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World Cup 2018 thread

jackhasler23

By jackhasler23
in Football Forum

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TigerTedd

TigerTedd

Posted
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I thought I’d try to depress myself and remember all the individual moments that somewhere, in an alternate universe, didn’t happen, leading us to win every major tournament for the past 30 years:

2018: Harry Kane squares it to Raheem Sterling instead of hitting the post. Croatia see two goals down as a bridge too far and become to dismayed to come back. Meanwhile sterling’s confidence goes through the roof and he tears France apart in the final. Mbappe who?

2016: we actually turn up and beat ducking Iceland. 

2014: we actually turn up and beat anyone. 

(To be honest, these two were so uninspiring I can barely remember the individual moments). 

2012: Cole and young miss their penalties (I don’t know why, I have no memory of this tournament st all, had to cheat and wikipedia it). 

2010: they decided to bring in goal like technology before the tournament, lampards goal stands making the score 2-2. Germany were bartering is at that point, but lampards goal gives us renewed confidence and we kick in from there. (To be fair, Germany were battering us so much, and we’d been so crap throughout, that I don’t really believe his ‘goal’ would have made a difference. But it’s nice to blame it all on the ref).

2008: oh Scott Carson. He doesn’t fumble, we qualify and win the thing. Mac is known as the fella with the brella for ever more. 

2006: Portugal. Don’t even have to look that one up. Stupid winking Ronaldo. Seems to be a pattern that we can still take a team to penalties with 10 men. But so many missed penalties. Lampard and Gerard! Var is brought in a decades early, Ronaldo is given a yellow for diving, Rooney isn’t sent off, he still doesn’t score, but he does score the first penalty, and sets us up for a perfect penalty shoot out. 

2004: Grr, Portugal, the Germany of the 2000s. Simples, Beckham scored the first penalty, and were through. 

2002: Ronaldinho’s flukey swirling cross-shot lob over seaman. Easy, a butterfly flaps it’s wings in China, the wind blows in a slightly different direction, and his shot hits the top of the bar and goes out. We go on to win after extra time. 

2000: grr, last minute penalty against Romania. We even beat Germany in this one. But lost to that last minute penalty. What were you doing Phil Neville? Stay on your feet. 

1998: Argentina, what a game! Beckham’s sending off. Sol Campbell’s disallowed golden goal. Once and Batty’s missed penalties. Any of those go just a little bit differently, and we would’ve had them. (Lost to Romania in the groups again though, the Germany of the late 90s). 

1996: Germany in penalties. Grrr. Gazza millimetres away from a tap in for a golden goal. Southgates penalty miss, bless him. But score the penalty man. So close!!!

1994: didn’t even qualify, bunch of losers. 

1992: nothing would’ve stopped the fates slotting into place for Denmark to win that one. We scored one goal though, as we lost to Sweden. What happened to the team from 2 years previous guys, come on. Hangover can’t last 2 years. 

1990: penalties to Germany again. so close. Pearce’s missed penalty. Forest lost us the World Cup. 

Did I miss anything? Are you all suitably depressed?

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PistoldPete2

PistoldPete2

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24 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

I thought that was Argentina. Or did it happen twice?

It happened twice once in 1998 and once in 2004. 

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TigerTedd

TigerTedd

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36 minutes ago, PistoldPete2 said:

It happened twice once in 1998 and once in 2004. 

Looking back on all that made me realise, sometimes we were just crap. Like 92, 94, 08, 10, 12, 14, 16. But sometimes we were genuinely unfortunate, and if a couple more things had gone our way we might have really done something special: 90, 96, 98, 00, 02, 04, 06, 18.

I take hope from the fact that most of the time we are that team, that’s just a missed penalty, or a dodgy sending off away from greatness. 

This year it all fell into place for us, and it all went our way. The problem is it’s just a tournament too soon. The squad (and manager) are just too young, inexperienced at tournaments. If the cards fell the same for us in 4 years, I’d say we were much more ready to take the opportunity. But we’ll probabky go back to being unlucky, and miss out on a missed penalty again. We’ve had all the luck we’ll get in a lifetime this tournament. 

To be an England and a derby fan at the same time. The definition of being a glutton for punishment. 

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ramit

ramit

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From a neutral perspective

England have done well already, considering it's a young team still being developed.  Today they play for bronze, i think numerous England fans would have taken that before the competition, but now somehow it's like the end of the world because they won't be playing for gold.  

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1of4

1of4

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The longer the games goes on today. The more I become frustrated with our lack of imagination and guile in attack. We have no ideas on how we are going to penetrate their defence.

This performance only compounds my worries that England are not as good a team as many people have built them up to be.

To get to the same level as the top international teams, yes some of them didn't perform in this world cup, will require us to improve our game technically, creatively and mentally.

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Alph

Alph

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37 minutes ago, 1of4 said:

 

 

This performance only compounds my worries that England are not as good a team as many people have built them up to be.

I thought we were a young hungry team trying to lay the foundations for a bright future.

This forum, Not aiming this at you, has surprised me.

As fans of Derby we go into this season hoping to have put in performances and bring through youth that we can build a bright future with. Some of the biggest moaners of England on this forum have been the people saying that they will put up with a transitional period with Derby if they show promise. It's all about showing progress and growing a team.

England are in a position to build. No they aren't ready to win world cups yet any more than Derby are ready for a stint in the Europa League.

A young team got knocked out in the semi final. They aren't the finished article. I'd call that reason to be optimistic. 

I like how everyone says there's no weight of expectation this time so they should do well... eh? We expect them to do well because we don't expect them to do well.

Riiiiight

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GenBr

GenBr

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22 minutes ago, MuespachRam said:

4th best team in the world. 

Just because we reached 4th in the world cup doesn't mean we are the 4th best team in the world. You would want to look at the world rankings for that where we are nowhere near to 4th.

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MuespachRam

MuespachRam

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14 minutes ago, Highgate said:

4th place in a Cup competition. Not the same thing really.  But i think English fans have every reason to be hopeful for the future.

It is the only way you can judge an international team, everyone enters, they all have an equal chance and we ended up the 4th best team in it. 

So yep we are officially the 4th best team in the world. 

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MuespachRam

MuespachRam

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Just now, GenBr said:

Just because we reached 4th in the world cup doesn't mean we are the 4th best team in the world. You would want to look at the world rankings for that where we are nowhere near to 4th.

You mean the world rankings that have Poland in about 5th place totally on their refusal to play any friendlies..?

4th best team in the world. 

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AndyinLiverpool

AndyinLiverpool

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1 minute ago, GenBr said:

Just because we reached 4th in the world cup doesn't mean we are the 4th best team in the world. You would want to look at the world rankings for that where we are nowhere near to 4th.

Harrumph.

The world rankings have all sorts of dreck above us. Like Peru and Switzerland.

The world rankings are rubbish.

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