Playing high profile friendlies for cash is the best way to make your ranking shit. A darling strategy of the English FA.
I don't know if this is true but supposedly Chile got eliminated because they complained about Bolivia fielding an ineligible player to get the result overturned. It gave them 2 more points after the game ended 0-0 but it also gave Peru 3 more points because they lost to Bolivia. If that's true it's brilliant.
I can't think of many teams I'd fancy England against. Maybe Denmark/Sweden, Ireland, Panama, Tunisia or OFC sides.
We never beat Sweden.
You did in 2012. 2-3-2-record since 2000.
I like the post-Zlatan team that's being built though, we're just in dire need of strikers who aren't 32+ and shit. Joel Asoro, Alexander Isak, Carlos Strandberg all need to start playing regularly after the WC.
Emil Forsberg beat De Bruynes assist record in Bundesliga last season, and he's still improving.
Apparently an exact birthday isn’t that important in some/many African countries. 1.1.birthyear is just something they get assigned. A friend of mine has worked in a asylum seekers center (there’s another word for that I’m sure) and there’s a ton of people with that birthday. Same with kids from some countries that I have taught.
Same with horses.
Something something Lukaku song.
The Lukaku song appears to have opened up a whole world of what you can and can't call black players. I saw Jonathan Liew and commentator Rob Palmer, both of whom I like, having a barney on twitter about the latter referring to some Portuguese black player as 'a monster in midfield'.
If that's the level we've reached then maybe it's not best to talk about black players at all.
This has actually been going on a while. The Tuesday Club back when they used to do it had Tayo Popoola talk about a game he played called 'Beast or Unit' and he'd list off a bunch of players and the correlation between the black player being the beast and the white guy the unit was weirdly uncanny.
It's been bubbling underneath but you'll definitely start to see pundits being accused of subconscious bias when the likes of Lukaku, Pogba etc. are discussed on physical attributes rather than technical ones
I used to slate them years ago for referring to Yaya Touré as various great plains fauna when he burst out of midfield. Never heard that about Frank Lampard.
They hardly did it in the same way though did they. 'Yaya' used to bumble through players like an elephant trying to stamp on a mouse.
The US rant MELTDOWN is quite something.
Calls for the entire US soccer setup (including the FA) to be revamped from top to bottom apparently.
They should get Sam in. He'll sort it.
Strachan has gone.
David Moyes surely? Although Malky Mackay is genuinely the betting favourite.
They obviously want to explore this genetic deficiencies theory.
Great, can't wait for the next worthless, clueless cunt to fuck up any hope we have of making a shit side worthwhile and at least good value or worth a cheeky bet.
Does the bet have to be cheeky?
It does if you don't want 'problem gambler' to come up in a divorce hearing.
Of course it does. Like cheeky line or cheeky sesh. It deflects from admittance of a serious problem by lightening it up.
@Waffdon
Inb4 cheeky divorce.
Big Sam was quoted on talkSPORT (Jim White) saying he’d be in for it if Strachan went. If he got Scotland to the World Cup I’d support them.
He’s only 9/2 so not worth a bet. If N Ireland fail in the playoffs load up on Mikey O’Neill at 10/1, mind. Free money, surely.
I'm a twit
Skint bruv. I like your frequent attempts to court me, though.
One of these days. You need a wingman x
A newly single thirty year old dad hanging around with a teenager sniffing his way to a heart attack sounds like a terrible idea anyway. You'd both end up on the eccies for a week.
21 in a few months, John Boy. What a day that will be.
Pills are an absolute no go, by the way.
Pill culture in the UK is fuckin wild. Its part of a greater underbelly i've found
Pills are better than coke. Mainly because one usually contains some mdma and the other rat poison.
I'm on my way to Newport now for the sesh fwiw.
Council stuff I’ll give you, but not 2/1 or Puro. Anyway, I’m affit after getting home at 5am last Friday morning before work at 8am. That wasn’t fun.
As if you're snorting pure ya Diddy.
On the fentanyl aye?
Just read that Jadon Sancho was recalled from the U17 World Cup... Must be pretty gutting to have to leave a World Cup halfway though. He played tonight for Dortmund U19's, but still isn't expected to feature for the first team yet.
Under 17 World Cup is ticking along nicely. Semi-finals this week.
Brazil v England (25/10 1700)
Mali v Spain (25/10 20:00)
I was somewhat surprised to notice that the Mali U17 squad actually contains players that look about 17, with one notable exception... number 15 looks like he's about 33, and he had a fairly tough life.
Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Colin Doyle (Bradford City)
Cyrus Christie (Middlesbrough), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Paul McShane (Reading), Richard Keogh (Derby County), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley)
Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), Daryl Horgan, Alan Browne (Preston North End), Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), James McCarthy (Everton), Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), David Meyler (Hull City), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Jonny Hayes (Celtic), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion)
Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Nottingham Forest), David McGoldrick (Ipswich Town), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall)
I just missed out myself.