World Cup 2026

[scarby]

Definitely agree with that, there seems little passion to play for the country unlike many years ago when players viewed it as an honour & wanted to step out on the pitch. There are some still with that passion like Kane, Rice & Pickford as examples but there are too few.

What, like “many years ago” in the 1970s and early 1980s when England couldn’t even qualify for the World Cup or European Championships and couldn’t even get past the group stage on the rare occasions they did?

 

[DarloRich]

Standard England world cup group game performance against a side determined to get 11 men behind the ball. As usual few ideas how to break down a packed defence resulting in a poor but not bad performance - we should have conceded a penalty late on mind. How VAR missed that is beyond me.

To me, England don't seem to be bothered - I saw this is the first game.

Definitely agree with that, there seems little passion to play for the country unlike many years ago when players viewed it as an honour & wanted to step out on the pitch. There are some still with that passion like Kane, Rice & Pickford as examples but there are too few.

Assume these posts had to be postponed after the first game.............

 

[brad465]

I'm not really watching the tournament, but I think a result like this can be beneficial for England, as one is more likely to learn from failure and not take anything for granted going forward. Whether they actually do this is another matter.

 

[Ivor]

What, like “many years ago” in the 1970s and early 1980s when England couldn’t even qualify for the World Cup or European Championships and couldn’t even get past the group stage on the rare occasions they did?

Ok but I’m really old now so maybe I should have been more specific as I didn’t mention particular decades but we have had proud players who wanted to play for their country & felt honoured to do so…Haynes, Greaves, Charlton brothers, Cohen, Hurst, Moore, Shearer, Gascoigne…. let alone those from the other home nations, even now I look at someone like Kane who you can see wants to play for England whether or not he has a good or bad game but overall most don’t have that passion.

 

[scarby]

Ok but I’m really old now so maybe I should have been more specific as I didn’t mention particular decades but we have had proud players who wanted to play for their country & felt honoured to do so…Haynes, Greaves, Charlton brothers, Cohen, Hurst, Moore, Shearer, Gascoigne…. let alone those from the other home nations, even now I look at someone like Kane who you can see wants to play for England whether or not he has a good or bad game but overall most don’t have that passion.

To begin with you have cherry-picked nine legendary names over a 50 year period to compare with the 26 players in one squad for 2026.

Secondly, how can you possibly know this? I am genuinely interested as to what evidence there is to support the claim, beyond “well they were more passionate back then”.

 

[Ivor]

To begin with you have cherry-picked nine legendary names over a 50 year period to compare with the 26 players in one squad for 2026.

Secondly, how can you possibly know this? I am genuinely interested as to what evidence there is to support the claim, beyond “well they were more passionate back then”.

I’ll just bow out at this point as my intention was not to derail a good thread into an argument.

 

[pr1]

England 0 Ghana 0

Well that was a hard watch, England seemed to give it a bit of go in the last 15 minutes but not impressed overall, didn’t think the ref was decent either.

Think it was a case of "don't blame the player blame the game". Happens in cricket often, where the skill in playing slow, defensively, and frustrating the opponent is part of the tactical 'know how'. Ghana calculated that it was better to put a blanket over the game than to allow England to push forward.

I suspect that the same won't be true of Panama.

 

[JamesT]

Think it was a case of "don't blame the player blame the game". Happens in cricket often, where the skill in playing slow, defensively, and frustrating the opponent is part of the tactical 'know how'. Ghana calculated that it was better to put a blanket over the game than to allow England to push forward.

I suspect that the same won't be true of Panama.

Other good teams seem to manage to find a way through teams that are parking the proverbial bus.

 

[Haywain]

Other good teams seem to manage to find a way through teams that are parking the proverbial bus.

Like Spain did against Cape Verde?

 

[Trackman]

Other good teams seem to manage to find a way through teams that are parking the proverbial bus.

What was the team that played against Barcelona and had ten at the back, ok one went forward to centre midfield at times?; I'm sure it was an English team.
They knew they were in for a hiding so tried ten at the back.
Result 0-0

 

[SuspectUsual]

What was the team that played against Barcelona and had ten at the back, ok one went forward to centre midfield at times?; I'm sure it was an English team.
They knew they were in for hiding so tried ten at the back.
Result 0-0

Dunno, but there was a Scotland manager (Craig Levien maybe??) who was obviously a crank because he played a 4-6-0 formation against a stronger team

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What was the team that played against Barcelona and had ten at the back, ok one went forward to centre midfield at times?; I'm sure it was an English team.
They knew they were in for hiding so tried ten at the back.
Result 0-0

Was it Guus Hiddink's Chelsea team at the Nou Camp in 2009?

