leicsmac

Something of an entertaining counterattack here. 

You'd think the music will stop at some point, though.

Well, that's that. 

462 it is, then. Nominal. 

Looks to be the case. Another 50 odd time after lunch and declare. 500 off 135ish.

9 minutes ago, Collymore said:

 

Are you talking about politics?  Conspiracy theories? Or just in general...

 

I'd argue technology can give you a false sense of opinion when the majority of people don't care or have an opinion though.

 

It's like where you get a really niche hobby such as collecting garden snails - you're never going to come across a person who does this in life but if you set up a forum you'd get the thousands across the world all talking and having an opinion about it. 

 

 

 

I'm talking mostly in general, but to refer to a key critical area as an example, scientific matters that are empirically proven becoming matters of opinion among people, which then leads to policy and action based on such things being treated as opinion rather than fact. 

The amount of harm caused by people choosing to ignore scientific fact in areas where it really matters has resulted in a level of harm that is already massive, and if taken into the future, may become absolute and incalculable. 

The "death of expertise", and the reduction of fact to matters of opinion, harms everyone.

The Internet has done a great thing in bringing a lot of like minded people together. This, however, is the dark side of it.

8 minutes ago, Deeg67 said:

Do we really want to go there? Liz Truss and BoJo send their regards, never mind that we're talking about a country where Nigel Farage is starting to struggle because he's not racist enough for his core voters. People getting elected by minorities of voters - never mind the population at-large - are not representative of a country as a whole. Sorry, the "I hate Yanks" posts peppering this thread say a lot more about the home country of the people making them than they do the people being targeted.

 

But yes, the rest is football. I've been following the USMNT for decades and believe me, they've never had a squad of this quality playing this way. I've been saying for years (including here) that this was as close to a golden generation as the U.S. has ever had. MLS is now independently ranked in the top 10 leagues in the world, and climbing. Americans under 30 rank soccer behind only basketball, ahead of MLB and the NFL. All the jibes and smarmy put-downs here are well past their expiration date. America is a footballing nation now, and it's only going to escalate.

 

As for this tournament, the first two matches could hardly have gone better. Paraguay is better than they've looked here, and Australia is no pushover. But the test comes when the Americans have to face a squad that's got the ability to take the match to them (which may not come until the quarters, certainly not before the 16's). Poch is a clear step above any coach the USMNT ever had tactically, and he's always been a strong man-manager. Whenever we got to a big tournament we would always park the bus and try and pip a goal on the counter. Poch has a squad full of first-team players in top divisions and he has them playing like a team that expects to create chances and control the game. Anything less than the final 8 would be a disappointment at this point, anything more would still be an upset.

Again, I agree about the calibre (or lack thereof) of those people mentioned, but thankfully they haven't been able to make their attitude the problem of nearly so many people as the leading US lights right now. Degrees of power matter, sadly. It is unfair about the generalisations being made, I agree there too, but I also understand exactly why they are being made.

The US team in general certainly look good and as you say, they appear to be taking football seriously and with the resources they have it is clearly beginning to bear fruit. I think a QF against a truly top team will be as far as it goes, though.

An opinion about opinions:

Quite possibly the most destructive result of the Internet and social media becoming ubiquitous is that it has encouraged almost everything to be a matter of opinion or debate - even those things that are clearly defined, need-to-be-acted-upon matters of fact. The advent of AI is only furthering this uncertainty.

Some things are not matters of debate. Treating them as such only ends badly, and harmfully. 

Also, humidity consistently above 50%. Ugh. 

I actually think that unless NZ bat until tea, the draw remains out of the equation. With the way England score and given the amount of time remaining (barring weather interruptions), if they're put on with a target of 500 off 135 overs or somesuch, they'll either make it (practically impossible), or be bowled out (practically certain).

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

Gonna be headline news this week

june temp records broken widely across areas midlands south and wales 

On 01/03/2026 at 09:05, leicsmac said:

As per another thread:

 

"Welcome to the future, everyone. Arriving ahead of schedule."

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

There really are a lot of English triggered by the fact the Scottish fans are popular when they travel 

Possibly some overlap with the folks who think football should only be tribal and therefore travelling fans should be feared, rather than popular. 

1 hour ago, Deeg67 said:

No one - least of all here - should feel comfortable if we're judging an entire country's population based on the behavior of its most obnoxious asswipes.

I unreservedly agree, but the problem is that in this case, the obnoxious asswipes are in charge and making it the direct or indirect problem of almost every other human being on the surface of this Earth.  

Believe me, I've spent time in the US, and some of the people I've met there have been the most genuinely lovely and brilliant people I've had the pleasure of meeting, but rightly or wrongly, in the current climate, blowback and generalisations are going to be made across all areas of international interaction, including sport. 

All of this being said, this US team is going to take a big name (possibly Spain in a QF?) to put them in jeopardy, I think. Poch has them playing well.

3 hours ago, Deeg67 said:

Not you. He was miles onside and the two who were off had no bearing on the goal whatsoever. It's just blind copium and Yank hatred.

On 13/06/2026 at 16:24, leicsmac said:

An unfortunate, if predictable, consequence of the events of the last couple of years. 

 

Lack of decorum tends to be answered with like lack of decorum. 

This again, unfortunately. 

2 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Assuming we win the group why is it that we'll likely be playing Mexico who are also likely topping their group? Surely if we win the group we play a 2nd/3rd place team as the reward?

Mexico are a possible last 16 opponent for England if they both win their groups. 

England will play a 3rd placed team in the last 32 if they win their group. 

Can see an argument for the offside goal being given either way, it comes down to whether the two players who were off were interfering with play as the third guy scored, and that's subjective. 

But, in any case, the US are good value for their lead, they've made all the running. As per above, it will remain to be seen what will happen when they play a team that actually has talent and knows what they're doing (possibly QF onwards).

Just now, Lionator said:

Getting a bit concerned here, they actually look like a very good team :/

Just now, -sodapop said:

are these lot gonna get the Korea 2002 treatment the entire tournament then you reckon?

We'll see what happens when they play a team that's actually any good. 

But it does look like it will take a team like that to put them out. 

Two players were offside, but apparently not interfering with play. The scorer was on. 

3 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Old Trafford last summer vs India. 

Well, they'll likely have to do it again here in a 4th innings. 

Poch teaching both solid defensive and fluid attacking team performance and Spursy dark arts when the tackles fly in to this team, then. 

Been all USA so far though. 

Aussies up for this, leaving a bit in the tackies. Good.

Looking forward to hearing some of the Aussie chants. 

8 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

There’s an election coming mac 

he knows which way the wind is blowing 

it’s rhetoric for his base - he has no say over the military 

 

him and his mate smotrich are going to be struggling to go abroad on holiday for a considerable time! 

But the military are apparently happy to listen to his rhetoric and carry it out if they wish. And some of them certainly appear to be of the same mind. 

I've grown far too familiar with words of war becoming acts of war over the past few years to simply dismiss what a man like him is saying. 

Do agree he's rapidly losing friends outside his immediate circle, though. 

2 minutes ago, nnfox said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy8dy2pr8ymt

 

Reports of a train crash on the London to Leicester line.  Hopefully not as bad as it potentially could be.  Thoughts to those involved.

It really doesn't sound great. 

Trying to look up when this England team batted for more than 120 overs. 

Ben-Gvir being charming and advocating for thousandfold disproportionate response in Lebanon, then.