The Big Shiny World Cup thread

[Worthy4England]

1990 also had the best WC song we've ever had (fact)...Not been the same since that absolute dirge, it's coming home...

But agree Brucie, you'd hardly know kick off was imminent.

[BWFC_Insane]

Been watching the 1990 documentary. Which is excellent by the way. Really sinks in how shit modern football is.

That was an England team you wanted to win. Really wanted to win. With superb characters and some magical players. Some truly stand out players. It’s not the same anymore. I realise this is ‘old man shouts at cloud’ and I fear I’m going to sound a bit Tangodancer. But it’s really not the same.

Yep. You nailed it with the shouting at clouds bit, for me mate. 1990 was pretty special, but heightened by how fcking woeful we were in the 70's and 80's. 1970's Brazil, we weren't. I mean was it 78 when we were that bad we didn't even qualify for the finals? So the first time England got anywhere near...it brings back fond memories.

But spinning forwards some, I thought Southgate did pretty good early doors. Played some great attacking football. 1990 for me was still more hope than belief. 2018 I expected us to do well. Probably for the first time in my lifetime, I actually believed we could make a final...Obvs it's gone a bit shit since but I wouldn't say the 2018 team performed any worse than 1990's team. (I'm not going to bother with "let's make a list of players and mark them against each other" it's fairly futile and I think we did that once previously)

I think it’s less about the England team and relative quality or whatever and more just the wider football scene. Ignoring England in 1990 there were players who you’d pay to go and see. Today inspite of the huge quality of football there is nobody I’d pay a penny to watch in any side. Perhaps that’s just our overexposure to it all. But it just isn’t the same. Watching some highlights and you see Gazza or Matthaus or Maradona literally bossing a game all over the park. And all are literally on top form a superb watch that you felt privileged to witness. For me there isn’t a player now in that sort of space. It’s all very much of a muchness for me.

And it’s that you listen to those players talk about the tournament and they all very obviously cared about their countries. Felt it was part of a wider social and political change and understood the context. Whereas today these players whatever the results are all so rich they don’t need to even consider anything else.

The characters were better the variety was better the atmospheres were better.

Summed up with those earlier world cups. I still remember loads of games from them not involving England. They are memorable occasions. Even group games. How many games from world cups in the last twenty years can you recall? For me it’s basically none. They all just blur together into a modern football beige.

[Worthy4England]

I don't get that at all, not going to do a list but watching De Bruyne is worth a few quid. Messi is probably the best I've ever seen. Point is there'd be plenty on both lists...

I understand there's not the same "buzz" as when I was 20, but that to me is more to do with my age, rather than the football. I didn't get the same buzz seeing Black Sabbath's farewell tour as I did when I saw them around 1980...

[Prufrock]

Aye, it's a lot of words to say you were younger in 1990. Anyone who'd watch Lothar Mattheus (fantastic player that he was) over Leo Messi...well.

This one is definitely different though. No-one seems arsed. I'll be up for the England games, but the whole show is very...meh.

[BWFC_Insane]

I don't get that at all, not going to do a list but watching De Bruyne is worth a few quid. Messi is probably the best I've ever seen. Point is there'd be plenty on both lists...

I understand there's not the same "buzz" as when I was 20, but that to me is more to do with my age, rather than the football. I didn't get the same buzz seeing Black Sabbath's farewell tour as I did when I saw them around 1980...

See their relative merits as players I buy. Wanting to go and watch them…not so much. I paid money to watch Klinsmann as a neutral. I paid money to watch Gascoigne as a neutral. I even paid to watch Le Tissier (spit). I don’t think there is a single player in the world in the last decade I’d pay money to go and watch.
And yes that’s partly down to the fact we see them on telly every week. I also think it’s partly down to the game becoming so homogenised. Remarkable players stand out less even if they are ‘better’. I also think it’s down to the characters just being less accessible and more and more remote.

I get the age thing and it happens as we get older things seemed better when younger. But I’d still ask how many World Cup games in the last decade or so you can remember and will stand the test of time? I don’t think many will if any. Even England games. The semi against Croatia…we won’t be talking about it in a decade. But we will still remember the classic world cups and the era of football before it was spoiled by money.

