Russia World Cup 18

[s(k)aturation]

Ooh, good. England's expansive, lavish and tactically revolutionary style of football will be seen at least one more time at this World Cup. What a treat,

 

Watch something else.

[Captain Turdseye]

GET WELBECK ON

[Tj hooker]

I'm pleased because I didn't want Hendo to suffer - he doesn't deserve it!

This

[Guest]

GET WELBECK ON

Can England bring him on after they have won?

[Greycellgreen]

Ooh, good. England's expansive, lavish and tactically revolutionary style of football will be seen at least one more time at this World Cup. What a treat,

Fucking yawn.

[Captain Turdseye]

Can England bring him on after they have won?

There’s no better time.

[Aventus]

Sweden next, then Russia or Croatia in the semis.

 

Surely that's doable.

 

Not sure which one I'd rather have, Croatia are better, but playing Russia for a place in the world cup final will cause literal murder.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

He’s Jordan Henderson, he’ll always stand up to be counted. Why he had to with Jamie Vardy on the pitch is a mystery.

Yeah. I remember an England shoot-out once when some poor sap who had never taken a competitive penalty missed while "The Guvnor" was over in a corner under a camouflage net or something.

 

Reasons to hate Paul Ince, number 17,852.

[magicrat]

Can England bring him on after they have won?

 

and just leave him there then get on the bus, Fine idea

[Elite]

Pickford's definitely got a thing about his size haha

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Dier looks and talks like a pothead.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Can England bring him on after they have won?

It's the best time.

[torahboy]

Watch something else.

 

Watch something else.

 

 

I will.

[Special K]

Looking forward to reading more pretentious prose from Johnathon Liew after that

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Fitness coach has got his work cut out over the next few days.

[J-V]

I like Southgate

[Carvalho Diablo]

Couple of bright lads.

[Elite]

I like Southgate

He's a very likeable bloke.

[Guest]

and just leave him there then get on the bus, Fine idea

When do you think he'd work out that everyone has left?

[J-V]

Dier looks and talks like a pothead.

 

He doesn't seem all there

[suzy]

Good point about Vardy - why didn't he take one?

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Trippier's pen was brilliant. Spurs have got a player there.

 

Only cost them £3.5m too.

[mattyq]

England are shite,, defence ok but offensively fucking hell

[Trumo]

Well well well. England actually won a knockout game at a tournament.

 

First of all, I think the ref was very lenient with Colombia in the first half. Barrios should have seen red for his headbutt on Hendo, (who did the right thing by hitting the deck - we need more of that streetwiseness at club level) and there were numerous other acts of shithouse behaviour from Colombia that the ref allowed to continue. When he gave England a penalty in the second half, it was 3 minutes before Kane stepped up to take it, all because Colombia continued to protest, scuffing up the penalty spot, refusing to leave the penalty box, with the goalkeeper refusing to get back on his line. The officials didn't do enough to take control of the situation and because of that, it threatened to boil over.

 

What I should mention is that of all people, I was really impressed with Ashley Young. Yes, you read that right! Not for anything he did on the pitch. He was reasonably solid at left wing back and put a few decent balls into the box, but it was his calmness and acting as peacemaker that meant the more volatile players in the England side were kept away from all the deliberate provocation by the Colombians. It only takes one player to be provoked into doing something rash, and England have enough players who are thick and/or volatile enough to fall into that trap.

 

Walker had his customary brainfarts (when he loses his athleticism, he is going to be even more like Glen Johnson than he already is). Stones had his moments of slackness. Sterling seemed to do everything wrong. Alli was a complete non-factor even before he hobbled off. Bringing Dier on as sub did more to hinder England than help them because he was sluggish in possession and kept dropping too deep.

 

Onto penalties then. Hendo had already seen where and how the players before him were taking penalties, so he had to go and do the opposite, hitting a telegraphed and weak effort that Ospina easily saved. The crossbar and then Pickford bailed him out, before DIer added the finishing touch.

 

So England will play a quarter final against Sweden in Samara, with the winner going on to face either Russia or Croatia in the semi final back at the Luzhniki in Moscow. England are the only former winners in their half of the draw, although all the others have reached at least the semi finals before (the Russians when it was still the USSR). No question, the other half of the draw looks far tougher.

[Aventus]

One of England, Sweden, Russia, and Croatia are gonna be in a world cup final.

 

Freaks my nut out.