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My forecast for next rounds:
Quarter-final stage:
Uruguay will beat France by 2 goals. (France won 2 nil instead)
Belgium will beat Brazil by 1 goal. (Spot on!)
England will beat Sweden by 1 goal. (Almost spot on England won by 2 goals instead. 😀 )
Croatia will beat Russia by 1 or 2 goals max.
Semi-final stage:
Belgium will beat France by 1 goal but maximum 2.
Croatia will beat England by 2 goals. (who knows England might win by 1 nil)
Final will be …
Belgium Vs Croatia ...
I think we stand a good chance to get to the final, but looking at the quality of yesterdays games we don't stand much chance of winning the thing outright.
Jordan Pickford had an absolute blinder. And Trippier is looking Beckham-esque with the crosses and corners
Wrong !
Edit ..that in response to Chewks predictions
If England can beat Croatia/Russia England will win the World Cup.
Second time round Belgium will be a walk over ... 😀
so whom would we like to face in the semi's ? or just go by form and get the weakest (russia it is then 😉 )
I predict Russia to do a Greece and win the thing. That from a Scotsman who put money on England, and Belgium 😆
so whom would we like to face in the semi’s ?
Doesn't matter, they will control the game and win.
so whom would we like to face in the semi’s ? or just go by form a get the weakest (russia it is then 😉 )
Better to play Russia as Croatia is very good ... so far ...
Better to play Belgium then France in the final.
Wrong !
Edit ..that in response to Chewks predictions
I hope England will go all the way to win ... me mates are counting on me for their bets ... 😀
Not really worried who we play ..but I've a sneaky feeling it will be Russia ..
I hope England will go all the way to win … me mates are counting on me for their bets …
Well your mates are idiots.
Solid, professional performance.
Can't really judge how well we'd perform against better sides based on this but I think we've got enough to beat Croatia. It should be our hardest game by a wide margin though and I really hope we look for some more decisive passes in the last third.
Not really worried who we play ..but I’ve a sneaky feeling it will be Russia ..
They might rugby tackle Croatia as they want to look good at home ... 😀
Well your mates are idiots.
They have won 80% of their bets so far since the start of World Cup ... 😀
For the match between England and Sweden, me mates only needed one goal from England to win their bets. Draw mean me mates loss.
The betting format at home is about goal difference and not about the exact scoreline.
Maybe I'm just agreeing with the lads on MOTD here but Henderson has been awesome there in the middle, very happy he got away with that yellow card hanging over him
Trippier has been one of Englands best players of the tournament so far
Maguire for me ..and I really thought that Lascelles deserved a chance based on what I had seen of Maguire ..
I was wrong ..
Well, that was almost... Comfortable , its an odd feeling, it must be what it's like to support Germany 🤣😂
Well, that was almost… Comfortable , its an odd feeling, it must be what it’s like to support Germany
yeah it was rather....not the usual emotions for sure, long may it continue!
Exactly what I was after, you can take your exciting football I'll take winning
Exactly what I was after, you can take your exciting football I’ll take winning
aye ultimately that's it.
Anyhoo, c'mon croatia, bring up my double now and kill my jinxy run! 😆
I will take winning for now, hopefully England can get over their mental hurdles and start competing at most competitions.
But it is an entertainment business, I don't want them just grinding out results every match, sooner or later I want to see them turn on the style.
.
I assume Putin has fixed it from the outset for Russia to win.
you think he paid off the spanish to miss penalties and has now paid off the croatians?
hahhahhaa, c'mon the Ruskies! 😆
Well this isn’t going to script, is it?
I’ve had a punt on Russia winning tonight. They’re juiced up to the eyeballs, clearly
Well well well, don't know who I would rather face in the next round.
That came from nowhere, looked like Croatia were cracking under the pressure before that goal.
Booo! 😆
Defo Russia MSP, national belief will only get ye so far. Got a soft spot for the underdog though, so kinda hope they do it here, can't see it though.
In Moscow against Russia in a semi could throw up all sorts of weirdness mind you!
Think Croatia in the last 2 games have shown they can have a certain fragility about them though.
