Match Day Thread The 2022 World Cup Discussion Thread

The thread for you to discuss everything about the World Cup apart from the Prediction Competition and our contributions to the squad.

As World Cup fever gets going Netflix has jumped on the bandwagon with a very timely 4-part documentary called FIFA Uncovered. Watched the first 3 episodes last night. Its all about how the corruption took over at FIFA in the 70's and how Qatar ended up getting the World Cup. I was always under the impression that Blatter was behind the latter but he was actually dead against it being awarded to them.

The technical report by FIFA was pretty negative on the Qatar bid but they very cleverly didn't just do the usual bungs to members but went with government to government 'bribes' so Thailand got a favourable LNG deal, France ended up with major investment in PSG, a fighter plane deal and BEIN buying the rights to French Football for an extended period.

Well worth a watch.

 

Not very confident about England's chances of doing much here. The squad seems very unbalanced and includes too many players who are off form or only just back from injury.

Goalkeeper - no issues. Good starter and good back-ups.
Defence: Can only seen one definite starting line-up here and very little back-up if someone gets injured. My preferred starters: Trippier, White, Stones, Shaw

Midfield: Rice, Bellingham, Mount, Maddison

Strikers: Kane, Saka

 

When discussions start regarding the ‘greatest player’ ever these days not unnaturally players like Ronaldo (the greasy one) and Messi are usually there or thereabouts in peoples choices. Mainly due to age and not watching live the earlier greats such as Beckenbauer and Cryuff.

For me though the title of greatest ever should go to Pele.

I’ll never forget watching, on television, (yes, they had it then) the 1970 World Cup Finals. There is some debate that the ‘greatest’ has to have ‘done it’ at the very highest level to be able to claim that title. Not a theory I subscribe to due to, for example, George Best, who through no fault of his didn’t have the chance to play at the very highest level but Pele didn’t ‘do it’ once at the very highest level but in fact three times.

This BBC article does highlight and in clips show the genius of Pele.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62712350

 

I remember watching the 1966 World Cup final but 1970 was the first World Cup I really got involved in. Seem to remember watching a lot, if not all of the matches, collecting the Esso World Cup Coins (which was pretty difficult as I don't think we had a car then).

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I guess as we were the champions the media were really into it. Remember the fuss over Bobby Moore nicking a bracelet in Bogota when we were playing a friendly there beforehand.
Pele was outstanding in that tournament but I would rate Cruyff's performance in 1974 higher, and thought that that Dutch team was one of the best ever. It was the biggest travesty ever that the German's beat the Dutch in the final.

 

I remember collecting those medals. I did get the full set but obviously long gone now. Can’t remember which were the very hard to get medals and which I seemed to have dozens of.

On getting medals from garages can anyone else remember the Space Medals’ from, I think, Shell? Had that full collection as well.

Cryuff was a great there’s no two ways about that and I appreciate it is all so subjective but for me Pele managed to perform at such a high level over 3 out of 4 World Cup Finals (being literally kicked out of the 1966 Finals) is what tilts the balance to him over Cryuff. Both far better players than Greasy Ronaldo and Messi.

 

Yep. Remember collecting those space medals as well. I would have been 11 at the time. You must have felt a bit stupid doing it at 32 years old.

 

Can we rename this one the 'Two Old Farts Reminiscing' thread so I know not to wander back in. We can then set up another one for the 2022 World Cup. Thanks.

 

Wander ??

You've never moved that fast in your life, Chub Chub.

 

Sunday 20th November
Qatar vs Ecuador (A) 0-0
Monday 21st November
Senegal vs Netherlands (A) 1-1
England vs Iran (B) 3-0
USA vs Wales (B) 1-1
Tuesday 22nd November
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (C) 3-0
Mexico vs Poland (C) 1-1
Denmark vs Tunisia (D) 2-0
France vs Australia (D) 2-0
Wednesday 23rd November
Germany vs Japan (E) 2-1
Spain vs Costa Rica (E) 3-0
Morocco vs Croatia (F) 1-1
Belgium vs Canada (F) 2-0
Thursday 24th November
Switzerland vs Cameroon (G) 1-0
Brazil vs Serbia (G) 3-0
Uruguay vs South Korea (H) 1-1
Portugal vs Ghana (H) 2-1
Friday 25th November
Qatar vs Senegal (A) 0-1
Netherlands vs Ecuador (A) 2-1
Wales vs Iran (B) 2-0
England vs USA (B) 1-1
Saturday 26th November
Poland vs Saudi Arabia (C) 2-1
Argentina vs Mexico (C) 2-1
Tunisia vs Australia (D) 1-1
France vs Denmark (D) 1-1
Sunday 27th November
Japan vs Costa Rica (E) 2-1
Spain vs Germany (E) 0-0
Belgium vs Morocco (F) 2-0
Croatia vs Canada (F) 2-1
Monday 28th November
Cameroon vs Serbia (G) 1-1
Brazil vs Switzerland (G) 1-1
South Korea vs Ghana (H) 1-1
Portugal vs Uruguay (H) 2-1
Tuesday 29th November
Ecuador vs Senegal (A) 0-1
Netherlands vs Qatar (A) 2-0
Iran vs USA (B) 0-1
Wales vs England (B) 1-1
Wednesday 30th November
Poland vs Argentina (C) 0-1
Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (C) 1-2
Australia vs Denmark (D) 1-2
Tunisia vs France (D) 1-2
Thursday 1st December
Costa Rica vs Germany (E) 0-3
Japan vs Spain (E) 0-1
Canada vs Morocco (F) 1-1
Croatia vs Belgium (F) 1-1
Friday 2nd December
Cameroon vs Brazil (G) 0-2
Serbia vs Switzerland (G) 0-1
Ghana vs Uruguay (H) 2-1
South Korea vs Portugal (H) 1-2

