TheBrownBottle

Like watching Eddie’s high press Mags this. Love watching Japan

Spain and Japan edit: it doesn’t matter what Germany does if the score remains 2-1 Japan

The whole ball needs to cross - as in the whole diameter. The fact that you could see grass between the ball and the line is misleading

YES!!!!

Japan are canny to watch mind. High tempo press. Love it

The Everton volley is one of those goals where somehow it’s even more spectacular on viewing than it was witnessing it live in the flesh. I wasn’t alive to see Milburn’s in the FA Cup QF vs Pompey in ‘52, nor Supermac’s legendary goal vs Leicester, but have heard them retold in tones of awe. I wonder if they were like Shearer’s volley - somehow the memory and retelling doesn’t quite recapture just how hard, fast and accurate that strike was

I’m willing to bet a fair chunk of the posts are them reassuring themselves that this isn’t racist. Which is what you have to do whenever you’re being racist, it’s an automatic pass. The Farage playbook.

Why do that when you can gift them a free stadium on the taxpayers’ coin?

Yep. It certainly seemed to help bag West Ham a free new stadium.

Wouldn’t like to be kicked in the bollocks off that left peg mind

Christ, there’s a thread for you. How many pages until they get to head measurements?

Normally the Second Division pauses for internationals. I guess they’ve cottoned on that this would be unnecessary for a WC. I might actually watch the Mackems this weekend on telly, as I can’t be arsed to get up at stupid o’clock to watch the WC (though I could always catch up on the goals - I haven’t seen anything of the WC other than England’s group this week), whereas the Mackem game will be on at sensible o’clock.

Just had to Google Jack Clarke. For the uninitiated he plays for Sunderland. You’d think that would be obvious from the thread title, but he’s so unknown to me that I didn’t put two and two together

‘Hendo’ ? Even with playing with 12 players in a 5-3-3 like above I still wouldn’t start him

Imagine him lifting it. From the front it’ll look like he’s wearing a WC hat

I think the US has every chance - if they had a proper no9 I’d suggest they’d almost be evens. They’ll need to press the Dutch hard mind.

Easiest groups they’ve ever had - along with 2010.

I don’t remember many where it was particularly stressful young’un

I’m in my 40s now. In my lifetime England have made it out of the groups of a WC in 9 out of 10 attempts (albeit this doesn’t include failure to qualify in ‘94). That’s pretty fucking routine in fairness.

I dislike ‘Football’s Coming Home’ and Southgate’s managerial conservatism so it’s hard to say. I definitely think Hitler is worse than both of those though

I have - England Wales is a dead rubber now

Iran should be level there

Yep, the stupid bouncing on his line left him flat footed for the first.

That’s better

Yeah, he’s a good player. Maybe in a couple of years though