TheBrownBottle

2. The other club that hasn’t done it since the Second World War started? Bristol City (20) 3. The other club that hasn’t done it since the Korean War started? Charlton (48) 4. The two other clubs that haven’t done it since we won the World Cup? Preston NE is the only one I can think of (64) (I think PNE is the only one for the last one, given that the list adds up to 25 clubs )

I’d be beyond shocked if Bruno leaves in the summer - I can’t picture him pushing for a move, and I also can’t see any club making an offer we couldn’t refuse due to his age. Maybe if he has a great WC that might change, and I don’t doubt his agent is probably an arsehole (they all are - it’s their job to be that) - but I just don’t see it happening at all. Equally I’d be shocked if Tonali is here in September.

It is indeed - whether they’ll be done on it is another matter.

The avenue I’ve always found odd wasn’t explored was to surreptitiously ask a company which has requested a loan or funds or just wants to do business with PIF to whack in a bid for sponsorship - it would be very difficult to prove that had occurred. Of course, we wouldn’t know if it had!

I think you’re probably right - playing a handful of games for Man Utd pretty much guaranteed at least one cap. Funny thing is that we’ve managed to push our way towards that group of clubs - we had six players in the last (massively expanded) England squad, but based on form I don’t think half of them would’ve been called up if we were still seen as a bottom-half club

FFS yes I know that, the point was that his actions wouldn’t have been made better by winning a WC for England. He was a bench player for Man Utd that season, but if he’d scored 20 goals he’d likely have got the nod.

I know he wasn’t - but he could’ve been.

Yes, that would be true too

England’s Michael Owen would have still been a cunt if he’d won the 2010 WC single-handed for me

It’ll be someone who we likely have never heard of in our lives. If Apple or Microsoft or [insert tech giant here] were going to sponsor football clubs they’d have been doing it by now. They’ve got almost zero history of shirt sponsorship in Europe so it seems unlikely (though they’ve sponsored shitloads of clubs in the Americas - no idea why it’s different over there)

I reckon you’re probably right, but I also think any player going to the WC will be advised by their agent to think about waiting in case they get a WC boost on salary etc

I think the ‘flipping’ is unpleasant but more an inevitable consequence of having transfer fees for players’ registrations. The multi-club model should be kicked into a bin, though. It’s grotesque and completely at odds with what football clubs are meant to be.

*checks script* it says here that they need to get knocked out of Europe first, then they blow the title

I think the issue with Qatar was only partly re the human rights abuses (though I don’t think the US’s human rights abuses are near equivalent). It was also down to the laughable corruption at a tiny emirate holding a WC, then lying that it would be held in summer in superchilled stadiums so that it didn’t affect the domestic season - I don’t think anyone can argue that Canada/USA/Mexico is not a suitable WC host. Same applies to Russia - obviously Putin is horrible, and there are human rights abuses, and the vote was corrupted - but Russia holding a WC isn’t insane.

I do, but I think the format is a problem

That Bruno header still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Crackers what ends up burning into the memory banks

Comfortably one of the best signings we’ve made in my time - all the best to him

I honestly can’t tell if you’re being serious or sarcastic

Like I said elsewhere, I’ve zero issue with every single country being at the WC, as it would get rid of the ridiculous international schedule (including friendlies). But as it is, it’s completely bloated, 64 teams after a lengthy period of qualifying campaign would just be even worse. As long as extensive qualifying exists, the numbers at the tournament should be culled. They won’t because it’s all about money, not fairness - or ‘growing the game’ as FIFA usually like to claim. edit: on the long term gains - there’s little evidence of that. I don’t see performance improvement across the confederations who’ve got loads of teams now qualifying.

I listened to it - on the Man Utd SF, he’s painted a rosier picture for himself and called out Alan Oliver’s bullshit at the moment but he’s really wearing rose-tinted specs in looking back. He absolutely didn’t clap our end but was greeting the entire Man Utd bench when he went off at the end. Talks well of us and it’s been two decades so I can just about find closure at this point

There’s a part of me at each WC that really wants the Dutch to win it (when they’re there, that is). And another part of me which finds it sort of funny that they’ve never won it despite the incredible talent and sides they’ve had over the years.

There are 24 clubs who’ve been champions of England - an annual competition which predates the World Cup by half a century. It would be fantastically unlikely to find new winners of the tournament - and in terms of my lifetime, Leicester are the only first time winners. West Ham are probably the only sizeable English club not to win it. When I look at the WC, the only two countries which spring to mind who probably should have won it at some point are Holland and Hungary. I don’t think there is another nation who it would be surprising to think that they haven’t won it. Portugal - maybe, at a push? Though they’ve actually been mediocre for most of international football history. Bulking out the tournament with more teams is no more likely to bring about a new winner. I’d be ok with this if the group stage is eliminated. I’d actually be ok with every nation competing if was straight knockout, with a preliminary qualifying round or two, if it meant that they abolished WC qualifiers (and friendlies)

I’d be all for an 8 team WC and a 4 team Euros

France and Spain are the only ‘new’ winners in my lifetime, and I’m 43