Toughies tonight and tomorrow, I put you as slight favourites due to Croatia running their arses off the other night, should be a good game I reckon, infact both semi finals are looking like good match ups! All the best with it! Will be deserved finalists if you get through.
I reckon it'll be an England v France final.
Although, here's a sobering thought, champions league qualifying duty starts tonight, 5pm Alashkert v Celtic, then France v Belgium. I'm going to have to take it easy on the fizzy water! 😆
I'm still in denial,can't quite believe it.
Croatia are a good team- folk are talking as though we're in the final&Some pillock has graffiti'd all the notice boards at work with "it's coming home". aaaghhh.
Even if we get there, I'll look forward Hogynd and Rockape bemoaning the lack of Shelvey and Wilshere in the team. Ha. & Nostrodamus, sorry I mean Chewkw ,predicting the results( kind of.) 🙂
I'm hoping Belgium win tonight.
Hoping for a close game tonight, preferably ET & pens. Would rather Belgium got through as at least then it won't be the bloody French winning it again.
Seosamh, if yer team gets through to CL group stages again, that'll mean 38 games before Xmas eve. Madness!.
😆 The qualifiers are basically our pre-season training these days! (Which can be good or bad, good if you are starting well, it's just competitive games, horrible if you are having a lethargic start!)
God knows how it'll all work out at the Qatar nov/dec world cup, leagues will need to start in may, CL qualifying in April or something mental like that.
yep, that ball from Henderson (note, the doubters above, that was Modric-class) that he brought down from over his shoulder with one touch….if his second had been to slide it past the keeper we’d still be purring now. But it will come for him….it will.
Agreed - that save was amazing - not your dramatic full length finger-tipped around the corner but the hand the keeper got on the ball that stopped RS from tapping it in was pretty amazing. And of course had that been Neymar in that situation, he'd have gone tumbling looking for a pen too.
This has all the signs of a monumental disappointment. The 'coming home' hysteria is not only becoming insufferable, but it reeks of arrogance and complacency. Southgate might want to take the player's phones off them before it permeates the team. I'm imagining a scenario where England get beat by France in the final resulting in French shops being trashed and tricolores being burned in the street.
I’m imagining a scenario where England get beat by France in the final resulting in French shops being trashed and tricolores being burned in the street.
Really? There are some vivid imaginations going on here.
It feels more like people daring to believe again everywhere I've been and that it could be possible.
It feels more like people daring to believe again everywhere I’ve been and that it could be possible.
I hope so, but I think you underestimate the number of idiots out there. A mate of mine was told by a random stranger that he was being unpatriotic because he wasn't going to watch the Sweden match. Won't take much for this sort of mentality to tip over the edge.
This has all the signs of a monumental disappointment.
Really?! Its already past that point IMO. Getting out of the group was the probably about the level we were expecting. Winning a knockout stage and winning on penalties has exceeded expectations. Getting to the semis is a massive achievement. Even of they lose, it'll be remembered as a great success
as some (racist) comedians said.
I know that was then, but it could be again.
I think most sensible people realise we have done well, with a bit of luck how the draw played out, to get to the semi's. Probably a good chance of getting to the final, but realistically either France or Belgium should brush us aside quite easily there.
I have a lot more confidence about this team going forward to the next few tournaments though, the current players improving (most of the main players are yet to hit their peaks IMO) and even more talent being developed at youth levels.
I think it is important though not to raise the expectancy to the levels that cripples the players mentally, and I do agree with dazh, I see murmurs of arrogance and even nationalism under the façade of celebrating success.
but realistically either France or Belgium should brush us aside quite easily there.
I don't think that's the case at all. It's pretty much unknown how this England team will scale up as the opposition improves. Test 1, tomorrow. There's every reason to be hopeful, tbh. And pretty much no cause for negativity at the moment.
That's a completely neutral view anyhow, take what you will from it! 🙂
As someone just said in the office, on paper France or Belgium would beat the present Ingerland squad 8 or 9 times out of ten. But what if its one of those 1 or 2 games when they have a bad day and nothing falls your way? You never know?
Lets be honest, no matter which club you support, we've all watched games where you've battered a team for 90 minutes, had 75% possession, rattled the woodwork 5 times, fired another 5 wonder saves from their keeper, then watched them scuff a 94th minute winner that goes in off your own goalies arse after hitting the post?