[Worthy4England]

Might be different for me than you. Don't remember the period of unforgettable matches and world cups. I'd struggle to tell you who we played in 1990 before the semi apart from Cameroon...and to be fair, I probably remember that match more than the ones that came after...

I get your point about it being spoiled by money and agree entirely, but that doesn't mean Messi isn't one of the greatest talents I've ever seen..

[Bruce Rioja]

I'm pretty sure that other than for England games my 'interest' in the rest of it will mirror my interest in the Premier league. I'll seek out MotD type highlights shows but that'll be about it. Certainly until the latter stages.

[Bruce Rioja]

Me, Worthy and nine of our mates from the pub could beat this Qatar side. Has anyone else got it on? Absolutely dreadful.

[nicholaldo]

Me, Worthy and nine of our mates from the pub could beat this Qatar side. Has anyone else got it on? Absolutely dreadful.

I started watching but I'm slowly losing interest.

I assume the Qatari goalkeeper won a competition to be there.

[Prufrock]

At least they were using VAR

[nicholaldo]

The VAR decision was correct in fairness.

Anyway, next time there are forty eight countries competing so we can look forward to more drab footballing spectacles like today.

[Worthy4England]

That was the BEST game I've seen all World Cup! (Might have nodded off second half)

[Bruce Rioja]

Me, Worthy and nine of our mates from the pub could beat this Qatar side. Has anyone else got it on? Absolutely dreadful.

I started watching but I'm slowly losing interest.

I assume the Qatari goalkeeper won a competition to be there.

To be honest, Fella, I turned it off about 5 minutes after posting.

[BWFC_Insane]

Me, Worthy and nine of our mates from the pub could beat this Qatar side. Has anyone else got it on? Absolutely dreadful.

Don’t think you’d even need 9 of them…gave up before half time. A truly dreadful and pointless game of football.

Qatar one of the worst sides I can remember in a World Cup. Also the most depressing of opening games. Whetted the appetite…uhhh no.

[Bruce Rioja]

Qatar one of the worst sides I can remember in a World Cup.

The worst, as far as I can remember. It really was a case of them simply trying to get either a foot or a head on it, then chasing off after it in whichever direction it had pinged off in.

Lovely header for Ecuador's 2nd, it should be added by the way. An excellent finish.

[Worthy4England]

Everyone must be excited for today's thriller - England v Iran, surely

As an aside, did anyone hear Infanto's bizarre speech telling everyone he was gay, bullied and a minority?

Oh and FIFA's threat to book Captains wearing armbands...really? They should have threatened to withdraw the teams - see what FIFA did next.

[TANGODANCER]

Everyone must be excited for today's thriller - England v Iran, surely

As an aside, did anyone hear Infanto's bizarre speech telling everyone he was gay, bullied and a minority?

Oh and FIFA's threat to book Captains wearing armbands...really? They should have threatened to withdraw the teams - see what FIFA did next.

To be honest I wish they'd all just concentrate on football; World Cup football. If it weren't for that would we be reading this thread? I know I wouldn't. Let people be as they wish and they could be that if it weren't for self promotion, outside interest or media interference. 90 minutes per game is all the attention needed for football (usually); the rest is pure opinionism and nobody's business but their own. Oh, all in a perfect world of course...Get on with it.

[TANGODANCER]

Qatar one of the worst sides I can remember in a World Cup.

The worst, as far as I can remember. It really was a case of them simply trying to get either a foot or a head on it, then chasing off after it in whichever direction it had pinged off in.

Lovely header for Ecuador's 2nd, it should be added by the way. An excellent finish.

I'll risk the howls of disapproval by saying we haven't heard the last of Ecuador.

[Worthy4England]

Qatar one of the worst sides I can remember in a World Cup.

The worst, as far as I can remember. It really was a case of them simply trying to get either a foot or a head on it, then chasing off after it in whichever direction it had pinged off in.

Lovely header for Ecuador's 2nd, it should be added by the way. An excellent finish.

I'll risk the howls of disapproval by saying we haven't heard the last of Ecuador.

Certainly not. They have 2 more group games.

Against Senegal (who might be a different proposition without Mane) and the Netherlands...

[Worthy4England]

England XI (4-3-3): Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Saka, Mount, Sterling; Kane

Southgate will be getting pelters if that selection doesn't win...