They're the least capped international side in the tournament. Listen to the ex pros who have played in the World Cup and they all say it is a different experience. Fabio Capello said as much in the recent England documentary. He said you see many good players unable to cope with the unique pressure a World Cup brings.
Let's all Laugh at England
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
They're the least capped international side in the tournament. Listen to the ex pros who have played in the World Cup and they all say it is a different experience. Fabio Capello said as much in the recent England documentary. He said you see many good players unable to cope with the unique pressure a World Cup brings.
hope England fans and the media avoid using terrible Scandinavian stereotypes or shabby fan songs like
"Stuuff your meatballs up yer arse!"
"Sven will I.... will I be Famous?"
"your going home...your going home...your going.....Santa's going home!"
"Your not fit....your not fit....your not fit to wear the Reindeerskin boots!"
In a weird way i’d Say to Man united fans who aren’t English (probably more so Scots), that England are the international equivelant of Liverpool.You know and I know that hating Liverpool and City has nothing to do with the World Cup.
They're a young side inexperienced in internationals no doubt. But the way it's been drilled in by the commentary teams during England games you'd think they're a bunch of schoolboys. Maybe I'm reading too much into it (in fact I certainly am) but it struck me as an excuse should this group fail against teams they 'should' beat. I'm aware you can't expect players with relatively few caps to rule the world but if we were to choke, like we nearly did last night in ET when we disappeared into our shell, I don't want to hear that it's perfectly ok because they're a young team when every one of them (apart from Pickford and Maguire) play for teams who expect to win week in week out.
I've really not noticed the commentary team making it out like they're a bunch of schoolboys to be honest, that narrative has completely passed me by. They're spoken about being inexperienced at this level, because they are. They might play for good club teams, but international footballs different, and this is the world cup, a whole new world for most of them.
I'm pleased England won last night. Normally never root for them but pleased they are through. This group of players are very likeable (with some exceptions, Alli Henderson and Dier ) and I'm exceptionally pleased for Rashford and Jesse. But my word Columbia were thugs, I've not seen a team behave like that for a long time.
So true. But for the first time in my life I genuinely like a lot of the England squad for a change. It's a weird feeling
) and I'm exceptionally pleased for Rashford and Jesse. But my word Columbia were thugs, I've not seen a team behave like that for a long time. So true. But for the first time in my life I genuinely like a lot of the England squad for a change. It's a weird feeling Like I said, all ex pros say the WC has unique pressure, many of these players are dealing with this for the first time, that is why it has been impressive, especially them breaking the pen shootout hoodoo.
I disagree on ET. They were better in the first and we were better in the second. Danny Rose came close to scoring and Dier had a free header that he somehow put over the bar, probably the best chance of the game.
Yeah sort of feel the same, they just seem different as a team. It also seems like they aren’t taking it as seriously and they are just there to have fun take part. Hasn’t been as much destiny, heritage 1966 rubbish as usual on the telly.
Still couldn’t go to certain local pubs and say such things without the fear of being driven to the border and told to never look back.
Yea that's the impression I get, that this squad is different to those that have come before them. I like that they are having a laugh too, and it seems genuine when you see guys like Jesse and Rashford and so on having a laugh and being casual about it all.
Agreed
I lived in England for 14 years and watching England with friends was unbearable at times, and I largely kept quiet with my pint so I didn't get chucked out. The amount of times 'but you're Scottish, HOW could YOU understand how disappointed we are and why we love the team so much' was said to me was laughable I agree there's a uniqueness to the WC and that throwing the shoot-out monkey off our backs is important. Taken in the round I'd also agree it was an impressive victory.
We were better in the second half of ET but in the first we were all over the place, we'd allowed a kick in the teeth to knock us so far off our game we were barely recognisable as the team who finished normal time. That was a concern for me, and if we'd have conceded a goal in that time and gone out I would not have wanted to hear that it's tickety-boo as we're a young team inexperienced on the world stage when we have players who have the need to win drilled into them 40+ weeks a year. That's my issue with the young team narrative; it's not that it doesn't play a role at a WC but that I suspected it would be used as a catch-all for failure by some English commentators when it's the same mental block that's plagued England teams with all manner of experience, not just this one.
