marbelladave Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 SERBIA???!!! Take it from me C Person that I will be supporting England. My criticism of the team is more to do with my loathing of The FA and their appalling historic indifference to the national team and the way in which the blazers dupe England fans (one of the reasons why Sven wanted to leave before '06) - their only real interest (apart from lining their own pockets) is The Premier League (the best pocket liner in world football). If there was a Nobel Prize awarded for complacency, this sentence, 'As for my expectations of reaching the last four, I think we will because we have a relatively easy run there...' would be the runaway winner. You might want to reflect on that ill considered remark in the very near future during that now traditional quadquennial festival : the England premature ejection wake. We've got enough to mull over without confusing Mondial 'shocks' with Euro 'surprises' (Greeks, Danes, Czechs etc) but what the hell. Given that the latter is a tourno where the honours are spread around a little more evenly (nine separate winning nations from thirteen competitions held compared to only seven out of eighteen for the World Cup - proving that the more elite a tournament is perceived to be, the more likely it is to be monopolised), England's record here is even more awful than in the World Cup and should be an even greater source of concern (the stats indicate that the Euro's are about half as difficult to win as the World Cup but England have yet to reach a final). Bulgaria's and Croatia's successes against Germany in the '94 & '98 World Cups would have been even more surprising and meaningful had they occurred at more advanced stages of the competition. However, both of these teams were regarded as potential hazards (particularly Croatia who were many punters' dark horses for France '98 after their exploits at Euro '96) and it is exactly this kind of unknown quantity currently submerged in a Limpopo watering hole that could easily take a painful chunk out of England's over rated arse. This is an historical no-brainer and the only people who will be surprised when it happens will be those who believed that England had a 'relatively easy run' to the semi finals... Your insistance that history has already condemned England to failure is beginning to wear a little thin, if history teaches us anything it is that things can change and that sometimes history can be turned around. Sure, our appalling record shows us that it will be difficult and I agree that English football has barely moved forward in recent times (witness the same old faces in the England team) so I am not expecting a great performance from England this time around but like any fan I am hoping for the best. What I do find frustrating though is the appalling management of the English game by the FA and the Premier League. Their willing compliance in the ruthless exploitation of the big4 © (or Sky4©) and their 'top, top' players by the broadcast and other media is a moneymaking exercise of breathtaking cynicism. There is virtually no place in this 'model' for the England national team and this is clearly shown by the lack of commitment shown towards England by everyone from the FA and Premier League bureaucrats to the players. I just hope that at some point during the competition the sheer competitive professionalism of the players gives us a performance to cheer, whatever their motivation.
Fosse Fox Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Your insistance that history has already condemned England to failure is beginning to wear a little thin, if history teaches us anything it is that things can change and that sometimes history can be turned around. Sure, our appalling record shows us that it will be difficult and I agree that English football has barely moved forward in recent times (witness the same old faces in the England team) so I am not expecting a great performance from England this time around but like any fan I am hoping for the best. What I do find frustrating though is the appalling management of the English game by the FA and the Premier League. Their willing compliance in the ruthless exploitation of the big4 © (or Sky4©) and their 'top, top' players by the broadcast and other media is a moneymaking exercise of breathtaking cynicism. There is virtually no place in this 'model' for the England national team and this is clearly shown by the lack of commitment shown towards England by everyone from the FA and Premier League bureaucrats to the players. I just hope that at some point during the competition the sheer competitive professionalism of the players gives us a performance to cheer, whatever their motivation. If you had bothered to read my post you will notice that I made this very same point in my opening paragraph. Taken within this context (read carefully!) your assertion that MY 'insistance (sic) that history has already condemned England to failure is beginning to wear a little thin' is both ill considered and disingenuous. Just as many of your contemporaries in the Costa Del Crime have a tendency to pass off the physical assets of others off as their own you appear to dabble in the old intellectual property scam. Don't think I haven't clocked your sudden 'discovery' of the usual suspects in the 2010 squad (there's reward out on that one you know). No part of this communication can be copied, distributed or stored in a retrieval system without prior permission of the author, Fosse Fox. Copyright 2010 Fosse Fox Productions Warning - my lawyers are watching, plagiarists will be prosecuted
