Andycoleno9
matchday malcontent
English press is guilty for that. You press is still in ancient past. Only 5 nations play football( including england). Others are second class. Because of them other nations think that you are arrogant.
England didn't top their group either!Is it England's fault that Germany never topped their group and didn't get into the half that England did?
Is it England's fault that Spain never beat Russia?
Is it England's fault that Argentina failed to top their group so ended up on the other half of the side?
ThisChrist !
It's been one of the easiest routes to a world semi final in the competition history. Just be grateful that you've made it this far(In fairness most England fans are).
No Croatia are a good team and difficult for any team to beat. But compared to what you might expect in a semi final it’s as good as it gets.So if England win, they would have beaten a good team, rather than an average team? Croatia definitely won't be referred to as part of an easy route?
feck em. It's coming homeIt's funny how the narrative was that England were arrogant for suggesting that Colombia and Sweden were easier games than the other half of the draw yet now those same idiots are saying oh they were easy games after all. I'm loving the bitterness and hate to be honest just because England are doing quite well for a change. Some people just can't bear to see the English happy about anything.
Where have I complained about the fans? Maybe your perception is the problem and not bitterness on the part of everyone who doesn’t support England.The thing is you sound bitter though. Moaning about England fans, moaning about England’s TV coverage.
If Scotland, Ireland or Wales were doing well in a World Cup the focus would be on them, just like it was when the Welsh were in the semi finals of the Euros. Surely you would expect that before watching the TV coverage?
Your analogy would never happen.
Lots of people were calling England supporters arrogant in the England discussion thread on here; pretending to see hype when there was nothing other than it's coming home remarks and suggestions that it would be easier to beat Colombia than it would Brazil. I agree with you, by the way.How would anyone call that arrogant? Stupid, maybe. England clearly ended up in the easier half of the draw. That much is obvious. The Belgian defeat really was a blessing in disguise. Arguably a canny bit of management by Southgate.
Still, you can only beat what’s in front of you and Sweden/Colombia were made to look poorer than they did in their previous matches. So who’s to say England can’t do the same to Croatia/France/Belgium?
In England the whole tournament is about England/home nations. And so it bloody should be. It's the national broadcaster that we pay to view.I’d say they could win by not making the whole tournament about England. The first think the commentary teamed talked about after Croatia won their own World Cup quarter final was England. That’s naturally going to grate with people trying to watch a game not involving England who do not support England. The Colombia v Senegal game was 90% about how little England had to fear from either team.
I have no issue with people who don’t support England.Where have I complained about the fans? Maybe your perception is the problem and not bitterness on the part of everyone who doesn’t support England.
It’s coming home.
This is exactly the sort of weird mental gymnastics I'm on about though. You've named eight teams there that I assume stand out to you as typically the best in the world, yet England have just beaten Sweden very comfortably in the quarter finals, when Sweden have been directly involved in three of those teams not being in the quarter finals. They finished ahead of Holland in the qualifying group, knocked Italy out in the play-offs, and topped Germany's group at the tournament itself. England have now got Croatia in the semi-finals, which is being deemed "easy" when Croatia turned over Argentina 3-0 in the group stage. That's literally enough teams for one half of a quarter final draw being knocked out or beaten by teams that England have faced or have to face.They have had it easy, a WC when you can get to the final without having to face any version of Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal is a very rare opportunity. It is not a criticism of England to make that point, they have taken advantage of what has fallen for them, played well and every other team on that side of the draw had the same chance to do something special.
This is the crux for me. Apparently England are lucky to not have faced Germany, Argentina, Italy and Holland, but are in fact lucky to be facing the teams that have been better than them.Apparently both Colombia and Sweden were better teams than us and were going to knock us out. As soon as we beat them, they become shit and we've been lucky with the route.
The same people who are spouting their easy-route bitterness weren't saying the same to Italians in 2006, when they played Ghana, USA, Czech Republic, Australia and Ukraine before their semi final.
Yes, the bottom half of the draw is easier than the top half, but it's not easy.
