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Not worthy of a thread - 2018 FIFA World Cup edition


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Plenty of jokes how it would actually benefit the national team if these "masters" of the game would be banned. At least there are finally some youngsters who may benefit. Some of the names on that list are not to be missed in a big game, to put it mildly. The epic midweek performance by that lot, who I like just about as much, as you adore Sunderland, a decent proof of that :D Following the complete embarrassment with the Winter Olympics, considering that nobody in position of power and authority even got fired (at least not as of today), would not surprise me one bit if we become the first ever nation to actually host the big thing and not participate. Paving the way for Qatar or something :lol:

 

Fortunately, I did not even try to obtain the tickets for the national team matches, so cannae be arsed to even worry about it. Too much sick sh!t going on all over the world now, it's only a game and all.

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FIFA to hold press conference regarding 34 Russian players apparently involved in the state doping programme.

 

If they get banned from their own tournament [emoji38]

Yeah, imagine that conversation.

 

Hai guys, you know that tournament you bribed the shit out of us to get? Weeellll I've got some bad news.

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Russian sportswear manufacturer Bosco are supposedly replacing Nike as the official supplier of IOC. Couldn't make it up :D

 

Now some kindergarten reporters have found out that men in positions of power and influence get tickets without any queue. Imagine that. Never happened at any other FIFA tournament, presumably :lol:

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Butland (no one is making it their own shirt mind)

Walker

Rose

Stones

Cahill

Dier

Wilshere

Lingard

Alli

Rashford

Kane

 

Probably missed some obvious wingers but had a mind blank.

 

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Butland (no one is making it their own shirt mind)

Walker

Rose

Stones

Cahill

Dier

Wilshere

Lingard

Alli

Rashford

Kane

 

Probably missed some obvious wingers but had a mind blank.

Sterling

 

Aye. Probably one of the only definite starters for me. The rest are all shrugtastic.

 

???

Walker      ???        ???          ???

???          ???

???                Alli        Sterling

Kane

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Butland (no one is making it their own shirt mind)

Walker

Rose

Stones

Cahill

Dier

Wilshere

Lingard

Alli

Rashford

Kane

 

Probably missed some obvious wingers but had a mind blank.

Sterling

 

Aye. Probably one of the only definite starters for me. The rest are all shrugtastic.

 

???

Walker      ???        ???          ???

???          ???

???                Alli        Sterling

Kane

If he can recover properly, a front 4 of Lallana, Alli and Sterling just behind Kane. Could be pretty threatening.

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Really hope he's on the plane.

That's kind of football these days though isn't it, people like Lascelles who are honest and have worked their knackers off to improve but he doesn't play for a top team so he'll be overlooked. Players at top clubs in the same positions who've failed time after time will be picked regardless. Modern football.
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Really hope he's on the plane.

That's kind of football these days though isn't it, people like Lascelles who are honest and have worked their knackers off to improve but he doesn't play for a top team so he'll be overlooked. Players at top clubs in the same positions who've failed time after time will be picked regardless. Modern football.

 

I feel like that’s always been the case though.

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Really hope he's on the plane.

That's kind of football these days though isn't it, people like Lascelles who are honest and have worked their knackers off to improve but he doesn't play for a top team so he'll be overlooked. Players at top clubs in the same positions who've failed time after time will be picked regardless. Modern football.

 

I feel like that’s always been the case though.

I'm not sure it was too the same degree before, too much at stake now, no one willing to take chances due to what's at stake.
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Other factors at stake though - the concentration of top players at a handful of clubs, increased number of foreign players coupled with the stockpiling of young players. I don’t think the fundamental attitudes of England coaches have changed all that much.

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There’s no way Lascelles can go to the World Cup when we have Phil Jones who plays for Man Yanited, despite how utterly crap he is.

 

Impressive that Maguire has been called up and probably certain to go, despite having a very average/crap season. Just goes to show how much media hype has an effect, he’s living off the hype from last season and that matters much more than Lascelles playing well.

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Players outside the top six that have gone to last three tournaments.. 

 

2016 - Heaton, Bertrand, Forster, Vardy

2014 - Forster, Lallana, Foster, Jagielka, Baines

2012 - Butland, Jagielka, Green, Baines (Martin Kelly went  ???)

 

The best players of any nationality will always naturally elevate themselves to the top clubs. When you combine that with English players not going abroad for whatever reason, you'll always going to see a the same clubs make up the bulk of a national side.

 

Obviously there are going to be exceptions, but I'd say English players playing outside the top clubs aren't actually that talented at all. There is a huge amount of total garbage playing regularly in the PL, and a lot of players that despite many seasons playing in the PL have never got near to a call up.

 

If you look at Spainish national squad, whilst being hugely competitive, they've still been able to draw plenty of players from sides outside their big clubs. Likewise with Germany.

 

Maybe, and hopefully it's changing now - but it's got to be a case of English clubs producing a comparatively low level of footballer. 

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Players outside the top six that have gone to last three tournaments.. 

 

2016 - Heaton, Bertrand, Forster, Vardy

2014 - Forster, Lallana, Foster, Jagielka, Baines

2012 - Butland, Jagielka, Green, Baines (Martin Kelly went  ???)

 

The best players of any nationality will always naturally elevate themselves to the top clubs. When you combine that with English players not going abroad for whatever reason, you'll always going to see a the same clubs make up the bulk of a national side.

 

Obviously there are going to be exceptions, but I'd say English players playing outside the top clubs aren't actually that talented at all. There is a huge amount of total garbage playing regularly in the PL, and a lot of players that despite many seasons playing in the PL have never got near to a call up.

 

If you look at Spainish national squad, whilst being hugely competitive, they've still been able to draw plenty of players from sides outside their big clubs. Likewise with Germany.

 

Maybe, and hopefully it's changing now - but it's got to be a case of English clubs producing a comparatively low level of footballer.

Your examples prove shite. Keepers don't count for a start because big clubs rarely play English keepers these days, so in the last 12 years 9 players outside of the top clubs got a seat on the plane if I'm reading that right?

 

Proving my point if anything.

 

EDIT: apologies I thought you were arguing a different point when I glanced at the text.

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