Fez909
toilet expert
Imagine trying to defend both goals
England vs Belgium (Group G) - 19:00 - 28/06/2018
- Thread starter ska invita
- Start date
Fez909
toilet expert
Steel Icarus
we move
Have gone for 2-2, just because it'll be open and though both teams will want to win and probably avoid Colombia, both teams will also want to avoid bookings/injuries in what is sort of a half-dead rubber.
Supine
Newt Member
Getting ahead of yourself a bit there!
R16 first
Footballs coming home. Didn't you get the memo?
ska invita
back on the other side
Kane possibly not playing ("rested")....looks like Gareth is deliberately trying to lose this one 
have to respect that...
have to respect that...
Lord Camomile
Yipchaa!
Pragmatism aside, Kane would be well pissed off to miss out on a chance to add to his tally for the golden boot.Kane possibly not playing ("rested")....looks like Gareth is deliberately trying to lose this one
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
Ronaldo failed to add any, Lukaku is likely to be rested, so he’ll probsbly cope.
Lord Camomile
Yipchaa!
A forward wants every opportunity to score. What if he doesn't score in R16 and Lukaku and/or Ronnie bag a couple? All of a sudden he's playing catch up and there's no guarantee England will progress any further to even give him a chance!
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
So, if I've got this right, England will know whether it is best to come 1st of 2nd by the time they play Belgium. Short of banging an own goal in, you can't make your opponent score, who themselves might be playing the same dastardly 'wanting to lose game'. Maybe England will need to ramp up the bookings so they don't end up facing Germany or Brazil due to our naïve sense of LEGENDARY ENGLISH FAIR PLAY.
All a bit tricky, you go in too hard on a foul, get sent off and banned. Best path is saying something to the ref, but again, nothing bad enough to get send off. I suggest the following:
'Much as I appreciate the pressures of reffing, with the world's media watching and the added pressures of VAR, I did find your whistle blowing rather shrill'.
All a bit tricky, you go in too hard on a foul, get sent off and banned. Best path is saying something to the ref, but again, nothing bad enough to get send off. I suggest the following:
'Much as I appreciate the pressures of reffing, with the world's media watching and the added pressures of VAR, I did find your whistle blowing rather shrill'.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
No, after the quarter finals.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[32]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
- from wiki
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
Just take your shirt off in the 94th minute.
Even if it's just for booting a loose ball clear or taking a successful throw in, rip the shirt off and stand there posing like Shaquiri or Ronaldo, job done.
Seriously though, it would be madness to halt the momentum this team has by actively trying not to win a game, a demoralising loss to Belgium and suddenly Japan (or whoever) will start licking their lips.
I reckon Kane won't sit out the whole game, wouldn't surprise me if he comes on late and we get another penalty, VAR is dishing them out like candy at the mo.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Mind, if we are 12 cards to the good on the Fair Play by then, the whole team will have to whip their shirt off - and one of them drop his kecks as well. That would be one to tell yer grandkids:
'So Grandad, how did you qualify to play Brazil for that epic game back in 2018. Was it your record in the group matches?'
- No, Jamie Vardy got his nob out.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Dunno, I haven't worked out who the likely opponents are if you dodge Brazil or Germany and these things rarely go to plan. Same time, I'd put up with a bit of unethical shirt removal if it did mean avoiding the best teams.
Anyway, one for the older viewers: in the days before they played the final group game at the same time, I remember West Germany and Austria playing out a 'tame' draw, safe in the knowledge it worked for both of them. Around 86 or 90? We'll be getting back to that when it expands to 48 teams with those 3 team first round groups.
Lord Camomile
Yipchaa!
That game is the specific reason the final group games are played at the same time, iirc.
<edit: yup, 1982>
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Ah, yes, not a draw, it's all coming back to me now! Ta.
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
it's back for 2026. Fucking stupid idea
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Yes, though that will have the top 2 from each of the groups of 3 going through - a combination of unfairness and pointlessness. Seems to me it's about the idiocy of expanding it to 48, finding the quickest way to get rid of the teams who shouldn't be there anyway. Fifa, eh?
2026 FIFA World Cup - Wikipedia
ska invita
back on the other side
Scraping past Tunisia and then drubbing the weakest team in the competition isn't really momentum I don't think
Lord Camomile
Yipchaa!
I think "scraping past" is a bit off the mark; we struggled to break them down, but we dominated most of the game. It wasn't like we saw a load of scares and got lucky, like has happened in other matches. Also, many players have talked about how winning through a last minute goal can feel better than a 'comfortable' win.
And with Panama, yes they were poor, but scoring 6 and, again, dominating almost the whole game, maintains that positive atmosphere. We've arguably got as much momentum as any other team after two games.
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
Of course it is, we'd have fucked up at least one of those games and played poorer football all round in recent tournaments.
Several players have goals and assists, our striker is leading the Golden Boot race, and manager / team all seem to be having a good time, press aren't being complete dicks yet either. Momentum.
Belgium's the first real test, true, but we know we've got at least one more game after them so less pressure.
belboid
Exasperated, not angry.
Even more stupid this time. At least when only one went through, the final game couldn’t be effectively rigged. Now, however..,
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
Also Tunisia were playing Rugby without any punishment.
Lord Camomile
Yipchaa!
It's always disappointing to see anyone playing rugby without any punishment
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Yes, in 82 England drew with Spain in the last 'group of 3' game - a match which, from memory, England had to win but Spain couldn't go through having lost previously to Germany (who by then had a draw and a win). There were murmurings in the (English) press that Spain were going to try and knock us out because of Gibraltar of the Falklands
but, regardless, at least for one team the final game was always a genuine competition then. But as you say, in 2026 we'll be right back with the W Germany V Austria scenario. Idiocy.Disclaimer: all of the above details are almost certainly wrong.
