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Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,938
Surrey
By that reckoning, the greatest football countries in the world should be:

China
India
USA
Yes, because we all know how much passion the USA and India have for football. :rolleyes:

Maybe you should spend less time trying to belittle your elders and more time trying to PAY ATTENTION. :lolol:
 






Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,455
Brighton
Yes, because we all know how much passion the USA and India have for football. :rolleyes:

Maybe you should spend less time trying to belittle your elders and more time trying to PAY ATTENTION. :lolol:

What are you on about?!

Every kid in USA plays soccer! They're mental about it there.

When I visited India, there were FAR more kids playing football than Cricket. Thousands and thousands in the street every day.

Keep up old man.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,606
The Fatherland
Every kid in USA plays soccer! They're mental about it there.

The US is weird in this respect though. Whilst it is a huge participation sport, they dont give a flying fig about watching it. I see US football more as a pastime than a sport.
 


Commander

Arrogant Prat
NSC Patron
Apr 28, 2004
13,532
London
We haven't got close to winning any tournament since 1990

If I'm being really picky, which I am, I'd say losing on pens in the semi-finals in 1996 was fairly close.
 




Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,938
Surrey
What are you on about?!

Every kid in USA plays soccer! They're mental about it there.

When I visited India, there were FAR more kids playing football than Cricket. Thousands and thousands in the street every day.

Keep up old man.
I'm well up to speed thanks. I didn't talk about playing levels, I talked about PASSION for the game. There is passion for the game in these countries but it doesn't come close to matching our own. That's why MLS TV audiences are miniscule and their season is played through the summer, when only baseball competes.

India is a very diverse country and I understand that pockets of the country are into football, but it is not a nationwide passion that compares to cricket. In any case, India does NOT have the infrastructure (resources) that we have to compete at the very highest level, which is why they are battered in nearly every sport. Even in cricket, it's taken them decades to become world beaters in the national sport of a country with a population 20 times bigger than our own.

By contrast to both countries, the UK is one of the largest economies in the world, England is passionate about the game and plays host to one of the best four leagues in the world - sometimes considered *the* very best.

Are you going to seriously argue against any of this?
 


Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,938
Surrey
If I'm being really picky, which I am, I'd say losing on pens in the semi-finals in 1996 was fairly close.
Good call. I forgot about that one.

On the other hand, what has been our best performance for a tournament abroad? Quarter-final? Not very good is it?

Edit: Honours won by England:
FIFA World Cup:
Winners; 1966 (every single game played at Wembley!)
Fourth place; 1990

UEFA European Football Championship:
Third place: 1968
Semi-finals: 1996 (every single game played at Wembley!)

Awesome stuff. :rolleyes:
 
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Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Good call. I forgot about that one.

On the other hand, what has been our best performance for a tournament abroad? Quarter-final? Not very good is it?

More to the point, when did England last serve up a performance to be proud of in the finals of a major competition? I don't want to see any of the "glorious failure" games nominated either :lolol:

I'm won't be suprised if a large number of NSCers weren't even born for a game that covers a win to be proud of.
 
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Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,938
Surrey
More to the point, when did England last serve up a performance to be proud of in the finals of a major competition? I don't want to see any of the "glorious failure" games nominated either :lolol:

I'm not actually expecting most of NSC to have even been born at the time when someone comes up with an answer...
I've just posted England's embarrassing honours list.

For a proper football nation, who also happen to be a developed country with a sizeable population and professional football infrastructure which is the envy of all but a handful of nations, it is an absolute shambles, and although it is a word too often used, I think national "disgrace" is possibly not unreasonable.
 


crodonilson

He/Him
Jan 17, 2005
14,060
Lyme Regis
There is no doubting we have underachieved, but with a bit more luck over the years it could have been so, so much better, and like the Three Lions song we're not in it for the glory, but we will alwaya hope that one day we might just do something special, it's not like we don't produce good players.
 


Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,455
Brighton
I'm well up to speed thanks. I didn't talk about playing levels, I talked about PASSION for the game. There is passion for the game in these countries but it doesn't come close to matching our own. That's why MLS TV audiences are miniscule and their season is played through the summer, when only baseball competes.

India is a very diverse country and I understand that pockets of the country are into football, but it is not a nationwide passion that compares to cricket. In any case, India does NOT have the infrastructure (resources) that we have to compete at the very highest level, which is why they are battered in nearly every sport. Even in cricket, it's taken them decades to become world beaters in the national sport of a country with a population 20 times bigger than our own.

By contrast to both countries, the UK is one of the largest economies in the world, England is passionate about the game and plays host to one of the best four leagues in the world - sometimes considered *the* very best.

Are you going to seriously argue against any of this?

In India Football is definitely the second sport behind Cricket. It is a HUGE sport there.

You're changing the parameters now. I took "passion" to refers to "how much people play it", which is surely indicative of passion?

Passion for football amongst your standard bloke in India probably DOES match up to over here.

And regarding infrastructure, you probably know full well that India is a massive emerging market so that comment will be null and void within 10-15 years.

To re-cap;

We should consistently be one of the best 8-10 countries in the world. We are.
 




Mr Blobby

New member
Jul 14, 2003
2,632
In a cave
Good call. I forgot about that one.

On the other hand, what has been our best performance for a tournament abroad? Quarter-final? Not very good is it?

Edit: Honours won by England:
FIFA World Cup:
Winners; 1966 (every single game played at Wembley!)
Fourth place; 1990

UEFA European Football Championship:
Third place: 1968
Semi-finals: 1996 (every single game played at Wembley!)

Awesome stuff. :rolleyes:

1990 was the semi final and it was in Italy. We lost the 3rd/4th play off game to Italy to finish 4th!
 


auschr

New member
Apr 19, 2009
1,357
USA
MLS plays their season through the summer because its much easier than playing in the dead of winter when most northern parts of USA are impossible to have a game of football. MLS attendances are still higher than most of league ones. :thumbsup:
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,606
The Fatherland
Good call. I forgot about that one.

On the other hand, what has been our best performance for a tournament abroad? Quarter-final? Not very good is it?

Edit: Honours won by England:
FIFA World Cup:
Winners; 1966 (every single game played at Wembley!)
Fourth place; 1990

UEFA European Football Championship:
Third place: 1968
Semi-finals: 1996 (every single game played at Wembley!)

Awesome stuff. :rolleyes:

Sim, this is normally my job ???
 






Mr Blobby

New member
Jul 14, 2003
2,632
In a cave
More to the point, when did England last serve up a performance to be proud of in the finals of a major competition? I don't want to see any of the "glorious failure" games nominated either :lolol:

I'm won't be suprised if a large number of NSCers weren't even born for a game that covers a win to be proud of.


4-1 v Holland England Euro 96. One of the best displays I have seen from any team anywhere
 










Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,756
Buxted Harbour
On a side topic relating to England, there was an interesting piece in the Torygraph this morning along the lines of isn't about time the boo-boys left Ashley Cole alone? Love him or loath him, he equals the record caps for a left back tonight (assuming he plays) and is arguably one of the best, if not the best left back England have ever had, yet still doesn't get a very good reception.

Just goes to show what a celebrity obsessed nation we live in now. He's known by many to be more famous for his off the field antics because he married a spice girl and then did the dirty on her than for what he does on it.

Prime example of this was in the Metro today. Article about Charlotte Church where it referred to Gavin Henson as Strictly Come Dancing star! It failed to mention that he is actually an international rugby player.
 


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