if this was preview of 2014 matchup, can’t be mad at that
Belgium are a great shout to do well at the World Cup. Courtois, Kompany, Van Buyten, Fellaini, Hazard and Benteke are all top quality players and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lukaku turn into Drogba MkII.
As for my beloved England…Going backwards again. Have been since Glenn Hoddle got the boot. We have no discernable style of play, an over reliance on players that are ageing and an unwillingness to start again.
I would say it would be great if we don’t qualify as it may finally give us the boot up the arse we need, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t, we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008 and all we did was get rid of the manager. Nothing else changed.
Until we start nurturing skilfull players instead of greyhounds we’re fucked.
[quote]ChrisWaddle wrote:
Belgium are a great shout to do well at the World Cup. Courtois, Kompany, Van Buyten, Fellaini, Hazard and Benteke are all top quality players and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lukaku turn into Drogba MkII.
As for my beloved England…Going backwards again. Have been since Glenn Hoddle got the boot. We have no discernable style of play, an over reliance on players that are ageing and an unwillingness to start again.
I would say it would be great if we don’t qualify as it may finally give us the boot up the arse we need, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t, we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008 and all we did was get rid of the manager. Nothing else changed.
Until we start nurturing skilfull players instead of greyhounds we’re fucked.[/quote]
Belgium?? Although most likely, they haven’t officially qualified yet, and they havent been that impressive in qualifying games.
England? 0 chance.
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As far as “outsiders”(to win the cup) to advance past the quarter-finals:
Netherlands
Uruguay
Argentina
Japan
[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]ChrisWaddle wrote:
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England? 0 chance.
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What do you mean, qualifying?
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
What do you mean, qualifying?
[/quote]
QUALIFYING; (verb). 1. Be entitles to a particular benefit or privilege by fulfilling a necessary condition. 2. Became eligible for a competition or its final rounds, by reaching a certain standard or defeating a competitor.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
What do you mean, qualifying?
[/quote]
QUALIFYING; (verb). 1. Be entitles to a particular benefit or privilege by fulfilling a necessary condition. 2. Became eligible for a competition or its final rounds, by reaching a certain standard or defeating a competitor.
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Ah smartarse time is it.
I can pretty much guarantee you England will qualify(just) and of course do better than Croatia and the dingo-fuckers.
I used to be the eternal optimist with England. Always thinking that maybe we would get over the Quarter Final out on penalties hump. Now Danny Welbeck is pretty much a first choice and Roy Hodgson is manager it has lead me to give up.
We’ll more than likely qualify, sneak out of an easy group by boring all our opponents shitless for 90 mins, meet a much better side in the 2nd round play the best football we have played all tournament and then go out on penalties.
Danny fucking Welbeck.
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
Ah smartarse time is it.
I can pretty much guarantee you England will qualify(just) and of course do better than Croatia and the dingo-fuckers.
[/quote]
Hey buddy,
You asked a question and I answered. No need to get all angry about it. Little buddy.
Did you want to make a bet regarding the England games???
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I dont rate Welbeck to be honest, but who would you have?
Bent? Doest get a game anymore
Carroll? Too physical, he would give too many fouls away to alot of teams who fall easily
Defoe? Attitude stinks and i think he lowers moral in he dressing room
Sturridge? This would be my choice, he is excellent when he aint playing second fiddle to Suarez at Liverpool
We need a goal scorer, like a Lineker or Shearer or Owen. You look at england top club teams and their strikers and there are very little englishmen getting a game week in week out scoring 20 goals a season.
I think we should forget this world cup and build for the euro championships.
[quote]adrenalinx wrote:
I dont rate Welbeck to be honest, but who would you have?
Bent? Doest get a game anymore
Carroll? Too physical, he would give too many fouls away to alot of teams who fall easily
Defoe? Attitude stinks and i think he lowers moral in he dressing room
Sturridge? This would be my choice, he is excellent when he aint playing second fiddle to Suarez at Liverpool
We need a goal scorer, like a Lineker or Shearer or Owen. You look at england top club teams and their strikers and there are very little englishmen getting a game week in week out scoring 20 goals a season.
I think we should forget this world cup and build for the euro championships. [/quote]
I agree, we need to build towards the future. Hodgson is not the man to do it with though. Buggered if I know who though!!!
Eriksson was almost the beginning of the end in a lot of ways. At least up until that point we were shit with a lot of heart. Now we are just shit!!!
If I were picking an England first XI
Hart
Walker Caulker Cahill Baines
Gerrard Wilshire Chalobah
Ince Rooney Zaha
Fuck it, see what happens
Really, really enjoyed the confeds cup tournament!!
Now to the question at hand, do I think brazil will win the next world cup?
Maybe, though, probably not.
Why? Because I still see Spain as the overwhelming favourites to win (the only ‘issues’ I see with Spain are potentially A: How well they bounce back from having a poor end to the confeds cup & B) Who exactly they play up front, especially if Torres isn’t on top form + D Villa is no longer favoured to start).
Of course, Brazil hosting the tournament + the likelihood of many othe nations really struggling with the heat could really help swing it for them. I just can’t in all honesty look at Brazil’s team-sheet/squad & say: ‘Yep, there is the next winning team’, I think, ultimately who their are quite a few teams who could probably beat brazil on their day, plus, in most tournaments their pretty much always a ‘surprise package’ team that kills at least one footballing giant or even two.
In short, I’d be pretty surprised if neither Spain or Brazil make it to the final, though, it isn’t neccessarily the final I EXPECT to see (as juicy as it could be).
[quote]ChrisWaddle wrote:
[quote]adrenalinx wrote:
Eriksson was almost the beginning of the end in a lot of ways. At least up until that point we were shit with a lot of heart. Now we are just shit!!!
[/quote]
I would say the rot started when Beckham came in with the WAG culture et al. I think its a definite positive that he’s now totally out of the setup.
LOL
England gets OVER-HYPED every single tournament, when will media/fans stop doing that to their own team?
Be happy with what you got, realize you aren’t a top-5 team(barely top-10), and watch the tournament unfold instead of preparing for a “second round exit”.