World Cup

[BigAl]

First half they were very poor.

The early second half goal settled them and they looked a bit better in second half ( without being brilliant) and run out comfortable winners.

[Kowalski]

FFS.

[tom_widdows]

Shame about the result but did anyone else get to enjoy the whining on 5live's coverage?

 

Chris Waddle & Terry Butcher throwing more than toys out of their respective prams.

[tlg1903]

Waddle was fizzing, it was pretty funny.  Connor McNamara was good though, fine commentator.  Listened to 606 after, fuck me some England fans hate Stirling.  Thought he looked really nervous but overall sadly I was pretty impressed by England and it's a depressingly good result for them.  A Last minute winner that you totally deserve always gives your team a bounce and they will stuff Panama next game most likely.  The Belgium game could be a cracker going on both teams performances today though. 

[RicoS321]

A Last minute winner that you totally deserve

 

I'd say they possibly deserved it because of Tunisia's lack of trying to win the game. However, their overall play - after Tunisia scored - didn't really warrant a win. Anyone who didn't watch the opening 15 minutes would have thought they were pish.

 

It is now readily accepted that they have had "the best 20 minute spell of the world cup". That's now a thing, and a fact.

[Ten Caat]

Cant deny they deserved to win, they could and probably should, have been 4 up before giving away that stupid penalty.

 

Belgium should pump them in the final game of the group but by then both of them could already have qualified for the last 16 and end up playing a boring 0-0 game using fringe players and taking no risk of anyone getting injured.

 

As Ive said previous it should be Colombia they face in last 16. Just hope they dont fk things up against Japan later today

[OxfordDon]

 

 

As Ive said previous it should be Colombia they face in last 16. Just hope they dont fk things up against Japan later today

 

Red card and pen to Japan just 180 seconds into the match, think you might have jinxed them min 

[Jute]

1-1 now.

[Slim]

Is that Japanese keeper the guy who was old and shit for the pikeys?

 

 

[RicoS321]

Cant deny they deserved to win, they could and probably should, have been 4 up before giving away that stupid penalty.

 

I can. They came belting out the traps and expended all their energy in the first fifteen minutes, before struggling to create anything of note after that. It wasn't something they could have kept up for any length of time and it showed. It was clearly a tactical decision to come out pressing hard and high up, and it nearly worked for them. In the end they were exceptionally fortunate that the defender decided to try and dribble out of defence (think he actually took it over the line for a throw), giving away a corner, instead of passing down the line. They were the better side, but I don't think they deserved more than a draw. Their tactics were unsustainable, and they didn't come out of the period where they applied those tactics in the lead. In my view, they got lucky. Obviously, I wouldn't make quite the effort to disprove their deserving if it were any other team. Cunts.

[manc_don]

Great result for Japan, didn’t expect to win a game in that group. Wide open now.

 

Can’t believe teams are actually letting Russia win games. They’re an awful team and somehow seem to get the run of the green 

[donsdaft]

I'll give you they haven't played anyone good yet.

 

But it's great to see the host nation get off to a good start, with the added benefit that it's fair pissing off the BBC who would love to slag anything Russian.

 

Add to that the bits of stuff that the camera picks out of the crowd and it's C'mon the Ruskies

[manc_don]

Guess I don’t have to deal with that DD , although occasionally the commentary is from itv, so genuinely shite. Have watched a lot on Dutch tv as they don’t have anything to cheer for and it means you don’t have to change Channel

[manc_don]

What a fuck up by Caballero for the Croatia goal    They've taken Aguero off too.

[Kowalski]

Argentina are a shambles. End of era for Messi’s international career I reckon.

[manc_don]

Argentina are a shambles. End of era for Messi’s international career I reckon.

 

Most certainly so. An absolute pumping. Well played Croatia!

[baggy89]

What was Mascherano doing for the third? Standing with his hand up rather than actually defending. Dominic Ball-esque.

