The World Cup Thread

[Whitey Grandad]

42 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Yeah, Boufal has been superb. I've really enjoyed watching this performance from him.

CHDAJFU?

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, iansums said:

2-0, Croatia or Belgium could be heading out

Fairly good chance of Argentina, Belgium, and Germany all failing to reach the knock-out stages.

[badgerx16]

Canada !!!!!

Goal scorer plays up front for his country, left back for Bayern Munich.

Edited 27 November, 2022 by badgerx16

[OttawaSaint]

Yessssss! 1-0 Canada! First ever WC Finals goal!

[whelk]

Canada much the better side against Belgium. Still early but backed them to beat ageing Croatian side

[whelk]

Haven’t seen all games but best team to watch so far for me is Canada. Refreshing energy

[The Cat]

2 minutes ago, whelk said:

Haven’t seen all games but best team to watch so far for me is Canada. Refreshing energy

They play like we did during lockdown. High press, very organised, loads of players getting in the box when they attack, great team ethic.

Many other international teams play like we did at the end of Hasenhuttl's time. Slow, ponderous, risk averse, sideways, sideways, backwards.

[whelk]

22 minutes ago, The Cat said:

They play like we did during lockdown. High press, very organised, loads of players getting in the box when they attack, great team ethic.

Many other international teams play like we did at the end of Hasenhuttl's time. Slow, ponderous, risk averse, sideways, sideways, backwards.

Bit naive though and Croatia probably the masters of exploiting. Although can a team be naive if they aren’t African?

[The Cat]

15 minutes ago, whelk said:

Bit naive though and Croatia probably the masters of exploiting. Although can a team be naive if they aren’t African?

Not sure if it's being naive or just a lack of quality in some positions. Croatia obviously have some incredible players.

[OttawaSaint]

Bit of both, naivety and our defence is a bit weak.

[Crab Lungs]

Fk me, Atiba Hutchinson is the very definition of a sentimental pick. Bloke is running through mud. Constantly loses his man. Can’t run. Has no awareness. Can’t pass. Poor buggers in Canadas midfield having to do overtime to carry him. Utterly useless.

[SaintZamboni]

Canada showing how you need depth in a squad. Too many players who don’t compete at a very high level vs Croatians who do. Also, Atiba Hutchinson, nearly 40 and by god does it show.

That said, showing more fight and purpose in this second half. 

[whelk]

Didn’t think they had it in them

 

[whelk]

I know it is easy to have a pop at co-commentator but fucking hell Keown adds nothing. 

[Turkish]

How ridiculous, next World Cup across 3 massive countries with 48 countries. 

[whelk]

3 minutes ago, Turkish said:

How ridiculous, next World Cup across 3 massive countries with 48 countries. 

But you will be allowed to wear your rainbow bucket hat

[Turkish]

6 minutes ago, whelk said:

But you will be allowed to wear your rainbow bucket hat

We’d have moved onto the next fashionable cause by then.

Edited 27 November, 2022 by Turkish

[whelk]

15 minutes ago, Turkish said:

How ridiculous, next World Cup across 3 massive countries with 48 countries. 

Just looked up the host cities. Some decent ones there. Quite fancy it myself

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup

[The Cat]

Loads of the games will be on in the middle of the night for us which will be fun in town if England have a massive game at 2am and all the pubs stay open.

[East Kent Saint]

2 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Loads of the games will be on in the middle of the night for us which will be fun in town if England have a massive game at 2am and all the pubs stay open.

Pubs , will there be any by then ?

[alehouseboys]

28 minutes ago, whelk said:

Didn’t think they had it in them

 

The locals probably don't. When you consider only around 25% of Brussels' population are Belgian, the rest non-european/African then you may have your answer

[whelk]

5 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Loads of the games will be on in the middle of the night for us which will be fun in town if England have a massive game at 2am and all the pubs stay open.

I’ll avoid any trouble by hovering above it on my skateboard 

[CB Fry]

49 minutes ago, whelk said:

I’ll avoid any trouble by hovering above it on my skateboard 

Everywhere in England outside of the Peak District and Scafell Pike will be underwater by then.

[adrian lord]

Really dull studio team on BBC for the Spain, Germany match. Let’s hope the game itself is a cracker.

[OttawaSaint]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

We’d have moved onto the next fashionable cause by then.

Each team has to field 3 non binary players at all times!

[CB Fry]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

How ridiculous, next World Cup across 3 massive countries with 48 countries. 

It's the format and the location. 16 groups of 3. So two games and out and plenty of "if we draw we both go through" shenanigans ahoy.

Dogs dinner.

Edited 27 November, 2022 by CB Fry

[Wade Garrett]

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

[woodsaint1]

1 minute ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

Its not hard to comprehend, its all about money

[Turkish]

Just now, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

This will be Mexicos third World Cup, 1970 and 86, plus the USAs second. We’ve got some great stadiums already built and are a proper footballing country but not had a sniff of it since 66. Looking at the FIFA Netflix documentary we couldn’t have given FIFA enough brown envelopes 

[adrian lord]

Of course bribery will have become a lot more stealthy and sophisticated following the debacle of 12 years ago…

[wadesmith]

I see Pochettino’s English has really come on.