Put 1, 2, 3 or 4 next to teams to indicate order you think they will finish in Group.
Group A
Qatar 3
Ecuador 4
Senegal 1
Netherlands 2

Group B
England 1
Iran 4
United States 3
Wales 2

Group C
Argentina 1
Saudi Arabia 4
Mexico 3
Poland 2

Group D
France 1
Australia 4
Denmark 2
Tunisia 3

Group E
Spain 2
Costa Rica 4
Germany 1
Japan 3

Group F
Belgium 1
Canada 4
Morocco 3
Croatia 2

Group G
Brazil 1
Serbia 3
Switzerland 2
Cameroon 4

Group H
Portugal 1
Ghana 4
Uruguay 3
South Korea 2

Add name of team for following:

World Cup Winner: Brazil
World Cup Runner Up: France
World Cup 3rd Place: Spain

 

Bitch

 

Want Canada to do well

Sick of the same old boring countries

 

I refuse to participate due to human rights issues in Qatar

 

We need to organise a gay pride parade right in the ****ing mosque.

 

Ramsdale
Trippier, White, Stones, Shaw
Bellingham, Rice
Saka, Maddison, Foden
Kane

If that isn't the starting line up once we hit the K/O's Southgate needs to go.

Vs Iran you could rotate and give a few of the first choice XI an extra few days break so players like Wilson, Grealish, Mount, Gallagher etc get some game time and get some mins into players like Walker, Phillips etc who've barely played in the last few months.

 

from the BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63541407


Jack Grealish: Is England's enigma any closer to starting?
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Top of the comments so far


Comment posted by Garth Crooks Scorers of the Week, today at 10:30Garth Crooks Scorers of the Week
10:30
If he 'played like Almiron', maybe





Reply posted by Devils Advocate, today at 11:04Devils Advocate
Devils Advocate replied:
Looks like Jack will end up being remembered as the fool who mocked the cult legend Almiron, bet he didnt see that coming! Shame, as he had potential at one point.

 

I agree with this in the group stages, in the later staged we may be forced to play 5 at the back due to our CB's being questionable.

 

Personally I wouldn't but I think you are right and Southgate will revert to 5-4-1. Which defender would you chuck into the back 3 and who'd you drop from the forwards/midfield?

I think that team actually stands a good chance and depending on the draw we will reach the semis again imho but equally we could get Holland in the first knock out round and go out there.

 

Personally, I'm hoping the team will turn out like this -


--Foden-----------Kane--------------Saka---
-----------Rice-------------Bellingham-----------
Shaw----------------------------------------TAA
-----------Stones----Dier-----White-------
----------------Ramsdale-------------

Mainly because I'm hoping Trent will play to avoid Tripps injury. But I can see that sort of team working with Tripps also, but there's no doubt TAA is the best attacking wingback in the world, and if he had 3 CB's covering for him, we don't have to worry too much about his defending.

 

Not sure I can be arsed with this to be honest. Internationals really don't excite me the way they did years ago. We'll probably just limp through the group and then get kicked out by Netherlands anyway.

It's just an annoying break from our fantastic momentum in the league and cup. And it means we - along with everyone else - need to reset again after the WC, which can put everything back in the balance. NUFC were flying, now we have to stop and then get going again, like it's the start of a new season.

England? Meh!

 

Shoe on the other foot, the players get a few weeks rest after a relentless first half of the season, we get more of players like Isak and ASM back up and running at full speed with a nice warm weather training camp and plenty of time working on the training pitch to improve an already flying team with only 5 first team players away at the WC. A few of them will be back well in advance of the resumption even with a week or twos break after their WC campaigns.

Nice first month back as well vs Bournemouth (21st Dec) when we come back in the cup to get up to speed and then Leicester, Leeds, Arsenal, Fulham and Palace (21st Jan) is a good opening set of league fixtures as well! Note FA Cup third Round is on the 7th and the QF of the League Cup is on the 10th (between Arsenal and Fulham).