World Cup 2018

comrade powell wrote:updated table after semis...

8 Benny 2
7 Ashley  1
6 Powell   1
4 2Weirdo   0
3 Rudi      0
2 Beau   0
1 Junior   1
0 Tovid    0

You’ve missed my points from round two?

stillmanjunior wrote:

comrade powell wrote:updated table after semis...

8 Benny 2
7 Ashley  1
6 Powell   1
4 2Weirdo   0
3 Rudi      0
2 Beau   0
1 Junior   1
0 Tovid    0

You’ve missed my points from round two?

No complaints or appeals!

(table corrected... )

Ta.

France
Belgium

Croatia
England

I commented after England's first match that Kane had better stay fit. How wrong I was. After some decent performances in the group stage he has been almost anonymous in the four matches since, copying his non appearance at the Euros two years ago. He might well win the meaningless golden boot award but Southgate has got a big problem to solve unless we are going to become even more reliant on set pieces.

Although age is on their side, the strikers England took to Russia don't look to be the answer.

Age is on Kane and Rashford's side. That'll be Vardy's last big tournament I expect and I can't see Welbeck being considered. Doesn't play enough for his club, although his scoring record for England is decent.

I believe it's the first time England have lost three matches at a World Cup as well? They'll be booed off the plane when they're back in Birmingham tomorrow...

Ignoring the non victory against Colombia, the wins included those over an African team and Central American no hopers. I think a little perspective is needed.

Sometimes it’s the games against lesser opponents that are more difficult. Ok, not all the time - Panama were on par with someone like Moldova - but others become tricky, as England have proved in the past. The group in 2010 springs to mind.

I mean, in the Tunisia game it should have been the same half-time score as Panama. Would it have made a difference, looking back?

I’m not blinkered enough to think ‘we were incredible to get that far’ but these tournaments aren’t easy. You have to be on your game constantly, in the knockouts it’s one slip and you’re done. Look at Spain - if they had to play Russia three times you’d expect them to win twice at least. But on that day they messed up. Brazil as well, incredible pool of players but by the time the next World Cup comes along it’ll be 20 years since they won it. France haven’t won anything major since 2000.

There is regret because, yes, I can’t see England ever having this sort of route to the final again, but maybe this side would fare ok against bigger nations over time? I didn’t watch today but I think Belgium are one of the top three teams in the world, when they click they’re damn hard to beat. If you put these 32 teams in one league and they played each other twice, I reckon England would come 8th or 9th. Winning will become even harder when this ludicrous 48 team format comes into effect.

I’ve never pinned my hopes of England winning a major tournament. It’s not like City where every year you have three hopes - promotion, cup run, trophy run. I do, anyway. International tournaments don’t come around often enough and England are always just too short, whether it’s mentally or just a genuine lack of quality players, or manager. It was nice this year to get so close with a very likeable manager and a squad you could relate to because of some of their humble beginnings. I think there’s more to come from that when the likes of Luke Southwood could break through (genuinely believe that).

The most enjoyment I’ve had watching England at a World Cup by far and hope to get that buzz again. If not, I’ll settle for a few promotions and Cup runs in the next 22 years...

Agree with comrade and junior.

England need more flair / creativity in midfield; with world champions at u-20 and u-17 level there is hope, maybe a forlorn one, that some of those can break through into Premier League teams and then the senior international team.

Regardless of who we beat or didn’t beat it was great to have some excitement watching England again.

Hoping Croatia win today as I got them in the office sweepstake! If I’m not too late to make a prediction I’ll have them for that too please.

stillmanjunior wrote: ...England are always just too short, whether it’s mentally or just a genuine lack of quality players, or manager. It was nice this year to get so close with a very likeable manager and a squad you could relate to because of some of their humble beginnings. I think there’s more to come from that...

