World Cup 2014

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
A slight cock-up from the surrogates today - but, they should still get through, if they can beat Greece.....

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Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
A modest team that has much to be modest about...

My low expectations before the Tournament began have been more than matched.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
In the same way that the LibDems still have a possibility of winning the next general election.

I suspect that the Lib Dems would put up a better show against Costa Rica....

Clegg as the midfield driving force, Cable in goal, Alexander as sweeper - and I don't know any more, apart from that dodgy bloke from Portsmouth that has to keep apologising.....
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Hancock.

I voted for him once - it was a long time ago.

They had much better players years ago - Grimmond was solid, even Ashdown had moments of insight, and Thorpe was a hard tackler. Kennedy never took the training seriously, or he could have been a real contender. Not keen on Steel, never felt he had the commitment.
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Had a great idea this morning.
How about if we put the names of every unemployed male between the ages of 18 & 25 with two working legs into a draw, then every 4 years we select 20 of them for a footballing holiday abroad.
They get a holiday, a few games of footy, and the chance of a bit of rumpy pumpy with young impressionable local girls thrown in.
Their huge wage could be banked for them to live off at slighly above the going dole rate for a couple of years.
We might even win a match, who knows?
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Well, that's over. Facebook is full of people essentially blaming foreigners for being a bit better and stopping English clubs from having to use English players.

Simple solution seems to be to send English players to all countries that you might play - and hoist them with their own petard.
 

andy w

Well-Known Forumite
Might be a good idea. Players like Paul Ince, Gary Liniker, Owen Hargreaves did improve playing in other countries. Off hand I can't think of any who do play overseas other than those in USA/Canada seeing out their careers.
 

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Well, that's over. Facebook is full of people essentially blaming foreigners for being a bit better and stopping English clubs from having to use English players.

Simple solution seems to be to send English players to all countries that you might play - and hoist them with their own petard.

Blaming foreign players is nonsense. how many foreign players were in English football in 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984? Did we do well in the World Cup? Did we hell!!

People also blame lack of money in grassroots football and the poor state of pitches. Did any of the plyers who did so shittily at the World Cup come via the grass roots football route? Did they hell. These cosetted little darlings came through the academies of some of the finest football clubs in the world, Man Utd, Liverpool, Everton (well maybe not Everton :p). My point being that it's exactly because these English players have it too easy for too long that they don't have the hunger or desire.

Lucas, a Brazilian international who plays for Liverpool was recently asked why Brazil did so well at producing youngsters, and would the new St Georges Park facility the FA now have help the England team? His response? Brazil do well because they DONT have a national academy where kids are pampered. Brazilain kids, and those in Uruguay and Costa Rica, and Columbia and many other successful footballing nations learn there football on the streets, the emphasis is on technique not winning. You won't find there parents bellowing on the touchline to get rid of the ball, or find the kids playing on full size pitches. It'sall about technique, technique and technique. When we change the focus for our youngsters to this, then maybe, just maybe we'll get somewhere in International football. Too many foreigners my arse!!
 

andy w

Well-Known Forumite
And to rub our noses in it, the normally shambolic Frogs are having no problem finding the back of the net.
 
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