2026 World Cup

[AKCJ]

3 hours ago, Super_horns said:

No Pedro it seems .

Is that so they can fit the Brazilian golden boy in the squad ?

Pedro isn't Brazil 1st team standard, surely.

[Super_horns]

44 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

Pedro isn't Brazil 1st team standard, surely.

Fair enough but he has had a good season for Chelsea so thought he might get in .

 

Obviously Neymar is in as a popular pick to keep fans and media happy given I understand he hasn’t played much back in Brazil .

Edited 19 May by Super_horns

[Scotch]

I'm not too sure what more Ollie McBurnie could have done to get into that Scotland squad. He's scored the same amount of goals as Adams, Hirst and Dykes combined. 

 

Clarke has done amazing things with this team but his loyalty to certain players, particularly strikers who don't score goals is holding us back. We need a goal scorer. All the other pieces are in place. 

[Finnegan]

lmao imagine not going to a World Cup because Lyndon ****ing Dykes is picked ahead of you as a striker haha.

 

[Stadt]

3 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

lmao imagine not going to a World Cup because Lyndon ****ing Dykes is picked ahead of you as a striker haha.

 

Didn't he turn us down!

[Finnegan]

7 minutes ago, Stadt said:

Didn't he turn us down!

 

See, some good things did happen this season.

 

Just seen that Ollie McBurnie (who is still shit, lets be honest here) has never scored in 16 Scotland appearances. Can sort of understand not wanting to pick him. 

 

[RowlattsFox]

9 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

See, some good things did happen this season.

 

Just seen that Ollie McBurnie (who is still shit, lets be honest here) has never scored in 16 Scotland appearances. Can sort of understand not wanting to pick him. 

 

What a choice

[Scotch]

51 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

See, some good things did happen this season.

 

Just seen that Ollie McBurnie (who is still shit, lets be honest here) has never scored in 16 Scotland appearances. Can sort of understand not wanting to pick him. 

 

Picking a player who doesn't score goals NOW over a player who didnt score goals 5 years ago makes no sense what so ever. 

 

McBurnie might not be very good but he's scored almost the same as Adams, Dykes and Hirst COMBINED this season. 

[Finnegan]

7 minutes ago, Scotch said:

Picking a player who doesn't score goals NOW over a player who didnt score goals 5 years ago makes no sense what so ever. 

 

McBurnie might not be very good but he's scored almost the same as Adams, Dykes and Hirst COMBINED this season. 

 

Fair play, didn't realise he hadn't had a cap in 5 years.

 

That said, some people just - for whatever reason - don't particularly take to international football and/or only really thrive in particular teams.

 

[Scotch]

26 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Fair play, didn't realise he hadn't had a cap in 5 years.

 

That said, some people just - for whatever reason - don't particularly take to international football and/or only really thrive in particular teams.

 

That's fair but it really just comes down to loyalty. Clarke has his favourites and that's who he picks. He even told McBurnie that when Ollie called him up to ask what he could do to be selected (which is think showed some balls.)

[CWC1983]

Mcburnie, can't help feel there was a falling out with him and Clarke years ago, or didn't fancy getting called up and feigned injury. 

 

I'll give him credit for stepping up and scoring one of the pens v Serbia 

 

Disappointed Lennon Miller had been left out,  but Ross Stewart is a good shout. 

 

Apart from that, no real surprises, the goalkeeper will be the main talking point the closer we get to the Haiti match. 

 

 

 

[MC Prussian]

Cristiano Ronaldo and his record-breaking sixth World Cup:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cn4p1332exzo

[Leicesterpool]

He is determined to win the world cup before he retires, i think it bugs him that Messi has that to his name whilst Ronaldo doesn't.

[when_you're_smiling]

18 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

He is determined to win the world cup before he retires, i think it bugs him that Messi has that to his name whilst Ronaldo doesn't.

Remember how many penalties Argentina got in the last tournament. Watch something similar happen for Portugal.

[Jaspa]

4 minutes ago, when_you're_smiling said:

Remember how many penalties Argentina got in the last tournament. Watch something similar happen for Portugal.

So much dodginess around the Qatar WC in regards to Argies & Leo. Every game bar one at the main stadium, penalties on demand, red cards ignored(ball booted into Netherlands bench), event organiser making a statement before the event that it would be an injustice if Messi never won a WC. The preluding Messi leaving Barça for Qatar FC(PSG) events. 

 

Whole thing stank tbh. Although I also things were laid out on a golden platter for France in 2018, but not as blatant.

