Holmes_and_Watson

Always harsh to go out on penalties, but Germany fought really hard to get to that. Berger's water bottle got shown again. ITV said they'd "analysed it." And the information on it, proved accurate enough. Not the sort of thing to show, if it can get communicated to a bench. Presumably, it didn't make it onto the big screen. If it did, and France stuck to it, then silly them. Germany had worked so hard, that their subs struggled to match the intensity. France have plenty of top players, and will regret no putting more direct, physical pressure on the German backline. It's something Sweden do well, and they could have learned from. Speaking of learning, a lot more penalties aimed higher, to good effect. As a postscript to this one, no doubt the French manager will get stick for the players he dropped. I recall reading one is just waiting to tell her story.

Malard hit the bar with seconds left. That would have been harsh. Germany worked so hard to get to pens. France just didn't have a way of getting through. Earlier, the camera showed Berger's water bottle with faces and likely penalty spots. Really shouldn't be doing that.

She's having a good game, with good positioning, but also using that experience to relieve the pressure. Hoffman must have been tired, but I was still surprised Germany took her off. She was key on the occasions did get the ball up the park. Even Brand was racing back to make important tackles at the end of that first half of extra time.

Ten woman Germany frustrating France, and into extra time. Germany had a penalty saved, that would have won it for them. At the time, I was thinking that, even if they scored France would get level. But they have done really well at the back. France did put the ball in the net, but VAR made the right call. When Cascanino wasn't enough to stretch the play, they brought on Baltimore. But the Germans countered that. Cascanino then went off to bring in a more central threat in Malard. But Germany happier to be compact in the middle. France still have that numerical advantage. But Brand is capable of creating, and there's always pens.

Somehow, the French player stayed on her feet, and just put out her arms in exasperation at the hair pull. Contrast with screaming man-child Cucurella rolling about. A women's football selling point, as discussed above.

"Pet surcharge? Ma'am, when I said I was the Forum Lion, I didn't mean I was actually a lion...no, I do not want to travel in a crate in the hold.!" 🙂

There you go folks! Gio would pay a fiver for my posts! Who will give me £10? Thank you madam! That's £10. Now, who...sorry madam? Oh, it was £10 to stop.....oh, well...SOLD!

My favourite scene is when Jancker challenges the creature to a penalty shoot out, to allow the ship to escape.

Bag

I heard you were changing your username, to Stripey McStripe On Both Sides Shirt, in protest. 🙂

Spain deserved winners against the hosts, Switzerland. A game where the 23rd seed played with one up. They tried to keep it as compact as possible to limit Spain's passing. Spain had missed a penalty, and had a couple over the bar, but it mostly worked in frustrating them. It wasn't until the 66th minute that Spain went ahead. Spain's second goal had another moment of misfortune to it. The Swiss captain, Walti, didn't run into the ref. But the official was close enough that she changed her mind on where she was looking to pass the ball. The result was that she turned into a challenge. While she stopped, for a non existent foul, having given the ball away. Spain shot from outside the box and it was in. Walti's poor touch, at the other end, shortly after, only got her a yellow card, with that goal still on her mind. Spain also managed to miss a second penalty, while the Swiss never really got to make a final push. Pilgrim made a difference for them as a sub. But she was still a lone outlet. The closing minutes consisted of Spanish possession, while the Swiss racked up an impressive tally of yellow cards to go with some late challenges. They got a straight red just before the end, when Maritza brought down Paralluelo, preventing a 1 on 1 with the keeper. Spain are better in possession, patience and passing than England. But they also got frustrated against a tight defence. Unlike England, who have direct outlets in Hemp and Bronze as starters, with Kelly and Agyemang, as subs, Spain often looked to pass through where there was no space. Parallueo offered more of a target, when she came on. They also looked vulnerable to direct runs through the centre. Just part of them keeping a high line, and anticipating breaks down their flanks.

Your posts will have, once again, proved to have been too refined for the jealous overlords of SaintsWeb, prompting their removal. Incidentally, Mrs Schopenhauer disowned her other son, MLG, for being "an utter bellend," and thought Arthur was an, admittedly flawed, improvement.

Loot

Looks like the matrix stepped in, to remove whatever the source of that was. But we are left with this entirely factual characterisation of MLG.

I get on well with my local law enforcement. Yet here I am, stuck in a cell, for innocently saying I was off to a meeting of the very popular @trousers club. "Like a glass half empty or full," I said, "sometimes the @trousers club is up, but a lot of the time they're down.." That seems to have concerned them more. Without a Friday night VA game, I can only hope a life changing post of positive thinking appears. Crumbs! That was handy! That sounds like the bit in Scooged, where Bill Murray talks about giving up being a cynical, grumpy, sarcastic pain. Y'know, all the stuff I'm good at. And instead become a giving, warm, caring person who looks out selflessly for others, every day. Like, for nothing. Well, Mr Murray. You've not been scarred by possession football for a season and a bit! Opening yourself up to that, just leads to being in the PL gutter, hoping some other idiot, sorry selfless, well meaning soul, will take away your baggage (ABK, Fraser, Baz etc), so you can rise to your feet again. Which brings me back to @trousers club. It might be really popular, but I was on my way there to say I found Bill Murray avatars triggering, in every post, all thanks to that misplaced, and frankly wrong, speech in Scrooged. Oh, the irony. Not just a concept to be mangled by Canadian singers.

The glass isn't so much half empty or half full, but broken against a table and coming towards your face. 🙂

My first thought was that Boris had tidied himself up, since leaving office. 🙂

Heavens! It's like MLG just jumped in there, without reading the post. Why, it must be...moments since that last happened. 🙂

Hoard

Soon we can shed a tear of pride, as SR teams in France and then Turkey make catastrophic defensive decisions. Fans of certain clubs in France and Turkey will be shedding tears of a different sort.

Yup, and a penalty that she shouldn't need the manager giving her stick for. James is probably the squad's best player. Even with moments she's seemed a bit within herself, she's then linked up well with others. She's capable of doing the job anywhere in the final third. And doing it really well. But it's finding that balance where Toone and Mead are similar that gives her a more definite role. James dropping deep, with Russo, was key in shifting the balance of the game.

I've found that the difference in physicality already gives it USP's. The tactics are adjusting for the differences. So, you get different passing options, positioning. Lots of intelligence being used to try and exploit the spaces, where there isn't the raw power to recover. The first USP's I remember noticing were that play had continued through a half dozen crunching tackles with no feigning injury, no endless throw ins and no lip taken by the ref.

It's that ability to instill standards across a multi-club model that makes him irreplaceable for SR.

Thanks Christophe! Looking forward to Friday night football and a successful season. Allez VA!

Diane Abbott..again. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwye24vjnn8o