International Football thread

[budgetmeansbudget]

He was about 40 in 1990. There's a clip on I-Player where Pearce jokingly, though with some truth blamed Shilton for our exit.

You're right he was past it, too slow and too short to be in goal in 1990. I once saw him interviewed about that penalty shoot out and he said he waited for the penalty taker to hit the ball before he dived because he thought there was a fair chance that someone would hit the ball down the middle. Sadly no one did and he looked like a complete twat diving after the ball had hit the back of the net. At least he dived the right way each time!

[budgetmeansbudget]

He was also responsible for the deflected goal that hit Paul Parker when the Germans took the lead. Too slow to react the ball as it looped over him, pathetic attempt, comfortable tip over the bar for most decent keepers.

[Gingerfinch]

He was about 40 in 1990. There's a clip on I-Player where Pearce jokingly, though with some truth blamed Shilton for our exit.

You're right he was past it, too slow and too short to be in goal in 1990. I once saw him interviewed about that penalty shoot out and he said he waited for the penalty taker to hit the ball before he dived because he thought there was a fair chance that someone would hit the ball down the middle. Sadly no one did and he looked like a complete twat diving after the ball had hit the back of the net. At least he dived the right way each time!

Pearce said that Shilton was pleased he guessed the right way each time

[Gingerfinch]

He was also responsible for the deflected goal that hit Paul Parker when the Germans took the lead. Too slow to react the ball as it looped over him, pathetic attempt, comfortable tip over the bar for most decent keepers.

Yeah that as well. A young Shilts would have stopped that, I'm sure. He was quite athletic in his pomp. Our back up keepers must have been poor around that time? Seaman, Martyn, and Woods were three that spring to mind. Of course Seaman and Martyn would both go on to become very good keepers within the next few years.

[budgetmeansbudget]

The most annoying thing about that semi final defeat was that the World Cup was there for the taking. West Germany were poor in the final but still comfortably beat Argentina. Same again with 1996, the Czech Republic in the final would have been a pretty comfortable game for us if again we had got past the Germans. Why oh why did Gazza hesitate at that crucial moment!

[Gingerfinch]

The most annoying thing about that semi final defeat was that the World Cup was there for the taking. West Germany were poor in the final but still comfortably beat Argentina. Same again with 1996, the Czech Republic in the final would have been a pretty comfortable game for us if again we had got past the Germans. Why oh why did Gazza hesitate at that crucial moment!

So close, twice. You just knew we'd blow it once it went to pens.

[Aidan11]

We've never had much luck against the Germans since '66.

If the ref had seen that goal in 2010 that wasn't given.....who knows?

[Gingerfinch]

We've never had much luck against the Germans since '66.

If the ref had seen that goal in 2010 that wasn't given.....who knows?

Might have been 4-2

I do think we would have got beat regardless. Germany were better than our lame lot.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Probably deserved payback for the goal that was given to us unjustly in 1966.

[budgetmeansbudget]

We've never had much luck against the Germans since '66.

If the ref had seen that goal in 2010 that wasn't given.....who knows?

Might have been 4-2

I do think we would have got beat regardless. Germany were better than our lame lot.

Who knows, 2-2 could have been a big momentum changer in that game. Yes we were poor up to that point but things could have turned out differently, we shall never know.

[Gingerfinch]

We've never had much luck against the Germans since '66.

If the ref had seen that goal in 2010 that wasn't given.....who knows?

Might have been 4-2

I do think we would have got beat regardless. Germany were better than our lame lot.

Who knows, 2-2 could have been a big momentum changer in that game. Yes we were poor up to that point but things could have turned out differently, we shall never know.

Of course the game could have turned out different, but they were all over us from memory. At least in 90 & 96, we held our own. We were a little unlucky against the Argies in 98 as well. Campbell's goal was rightly disallowed, but some refs may not have given it. Not sure we would have beaten the Dutch though, and we would have never have witnessed the greatest goal in world cup history if we had beaten Argentina.

2002, 04 & 06 were our best chances of glory since 96. I really thought we had a chance of at least getting to a final in those tournaments.

[Aidan11]

It's funny how things have conspired against us in World Cups -

1970 - Gordon Banks goes down with food poisoning before the Q/F v Germany
1986 - Maradona's handball
1998 - Sol Campbell has a perfectly good goal disallowed against Argentina (we subsequently lose on pens)
2010 - Obvious goal not given.


And we hardly register a single vote when bidding for WCs.


I get the feeling we're not liked at FIFA

[Gingerfinch]

It's funny how things have conspired against us in World Cups -

1970 - Gordon Banks goes down with food poisoning before the Q/F v Germany
1986 - Maradona's handball
1998 - Sol Campbell has a perfectly good goal disallowed against Argentina (we subsequently lose on pens)
2010 - Obvious goal not given.


And we hardly register a single vote when bidding for WCs.


I get the feeling we're not liked at FIFA

Koeman fouling Platt in 94, then scoring a free-kick, which helped eliminate us in the qualifying.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Things have gone against us at times, but probably the only time we were good enough to win a tournament since 1966 was in 1996 when we hosted the Euros. What we need is to be able to host another tournament.......no chance of that then.

[Gingerfinch]

We did win Le Tournoi in 1997