As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
topgoon wrote:Looks like our French players will get a nice summer off next year as they've just lost 2-0 away to Ukraine.
The England game is embarrassing if you give a sh*t about these tossers(Jack,Kieran excluded), hilarious if you don't.
They'll sneak a draw but they have been so inferior to Chile with or without the ball, I worry for them when they get to the heat off Brazil.
School boy teams keep the ball better
Doesn't say much about our performance last Sunday when Jones ( Man of the match ) looks like a useless tosser and way out of his depth playing for ingerlund!
topgoon wrote:Looks like our French players will get a nice summer off next year as they've just lost 2-0 away to Ukraine.
The England game is embarrassing if you give a sh*t about these tossers(Jack,Kieran excluded), hilarious if you don't.
They'll sneak a draw but they have been so inferior to Chile with or without the ball, I worry for them when they get to the heat off Brazil.
School boy teams keep the ball better
Doesn't say much about our performance last Sunday when Jones ( Man of the match ) looks like a useless tosser and way out of his depth playing for ingerlund!
That game would have ended a draw if we woke up and realised that top players left free in the box will score from set pieces, never seen a bloke called zonal getting a header.
Last edited by topgoon on Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
no mobility in our play since the 'golden age' began, no pace up front, no ability to build from the back.
i don't know why we don't just go back to the English 4-2-4 and play with two wingers, a big mobile centre forward and a creative sidekick. at least we'd have a system other than 'pick the most popular players first then throw in a few kids for pace'....
Would love Ches to watch the video of the game on how to get the ball out under pressure to one of your own players...their keeper was very good at that and no stupid Cryuff turns either.
See ITV are having a gunners old boys reunion in the studio
topgoon wrote:Looks like our French players will get a nice summer off next year as they've just lost 2-0 away to Ukraine.
The England game is embarrassing if you give a sh*t about these tossers(Jack,Kieran excluded), hilarious if you don't.
They'll sneak a draw but they have been so inferior to Chile with or without the ball, I worry for them when they get to the heat off Brazil.
School boy teams keep the ball better
Doesn't say much about our performance last Sunday when Jones ( Man of the match ) looks like a useless tosser and way out of his depth playing for ingerlund!
That game would have ended a draw if we woke up and realised that top players left free in the box will score from set pieces, never seen a bloke called zonal getting a header.
No argument about that... my point was more to do with the media wankathon over him last weekend,
topgoon wrote:Looks like our French players will get a nice summer off next year as they've just lost 2-0 away to Ukraine.
The England game is embarrassing if you give a sh*t about these tossers(Jack,Kieran excluded), hilarious if you don't.
They'll sneak a draw but they have been so inferior to Chile with or without the ball, I worry for them when they get to the heat off Brazil.
School boy teams keep the ball better
Doesn't say much about our performance last Sunday when Jones ( Man of the match ) looks like a useless tosser and way out of his depth playing for ingerlund!
That game would have ended a draw if we woke up and realised that top players left free in the box will score from set pieces, never seen a bloke called zonal getting a header.
No argument about that... my point was more to do with the media wankathon over him last weekend,
He's a Manure player, I'm surprised a petition hasn't gone before the Pope to have him canonised
Phil Jones is a fucking donkey. I don't know whose measure he was MOTM by on Sunday but the only stand-out player on that pitch was Wayne Rooney. Phil Jones is so out of his depth at CM where all he can do is run round diving in and kicking people, proved to be such a calamity at his favoured centre-half position that Ferguson stopped playing him there after a few games and never reconsidered despite long-term injury problems there and has been fighting for nearly 2 years for the position of back-up RB behind Rafael.
I remember at the time not believing how ridiculously premature and exaggerative it was when supposedly expert pundits were writing sycophantic nonsense after about 10 games for United. Even now all he has to do is go 20 minutes without fucking up and he's supposedly having a blinder.
northbank123 wrote:Why even bother playing the likes of Lallana and Rodriguez? However you rate them reality is when push comes to shove at a major tournament England will just turn to the likes of Rooney, Welbeck, Defoe, perhaps Walcott out of position or even someone like Crouch or Bent.
The only real interest I have in the World Cup is watching Lampard and Gerrard panting after chasing shadows round all game in the Brazilian sunshine seeing as they'll both inevitably be going and at least one will start if fit!
If a load of southampton players who i would not even recognise can play for England so can i !
