Still Not Worthy Of A Thread

[Tooj]

The Numbers Game by David Sally is an interesting read that talks about our averageness on the international stage.

[Ronaldo]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

[ponsaelius]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

 

6 quarter finals in 13 major tournaments. Hardly amazing. And based on our record since 1966, it's not underachieving but probably slightly above par.

 

Fact is other than 1966 England have been an alsoran at international level. God knows what the reasons for that are, but that's the facts of it.

[Disco]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

 

6 quarter finals in 13 major tournaments. Hardly amazing. And based on our record since 1966, it's not underachieving but probably slightly above par.

 

Fact is other than 1966 England have been an alsoran at international level. God knows what the reasons for that are, but that's the facts of it.

 

That and people were talking in terms of teams that are want for a better phrase footballing powerhouses not just any old knackers.

[Ronaldo]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

 

6 quarter finals in 13 major tournaments. Hardly amazing. And based on our record since 1966, it's not underachieving but probably slightly above par.

 

Fact is other than 1966 England have been an alsoran at international level. God knows what the reasons for that are, but that's the facts of it.

 

Nobody said it was amazing, man. Average isn't accurate.

[ponsaelius]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

 

6 quarter finals in 13 major tournaments. Hardly amazing. And based on our record since 1966, it's not underachieving but probably slightly above par.

 

Fact is other than 1966 England have been an alsoran at international level. God knows what the reasons for that are, but that's the facts of it.

 

Nobody said it was amazing, man. Average isn't accurate.

 

Is it not? I'd say its fairly average.

[M4]

Great goal...

 

[Hughesy]

I'm sure I read that as a nation we perform exactly as you'd expect us to do give factors like population, wealth etc. I want to say the book was called soccernomics or something.

[triggs]

I'm sure I read that as a nation we perform exactly as you'd expect us to do give factors like population, wealth etc. I want to say the book was called soccernomics or something.

Soccernomics was the American version I think, Why England Lose was actually the name of it

[Paully]

I wish we'd got this lad! I think he'll be a very good signing for these pigs! I didn't realise he'd been made their captain!

 

 

 

New Aston Villa captain Micah Richards is offering Jack Grealish advice on how to stop his young career going off the rails.

 

In recent months, 19-year-old Grealish has been pictured sprawled out on a street in Tenerife, with a £1,000 bottle of vodka by his side while on holiday in Marbella and allegedly inhaling the legal high ‘hippy crack’.

 

Villa boss Tim Sherwood warned Grealish, tipped to be the next Premier League big star, about his behaviour and Richards is willing to chip in as well.

 

Richards, who joined on a free from Manchester City this summer, was made the Villans' skipper this week with Sherwood praising his leadership qualities.

 

And the former England international, 27, will offer Grealish his words of experience.

 

Both made the big time very young, with defender Richards making his City debut at 17 and going through the star-struck pitfalls that wait for Grealish.

 

 

“It’s hard for youngsters coming through,” says Richards, who, like Grealish is Birmingham-born.

 

“I think Jack’s a very talented boy. When you are going literally from earning, what?, 80 quid a week at 17 and you then sign a contract for big money? What’s he on, thousands of pounds? You think you are The Man, don’t you?”

 

Richards found stardom rapidly, becoming City’s youngest captain, the youngest defender to play for England, and buying an Aston Martin when he was only 19 years old.

 

He admits now that the money and the fame went to his head:

 

“I was going outside restaurants, parking on yellow lines and stuff. And I’m thinking now, 'What was I doing? There was a car park just there!'

 

“You’ve got a different mind-set when you are young — giddy. You know what I mean. When you are first pulling a bird, you get giddy with it. When you are young, you are enjoying your life.”

 

Richards played almost 250 games for City in ten seasons before going out on a year's loan to Fiorentina and is now starting a new career with Villa.

 

He could have stayed at the Etihad, where the fans loved him even though he wasn’t getting games.

 

Sunderland and West Ham both wanted him too, but it was Sherwood who snapped him up to lead his rebuild of Villa following years of struggle against relegation.

 

Grealish is also at the heart of Sherwood’s planning. He has played only 13 Premier League games, but made a big impact already.

 

“You’ve got to make mistakes to learn from them,” says Richards. “As long as everyone learns that’s the key.

