England

[Nucasol]

5 minutes ago, TBG said:

 

Penalty nonces.

[PauloGeordio]

 

[rgk_lfc]

13 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

 

 

 

India is playing Pakistan? Which sport?

[Rafalove]

An awful game called cricket.

 

 

Nice scenes though.

[Yorkie]

 

Not likely to be a shared sentiment I'm sure, but I actually feel quite fired up after watching this. He's got a sense of "fuck the lot of you" at this point, which is actually quite well-earned.

 

We're playing horrible football this tournament but we're not where we are in spite of him. For as poor as we've been, the team is resilient and it is still achieving things that predecessor teams/coaches failed to do. The togetherness of the squad is a huge reason for us being in the semis and that is his making. 

[Dancing Brave]

34 minutes ago, PauloGeordio said:

 

It's mental that.

And cool as fuck.

[alexf]

The consistency of avoiding the best teams until we eventually lose to one we face helps aswell. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Was so strange to be relaxed for the shootout knowing that every fucker in the team is a penalty specialist. 

[LiquidAK]

12 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Not likely to be a shared sentiment I'm sure, but I actually feel quite fired up after watching this. He's got a sense of "fuck the lot of you" at this point, which is actually quite well-earned.

 

We're playing horrible football this tournament but we're not where we are in spite of him. For as poor as we've been, the team is resilient and it is still achieving things that predecessor teams/coaches failed to do. The togetherness of the squad is a huge reason for us being in the semis and that is his making. 

That was a good watch - pleased to see him defend his players and talk about the wider squad all contributing to tonight's success. That part of the job is something he's very good at and he doesn't get enough credit for imo.

 

Completely agree with your post.

[Kid Icarus]

43 minutes ago, PauloGeordio said:

 

What gets me more than anything is Sommer deals with it as best as you probably could. Doesn't go early to let Toney play it in the other corner, doesn't blink, through luck or reading him goes the right way, but then the pen itself is so good that it doesn't matter. 

[midds]

I get the impression Southgate is a bloke who wanders into a forest with a penknife and comes out 6 days later boasting about how he's managed to cut 2 small trees down. "LOOK!! It works - told you I'd do it!"

[Heron]

None of my match going mates have any degree of excitement about England this time out. No clamour for fan zones, no desire for beers, no "Oh my God we're in the semi final of a major tournament", just a simple observation of "Why are we playing these tactics and how have we got this far?"

 

It's canny sad tbh. I know I should be buzzing, yet tonight I could barely bring myself to celebrate as I watched on with 2 non-football fans, my Italian wife who also isn't bothered by football and her Swiss mate who was a keen fan.

 

I don't know if maybe my mates and I are just at a stage in life whereby wives, children, houses, cars, etc. Have all taken over in priority and a resurgent Newcastle United just blows a drab, boring, underperfoming England set up out of the water in terms of excitement or what? However, it feels all around Newcastle we're not alone. I had once credited Southgate with reconnecting England fans with England players as the gap between prima donna's and Joe Public widened but this style and level of football and players essentially sticking two fingers up at fans telling them to simply be happy has left a sour taste in my mouth and a real disconnect that is far stronger than ever before for me.

 

Maybe that changes when we play a Dutch side I don't expect us to beat, I don't know?

Euro 96 was the pinnacle of international football for me. Shearer, Pearce, Gazza, players singing their hearts out until they were blue in the face, attacking games. Again maybe rose tinted glasses, but fuck me it's an absolute alternative universe compared to now.

 

 

 

Edited July 6 by Heron

[samptime29]

We got lucky super but feels like everything is falling nto place. Holland is a tough but winnable game and then you never know. Spain/France and England/Holland is a cracking semi final double header. May the best team win.

 

 

Edited July 6 by samptime29

[Heron]

1 minute ago, samptime29 said:

We got lucky super but feels like everything is feeling into place. Holland is a tough but winnable game and then you never know. Spain/France and England/Holland is a cracking semi final double header. May the best team win.

 

 

 

I feel like the names are but not the teams.

[samptime29]

4 minutes ago, Heron said:

I feel like the names are but not the teams.

 

I get that. Feel like either a cracking semi final or a stinker. 

 

 

Edited July 6 by samptime29

[Heron]

Just now, samptime29 said:

 

I get that. Feel like either a cracking semi final or stinker. 

My suspicion is two chess-like games with little entertainment and a single goal winning either game (if not pens). Based on performance Spain could and should win it like.

[samptime29]

1 minute ago, Heron said:

My suspicion is two chess-like games with little entertainment and a single goal winning either game (if not pens). Based on performance Spain could and should win it like.

 Spain are favourites. But feels like the tournament is there to be won. We shall see.

[Holloway]

Find any defence of Foden utterly bizarre, he's been very poor

[Bizza]

1 minute ago, Holloway said:

Find any defence of Foden utterly bizarre, he's been very poor

 

Yep, done absolutely nothing for 5 games now.

[samptime29]

Foden been shite. Great player but clearly not working. Safegate needs to drop Foden for Gordon. It's sooooooooo obvious.

[Erikse]

2 hours ago, PauloGeordio said:

 

 

He has never been the most likeable character, but his confidence is one of his biggest strengths. When I saw him stepping up, I just knew that he would nail it. The confidence that he has reminds me of Callum Wilson.

 

 

Edited July 6 by Erikse

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

1 hour ago, Yorkie said:

 

Not likely to be a shared sentiment I'm sure, but I actually feel quite fired up after watching this. He's got a sense of "fuck the lot of you" at this point, which is actually quite well-earned.

