The ONLY World Cup thread (merged)

[goonersid]

So there we go Ingerlands World Cup campaign is over and no doubt they have covered themselves and restored the pride of the nation.
Won 3
Drew 1 (won on pens)
Lost 3 (one against a team who according to tv pundits were trying not to win)
With form like that winning the Euros and the World Cup must only be a formality!!
Wake up and smell the coffee Ingerland were their usual SHITE self!
I’ve never heard so many positives taken what in reality was nothing more than media hype!

[northbank123]

Really enjoyed watching Lukaku today. Epitome of a flat track bully - filled his boots against two shit sides in first two games and looks like being no goals since then.

Twice he has been put clean through on goal with great slide-rule passes and he has hilariously miscontrolled both.

What a fucking waste of £75m. To think they could probably have signed Kane for £10-20m more.

Yeah and Kane has been brilliant today and scored all his goals against the best in the competition, Tunisia, Panama and a fuckin pen against Columbia

You’re pushing on an open door there Sid. Three penalties, two tap ins agains Tunisia and one of the luckiest deflections I’ve ever seen must be the least impressive Golden Boot haul ever!

Hazard was several cuts above anybody else on that pitch, de Bruyne had moments of brilliance but he really does strike me as a petulant little prick.

[northbank123]

Read an interesting article about Modric - apparently quite widely hated in Croatia as a result of a recent court case. Corruption is rife in their domestic system and one of the main corporate players at Dinamo Zagreb was on trial about various irregularities including in Modric and Lovren's transfers. Modric had told everybody that this bloke had fraudulently changed documents and various other things and then to general amazement got up on the stand and claimed he couldn't remember anything about anything. Now being investigated for perjury.

I have to admit that I love watching the guy playing football. I always thought he was overrated at Spurs and my memories of playing against them was Fabregas generally pissing all over him every time we played them. But every single time I watch him play these days he is better. Absolute Rolls Royce footballer.

[xisstential]

Would love to see Croatia win as they have come through three 120 minute matches on the bounce...that really takes some doing seeing as England were out on their feet after having a fairly easy win in their previous against Sweden. Having said that though, France had a much tougher route to the final and probably deserve it.

Read some great posts on here about Southgate & this England side....I can understand the Johnny come lately's, the media and the glory hunters spouting their nonsensical hype but a lot of football fans on here should really know better. England had an incredibly lucky draw and tbh still made heavy weather of it (9 of their 12 goals from set pieces) and as somebody rightly pointed out on here, should they lose the third place play off, it means they played 7, won three, lost three, drew one. A new dawn????

Anyway...let the season begin and the brand new Arsenal start strutting their stuff

Yep return to real football Croatia winning would be nice as I will win a few quid as I have them in the local sweepstake some money as runner up already

Bet one Croatian is feeling very silly this past week step forward Nikola Kalinic sent home from the world cup after refusing to come on as a sub in their first game,chance to play in the biggest game in your career and winning the biggest prize,what a c...

WTF?

Really? How did I miss that story?

What a prize prick. Hopefully he will never get asked to play for his country again and hopefully if they win it they won't give the entitled cùnt a medal. I wonder if he would be due one though if he was part of the squad but got sent home?

Anyone know?

I only read this story during the week...apparently refused to come on in the 85th minute in their opening game v Nigeria. Was sent home, now the players will decide whether he gets a medal or not as he is/was part of the squad.

If Croatia win it, after three 120 minute matches they will really have earned it, don't know how keen his team mates will be for him to share in the glory after basically leaving them a man down

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Most of the players that have started every game for england, start again today - is that cos they want to win the game badly, or is it as I suspect, a lack of confidence in the squad depth ?

5 changes that is almost half the team

But they are the same players that have been brought on as subs too - leaving aside the group game against belgium, there must be 6 or 7 players that have seen no game time

Well at least welbeck will be fresh

[StuartL]

The only thing Southgate has on previous English managers is he has his stroke of luck whereas they didn’t.

If the Colombian scores that penalty at 3-2 in the shootout it’s curtains. The narrative is that Southgate got given a golden ticket with a gift of a group draw and route through to the final and he fucked it. Scraped past a shit Tunisia, beat the worst team in modern World Cup history, lost to Belgium B and went to pieces against an insipid Colombia side only interested in cheating. No clean sheets and could only score from set pieces or Kane tap ins.

Instead he gets that stroke of luck in a penalty shootout and all of a sudden despite only actually winning one more game against a poor Sweden side before being outclassed by a decent Croatia side he is now a national hero who has restored pride.

Erikssen had a miles better squad to choose from but had some absolutely dire luck in three consecutive major tournament quarters, and is largely held out to be a failure.

He also had a squad(s) that didn’t get in well with each other. Loads of cliques existed as the likes of Rio Ferdinand admitted. It’s difficult to win things when you despise other players.

Southgate has to take credit for his man management. The last time I can remember a harmonious England squad was Venables Euro 96 team.

I’m not sure I’d call Hoddle & Waddle’s diamond lights “harmonious”

[augie]

Most of the players that have started every game for england, start again today - is that cos they want to win the game badly, or is it as I suspect, a lack of confidence in the squad depth ?

