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Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:16 pm
by yuppie
Looking at the goals. Some very nice play from England, Pickford picking out some killer passes.

Not watching the game, but the goals, well England look good.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:41 pm
by bigfluffylemon
Maybe all the racists in the press who keeping bagging out Sterling will finally stfu.

Superb first half. Skin of the teeth and outclassed in the second, but it's the result that counts. First time England have beaten a team above them in the FIFA rankings since Argentina 2002...

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:55 pm
by sussexpob
bigfluffylemon wrote:Superb first half. Skin of the teeth and outclassed in the second, but it's the result that counts. First time England have beaten a team above them in the FIFA rankings since Argentina 2002...


Spain are ranked below England after the World Cup, and I would bet my life when we beat Germany in 2016, they must have been ranked a lot higher than us.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:56 pm
by bigfluffylemon
sussexpob wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:Superb first half. Skin of the teeth and outclassed in the second, but it's the result that counts. First time England have beaten a team above them in the FIFA rankings since Argentina 2002...


Spain are ranked below England after the World Cup, and I would bet my life when we beat Germany in 2016, they must have been ranked a lot higher than us.


Good grief, so they are. England are six? Yeah, that's nuts.

Fair point v Germany in 2016, but I wasn't counting friendlies.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:41 am
by budgetmeansbudget
bigfluffylemon wrote:Maybe all the racists in the press who keeping bagging out Sterling will finally stfu

You aren't a racist if you criticize the performance of a black player ffs.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:50 am
by sussexpob
bigfluffylemon wrote:
sussexpob wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:Superb first half. Skin of the teeth and outclassed in the second, but it's the result that counts. First time England have beaten a team above them in the FIFA rankings since Argentina 2002...


Spain are ranked below England after the World Cup, and I would bet my life when we beat Germany in 2016, they must have been ranked a lot higher than us.


Good grief, so they are. England are six? Yeah, that's nuts


I think, rightly or wrongly, the ranking system would boost matches won in a world cup over others. So a good world cup run is a lot of ranking points.

Having said that, Peru were ranked 2nd before the WC, so I think that says all you need to know about the ranking system. It seems beating a load of second tier sides consistently for 2 years, equates to massive points.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:00 am
by budgetmeansbudget
Reading the report this morning it looks like England were fortunate to get the win.

Three shots three goals in the first half.

Awful in the second half, played off the park, Spain should have had a penalty....

73% to 27% possession.

23 shots to 5 overall.

No doubt another false dawn.

Back to proper football now, shame we have to put up with another round of this farcical tournament in November!

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:05 am
by sussexpob
budgetmeansbudget wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:Maybe all the racists in the press who keeping bagging out Sterling will finally stfu

You aren't a racist if you criticize the performance of a black player ffs.


Some of the criticism in the press, its nature and its dogmatic approach, certainly shows a trend towards racism. We've had this conversation before, I dont put your comments down to this.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:14 am
by bigfluffylemon
sussexpob wrote:
budgetmeansbudget wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:Maybe all the racists in the press who keeping bagging out Sterling will finally stfu

You aren't a racist if you criticize the performance of a black player ffs.


Some of the criticism in the press, its nature and its dogmatic approach, certainly shows a trend towards racism. We've had this conversation before, I dont put your comments down to this.


Me neither. That wasn't aimed at anyone here. But the nature of the crticism in certain sectors of the press has been suspect for some time.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:15 am
by bigfluffylemon
sussexpob wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:
sussexpob wrote:
bigfluffylemon wrote:Superb first half. Skin of the teeth and outclassed in the second, but it's the result that counts. First time England have beaten a team above them in the FIFA rankings since Argentina 2002...


Spain are ranked below England after the World Cup, and I would bet my life when we beat Germany in 2016, they must have been ranked a lot higher than us.


Good grief, so they are. England are six? Yeah, that's nuts


I think, rightly or wrongly, the ranking system would boost matches won in a world cup over others. So a good world cup run is a lot of ranking points.

Having said that, Peru were ranked 2nd before the WC, so I think that says all you need to know about the ranking system. It seems beating a load of second tier sides consistently for 2 years, equates to massive points.


See also: the USA for much of the 2000s...

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:42 am
by Durhamfootman
I watched the highlights. England took their goals very well. Good to see Sterling put that goal drought behind him.

Was it a pen? I'm not so sure, but then again, if it had been given I could see why. Nobody complains when defenders protect the ball by blocking the attacker with their arms stretched out wide, so I'm not sure why it should be different for keepers. Hint of a tug on the shirt (when slowed right down and looked at from several different angles) as he slid the ball away, but not much and it would have been a soft one if the ref had pointed to the spot, I think.... but plenty of those get given, of course. Perhaps it was as simple as the attacker not throwing himself to the floor extravagantly, and so didn't get it. England also had a shout for a pen turned down when Sterling had his foot trodden on as he burst into the box, so swings and roundabouts for me.

Pickford getting the plaudits for his distribution, but his goalkeeping was way off the mark last night. Thought Kane was very effective, without scoring any himself

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 8:51 am
by mikesiva
This Nations League format is having repercussions in other continents.

Jamaica had to turn down a lucrative trip to Saudi Arabia because in the Caribbean Nations League now required them to play at home to Cayman Islands, a match that only attracted a thousand spectators.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:34 pm
by sussexpob
mikesiva wrote:This Nations League format is having repercussions in other continents.

Jamaica had to turn down a lucrative trip to Saudi Arabia because in the Caribbean Nations League now required them to play at home to Cayman Islands, a match that only attracted a thousand spectators.


I confess to liking the competition, as I think it adds a little more value to pointless friendlies. But countries should maybe be able to opt out of it where, as you highlight above, more value can be obtained for the greater good of the game by playing better sides. In the European game, the matches are divided on quality rankings, so at least you dont get too many games like the one highlighted. Is this not done in for teams like Jamaica, Mike?

Id think if it was, playing the Mexicos/USA or bigger rivals from the other Islands would be a beneficial competition to be in... while playing the Cayman Islands seems to be an utter waste of time.

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:29 am
by mikesiva
One thing to say for Concacaf...they have this ability to take a complicated competition, and make it more complicated. The match with Cayman is apparently part of a lengthy qualification tournament for the Concacaf Nations League, which starts next year, or thereabouts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%8 ... qualifying

Re: European nations league

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 4:18 pm
by budgetmeansbudget
Six English players around the Croatian man and he manages to score from a deflection, bloody typical.

After England have dominated the match and squandered around six gilt edge opportunities to score.

Crap competition anyway!

If it stays like this Croatia will qualify for the semi final. Lost 6-0 to Spain away, were lucky to beat them the other night at home, should have lost to us at home and should have been 3-0 down at half time in this game. Unreal.

When Harry Kane's on form he's unstoppable, when he isn't like in this game, he's a lumbering oaf.

Kane scores, I said he was a genius!