World Cup : Qatar Nov/Dec 2022.

[Mr Jinx]

What I don't understand is, you're an Exeter City fan (I presume), therefore why do you go after England for a lack of success whilst supporting a club like ours? I'd understand your mentality if you were a Man City or Liverpool fan...

Wrt my views on Southgate and England...I'm absolutely on the same page as Simon Jordan is here:

 

[Colesman Ballz]

Don't be surprised if Southgate throws the game tonight (losing one nil) in order to not top the group (and face France in the qtrs).

GUFFAW ! Can't see Southgate being too worried about a team that lost to the MIGHTY Tunisians even if they do manage to reach the qtrs ! LOLZ !

 

[Mr Jinx]

GUFFAW ! Can't see Southgate being too worried about a team that lost to the MIGHTY Tunisians even if they do manage to reach the qtrs ! LOLZ !

France played their bench ffs. A luxury afforded to them by winning their first two games...which England couldn't manage.

Let's see who's laughing come Dec 11.

 

[Devon Red]

Wrt my views on Southgate and England...I'm absolutely on the same page as Simon Jordan is here:

I don't disagree with Jordan, he is right, we do fall short in the big 50/50 games - I don't think you're wrong about that.

I find the fact you seem to WANT us to lose the strange part.

 

[Mr Jinx]

I don't disagree with Jordan, he is right, we do fall short in the big 50/50 games - I don't think you're wrong about that.

I find the fact you seem to WANT us to lose the strange part.

I think the wanting to lose is a bit of a push. The cheering on Iran thing was a joke. That said, I cannot support this England team given they've decided to politicise things that do not sit well with me. Show support for an organisation that calls for nationwide defunding of police, who's leaders have shown it's little more than a racket after buying up mansions...and I'm out. The irony is the USA team, in whose country George Floyd was killed, whose team's starting lineup is mostly black, don't feel the need to do the same. Let's see what Senegal do.

 

[Boyo]

So let's see, England have beaten two pub teams but struggled when playing a bang average side in the USA. Of course, were England to actually beat France, then I'll have to eat my words and give credit where it's due. They then could and should be winning the tourney, but they'd still have a couple of games left to completely balls it up.

I don't believe I've ever said England are rubbish (this side of 2014). Wales are, but England aren't quite at those depths. They are a little better than bang average (as was most recently witnessed v the USA).

So in the first quote you seem to be implying that if England beat France then they should be winning the tournament. In the second quote you say that England are bang average, implying that a good number of teams in the tournament are better than England. You seem to be covering a lot of bases there.

On a personal note I love watching England (especially this team), but I hate the hype that surrounds the team, particularly in major tournaments. It's at pantomime levels now. We swerve from the highs of scoring six in the opener to the blame and despondency of drawing against the US, back to the scenes of fans going crazy in pubs and beer flying everywhere, when we score a third against an already beaten and poor Wales side.

It's tournament football. There will only be one winner. The best team will not necessarily win.

 

[Mr Jinx]

So in the first quote you seem to be implying that if England beat France then they should be winning the tournament. In the second quote you say that England are bang average, implying that a good number of teams in the tournament are better than England. You seem to be covering a lot of bases there.

You didn't fully read my post obviously. I said they were a little better than bang average. That places them above bang average teams like US and Denmark, but not at the level of France, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Probably at the same level as someone like the Netherlands if you catch my drift.

It's interesting that a lot of people are playing down England's chances against Senegal ahead of Sunday's game. A lot of people did similar the WC in 2018 and I remember hearing the same pre the Sweden game. This is not something I do. We should be beating Senegal and somewhat comfortably especially given the attacking options Southgate has at his disposal.

On paper Senegal have a lot of players from second tier teams like Waford, Sheff Utd, as well as some Prem bench warmers and others at smaller European clubs. Holland beat them without too much trouble. Had they had Mane, that might be a different matter, but they dont.

France would be a wholly different matter, and that's the real acid test. I think England would lose that, but we'll soon find out. And if I consider France to be the favourites, why wouldn't I think England should then be able to win the whole thing were they to beat the current WC holders?

 

[Boyo]

You didn't fully read my post obviously. I said they were a little better than bang average. That places them above bang average teams like US and Denmark, but not at the level of France, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Probably at the same level as someone like the Netherlands if you catch my drift.

It's interesting that a lot of people are playing down England's chances against Senegal ahead of Sunday's game. A lot of people did similar the WC in 2018 and I remember hearing the same pre the Sweden game. This is not something I do. We should be beating Senegal and somewhat comfortably especially given the attacking options Southgate has at his disposal.

On paper Senegal have a lot of players from second tier teams like Waford, Sheff Utd, as well as some Prem bench warmers and others at smaller European clubs. Holland beat them without too much trouble. Had they had Mane, that might be a different matter, but they dont.

France would be a wholly different matter, and that's the real acid test. I think England would lose that, but we'll soon find out. And if I consider France to be the favourites, why wouldn't I think England should then be able to win the whole thing were they to beat the current WC holders?

Keep covering those bases Jinxy.

 

[Mr Jinx]

Keep covering those bases Jinxy.

Except I haven't covered them all, have I.

If England beat France, then I'll have been proven wrong and, like Simon Jordan, I'll have to doff my cap.

 

[Devon Red]

On a personal note I love watching England (especially this team), but I hate the hype that surrounds the team, particularly in major tournaments. It's at pantomime levels now. We swerve from the highs of scoring six in the opener to the blame and despondency of drawing against the US, back to the scenes of fans going crazy in pubs and beer flying everywhere, when we score a third against an already beaten and poor Wales side.

I've got no issue with getting over excited, surely that's part of the fun? It's the doom mongers who annoy me - we are all quite aware there are better sides than us in the world, stop trying to spoil the fun. Life is pretty hard for many at the moment, if we can't celebrate scoring a few goals albeit against poor opposition it's a bad job - not much else to cheer at the moment.