World Cup 2018

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To be fair not many teams look special. There is an awful lot of dross. Many of the teams have absolutely no idea what to do when they have the ball.

I can see why you would want to give countries a guarantee of more than one game but there has to be a way to encourage more positivity. Possibly four points for a win might improve things.

Most games at the finals, in the group stage, are of little interest to me. I see the goals on news progs and sometimes watch the highlights / lowlights progs.

Cricket, tennis and the lottery of Ascot flat racing is more entertaining.

I have seen very little more entertaining in any sport than the Portugal/Spain game and a repeat of that could still be the final.

Yeah, the group games aren't maybe of interest to every one but I doubt Wales' were two years ago but, believe me, they are when you are there.

Although it would have made a good story I'm glad Germany won. Sweden are one of the sides that do not appear to want to win games. The number of teams with so called strikers that pass rather than shoot is extraordinary. 

But if Boateng's tackle is not a penalty there is no point in having penalties. The use of VAR does not appear to bring any more consistency to decision making. So what is the point?

I see VAR vindicated itself last night.

As I expected, post match inquests on the referee have simply been replaced by forensic enquiries on the VAR panel. Crazy of FIFA to introduce it at their flagship event rather than continuing to trial it around the world.

Still, we are getting some tasty matches....

comrade powell wrote:As I expected, post match inquests on the referee have simply been replaced by forensic enquiries on the VAR panel. Crazy of FIFA to introduce it at their flagship event rather than continuing to trial it around the world.

Was thinking the same thing. I can't imagine how nervous the refs are when trying to implement something they are unfamiliar with with an audience of hundreds of millions. Scary.

Doesn't look like we're going to see any drawing of lots or fair play stats to decide the groups. Great article here on past systems used to decide who went through....

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/27/the-six-oddest-tie-breaking-rules-in-world-cup-history

England at the world cup quiz: https://www.theguardian.com/atom/quiz/54b111d9-01e3-4c77-90d7-3c4e984ac552/football/2018/jun/28/world-cup-quiz-england-team-football

5/10.

Ashley wrote:England at the world cup quiz:  https://www.theguardian.com/atom/quiz/54b111d9-01e3-4c77-90d7-3c4e984ac552/football/2018/jun/28/world-cup-quiz-england-team-football

5/10.

Got your answers !

8. I got the first two wrong.

4/10 but I did play my reserves.

Re the 1/4 final predictions compo, here's how many of our teams got through the groups...

7 Weirdtown, Benny, Ashley
6 Powell, Rudi

Well, should England beat Colombia, their quarter final will clash with our friendly against Reading, which I’m sure will see the kick off altered...

...for England. Make them play bar 10pm over there or something. We coped at 11 against Margate.

Feels weird to be let down by the Germans

Don't you mean at ten over here? Aren't the Ruskis in a different time zone?

Thoughts on tonight's 'match'....

1) Understand Southgate's reasons for his team selection but a mistake. Momentum lost and it would have been better to give the definites a real test before the real tournament starts.

2) none of those reserves made a case for themselves with Rose's embarrassing non tackle surely ruling him out.

3) Kane had better stay fit.

4) There must be some spaces in a gulag for that truly awful band

5) Play the reserves again against Colombia and we can avoid Brazil in the final.

Luton Roman wrote:

Ashley wrote:England at the world cup quiz:  https://www.theguardian.com/atom/quiz/54b111d9-01e3-4c77-90d7-3c4e984ac552/football/2018/jun/28/world-cup-quiz-england-team-football

5/10.

Got your answers !

That’s so you knew my score was genuine

comrade powell wrote:Thoughts on tonight's 'match'....

1) Understand Southgate's reasons for his team selection but a mistake. Momentum lost and it would have been better to give the definites  a real test before the real tournament starts.

Or you could take the view that it is quite difficult to win 7 games on the trot to win the cup. This way we get a defeat out of the way for a four game winning streak.

And Belgium reserves trying not to win is not a real test.

In terms of momentum, had it been two or three changes and we'd lost, I would have been concerned. Because they made so many, you'd think those coming back in would still have the momentum from Panama (I expect it'll be eight changes again and you'd end up with the same XI as against Tunisia or Panama). Ok, it's on a completely different level, but say City win four matches in a row in September, Jerry makes eight changes for a SPC tie at Paulton which we lose, by the time we return to league action four days later I wouldn't think "oh, that defeat at Paulton might knock confidence."

Despite that, I didn't think there needed to be that many alterations. I don't think for a second they looked ahead and thought 'we need to get into the other half of this draw' because England have suffered enough disasters at major tournaments to last a lifetime. I would have preferred to top the group as I think they would beat Japan, if that's followed by a brave defeat by Brazil I can cope with it. All I wanted from this tournament was no humiliation. Even if we beat Colombia (who so far have only sparkled against a pitiful Poland side) I think they'll have a very tricky quarter final, whoever it is (probably Sweden), and that seems to have gone unnoticed.

I also think Trippier is almost as important as Kane. The set-pieces tonight were woeful.

Given that Belgium did exactly the same thing (plus one) then I'm not sure why there is any criticism of the changes.

And we should have drawn but for Rashford's miss (imagine the stick Sterling would have got if he'd done that).

No doubt if we lose to Colombia then it will be because of the changes and if we win then nothing more will be mentioned about it.

Some England fans must rake in millions from the Lottery as they seem to have super powers of prediction. There have already been enough upsets in the tournament to make forecasting that very lottery. Yes, avoiding Brazil until the final (you are aware of our record in ko matches, Tovid?) makes sense but are Mexico going to lie down and die? Neither Sweden or Switzerland are weak teams and are more than capable of doing to England what a long line of 'minor' sides have done to us in previous tournaments.
What seems odd about Southgate resting his first choices is that he made it clear that he wasn't happy about the performance against Panama - so why not use last night to put some things right?

stillmanjunior wrote:Even if we beat Colombia (who so far have only sparkled against a pitiful Poland side) I think they'll have a very tricky quarter final, whoever it is (probably Sweden), and that seems to have gone unnoticed.

What also seems to have gone unnoticed by just about everyone is that we are in the same half of the draw as Spain.

To be fair before the tournament most people would not have given us a hope against any of the sides in the last 16.

I do not expect Spain to get past Russia. De Gea has already been setting himself up for a calamity in that match.