***Official England v Italy Thread***

[Beefymcfc]

It was one of the best England performances I've seen in a long time and you could actually tell the players really cared. We should have a got a point tonight and went toe to toe with a very good technical side. We just didn't have that final ball.

I'm confident we can beat Uruguay and by some margin too. They are really poor. Then it's all to play for in the last game.
Barkley must start, he's so promising and really does have that spark that you need.

I do agree in a couple of ways but I think where we let ourselves down was by relying in the experienced players. They aren't experienced at this level and haven't proved anything for years.

[BlueinBosnia]

I wanted to mention this earlier but how are we really seen around the world?

The Brazilians are on our backs, whistling away. Does that say something about our standing in world football politics?

Honestly, can you hear them?

In all honesty, I'd say a bit worse than Iran, but considerably better than the USA. Somewhere around Russia's standing.

[Beefymcfc]

Can I just say, well done Mario.

And seeing the Gerrard shout for a penalty, it should've been.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

It was one of the best England performances I've seen in a long time and you could actually tell the players really cared. We should have a got a point tonight and went toe to toe with a very good technical side. We just didn't have that final ball.

I'm confident we can beat Uruguay and by some margin too. They are really poor. Then it's all to play for in the last game.
Barkley must start, he's so promising and really does have that spark that you need.

I do agree in a couple of ways but I think where we let ourselves down was by relying in the experienced players. They aren't experienced at this level and haven't proved anything for years.

Who would you play instead of Gerrard out of interest mate?
On another note I thought Welbeck was alright, worked hard and offered more than Rooney or Sturridge really.
Sterling was great but we became too reliant on him and he was knackered after the hour.
Also we really should have taken Ashley Cole, Baines just isn't as good.

[MilnersJaw]

Oh really? Didn't see you comment about Italy, you're post was all about England. Pretty strange that considering you were 'watching Italy'.
No he was poor.
So you're English and supporting and cheering on Italy? Fuck off. No doubt you'll celebrate with the rest of us on the off chance we do well.

I'm half Italian. And both of you think cunts are blind. I said well played to Italy and they made defending look easy.

[Dameerto]

It was one of the best England performances I've seen in a long time and you could actually tell the players really cared. We should have a got a point tonight and went toe to toe with a very good technical side. We just didn't have that final ball.

I'm confident we can beat Uruguay and by some margin too. They are really poor. Then it's all to play for in the last game.
Barkley must start, he's so promising and really does have that spark that you need.

I do agree in a couple of ways but I think where we let ourselves down was by relying in the experienced players. They aren't experienced at this level and haven't proved anything for years.

Who would you play instead of Gerrard out of interest mate?
On another note I thought Welbeck was alright, worked hard and offered more than Rooney or Sturridge really.
Sterling was great but we became too reliant on him and he was knackered after the hour.
Also we really should have taken Ashley Cole, Baines just isn't as good.

Out of the players we took with us, there's only really Wilshire - and he's been worse than Gerrard in the warm-up games. Hodgson could try Milner there, but A) he's in love with Gerrard and B) he sees Milner as a wide player. I suppose he could try Barkley in a box to box role.

[Beefymcfc]

It was one of the best England performances I've seen in a long time and you could actually tell the players really cared. We should have a got a point tonight and went toe to toe with a very good technical side. We just didn't have that final ball.

I'm confident we can beat Uruguay and by some margin too. They are really poor. Then it's all to play for in the last game.
Barkley must start, he's so promising and really does have that spark that you need.

I do agree in a couple of ways but I think where we let ourselves down was by relying in the experienced players. They aren't experienced at this level and haven't proved anything for years.

Who would you play instead of Gerrard out of interest mate?
On another note I thought Welbeck was alright, worked hard and offered more than Rooney or Sturridge really.
Sterling was great but we became too reliant on him and he was knackered after the hour.
Also we really should have taken Ashley Cole, Baines just isn't as good.

I'd put Lampard in front of Gerrard every day of the week.

