World Cup 2018

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I like the waistcoat.
Nothing wrong in dressing like a toff. The only one there.
The majority dress down to look like just another raggedy rascal.

I just might have my old waistcoat from the 1970s.
Haven't seen it for years.


(y)
 
Either team to win on penalties at 6/1.
That's a possible imho
 

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Bloody white shirts.

Get rid of them.

Fair play to Croatia better team after they scored.

England did control the game before the goal.
 
I thought England were the better team to start with but they were roughed up imo.

There were a number of bad intentional fouls with body checks, intentional kicking and simply argie bargie stuff that took gloss off England's play and allowed Croatia into the game. Referee was too generous other than a couple of yellow cards for cynical bad fouls.

Pretty much same as Columbia game but less in some respects as they got back into the game and switched to playing football again in second half.


However, I thought England did tremendously well and I can't wait to see them play again and now have much higher expectations. Well done to all the boys. Lived and enjoyed the dream whilst it lasted. :clap::love::clap::love::clap:
 
Well congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the gallant losers.
Too many missed chances.
Great things are in store for this young England team.
So all the way next time guys.


:clap:
 
My take on the game was that the first 20-25 minutes were excellent from an England P.O.V. Exciting, attacking and creative football. Then they appeared to flick a switch, sit back and try to protect their 1-0 lead. I thought Southgate would put a rocket up their ar$es at half time but, to my surprise and disappointment, we were treated to more of the same in the second half and in extra time. Pickford saw more of the ball than Kane, Sterling, Alli and Lingard combined. Not as a result of attacking play by the Croats - but from back pass after back pass after back pass from our defenders. Almost every time Pickford got it - his only option was to hoof it up the field - which usually resulted in giving away possession. Rather than going backwards, it would be much, much better for the defenders and midfielders to try and pick out Kane and Sterling from the half way line (or there abouts) than hope that the forwards latch on to one of Pickford's long kicks.

To conclude, Croatia didn't so much win the game: we gifted it to them on a plate. If we'd lost as a result of playing like we did in the first 20 minutes or so - there would be no shame in that. Sadly, we lost through lack of creativity and imagination: most of the time the players looked like they didn't know what to do with the ball and just wanted to get rid of it asap and hope that one of their teammates would do something clever with it. All in all, Croatia deserved their equalizer and their winning goal. I'll be rooting for them against France on Sunday.
Tim.
 
England strategy unchanged from decades past and managers past.

Play for penalties and corners and free kicks, not for goals. Play to not lose, not to win.
 
England strategy unchanged from decades past and managers past.

Play for penalties and corners and free kicks, not for goals. Play to not lose, not to win.

? That’s precisely the thing I thought was different about this team. They did attack and go for goal consistently and it was very refreshing. Finishing was a bit lacking but not for want of trying.
 
It really offends me to see that a player pretends by falling down, it's really much scary when they pretend in the box (near goalkeeper) in order to get penalty goal.
Why referee does not slap with a yellow card, better yet red card, on those hypocrites?
 
? That’s precisely the thing I thought was different about this team. They did attack and go for goal consistently and it was very refreshing. Finishing was a bit lacking but not for want of trying.



Shots on target, England 2, Croatia 7.
Fouls, England 14, Croatia 23.
Corners, England 4, Croatia 8.

They were trying, bit not trying to score.
 
My take on the game was that the first 20-25 minutes were excellent from an England P.O.V. Exciting, attacking and creative football. Then they appeared to flick a switch, sit back and try to protect their 1-0 lead. I thought Southgate would put a rocket up their ar$es at half time but, to my surprise and disappointment, we were treated to more of the same in the second half and in extra time. Pickford saw more of the ball than Kane, Sterling, Alli and Lingard combined. Not as a result of attacking play by the Croats - but from back pass after back pass after back pass from our defenders. Almost every time Pickford got it - his only option was to hoof it up the field - which usually resulted in giving away possession. Rather than going backwards, it would be much, much better for the defenders and midfielders to try and pick out Kane and Sterling from the half way line (or there abouts) than hope that the forwards latch on to one of Pickford's long kicks.

To conclude, Croatia didn't so much win the game: we gifted it to them on a plate. If we'd lost as a result of playing like we did in the first 20 minutes or so - there would be no shame in that. Sadly, we lost through lack of creativity and imagination: most of the time the players looked like they didn't know what to do with the ball and just wanted to get rid of it asap and hope that one of their teammates would do something clever with it. All in all, Croatia deserved their equalizer and their winning goal. I'll be rooting for them against France on Sunday.
Tim.

Switch flicked as you put it was that they started kicking, body checking and barging England off the ball. Clever thing was that most of their yellow cards were in Englands half not their own. This is obvious after we scored from a set piece free kick.

Kane got winded twice as well as barged in the kidneys. These tackles take a toll on you and when you next have the ball whether one is deliberately or not is trying to pass the ball on rather than engage in tackles. Thus, you may be a little harsh in observation. Walker picked up the ball and threw it at one their players and got a yellow card. Really??? Referee was a little off imo.

Kane was taken out of the game. That's for sure. Either he lost his hunger for the ball or was injured in some way who knows. Just not his usual self.

The backward passes were deliberate imo. It's called keeping possession of the ball and drawing out teams who defend tight. Idea being to beat them on the brake with long balls. So without knowing strategy it's tough call. Italians and Spanish are great at that short ball passes to keep possession and build on attacks.

Fact they were giving away balls was more of a mid-field problem to me. Who wanted the ball to relay it up the pitch. Long balls don't always work and give away possessions. Personally, I would have kept Sterling on and brought on another striker as in Rashford. Every man and his blind dog will see the game differently.

I see a young team who got kicked and barged out of the game. They were huge against our pint size twenty somethings.

I still think we did well and all those players I'm sure have at least another two world cups in them so lot more to see. :cool:
 
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I don't think Southgate could complain that the England players were being fouled when that's what they must have been told to do - obvious from Game 1 the strategy was to get close to the man, get into the box and hold onto the ball long enough to get fouled, then we score from the free kick or if we're lucky a penalty penalty.

Its a passive-aggressive strategy and England paid the price.
 
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