[FarehamSaintJames]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

We’d have moved onto the next fashionable cause by then.

We should make predictions on what it’ll be! That would be something to look back on!

2 hours ago, East Kent Saint said:

Pubs , will there be any by then ?

Most of them my way are selling up or closing. Thank the Tories for that.

1 hour ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

I’m currently in the U.S. and to a point would agree. The bar I was in to watch England v USA was half full, with a mixture of both supporters, but we were in the heart of the city, somewhere you thought they’d be a bit of liveliness.

[verlaine1979]

1 hour ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

I live in California. You can tell how little interest there is by how few major brands have any sort of advertising tie in on TV. It's mostly seen as a sport for teenage girls and immigrants.

[Lighthouse]

Weirdly, if Germany had lost that and been stuck on zero, I’d still have bet on them going through.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, wadesmith said:

I see Pochettino’s English has really come on.

https://youtu.be/jYXWzP-GuUc

[Maggie May]

54 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Weirdly, if Germany had lost that and been stuck on zero, I’d still have bet on them going through.

I reckon Japan will beat Spain.

[Dark Munster]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Weirdly, if Germany had lost that and been stuck on zero, I’d still have bet on them going through.

Indeed. Two rules about Germany:

1. Never underestimate them.

2. Don't mention the war.

[cloggy saint]

1 hour ago, Maggie May said:

I reckon Japan will beat Spain.

Can't see it unless Spain have a really, really off day. They'll go through with Germany, business as usual.

[Dark Munster]

1 minute ago, cloggy saint said:

Can't see it unless Spain have a really, really off day. They'll go through with Germany, business as usual.

I think so too. Japan blew it against a truly crap Costa Rica team. Apparently the idiot manager made 5 changes from the team that did so well against Germany. 

[washsaint]

4 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

Don;t know where you were but I can assure you they (americans) do care about the World Cup.  People who might not ordinarily follow soccer are very engaged with the World Cup and are right behind their team.  Pretty much every game is on prime time TV and well watched (the England game had 15 million viewers on English speaking channels, so more if you include Spanish speaking channels) and the bar we watched it in was packed with both American and English fans.

 

[Spark]

7 hours ago, whelk said:

Didn’t think they had it in them

 

You mean you didnt think the Belgians had it in them? From what I've seen it is Moroccan fans ''celebrating by rioting''. Basically an F U to Belgium.

''The police fired tear gas and a water cannon was deployed after dozens of rioters, mainly youths of Moroccan origin, set fire to rubbish and smashed up cars in the city centre.'' 
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/morocco-fans-run-riot-after-shock-world-cup-win-over-belgium-cn67nkv5t

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-28/morocco-football-fans-riot-in-belgium-after-fifa-world-cup-win/101704692

 

Edited 28 November, 2022 by Spark
extra link with video

[East Kent Saint]

12 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’ve just come back from the USA.  They have no interest in football at all, or the World Cup.

How they get a second opportunity to host the tournament, whilst England, where the game started, has only had it once, is beyond me.

 

 

No body likes us especially in FIFA , who probably thing they will make a lot more $ in an expanded WC in the Americas . You may have noticed that the UK is sliding down and will soon drop out of the G7 and will struggle to stay in the G20 .

[Winnersaint]

8 hours ago, washsaint said:

Don;t know where you were but I can assure you they (americans) do care about the World Cup.  People who might not ordinarily follow soccer are very engaged with the World Cup and are right behind their team.  

 

What is this 'soccer' you speak of? 😂

 

[Charlie Wayman]

15 hours ago, adrian lord said:

Really dull studio team on BBC for the Spain, Germany match. Let’s hope the game itself is a cracker.

Dull? Mauricio can never be dull. Beats having Shearer and Wright constantly spouting absolute tosh anytime.

 

2 hours ago, East Kent Saint said:

No body likes us especially in FIFA , who probably thing they will make a lot more $ in an expanded WC in the Americas . You may have noticed that the UK is sliding down and will soon drop out of the G7 and will struggle to stay in the G20 .

Good chance we'll make the last 16 'though.

After Brexit who can blame Europeans for thinking we are a bunch of bone idle w*&^%$s, they got their cues from Johnson.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

15 hours ago, Turkish said:

This will be Mexicos third World Cup, 1970 and 86, plus the USAs second. We’ve got some great stadiums already built and are a proper footballing country but not had a sniff of it since 66. Looking at the FIFA Netflix documentary we couldn’t have given FIFA enough brown envelopes 

I suspect our maverick approach to hosting the tail end of the Euros might have shifted our chances of hosting the world cup back a few decades.

[Lighthouse]

Mental game this.

[John Boy Saint]

Cameroon v Serbia has just lit up 3-3 superb

[Saint NL]

Big old saints flag with Hedge End on it behind the Cameroon goal.

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Dull? Mauricio can never be dull. Beats having Shearer and Wright constantly spouting absolute tosh anytime.

 

Good chance we'll make the last 16 'though.

After Brexit who can blame Europeans for thinking we are a bunch of bone idle w*&^%$s, they got their cues from Johnson.

Jesus wept.

[Ted Bates Statue]

Back to the football, Fil Djuricic subbed on for Serbia... Also, Cameroon's goal to get back into the game reminded me of Osvaldo's classic v Man City.