 

We're playing horrible football this tournament but we're not where we are in spite of him. For as poor as we've been, the team is resilient and it is still achieving things that predecessor teams/coaches failed to do. The togetherness of the squad is a huge reason for us being in the semis and that is his making. 

It's all just empty words at this point though, no? He starts by going "Twice coming from behind and now a penalty shoot out". A bit of grit and riding good fortune doesn't make the lack of endeavour much more palatable imo. He sits and says this every time, and not to ignore his obvious achievements in building the environment he has from pretty much nothing, but for me at least its just got pretty boring. Maybe the tournament as a whole has an impact on that view with its lack of quality generally, but then it also sticks a bit more that we've been so flat when there's an opportunity to be bolder around less risk. Yes, nice, the resilience and togetherness, happy stuff. All good. How's about a bit more? No? We just doing this again. Pfft, okay.
I think a lot of people (or maybe just me) are just a bit worn out with football atm. Seems a bit football for football's sake of late, not helped with VAR and PSR and such. Maybe I'm just looking for something a bit exciting about it all again and unfairly putting it on Southgate, but isnt that exactly what the national team is meant to be? I think I'd honestly prefer if we went down in a bit of blaze of glory than get to the final like this. It's all a bit underwhelming. 
 

[Nobody]

2 hours ago, Yorkie said:

 

Not likely to be a shared sentiment I'm sure, but I actually feel quite fired up after watching this. He's got a sense of "fuck the lot of you" at this point, which is actually quite well-earned.

 

We're playing horrible football this tournament but we're not where we are in spite of him. For as poor as we've been, the team is resilient and it is still achieving things that predecessor teams/coaches failed to do. The togetherness of the squad is a huge reason for us being in the semis and that is his making. 

Mate, you're too clever to fall for this fucking bullshit again. Southgate is fluking it to new levels we've never seen before. If that 1 in a million kick by Jude doesn't go in, we're all talking about embarrassing it is putting Toney on with 1 minute left.

[TenkoDaLuz]

1 hour ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said:

It's all just empty words at this point though, no? He starts by going "Twice coming from behind and now a penalty shoot out". A bit of grit and riding good fortune doesn't make the lack of endeavour much more palatable imo. He sits and says this every time, and not to ignore his obvious achievements in building the environment he has from pretty much nothing, but for me at least its just got pretty boring. Maybe the tournament as a whole has an impact on that view with its lack of quality generally, but then it also sticks a bit more that we've been so flat when there's an opportunity to be bolder around less risk. Yes, nice, the resilience and togetherness, happy stuff. All good. How's about a bit more? No? We just doing this again. Pfft, okay.
I think a lot of people (or maybe just me) are just a bit worn out with football atm. Seems a bit football for football's sake of late, not helped with VAR and PSR and such. Maybe I'm just looking for something a bit exciting about it all again and unfairly putting it on Southgate, but isnt that exactly what the national team is meant to be? I think I'd honestly prefer if we went down in a bit of blaze of glory than get to the final like this. It's all a bit underwhelming. 
 

 

Kind of my reflections back to 2016.

 

Silverware is good, but lately I have been wondering what is about football that glued me to it in the first place - something that hasnt been happening for a while now.

 

If I could go back to relive any NT tournament, I would go straight to reliving the EURO 2000 campaign even knowing we would lose in a very cruel way.

 

I came to realize that nobody here has fond memories of a NT that yes won something but in the end it won while being completely cynical and relying heavily on luck. Whereas if you ask anyone about our 2000 campaign you will see that same person smiling from ear to ear and telling you where they were in the 3-2 against England, or the 3-0 against Germany. And so on.

 

The same way everyone fondly remembers the 1974 Dutch side because of "total football", but many dont even remember who actually won that same World Cup.

 

Many people will tell you that this is just virtue signalling, as in, if you win you shouldnt complain about the way you win. I used to think like that too.

 

Only recently I have started to realize how toxic this cynical view can be for the game itself.

 

 

Edited July 7 by TenkoDaLuz

[TheBrownBottle]

23 minutes ago, TenkoDaLuz said:

 

Kind of my reflections back to 2016.

 

Silverware is good, but lately I have been wondering what is about football that glued me to it in the first place - something that hasnt been happening for a while now.

 

If I could go back to relive any NT tournament, I would go straight to reliving the EURO 2000 campaign even knowing we would lose in a very cruel way.

 

I came to realize that nobody here has fond memories of a NT that yes won something but in the end it won while being completely cynical and relying heavily on luck. Whereas if you ask anyone about our 2000 campaign you will see that same person smiling from ear to ear and telling you where they were in the 3-2 against England, or the 3-0 against Germany. And so on.

 

The same way everyone fondly remembers the 1974 Dutch side because of "total football", but many dont even remember who actually won that same World Cup.

 

Many people will tell you that this is just virtue signalling, as in, if you win you shouldnt complain about the way you win. I used to think like that too.

 

Only recently I have started to realize how toxic this cynical view can be for the game itself.

 

 

 

I'd warrant more people remember KK's NUFC side of the early-to-mid-90s - including the one which blew the title far more than the Leeds or Blackburn sides that did pip Man Utd to the title.

 

Football is a form of entertainment, the game itself forgets that at its peril.  International football in particular for me, because I'm far less emotively connected to the national team.  I just want England to be reasonably entertaining.