The grumpy Englishman thread

[acooling08]

Apologies if I sound like a whiny bit.ch here, but I thought there was plenty of great tackling going on in the Netherlands - Denmark game. How many times did Zimling, Aggaer, Jacobsen, Kjær and even Bendtner slide around on the ground and mostly winning 50-50 tackles? And the Danes tried time and time again to play it out from the back, even after Andersen gifted that great chance which Robben smacked against the post. The fact the Dutch were still able to keep possession to such a degree is testament to their quality and the way they play. As a football fan, I had to applaud the quick one or two touch football they played which had the Danes running around in rings for the first part of each half yesterday, and the beautiful precision passes across the pitch when it got too congested. I think it's right that teams with superior quality should be rewarded for exactly that, and not get punished when opposing teams have to resort to in footballing terms illegal ways of stopping them. There's obviously a fine line there, where the protection the ball possessing team have can be exploited (a la constant diving, play acting, etc), but I can't say that I disagree with the general direction the football law is going.

Damn, I accidentally gave you a +1 when I fundamentally disagree with this

[Manwell Pablo]

Fantastic challenge by the Spanish defender winning the ball with a sliding challenge from the Italian guy going down the wing... surprise surprise the ref gives a foul.

Edit: Watched the first half hour but going to watch F1 now, was actually pleasantly surprised by the lack of diving/playacting so far in the game. Also a little surprised at Italy outplaying Spain so far. Kudos to both teams (for now!)

Your suprised because you are a xenophobic idiot who knows little to non about European football but still thinks his opinion is worth something like the majority of moaning twats in this thread.

I don't know what point you are trying to make about the clear foul on Maggio, Alba caught him first, even if he didn't there was contact and he really couldn't of stayed on his feet.

I honestly don't know where half this shit comes from, the amount of times I have watched Spain and I'd say the dive and play act less than most teams.

[Manwell Pablo]

Apologies if I sound like a whiny bit.ch here, but I thought there was plenty of great tackling going on in the Netherlands - Denmark game. How many times did Zimling, Aggaer, Jacobsen, Kjær and even Bendtner slide around on the ground and mostly winning 50-50 tackles? And the Danes tried time and time again to play it out from the back, even after Andersen gifted that great chance which Robben smacked against the post. The fact the Dutch were still able to keep possession to such a degree is testament to their quality and the way they play. As a football fan, I had to applaud the quick one or two touch football they played which had the Danes running around in rings for the first part of each half yesterday, and the beautiful precision passes across the pitch when it got too congested. I think it's right that teams with superior quality should be rewarded for exactly that, and not get punished when opposing teams have to resort to in footballing terms illegal ways of stopping them. There's obviously a fine line there, where the protection the ball possessing team have can be exploited (a la constant diving, play acting, etc), but I can't say that I disagree with the general direction the football law is going.

Well done Saturday btw, great performance, solid defending and got forward well when you could. Bit lucky but such is life.

[shen]

Damn, I accidentally gave you a +1 when I fundamentally disagree with this

Intriguing. I take it you agree with the rest I said then.

The stuff you're referring to in your OP (i.e. diving, play acting) is being addressed and slowly implemented into the football rules. It's always been there (but was previously just accepted as a way to 'gain an advantage' as you so innocently say in English), but it seems you've left that out of your initial thoughts. Oh and the shoulder barge has always been a bit of a grey area in my view. I think common sense by refs should come into it. If the player is genuinely trying to get to the ball first, then let it go. If the player is deliberately trying to knock the other player off his feet because he can't get to the ball, then give the free kick.

[shen]

Well done Saturday btw, great performance, solid defending and got forward well when you could. Bit lucky but such is life.

Surprisingly solid defending indeed. We were uncharacteristically rubbish most of the time going forward though, unable to string more than a few passes together, but I loved how we kept trying to play the way Olsen wants us to. Hence why I jumped at the anti-football comment by marbelladave

[Manwell Pablo]

Surprisingly solid defending indeed. We were uncharacteristically rubbish most of the time going forward though, unable to string more than a few passes together, but I loved how we kept trying to play the way Olsen wants us to. Hence why I jumped at the anti-football comment by marbelladave

Well thats sort of what I meant by got forward well when you could, you did actually try and have a go instead of trying to defend your 1-0 lead, although to be honest the whole dutch team seemed to lack any urgency until 90 minutes were up, wouldn't of guessed they were 1-0 down in a game they really had to win from the way they strolled about from 70-90.

[Kitchandro]

Your suprised because you are a xenophobic idiot who knows little to non about European football but still thinks his opinion is worth something like the majority of moaning twats in this thread.

I don't know what point you are trying to make about the clear foul on Maggio, Alba caught him first, even if he didn't there was contact and he really couldn't of stayed on his feet.

I honestly don't know where half this shit comes from, the amount of times I have watched Spain and I'd say the dive and play act less than most teams.

Come off it. Busquets and Iniesta alone are bloody embarrassing. And hey, I'm half Italian, but I know as well as anyone that the Italians are bad for it as well.

Today they've been OK though.

And by the way, posting pictures of Ashley Young diving doesn't really cut it when we're on about play acting, the severity of which is much worse in Europe to anyone who's actually being honest with themselves.

[shen]

Well thats sort of what I meant by got forward well when you could, you did actually try and have a go instead of trying to defend your 1-0 lead, although to be honest the whole dutch team seemed to lack any urgency until 90 minutes were up, wouldn't of guessed they were 1-0 down in a game they really had to win from the way they strolled about from 70-90.

