Qatar World Cup

[nimnarb]

I’m so pleased for Leo, but got to hand it to Mbappe!!! Incredible player.

[Hallucigenia]

From 28th November :

Oddschecker have
2.5 Brazil
5.75 France
7 Spain
9 Argentina
10 England

...I don't bet on football, but if I was looking for a "anybody but Brazil bet" I'd be tempted by Argentina.

Bugger.

[monabri]

Yes I so want Messi to lift the trophy
not sure I could stomach Mbappe' s smugness

This is a two for one! Macron et Mbappe!



Enjoy!

[Dod101]

I have to say that I would have liked to have seen England in the final, but not against either of those two teams. They were on another planet. The most amazing game of football I think that I have ever seen. Looking back at England against France, it was slow, deliberate and competent but that does not win the World Cup (or in fact get the team anywhere near the final)

The English team (which I am delighted to support) is backed by the best league in the world? Not sure about that. Maybe the wealthiest, I do not know, but it seems unable to build on that. I guess it boils down to the probability that the English players qualified to play in international competitions are just not up to it. We need money poured in to football as it has been into other sports where we have done well (by ‘we’ I of course in this context mean England) The club system means we spend the money on expensive foreign players. There is a lot of money available but it is not going it would seem to support the national team.

It means that Southgate is unlikely to do more than he has but he can only work with what he has available.

Dod

[kiloran]

Score 3 goals in a WC final and still lose! Poor Mbappe...rubs both eyes..

Not so smug now

--kiloran

[Tedx]

Making the losers walk past the trophy. Can you imagine if Ronaldo had just been on the losing side?

[kiloran]

Making the losers walk past the trophy. Can you imagine if Ronaldo had just been on the losing side?

Oh, I can! Love the thought!

--kiloran

[Itsallaguess]

The perfect night for me.

I really wanted Messi to win it, but I also really wanted France to lose it, but I didn't want them to lose it the way they looked to be doing at half time.

I wanted them to get back into the game, think they could go on to win it, and *then* lose the World Cup final, so it really was sublime how that eventually panned out...

The only way the spectacle could have been any better was if Mbappe had actually punched Macron during one of his cling-fests, but I suppose that was too much to ask...

Happy, happy days, and over the moon to see Messi finally hold that World Cup...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[Lootman]

The only way the spectacle could have been any better was if Mbappe had actually punched Macron during one of his cling-fests, but I suppose that was too much to ask...

OK, so it wasn't just me who thought that Mbappe looked really uncomfortable with Macron's touchy-feely cuddling shtick?

Not that I really care how he feels.

[Itsallaguess]

Good old Martinez.....you can take the keeper out of Birmingham, etc....



Source - https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/martinez-world-cup-trophy-fifa-28763907

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[monabri]

Hand of Cod?

[Howyoudoin]

From 28th November :

Oddschecker have
2.5 Brazil
5.75 France
7 Spain
9 Argentina
10 England

...I don't bet on football, but if I was looking for a "anybody but Brazil bet" I'd be tempted by Argentina.

Bugger.

I only got 11/2 from Bet365 on the day before the tournament began.

Bugger indeed.

HYD

[pje16]

The best final ever (bar 66)

[nimnarb]

So it seems Southgate continuing. Many won’t agree here, such is life, but how can we nastify (new word)put politely to give the man a pair as I keep hearing how well we have done this tournament and how well he has done for us.

Argies and the Brazilians only believe in winning. Nobody remembers who came second. I know we have the players but we still play a different game when as a team regardless of how great we are at club level, to the top boys and have done so for a very long time.

How is Southgate going to improve us? Serious question? So that we do end up winning something?

[Leothebear]

How is Southgate going to improve us? Serious question? So that we do end up winning something?

Easy.

Break much faster. Pass much faster. Up the skills level. Give Mbappe and Messi English nationality.

Seriously, I'm not sure our, much vaunted, players are capable of competing at that level.

[pje16]

So it seems Southgate continuing. Many won’t agree here, such is life

For all the Southgate bashers let recall how bad we were before he took over
and if it hadn't been for some dodgy referring decisions we may well have beaten France
and before yesterday I would have fancied us the best the Argies, but in the first half they played the French off the park
Just have a look at the tables below, you might be surprised

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ho ... d-managers

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ra ... st-to-best

[Itsallaguess]

How is Southgate going to improve us?

Serious question?

So that we do end up winning something?

One of the problems of comparing Southgate to previous England managers is that often such comparisons will miss the hugely important work he did at the England youth level before he stepped up into the senior England manager role. He spent three years setting the ground-work that's enabled England to now properly compete with a large senior squad that looks as happy and cohesive as any I've seen in my lifetime, even before we start to talk about the great skill-sets he's got available...

Anyone who remembers all the previous cliques regarding England camps at tournaments will appreciate how difficult that is to consistently achieve at the top level of the game...

Even beyond that though, and sticking to senior England results under Southgate, I think this statistic from the BBC yesterday might surprise some of his critics -

Southgate has won 49 of his 81 games in charge so far, losing 14.

But his record of winning six knockout games in major tournaments as Three Lions boss is the same number as England had won in the 48 years before he took the helm.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63943512

Given the recent discussions around Southgate continuing in the England manager role, I'd perhaps suggest that even beyond that brilliant final statistic above, his single biggest achievement has actually been in getting this England squad to the point where people are even really *asking* if we can take that extra important step towards silverware.

Before Southgate, we were generally so poor during any important knock-out stages that no-one even bothered to ask the question...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[swill453]

The best final ever (bar 66)

Ally McCoist: "Mbappe ... first player to score a a hat-trick in a World Cup Final when every one was over the line".

Scott.

[kiloran]

The best final ever (bar 66)

Ally McCoist: "Mbappe ... first player to score a a hat-trick in a World Cup Final when every one was over the line".

Scott.

Not a real hat-trick.... two of them were penalties

--kiloran

[pje16]

The best final ever (bar 66)

Ally McCoist: "Mbappe ... first player to score a a hat-trick in a World Cup Final when every one was over the line".

Scott.

If Hurst's hadn't crossed the line the score the score would have been 3-2 it was in fact 4-2
It was also a perfect hat-trick, left foot, right foot and head