The point I'm making referring to other teams is that the teams that England are apparently fortunate to not be facing, have all fallen short against "lesser sides" to the point where two of them (three if you include Chile) didn't even qualify for the tournament.@Alex99 I love your football posts in general, mate, but I can’t agree with you here. Bringing up Germany and Argentina getting knocked out earlier means diddly squat. England have only beaten Tunisia (via a 93rd minute set-piece), a pub team in Panama and a well-organised-but-ultimately-qualify-bereft Sweden team in order to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. As tournament runs go at this level, it’s among the most lenient any nation could hope for.
It’s a terrific achievement to reach the World Cup semi-finals - there is no disputing that. However, let’s not get all misty-eyed and make this England run into something it plainly isn’t.
I’d say an above average team yes. They have looked average their last two games and apart from the midfield, we are Man for man better than them on paper.. which of course means sod all but I’m confident if we play a fast paced game they won’t be able to handle us.Does anyone on this forum think Croatia are an average team that England should beat comfortably?
Germany played teams that you'd expect them to beat and they lost to two of them meaning they were eliminated. If they'd beaten them, England could have played them, instead they've had to play a team that was better than them in this tournament (and was also better than both Italy and Holland in qualifying).Well, it's true. England played against teams that you would expect them to beat. I don't think England play a lot better compared to last few competitions (maybe except Hodgson era) but this year they seem to have fairly easy route, a bit of luck and most importantly the ability to beat the teams they should be beating. Doesn't matter how the competition ends, it's already a successful one.
These were all discussed at the time. Germany's route to the final in 2002 was also relatively easy and that was talked about at the time. No one cares about it years later though. Will be the same with England.Portugal had an "easy" run to the 2016 Euros final (they only won one game in 90 minutes!) but that's not discussed. Italy, as you've said, Brazil in 2002 had a group with Turkey, Costa Rica and China, then faced Belgium, England and Turkey on their way to the final, both actually quite celebrated wins.
Absolutely this all day longYou have to play what's in front of you.
The likes of Brazil, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and co. have all struggled against the so called lesser teams. Germany had an easy group on paper and came last. There's no easy games.
Fact is, whether people like it or not, we're in the semi finals because we deserve to be there. Hopefully we can go on to win it.
If you're ROI supporter, then no offence but htf would you even know?!Not just easy, absolutely piss easy.
You keep refusing to answer if you would enjoy listening to people talk about Liverpool constantly in games not involving them. Perhaps because it would show the hypocrisy. I’ll leave you to it.I have no issue with people who don’t support England.
But moaning a UK based TV coverage has an English bias is plan stupid, which is what you did.
It’s a UK broadcaster that we all pay to view. Not everyone in the UK supports England clearly. I don’t like the assumption everyone watches wants English clubs to do well in Europe either and I doubt I’m the only Man United fan on this forum that thinks that.In England the whole tournament is about England/home nations. And so it bloody should be. It's the national broadcaster that we pay to view.
If you're not comfortable with that then there are other free, non-partisan alternatives to view instead. Russia Today, perhaps.
Pointing out that one half of the draw is less demanding doesn't make one a hater.Haters will hate.
England have done well and earned their right to be there. Who gives a feck what the narrative is from the haters.
That's not comparable though.You keep refusing to answer if you would enjoy listening to people talk about Liverpool constantly in games not involving. Perhaps because it would show the hypocrisy. I’ll leave you to it.
Exactly my view. Nail on the head.If you offered any team Tunisia, Panama, Belgium (without needing to win), Colombia (without their best player), Sweden and Croatia as a route to the World Cup final they would snap your hand off, because it is on paper as easy a run of fixtures as you could possibly hope for in this tournament.
That doesn't mean England haven't done well, they have. Particularly when you consider previous England sides screwing up against the likes of Iceland. England had the chance to blow it against both Tunisia and Colombia but didn't and they deserve credit for that.
You can only beat what's in front of you but you would have to be bizzarely biased to deny that what's been put in front of England is a relatively easy run.
Look at it this way: would you have swapped your fixtures for that of any of the other semi-finalists? I think not.
Because it’s never going to happen so it’s a stupid analogy.You keep refusing to answer if you would enjoy listening to people talk about Liverpool constantly in games not involving them. Perhaps because it would show the hypocrisy. I’ll leave you to it.
The same Italy that got beat off sweden?They have had it easy, a WC when you can get to the final without having to face any version
of Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal is a very rare opportunity. It is not a criticism of England to make that point, they have taken advantage of what has fallen for them, played well and every other team on that side of the draw had the same chance to do something special.