5 changes that is almost half the team

But they are the same players that have been brought on as subs too - leaving aside the group game against belgium, there must be 6 or 7 players that have seen no game time

Well at least welbeck will be fresh

I doubt too many Gooners will be ecstatic over that - I hear some are petitioning the club to get an extra long holiday after the world cup (2 or 3 months should suffice)

[augie]

Personally I think that southgate is an absolute bluffer who knows that he is incapable of managing players "with personality" (like wenker) and then picks nice quiet lads that he can control easier. That being said, I read some of his quotes from yesterdays post match press conference and I have to say that I have to give him massive kudo's -

"We're under no illusions as to where we stand as a team. We've finished in the final four, but we are not a top-four team yet. We know that, we've never hidden behind that. Against the very best teams, we've come up short."

He knows that expectations at home will have risen to an unrealistic level and he is rightly trying to inject some realism into the conversation. Most managers across the world would be giving it the big "myself and the team are brilliant" talk, but he is humble enough to recognise that they had an easy run and still have a long way to improve to the level that an english team should be at. He is also sending a message to the players that they need to up their game instead of sitting back now and complimenting themselves on a glorious campaign.

Again I have to say that my respect for southgate increased hugely yesterday and that even shocks me

[goonersid]

Would love Croatia to win but can’t see it! So I’ve had a bet on France 4-0

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Most of the players that have started every game for england, start again today - is that cos they want to win the game badly, or is it as I suspect, a lack of confidence in the squad depth ?

5 changes that is almost half the team

But they are the same players that have been brought on as subs too - leaving aside the group game against belgium, there must be 6 or 7 players that have seen no game time

Well at least welbeck will be fresh

I doubt too many Gooners will be ecstatic over that - I hear some are petitioning the club to get an extra long holiday after the world cup (2 or 3 months should suffice)

Hence the laughing after my quote, tbf I think we will sell him before the season starts.

[augie]

I would be happy with that, but tbh I cant see it - I think we are skirting very close to the home grown players minimum number as it is, and if jenks (probably) and ramsey (possibly) go, and the possible loan exits for nelson, nkeithih (sp ) and akpom (again ) happen, we wont have enough players to fill the home grown quota

[northbank123]

Personally I think that southgate is an absolute bluffer who knows that he is incapable of managing players "with personality" (like wenker) and then picks nice quiet lads that he can control easier. That being said, I read some of his quotes from yesterdays post match press conference and I have to say that I have to give him massive kudo's -

"We're under no illusions as to where we stand as a team. We've finished in the final four, but we are not a top-four team yet. We know that, we've never hidden behind that. Against the very best teams, we've come up short."

He knows that expectations at home will have risen to an unrealistic level and he is rightly trying to inject some realism into the conversation. Most managers across the world would be giving it the big "myself and the team are brilliant" talk, but he is humble enough to recognise that they had an easy run and still have a long way to improve to the level that an english team should be at. He is also sending a message to the players that they need to up their game instead of sitting back now and complimenting themselves on a glorious campaign.

Again I have to say that my respect for southgate increased hugely yesterday and that even shocks me

I think it's pretty universally accepted that Southgate has conducted himself really well. Should be a given for manager of the national side but after Hodgson going on a cruise down the River Seine instead of watching Iceland's final game and the Fat Sam debacle expectations were suitably lowered.

To be honest succeeding with the national side isn't about being a good club manager. Wales are a classic example - Gary Speed helped take Sheffield United down to the third tier and had zero other experience but did brilliantly for Wales. After leaving Fulham Coleman has gone from job to shit job and flopped at just about all of them - despite a slow start he turned Wales into a really decent side and generally did a phenomenal job.

If Southgate was given a PL job this season he would struggle.

[GranadaJoe]

Personally I think that southgate is an absolute bluffer who knows that he is incapable of managing players "with personality" (like wenker) and then picks nice quiet lads that he can control easier. That being said, I read some of his quotes from yesterdays post match press conference and I have to say that I have to give him massive kudo's -

"We're under no illusions as to where we stand as a team. We've finished in the final four, but we are not a top-four team yet. We know that, we've never hidden behind that. Against the very best teams, we've come up short."

He knows that expectations at home will have risen to an unrealistic level and he is rightly trying to inject some realism into the conversation. Most managers across the world would be giving it the big "myself and the team are brilliant" talk, but he is humble enough to recognise that they had an easy run and still have a long way to improve to the level that an english team should be at. He is also sending a message to the players that they need to up their game instead of sitting back now and complimenting themselves on a glorious campaign.

Again I have to say that my respect for southgate increased hugely yesterday and that even shocks me

Southgate received quite a bit of criticism for his tactics, but with no top wingers and no creative midfielders he did his best to get a tune out of a below standard fiddle.
My main criticsim of him was his perserverance with Sterling. Alli was crap, but Dier and Delph are worse.
England are definitely not a top four team: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Spain and probably others are better, but I'm pleased we did OK.

[GoonerMuzz]

Griezman is a diving little fuckwit and is all that is wrong with modern footballers, Croatian lad barely touched him and he was halfway down before contact was made. I thought VAR was supposed to resolve issues like this but now for the last few rounds refs have stopped using it.

[cameron326]

The quick hold by Pogba on Mandzukic in the area was a far clearer foul than the non contact on Griezmann.