 

“We are only human. You’ve got to enjoy life as well. But as long as you give 100 per cent when you are on that field I think the rest takes care of itself.”

 

[TheHoob]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33780720

 

 

Much of the contract between LLDC and West Ham, which has been seen by the BBC, is redacted.

But it does show that a large number of "facilities and services" will be paid for by the grantor - ie the taxpayer - and not the club.

These include the cost of stadium utilities, security, maintaining the pitch, and even the goalposts and corner flags.

The BBC understands other overheads that could also be paid by the LLDC include the cost of stewarding and policing on match days, which amounts to many hundreds of thousands of pounds for other Premier League clubs.

Two separate football business experts told the BBC the value of the services amounts to between £1.4m and £2.5m a year.

West Ham, who received more than £76m in prize money for finishing 12th in the Premier League last season, are understood to be paying approximately £2m to £2.5m a year in rent.

[Sima]

Ridiculous, considering how much they will get for The Boleyn Ground when they flog it off.

[Stifler]

Everyone has known for a long time that West Ham have got a steal in the stadium.

Just think about it, 2 years of Premiership football will pay for 100 years at the Olympic stadium.

[henke]

They're leaving a fantastic stadium with a hundred years of history, to play in a soulless void guaranteed to be completely without atmosphere. We know better than anyone how much balance sheets mean to supporters. So it works only if they win trophies, which they won't. And they'll regret it within a decade.

[Optimistic Nut]

Albania 22nd in the FIFA rankings, France 23rd.

 

Mike Ashley will love only having to buy from the Albanian League now.

[The College Dropout]

These are opinions, obviously, but Portugal is not better than England on paper. I think England have been unlucky, tbh. They lost close matches on penalties in Euro 2004 and 2012 and well as World Cup 2006. Even the 2014 WC, which is generally considered a disaster, England were competitive. It is fair to say that English players in general are technically inferior to some of their counterparts and they have lacked a true star, but they are still a good side who generally do well. I would struggle to think of ten teams that are consistently better than them, tbh. After the top 5-7 teams in world football, everyone vacillates wildly with cycles of talent, coaching, team unity, etc.

Pepe would be our best CB. In fact their CB pairing would start ahead of ours. Periera would be first choice at RB. + Ronaldo that's already a better team. Throw in Moutinho and the young Carvalho and that's a better side imo.

 

England finished bottom of the group ffs. Everyone in the group was eliminated in the last 16 anyway I believe. Costa Rica are better ffs. Italy have beaten us at the last 2 international tournaments.

 

In the last 3 tournaments. Last 16. Last 8 of Euros. Bottom of WC group. That would suggest in the world we would be in the late 10's early 20's.

 

IMO England are no better than the likes of Ghana, Greece & Costa Rica. Long way off the elite. Fair way off the challengers. Haven't had a decent international tournament since.... 2006? 2004? Haven't beaten a team of note in a international competition for yonks.

[The College Dropout]

I'm not sure you could sensibly define us as average when you look at the number of QFs we've made in the last 25 years. Underachieving, certainly.

 

6 quarter finals in 13 major tournaments. Hardly amazing. And based on our record since 1966, it's not underachieving but probably slightly above par.

 

Fact is other than 1966 England have been an alsoran at international level. God knows what the reasons for that are, but that's the facts of it.

 

How many of those QF's where in the WC? 3? 2 for Sven. 1 for Bobby.

 

For a nation of our size and affluence we are below average considering how popular the sport is within the country.

 

Our record puts us comfortably behind the other economic EU powerhouses: Germany, France, Spain & Italy. Also comfortably behind Portugal & Holland. Historically, maybe the 7th best EU side.

[The College Dropout]

If England played any of the following in a World cup/Euros knockout game, I would expect the  other team to come through, whether on penalties or in normal time: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Chile. Then there are the likes of Croatia, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal which the game could go either way and then I'd expect England to beat pretty much everyone else

And you would be disappointed. You wouldn't think we wouldn't beat USA (was it?), struggle against Algeria & Costa Rica. But the proof is in the pudding. Competition game against Greece, Ivory Coast or another S. American side with a good team at the moment and I wouldn't be confident.