Please let it go to extra time & pens ..just to take a little more out of whoever we end up playing ..
From what we have seen so far, England should be fairly confident against either of these teams.
you think he paid off the spanish to miss penalties and has now paid off the croatians?
If I were Putin I'd pay the drug testing authorities to accidentally lose the Russian team's samples.
sore yin!
That Croatian scorer has nowhere near enough tats.
Back of the net !
15 more minutes to go.
😀
hahahahahaha! 😆
It looks it will go to penalty shoot out ... 🙁
If Russia wins the penalty shoot out then England will have hope.
😀
Just brilliant, got to hand it to the Russians they are playing waaay above their pay grade
This is ace! Love a penalty shoot out that we’re not involved in 😀
terrible penalty, bye bye russia!
maybe not! 😆
oh dear indeed ally!
Croatia 2 (4) - 2 (3) Russia
Woohoooo!
Croatia won!
Back of the net!
😀
-------------------------------------
My forecast for next rounds:
Quarter-final stage:
Uruguay will beat France by 2 goals. (France won 2 nil instead 🙁 )
Belgium will beat Brazil by 1 goal. (Spot on! 😀 )
England will beat Sweden by 1 goal. (Almost spot on England won by 2 goals instead. 😀 )
Croatia will beat Russia by 1 or 2 goals max.(2 - 2 Full time, Croatia won on penalty 4-3 😀 )
Semi-final stage:
Belgium will beat France by 1 goal or maximum 2 goals.
Croatia will beat England by 2 goals. (who knows England might win by 1 nil)
Final will be …
Belgium Vs Croatia …
Croatia it is, England well favourites, Croats will be exhausted after that!.
They have until Wednesday to recover, surely that's plenty of time for them to get back fighting fit?
Didn’t watch it, wasn’t really that fussed who went through but slightly biased for the home side...
Penalties are cruel, but it’s the way games like his are won.
Tough match.
They have until Wednesday to recover, surely that’s plenty of time for them to get back fighting fit?
Nope
http://www.aspetar.com/journal/viewarticle.aspx?id=180#.W0FLks_TU0M
Have reread this thread through match time now, and what are some of you lot on. You must be a chuffing joy to be around. You remind me of the week before the 2012 Olympics and you were wrong about that too!
We're in the WC semi final for Christ's sake. With a team of kids, many of whom haven't been to a major tournament before, only age group ones (where we did quite well IIRC) We should be dancing in the street already yet the glass half empty merchants are really pissing me off.
So we haven't had to play the top top sides. So what? So we didn't destroy Colombia - hang on we recovered from a devastating last minute equalizer to win on penalties (after going behind in them too)
I rewatched the game last night (sad, i know but was at a barbecue so didn't get the chance to really watch it this afternoon) and apart from a nervous, shaky first 15 we pretty well bossed the game against Sweden. The disappointment that we didn't score 3 more - and we had chances especially late on when instead of attacking we went for the corner flag - which is smart but doesn't please the moaners, and it is also still concerning that despite bossing the game JP made 3 great saves and was our MoM. Yet as an ex GK no-one ever moans when a striker has a great day and says we only one because so-and-so scored two world class goals.
All the Sterling moaners. If he could finish he'd be player of the tournament. The work he did against a much bigger, stronger opponent was amazing. Plus his runs off the ball into spaces to create space for team mates. Poor bloke was on fumes at the end. Listen to the pundits, who were glowing and will know far more about the job he's doing, and the player who play in teams with him. Same with Lingard ...... so much of what they do is pure unselfish hard running, that only catches the eye of people that really know. No we don't have glory boys like Ronaldo or Messi or Neymer, but when they're watching the semi in their posh house on Wednesday, they'll know too, what great shifts many of these lads are putting in.
Get behind them FFS. It really might be happening, that thing I thought I'd never see.
Get behind them FFS. It really might be happening, that thing I thought I’d never see.
Rough nights sleep ?
🤦♀️
I thought sterling had his best match tonight, maybe playing against a 442 team suited him like a premiership game? I wasn't a fan at first but I'm changing my mind
Rough nights sleep ?