Not too much to argue about there but I though Sterling did it for more of the game.

[Saul Goodman]

Whoa. Hart looked bad.


Welbeck too. He shouldn't be starting

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Oh really? Didn't see you comment about Italy, you're post was all about England. Pretty strange that considering you were 'watching Italy'.
No he was poor.
So you're English and supporting and cheering on Italy? Fuck off. No doubt you'll celebrate with the rest of us on the off chance we do well.

I'm half Italian. And both of you think cunts are blind. I said well played to Italy and they made defending look easy.

Yet you gave far more attention and focused mainly on England's performance. Which is quite interesting considering you give 'zero shits' about England.

[Beefymcfc]

Oh really? Didn't see you comment about Italy, you're post was all about England. Pretty strange that considering you were 'watching Italy'.
No he was poor.
So you're English and supporting and cheering on Italy? Fuck off. No doubt you'll celebrate with the rest of us on the off chance we do well.

I'm half Italian. And both of you think cunts are blind. I said well played to Italy and they made defending look easy.

Yet you gave far more attention and focused mainly on England's performance. Which is quite interesting considering you give 'zero shits' about England.

Think Cunts Get Thunking

[BlueinBosnia]

There's an economic 'block' in South America that's like a baby version of the early EEC (before it become the EU) and that block is quite pro-Argentina anti-Britain over the ongoing Falklands issue, as far as I know (having never travelled there) it gets reflected in public opinion too. So if there's a strong South American makeup to the crowd (and FIFA like to distribute a portion of the tickets to the host country) that might explain it.

I thought argies and Brazilians hate each other football wise though.

Anyway best team won, made defending look easy.

World Cup crowds (for the host anyway) don't tend to be regular football fans though. The tickets go to either people with contacts or to the general public.

So, by the logic of the original post, Brits would support France or Germany? In reality, political support in Mercosur is so fractitious that there will never be a united man-in-the-pub viewpoint on any international political issue.

Pretty much all South Americans hate Argentinians; they're the brunt of jokes for being big-headed, arrogant pricks - even in countries that don't border them or speak Spanish. Mercosur, the trade bloc you are talking about, has Chile as an Associate Member - they fully support Britain in the Falklands dispute.

I have 2 Brazilian friends - both got tickets for 4 games through the 'locals' draw, and are upper-middle class, working in the architecture sector (one on Rio 2016, the other for the state on urban regeneration projects). Both got 3 non-'spotlight' games, and one 'quite tasty' game

[MilnersJaw]

Yet you gave far more attention and focused mainly on England's performance. Which is quite interesting considering you give 'zero shits' about England.

Why not. England was being discussed, not Italy. Beefy just got too upset because I insulted the mighty 3 lions and you jumped in to cup his balls. But when I criticized england I didn't give a shit about pulling punches beause I'm not a big fan of england. I don't see it as my duty to support england because I'm English, doesn't mean I can't watch or comment either.

[Ted Hughes]

It was close to being as good as you could get from that group of players. Effectively pulled out of shape to accomodate Rooney & Gerrard but it's difficult to know how to replace Gerrard now; we needed to have been working on it for 12 months previously. Basically because Wilshire is a talented but dumb fuck.

We have skill, enthusiasm, pace, a decent amount of workrate & barely any quality whatsoever. You could imagine that team becoming a real handful to play against (although it will probably never happen as they will all become big headed, cliquey selfish cunts) but what is very unlikely to happen is 'quality'. Skill yes, pace, trickery, plenty, quality no.

Sterling had a great game & produced one moment of quality, as did Rooney with the cross from that pass, but that was it, for the team, in 90 mins. Italy produced loads, as did Spain when losing heavily.

I thought England would have won on another day & were dead unlucky, but I can't see that group of players ever having 'quality'.

Mario has it, Sturridge doesn't. City have it, Liverpool don't, apart from Suarez. Spain have it, even when shit, England don't.