 

Chile, Colombia, Belgium are comfortably better than us man. As teams and individuals.

 

Pretty sure we've faced Portugal in 3 or 4 times in major cup competitions in the last 15 years. They've beat us every single time.

[The College Dropout]

2000, 2004, 2006. L. L. L.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We have some good players but bad football is too deeply ingrained in our psyche, at the moment at least. Quite a few teams with inferior individuals in most aspects look like Pep's Barcelona compared to England. 

 

I think we are slowly improving our style and our technique TBF.

[triggs]

 

 

If England played any of the following in a World cup/Euros knockout game, I would expect the  other team to come through, whether on penalties or in normal time: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Chile. Then there are the likes of Croatia, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal which the game could go either way and then I'd expect England to beat pretty much everyone else

And you would be disappointed. You wouldn't think we wouldn't beat USA (was it?), struggle against Algeria & Costa Rica. But the proof is in the pudding. Competition game against Greece, Ivory Coast or another S. American side with a good team at the moment and I wouldn't be confident.

 

Chile, Colombia, Belgium are comfortably better than us man. As teams and individuals.

 

Pretty sure we've faced Portugal in 3 or 4 times in major cup competitions in the last 15 years. They've beat us every single time.

 

I said Chile were better than you, I watched Colombia in the Copa and they looked shit in the main, although they do have a good side. I don't really rate Belgium

[The College Dropout]

 

 

If England played any of the following in a World cup/Euros knockout game, I would expect the  other team to come through, whether on penalties or in normal time: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Chile. Then there are the likes of Croatia, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal which the game could go either way and then I'd expect England to beat pretty much everyone else

And you would be disappointed. You wouldn't think we wouldn't beat USA (was it?), struggle against Algeria & Costa Rica. But the proof is in the pudding. Competition game against Greece, Ivory Coast or another S. American side with a good team at the moment and I wouldn't be confident.

 

Chile, Colombia, Belgium are comfortably better than us man. As teams and individuals.

 

Pretty sure we've faced Portugal in 3 or 4 times in major cup competitions in the last 15 years. They've beat us every single time.

 

I said Chile were better than you, I watched Colombia in the Copa and they looked s*** in the main, although they do have a good side. I don't really rate Belgium

You mentioned Chile twice. We haven't beaten a side in competition football as good as Belgium or Colombia since... Argentina in 2002 and they didn't even make it out the group. Be interested to see the teams we've beaten, drawn and lost in 30 years of comp.

[triggs]

 

 

If England played any of the following in a World cup/Euros knockout game, I would expect the  other team to come through, whether on penalties or in normal time: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Chile. Then there are the likes of Croatia, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal which the game could go either way and then I'd expect England to beat pretty much everyone else

And you would be disappointed. You wouldn't think we wouldn't beat USA (was it?), struggle against Algeria & Costa Rica. But the proof is in the pudding. Competition game against Greece, Ivory Coast or another S. American side with a good team at the moment and I wouldn't be confident.

 

Chile, Colombia, Belgium are comfortably better than us man. As teams and individuals.

 

Pretty sure we've faced Portugal in 3 or 4 times in major cup competitions in the last 15 years. They've beat us every single time.

 

I said Chile were better than you, I watched Colombia in the Copa and they looked s*** in the main, although they do have a good side. I don't really rate Belgium

You mentioned Chile twice. We haven't beaten a side in competition football as good as Belgium or Colombia since... Argentina in 2002 and they didn't even make it out the group. Be interested to see the teams we've beaten, drawn and lost in 30 years of comp.

Sorry just noticed that now

[BeloEmre]

Ryan Shawcross out for 2 months.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Albania 22nd in the FIFA rankings, France 23rd.

 

Mike Ashley will love only having to buy from the Albanian League now.

I have been yelling about this for ages, and every time I mention it people think I am crazy or justify the ranking because it is mathematical. It is simple, Romania and Wales haven't qualified for the last two major tournaments and are ranked among the top ten team in the entire world on the back of a few recent good results in qualifiers that are amplified by the artificially high rankings of European teams. Romania are especially ridiculous. Their biggest competitive accomplishment over the past four years is beating Turkey and Greece in qualifiers, yet they are 7th. Such a ranking shouldn't be used to seed World Cup or determine work permit situations.