World Cup 2018

Great game, they both had immense talent, so they sort of equalled each other out mostly - I have experienced this in other sports.
Mbappe is a great player, no doubt, and I hope that he plays a big part in the final.
Belgium did themselves proud, denied by Lloris several times - they have to build on this.
 
StewartR said:
The four semi finalists have a total of 92 players in their squads. Of those 92:
* 40 play in the EPL
* 12 play in La Liga
* 12 play in Ligue 1
* 9 play in the Bundesliga
* 8 play in Serie A
... and 11 don't play in one of the top 5 leagues.

The most represented club in the semi final squads seems to be Tottenham, with 9. Then Manchester United and Manchester City with 7 each, then Chelsea with 5.

In the World Cup as a whole, the 32 countries had 736 players in their squads:
* 108 play in the EPL (plus 21 more in the Championship)
* 78 play in La Liga (Primera Division only)
* 62 play in the Bundesliga
* 58 play in Serie A
* 47 play in Ligue 1

So yeah, basically the semi finals are the EPL show.
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You do love your stats Stewart!! :D;)
 
Think there's going to be a few nervous people around today. Would love to see us do it but think Croatia might just have the better of us today.

Whatever happens we have a great future which hopefully we can capitalise on.
 
wibbly said:
Think there's going to be a few nervous people around today. Would love to see us do it but think Croatia might just have the better of us today.

Whatever happens we have a great future which hopefully we can capitalise on.
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In a way I would rather we were playing France or Germany (the normal one, not this one), knowing that we will lose but have still done welll. Croatia though is winnable and one of those that we could just as likely win 3-0 as lose 3-0.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
I really am hoping Croatia win just to ensure an end to hearing “it’s coming home”!

Oh, and there is the matter of their president too.
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Well I really hope they don't, I may be critical of England at times, but always want them to win.

Is their president the one that looks like she could be a Trump ex-wife?
 
A warning has been given for this post
StewartR said:
You seem to have come to the wrong place. I think you're looking for this thread:

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/the-official-id-rather-watch-paint-dry-for-the-next-4-weeks-thread.680163/

You're welcome.
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Hello Officer! Can’t resist can you?

I have been enjoying the World Cup as I always do, and seeing as this is a thread about the World Cup I think I’m in the right place.

So how about you pay less attention to what I write, and pull your smug head out from where the sun don’t shine.

That’s a good boy.
 
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Apologies ... you just had to quote the gif with your words though ... didn’t you.

Fake headache ?

Or typical man ... a sad one at that.

My only intention on posting initially to lure the saddo’s out.
 
pukkagen said:
Apologies ... you just had to quote the gif with your words though ... didn’t you.

Fake headache ?

Or typical man ... a sad one at that.

My only intention on posting initially to lure the saddo’s out.
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Shouldn't you be in school?
Not really f*** all to do with you, but I am a chronic cluster headache sufferer, look them up.

Is that alright or what?
 
pukkagen said:
My apologies on this health issue, honestly.

I will accept the profanity also, I would have typed the same.
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To be honest I had been using some special paint and it was the fumes I think that set the bad bonce off.
Had taken Sumatriptan which does stop the pain, but leaves me feeling crap and the flashing thing was very annoying.

Sorry for the bad language and apology accepted.
 
jakeblu said:
Well who'd have thunk it, overpaid EPL stars are bad losers.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...d-eden-hazard-hit-out-at-anti-football-france

View attachment 130164
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Just back from Paris and a local was telling me about players who are eligible to play for France or Belgium, quite a few pick the latter.
The French fans call the Belgium team "France B" It was very noisy the night after they beat Uruguay
Missus and me watched us beat Sweden in a café near Montmartre, think we were the only English people in there.
 
cambsno said:
Am sure Hazard in August will not be a EPL star - Madrid bound surely!!! 9 out of the 11 starting 11 for them were EPL players.
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Will they be interested in Kane I wonder, maybe offer up Bale and cash in a trade.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Will they be interested in Kane I wonder, maybe offer up Bale and cash in a trade.
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That would be interesting. Kane signed a new 6-year contract with Tottenham only a week before the World Cup started. he has been the subject of virtually continual transfer speculation since his breakthrough year, but so far I think he has shown a commendable degree of loyalty to Tottenham and to Mauricio Pochettino. Would that loyalty be tested if Real Madrid come calling? Would Daniel Levy be prepared to sell Kane for, say, £250 million?
 