Again it's just an impression I got, I may be wrong and of course I feel excited and pleased with our standing in the competition.
For me, I simply see it as progress. We have a lot of exceptional talents coming through under this group. Whatever happens I hope that this tournament serves as a foundation for a different in England in the future. One that isn't undermined by cliques, star names and management that is either too slack or not liked by the players. The signs are that is the case. In four years times, if all goes as hoped, we should have some players at the highest talent level in the side. I think even by the next European Championships the likes of Hudson Odoi, Mount and Sancho will give us the kind of attacking threat we simply don't have at the moment.
The tournament has been a success, even if we got out against Sweden. We will be disappointed of course but 'the worst squad in English history' will have manged to shake off many of the things that have haunted the squad in the past and laid a new path going forward.
Fair enough i can see how that would be annoying, every team has their fair share of arrogant fans that the majority shouldn't get judged by.
But equally annoying for others is the 'if you can't support our national team, then don't support our club teams'' bullshit.
Imagine potentially getting to World Cup final by beating...
Panama
Tunisia
a game against Belgium that it was better to lose in - then Colombia, Sweden and Russia or Croatia
That's ridiculous. And on the other side of the draw you've got, Brazil, Belgium, Uruguay and France.
Surely the real story of this World Cup is how incredibly unbalanced the two sides of the draw is?
Panama
Tunisia
a game against Belgium that it was better to lose in - then Colombia, Sweden and Russia or Croatia
That's ridiculous. And on the other side of the draw you've got, Brazil, Belgium, Uruguay and France.
Surely the real story of this World Cup is how incredibly unbalanced the two sides of the draw is?
That's very fair, and we should certainly remember what most of us thought when the squad list was announced. The tournament as of now has been a success both in its own right and as the start of a process, and who knows what else it could be with a bit of luck and a prevailing wind.
My point is that contriving to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory would not have been a new thing for England and so for this team of quality PL pros to be given a pass for throwing away a game they had controlled because they're young and inexperienced wouldn't have washed with me. That being said I'm sure I'm reading too much into the words of a few commentators and you raise good points about where we are as a side.
Agree, but it's only unbalanced because Argentina, Germany and Spain all messed up.
If England do happen to get to the final they will have done so by beating the teams that eliminated the above.
The ‘it’s coming home’ and such nonsense is probably why Utd fans of other nationalities aren’t too hot about England winning. Uruguay won the first WC, Brazil is the record holder. Either of those has a better claim of being home for the Cup, yet you don’t hear such from them.
I’m personally not bothered. My home country probably won’t ever qualify during my lifetime so the WC is just a time to enjoy the football/drama and maybe make some money.
I’m personally not bothered. My home country probably won’t ever qualify during my lifetime so the WC is just a time to enjoy the football/drama and maybe make some money.
I think if it proves anything it is that it is a team is more than the sum of it's individual parts - give me a group of decent players who play really well as a team rather than a group of highly talented individuals any day. It has been proved time and time again yet people always focus on the individuals.
Tbf it's become a bit of a running joke during this tournament. I think some of you are just looking for reasons to hate on England but feel free. Whatever floats your boat.
Well the best in the 'good' half of the draw will eventually meet the best in the 'shit' half and if you are right we should see total annihilation.
You couldn't possibly have picked a worse example to make that point
I thought we were good last night, Columbia were strong, well organised and we came through it. We actually look like a proper team for once!
It is great to win the world cup by beating:
Panama
Tunisia
Colombia
Sweden
Croatia
Uruguay
It would be even greater if it was Japan and Australia instead of Colombia and Croatia, but this is not possible any more.
Cheers!
