| The ultimate World Cup thread 22:40 - Jun 11 with 252979 views | Logman |
Think we need a designated thread for general World Cup 2026 chat. There only seem to be the England and sweepstake ones so far.
Well that opening game got me nodding off nicely. VAR/the laws of the game the talking points as always. Well done FIFA. Not long before the highlights are just a reel of refereeing/VAR decisions.
When does the EFL start ?
[Post edited 11 Jun 22:41]
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 22:42 - Jun 28 with 2518 views | kensalriser |
South Africa are very good at controlling the tempo of the game. I've developed a technique of condensing time spent watching by pausing the game at kick off for a while,and then fast forwarding through breaks in play and egregious pissballing about. Works a treat. |  |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 22:42 - Jun 28 with 2515 views | MrSheen |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 22:05 - Jun 28 by Northernr |
I really am hoping we are seeing the end game and death of this fcking idea that passing the ball back to the goalkeeper and building out slowly from there is the way to win at football games.
What have South Africa achieved there? Eliminated by a beatable team, having spent your whole knockout game passing the ball back to your own goalkeeper. |
To be fair, when Canada finally agreed to chase them down, SA put together some dangerous breaks, which passing through the middle wasn’t getting them. The Irish pundits called it the worst knockout game ever, which is attention seeking rubbish - I thought the last quarter at least was pretty good, with a nice goal to win it.
To be fair to the Irish, they did admit the rest of the world probably hated watching Ireland in 1990, which was a great moment for the whole country here. |  | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:20 - Jun 28 with 2392 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
I'm not really sure what's holding South Africa back. Corruption maybe?
- Large population
- Established football culture
- Fast growing
- Decent sporting infrastructure
If I was one of these billionaires that likes to ruin football that's where I would be looking.
Edit: Just read that one of the Soweto derby between the Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had 100,000 spectators last season. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:24]
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:39 - Jun 28 with 2325 views | MrSheen |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:20 - Jun 28 by BazzaInTheLoft |
I'm not really sure what's holding South Africa back. Corruption maybe?
- Large population
- Established football culture
- Fast growing
- Decent sporting infrastructure
If I was one of these billionaires that likes to ruin football that's where I would be looking.
Edit: Just read that one of the Soweto derby between the Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had 100,000 spectators last season. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:24]
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Not going backwards as quickly as Nigeria, they looked like they were going to be a real force in the 1990s, big population, even bigger bunch of lads.
Just looked up Rachidi Yekini, who was a mountain of a centre forward in 1994. Poor man died at 48 after prolonged mental illness. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:51]
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:46 - Jun 28 with 2305 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:39 - Jun 28 by MrSheen |
Not going backwards as quickly as Nigeria, they looked like they were going to be a real force in the 1990s, big population, even bigger bunch of lads.
Just looked up Rachidi Yekini, who was a mountain of a centre forward in 1994. Poor man died at 48 after prolonged mental illness. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:51]
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Talent flight I assume.
I remember the Dutch league having lots of Saffas at one point. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 00:53 - Jun 29 with 2204 views | Match82 |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:20 - Jun 28 by BazzaInTheLoft |
I'm not really sure what's holding South Africa back. Corruption maybe?
- Large population
- Established football culture
- Fast growing
- Decent sporting infrastructure
If I was one of these billionaires that likes to ruin football that's where I would be looking.
Edit: Just read that one of the Soweto derby between the Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had 100,000 spectators last season. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:24]
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I'd imagine football being a distant 3rd in the sporting appeal stakes behind rugby and cricket is part of it. |  | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 00:56 - Jun 29 with 2197 views | Match82 |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 11:07 - Jun 28 by Watford_Ranger |
Didn’t think we were that bad overall. Got plenty of shots away, controlled the vast majority of the game against a team (if you care about rankings) who aren’t awful and deserved more than two 1-0 defeats against also not awful Croatia/Ghana.
I don’t think we’ll go beyond the quarters but we’re in a good part of the draw. I’d rather this Mexico team away from home (assuming we can bumble our way past the good Doctor Congo) than the far better teams on a neutral ground. Get through that and probably play a far from vintage Brazil.
