Footballwipe

Honestly the result doesn't mean much. Draws in Euros 2020 and 2024 and still got to the final. Argentina and Spain lose in 2022 and 2010 and win the thing. How he does in the knockouts will dictate. I was as worried as anyone about Mexico in Mexico but honestly what have they done that's impressed you? It's only the (fully middle-class happy clapper) home support and the altitude that we're really worried about. Don't think we'll win it but Ghana game didn't register for me worry wise. Just a shame it was such a boring match really.

Hope you're all holding big Tommy T to the same standard you did for Southgate. Let the post mortem commence.

Generally agree, though I think we'll really see the standard as the tournament progresses. As the ante is upped, the games mean and matter more and the tetchiness/shithousery increases, then we'll properly see their metal. Positive signs, though.

They won us the league you ungrateful swines. If playing Ipswich U21s in a proper first team game is the price to pay then you're not very loyal. (did I do it right?)

Whatever Tice/Farage/Zia/Lowe tells them to celebrate, and then immediately shift the goalposts.

Also note that FOX got the TV rights for about 1/3 of what they're worth as FIFA did a sweetheart deal to stop them from taking legal action over their shift of 2022 to the winter, right in their prime NFL/College season.

Didn't some parts of the country have communal stand pipes in 1976? I'm not being dramatic to say there'd be riots, selfishness and absolute chaos when they eventually have to do it somewhere in the UK in the future.

That game. The jeopardy + 2 emotional teams + emotional ref. Absolute box office.

Thought this story was as worrying as it was wild. https://www.facebook.com/birmingham.live/posts/pfbid0djPJ2NY4dRUJQKNZdStEb8sdtyfWJha3no98k3otXZ1qHjuQi9HqjCVxARzAJbWml?__tn__=%2CO*F Isn't there such a thing as a proportional response? The bully is a horrible arse, but essentially this grown adult has phoned a child and threatened to "burn your house, I will stab your family and I will slit all your family's necks." And yet the internet seems fine for a grown man to do this to a child because the child was a bully? I guess I could be seen as condoning bullying but I hope people see what I mean. Jesus christ I can't believe we're in peak "protect are kids" era but people are fine with adults threatening children with muder.

I thought that too but a slight counter is that it's a federal holiday today, Juneteenth. Seems more public sector and not every state but should be people about

Agree on all fronts - I'm not sure what I was expecting going in but honestly Jimbo, Barry/Max may as well be in London and adjust their sleep pattern - just seems like a massive jolly (which is of course fine it's on the company dime etc) Libero's independence and flexibility has shown itself well. It's such a good podcast generally, too.

Couldn't believe the comments downplaying Kane. When he retires after 2028 and we're scrabbling about in vain trying to find someone anywhere near as good as him maybe they'll finally take the blinkers off and realise how good he is.

Nah sorry mate, it's all our fault. If only we'd banded together and Uri Geller'ed some positivity or nous into the players legs and boardroom's brains then we wouldn't be where we are. Absolutely astounding that bullets are still being taken for this ownership and this situation by people. I completely forgot it's out fault we've had three relegations in four years, lost hundreds of millions of pounds, made a string of bad signings, managerial decisions and alienated the fanbase with sheer incompetence. If only we'd been more positive.

On the topic of podcasts, it feels insane the amount of £ some have invested in this tournament. I don't listen to TRIF but know they've gone mental with their production values etc, but Totally Football Show and Football Weekly have both gone to LA for the whole tournament - must be costing them an arm and a leg. I get the time zone is way more preferable but their sponsors must be doing great to get an ROI from the expenses being racked up.

Well there's the award for the moronic attempt at a tackle of the World Cup won already. Amateur and careless.

I hope this makes sense, but it's going to be really hard to 'judge' him positively until next season. This season the bare minimum is promotion. The absolute bare minimum is to get this team out of the division. Even if we win with 99 points it means nothing to me personally. Get us up. Do your job. Next year will be key - if we're doing well, his football is bedded in and we're challenging or right up there then that's positive. Bumble around the mid-table or bottom and he'll have failed in what he's been bought here to do which is to get us back to the Prem. His League 1 expectations are up, no questions asked, no leeway given. I can't see that becoming a reality though, he'll make an enemy of the fans and throw players under the bus if he needs to. Also wouldn't be surprised if he toddled off at the first sniff of interest from other clubs if we are top of the league, too.

If nothing else from this World Cup it's lovely to see Ally McCoist back with the person who brings the best out of him - Jon Champion. With TNT and his cronies he's over exposed and become quite annoying (mainly due to those around him) - but how he is with Champion is great. It helps that Champion is a great commentator in his own right (another crying shame he never made it to top dog for either BBC or ITV) - but it was his partnership with Ally in the 2018 world cup that bought McCoist right back to the fore.

ITV have just shown him offside again and Sam Matterface is diving in front of FIFA and their mess up like his life depends on it. We suddenly all like Dixon for a second.

If the technology is so advanced and good then why can't the match director show us how and why it was onside? This is baffling and if it happens in a proper big match later this tournament there'll be mayhem

If the cameramen are going to keep doing what they usually do and walk past all of the players at the anthems they're gonna need to get a sprint on for England if we've got all 26 out there

Tbh as much as I'd like a Euro timezone I have to work anyway so I probably wouldn't be able to follow. Would love Australia/NZ to get it at some point though. Plan is to watch the highlights the morning after and to rely on Totally Football Show/Football Weekly to help with the other stuff. Everything about the build up to this tournament has been ghoulishly bad. From ticket prices and FIFA being complete wrong'uns, but you know for sure when we're in it it'll be fun. Even looking forward to the clamping down on ridiculous time wasting if it actually happens. Except the 30 min half time in the final. That won't be fun. Hoping there's a dedicated section being set up on here for this?

Christ when you see the whole of both line-ups and then see "legend" associated with Hamer, Konchesky, St. Ledger ffs, and then "All star XI" against those other names. Someone call Trading Standards, man

Thing is now we're in the territory of "sold" and "given away" If someone wants to analyse where in the stadium the sudden jump in ticket "sales" is it'll give us an indication of where the freebie zones are.

Tanner was playing the "Will Buxton" role in Drive to Survive - doing a mix of explaining the obvious and hyper-simplifying things for the casual viewer. It is infuriating if you're either a fan of the club or follow football closely, though. It downplayed our achievements before, made us seem smaller and demeaned us. Proper annoying but you have to detach it. This wasn't trying to be a serious football documentary, it was a rags-to-riches human story which Vardy was front and centre and we were a by-product. It didn't matter to the documentary producers it was us, so our back story wasn't important. It was all Vardy, Vardy Vardy. Plus the more you demean our past the more you ham up JV's achievements which, when you're sole objective is to make him look good, is a no brainer. Whether Tanner should've agreed to parroting that narrative is another debate entirely. Personally I really liked the first half of the documentary on his back story and his first season struggles with us. After that though it tailed off badly. A mix of knowing exactly what was going to happen and the simplification of what we did.)

Just like if you went to every game in 2015/16 and missed one home game last season. SORRY you disloyal swine. No free ticket for you!