World Cup Discussion

[Scooter]

Emma Hayes has been one of the best additions to ITV’s coverage. Sam Matterface one of the worst.

Karen Carey is shite. Ally McCoist is the banter likeable one but he’s shit too. Lee Dixon shit. I like Laura Woods as an host.

All my opinion of course.

I agree with all of this

[NickDRFC]

Speaking of pundits, I find Olivier Giroud painful to watch. He just doesn’t speak English well enough and the little that he is offering is really basic analysis. Gael Clichy on the other hand has been excellent, whilst Wayne Rooney has also been surprisingly good.

[Pancho Regan]

Incredible play from Messi at the start and end of that sequence

No doubt he’s one of the best, but he should have been sent off for raking his studs down the opposing player in the first game.

I thought exactly the same PDX. I couldn’t help thinking that had it not been Messi, that would have been a nailed-on red card.

Terrible foul.
Did he even get a yellow?

[drfchound]

Most of the time during the World Cup I’ve not bothered with all pre match build up just turn the channel on about 5 minutes before kick off just to see who’s playing, but then again I do that with most of the Premiership matches I watch.
 When it’s a match from League 1 or 2 I tend to watch more of the build up because I have more of an interest it that.
 Also the so called experts are just ex players who have more ability than most, it doesn’t make them any different from someone who has only played lower league or even only amateur football

That is more or less what I do too, plus I switch the tv off soon after the end of the game.
I suppose the only time I switch on a bit sooner is for an England match, again because I’m more interested in what anyone has to say about certain things that have happened in a match.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Danny Murphy, stealing a wage and talking out of his backside again

Danny Murphy has an uncanny ability to use energy to process thoughts, then speak and the final outcome be that the Universe has less information in it than beforehand. Physicists are studying him intently.


Typical DM-isms.

Player shoots over bar. "He's got to hit the target from there"
Player misses a good chance. "He'll be disappointed with that"
Match is finely poised. "Next goal is going to be important"
One side is one ahead. "You feel if they get another one, they'll be more comfortable"
Sun comes up. "I see the sun's come up again."

[Rupee92ONLY]

27 minutes into this match and so far it’s been 26 minutes of talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and 1 minute talking about Roberto Martinez having to constantly talk about Cristiano Ronaldo.

[NickDRFC]

27 minutes into this match and so far it’s been 26 minutes of talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and 1 minute talking about Roberto Martinez having to constantly talk about Cristiano Ronaldo.

Found the commentary in the first half absolutely nauseating.

“Anyone who likes football will be pleased that Ronaldo scored”. Wouldn’t have thought so.

Free kick outside the box. “I can tell you there’s no one better to take it than him”. The same player who has routinely smashed free kicks over the bar for years?

Free kick goes in. After someone else takes it. “He’s as good an actor as he is a goalscorer. Fabulous decoy etc etc”.

The good news is this probably cements his place in the team for the rest of the tournament which weakens a rival for the trophy. The bad news is we have to constantly hear about it.

[ncRover]

It’s the yankification of this tournament. It has to be about the big names and their individual feats. Like basketball is.

As if Portugal wouldn’t have beaten Uzbekistan without him. Good for us that he’s scored though. Keeps him in the starting XI if we have to face them in the next round. Would be the easiest 90 minutes of Marc Guehi’s career.

[redwine]

Speaking of pundits, I find Olivier Giroud painful to watch. He just doesn’t speak English well enough and the little that he is offering is really basic analysis. Gael Clichy on the other hand has been excellent, whilst Wayne Rooney has also been surprisingly good.

....and Micah Richards channelling Bingo from the banana splits. Oh dear. Showing my age now.

[IDM]

I know Ghana are defending in numbers, but this is too pedestrian..

3 or 4 crosses from the right, all poor deliveries.  Need to step up a gear or two..

[donnyguy]

Utter garbage

[IDM]

Well that was crap.

No invention, no sense of urgency.  Expect another Tuchel “speech” at half time.

[Rupee92ONLY]

Proper sulky bas**rd Bellingham. Would he pass McCann’s good character test?

We’ll probably know within 10 minutes of second half whether Bellingham needs to come off or if he’s gonna go on to win us the game.

[IDM]

Too many players receiving the ball whilst stood still - if they are already running it’s much harder to defend against.  There’s hardly any momentum.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Our lazy complacent selves are in danger of losing this.

I guarantee you, they don't practice like this. Wake up!!

[IDM]

Still crap.  Slightly more positive but still no real threat.

[IDM]

Not good enough.

Can’t see England getting past the last 16 here.

Light years behind France etc.

[Scooter]

That was dull. Pickford should have been sent off

[Rupee92ONLY]

Thank f**k we didn’t get hit with a sucker punch there. I’ve flights and hotel booked for Atlanta for R32 and a loss there would’ve meant 2nd and us playing in Toronto.

Just beat Panama ffs.

[Draytonian III]

Not good enough.

Can’t see England getting past the last 16 here.

Light years behind France etc.

France are ok going forward, but in defence they don’t seem to be very strong

[Dn2Dn0]

Is it just me who didn't think that was so bad. Ghana executed their game plan brilliantly and deserve a lot of credit. Another day kane hits the targe late ont, the header off the line loops in or the header off the bar is an inch lower. Pretty bad spectacle of a game but didn't think england were poor by any stretch.

[Usher wide.]

Different manager, same old, same old.

[BillyStubbsTears]

VAR again.

If you're not intervening against a shocking decision like not giving the penalty against Konsa, what is the point of it?

[scawsby steve]

Not good enough.

Can’t see England getting past the last 16 here.

Light years behind France etc.

France are ok going forward, but in defence they don’t seem to be very strong

They'd be strong enough to deal with our attackers, that's for sure.

To be honest, I don't think we'll get far enough to face the likes of France.

[ChrisBx]

VAR again.

If you're not intervening against a shocking decision like not giving the penalty against Konsa, what is the point of it?

I thought the officials were poor for both sides tonight. Pickford got away with one when he came charging out of his box.

[NickDRFC]

Different manager, same old, same old.

Did you lose a sizeable sum betting on the odds on favourite again? Take it you missed the Croatia game which was the absolute antithesis of same old, same old.

[drfchound]

VAR again.

If you're not intervening against a shocking decision like not giving the penalty against Konsa, what is the point of it?

I’m pretty sure that if the ref had given Ghana a penalty that bst would have celebrated.

[Rupee92ONLY]

Is it just me who didn't think that was so bad. Ghana executed their game plan brilliantly and deserve a lot of credit. Another day kane hits the targe late ont, the header off the line loops in or the header off the bar is an inch lower. Pretty bad spectacle of a game but didn't think england were poor by any stretch.

I think we lacked concentration in middle and Gordon + the 2 full backs were very poor. I think it was Rooney who said that we won’t come up against a team set up like that in the knockouts so not too worried of a repeat.

My only concern is a few of our players look to be carrying injuries and a win tonight would’ve allowed them to be rested V Panama. Can’t afford to do that now (please win the group ). He took Anderson off to protect him because Rice is struggling.

Gordon can’t start again, especially in the knockouts. Teams will stalk Bellingham now so we need other threats through the middle. I’d be playing Rogers over Rashford and allow him to come into the middle as he likes, hopefully free’s up Bellingham a bit that way having 2 to deal with. Rashford is an impact sub for me.