I'm at 6 year old on Christmas Eve levels of can't sleep-ness right now !!
may have been mentioned - but Chris Waddle on 5 live coverage with Kelly Cates was brilliant. The emotion in his voice - with his previous miss 1990.
I’d like to Ban the use of the term “it’s coming home” on 5L.
Every other sentence contained the analogy, sometimes quoted twice in the same sentence.
I do wonder if the presenters are subconsciously falling into the same mindset as the fans they interview.
Give it a break, talk about the game(s) left and interview some of the other squads and fans.
All the Sterling moaners. If he could finish he’d be player of the tournament. The work he did against a much bigger, stronger opponent was amazing. Plus his runs off the ball into spaces to create space for team mates. Poor bloke was on fumes at the end. Listen to the pundits, who were glowing and will know far more about the job he’s doing, and the player who play in teams with him. Same with Lingard …… so much of what they do is pure unselfish hard running, that only catches the eye of people that really know. No we don’t have glory boys like Ronaldo or Messi or Neymer, but when they’re watching the semi in their posh house on Wednesday, they’ll know too, what great shifts many of these lads are putting in.
Agree JV about Sterling - if he had composure he would be in the world XI, not joking. As it stands he's still a great player, one of the more valuable England players this tournament.
Henderson against Modric will be a tragic sight (as we have recently seen) - two men, on the same pitch, playing a different sport. Croatia aint Real Madrid, though, and he (LM) doesn't have anything like the supporting cast to capitalise on his influence. Croatia looked poor yesterday, England are probably better 1 through 11, slight favourite to win sounds right.
Sooner or later it's all going to come together for Sterling and he's going to stick away a couple of world class goals. If he could possibly arrange that for Wednesday (or even better, next Sunday), that would be great 🙂
He's a starter for England because he creates significant problems for defences, and through that, space for his colleagues.
Even I'm starting to get the goosebumps now.
Glad it's not going to be Russia though, the intensity of that might have been too much.
I just realised, we will get Ally McCoist commentating on the semi final now, god help us he is awful as a commentator.
but Chris Waddle on 5 live coverage with Kelly Cates was brilliant
Chris Waddle is the best pundit out there by a country mile. Some of his rants in previous tournaments after England have gone out are legendary. Has he got over his 'pelanty' problem yet?
I think it’s on BBC and ITV.
RM.
just realised, we will get Ally McCoistcommentating on the semi final now, god help us he is awful as a commentator.
At least we're spared Martin Keown.
Chris Waddle is the best pundit out there by a country mile
Eth eth eth eth eth?
Buono Estente
Sooner or later it’s all going to come together for Sterling and he’s going to stick away a couple of world class goals. If he could possibly arrange that for Wednesday (or even better, next Sunday), that would be great
Sterling just seems to dither with that final finish.. almost like he lacks a bit of confidence to either really go at goal or just really run at the last defender.
Sterling just seems to dither with that final finish
yep, that ball from Henderson (note, the doubters above, that was Modric-class) that he brought down from over his shoulder with one touch....if his second had been to slide it past the keeper we'd still be purring now. But it will come for him....it will.
Was away at the weekend, watched some of the England game on a mobile phone, in my mates van. Cannot believe we're in a semi final of a world cup. The last time this happened was 28 years ago. I was 13... who knows when it might happen again?
I was 21 - just finished my Univ finals and watched the whole world cup with my Uni mates. Best 4 weeks ever - I'd convinced myself it wouldn't happen again in my lifetime*.
Now with this crop of inexperienced youngsters, this tournament is just a stepping stone, who knows how good they could be in 2/4 years time.
* just my luck, I'll probably get run over between now and tomorrow night.
Toughies tonight and tomorrow, I put you as slight favourites due to Croatia running their arses off the other night, should be a good game I reckon, infact both semi finals are looking like good match ups! All the best with it! Will be deserved finalists if you get through.
I reckon it'll be an England v France final.
Although, here's a sobering thought, champions league qualifying duty starts tonight, 5pm Alashkert v Celtic, then France v Belgium. I'm going to have to take it easy on the fizzy water! 😆
I'm still in denial,can't quite believe it.
