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I was not expecting this (I still think Argentina will turn it around though)
running out of time!
Looking forward to the tsumani of hypocrisy in about 3 minutes time. 😀
Argentina have been poor.
That was a serious smash there at the end, hope the player is okay. They fully deserve the win here.
Well, that was ****ing shocking from the referee - he should have halted play immediately. Is he not actually watching the game he is meant to be officiating?
The officiating has been really bad so far in that regard. Thought the same in the England game with the Iran keeper.
well well
That's what the World Cup is about, underdogs getting their day.
No one's going on about human rights now are they? 🙄
No one’s going on about human rights now are they?
Well yes, yes they are, I don't think anyone has stopped talking about that have they?
Many people can deal with two topics at once
Qatari rulers aren't going to like the Saudis turning up to their party and beating one of the favourites.
Well I'm happy about that. Not that I care about Saudi, but as an England fan of a certain age I will never get tired of seeing miserable faces on Argentine players.
No one’s going on about human rights now are they?
We are in our house. But we're still watching the football.
A sporting team is not the same as a country. I would love to go to Argentina, it'd be fantastic. But I still hate their football team. Likewise I hate England rugby, but I am happy to be half English and support England football for purely sentimental reasons.
Sport is affected by politics, but they're different.
A sporting team is not the same as a country.
As a Newcastle supporter I completely agree. 🙂
No one’s going on about human rights now are they?
And during the live broadcast too - so yes, people are definitely still talking about human rights
No one’s going on about human rights now are they?
Yes, that’s exactly the case. We’re all now homophobic too
Daz provides us all with some tips as to how he’ll be spending the next few weeks
😃
Well, this one is a bit of a damp squib turgid after this morning's fun.
did I imagine it, or did play restart after the the incident in the Argie game that led to the VAR review? I thought that happened in the Denmark game too. Did they change the VAR implementation so that the review could happen after a restart following the incident?
Yes, that’s exactly the case. We’re all now homophobic too
You're not, because you're not interested in the World Cup.
I did watch some of the Wales game and I’m meeting my Spanish mate to watch the Costa Rica game with her tomorrow. Though it’s just an excuse for a few cheeky midweek pints really.
Because we all know that’s the real reason international tournaments were invented and if this were a proper one we’d be watching it in the beer garden of the pub or while having your mates round for a barby 😃
Ronaldo leaves Man U with immediate effect
Thank God, something to stop binners moaning 🤣🤣
It’ll never happen 😂
Typical bloody Ronaldo. The Saudi’s best Argentina and he makes it all about him 😉
Aussies are ahead!
all square though a poor goal to concede
french are missing a hat full of chances here!
The Australia kit, much like the Netherlands kit is very strange. In some light conditions it looks like flock wallpaper. Bizarre
Craig Goodwin did a David Narey.
Enjoying first full match. Bit like Wimbledon v Liverpool circa mid eighties
Why’s Mbappe taking the set pieces? His delivery has been so poor - ego?
He’s alright apart from that though!
Ronaldo out followed by the Glazers, wheels falling off or finally up on the ramp for a service?
Funny old day in Salford...
German sponsors getting heavy on the German FA who are getting heavy (legal) on FIFA over the OneLove armband u-turn.
This has better legs than those that caused Budweiser to go suddenly quiet on the beer u-turn.
Infantino looking like a bigger **** every day.
I'm expecting new Qatari owners very soon for Man Yoo.
🙃
Can I just say that I welcome our new murderous, homophobic Arab overlords! 😉
Whatever happens, those parasites will walk away having trousered billions, loaded the club with a stack of debt and run it into the ground.
Hopefully Sir Jim is about to ride to the rescue
Where's Michael Knighton when you need him?
Michael Knighton 😆
£20 million. Seems mental now.
Another game not following the script 🙂
Some goal, that!
Germany stealing Argentina's thunder. And that was the best goal so far.
Japan are a decent team, they are high energy and work as a team, you don’t want to face them in a hot and heavy game!
Spain up next - another surprise on the cards? Surely not?
Spain up next – another surprise on the cards? Surely not?
One can but hope, just for the amusement value tomorrow morning when I speak to my colleagues 😀
What was the keeper doing for the last goal? He was side on, if he'd been straight on it probably would've struck him.
long barrier, making sure he didn't get nutmegged which is the textbook finish in that situation.
Fortunately the book was out of print in Japan......
Well this is a pretty comprehensive arse-kicking
Well this is a pretty comprehensive arse-kicking
It is a bit 😂
The 12 Spanish fans who turned up must have been chuffed as ****!
Looks like the attendance was about the same as a mid-table league 2 game
What an absolute farce this is 😂
Ronaldo banned for two matches for that knocking the phone out of a teenagers hand thing, honestly, that's absolutely mental considering some of the off-field stuff players get up to!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63729875
crazy game so open!
Gutted. They don't deserve that.
took it well
Well this is a pretty comprehensive arse-kicking
They must have heard Graeme Souness saying before the match how the Spain team didn’t have any goals in them.
Spain looked impressive against limited opposition. One if the 5 or 6 teams I've backed for the whole thing.
Disappointed for Canada, they ran rings around Belgium but couldn't hit a barndoor in front of goal.
