World Cup 2018 thread

For this world cup we didn't really invest a lot of hope and expectation in our household this time, which is why the result yesterday isn't really a big deal in our house. I'm looking forward to the final that I hope Croatia will win. I'm going to make a point of not watching the third place playoff though, can't be bothered with that.

Just googled the prize money each team receives, out of curiosity..

Winners..£38 million.

Runners up..£32 million.

3rd place £24 million.

Lets hammer Belgium, show the nation what were capable off, I shall definitely be watching...

Well done England payed well first half my thoughts is we just came up against a

Strong quality side if we look at the teams we have played in this competition

To be honest we’ve played poor sides ,we avoided the best teams this was going to be our best opertunity to get to the final, but still think we were ok been good

Got our country on a high

The ref wasn't great in my view.

As a relative football noob, I thought poor refereeing blighted the tournament. All too often players get away with fouls that should be penalised, or are awarded a foul / free kick by way of throwing themselves on the floor, when another player slightly brushes against them.

To my eye, there doesn't seem to be much sportsmanship in football either, for example, all the time wasting tactics when your team is ahead, and you don't want the other side to equalise (like what that French player did towards the end of the France - Beligium game).

The fact that the referee does nothing about this kind of thing, just spoils the game for me. Football would definintely be lot more enjoyable if the standard of refereeing was improved.

Just googled the prize money each team receives, out of curiosity..

 

Winners..£38 million.

Runners up..£32 million.

 

3rd place £24 million.

 

Lets hammer Belgium, show the nation what were capable off, I shall definitely be watching...

I will be watching too. The match is a consolation prize for the travelling fans of two great teams who got to play in a World Cup semi-final and lost by a solitary goal. No mean achievement for any team. I used to think this game served no purpose but it is totally different when it is your country's team that is playing in it. There will be a packed house for the game and the English and Belgian fans will be cheering just as hard as if was the final, and so will I. Go England!

 

Lets hammer Belgium, show the nation what were capable off, I shall definitely be watching...

A tad over-optimistic I think!

Considering all those legends that went home early on, England almost lasting an entire tournament add in Kane is still on for the Golden Boot it's a massive leap from previous years.

Well done the Lads and all those back room staff involved, onwards and upwards.

There's a lot of hubris in the Croatian media about how they are going to take France. They'd better hope they're right, pride comes before a fall.

There's a lot of hubris in the Croatian media about how they are going to take France. They'd better hope they're right, pride comes before a fall.

I hope Croatia win, because I've got them in the sweepstake at work and am on to win £30, also it would be nice for a new team to win it.

But...I think the French are a stronger, more robust and talented team. They can do anti-football like they did against Belgium and they can turn it on when they want like against Argentina.

I think Croatia have maybe 2 and a half world class players, France maybe 5.

A tad over-optimistic I think!

Probably, I just want to see more of this England team, I"m not entirely convinced there the done deal, while there achievements have been massive I can"t help thinking that England teams with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney etc would have gone all the way.. There"s a hell of a lot of hype from the pundits and media about them being hero"s.. Beat a poor Tunisia side with a injury time winner, beat a pub team in Panama, lost to Belgium, beat a good Columbia side and should have won in 90mins, very impressed with that performance, then beat a very poor (on the day) Sweden..as the Croatia game proceeded, Croatia just got better and better, and after the early setback finished up toying with us.. we need a couple of world class finishers and we just have"nt got them, suppose we will have to wait for Euro 2020 to get any answers.

I hope Croatia win, because I've got them in the sweepstake at work and am on to win £30, also it would be nice for a new team to win it.

 

But...I think the French are a stronger, more robust and talented team. They can do anti-football like they did against Belgium and they can turn it on when they want like against Argentina.

 

I think Croatia have maybe 2 and a half world class players, France maybe 5.

That was some bus France parked after going a goal up against Belgium (Mourinho & Son's finest model, an executive double decker). I hope for the sake of those watching that France don't score first, but Croatia have been good at coming from behind, so maybe they'd prefer that.

England played well. England have a great, young team, and their time is yet to come in the upcoming euro 2020, world cup 2022.

Lost one game, so what? It's football, you win some you lose some. Third place on the world is one big, big achievement.

Quote in today's i newspaper from Scots author, Irvine Welsh.

"If you want MASSIVE achievements, look to the country of 4 million who just beat England."

I think.Mr Welsh has Napoleon Syndrome. It's also a shame that not every country of 4 million people were talented enough to qualify for the tournament.

Not sure if Mr Welsh was born before 1961 when England beat Scotland 9 - 3 but it's clearly embedded in his psychi, along with Culloden it seems?