There's a great piece by Jonathan Wilson in today's Guardian about the tactical issues ahead of tonight's England/Croatia match. I love the way he describes England's approach to set pieces:
Jonathan Wilson said:
The focus on corners has been Gareth Southgate’s indisputable triumph, a recognition of a way a national manager can make a tangible difference in the relatively short time available to him.

A line of four players at the edge of the box, one of whom stands still as the ball is delivered while the others scatter, rather like a queue in a Tesco Metro suddenly realising additional checkouts are about to be opened. Not only does the static player plus his marker serve as a barrier to help create channels for Kane and Harry Maguire but the flurry of movement seems to provoke opponents into making panicky grabs at English shirts.

Queueing while pointing out foreigners committing infractions of etiquette, of course, has been an English strength for years; Southgate’s genius has been to weaponise it.
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StewartR said:
That would be interesting. Kane signed a new 6-year contract with Tottenham only a week before the World Cup started. he has been the subject of virtually continual transfer speculation since his breakthrough year, but so far I think he has shown a commendable degree of loyalty to Tottenham and to Mauricio Pochettino. Would that loyalty be tested if Real Madrid come calling? Would Daniel Levy be prepared to sell Kane for, say, £250 million?
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Only mentioned Bale because it could be slightly more palatable to Spurs fans if they got one of their favourites back.
Think Kane will have to go elsewhere if he wants to end his career with some winners medals.
Bit like Sheringham did, must get to the point that despite the money you want something to show at the end

StewartR said:
There's a great piece by Jonathan Wilson in today's Guardian about the tactical issues ahead of tonight's England/Croatia match. I love the way he describes England's approach to set pieces:
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Will have a read later on, picked up the Guardian this morning when I went shopping​
 
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StewartR said:
There's a great piece by Jonathan Wilson in today's Guardian about the tactical issues ahead of tonight's England/Croatia match. I love the way he describes England's approach to set pieces:
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Brilliant!
 
My Spurs fans pals are keen to remind me of how many of their “stars” are in the semi-finals. Maybe if one or two them are successful, they may actually get a winners medal at last.
 
Jelster said:
As I mentioned earlier:



But I also said.....



I had the benefit of knowing the score, so I could relax when I watched the game. Thing is, you can't see all his off the ball movement on the TV, as it's often away from the cameras.

I said similar things about Theo Walcott. What you saw on TV was nothing like what he actually did on the pitch, but being a season ticket holder, I had the fortune to see what others didn't. I think Sterling will come good, hopefully this week :)
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There was a meme doing the rounds last week about Sterling.and Kane (which I cannot find right now) which showed Raheem saving a family from a burning building only to then be picked apart for just entering their home without permission and scaring them, further adding to their stress, while Kane did something fairly mundane and was praised like a god for it. TBH, it wasn't that funny, but does stress the point that once people (press) build up this stuff, people just believe the hype.
 
Holy Moly! Great half by England. Now then, just get a little closer to Modric & Rakitic, just having a bit too much time on the ball. Given time they will hurt us.
 
Just need a bit of composure, 45 mins away from the final!
Come on boys!
 
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England deserve to be ahead but this is such a poor game for a WC semi.

The fans won't care if it stays like this though.
 
Goal . . . . I could feel that coming. England so poor in the 2nd half. I thought they were supposed to tire ? We look knackered ?
 
What the heck is happening in these last 5 minutes, - Pickford had more shots on target than anyone else.
Come on boys....
 
Get Deli Ali off ! He has done nothing and is walking about.
 
Southgate hasn't got a plan b, we are being overrun in midfield, he needs to get Ali off and Dier on.
Shut down the supply to their wide men and sorry to say it, but Kane has looked very ordinary verging on poor
 
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