We've got to get past Croatia first anyway, so its an academic question. I'm just hoping they've not really recovered from the Russia game, and Modric plays like he did against them, and not like he did against Argentina where he was absolutely awesome
No idea on who's going through from tonights game, but it should be a belter! And a punt on it going to penalties seemed worth a few quid at 7/1
This has all the signs of a monumental disappointment. The ‘coming home’ hysteria is not only becoming insufferable, but it reeks of arrogance and complacency.
From what I've seen via the media it doesn't feel like that to me. I don't think many people are EXPECTING it to happen. As above, mostly we were just hoping to get out of the group, so this is all just a bonus.
I'm not in England though.
Whilst we'll be disappointed if we lost in the semis (or final), the team has achieved far more than we expected, and overall the tournament has been a success. Granted we've played and beaten a lot of so called "smaller" sides, but a surprising amount of the bigger teams haven't managed to do that. Germany, Spain, Argentina etc couldn't even do that.
Judging by our youth teams recent success, we're going to be even better in 4 / 8 years time:
2017 European Under-17 Championship - Runners up
2017 European Under-19 Championship - Champions
2017 European Under-21 Championship - Semis
2017 Toulon Tournament - Champions
2017 Under-20 World Cup - Champions
2017 Under-17 World Cup - Champions
Anything in the next 2 games is a bonus.
(but yeah, it's coming home!)
But what if its one of those 1 or 2 games when they have a bad day and nothing falls your way? You never know?
Or one of those days when rather than go bad for them, sometimes it just clicks for you.
And in a final.....who knows.
he was being unpatriotic because he wasn’t going to watch the Sweden match.
well he was! 😄
Compared to previous WC’s, I think everyone is being very restrained. The ‘it’s coming home’ stuff Is just a bit of fun! I’ve a feeling Belgium will win tonight.
Yeah I see it going to Belgium but not to nil, both sides have goals and defensive gaps at times, France going ahead first would probably make for the better game. If france have to chase the game it could be a massacre.
Lets just get through until Thursday before we insist on mandatory flag carrying and ironic Stella drinking in support of the lads
LOL, our works security team just sent round an phishing email claiming Mbappe had failed a drugs test, no doubt if I had clicked on the links it would send me to a page stating I am an idiot and to be more security aware in future.
I think (first problem right there)...
France will beat Belgium in normal time - Mbappe vs Vertongen/Alderwireld will be exciting.
England will narrowly beat Croatia, AET.
France will annihilate England in the final (2+ goals ahead).
I don’t care who wins as long as it goes to extra time and penalties!’😃
And a few red cards would be good
Brisk start there from France
My predictions are Gavi, with Cav in the bunch🙏
Well at this pace they will be dead on their feet for extra time and probably 5-5
Oops rong fred..
I’m split on this game, I have no idea becuse I like both.
The French look good in LesBluz so I think it’ll go thier way, on penalties.
But... it’s all going on a bit rapid ATM so who knows.
Glad to see the match is back on, seemed like an age since the last one 😜🧞♂️
Wonder if there ever was a time when 3 of the 4 countries left are within 60 miles of each other.
What a save! There’s been some absolutely top notch goalkeeping in this World Cup!
Probably some of the best football of the tournament here (going forwards)
Hazard is right up for it! He could be the difference.
What a save! There’s been some absolutely top notch goalkeeping in this World Cup!
Easy one - he could reach it with both hands 😉
As an ex-GK, I hope it isn't an error by a GK that makes the difference
(well, maybe a Croatian error)
Some great defending from France here too
On the basis of this game so far Football may be trying to come home but it might get stuck at the channel
I wouldn’t fancy being any defender tasked with having Hazard running at you for 90 minutes
Pogba’s obviously been told to cut out the dodgy barnet!
Lots of quality but cancelling each other out so far. Belgium need to get De Brune more central IMO, but don't know who they have who could go on the wing.
Time for a 2018/19 season thread yet? Ronaldo to Juve could superheat the transfer market.
Big problem is ours closes early
French in the ascendancy here for me, belgians started well but french pushing up I reckon getting more control. France in 90 is my prediction!
Could be talking shit there but let's see! 😆
Really winding me up that I can’t get UHD on iplayer! Urgh!
you might be onto something with France there
De Bruyne is very quiet. At some point he'll get a chance.
Edit: not that one but keep watching
Some better play from the Belgians there but it feels panicky at the back there for them, going to be some bookings
