Off Topic International Break Thread

He’s really embraced that Pied Piper role for Wales.
And has helped Wales to some good times in the past few years.

 

Welsh highlights:

Davies with the assist for the 1st and scores the 4th. Also took the captains armband late on.

 

Who knew Davis had such an accurate left shoulder on him

 

He might get a start against Mura, then...

 

Just in case any of you are wondering, Doherty is as **** for Ireland now as he has been for Spurs.

 

Really not helping my hopes for a Doherty-for-KWP swap...

 

To be fair to him, he improved as the game went on. Ireland playing some lovely stuff and 3-0 up! COYBIG! (Or orange this evening..
)

 

Luxembourg v Ireland in short:
Kicks off, 0-0 HT, 62 minutes Adam Idah is replaced by Jason Knight, 0-3 FT.

 

Croatia & Serbia beat Russia & Portugal respectively to overhaul them and win their groups.

 

Always good to see Portugal dumped into the playoffs, if not least because it increases the chances of not hearing their dreary anthem at the World Cup

 

Ireland highlights:

Very soft disallowed goal for Luxembourg.
Knight's impact will have people paying attention. He's at Derby too, who are skint.

That save from Bazunu was incredible from the angle that they don't show:
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/com.../?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
He's already a fantastic goalkeeper and he's only 19. Interesting to see what City do with him.

 

I'm probably going on selective memory here, but when I hear of players being released from a squad for whatever reason, such as before this game against San M, is it always players from the Sky Favourites that get released?

Now this may not actually be true, also it is skewed because there are probably more of their players in the squad to start with. It just feels like the teams with the biggest squads most able to cope with players getting injured on international duty, get their players let off. Whilst the "lesser" clubs, who presumably not only have fewer good squad members, but are more likely to have their best players on international duty, don't have them released. The impact of one of them getting injured in an international is therefore presumably greater.

Interested if anyone actually has stats either way, or just a rabid hatred of the Sky Favourites like me?

 

The Gerrard-Lampard teams were collections of individuals. While I've been extremely critical of Southgate, because I think his style is too cautious, I would say his teams are actually teams, trying to work together to execute a strategy.

My first educational institution was the Pied Piper Nursery School. The Pied Piper, or Rattenfaenger, accomplished two things. He used his magic pipe to lead rats off a pier to drown and to kidnap children. Either way, it's a nice metaphor for education.

 

Can someone explain to Lee Dixon the difference between Kane and Maguire.

 

Kane 1 behind Lineker now

 

I think this break has shown there’s not a lot wrong with Kane’s finishing if you can get him service. You can probably ignore his pens as a barometer (though nobody would have saved the one he just put in) but there’s been one or two very tidy finishes.

If Conte can get the team going round him then he’ll fill his boots for Spurs too.

 

1 behind Charlton now

 

Kane might overtake Rooney's record tonight!

 

I think Southgate will take him off to give others a game