 

[Trackman]

Was it Guus Hiddink's Chelsea team at the Nou Camp in 2009?

Could be, I need to watch the full game as you could clearly see the formation, had a look on YouTube but nothing conclusive as they are snippets.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Why is it that if I want to watch the best teams in the world I have to stay up till stupid o'clock yet every time I tune into the 8pm game it seems to feature Switzerland?

Anybody would think the Swiss-born president of FIFA has undue influence at this World Cup!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

..every time I tune into the 8pm game it seems to feature Switzerland?

Could say the same about Bosnia-Herzegovina. All three of their fixtures (also in Group 'B') have been 8 p.m. kick-offs (U.K. time).

 

[HSTEd]

Why is it that if I want to watch the best teams in the world I have to stay up till stupid o'clock yet every time I tune into the 8pm game it seems to feature Switzerland?

Anybody would think the Swiss-born president of FIFA has undue influence at this World Cup!

As far as I can tell fixtures seem to be arranged to give somewhat reasonable viewing times to the people from the countries involved.

That's why Switzerland has times good for us but, say, Brazil does not.

 

[DS25]

As far as I can tell fixtures seem to be arranged to give somewhat reasonable viewing times to the people from the countries involved.

That didnt work out too well for Scotland (and Morocco!) then!!

 

[Purple Train]

Dunno, but there was a Scotland manager (Craig Levien maybe??) who was obviously a crank because he played a 4-6-0 formation against a stronger team

It was Craig Levein, and from memory I think it was against the Czech Republic of all teams.

Although I still haven't got over Lee Carsley's rather different kind of 4-6-0 for England against Greece. I'm sure he's not a bad manager, but I confess it did make me rather nervous when he was linked with the recent managerial vacancy at Bristol City!

 

[Howardh]

The world cup is just getting silly. If England win, do they go on to play Atherton LR or Holker Old Boys depending on Clitheroe v Cleator Moor Celtic?

 

[OuterDistant]

I see Panama have come dressed as Bolton Wanderers, circa 1998!

 

[SuspectUsual]

I see Panama have come dressed as Bolton Wanderers, circa 1998!

And England are playing like Bolton Wanderers circa 2026

 

[Darandio]

And England are playing like Bolton Wanderers circa 2026

Bolton had a cracking season. Looking good for England then....

 

[JamesT]

England eventually woke up and managed a couple of goals. But it’s not very inspiring and they seem to be running out of right backs.
Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 to come second in the group. This was the final piece needed to eliminate Scotland and has resulted in Steve Clarke resigning.

 

[Trackman]

The world cup is just getting silly. If England win, do they go on to play Atherton LR or Holker Old Boys depending on Clitheroe v Cleator Moor Celtic?

It's looking like Breightmet United. Shame it won’t be at Leverhulme Park.

England eventually woke up and managed a couple of goals. But it’s not very inspiring and they seem to be running out of right backs.

I can play right back, about 40 years ago.

 

[Harvester]

Clarke has quit as Scotland’s head coach after their elimination from the World Cup, only a month after signing a new 4 year contract!

 

[Howardh]

Clarke has quit as Scotland’s head coach after their elimination from the World Cup, only a month after signing a new 4 year contract!

Probably the longest Scotland have ever been at a WC, thanks to those extra three days! It's that first minute v Morocco that killed them. 4 points would have seen them through.

 

[DarloRich]

Brazil squeal through. That aint no classic Brazil team

Germany awful in the first half. They will get a (V2) rocket at half time and see off Paraguay but they aint no classic German team either!

 

[JD2168]

Brazil squeal through. That aint no classic Brazil team

Germany awful in the first half. They will get a (V2) rocket at half time and see off Paraguay but they aint no classic German team either!

Possibly the worst half of football during this World Cup in the Paraguay-Germany match

 

[DarloRich]

Possibly the worst half of football during this World Cup in the Paraguay-Germany match

apart from Paraguay scoring

 

[Trackman]

Possibly the worst half of football during this World Cup in the Paraguay-Germany match

Extra time has been more interesting, plus before that Germany were robbed with the VAR decision for the disallowed goal.
Looking like pens....