marbelladave Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 If you had bothered to read my post you will notice that I made this very same point in my opening paragraph. Taken within this context (read carefully!) your assertion that MY 'insistance (sic) that history has already condemned England to failure is beginning to wear a little thin' is both ill considered and disingenuous. Just as many of your contemporaries in the Costa Del Crime have a tendency to pass off the physical assets of others off as their own you appear to dabble in the old intellectual property scam. Don't think I haven't clocked your sudden 'discovery' of the usual suspects in the 2010 squad (there's reward out on that one you know). No part of this communication can be copied, distributed or stored in a retrieval system without prior permission of the author, Fosse Fox. Copyright 2010 Fosse Fox Productions Warning - my lawyers are watching, plagiarists will be prosecuted I understand that having people actually agree with you is something of a novelty, there is no need to suggest plagiarism... I have to admit that I was somewhat distracted by the disciplined performance of England in the first year or so under Capello and for a time I was deluded enough to believe that Capello was actually going to change the England set up for the better. Despite the extremely effective qualifying campaign, recent events have shaken me from my complacency. The catalyst for this change of mind was a post that I saw on the BBC and copied to the "England's 23 man squad" thread back on the 2nd of June. Perhaps you wrote it? I was particularly taken with this post as it reminded me of a series of 'articles' that I posted some time ago, towards the end of the awful McClaren era. I consistently made the case (this was in 2007 remember) that England needed to ditch the 'Golden Generation' and make a start with a whole new squad, younger, hungrier and hopefully, in time, more successful. The fact that I agree with the facts of much of what you have to say seems to surprise you, is your ego really so large that you really believe that no one (apart from yourself) has ever looked at football in this way and reached similar conclusions? BTW Any insinuations of impropriety on the Costa, intellectual or otherwise will be strongly defended... My property empire was build on hard work alone!
marbelladave Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Superb... In the otherwise extremely tedious run up to Friday I find myself bored so the the prospect of poking a stick through the bars to provoke the nasty beast that lurks within is actually quite fun. I realise that, in the end it will probably sent me blind, but in the manner of a particularly nasty rash, I find it hard to ignore. Apologies to all who are not getting the joke...
Guest Bilo Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Superb... In the otherwise extremely tedious run up to Friday I find myself bored so the the prospect of poking a stick through the bars to provoke the nasty beast that lurks within is actually quite fun. I realise that, in the end it will probably sent me blind, but in the manner of a particularly nasty rash, I find it hard to ignore. Apologies to all who are not getting the joke... I'm one of em good sir. :-s
Fosse Fox Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 I understand that having people actually agree with you is something of a novelty, there is no need to suggest plagiarism... I have to admit that I was somewhat distracted by the disciplined performance of England in the first year or so under Capello and for a time I was deluded enough to believe that Capello was actually going to change the England set up for the better. Despite the extremely effective qualifying campaign, recent events have shaken me from my complacency. The catalyst for this change of mind was a post that I saw on the BBC and copied to the "England's 23 man squad" thread back on the 2nd of June. Perhaps you wrote it? I was particularly taken with this post as it reminded me of a series of 'articles' that I posted some time ago, towards the end of the awful McClaren era. I consistently made the case (this was in 2007 remember) that England needed to ditch the 'Golden Generation' and make a start with a whole new squad, younger, hungrier and hopefully, in time, more successful. The fact that I agree with the facts of much of what you have to say seems to surprise you, is your ego really so large that you really believe that no one (apart from yourself) has ever looked at football in this way and reached similar conclusions? BTW Any insinuations of impropriety on the Costa, intellectual or otherwise will be strongly defended... My property empire was build on hard work alone! (1)No. I don't sign up to all this player-power bollocks - it's a smoke screen. A player's job is to keep schtum, go out there and bring in the loot. Capisce, amico? (2)Yes. Like Oscar Wilde I have nothing to declare but my genius.* *Patent pending PS Members who post Troll warnings as an 'insightful riposte' to my cold brutal logic are merely masters of wit and repartee. PPS Members who use anti fascist avatars are worthy, naive, immature trendies: ever thought that is what 'they' want you to do?