England could one day become a very tough team to play against though, if those players keep their heads & they find a couple more centre mids plus two fullbacks.

[Beefymcfc]

You don't think Sturridge has something Ted, but Mario does?

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Yet you gave far more attention and focused mainly on England's performance. Which is quite interesting considering you give 'zero shits' about England.

Why not. England was being discussed, not Italy. Beefy just got too upset because I insulted the mighty 3 lions and you jumped in to cup his balls. But when I criticized england I didn't give a shit about pulling punches beause I'm not a big fan of england. I don't see it as my duty to support england because I'm English, doesn't mean I can't watch or comment either.

If you didn't give a shit about England you wouldn't be commenting or joining in a debate at all. I don't discuss things freely which I don't give a shit about, no one does. You clearly do. You don't seem to understand the irony, if you give 'zero shits' then why watch or comment?

Support your national team for fucks sake, or at least don't look down and patronize those who do.
If you think England were shite then you need your head testing. Rooney was crap as was Gerrard but the rest played well, put in a real shift and were unlucky against a very good technical side.Everyone else can see it too, it was the best and most passionate England have played in a long time.

[Ted Hughes]

You don't think Sturridge has something Ted, but Mario does?

Sturridge has skill pace & trickery.

Mario has quality, albeit half arsed quality. Swap the two tonight & England win imo, yet I would say Sturridge had a better game than Mario. But Mario would have been a much easier target for England's attacks than Sturridge or Rooney.

[Dameerto]

So, by the logic of the original post, Brits would support France or Germany? In reality, political support in Mercosur is so fractitious that there will never be a united man-in-the-pub viewpoint on any international political issue.

Nope.

Pretty much all South Americans hate Argentinians; they're the brunt of jokes for being big-headed, arrogant pricks - even in countries that don't border them or speak Spanish. Mercosur, the trade bloc you are talking about, has Chile as an Associate Member - they fully support Britain in the Falklands dispute.

Which is why I made it abundantly clear several times I was making an assumption about something I have no in depth knowledge of. Yes it's Mercosur I was talking about - and it was concerning the blockade by full member countries of the Falklands in support of Argentina from a few years ago.

I have 2 Brazilian friends - both got tickets for 4 games through the 'locals' draw, and are upper-middle class, working in the architecture sector (one on Rio 2016, the other for the state on urban regeneration projects). Both got 3 non-'spotlight' games, and one 'quite tasty' game

Good for you, it's nice to have friends. That's pretty much what I said, isn't it? Are you saying they're not 'general public'? Not sure what that paragraph is about.

[BlueinBosnia]

I have 2 Brazilian friends - both got tickets for 4 games through the 'locals' draw, and are upper-middle class, working in the architecture sector (one on Rio 2016, the other for the state on urban regeneration projects). Both got 3 non-'spotlight' games, and one 'quite tasty' game

Good for you, it's nice to have friends. That's pretty much what I said, isn't it? Are you saying they're not 'general public'? Not sure what that paragraph is about.

No, I was in agreement with you on that point. I'm not always a contrary bastard! :)

[Dameerto]

I have 2 Brazilian friends - both got tickets for 4 games through the 'locals' draw, and are upper-middle class, working in the architecture sector (one on Rio 2016, the other for the state on urban regeneration projects). Both got 3 non-'spotlight' games, and one 'quite tasty' game

Good for you, it's nice to have friends. That's pretty much what I said, isn't it? Are you saying they're not 'general public'? Not sure what that paragraph is about.

No, I was in agreement with you on that point. I'm not always a contrary bastard! :)

Aaah it makes sense now.

[DoomMerchant]

I thought england created enough chances to win... But reacted too slowly and too poorly to the pounding on the flank. Baines was a man left for dead a lot due to the shape of the team and Johnson is just fucking crap. The weakest link. Joe should do better with Mario's goal I felt. Only one place for him to put it and he gives him too much respect I felt.

All in all tho england can win the next two matches.

Chins up cuntholes.