 

Delighted for Croatia though. Loved them since Euro '96 Boban, Suker, Jarni, Bilic, Prosinecki, Boksic, Simic...

 

 

[Kowalski]

Messi getting quite a hard time this morning. Can’t really abide Argentina personally but it’s a shame he’ll forever have his lack of winning a WC hanging over him. I thought he was one of the better Argies last night but fuck knows why they can’t seem to gel, they have some fantastic players. Buck has to stop with the manager - why take Aguero off so early?!

 

That said, Croatia were excellent.

[RicoS321]

Messi getting quite a hard time this morning. Can’t really abide Argentina personally but it’s a shame he’ll forever have his lack of winning a WC hanging over him. I thought he was one of the better Argies last night but fuck knows why they can’t seem to gel, they have some fantastic players. Buck has to stop with the manager - why take Aguero off so early?!

 

That said, Croatia were excellent.

 

Messi was pap. Would be very interesting to see his "metres covered" stats as he was strolling about all night offering nothing. They had nobody in midfield taking control of the ball though, which nullified their own strikers. Terrible tactics. Higuain offered a bit more balance, but largely did fuck all too because they were Calderwooding it by throwing on more and more forwards as the game went on. They should have thrown on an Argentinian Ash Taylor up front, that'd have done the trick.

[BobbyBiscuit]

Most enjoyable thing about the Croatia game was actually seeing two midfielders in Modric and Rakitic doing a midfielder's job.  Up and down the park, controlling the game, switching play, getting on top of the opposition.  Feel as though it's the first time in the World Cup we've seen a proper midfielder's performance; the two of them were superb.

[donsdaft]

I thought Serbia looked decent the other day too (if a little Hearts like)

 

That's some team the old Yugoslavia would have.

[tlg1903]

Most enjoyable thing about the Croatia game was actually seeing two midfielders in Modric and Rakitic doing a midfielder's job.  Up and down the park, controlling the game, switching play, getting on top of the opposition.  Feel as though it's the first time in the World Cup we've seen a proper midfielder's performance; the two of them were superb.

 

Modric is easily the best CM I have ever seen in the flesh, Iniesta isn't too far behind but I just adore Modric.  Outstanding player. 

[manc_don]

Modric is easily the best CM I have ever seen in the flesh, Iniesta isn't too far behind but I just adore Modric.  Outstanding player.

 

Absolutely, easily one of my favourite midfielders of the past 10 years. That midfield performance from Croatia was something to behold.

[Ten Caat]

Croatia have a population of just over 4.1 million. How can a country with well over a million less than Scotland consistently produce teams that not only just qualify for championships, but also get through group stages into the latter parts of the tournaments?

[tom_widdows]

Croatia have a population of just over 4.1 million. How can a country with well over a million less than Scotland consistently produce teams that not only just qualify for championships, but also get through group stages into the latter parts of the tournaments?

 

The boy who works in my local takeaway has put his money on them to win it. His logic is 'they are all Croats' ie every single one of them was born & bred in the country (not actually sure if that is true given their age there is a chance they were born in other parts of the former Yugoslavia) and sites the example of Celtic 1967

 

Has anyone done any research into the demise of the Scottish national team and looked to see if there is any link to the number of players

1) Never having lived in Scotland

2) Never having played any football in Scotland)

3) Not having an 'actual' connection to Scotland (IE the one Scottish grandparent may have died before they were born)

 

Scotland squad for France 98 (22 players)

12 Scottish club players

Of the non Scottish based players 6 had started their careers in Scotland

19 were born in Scotland

 

Scotland squad for Euro 96 (22 players)

11 Scottish club players

Of the non Scottish based players 8 had started their careers in Scotland

19 were born in Scotland

 

Reached the playoffs for Euro 2000 with similar squads and had the team not seen fit to throw away a 2-0 lead against the belgians would have made the playoffs for Korea/ Japan

 

Potentially a massive piece of ignorance here but the consensus I have is after Craig brown left the habit of picking non scottish based (and perhaps even non scots) became more prevalent.