marbelladave Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 (1)No. I don't sign up to all this player-power bollocks - it's a smoke screen. A player's job is to keep schtum, go out there and bring in the loot. Capisce, amico? (2)Yes. Like Oscar Wilde I have nothing to declare but my genius.* *Patent pending PS Members who post Troll warnings as an 'insightful riposte' to my cold brutal logic are merely masters of wit and repartee. PPS Members who use anti fascist avatars are worthy, naive, immature trendies: ever thought that is what 'they' want you to do? 1) Personally I think the evidence for the importance of 'player power' is compelling. The top players already have the power, they are the industries most important currency and they know it. The only debate is how and in what manner this power is deployed. 2) Like Oscar Wilde are you also suffering with syphilis? I understand that in it's later stages the disease causes quite severe dementia...
Edmund Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 You can't blame Fosse Fox for his anti - ENGLISH ramblings. It must get boring as a Welshman during these tournaments when your team never qualifies.
marbelladave Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 You can't blame Fosse Fox for his anti - ENGLISH ramblings. It must get boring as a Welshman during these tournaments when your team never qualifies. Do you have details of Fosse Fox's ancestry? If so, I think we should be told!..
Fosse Fox Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 1) Personally I think the evidence for the importance of 'player power' is compelling. The top players already have the power, they are the industries most important currency and they know it. The only debate is how and in what manner this power is deployed. 2) Like Oscar Wilde are you also suffering with syphilis? I understand that in it's later stages the disease causes quite severe dementia... Their employers have (some) power, their agents have (some) power, footballers have no power (they are too young and too dumb). Football broadcasters have the monopoly on power with some broadcasters having a larger monopoly than others. Oscar Wilde died of an ear infection (whatever it was that consenting adults got up to in private in Victorian England beggars belief). PS I claim Welsh ancestry on my mother's side as she has excellent S4C reception in her Exmoor cottage.
Alexikokopops Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Interestingly, I learnt that apart from 1966, we have only ever beaten a former World Cup winner in the World Cup Finals once (Argentina in 2002). We've never beaten Brazil, France, Germany, Uruguay or Italy in the World Cup. Just throwing useless facts about.
shen Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Spain 6-0 Poland Spain, Brazil and the Netherlands are all entering the tourno in great form. Not that it means anything once it starts, but it does scare you...!
Edmund Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 Spain 6-0 Poland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP_VR9ZtBcE Lovely chip from Iniesta in the build up to the Silva goal. Torres has had a haircut I didn't recognise him at first.
shen Posted 9 June 2010 Posted 9 June 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP_VR9ZtBcE Lovely chip from Iniesta in the build up to the Silva goal. Torres has had a haircut I didn't recognise him at first. It reminded me of Laudrup's chip I prefer his pinpoint cross with the outside of his boot for the first one
Edmund Posted 10 June 2010 Posted 10 June 2010 I prefer his pinpoint cross with the outside of his boot for the first one Ah I didn't see that first time round. Lovely bit of skill.
FoxyPV Posted 17 November 2010 Posted 17 November 2010 Ireland 1 up and bossing it. Norway come to Dublin and play 5 in the middle during a friendly FFS.
Guest BlueBrett Posted 17 November 2010 Posted 17 November 2010 i'm sure they'll try to pass it off as a 4-3-3 if anyone asks! Cunningham look ok?
Guest BlueBrett Posted 17 November 2010 Posted 17 November 2010 Foster should have saved that! And bloody 7 players back all doing nothing in defence.
Bert Posted 17 November 2010 Posted 17 November 2010 France have been looking the most likely. You could see benzema was always looking for that there. Very poor defending. We're never gonna score with that clown up front tonight.
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