.

Anyway, best WC since 1990 imho.

Ashley Cole was/is a world class tosser but he was some player, he was the best left back in the word for several years. I can’t believe that someone would call him awful unless they’re describing his personality.

I don’t get why people don’t like Cole as a person. People used to think the same about Defoe as well. Misconception on both parts I think.

I think with Cole it was the comments in his autobiography re Arsenal "only" offering £55k p/w when he wanted £60k p/w. It was coming around the time that fans were starting to resent the money explosion so he took a lot of flak for it. He did a small interview with The Guardian lately about his life in America and the unfair media perception of him and he came across quite well.

Ask Ronaldo who the best left back he’s played against is....

Regarding the money at Arsenal, he was promised a deal that never ended up materialising. They said one thing and did another, that’s what pissed him off.

True, and also worth noting that was the start of Arsenal's decline when they started letting the big name players leave to rivals for better contracts.

[ravenrover]

Thank goodness it’s over, just could not get interested in it and didn’t watch the final in fact only watched 3 games in total. The trouble is it reaches saturation point just as the coverage of the Premier League has. Every paper you pick up every time the tv or radio is on the social media coverage everyone in the pub talkng about it it’s all just too much. Now where is that darkened room I need to go and lie down I need to think about something more relaxing like errrrm oh I know Brexit😱

[GazLaz]

Thank goodness it’s over, just could not get interested in it and didn’t watch the final in fact only watched 3 games in total. The trouble is it reaches saturation point just as the coverage of the Premier League has. Every paper you pick up every time the tv or radio is on the social media coverage everyone in the pub talkng about it it’s all just too much. Now where is that darkened room I need to go and lie down I need to think about something more relaxing like errrrm oh I know Brexit😱

Each to their own I suppose.

[RoversAlias]

Thank goodness it’s over, just could not get interested in it and didn’t watch the final in fact only watched 3 games in total. The trouble is it reaches saturation point just as the coverage of the Premier League has. Every paper you pick up every time the tv or radio is on the social media coverage everyone in the pub talkng about it it’s all just too much. Now where is that darkened room I need to go and lie down I need to think about something more relaxing like errrrm oh I know Brexit😱

If you only watched three matches then you have seriously missed out, excellent football and excellent drama throughout this entire tournament. It hasn't left me burnt out either, I can't wait to go and watch Rovers again in a couple of weeks!

[keith79]

Played 6. Won 2 in 90mins 1on penos and got beat 3 times. The only way the world cup is coming home is if someone Knicks it.

[The Red Baron]

I have to say I fancied France before a ball was kicked, although not strongly enough to back them with hard cash. I wondered if it might be a World Cup too early for them. After the Group stage, where they were underwhelming, I tended to rule them out and it was only after the Argentina game I took much notice of them. Even then I thought Belgium would probably do them in the semis.

They are an example of team that timed their run just right. They reminded me a lot of Italy in 1982 who stank the place out in the Group Stages, only getting through a modest group on Goal Difference but then coming to life against Brazil and Argentina in the second phase. England's performance was a lot like 1982 as well. Very impressive in the early stages but unable to find another gear as the tournament progressed. At least we got further this time.

[dickos1]

Played 6. Won 2 in 90mins 1on penos and got beat 3 times. The only way the world cup is coming home is if someone Knicks it.

Played 6. Won 2 in 90mins 1on penos and got beat 3 times. The only way the world cup is coming home is if someone Knicks it.

2 of the defeats were meaningless, you’ve included the Croatia defeat but not the Columbia win. Both were after 90 mins.

If you can’t get excited about our joint best major tournament ever outside of England then there’s summat up with you.

[Tarkovsky_Mikluzhkin]

It almost as though people are comparing England's performance to a mythical average that doesn't exist.

If you don't win in the 90 it doesn't count as a win  but if you go on to get beat it counts as a loss! Is very weird. I'm sure Croatia fans don't think this.

The easy route theory is an interesting one. In the UK it's "No, Germany,Brazil, Dutch, Spain or Italys"
ROW "they played Sweden in the QF - A very easy opponent as the couldn't even get a result against a German team in total disarray"
I don't know what this says about UK football fans but it is interesting.

Also all 4 of England's KO opponents were group winners. France played two 2nd place teams to get to SF. (Admittedly they convincingly beat both the group winners they faced and we lost to the same opponents).