Panama
Tunisia
Colombia
Sweden
Croatia
Uruguay
It would be even greater if it was Japan and Australia instead of Colombia and Croatia, but this is not possible any more.
Cheers!
People are acting like this has never happened before though. Look at Germany's run in 2002.
It's not England's fault the real big boys shit the bed.
Every WC, every Euro, same redcafe posts.
This is like the Brexit thread for football.
This is like the Brexit thread for football.
A lot of it is humour based driven around the song. It's also bit like how United fans would sing "We got our title back" after we would win the league back even though we weren't the first team to win the league and for a long time Liverpool had the record.
We were resilient but we need a solution for the lack of creativity. Like the Tunisia game we seemed to run out of ideas. Concentrated more on shape than running into space to make something happen.
We don't have a killer pass expert so we need to find other ways.
Harry Maguire for me has been a revelation. I like the way he moves into midfield. Defences back off until he gets so far that they have to make a move - and then spaces open up. He reminds me a bit of Bobby Moore.
I think Southgate understands the limitations of our squad. Our midfield options are quite pathetic really. Dier and Henderson are atrocious. The latter must play 99 out of every 100 passes backwards.
There's a real buzz around England at the moment though. It's been great to get caught up in the excitement and the buzz of an international tournament, whilst actually playing relatively well considering the limitations of our squad. I was disappointed when Southgate was named manager but I think he's turning out to be the best appointment in a long long time.
I do think we will beat Sweden then fall short against Croatia. They'll be able to dominate the midfield and that will probably be our undoing. Still, it's the best tournament we've had in a long long time. Probably 2004 was the last time everyone was so buzzing. Everything since then has been pretty much diabolical.
Wittering on now, but I agree about Maguire also.
Think the only thing to really laugh at are the videos of England fans fighting each other in the beer garden. Just ridiculous. Just enjoy that you’re team have made it through.
Good job we aren’t singing “World Cups coming home” then. Its where the game was invented. It’s an undeniable truth.
Besides, the majority of it is tongue in cheek. Perhaps it’s the cultural differences in humour that makes you and others feel its all genuine. It certainly supports this strange view that England supporters are unbelievably arrogant. That hasn’t been the case for a long time.
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Football's coming home is definitely a meme at this point.
But ‘it’s coming home’ is a great song and people saying it during this World Cup has been pretty tongue-in-cheek. Also the version of football that the world plays was undeniably born in England, therefore England is its home. Just like the USA is home of gridiron, Aus home of footy & Scotland home of boring golf.
Dont be touchy. I said its a seasoned premier league line up which it absolutely is. I heard them described as 'young lions that have come from nowhere' today (on tv, not at the pub). Its pretty ludicrous and many england fans on this forum concede the same. Im not having a go at the team, nor will i have a meltdown if they win it. Good luck to them. All i said was its a very easy run to the final should they make it, and then i criticised the british press and punditry narrative they have settled on. Dont let paranoia allow you to misinterpret.
It's quite amusing to see people claim the English are arrogant when it couldn't be further from the truth, we have an entire football culture built around the idea that we're shit.
These days yes. Probably in the past there was more of a sense of England thinking they were better than they actually were. Mind you even then if you look at some past England teams and the quality in them you have to say they should have won a tournament or two.
This England team and the fans following seem largely devoid of all that past baggage and if anything there's a complete lack of arrogance.
People love to hate the English just like people love to hate Utd. I enjoy the attention either way.
You couldn't possibly have picked a worse example to make that point
Don’t think I’ve ever watched an England game in an Irish pub where so many people were openly rooting for England. Definitely an unusual experience.
That said, the Colombian equaliser got a huge cheer but I put that down to everyone having a great time and being pleased about another 30-40 minutes of pints/football. I know that’s why I was cheering anyway!
Brexit
'Football's coming Home' is also a song written by two comedians satirising our hapless efforts on the international stage since 1966. I'm sure that is interpreted by many as some sort of smug expectation we have but keep failing at.