Pre season friendlies

comrade powell wrote:

yuffie wrote:I think the most important thing to note is that if England finish second in their group they could be playing in the quarters at the same time as the Reading game.

I'd wager that there's more chance of seeing me at the Reading match than England in the quarters.

What would your last 8 be?

comrade powell wrote:

yuffie wrote:I think the most important thing to note is that if England finish second in their group they could be playing in the quarters at the same time as the Reading game.

I'd wager that there's more chance of seeing me at the Reading match than England in the quarters.

Gareth Southgate will be pinning that quote up on the dressing room wall.

BenE wrote:

comrade powell wrote:

yuffie wrote:I think the most important thing to note is that if England finish second in their group they could be playing in the quarters at the same time as the Reading game.

I'd wager that there's more chance of seeing me at the Reading match than England in the quarters.

What would your last 8 be?

As a firm believer that we should post in the relevant section I've started a new world cup thread here...

https://bathcityfc.forumotion.co.uk/t2035-world-cup-2018

I agree that talk of England's prospects in the world cup should be in another forum. Having said that, I think that plucky England may get to the semi-finals of a major competition this century.

yuffie wrote:

comrade powell wrote:

yuffie wrote:I think the most important thing to note is that if England finish second in their group they could be playing in the quarters at the same time as the Reading game.

I'd wager that there's more chance of seeing me at the Reading match than England in the quarters.

Gareth Southgate will be pinning that quote up on the dressing room wall.

I think if England win their group, then brush aside whoever stands in their way twice, the semi-final will clash with Keynsham away.

Not forgetting the third-place play-off kicking off at the same time as our Bristol City friendly.

I don't think we've started a pre-season whilst England were still involved in a major tournament. That includes starting as early as 2nd July two years ago, a few days after the Iceland loss.

I think you're probably correct there. The good book doesn't list our friendlies for the summer of 66, when the WC final was played on 30 July, but our league season didn't ko until 20 August and we rarely played more than a couple of warm ups in those days.

And our heroes' two other storming tournaments in 1990 and 96 saw us go home long before the friendlies started. So that's another thing Southgate can pin up in the dressing room...

The friendlies will be a farce and what team features then will bear no relationship to the start of the season, because only post the WC will JG swoop into the transfer market and compile a squad made up of players who are a surprise package in Russia.

I fully expect a Mr Raheem Sterling to be leading our front line once he demonstrates that for the national team he can't hit a barn door from 12 paces and his club manager realises that his value will plummet; that's when JG snaps him up.
Problem with that is a Sterling, Watkins, Stearn front line where is our height? I wonder if Peter Crouch is available?

I think Sterling has already proved he can't hit a barn door. 38 caps, 2 goals.

BenE wrote:I don't buy this exhaustion nonsense. They play one maybe two 90 minute games per week for which they do nothing else all week but prepare for. I wish I could be that exhausted.

Bunch of prima donnas.

For the first time in years, the FA agree with me...

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/08/winter-break-to-come-into-force-in-premier-league-england

I'm willing to bet that the clubs will take the opportunity to play lucrative matches abroad, hence increasing the poor darling's workload.

I agree with you there!

turnstyle13 wrote:The friendlies will be a farce and what team features then will bear no relationship to the start of the season, because only post the WC will JG swoop into the transfer market and compile a squad made up of players who are a surprise package in Russia.  

I fully expect a Mr Raheem Sterling to be leading our front line once he demonstrates that for the national team he can't hit a barn door from 12 paces and his club manager realises that his value will plummet; that's when JG snaps him up.
Problem with that is a Sterling, Watkins, Stearn front line where is our height? I wonder if Peter Crouch is available?

Perhaps Axel can put in a word for us with this lad?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44418791

"Explaining his desire for a fresh challenge and an exit from the UK, the centre-half said: "It's just the way football is played; they need to get with the times. They need to pass more and try to keep the ball. The teams I've played for, it's been too hectic. It's just launching the ball forward as far as you can and trying to head the ball as far as you can."

He's clearly not heard about the Bath City Way!!