[Football] International football tonight

[Driver8]

Just watched the highlights of Equador v Argentina. Really nasty knee high tackle on Mac Allister. Hope he is OK for Saturday.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

On the other hand I'm sure the global audience is looking forward to watch England get through the group stages with a real joga bonito totaal voetbal 2-0 goal difference.

If we're Burnley then you are... I dunno, Roy Hodgsons Crystal Palace?

Since 2000:
People who watched England saw 57 goals in 27 group stage games
People who watched Sweden saw 57 goals in 24 group stage games

2020
England goal difference in group stage: 2-0
Sweden: 4-2

2018
England: 8-3
Sweden: 5-2

2016
England: 3-2
Sweden: 1-3

2014
England: 2-4
Sweden: N/a

2012:
England: 5-3
Sweden: 5-5

2010:
England: 2-1
Sweden: N/A

2008:
England: N/A
Sweden: 3-4

2006
England: 5-2
Sweden: 3-2

2004
England: 8-4
Sweden: 8-3

2002:
England: 2-1
Sweden: 4-3

England were basically pony from 2002 - 2016 - except a good underperforming team 2004/06 - until the youth system started working. We've now got young players coming out of our ears and no longer have to rely on the Trevor Sinclairs, Danny Mills and Gareth Barry's of this world. As a neutral, you can watch the likes of Grealish, Foden, Sterling, Kane and Saka in attack (notwithstanding the likes of Sancho can't even make the squad who would walk into the Sweden side) which will add to any World Cup. At the last World Cup we didn't even break sweat to knock over a bang average Swedish team 2-0. Even Maguire got on the score sheet.

No one will miss Zlatan hobbling round the pitch at the age of 43 pretending he is still brilliant in Qatar.

 

[Simster]

Yup, the Belgians are coming, doubt Mexico will be winning 3 though.

You are right though that we usually dont go especially far but we know our place and every World Cup game is pretty much a World Cup final for us. Unlike you and the other 50+ million football nations there are no games we "expect" to win.

And probably you'll one day win a World Cup whereas we wont.

That said, we unlike you had something to celebrate once in the last 50 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOuKVk4yjW0

I had to work out what you meant by your last sentence. I'm assuming you mean you've won a third place play-off whereas we've reached the WC twice and finished 4th both times? If that is the case, surely you realise absolutely nobody gives a shit about finishing third. That game is even more pointless than the many woefully mismatched qualifiers.

 

[Swansman]

I quite like the Swedes being at the World Cup - Their fans are good fun - Much better than the Danes who can be a wee bit up their own arse sometimes. Although I have to admit - I do like the way that the current Danish team plays

FOOTNOTE : Another one of those shit skandipop songs attached to that video. They all sound the same for the last 40 years

Danes are basically the Scandinavian Dutchs. Both more annoying and more interesting than the rest of us.

About the Skandipop song I agree they all sound the same.. this was actually our official World Cup 94 song though, "When we dig for gold in the USA". Quite horrible in itself but with a lot of nostalgia value.

 

[kentgully]

Carn't be arsed wiv it....

 

[Swansman]

England were basically pony from 2002 - 2016 - except a good underperforming team 2004/06 - until the youth system started working. We've now got young players coming out of our ears and no longer have to rely on the Trevor Sinclairs, Danny Mills and Gareth Barry's of this world. As a neutral, you can watch the likes of Grealish, Foden, Sterling, Kane and Saka in attack (notwithstanding the likes of Sancho can't even make the squad who would walk into the Sweden side) which will add to any World Cup. At the last World Cup we didn't even break sweat to knock over a bang average Swedish team 2-0. Even Maguire got on the score sheet.

No one will miss Zlatan hobbling round the pitch at the age of 43 pretending he is still brilliant in Qatar.

Oh yeah they'll add a lot... the world cant wait to watch all of them protect a 1-0 lead against Switzerland or something.

You are right on England being better than Sweden though.. good on you. You are still excruciatingly dull to watch, however.

I had to work out what you meant by your last sentence. I'm assuming you mean you've won a third place play-off whereas we've reached the WC twice and finished 4th both times? If that is the case, surely you realise absolutely nobody gives a shit about finishing third. That game is even more pointless than the many woefully mismatched qualifiers.

That is incorrect, as you can see on the video I posted before - we cared and that is all that matters.

The Belgians cared in 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ji3mFidMt0

Surely you realise that nobody gives a shit about English people not accepting us, the Belgians or any other happy bronze medalist celebrating a third place?

