Football

[Howardh]

I was watching the game before a phone call interrupted. Had the game on mute but barely watched it. Also considered going to a friendly (Accrington Stanley v Huddersfield Town) But glad I didn't as we lost 3-0!

Not sure how Liverpool did at Gigg Lane, but Bury's pre-season results have not been good. They even lost 0-4 to Huddersfield in midweek so might be just as good a tip for last place in their division as Town are!

Our results haven't been good since the cup final of 1903. To be fair though, half of our current support was at the game so they know what the good days were like, I feel sorry for the kids of under 80 that barely see us get two draws in a row these days.

 

[507021]

Not sure how Liverpool did at Gigg Lane, but Bury's pre-season results have not been good.

It was a 0-0 draw.

 

[Howardh]

It was a 0-0 draw.

Stop the season there. It won't get any better than that....

 

[EM2]

In other news, Everton, who are due to face Bury in the week, won their pre-season game against ATV Irdning of Austria 22-0 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44835279

 

[EM2]

England aren't that good.

This is true. The squad is certainly not the fourth-best in the world.

 

[Howardh]

In other news, Everton, who are due to face Bury in the week, won their pre-season game against ATV Irdning of Austria 22-0 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44835279

As you point out, that's nothing, they ain't played Bury yet.

 

[High Dyke]

I expect that all who expressed their belief on this thread that England should have already gone home and that the third-place play-off was a waste of time will be true to their beliefs and refuse to either watch it on any media or listen to it on the radio.

Good job there was cricket to listen to on the radio. Though I would've expected more from an in-form India team!

 

[Howardh]

Good job there was cricket to listen to on the radio. Though I would've expected more from an in-form India team!

Reasonably exciting game at Greater Old Trafford, but we should be heading towards the cricket forum for that.
Not sure, but aren't there some 20/20 games scheduled for when the World Cup final is on....would they have been moved should they have been there?
EDIT; yes, two games due to start at 1pm so that's an hour or so earlier than normal.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

A rather meaningless game today and we were in with a shout until the error prone Phil Jones struck again.

Have you forgotten the absolutely pathetic attempt at defending by Rose which was swept aside as early as the fourth minute to allow Belgium to take a very early 1-0 lead?

 

[Tetchytyke]

I expect that all who expressed their belief on this thread that England should have already gone home and that the third-place play-off was a waste of time will be true to their beliefs and refuse to either watch it on any media or listen to it on the radio.

Yup. I was upstairs building nursery furniture for my imminent new arrival to the household!

absolutely pathetic attempt at defending by Rose

Which one? Danny Rose is nowhere near good enough for this standard of football. He's been a liability all tournament.

England aren't that good. Don't let reaching the semi final cloud your judgement

There's the making of a decent team there, though. Defence remains a huge weak spot, there's no real experienced quality at the back. But there is grounds for optimism.

Midfield? It'd have been different with Lallana and Oxlade-Chamberlain fit.

England are a decent team. The U17 and U20 teams make me excited for the next few years..if they can ever get a Premier League game.

 

[greyman42]

The younger English players can get first team action in the Premier League, but they probably need to move away from the top six to get their careers of the ground. Obviously there will be exceptions.

 

[Antman]

Have you forgotten the absolutely pathetic attempt at defending by Rose which was swept aside as early as the fourth minute to allow Belgium to take a very early 1-0 lead?

No I haven't forgotten that but like I said we were still in the game until the second goal.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

No I haven't forgotten that but like I said we were still in the game until the second goal.

How many minutes were left to play when Belgium scored their second goal? How many goal opportunities did England have after the Belgium second goal?

It was good to see honesty expressed by Southgate when he said although England finished in the final four team positions, they were not what he described a "top-four side".

 

[LAX54]

Had we not got the penalty in the 4th match, then that would have been lost 1-0 and on our way home a lot earlier !

 

[gnolife]

Had we not got the penalty in the 4th match, then that would have been lost 1-0 and on our way home a lot earlier !

Not necessarily. You dont know how the teams would have been playing had the penalty not been given

 

[fowler9]

As it stands we beat Tunisia, Panama and Sweden in normal time. Got beat by Belgium twice and Croatia. Draw your own conclusions to our world standing. I think England have a decent young team that will hopefully grow. Heard that before though and elements of Englands support got massively carried away again, I know all about it, I support Liverpool.