Can I ask some of the Welsh, Irish and Scottish posters on here who spin the long outdated myth that the English media build up our hopes of winning tournaments and have a certain arrogance......to please read some of the papers and listen to all of the journos on the Sunday Supplement
There isn't a single journo or pundit who thinks we can win the World Cup - not next year or anytime soon - and even a highly unlikely friendly win against Germany would only sway the most fickle pundit
SteveO 35 wrote:Can I ask some of the Welsh, Irish and Scottish posters on here who spin the long outdated myth that the English media build up our hopes of winning tournaments and have a certain arrogance......to please read some of the papers and listen to all of the journos on the Sunday Supplement
There isn't a single journo or pundit who thinks we can win the World Cup - not next year or anytime soon - and even a highly unlikely friendly win against Germany would only sway the most fickle pundit
I don't think the media do and I think their role has always been overstated - during a major tournament it's on the back pages every day (understandably) but to my mind it's been years since the papers seriously talked England up - certainly not since the hiding the Germans gave them. I think major tournament fever is mistaken for delusions of grandeur at times.
I do think that a lot of fans still have increased expectations though. Even though this has definitely diminished in the last half a decade and I don't know anyone who thinks England will or even can win the World Cup, a hell of a lot of people I know are still surprised when England really struggle to see off cack teams in tournaments or labour against almost any fairly organised side or chase shadows against any of the top teams.
For example, I have a mate who is very intelligent and is a die-hard Wolves fan - it's fair to say that in the true spirit of West Midlands football fans he is a pessimistic bastard. But when it comes to England he definitely has the blinkers on - rates Rooney only behind Ronaldo and Messi (even though he hates him and United), gives effusive praise to the workrate of James Milner instead of acknowledging that he's massively out of his depth on that stage, has confidence in players like Lescott starting due to injury in major tournaments, etc.
Home Nations football really is in the toilet at the moment mind
SteveO 35 wrote:Can I ask some of the Welsh, Irish and Scottish posters on here who spin the long outdated myth that the English media build up our hopes of winning tournaments and have a certain arrogance......to please read some of the papers and listen to all of the journos on the Sunday Supplement
There isn't a single journo or pundit who thinks we can win the World Cup - not next year or anytime soon - and even a highly unlikely friendly win against Germany would only sway the most fickle pundit
I don't think the media do and I think their role has always been overstated - during a major tournament it's on the back pages every day (understandably) but to my mind it's been years since the papers seriously talked England up - certainly not since the hiding the Germans gave them. I think major tournament fever is mistaken for delusions of grandeur at times.
I do think that a lot of fans still have increased expectations though. Even though this has definitely diminished in the last half a decade and I don't know anyone who thinks England will or even can win the World Cup, a hell of a lot of people I know are still surprised when England really struggle to see off cack teams in tournaments or labour against almost any fairly organised side or chase shadows against any of the top teams.
For example, I have a mate who is very intelligent and is a die-hard Wolves fan - it's fair to say that in the true spirit of West Midlands football fans he is a pessimistic bastard. But when it comes to England he definitely has the blinkers on - rates Rooney only behind Ronaldo and Messi (even though he hates him and United), gives effusive praise to the workrate of James Milner instead of acknowledging that he's massively out of his depth on that stage, has confidence in players like Lescott starting due to injury in major tournaments, etc.
Home Nations football really is in the toilet at the moment mind
That's really the issue - everyone misses football over the Summer and whilst most of us suffer complete apathy towards international football most of the time, the once every four years biggest tournament in the world gets us all enjoying a Summer of football. We'll have people over, have a few beers in the garden (and dare I say a BBQ ), put a few flags up etc.....but the reality is exactly what you've mentioned i.e. its football fever, rather than some expectation that we're going to conquer the world.
People will cling to the hope that one day England can do a Greece or a Denmark and stun everybody by winning a major tournament but it really is faint hope for a few people.
The example you gave with your Wolves supporting mate is probably one that rings true for followers of the lower division teams. I suppose you go into every season supporting Plymouth or Bristol Rovers knowing that its likely to be shit......so international football comes around and it gives everyone the chance to dream of a bit of glory. Even then I would say the majority of folk don't have any real expectation.....its just a break from watching miserable lower division football
), put a few flags up etc.....but the reality is exactly what you've mentioned i.e. its football fever, rather than some expectation that we're going to conquer the world.