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Much as I hope England win the thing, I wouldn’t back them at their current odds.
Whilst Spain, Brazil, Argentina (if they qualify) and Holland might all seem better equiped to win the thing, it isn’t always these highest-profile sides that carry off the trophy. I can’t think off the top of my head of any of the Italian squad that won the thing last time that could be considered "world class"; coaching and a teams mental attitude clearly count for a lot too. And Capello seems to be on the right lines in that respect. And (perhaps I’m being unfair to the 2006 Italian team) we DO have world-class palyers (Rooney, Lampard, Terry, Gerard, the Coles (not Carlton), Ferdinand – and maybe even Lennon).
16/1 – now then I’d back them. Owen and Defoe are above average "second string" players too.Lets face it Graeme, I am just jealous! If Scotland had the players England have I’d be certain we’d win. I just think that after 40 odd years of coming up short, England, as a nation, would be well advised to play down there chances, take some of the pressure of the players. With the players England have had over the past 40 years there is no doubt they should have won more than one major championship. It can only be the pressure put on them that is seeing them fail in even more spectacular fashion each time!
I just think that after 40 odd years of coming up short, England, as a nation, would be well advised to play down there chances, take some of the pressure of the players.
You are spot on, but are you going to tell the editors of the tabloids or shall I?
England have a good base in place and have seen off fair-to-middlingf sides with ease, something they haven’t always done in the past. They now have to prove that they can beat decent sides. A bit of penalty taking practice wouldn’t go amiss either.
Rob
You most definitely ARE being unfair to the Italians. plenty world class players in that outfit.
Buffon , Cannavarro, Del Piero, Gattuso, Totti, Nesta, Camoranesi, Inzaghi and Pirlo could all be argued as ‘world class’. That is one of the Italians strengths, the quality goes right through the squad, beyod justa few star names.
That said there is plenty of quality in the England team but the worry is that one or two key injuries (Rooney, Gerrard) and then things begin to look a little less robust. That might be the difference.
The Dutch won’t win it on the evidence of Wednesday at Hampden. Again, they lack the strength throughout the side.
Spain, bouyed by their Euro win, would be my pick of the Europeans while Brazil would be my pick to win the thing.
Lets face it Graeme, I am just jealous!
Doug, this is what I’m on about it’s not necessary – we are all a Band Of Happy Brothers united on the small island of ours – let’s all get behind our team and enjoy the success together.
Well done with your L15’s btw, some nice winners on there.
Lets face it Graeme, I am just jealous!
Doug, this is what I’m on about it’s not necessary – we are all a Band Of Happy Brothers united on the small island of ours –
let’s all get behind our team and enjoy the success together.
Well done with your L15’s btw, some nice winners on there.
Even i had to laugh at that one. I’ve got money on England to win it, as a consolation prize. It was bad enough having to listen to that crap about the ashes let alone the World Cup.
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if England won the World Cup. However, as has been pointed out, its the media being O.T.T. that annoys me. So it comes down to this:-
Hope England win and get the media ramming it down our throats for years to come; or
Hope England come up short and save my ears a bashing!Unfortunately I have to choose option "b", lol! Then again there is still time for the media to win me back onside by being more gracious and respectful of other sides and not just self engrossed.
Then again there is still time for the media to win me back onside by being more gracious and respectful of other sides and not just self engrossed.
You planning on living for a thousand years, douginho? What your secret??
You couldn’t win enough money backing England to make up for amount of unadulterated shite that would spew out of the media, in the event of a World Cup win. But you could win enough to lessen the pain associated with such an event.
"Insurance" is much closer to my feelings on the subject than "consolation", and I have myself toyed with the idea of backing Capello’s side. Let’s face it, if the likes of Hoddle, Eriksson and Robson can get them deep into tournaments, only a chump would write them off under the stewardship of one of the greatest manager’s of the last 40 years.
Grasshopper, there is no secret…I merely live in hope!
I guess the next stage is to see what sort of a group England get and decide from there. I’d actually say the better the group, the better England will do as playing so called inferior teams has done them no favours in the past.
On a serious note, who will be Englands Goalkeeper come the world cup finals? Its been a position they have struggled in for a number of years. It is very much a position where they dont have a world class player (arguably not even a top class player). Ben Foster would be my vote but what do you guys think?
I really wouldn’t know, douginho……….I stopped taking an interest in football about 10 years ago.
I stopped taking an interest in football about 10 years ago.
Grassy, any particular reason?
The reason I ask is that the only game of football I’ve seen this season is Celtic v Arsenal, as they are both teams I sort of like. But, last week I sat thought (althought I didn’t have too admittedly) about three days of absolute crap on Talksport and Radio 5 – really just going over the same old stuff – and I came to the conclusion I really don’t give a **** about football anymore – In fact even if England win the World Cup the truth is I’m not really that bothered anymore. I feel like I’ve just been battered and had the **** kicked out of me by it all…..
It’s Jazz FM all the way for me now.
For once the climate will be of benefit to us as it will be Autumn,Winter in South Africa so this will be of huge benefit to us unlike previous World Cups in places like Japan.
The quality of player is fairly decent and Fabio Capello has installed good discipline in the team unlike Steve McClaren who quite simply was no bloody good.
I stopped taking an interest in football about 10 years ago.