Yeah, that surprised me too. I'd expected a nail-biting final 10 minutes, but it never materialised. I'd like to think they were tiring and sabotaged their own chances with the formation/personnel changes. Then again they did feel very sorry for themselves afterwards, so it could indicate they were slightly complacent going into the game. [/hijack]

[Fox in the North]

Hmmm I've watched plenty of Spanish games and I'd say there's serious play acting. Then again on the whole I'd say the premier league is regrettably catching up.

[acooling08]

Come off it Manwell.

Spain, Italy, and Argentina in particular are sometimes terrible for cheating.

[Manwell Pablo]

Come off it. Busquets and Iniesta alone are bloody embarrassing. And hey, I'm half Italian, but I know as well as anyone that the Italians are bad for it as well.

Today they've been OK though.

And by the way, posting pictures of Ashley Young diving doesn't really cut it when we're on about play acting, the severity of which is much worse in Europe to anyone who's actually being honest with themselves.

You'll find any team, with most proffesional footballers, who is winning an important game, will play act or cheat when given the chance regardless. I've seen countless English irish Scottish players take an age to get to their feet when it suits them.

More importantly who ****ing cares it's hardly a massive thing I don't know why it is made out to be the end of the world on here if someone takes a bit of time to get to their feet.

[Manwell Pablo]

Yeah, that surprised me too. I'd expected a nail-biting final 10 minutes, but it never materialised. I'd like to think they were tiring and sabotaged their own chances with the formation/personnel changes. Then again they did feel very sorry for themselves afterwards, so it could indicate they were slightly complacent going into the game. [/hijack]

Oh please don't worry about hijacking this thread to actually talk about the in's and out's of a decent game of football, might make it good for something other than closing.

[Kitchandro]

You'll find any team, with most proffesional footballers, who is winning an important game, will play act or cheat when given the chance regardless. I've seen countless English irish Scottish players take an age to get to their feet when it suits them.

More importantly who ****ing cares it's hardly a massive thing I don't know why it is made out to be the end of the world on here if someone takes a bit of time to get to their feet.

That's a bit of a back-tracking comment.

Sorry but I rarely see British players roll around unneccessarily to the extent that the likes of Argentina, Spain, Italy, Brazil, etc do. Of course it happens, I'm not going to deny the obvious, but not on nearly the same scale.

As I've said many times before, it's a culture thing. I know Spanish and Italian people and almost all of them think diving and play acting is part of the game, whereas very few English fans feel that way. In Europe you are coached to do those things to try and benefit your team

I think that sort of thing ruins the spectacle and integrity of the game. Hence why I can't bring myself to watch La Liga.

[Corky]

Well, let's hope the England players don't stoop to this level and we can sit nicely in our morally superior world

[Kitchandro]

Well, let's hope the England players don't stoop to this level and we can sit nicely in our morally superior world

I can sit in my morally superior world either way, will never agree with it or do it

This isn't about being pro-English or xenophobic, I don't like a lot of English footballers and don't care for England like I used to. This is just about stating the obvious.

[Leicesterpool]

I'd take a draw against France tomorrow.

[Manwell Pablo]

That's a bit of a back-tracking comment.

Sorry but I rarely see British players roll around unneccessarily to the extent that the likes of Argentina, Spain, Italy, Brazil, etc do. Of course it happens, I'm not going to deny the obvious, but not on nearly the same scale.

As I've said many times before, it's a culture thing. I know Spanish and Italian people and almost all of them think diving and play acting is part of the game, whereas very few English fans feel that way. In Europe you are coached to do those things to try and benefit your team

I think that sort of thing ruins the spectacle and integrity of the game. Hence why I can't bring myself to watch La Liga.

It's not back tracking at all, it's true, and reiterate the point I've made before, yes they role around and hold whatever when they hurt, they make it obvious, it's part of the culture to be OTT and exagerate you say the English don't do it to the same level, they do, they just don't make it as obvious. will lie still and probably act a bit better, which makes them better at it and therefore, worse in some peoples eyes.

Please do not talke to me about how people are bought up to play the game in Spain as I am more than aware and it is an example we should be following not commendeming.

[Kitchandro]

It's not back tracking at all, it's true, and reiterate the point I've made before, yes they role around and hold whatever when they hurt, they make it obvious, it's part of the culture to be OTT and exagerate you say the English don't do it to the same level, they do, they just don't make it as obvious. will lie still and probably act a bit better, which makes them better at it and therefore, worse in some peoples eyes.

Please do not talke to me about how people are bought up to play the game in Spain as I am more than aware and it is an example we should be following not commendeming.

Well I think you're completely wrong on both points.

And if you think diving and play-acting is good for the game I won't waste any more time discussing things with you.

[Finnegan]

So. Scott Parker dropping to the floor touching his face, fatally wounded by a few fingertips, trying to get Ribbery (a twat anyway) in trouble?

[Daggers]

The air vortex created by Ribbery's hand was clearly intentional.

[Daggers]

It looks like Milner has a nasty piece of mud in his eye.

[Finnegan]

Milner hand balls it then rolls around on the floor for a bit and the England players just stop playing, somewhat forcing the ref to stop a French attack. Ribbery going down didn't stop England earlier, btw.

[Webbo]

Nice tries lads but nobody gives a shit.

[acooling08]

Well it looks like playing in the Premiership with many european players has corrupted the England team as well.

Parker and Milner should be ashamed. Stooping to the French's level.

You certainly wouldn't see Linekar, Shearer, Southgate, Keown and the other commentators behaving like that in their day.

And you certainly wouldn't see that from Wellens, Marshall, Nugent etc.

[Voll Blau]

Well it looks like playing in the Premiership with many european players has corrupted the England team as well.

Parker and Milner should be ashamed. Stooping to the French's level.

You certainly wouldn't see Linekar, Shearer, Southgate, Keown and the other commentators behaving like that in their day.

And you certainly wouldn't see that from Wellens, Marshall, Nugent etc.

Who?