The lack of midfield options if Rice is out is a worry and he probably had James down as an option to fill in there but I’m bordering on optimistic for our chances. |
I think we would have a better chance against Brazil in neutral territory than Mexico at the Azteca. They are much better than people give them credit for and that record at altitude in the Azteca is incredible (won 40 of 49 games, only lost 2) | | | |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 01:44 - Jun 29 with 2145 views | SydneyRs |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 00:56 - Jun 29 by Match82 |
I think we would have a better chance against Brazil in neutral territory than Mexico at the Azteca. They are much better than people give them credit for and that record at altitude in the Azteca is incredible (won 40 of 49 games, only lost 2) |
The altitude thing is a huge advantage for them. Stuart Pearce was talking about it the other day and how it affects different players quite randomly as well as how the ball travels. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 06:11 - Jun 29 with 2018 views | Wegerles_Stairs |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 23:20 - Jun 28 by BazzaInTheLoft |
I'm not really sure what's holding South Africa back. Corruption maybe?
- Large population
- Established football culture
- Fast growing
- Decent sporting infrastructure
If I was one of these billionaires that likes to ruin football that's where I would be looking.
Edit: Just read that one of the Soweto derby between the Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had 100,000 spectators last season. [Post edited 28 Jun 23:24]
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I don't think Winnie Mandela helped. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 06:11 - Jun 29 with 2031 views | eastside_r |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 00:53 - Jun 29 by Match82 |
I'd imagine football being a distant 3rd in the sporting appeal stakes behind rugby and cricket is part of it. |
I really don’t think so.
Rugby and cricket were traditionally the preserve of the (then dominant) white minority.
Football was and I think still is this, the people’s game as confirmed by that attendance figure posted by Bazza above. [Post edited 29 Jun 6:12]
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 07:32 - Jun 29 with 1941 views | Phildo |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 06:11 - Jun 29 by eastside_r |
I really don’t think so.
Rugby and cricket were traditionally the preserve of the (then dominant) white minority.
Football was and I think still is this, the people’s game as confirmed by that attendance figure posted by Bazza above. [Post edited 29 Jun 6:12]
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I think that is right.
I saw a clip of Glenn Hoddle being interviewed the other day and basically someone had asked him why the English football team internationally had regressed after winning the World Cup in 1966. He said basically the coaching in England was terrible for a long period and as we all know there was a culture of distrusting talented players (Stan Rodney etc).
Not an accident perhaps that as a club we have had our most successful periods with highly innovative coaches.
I wonder if countries like South Africa basically lack the coaching infrastructure despite the huge public involvement. |  | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 09:40 - Jun 29 with 1825 views | TheChef |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 10:13 - Jun 28 by Superhoops2808 |
Posted this in the England thread but here is what lies ahead if things go to form:
If we do get our s**t together (looks unlikely) then Brazil awaits in the quarters, Argentina in the semi's and no doubt France or Spain in the final.
Appreciate you have to beat the best to win the WC but I cannot see this side beating any of those sides in a straight knockout match unless we go to pens, at least we are better placed for them than previously |
And should we get past DR Congo then it's probably Mexico in the Azteca - can't see us getting past that.
I'm mostly enjoying this World Cup cos, well, it's football. But it feels ever more like a video game, far too polished and branded. The tournaments of my youth had a real authentic feel to them, each one had their own proper identity with a vast array of stadia and players you hadn't heard of. I think I read somewhere that since 2006, each World Cup pretty much looks the same.
Modern life is rubbish, etc. |  |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 09:55 - Jun 29 with 1785 views | francisbowles |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 09:40 - Jun 29 by TheChef |
And should we get past DR Congo then it's probably Mexico in the Azteca - can't see us getting past that.
I'm mostly enjoying this World Cup cos, well, it's football. But it feels ever more like a video game, far too polished and branded. The tournaments of my youth had a real authentic feel to them, each one had their own proper identity with a vast array of stadia and players you hadn't heard of. I think I read somewhere that since 2006, each World Cup pretty much looks the same.