When the generation slightly older than me reflect over their lives in their death beds; they'll go with a smile, thinking about that joyful 94 summer, whereas you'll cry about not winning a World Cup.

The way to win life: celebrate every small thing and be happy about what you achieve. The way to lose: be too much of a snob to celebrate anything, and be constantly pissed off about broken dreams. As I said, you are a nation of moaning losers, finding little joy in anything.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Swanny, that top 10 comment intrigued me, so I took the liberty of doing a little research. And you're right...for now at least.

But in truth Sweden have realistically just 9 more months to enjoy that top 10 ranking.

With a solitary group game win, Belgium will replace the Swedes in 10th.

And if Mexico won 3 games in the tournament, the Swedes would drop to 12th.


That's not me knocking the Swedish style of play btw - one does what one can with what one has.

And I was out in Japan in 2002 when Sweden topped the group of death with England, Argentina and Nigeria.

But with the exception of a SF in USA '94 and 4 years ago, there hasn't been a whole lot since the home final in 1958.

Including Qatar, Sweden have failed to qualify for 8 of the Finals since then.

So rather like the Albion at the moment, the position in the table as it stands could mask the current trajectory.


https://www.worldfootball.net/alltime_table/wm/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_national_football_team

That all time world cup table is really interesting, would be interesting to see it with extra columns for number of tournaments and number of wins/ highest finish

 

[Swansman]

That all time world cup table is really interesting, would be interesting to see it with extra columns for number of tournaments and number of wins/ highest finish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_team_appearances_in_the_FIFA_World_Cup#Overall_team_records

 

[Simster]

The way to win life: celebrate every small thing and be happy about what you achieve. The way to lose: be too much of a snob to celebrate anything, and be constantly pissed off about broken dreams. As I said, you are a nation of moaning losers, finding little joy in anything.

I thought it was to spend every waking hour on a foreign football message board trying to act like you know the answer to absolutely everything.

As for the second part, you're talking out of your arse yet again. Your suicide rates are consistently 50% higher than hours, by the way.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

What was the booing of Maguire about?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/60925435

 

[LamieRobertson]

Oh yeah they'll add a lot... the world cant wait to watch all of them protect a 1-0 lead against Switzerland or something.

You are right on England being better than Sweden though.. good on you. You are still excruciatingly dull to watch, however.



That is incorrect, as you can see on the video I posted before - we cared and that is all that matters.

The Belgians cared in 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ji3mFidMt0

Surely you realise that nobody gives a shit about English people not accepting us, the Belgians or any other happy bronze medalist celebrating a third place?

When the generation slightly older than me reflect over their lives in their death beds; they'll go with a smile, thinking about that joyful 94 summer, whereas you'll cry about not winning a World Cup.

The way to win life: celebrate every small thing and be happy about what you achieve. The way to lose: be too much of a snob to celebrate anything, and be constantly pissed off about broken dreams. As I said, you are a nation of moaning losers, finding little joy in anything.

 

[Swansman]

I thought it was to spend every waking hour on a foreign football message board trying to act like you know the answer to absolutely everything.

As for the second part, you're talking out of your arse yet again. Your suicide rates are consistently 50% higher than hours, by the way.

No no, thats just a chick on the side.

As for sucides, yes we have some issues but it has nothing to do with being happy with the little we got and more about a severe incompetence when it comes to the art of fulfilling some basic human needs.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

You are still excruciatingly dull to watch, however.

Tell me again why you like Potter, because it sounds a lot like the Albion team at the moment ?

As I said, you are a nation of moaning losers, finding little joy in anything.

I think your so full of shite, smart arse with delusions of grandeur, copy and pasting football facts from all over the internet. We are not perianal moaning losers, we expect defeat and find humour in it, we find plenty of joy in life, what a condescending sweeping generalization.

I wish you would just feck off some times.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

As for suicide's, yes we have some issues but it has nothing to do with being happy.

Bullshit, it has everything to do with feeling loved, a sense of self worth, metal health all things lead to happiness.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

What was the booing of Maguire about?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/60925435

Maguire is an over-rated player (most over-rated by himself) whose struggles at Manchester United I find highly entertaining.

The line peddled by Southgate and his England teammates is that he has always done well for the national side and that booing him won't help his England performances.

But the reality is that he isn't good enough for England if England are serious about winning anything. Of course he looks adequate when playing against the usual standard of England opposition, which is typically around Championship level or much, much lower - for example Albania, Hungary, Andorra, San Marino in the WC qualifiers.

