[Football] England v Costa Rica (on ITV from Elland Road)

[Bakero]

Meh. Has around a 1 in 3 goal ratio (greatly boosted by playing for RM in a 2 team league). He's built his career off one INCREDIBLE World Cup volley in Brazil. He's alright, but would I swap him for Harry Kane ?

Nope.

He's a totally different player to Kane. 1 in 3 isn't a bad record for an attacking midfielder.

 

[Mellotron]

Meh. Has around a 1 in 3 goal ratio (greatly boosted by playing for RM in a 2 team league). He's built his career off one INCREDIBLE World Cup volley in Brazil. He's alright, but would I swap him for Harry Kane ?

Nope.

There I was thinking he scored SIX goals and was possibly the best player in the tournament. Might be hard to hear but Colombia ARE a similar stature team to us nowadays, and it would be no shame losing narrowly to them.

 

[Stat Brother]

There I was thinking he scored SIX goals and was possibly the best player in the tournament. Might be hard to hear but Colombia ARE a similar stature team to us nowadays, and it would be no shame losing narrowly to them.

But we invented the sport while they are just a small country of cocaine growers.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I happen to think that the likes of Brazil, Germany and Spain are mentally tougher than England because they've had success in tournaments, they routinely reach the last 4 and know what it takes to progress.

For England to reach that level somehow that mentality has to change. 4 years ago our two pre-World Cup friendlies were a 2-2 draw vs Ecuador and a 0-0 vs Honduras, so the writing was on the wall when we went into that tournament. This time things are more encouraging.

Spain were famously poor at world cups for decades. Always had expectation, always failed, they were routinely worse than us. Prior to winning in 2010 they hadn't reached the semi-finals since 1950, and in their one world cup since they got hammered 5-1 by Holland and were knocked out in the group stage. So less of the 'routinely reach the last 4'

Nevertheless they did sort it out and win it that one year, and back to back in the euros either side of it, after also being shite in those for ever, which goes to show what one amazing team at a point in time can do for you, and it was the mental toughness of that group of players, and not the country as an entity, that was the key.

Ditto England rugby world cup winning side, ditto the Albion promotion team, ditto any successful side, they have the mental toughness needed that has been lacking at other times, although how much that can be identified beforehand by fans and pundits is hard to tell. I think this England team has the potential - they have to be to have achieved their domestic success in a demanding league with demanding managers - but this tournament is probably too soon for them. They're young, if they're managed right this will be the tournament where they gain the strength needed to prevail next time round

 

[Weststander]

Spain were famously poor at world cups for decades. Always had expectation, always failed, they were routinely worse than us. Prior to winning in 2010 they hadn't reached the semi-finals since 1950, and in their one world cup since they got hammered 5-1 by Holland and were knocked out in the group stage. So less of the 'routinely reach the last 4'

Nevertheless they did sort it out and win it that one year, and back to back in the euros either side of it, after also being shite in those for ever, which goes to show what one amazing team at a point in time can do for you, and it was the mental toughness of that group of players, and not the country as an entity, that was the key.

Ditto England rugby world cup winning side, ditto the Albion promotion team, ditto any successful side, they have the mental toughness needed that has been lacking at other times, although how much that can be identified beforehand by fans and pundits is hard to tell. I think this England team has the potential - they have to be to have achieved their domestic success in a demanding league with demanding managers - but this tournament is probably too soon for them. They're young, if they're managed right this will be the tournament where they gain the strength needed to prevail next time round

Spot on. Spain were the WC chokers for ever.

Then, they invested in 1,000's highly qualified coaches, but also gained from Barca's own system producing the brilliant Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and Piquet.