Grassy, any particular reason?
I’m not sure I can answer that without alienating half the TRF membership, but I guess I got tired of listening to people talk like football was a new art-form, or that it somehow
mattered
. It simply got too ubiquitous, and in my case, familiarity bred contempt.
Bill Shankly was great football manager, but a sh*t philosopher – it’s never been about life and death. His quote seems even more ridiculous now, in an age where players hawk themselves to the highest bidder. Add in the fact that there seem to be limited opportunities for UK players – let alone local talent – playing for the top sides, and the Premiership looks short of only one team; the Harlem Globetrotters.
Whilst I’ll concede the spectacle has improved with the introduction of foreign players, I yearn for the days when a live TV match was something to be treasured for it’s rarity, rather than something you could tune into every night of the week if you so desired.
I’d rather tune into coverage of Macclesfield versus Blythe Spartans in a third-round FA Cup match, played in a blizzard with an orange ball, with a two-minute intro from Gerald Sinsdadt, Tony Gubba commentating, and comically-ancient ‘electronic’ scores.
Better that than watching Helen ‘Munter Ladette’ Whatshername, Soccer Saturday, Andy Gray, On The Ball, Mark Lawrenson or any of these other self-appointed-expert wa*nkers spout their clueless half-witted tripe in advance of Man Utd vs Arsenal, for example.
The entire football ‘package’ leaves me utterly cold, and I feel only a sense of pity for those genuine supporters whose local teams have essentially been stolen from them, and sold out to the Murdoch machine, or to become the mere playthings of various wealthy individuals.
Fans do seem to stand for this for some reason, no doubt prepared to look the other way, in the relentless pursuit of silverware. For me, however, the priceless family jewels have been pinched in the process.
IMO, football these days is a game played by cretins and watched by pea-brains, and I want no part of it.
I now await an avalanche of abuse.
PS. Love the World Cup and Euro Championships though.
I can only agree with the sentiments of your post , Grass (eerily close to verbatim if truth be known), so at least console yourself that your viewpoint has one supporter- even if it’s still you that will have to fend off the fitba’-enslaved undead with your flippant humour.
Grasshopper
I think you make some very good points and I suspect that even amongst football fans you’ll see some nods of agreement. I’ve been watching football regularly for 40 years now but these days I wouldn’t go across the road to watch a game at the top level. I may watch a game on TV, but it’s not a must watch, more in the passing. I stick to the non-league game and the lower reaches of the Scottish League for my live games these days. The vast majority at those levels are in it for love of the game and not what they can get out of it.
The Macclesfield v Blyth image appeals, though in my case it was drive down to Blyth on an Easter Monday to watch Blyth Spartans v Hinckley United in a snowstorm!
Rob
I stopped taking an interest in football about 10 years ago.
Grassy, any particular reason?
I’m not sure I can answer that without alienating half the TRF membership, but I guess I got tired of listening to people talk like football was a new art-form, or that it somehow
mattered
. It simply got too ubiquitous, and in my case, familiarity bred contempt.
Bill Shankly was great football manager, but a sh*t philosopher – it’s never been about life and death. His quote seems even more ridiculous now, in an age where players hawk themselves to the highest bidder. Add in the fact that there seem to be limited opportunities for UK players – let alone local talent – playing for the top sides, and the Premiership looks short of only one team; the Harlem Globetrotters.
Whilst I’ll concede the spectacle has improved with the introduction of foreign players, I yearn for the days when a live TV match was something to be treasured for it’s rarity, rather than something you could tune into every night of the week if you so desired.
I’d rather tune into coverage of Macclesfield versus Blythe Spartans in a third-round FA Cup match, played in a blizzard with an orange ball, with a two-minute intro from Gerald Sinsdadt, Tony Gubba commentating, and comically-ancient ‘electronic’ scores.
Better that than watching Helen ‘Munter Ladette’ Whatshername, Soccer Saturday, Andy Gray, On The Ball, Mark Lawrenson or any of these other self-appointed-expert wa*nkers spout their clueless half-witted tripe in advance of Man Utd vs Arsenal, for example.
The entire football ‘package’ leaves me utterly cold, and I feel only a sense of pity for those genuine supporters whose local teams have essentially been stolen from them, and sold out to the Murdoch machine, or to become the mere playthings of various wealthy individuals.
Fans do seem to stand for this for some reason, no doubt prepared to look the other way, in the relentless pursuit of silverware. For me, however, the priceless family jewels have been pinched in the process.
IMO, football these days is a game played by cretins and watched by pea-brains, and I want no part of it.
I now await an avalanche of abuse.
PS. Love the World Cup and Euro Championships though.
Brilliant Grassy,just keep laying them at the 7/1 on Betfair.Makes the crass and blind comments of the pundits so much more accceptable.Feel sorry for the English players really, same as the cricket team. Always being built up above their capabilities and villified when they don`t perform. It`s only a game for christ sake and rugby and jump racing far straighter and more enjoyable,Its in danger of becoming a game for cheats.
Shankly’s life and death comment was said tongue ‘n cheek – but even though it’s his most quoted, it wasn’t his best comment.
This one, though seldom quoted, beats it hands down, in my opinion – and how very, very true it is.
"Football is an easy game; only bad players make it look hard. "
Spot on, Shanks !
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