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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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England play their semi at Atlanta on Wednesday, kick off 3 pm local time, but it's in a dome with presumably aircon. This is essential because it will be hurry-scurry and precision brute force that will see off the Argies. Like in the '82 final at Port Stanley.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Even my Ladbroke Grove compatriots were subdued. After kicking over some dustbins in celebration -- they must have brought along their own since Kensington & Chelsea use plastic ones -- they went off to look for Norwegians under bridges.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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To Wiley, Norway made England look a bad team, just like they made Brazil look a bad team. Norway are rather good at winning ugly. By the end of the game against Brazil, the Brazilians were looking totally hapless, even their star manager Ancelotti was looking bemused, they had just been outplayed.
The main difference for Wiley is that England have a few players like Anderson and Bellingham that are prepared to fight and win and grind it out, beautiful game, technical game ugly mess.....
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| they had just been outplayed |
I understand what you mean, they outplayed us for long periods after the first quarter of 29-71% adverse possession. But it's not down to management or personnel. It's the fault of the way the game is currently played that is why a bunch of journeymen can 'outplay' teams of Rolls-Royce quality:
How many of their squad are first choice for elite clubs?
One and a half, Haaland and Odegaard.
How many of Brazil and England's squads?
All of them (o.n.o.).
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Some incidental entertainment was provided by the ITV panel. Whenever Alf-Inge Haaland (father of Erling) was show watching from the stands, the studio pundits were in fits -- they all remembered him from their own playing days. But one of them, Roy Keane, had special reason to remember Haaland Senior:
| Wiki wrote: | | In April 2001, during a match against Manchester United, Roy Keane tackled Haaland, kicking him high on his right knee, for which he was immediately sent off. |
Routine Keane? Routine City/United derby? Not quite.
| In his autobiography, Keane stated that the tackle was a pre-meditated, deliberate act of vengeance against Haaland for the on-field criticism he received from him three and a half years previously. |
Routine Keane certainly. But did the punishment fit the crime?
| At the time of Keane's tackle, Haaland's left knee was already giving him sufficient problems for him to have to play with strapping around it. That summer, he underwent surgery on his left knee but only managed a further four substitute appearances the following season, and finally retired in July 2003 after failing to recover full fitness. | |
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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| The New York Times wrote: | South Africa’s Jayden Adams, 25, dies two weeks after playing at World Cup.
SAFPU said it was “devastated by the untimely passing” of the midfielder, who appeared in three of his nation’s matches at this summer’s World Cup. The news was later confirmed by Adams’ club Mamelodi Sundowns and by the South African government’s Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture. “South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer. May his soul rest in eternal peace.” |
And so forth for para after para in all media. The England and Norway teams had a minute's silence in Jayden's remembrance before their game. Hardly anyone mentioned with any prominence a gunshot wound was the cause of death. Odd, really. Not odd, really.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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So we have finally got rid of the minnows and it's strictly a Battle of the Titans: England vs Argentina and France vs Spain. How do we categorise 'World Cup Titans'?
* Argentina is a super-Titan, England a mere Titan. The former has three World Cups in its locker, the latter only one. England may (or may not) have the better squad, player-for-player, but Argentina hold the whammy over them.
* France is a super-Titan, Spain a mere Titan. The former has two World Cups in its locker, the latter only one. Spain may (or may not) have the better squad, player-for-player, but France hold the whammy over them.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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The Ultimate Insult
| “El que no salta es un ingles” went around the stadium: “He who doesn’t jump is an Englishman.” | |
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Reasons To Be Optimistic (1)
1. Argentina has not yet played a game against a team ranked in top fifteen of the world.
2. Argentina are the forty-fourth tallest of the forty-eight teams in the tournament.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Golden Boot, It's All To Play For
Mbappé (France) 8 goals
Messi (Argentina) 8 goals
Bellingham (England) 6 goals
Kane (England) 6 goals
Dembélé (France) 5 goals
Oyarzabal (Spain) 4 goals
The way I see it, we're in cruise control, three-up against the Argies, so we spoonfeed Bellingham and Kane, goalhangers united. Then go down in a goalfest with France because we're triple-marking Mbappé.
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