BlufPurdi

The main worry I have with Croatia is they'll raise their game for us. I mean, it's the semis, so they should be raising it anyway, but I think it being England could inspire them a touch. It's not so much the scalp of England, but the Premier League connections. Complete conjecture on my part, but I would be surprised to see them repeat past performances. Other than that we shouldn't fear them at all. But I feel we will fear them and play cautious before finding our groove..

Fair.

I suppose that's fair, yeah. The first tournament win can be the making of an unstoppable team. I don't agree it's unheard of, though, and you do often see the signs before the tournament. What you're pointing out is one or two things in isolation (with regards to Spain anyway), I am of the opinion we've ridden our luck more than that here, but I might be in a minority with that view. 54, it's a discussion, no one is talking us down, this isn't Brexit. I still stand by my initial post, we won't be remembered as a great team (IF) winning this world cup.

The draws. It isn’t luck that we fielded a 2nd string side with no real intention of winning the group like It's luck that the opportunity presented itself though. Not often either side of the draw can be seen in such contrast. Any other time it's a case of win as many games as you can, don't think beyond the group stage.

I don't really care how we win it. If we win the whole thing I'll celebrate like I've never before. I think what people are trying get at is we won't necessarily be the best team in the world. You know, like when France took the WC in '98. Everyone could quite clearly see they were the best side around, nobody could beat them. Same with Spain's time. You get world cup winners like that, that are genuinely unstoppable, brilliant teams. I don't think we are, unless there's something that happens in the next two games to suggest it. That is worth pointing out, there's not much point being overly pedantic about luck. We wouldn't be 'those' WC winners, we'd be the lucky ones, the ones forgotten by the rest of the world, but we'll remember it of course. You point out Italy, but who looks back on that team and thinks "wow, they were sublime"? Like we do so many others. All I remember from that final is Zidane. And we have been lucky. Any other year, that shot goes in in the last minutes of the Colombia game, then we lose on pens. Pens are inherently about luck, whether it's own or their misfortune. We indeed sought the easier half of the draw, so pointing out how crap Spain, Germany or Brazil indeed were is irrelevant. It was indicative of our own belief we're not that good, so let's keep it to teams we feel we can handle. Suddenly, as ever with England, we win a few games and we think we can take the world. At this stage we should feel like we could beat anyone left. But let's not rewrite history either.

I'm talking more about the day of his appointment. Where you as positive then? Genuine question by the way.

From the comments when the same lad reckons Xhaka's better. Brutal.

If it's any consolation, the other half just told me I've been a dick all week, I blame the root canal. Must be doing it here too.

He's normalised the team. I've no idea whose choice it was to allow them to be so open with the fans, and not shuttled away to hotels and the WAGS and all that shite. It's really helped. I've pretty much not like any English footballer in years, but I have 4 or 5 out there I genuinely like. Seems surreal, almost.

That's impressive as fuck like.

He got Boro relegated, let's not try and polish a turd, HTT. You do this with absolutely everyone that you find an admiration for. I remember your fawning posts for Sam Allardyce man. Just calm down a bit. Southgate's done a great job for England, but let's neither rewrite history, nor turn him into some tactical mastermind. He must prove these things, we are not expected to go digging in and around his time at Boro to find it. He's taken time to learn a few things or two since then, that's what we should be noticing. The attempt at making his tenure there somehow palatable is a little wild, even for you. I don't mean this as a pure heavy dig by the way, but have a , calm down, give your fingers and keyboard a rest.

He should definitely stay put. As much as I like him, I don't actually think he can replicate this sort of success in club football. He'd be found out there. Again, saying that, I didn't think he'd get anywhere with England. But in seriousness, all the hysteria and joy aside, he still has plenty of cons that any decent club would be aware of and quite possibly avoid.

Apologies then, I thought he retired.

Everyone did man. Anyone pretending they didn't is talking out their arse.

He's been good. Got the best out of the players, that's all you can ask for as far as I was concerned. The fact he's exceeded expectations is the icing on the cake. I'm hoping his (sadly lack of) tactical nous won't be our eventual downfall, but I don't care. He was a safe appointment, but he's done everything every other manager should have, got rid of the old hasbeens (at least in England shirts), and started to mould a new, young team that the country can get invested in and support year after year. I don't think we can overstate how much the general disdain for our English players seeing them as remote, with a lack of passion for the shirt in return has moulded our fortune for the last twenty years. Nobody gave a shit about them for years, sure we'd all watch the games, get carried away, but there was still always that "I don't really care anyway, they're all total wankers" feel about England. Best thing that happened to Southgate was Rooney fucking off. Not sure he would have had the balls to drop him, but he's gone, and that's good. Same with the likes of Hart.

Most of those are not "England Fans" they're just dickheads with an excuse to get pissed because everyone's watching the England game. But don't let that stop the agenda of cellulite Sally being the face of English fan hooliganism. Most of what I have witnessed has been passionate and respectful. Sorry like, but that's just nonsense. They're every bit an England fan as much you or me, but indeed they're just dickheads. It's this bullshit that's allowed our problem to continue since Euro '96. It's a minority(!), they'll say, they're not real fans, they'll attempt to say. We've got a problem with our drinking culture, especially within footballing culture. It doesn't seem to manifest so much in club football, but bring it together under England and it's detestable. Half these idiots would probably have been the cunts running up and down foreign streets flinging chairs at randoms if they could have gotten there, just the authorities did a good job this time, both British and Russian.

I guess most of our fannies haven't been able to travel to the WC this time, so they're at home. Or, if yesterday is anything to go by, they're just having fun, why moan etc etc. There's a big difference with people in A BEER PARK throwing beer and not complaining...and an absolute fucking retard damaging an ambulance. This place is full on retard at times. Stupid fucking dig. Yes, I admitted that was wrong about two seconds later, but thanks for the reminder.

Fair enough, I retract that snipe... I hope I'm wrong and we can say fannies are fannies. Regardless of the just having fun narrative, the behaviour of many England fans puts people off following England or football. We're hardly angels as fans, this is the first tournament we've not turned up and tried to wreck (in decades), and there actually is an obligation on us to start behaving with a bit more dignity as a fucking group and I'm not having the shite. The beer stuff has nothing to do with all that, I accept. That happens beyond the UK too.

I guess most of our fannies haven't been able to travel to the WC this time, so they're at home. Or, if yesterday is anything to go by, they're just having fun, why moan etc etc.

I was calm as fuck until we were 2-0 up with 20 minutes remaining.

People enjoying themselves is minging like. Yeah, how dare they. Shut it ffs, people are entitled to not want to get soaked with liquid. Especially if it's true that classless fuckers are using urine instead. If you are unable to enjoy yourself without soaking other people, then you need shit thrown at your face. It's not the enjoyment of others, it's the throwing beer up in the air that's the problem like. With the fear that it could be piss, it's well within people's rights to be a bit "nah, fuck off with that shite". It also used to be genuine, like a random burst of excitement with a beer already in hand. Maybe one or two beers going over. It's now a deliberate thing people just do, in numbers. Classless.

iPlayer just completely died on me.

Would rather Russia. Will get Croatia.

Ugly face cry man.