[cruzFOX]

Not a Neymar fan boy and admit he is guilty of feigning injury rather spectacularly however he gets more than his fair share of ankle and knee kicks from behind. Being a very technical player with great close ball control he gets man handled a lot! Kinda sad

[Pliskin]

8 hours ago, cruzFOX said:

Not a Neymar fan boy and admit he is guilty of feigning injury rather spectacularly however he gets more than his fair share of ankle and knee kicks from behind. Being a very technical player with great close ball control he gets man handled a lot! Kinda sad

Neymar has got to be the most overhyped player there’s ever been. It’s almost like Brazil can’t boast not having a world class player, so they just gave it to him…. Never rated him. 

[Samilktray]

54 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Neymar has got to be the most overhyped player there’s ever been. It’s almost like Brazil can’t boast not having a world class player, so they just gave it to him…. Never rated him. 

He was probably the third best player in the world behind Messi & Ronaldo for a period of time?

[Pliskin]

9 minutes ago, Samilktray said:

He was probably the third best player in the world behind Messi & Ronaldo for a period of time?

Not in my opinion, he’s miles off those two. Iniesta was the best player behind those two. 

[st albans fox]

Chatting with my boys about the England squad 

gonna be some brilliant players left out, especially attacking ones 

 

we reckon he picks 4 from Rogers, palmer, eze, foden,  gibbs-white and Bellingham 

bowen or madueke with saka on the right 

only Kane and Watkins up top 

rashford and Gordon on the left

4 from rice, mainoo, Wharton, Henderson, Anderson 

 

 

[Jaspa]

Gibbs-White surely goes with his stats. Him and Callum Hudson-Odoi, unfortunately, all the way through their youth development were considered very very highly in the England set-up. Gibbs-White producing fantastic stats now too, and hey if he has a good Tourney a bigger Club than Spuds might come in to take him from Forest this summer.

 

Surely Bowen doesn't go. Questions over Foden & Palmer, bad seasons but both very highly rated. Sometimes it's about getting the mix right rather than the best on paper.

[The Bear]

Gibbs-White doesn't go for me. He only plays in one position and there's at least 4 players ahead of him on status. 

[st albans fox]

18 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Gibbs-White doesn't go for me. He only plays in one position and there's at least 4 players ahead of him on status. 

 

25 minutes ago, Jaspa said:

Gibbs-White surely goes with his stats. Him and Callum Hudson-Odoi, unfortunately, all the way through their youth development were considered very very highly in the England set-up. Gibbs-White producing fantastic stats now too, and hey if he has a good Tourney a bigger Club than Spuds might come in to take him from Forest this summer.

 

Surely Bowen doesn't go. Questions over Foden & Palmer, bad seasons but both very highly rated. Sometimes it's about getting the mix right rather than the best on paper.

I think tuchel will leave out foden and MGW from the six I listed 

[DJW1]

28 minutes ago, Jaspa said:

Gibbs-White surely goes with his stats. Him and Callum Hudson-Odoi, unfortunately, all the way through their youth development were considered very very highly in the England set-up. Gibbs-White producing fantastic stats now too, and hey if he has a good Tourney a bigger Club than Spuds might come in to take him from Forest this summer.

 

Surely Bowen doesn't go. Questions over Foden & Palmer, bad seasons but both very highly rated. Sometimes it's about getting the mix right rather than the best on paper.

I prefer G-W over Eze, although they´re not the same kind of player.

[RowlattsFox]

Thought I'd give naming a squad a go, this is what I came up with. Normally forget someone obvious so probably have again. 

 

Keepers

Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope

Right backs - Reece James, Ben White, Alexander-Arnold

Left backs - Nico O'Reilly, Lewis Hall

Centre backs - Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Harry Maguire, John Stones

Centre mid - Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham

Attacking mid: Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Ebe Eze, Marcus rashford, Jarred Bowen

Strikers: Harry kane, Ollie Watkins, Calvert-Lewin

 

I'd be surprised if Trent is in there but I would, him, O'Reilly and James be an extra centre mid option if needed.

 

Gibbs-White should probably go instead of either Palmer or Foden but I feel he's similar to Rogers and the other 2 might offer something different on the big stage. Bowen gets the nod as the hardworking wide option who could do a job both sides and even up front. 

Madueke probably the unlucky one to miss out. 

 

Calvert Lewin as a wildcard if you want someone to chuck on with a few minutes to go like we did with Toney at the euros. 

 

I'm sure Jordan Henderson will find his way in somewhere.