Get the same trophy for a tough run as for an easier one.
If Liverpool TV were showings a champions league game not involving them , you're damned right that I would expect to hear them talking about Liverpool. I wouldn't enjoy it but I wouldn't complain about it either.You keep refusing to answer if you would enjoy listening to people talk about Liverpool constantly in games not involving them. Perhaps because it would show the hypocrisy. I’ll leave you to it.
'You don't buy into it'...Of course not! Croatia is the first true test and it's come as late as the semi's! So yeah, they have had it easy.I absolutely do not buy into this "England have had it easy" narrative in this World Cup.
England may have had a fairly easy group for qualification to this World Cup, but they got through it almost flawlessly, unbeaten, with only two draws, both away from home. They've now beaten everyone they've had in front of them, aside from one team in a dead rubber at the end of the group stage, in a game in which both sides heavily rotated their squads, with that team also making it to the last four.
This World Cup has seen current World Cup holders, Germany, exit at the group stage, finishing bottom of their group with only one win, having lost to both South Korea and Mexico. It's seen the runners up from the last World Cup, Argentina, exit in the first knockout round, with just one win, having drawn with Iceland and lost 3-0 to Croatia. We've seen Spain eliminated in the first knockout round, again with just one win (a single goal victory over Iran), being eliminated by Russia, and drawing with Morocco courtesy of a stoppage time, VAR-assisted goal. We've seen Portugal eliminated in the first knockout round, another with just one win (a single goal victory over Morocco), drawing with Iran in the group stage. Even Uruguay, who made it to the quarter finals before going out with a whimper against France, only beat Saudi Arabia and Egypt (who lost to Saudi Arabia) by a single goal. Croatia, England's semi-final opponents, who looked very good in the group stage, have now needed penalties to get past both Denmark and Russia in the knockouts.
We've also got Netherlands and Italy who didn't even qualify. Netherlands drew with Sweden, lost to Bulgaria, and were battered 4-0 by France, and ended up third. Italy scraped a stoppage time win over Macedonia away, then drew with them at home, and were battered 3-0 by Spain, before ultimately failing to score against Sweden over two legs in the play-off. Both struggled against the same Sweden side that are now being brushed aside as "easy opponents" after England pick up a comfortable 2-0 win over them in the World Cup quarter finals, after Sweden topped their group.
Going back to previous tournaments, in Euro 2016, you see England being eliminated in the first knockout round by Iceland, with only win in the group stage after drawing with Russia and Slovakia. Tournament winners Portugal progressing to the knockouts as the third of four lucky losers without a single win against Hungary, Iceland and Austria, beating Croatia in extra-time, needing penalties to get past Poland, with the semi-final against Wales (the only team England managed to beat) being their only regulation-time win in the whole tournament as they also beat France in extra time in the final.
In the 2014 World Cup England mustered just a single draw against Costa Rica to win their only point of the tournament. In 2010 England were humiliated by Germany in the first knockout round, being eliminated with just a single, one goal victory over Slovenia, after losing to the US and drawing with Algeria in the group stage.
The apparent Golden Generation didn't even qualify for Euro 2008, drawing at home to Macedonia, away with Israel, losing away to Russia, and being beaten home and away by Croatia.
You can only beat what's put in front of you, and in the 15 matches England have played to first qualify for the tournament and now progress through it, they've won 12, drawn two, and lost just one, that being a non-event final group game with both teams already qualified and rotating their squads heavily. Frankly, it's bollocks to say England have had it easy, because there's no easy way to make it to a World Cup semi-final.
Jealous are we?'You don't buy into it'...Of course not! Croatia is the first true test and it's come as late as the semi's! So yeah, they have had it easy.
That’s horseshit apparently by whom?Apparently both Colombia and Sweden were better teams than us and were going to knock us out. As soon as we beat them, they become shit and we've been lucky with the route.
Doesn’t mean they are good or that they have not overachieved themselvesSo Sweden, Colombia and Croatia should be thrown out of the competition and replaced by Germany, Chile and Spain?
The message I'm getting from certain posters is that you're only as good as your reputation, not your results.
It's massively arrogant to downplay the achievements of the opponents that England have faced so far.