The Big Shiny World Cup thread

[Worthy4England]

Same starting XI as last time. No 15 at the back....Come on you Whites.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah good team picked. Come on England. Otherwise it’s been a pretty shite day if I’ve had to see Bolton lose and we get knocked out here.

[Worthy4England]

Couple need to wake the fcuk up.

[Worthy4England]

Couple need to wake the fcuk up.

As I was saying...

[Mar]

Urgh 1 nil down.

Clear foul up the pitch and then good hit from Tchaouameni. Gonna be a poor day of football at this rate

[Mar]

Last few tournaments we've lost against the tough sides when going ahead and defending. Hopefully the fact we have to attack might make us approach this better


Not a penalty for me. Free kick surely.

What gets me is why is the VAR refs Colombian? Its hardly like he's impartial given we knocked them out of the last world cup...

[Worthy4England]

We're getting diddly off the fckuers

[BWFC_Insane]

Deschamps has a tactical plan to nullify our attack. It’s working thus far. Southgate needs to react to this.

[Mar]

Deschamps has a tactical plan to nullify our attack. It’s working thus far. Southgate needs to react to this.

Southgate is no master tactician when it comes to making changes. I think France haven't had to exert themselves on this game after that opening goal.

Anyone catch the bolton flag behind the goal on the left side of the camera. Were massive!

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah. The problems all lie in midfield. France have blocked off the spaces in front of their back four negating Bellingham and Kane, Foden and Sancho.

The way round this is to release the full backs to make the spare man but we are keeping them too deep. Alternatively put someone on to run in between the lines, maybe Grealish.

As it stands I think we’ve been very Evatt bolton. Kept the ball but not looked like scoring or creating too much.

[Worthy4England]

Don't all managers have a plan to nullify the oppositions attack? It's typically quite an important thing to do...

[Worthy4England]

Having seen those replays again, I'm mystified...

[Mar]

Weve looked just as likely as France have of scoring but they've got the goal and we haven't.

Refereeing decisions haven't helped but we can't rely upon them and I've got a feeling they'll be just as suspect in the second half.

Perhaps the ref will get a chance at half time to check the decisions he's made early on. They should've gone to TV replay on that penalty decision. Not exactly like its an easy decision to tell if its in or out of the box.

[BWFC_Insane]

Don't all managers have a plan to nullify the oppositions attack? It's typically quite an important thing to do...

Sure but France sitting so deep in midfield is a ploy that maybe you didn't expect. But it’s working. And now it’s up to Southgate to react to that…

[BWFC_Insane]

The penalty decision…by the definition of VAR being about ‘clear and obvious error’ I think is fair. Is that a penalty? Clearly and obviously? It’s a foul. Obviously. But var can’t intervene on that. It’s just whether it was clearly continued into the box…50:50 for me.

[Worthy4England]

Don't all managers have a plan to nullify the oppositions attack? It's typically quite an important thing to do...

Sure but France sitting so deep in midfield is a ploy that maybe you didn't expect. But it’s working. And now it’s up to Southgate to react to that…

Thar she blows

[Mar]

Lovely goal. Things get interesting now France need to get at us

[Worthy4England]

This ref is shocking.

[Mar]

Guess this isn't just a league one problem. Ref should've been able to get the one against Saka right. I suspect he's under the impression we're going to ground easily

[BWFC_Insane]

Is Luke Shaw a weak link? Not impressed with him tonight.

Referee looks like he’s been dug up from league one.