That win against Sweden was the kind of win a champion has (no dramas fairly easy) and they were heading that way against Croatia too but then lost a bit of control. it's going to be difficult going forward as the average England fan gives the players more respect for winning a coin toss against Colombia than a football match against Sweden.

[Tarkovsky_Mikluzhkin]

I also find the plaudits Lukaku is getting absolutely baffling.
Kane scores 6 goals mostly against the total shit teams but then gets criticism for only scoring 1 in the last 5 games.
Lukaku scores 4, none in the last 5 games, and all his goals were against the same shit teams Kane scored against.
It's especially head scratching considering the flak England's midfield get for not creating compared with the "genius" tag attached to de Bruyne,  hazard and Co. Lukaku fluffed loads of chances and only scored against crap teams but is "world class" compared to Kane can anyone explain this?

[NickDRFC]

I also find the plaudits Lukaku is getting absolutely baffling.
Kane scores 6 goals mostly against the total shit teams but then gets criticism for only scoring 1 in the last 5 games.
Lukaku scores 4, none in the last 5 games, and all his goals were against the same shit teams Kane scored against.
It's especially head scratching considering the flak England's midfield get for not creating compared with the "genius" tag attached to de Bruyne,  hazard and Co. Lukaku fluffed loads of chances and only scored against crap teams but is "world class" compared to Kane can anyone explain this?

Lukaku played extremely well in the knock out stages. He fluffed a couple in the 3rd place play off and I don't think he scored after the group stages but his all round game was superb for most of the tournament.

Kane scored more but was far less effective - of course some of this may be to do with the fact that Lukaku had De Bruyne & Hazard alongside him whereas Kane had Alli and Sterling. I don't want this to come across as a criticism of Kane as to score 6 goals is an outstanding achievement, but after the group stages the only really good game that I think he had was against Colombia, and a decent performance against Sweden.

I think Lukaku had a better World Cup but I'd rather have a fully fit and firing Kane in my team.

[dickos1]

I think lukaku only played well in the knockout games against Brazil, he didn’t do much against a very poor Japan side and neither did he do much against France.
Kane’s best game of the tournament was against Columbia he was outstanding, he was also good against Sweden in the first half bit from then on he was poor, including the Croatia and Belgium games

But nobody has really played well in every game, messi and ronaldo struggled in games.

[RedJ]

Can't remember if I said it on this thread or not but Kane was carrying an injury after the Colombia game apparently.

[Superspy]

Thank goodness it’s over, just could not get interested in it and didn’t watch the final in fact only watched 3 games in total. The trouble is it reaches saturation point just as the coverage of the Premier League has. Every paper you pick up every time the tv or radio is on the social media coverage everyone in the pub talkng about it it’s all just too much. Now where is that darkened room I need to go and lie down I need to think about something more relaxing like errrrm oh I know Brexit😱

If you only watched three matches then you have seriously missed out, excellent football and excellent drama throughout this entire tournament. It hasn't left me burnt out either, I can't wait to go and watch Rovers again in a couple of weeks!

Agreed, I got really into this WC in a way I haven't in recent major tournaments. Thoroughly enjoyed all of it and watched most of the matches, working meant I had to miss a few of the 3rd round group games. I haven't been particularly inspired by what's gone on at Rovers over the summer but I can't wait to be in a stadium watching a live match again. Season ticket at the ready...

[drfchound]

Can't remember if I said it on this thread or not but Kane was carrying an injury after the Colombia game apparently.

Agreed, he took a serious battering from those Colombian cheats and it must have had an effect on HK.


As for those two posts by Tarkovsky, well they perfectly sum up the anti England team bias that some “sing when we’re winning” people ( I won’t call them fans) have.

[RoversAlias]

Lovren is deluded. He thinks he's one of the best defenders in the world so anything else he says must be taken with a pinch of salt.

[GazLaz]

I see Dejan Lovren's come out and had a moan about the referee, France and claiming Croatia played the better football.

All well and good, but...

1) The free-kick for the first goal may not have been a free-kick, however, the referee didn't score the goal or tell Croatia's defenders to sit way too deep - thus inviting on pressure where any touch is going to cause major problems for the GK.

2) The penalty for the second goal was questionable, however a French player got his head to the ball first. Now if defenders do their job properly, this shouldn't happen.

Poor excuses in an attempt to justify his team's own shortcomings, which he was partly responsible for.

France were fortunate to win so comfortably looking at all the data out there. Croatia were the better team. Nobody say “France were obviously the better team because they won” because that’s an opinion of a moron.