 

[greyman42]

We need to remember that we had an excellent qualifying campaign and our pre tournament warm ups went very well. Along with the decent tournament we should be positive on the future and we were also short of a full strength team in the tournament due to injuries.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As it stands we beat Tunisia, Panama and Sweden in normal time. Got beat by Belgium twice and Croatia. Draw your own conclusions to our world standing. I think England have a decent young team that will hopefully grow. Heard that before though and elements of Englands support got massively carried away again, I know all about it, I support Liverpool.

In this "young" team, how many of the 23 in the squad fall into the following age ranges:-
A)....Under 21
B)....21-26
C)....Over 26

 

[EM2]

In this "young" team, how many of the 23 in the squad fall into the following age ranges:-
A)....Under 21
B)....21-26
C)....Over 26

This page has all the information that you need:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_squads#England
a) Two
b) Eleven
c) Ten
It is the squad with the lowest average age, and the lowest average number of caps, in this World Cup Finals.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This page has all the information that you need:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_squads#England
a) Two
b) Eleven
c) Ten
It is the squad with the lowest average age, and the lowest average number of caps, in this World Cup Finals.

Thank you for your assistance. Perhaps the word "young" when used to describe an international team is rather different to that used to describe a team in a domestic league.

 

[EM2]

Thank you for your assistance. Perhaps the word "young" when used to describe an international team is rather different to that used to describe a team in a domestic league.

Well, yes. Because players generally play in domestic leagues to get experience and prove that they have the talent to play in national teams.

 

[Kite159]

Shame France are winning

Hopefully history will repeat and come the world cup in 2022 they end up going out at the group stages again.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Shame France are winning

Given how graceless Croatia were in victory, I'm glad they're getting humped.

That said, anything could still happen, the French goalkeeper is a Spurs player

 

[AlterEgo]

The referee ruined this game by using the privilege of VAR to give entirely the wrong decision.

 

[Darandio]

The referee ruined this game by using the privilege of VAR to give entirely the wrong decision.

And I think he realised the howler just before the kick was taken given the way he started waving his arms around as Griezemann started his run up, a clever way to try and put him off.

Referee interference is something i've seen quite often in this tournament, especially when trying to 'organise' free kicks. One noticeable example was during the England v Croatia game the other night. Dele Alli was stood a couple of yards offside as is his right, players do it nearly every time and step in as the free kick is being taken. For reasons that escape me, the referee was constantly demanding he move and stand onside.

 

[BlueFox]

One noticeable example was during the England v Croatia game the other night. Dele Alli was stood a couple of yards offside as is his right, players do it nearly every time and step in as the free kick is being taken. For reasons that escape me, the referee was constantly demanding he move and stand onside.

I remember that, but I disagree that the ref was "constantly demanding he move". My thought at the time was that the ref may have told Alli that he was in the goalkeeper's eyeline and may have been given offside if a goal had been scored.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When all the "special awards" are given out, who is felt to be the current favourite to win the "Headless Chicken" award?

 

[Darandio]

I remember that, but I disagree that the ref was "constantly demanding he move". My thought at the time was that the ref may have told Alli that he was in the goalkeeper's eyeline and may have been given offside if a goal had been scored.

It's how I remember it, maybe i'd had too many by then.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Referee interference is something i've seen quite often in this tournament, especially when trying to 'organise' free kicks. One noticeable example was during the England v Croatia game the other night. Dele Alli was stood a couple of yards offside as is his right, players do it nearly every time and step in as the free kick is being taken. For reasons that escape me, the referee was constantly demanding he move and stand onside.

So let me understand what I think you say. It is a players right to stand two yards offside when the referee has lined up the players ready for a free kick to be taken and it is wrong for a referee to demand that players move into an onside position instead.

Can anyone cite what the Laws of the Game say about such a situation.

 

[AlterEgo]

So let me understand what I think you say. It is a players right to stand two yards offside when the referee has lined up the players ready for a free kick to be taken and it is wrong for a referee to demand that players move into an onside position instead.

Can anyone cite what the Laws of the Game say about such a situation.

The referee isn’t demanding they move. The referee cannot do that.

What the referee is doing is advising players standing in an offside position that if they remain there, in the goalkeeper’s line of sight, they’ll be considered to be gaining and advantage and will be given offside. Player then moves.