World Cup General Discussion Thread - 2030 The Jokes On You

Part-timers whose minds might have been on other things too.

 

I said off top of my head. Italy won 2006 and won their group (for example). Ditto France 2018 and Germany 2014.

 

The old adage is right: you have to score when you’re on top. Anything can happen when the the lead is only 1-0.

 

Can't think of an England manager that has been decent against the better teams to be fair. Can't knock his tournament record

 

Venables I guess although small sample size.

 

Unless we keep getting the best tournament draws in history, we certainly can knock his tournament record.

He's had a home Euros, where we lost in the final to the first top 10 side we played, a World Cup played in very similar climate to England, where he lost to all 3 top 10 sides (Croatia and Belgium x2).

If we lost in the semi final or final of the FA Cup to Norwich, having played only League 1 and below sides in our run, I doubt the manager in charge would get much credit.

Prove it against a decent (top 10) side in a major tournament at least once, and I'll change my mind. So far he's 0 for 4.

 

But I, for one, wouldn't knock him. There's a difference between that and not giving credit.

 

I don't really knock him. I'm glad he was our manager. He's introduced some excellent processes and preparations, hasn't psychologically damaged some of our excellent young talents and clearly is very well liked.

I do think we could have built on the foundations he laid by replacing him with a manager like Howe or Potter after the Euros.

I'd absolutely love to be proved wrong though.

 

Agreed.

Although I have an uncomfortable feeling that it is going to go badly wrong on Friday...

 

We lost the Euro final on penalties.
In the last world cup both matches against Belgium were effectively dead rubbers.
Croatia is the only team we lost to in play when it mattered.

 

A final and a semi final is unsurpassed by any other England manager. Belgium we lost to in 3rd/4th place play off and dead rubber group game and Italy we lost to on pens. We've had plenty of other decent England squads over the years including the "Golden generation" and have done far less.

 

That would be the Venables who is the only England manager to fail to reach the final of a home tournament, yet was hailed as the messiah by so many English fans.

 

and home turf....

 

Yes can see that being a draw, sorry drawer.

 

The problem is Howe and Potter would be absolutely mad to take the job at this stage of their careers and I’d be absolutely stunned if they were at all interested, so the choice isn’t really replacing Southgate with either of them, it’s replacing Southgate with another Southgate clone FA yes man, or a big foreign name on the downslope of their career.

 

Clive Tyldesley loves rimming the "big" players.

 

Japan play Costa Rica earlier in the day, if Japan win that then it will be immense pressure.

 

The Mbappe love-in is unbearable.

Apparently he is the undisputed best player in the world despite never having played in a top league.

 

Looking forward to see up-and-coming Canada. Tough test but they won their Qualifying Group with aplomb.

Lively start. Pen Canada.

Poor pen. Nerves.

 

Good pace and movement up front.

 

The most recent Euros were on home turf

 

Why? There have been plenty of promising managers who are now taking charge of international teams (E.g. Flick and Enrique), and we have an excellent young team.

Howe especially had been unemployed for a year and a half after being sacked by Bournemouth. It’s one of the highest paid managerial jobs.

I really doubt he’d have turned it down.

 

I bet Gino is licking his lips watching the 39 year old Canadian player.

 

Yes, not relevant to my Venables comment but presume you are saying Southgate’s praise should be restricted given that ?

 

Mattie Pollock would look quick in this Belgian defence.

 

Flick is 57 and has already won the league with Bayern. Enrique won the treble with Barcelona. Both Howe and Potter have won nothing as managers but could conceivably win leagues and champions leagues in the coming years, they get to manage a club day to day and have both yet to peak in club management. I’m not sure why they’d swap that for managing the national side which is effectively a part time job where you get the players every month if you’re lucky. It’s something you do if you’re not good enough at club level, or are coming off the downslope of success at club level.

 

I dread to think what will happen if he commentates when Brazil are playing. He'll have to wear a nappy as he'll wet himself to near death.

 

Canada just lack that bit of experience in the final third. Shame about the penalty miss.

 

Urgh Venables, Jeff Powell's love child. Pssst, fancy buying a football club for a pound.

https://overcast.fm/+WtDHSMU#

GTs Watford v Dodgy car dealers QPHahaha. A Superb listen.

 

And in any event Southgate went one better than Telly Vegetables.

 

TVOR must be having kittens watching Belgium play out from the back!

 

https://twitter.com/greg_jenner/status/1595407474567397389

 

He who smelt it dealt it.

 

True. But beat Holland and Spain while losing to Germany. So as a record against top teams his 66% probably hard to beat.