In the Premier League he is revealed as a lumbering liability who relies on the Old Trafford blindness of referees. And none of those referees will be in charge if England get to the sharp end of the World Cup and face decent teams with proper attacking players.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

And yet 90,000 mugs still managed to find their way there. I really don’t get what people see in international football anymore.

Friendlies are bunkum, qualifiers are dull as dishwater. Perhaps other than our one clash in Eastern Europe where the resident racists turn up and make it a slightly hostile atmosphere for ten minutes and actual tournaments, despite draws being rigged in our favour we still can’t win.

I agree, but I imagine a large number of the crowd are made up of kids?

England tickets seem to be cheaper than a larger number of PL sides and you get to see Kane, Sterling etc

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Maguire is an over-rated player (most over-rated by himself) whose struggles at Manchester United I find highly entertaining.

The line peddled by Southgate and his England teammates is that he has always done well for the national side and that booing him won't help his England performances.

But the reality is that he isn't good enough for England if England are serious about winning anything. Of course he looks adequate when playing against the usual standard of England opposition, which is typically around Championship level or much, much lower - for example Albania, Hungary, Andorra, San Marino in the WC qualifiers.

In the Premier League he is revealed as a lumbering liability who relies on the Old Trafford blindness of referees. And none of those referees will be in charge if England get to the sharp end of the World Cup and face decent teams with proper attacking players.

I think it’s all been building, he was giving it large to the crowd after scoring against some nobody team in November.

 

[Swansman]

Bullshit, it has everything to do with feeling loved, a sense of self worth, metal health all things lead to happiness.

It has a lot to do with that yes, but if you didnt cut my sentence in half you'd understand (or your personal equivalent of understanding) that I was referring to a particular part - which we do have covered - of happiness rather than all parts of it.

I think your so full of shite, smart arse with delusions of grandeur, copy and pasting football facts from all over the internet. We are not perianal moaning losers, we expect defeat and find humour in it, we find plenty of joy in life, what a condescending sweeping generalization.

I wish you would just feck off some times.

Yeah I dont like you either, you appear to be a horrible person with horrible personality. Such is life, not everybody gets along.

 

[Simster]

Maguire is an over-rated player (most over-rated by himself) whose struggles at Manchester United I find highly entertaining.

The line peddled by Southgate and his England teammates is that he has always done well for the national side and that booing him won't help his England performances.

But the reality is that he isn't good enough for England if England are serious about winning anything. Of course he looks adequate when playing against the usual standard of England opposition, which is typically around Championship level or much, much lower - for example Albania, Hungary, Andorra, San Marino in the WC qualifiers.

In the Premier League he is revealed as a lumbering liability who relies on the Old Trafford blindness of referees. And none of those referees will be in charge if England get to the sharp end of the World Cup and face decent teams with proper attacking players.

Nothing to disagree with there, but it's not Maguire's fault he keeps getting picked and he certainly doesn't deserve to be booed. I wish Southgate would take some responsibility though. His Achilles heel is that he keeps picking his favourites regardless of club form. Before Maguire, Tyrone Mings and Jordan Pickford, it was the Spurs trio of averageness: Delli Ali, Harry Winks and Eric Dier. He has shut out too many club players in favour of people he knows and the result is frustration of a Wembley crowd who'd really rather a friendly like this was used properly.

 

[sydney]

Oh yeah they'll add a lot... the world cant wait to watch all of them protect a 1-0 lead against Switzerland or something.

You are right on England being better than Sweden though.. good on you. You are still excruciatingly dull to watch, however.



That is incorrect, as you can see on the video I posted before - we cared and that is all that matters.

The Belgians cared in 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ji3mFidMt0

Surely you realise that nobody gives a shit about English people not accepting us, the Belgians or any other happy bronze medalist celebrating a third place?

When the generation slightly older than me reflect over their lives in their death beds; they'll go with a smile, thinking about that joyful 94 summer, whereas you'll cry about not winning a World Cup.

The way to win life: celebrate every small thing and be happy about what you achieve. The way to lose: be too much of a snob to celebrate anything, and be constantly pissed off about broken dreams. As I said, you are a nation of moaning losers, finding little joy in anything.

you've put yourself on a bit of a downer ain't ya sunshine , best cheer up before mr moderator comes along and issues you with a bannzie wannzie......best thing about Sweden is the birds , bloody lovely.