Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales (England and USA qualify)

[duo]

Still rumours about Kanes fitness- if he's not 100% he needs to step aside and let Wilson play. 

[arnonel]

If Kane has to play, it should be in the Mason Mount role. 

[LV]

4 minutes ago, duo said:

Still rumours about Kanes fitness- if he's not 100% he needs to step aside and let Wilson play. 

He clearly wasn’t fit last night. Should have come off early. 

[Ben]

Tuesday in Tenerife should be canny 

[Cronky]

Southgate should use the Wales game to rest a few players and try some different combinations. Even our second string is surely not going to lose 4-0 to Wales.

[LiquidAK]

7 minutes ago, Sima said:

Not surprised at Southgate’s negative tactics.

 

This is the same bloke that dropped his arse and changed his subs when Iran pulled it back to 4-1 on Monday with not bringing Wilson on.

 

As soon as we scored a fifth he made the sub.

 

The Wilson change of heart was because Maguire went down injured, nothing to do with them scoring. Wilson was about to come on, Maguire went down, he brought on Dier instead. 5 minutes later Wilson came on anyway.

[Interpolic]

Watching the game I was bored and frustrated, but hearing the interviews after I was annoyed. It appears that performance and result was pretty much the plan? 

 

Almost every player looked off it last night. Some of it you could see was instructed, for example the absolute lack of pressing from the front. Same old issues of us passing it around the back with not a clue what to do beyond that.

 

You can put some of it down to poor individual performances but how much of that is down to the players and how much of it is them being told to essentially play within themselves? 

 

I still don't get why Mount is a guaranteed starter, Sterling generally flatters to deceive for club and country for well over a year now and I think we have to play Rice due to lack of alternatives but I still don't understand his appeal. Surely it was Rice's role to link defence and attack yesterday? Yet him and Bellingham were invisible. 

 

Shit game, best forgotten. I get all the stuff about Southgate's relative achievements but his approach is bloody tedious to watch. 

[Rafalove]

Is this racism?  Or would that be a bit unfair?

 

 

 

[Jaqen]

Seemed to play for a draw whilst using the minimum energy required and got it. Poor result and performance in isolation but it pretty much guarantees us through to the knockouts which we should be fresh for. 

[ponsaelius]

4 minutes ago, Rafalove said:

Is this racism?  Or would that be a bit unfair?

 

 

 

 

Having watched AFC and CONCACAF in the past footballing culture of Middle East teams and Central America is honestly surprisingly similar. There really is a lot of gamesmanship and pushing the boundaries to win. I think if he had caveated it with 'footballing culture' it would be fine. 

[Rafalove]

3 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

 

Having watched AFC and CONCACAF in the past footballing culture of Middle East teams and Central America is honestly surprisingly similar. There really is a lot of gamesmanship and pushing the boundaries to win. I think if he had caveated it with 'footballing culture' it would be fine. 

Apparently in Italy and Argentina, they take pride in their ability to cheat. Didn’t know if it was necessarily the same in Iran.

[Disco]

Gamesmanship is a thing in absolutely loads of countries regardless of where they are and the populace. Klinsmann just came across as rather bitter toward Iran I thought; seemed incapable of admitting they were the better team. They also played well within the limits and didn’t need to kill the game or be snide which makes it even border.
 

But that he’s still wearing a white t shirt under a dress shirt in an air conditioned studio says all we need to know about him. Shudder to think of the state of his box fresh trainers.

[Groundhog63]

7 minutes ago, Rafalove said:

Apparently in Italy and Argentina, they take pride in their ability to cheat. Didn’t know if it was necessarily the same in Iran.

You watched the Premier league lately ??

[St1pe]

I hadn’t really noticed Tyler Adams before and read he he joined Leeds but he looked like a proper shithouse last night I like him. 

[Groundhog63]

Brits abroad doing us proud ?

 

 

[Weezertron]

I tend to lean on the side of 'couldn't give a shit' about England. 

 

However, I got well excited for this. Proper looked forward to it all week. I went out and bought snacks. hoyed my phone on silent. 

 

Proper dull. Only got myself to blame. 

 

 

[Groundhog63]

56 minutes ago, Rafalove said:

Is this racism?  Or would that be a bit unfair?

 

 

 

It's hypocrisy if nothing else. Master diver Klingsmann knows a thing or two about cheating 

[Rafalove]

50 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

You watched the Premier league lately ??

 

 

Im not saying cheating doesn’t happen. But the reaction is very different. I’ve seen Argentine journalists say, the reason why that game against England, is so special, aside ofcourse from the political backdrop, is because “the two goals perfectly encapsulates the Argentine character, both of them. On one hand you get the brilliance of Maradona dribbling past the whole England team, on the other hand you get the the hand of god, that cunningness, is a bit of us too”.

 

perhaps that is changing though, you can see on this very forum people do seem to take pride in “gamesmanship”.

 

 

 

 

here is an interesting vice article.

 

 

https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/nek83w/is-cheating-in-soccer-more-acceptable-in-some-countries-than-others

 

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Rafalove

[Groundhog63]

6 minutes ago, Rafalove said:

 

 

Im not saying cheating doesn’t happen. But the reaction is very different. I’ve seen Argentine journalists say, the reason why that game against England, is so special, aside ofcourse from the political backdrop, is because “the two goals perfectly encapsulates the Argentine character, both of them. On one hand you get the brilliance of Maradona dribbling past the whole England team, on the other hand you get the the hand of god, that cunningness, is a bit of us too”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

here is an interesting vice article.

 

 

https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/nek83w/is-cheating-in-soccer-more-acceptable-in-some-countries-than-others

 

 

 

Shithousery isn't cheating ??

[Elliottman]

49 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Brits abroad doing us proud ?

 

 

That first 30 seconds is like a wwe hardcore title match. 

[Mike]

1 hour ago, St1pe said:

I hadn’t really noticed Tyler Adams before and read he he joined Leeds but he looked like a proper shithouse last night I like him. 

 

Only 23, as well.

[Groundhog63]

18 minutes ago, Elliottman said:

That first 30 seconds is like a wwe hardcore title match. 

Aye, daft old fellas. That bloke on 20 sec helping a kid up then, 2 sec later, punching him ???? wtf

 

[Pata]

2 hours ago, ponsaelius said:

 

Also club football is about building a style, fluidity and intensity over that extensive period. Over years and year even. I'm always amazed people watch international football and expect the same thing. It simply doesn't happen from any of the teams really. They're a bunch of players hoyed together. You will always get duff performances.

 

I'm not sure this really applies to England, the majority of this squad have been together for every international break for years and Southgate picks the same players all the time. For the majority of time they do look like a bunch of players hoyed together when going forward though. 

[Sima]

4 hours ago, LiquidAK said:

 

The Wilson change of heart was because Maguire went down injured, nothing to do with them scoring. Wilson was about to come on, Maguire went down, he brought on Dier instead. 5 minutes later Wilson came on anyway.

Could have just added the Maguire change to his original substitution.

[toon25]

Just heard that Southgate say he didn't play Foden because he wanted to change shit up on the wings and he 'doesnt play there for his club'?

 

Doesn't he play on the left for City?

 

Foden over Mount every day.