Modern life is rubbish, etc. |
Yep and at 1am.😳 | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 10:05 - Jun 29 with 1753 views | TheChef |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 09:55 - Jun 29 by francisbowles |
Yep and at 1am.😳 |
Sorry but I don't think I'll be staying up for that one! | |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 10:25 - Jun 29 with 1705 views | TwoHalves |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 09:40 - Jun 29 by TheChef |
And should we get past DR Congo then it's probably Mexico in the Azteca - can't see us getting past that.
I'm mostly enjoying this World Cup cos, well, it's football. But it feels ever more like a video game, far too polished and branded. The tournaments of my youth had a real authentic feel to them, each one had their own proper identity with a vast array of stadia and players you hadn't heard of. I think I read somewhere that since 2006, each World Cup pretty much looks the same.
Modern life is rubbish, etc. |
Pretty much feel the same. I think the thing with ‘tournaments of our youth’ (at least for those of us of a certain age) is that there hadn’t been too many of them. Each one therefore had a distinct ‘feel’ of its own and you could remember them. Now there have been so many they all seem to blur into one (like FA Cup finals).
One of the things I miss about those ‘early’ World Cups is the commentary, transmitted via crackly telephone lines (Mexico 1970 springs to mind). This seemed to add a sort of ‘otherworldliness’ to the televised games, almost as if we were witnessing events that were taking place in another dimension.
Same went for European football. My Dad would talk about ‘crack’ teams from ‘behind the Iron Curtain’, often featuring ‘Dynamo’ in their title. Their players, never mind tactics, were unknowable and would only be revealed once games had started.
Dad, being an amateur goalkeeper himself, spoke in hushed tones of Lev Yashin, the Soviet Union ‘goalie’ (‘Look at how he narrows the angle, son’). From that moment on Yashin, who played in all black, assumed an almost mythical status in my life. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 15:28 - Jun 29 with 1549 views | Watford_Ranger |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 10:05 - Jun 29 by TheChef |
Sorry but I don't think I'll be staying up for that one! |
The pub have announced they’ll be open if we beat the good doctor. Hope it doesn’t go to penalties. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 16:00 - Jun 29 with 1514 views | TheChef |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 15:28 - Jun 29 by Watford_Ranger |
The pub have announced they’ll be open if we beat the good doctor. Hope it doesn’t go to penalties. |
Fair enough but I actually prefer a good night's sleep over watching England play football. | |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 18:28 - Jun 29 with 1430 views | Juzzie |
Brazil v Japan, hydration break. Commentator asks his colleague “what do you think of the first quarter, as we have to call it now?….”
Maybe it was tongue in cheek but no, we don’t have to. It only validates it otherwise. |  | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 18:42 - Jun 29 with 1395 views | Superhoops2808 |
WTAF - I know I had Japan as my dark horses but they are 1-0 up v Brazil |  | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 18:54 - Jun 29 with 1364 views | Watford_Ranger |
Long way to go but they looked comfortable enough. Casemiro doing that Sandro impression he does sometimes doesn’t help. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 19:22 - Jun 29 with 1298 views | ted_hendrix |
Vinícius Júnior, did you see that? |  |
| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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| The ultimate World Cup thread on 19:22 - Jun 29 with 1292 views | Superhoops2808 |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 18:54 - Jun 29 by Watford_Ranger |
Long way to go but they looked comfortable enough. Casemiro doing that Sandro impression he does sometimes doesn’t help. |
Casemiro has been shocking - Until the goal
However, normal service has resumed | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 19:46 - Jun 29 with 1215 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
Even at their most mediocre, Brazilian players look fcking good on the ball.
They seem to be genetically predisposed to having a ball at their feet. | | | |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 19:48 - Jun 29 with 1208 views | Boston |
| The ultimate World Cup thread on 06:11 - Jun 29 by Wegerles_Stairs |
I don't think Winnie Mandela helped. |
Did she pooh pooh it? | |
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