Agree with most of that. While I believe the preparation this time sounded far more thorough, the tournament 'mentality' still doesn't appear to be present. To be world champions requires winning 4 matches in 2 weeks - I have never thought we have been capable of doing that in 50 years. It doesn't help that so many of our players are not fit enough for the demands of a month long tournament - Kane is the prime example of this and Southgate needs to handle his apparent demands to play in every fixture - the 100 mph style of play in the EPL won't change so the format must. I guess next winter's week off is a start but it looks very half-hearted.  

Yes, there's a definite lack of quality players. The success of the younger age group teams is very encouraging, but unless Chelsea, Man City etc give them more game time Southgate will continue to select from a limited pool. Also the long term replacements for relatively limited players like Jones and Henderson are not going to improve playing in the EPL - if they are really ambitious they should be looking to play abroad. I watch a lot of coverage of La Liga - even the mid table clubs play football of a far higher quality than we see every week in England.

England may well wait many years for an opportunity to reach a final like today's - I don't think they would beat France but the easy draw and superiority over Croatia in the first half is something that may come back to haunt them. They have just come 4th of 4 European teams - and the likes of Germany, Italy and Holland will surely not be so weak again in 2 years time.

The fact is they got to a world cup semi final without any outstanding players. You cannot take that away from them. They may not have the bottle to win the ruddy thing but they did jolly well.
Personally I think we would have done better if Lallana was fit but that wasn't to be. 
The lack of genuine class is a worry. You do not see any on the horizon. And zero leaders. Where are the defenders who will throw their body at anything? Where are the midfielders who will actually run when they don't have the ball?
Is it being coached out of them or are they just lazy?
Given this it emphasises how well we actually did with meagre resources. But the prospects of it happening again do not look good.

Meagre resources? The FA have poured countless millions into their set up to support the national team - apparently the equivalent of St George's Park doesn't exist in Croatia, a country whose population would fit into a few London boroughs. If the Wembley white elephant is to be flogged off there will be even more money - we're told much of the profits will go towards the academies who continually fail to produce the players you rightly complain about that we lack.

But I assume by 'meagre resources' you're referring to those players who were available to Southgate. Yes, the cupboard seems pretty bare but already I'm hearing the phrase 'golden generation' being bandied about again!

As I said to my wife these players are not fit to lace the boots of the 1990 team.

The FA is a busted flush. They sold out to the premier league and there is no going back.

And the 1990 team weren't fit to lace the boots of the 1970 team!

Then as now the squad was thin Peter Bonetti Jeff Astles but some giants of the game nevertheless.

Final predictions table...

8 Junior* 1
8 Benny
7 Powell* 1
7 Ashley
4 2Weirdo
3 Rudi
2 Beau
0 Tovid

* finished in higher position due to correctly predicting Belgium would beat England on Saturday.

The open top bus parade is due in Peasedown this evening.

It never occurred to me there would be another round. 

Went pretty much as I expected. France are just that bit more ruthless than any other team and Belgium are far too good for England. Bath City was a far more attractive proposition than another England under performance.

Apparently if you can kick the ball accurately with one foot some of the time you are worth 50K a week. But if you can run very fast but not be that good with the ball with either foot you are worth 100K.

No one would be able to afford Tom Finney nowadays.

Before it started I thought the winners would come from Germany, Spain, Brazil or France and it would be a pretty safe bet to place your money on one of those 4 in 2022. According to the media frenzy we can assume that England will be the reigning European champions so  perhaps they will be in the mix as well.

Although I had low expectations, I really enjoyed the tournament but I fear that maybe as good as it gets. A midwinter tournament  in Qatar won't seem right and the bloated 48 team thing in 2026 could be a real turn off. And quite why Mexico and USA are getting yet another tournament is ridiculous. But money is the only factor these days...

a mid winter tournament will be a novel experience. No doubt all the teams in the premier league will find something to grizzle about which I will enjoy.

But a 48 team tournament fills me with horror. You have already got a load of inadequate teams at a 32 team tournament. You will just have 16 more.

Or will it just guarantee that nearly teams like Italy and Holland can get in.