sadoldgit

Park the unpleasant far right politics for a while. What about the fact that the people you so readily support (that is the likes of O'Neill, Hopkins and Trump) are deeply unpleasant human beings. Yes, this is throwing a label on them, not because I have difficulty in refuting what they say, but because of what they say. Still sporting the alt-right avatar I see.

Yes, I saw that too. Not sure it is a good idea signing a short arse!

A Bobby doesn’t have to walk a beat for the police to have a “presence.” They are more likely to be in mobile instant responce units now apart from the fact that the Criminal Justice System has been decimated by Government cuts due to the austerity measures. You don’t see as many police cars around - hardly ever on motorways now.

We were the better side for the first 25 minutes or so but as the half went in Croatia were getting progressively better and we were saying we needed to make changes in the second half as we were starting to struggle. Agree that a second goal would have done it though but taking the match as a whole, Croatia were the better side.

For a large chunk of the first half we were going through comfortably but from the moment we allowed them to push us back we were screwed. If we had taken our chances who knows , but the longer the match went on the more Croatia looked better - and they are not a good side. Alli never liked fit enough and we were reliant on a few players when we needed everyone to step up. Our one ace card n Kane want used well enough. But wtf , we got to a semi final with a team no one rated, so fair play to Southgate and the squad. As for Lovren, what a tosser!

If only it were that simple.

It was! It seemed to surprise Lukaku. I think someone like Kane would have made more of an effort to get his head on the end of it. It was screaming out for a diving header. When Mertens came on he put some great crosses into the box but Lukaku didn’t get a sniff.

Me too. So much quality in the team. But Lukaku and De Bruyne were below par tonight. Had they been been on form I think they would have done it. Fair play to the French though, the did a job on Belgium and defended very well. Croatia will be tough. No point in thinking about France just yet!

Truly bizarre. You know that the 70s ended years ago?

Trippier has to be in there. He has had a superb tournament so far.

Southgate's stock has definately risen through this competition. He seems to have a blind spot as far as Sterling is concerned though. Having said that old jazz hands will probably we the match winner today! Good luck England. As for Belgium, I dont understand why they get so much grief. So many class players, strong team belief and they are the ones to beat if you want to with the cup.

Trippier has played very well so far but would anyone have said that he was world class before the WC? Yoshi played well for Japan in their 4 matches and now people are calling for him to be the Saints captain and , presumably, be first name on the team sheet when before he was seen as an adequate cover at CB and nothing more. Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and Suarez are all definately world class players but none of them have played up to their standards in the WC. It is a one off competition where, at the most, you get to play 7 matches. Anyone can shine or look poorer than they are in a handful of matches. If Trippier is indeed a world class full back, he will need to demonstrate that in the Premiership and CL matches next season too. To be world class you have to do it week in, week out.

#potkettleblack #textbook

He signalled to the ref that it wasn’t a pen. Their guy should have gone for the head butt and so should have Henderson. Agree that the ref should have called the captains together and warned them both that red cards are on the way if the crazy stuff continues. Columbia should face some action for their poor behaviour and post match comments. They really seem to believe that their behaviour was ok!

Spot on!

Perhaps that is where we have been going wrong all these years? Maybe we should have been looking at throwing certain matches in order to proceed? As for Brazil or Sweden, have you stopped to think how we struggle to break down strongly defensive teams and maybe, just maybe, a team that comes at us might just leave some space for our poorly formed attack to get some chances? None of us knows if we would have played better last night if we had put out a strong team against Belgium. Those rested certainly didnt look any fresher but who knows, with another game under their belts playing in the strongest team, maybe they would have won it without the penalty lottery?

We really can’t rely on getting pens every game and have to offer a goal threat from open play. Starting Rashford instead of Sterling would be a start. Having said that, it wasn’t that long ago I thought we were out, so phew.

What is weird is why you would say something like that. Feel free to give us all evidence of this strange statement. While you are at it you might want to explain why you have slagged him off more than Pelle yet now seem to be a convert? Shurlock - I am not a bit quite, I just have three posts a day. I don’t feel embarrassed about anything I have said about Yoshi. Feel free to find the last time I criticised him. He has done well on the World Cup and didn’t have a bad season last season. I have said before that I love his attitude and commitment. The trouble is that he is fine as back up but isn’t really at top ten Premiership starting centre back. Batman has said that more often than I, strange you haven’t picked him up on that. There of plenty of people who love Yoshi attitude and commitment but also see that he hasn’t got the quality that a side wanting to be challenging for Europe want as a main C B. And playing well on a few WC games isn’t the same as playing well for a full season in the Premiership.Ask yourself this, how many other Premiership clubs have been, or are, interesting in signing him?

What is “textbook” is slagging the manager off for the first 65 minutes when his team were poor and then not giving him any credit when he made the decisions which won his team the game. Whatever you think of Martinez, he made the right calls at the right time and if Belgium do make the final, it won’t be despite him. I don’t think they will beat Brazil though, and no doubt it will be all his fault.

Rubbish that Martinez isn’t he!

I’ve got Japan in the sweep.

Exactly my point. Pure conjecture.

How do we know we are interested in him? I am sure the media assume that Hughes would want him because they worked together at Stoke, but that doesn’t mean Les has his cheque book at the ready.

The best for me is still 66 not only for the obvious reason that we won it but it was a great tournament and there was so much drama in the final. Closely followed by 70. That Brazilian team are still the best footballing side I have seen in my lifetime.

Are Cabbage_Face and Shurlock one in the same, pal?