Dominated possession, pressed constantly, didn’t give Belgium a second on the ball, couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo in front of goal
If they had anyone who could hit anywhere other than row z, they’d have walked that
From feigning complete disinterest to the lowdown on Canada vs Belgium...
From feigning complete disinterest to the lowdown on Canada vs Belgium…
🤣
Well it’s not like I can watch the United v Arsenal instead, is it?
This is the only game in town until Christmas, mores the pity
Doesn’t change my opinion that the whole thing is a total farce, but given the choice of ‘I’m a Celebrity’ or that on a cold wet November evening?
I’ve been listening to ‘Powerplay’ on BBC Sounds, all about FIFA. It’s truly staggering just how corrupt the whole thing is. It’s off the chart! Well worth a listen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0dfg11h
I see they’re giving attendance figures above the capacity of the grounds when the stadiums are obviously half empty
So, who'll buy ManU?
Well it’s not like I can watch the United v Arsenal instead, is it?
I generally hate international footy and didn't watch a single England qualifying match, let alone any others. Yet I've watched every game so far (WFH is great!), as I did for many previous world cups. There's something about the sheer volume and variability of watching so many matches in a short space of time that makes it appealing, and you always get games which are brilliant to watch like the Japan - Germany game today. Football can be a dreadfully boring sport and doesn't work if you dip in and out of it as you're more than likely to see the boring games. Watch a whole season though and you're guaranteed to see the good ones, and that's what the world cup provides.
Well it’s not like I can watch the United v Arsenal instead, is it?
This is the only game in town until Christmas, mores the pity
Doesn’t change my opinion that the whole thing is a total farce, but given the choice of ‘I’m a Celebrity’ or that on a cold wet November
Complaining about the loose morality of the things you compulsively watch?
So, who’ll buy ManU?
Hopefully Sir Jim Ratclffe. He’s been after doing so for years and he’s a big United fan.
But unfortunately I can see the sort of long protracted on/off bullshit that we saw with Mike Ashley and his selling/not selling of Newcastle, because it’s the Glazers we’re talking about here and they’re cut from the same cloth. They don’t give a toss about the club and will just mess around trying to get as much cash as possible for themselves, no matter how much damage it’s doing
Anyway back to Catarrh
Looking at the groups from recent days and today's fixtures, your realise that England got very lucky with their group !
England always get a very favourable draw. You can look back in history and it's always the case. Then they get found out when they meet a country like, Germany, Italy, Croatia,...
England always get a very favourable draw.
England and Italy were in the same group in 2014, and both failed to advance. It had three teams in the top ten of the rankings.
YOU mean they find it harder when they play one of the other top teams in the world ?
That's not exactly 'get found out'.... That's like saying City get found out when they get to the semi of the Champions league....
Or.... they're just playing really good teams who are better than the rubbish ones ?
Looking at the groups from recent days and today’s fixtures, your realise that England got very lucky with their group !
Although it DOES have the highest average FIFA world ranking of any group.
Although it DOES have the highest average FIFA world ranking of any group.
Hold on, lets not be bringing actual facts into it !
😉
Is that Jim Ratcliffe, the massive United fan who bid for Chelsea in the summer? And expressed an interest in Liverpool recently? Sounds great!
Hopefully raging spacechicken Elon will buy them.
Well… everything’s relative
I don’t actually think the Glazers will sell it. I think they’re just playing games and kite flying and they’ll do something like stick a valuation of 100 billion quid on it, or something equally ridiculous, and that’ll be the end of that.
Dunno Binners - I reckon they’ve jumped after FSG announced they’d consider selling Liverpool.
Although it DOES have the highest average FIFA world ranking of any group.
I'm never quite sure about these rankings and how / whether seeding should be part of the WC
On rankings - you get points for winning games (or points taken off for losing them) but how many points you get depends on the relative strength of the opposition. So if you are the big fish in a weak pond and play most of your games against relatively weak / low ranked teams (like I think Iran are) then you keep getting positive points. Not as many as if you'd beaten a big team, but still getting positive points. Hence Iran end up in the top twenty, whereas I don't think anyone would really believe that. It takes a WC to mix it up and they don't come around often.
On seeding - depends what you want from it (mainly as a neutral or a sponsor, as fans we all profess to like the big games but if we could get to the semis or finals without playing anyone decent we'd take it). If it's avoiding the big teams clashing until the sharp end then great, but if you want a little team to have a chance to get through to the knockout stages where things can happen, and ultimately an underdog to get into the sharp end then do away with seeding. A group with FRA, BRA, GER and ENG all in it with two eliminated..... tough, to win the WC you have to beat the best of the rest so who cares where you do that? Except after that group you'd be knackered for the R16 anyway!!
Brazil being extra Spursey with scowler in chief having a blast. Bit disappointed with Serbia.
you'd think it was the final the way they are celebrating ?/
To be fair, Serbia were pretty solid for an hour before Brazil turned on the swagge. Loved Richarlason's capoeira move for his second goal.
Agree about all that celebrating with all the subs, kit man, physio, hangers on etc, if they're not on the pitch, book 'em all.
Any predictions for this morning?
Wales will struggle to start with, won't be a steamrollering but in the end will win comfortably, 2-0 or 3-1 sort of margin.
I can see the Wales game being a somewhat dull affair, but i'm hoping to be proved wrong with that.