Croatia are a good team- folk are talking as though we're in the final&Some pillock has graffiti'd all the notice boards at work with "it's coming home". aaaghhh.
Even if we get there, I'll look forward Hogynd and Rockape bemoaning the lack of Shelvey and Wilshere in the team. Ha. & Nostrodamus, sorry I mean Chewkw ,predicting the results( kind of.) 🙂
I'm hoping Belgium win tonight.
Hoping for a close game tonight, preferably ET & pens. Would rather Belgium got through as at least then it won't be the bloody French winning it again.
Seosamh, if yer team gets through to CL group stages again, that'll mean 38 games before Xmas eve. Madness!.
😆 The qualifiers are basically our pre-season training these days! (Which can be good or bad, good if you are starting well, it's just competitive games, horrible if you are having a lethargic start!)
God knows how it'll all work out at the Qatar nov/dec world cup, leagues will need to start in may, CL qualifying in April or something mental like that.
yep, that ball from Henderson (note, the doubters above, that was Modric-class) that he brought down from over his shoulder with one touch….if his second had been to slide it past the keeper we’d still be purring now. But it will come for him….it will.
Agreed - that save was amazing - not your dramatic full length finger-tipped around the corner but the hand the keeper got on the ball that stopped RS from tapping it in was pretty amazing. And of course had that been Neymar in that situation, he'd have gone tumbling looking for a pen too.
This has all the signs of a monumental disappointment. The 'coming home' hysteria is not only becoming insufferable, but it reeks of arrogance and complacency. Southgate might want to take the player's phones off them before it permeates the team. I'm imagining a scenario where England get beat by France in the final resulting in French shops being trashed and tricolores being burned in the street.
I’m imagining a scenario where England get beat by France in the final resulting in French shops being trashed and tricolores being burned in the street.
Really? There are some vivid imaginations going on here.
It feels more like people daring to believe again everywhere I've been and that it could be possible.
It feels more like people daring to believe again everywhere I’ve been and that it could be possible.
I hope so, but I think you underestimate the number of idiots out there. A mate of mine was told by a random stranger that he was being unpatriotic because he wasn't going to watch the Sweden match. Won't take much for this sort of mentality to tip over the edge.
This has all the signs of a monumental disappointment.
Really?! Its already past that point IMO. Getting out of the group was the probably about the level we were expecting. Winning a knockout stage and winning on penalties has exceeded expectations. Getting to the semis is a massive achievement. Even of they lose, it'll be remembered as a great success
as some (racist) comedians said.
I know that was then, but it could be again.
I think most sensible people realise we have done well, with a bit of luck how the draw played out, to get to the semi's. Probably a good chance of getting to the final, but realistically either France or Belgium should brush us aside quite easily there.
I have a lot more confidence about this team going forward to the next few tournaments though, the current players improving (most of the main players are yet to hit their peaks IMO) and even more talent being developed at youth levels.
I think it is important though not to raise the expectancy to the levels that cripples the players mentally, and I do agree with dazh, I see murmurs of arrogance and even nationalism under the façade of celebrating success.
but realistically either France or Belgium should brush us aside quite easily there.
I don't think that's the case at all. It's pretty much unknown how this England team will scale up as the opposition improves. Test 1, tomorrow. There's every reason to be hopeful, tbh. And pretty much no cause for negativity at the moment.
That's a completely neutral view anyhow, take what you will from it! 🙂
As someone just said in the office, on paper France or Belgium would beat the present Ingerland squad 8 or 9 times out of ten. But what if its one of those 1 or 2 games when they have a bad day and nothing falls your way? You never know?
Lets be honest, no matter which club you support, we've all watched games where you've battered a team for 90 minutes, had 75% possession, rattled the woodwork 5 times, fired another 5 wonder saves from their keeper, then watched them scuff a 94th minute winner that goes in off your own goalies arse after hitting the post?
We've got to get past Croatia first anyway, so its an academic question. I'm just hoping they've not really recovered from the Russia game, and Modric plays like he did against them, and not like he did against Argentina where he was absolutely awesome
No idea on who's going through from tonights game, but it should be a belter! And a punt on it going to penalties seemed worth a few quid at 7/1