Quarter-Finals 4: Sweden v England, 7th July, 3pm(GMT)

[Carver]

Nice try, Carver but if you had read my other posts here you would know that I am not in the least bitter about our departure of this World Cup and I congratulated England for what they have achieved so far. I only answered a post.

You did?

Oh well then thank you and I am sorry for your nation exiting the tournament.

Best of luck in the future and I actually kind of miss Germany being in the tournament because there is no team left in it for me to hate.

Hmm on second thoughts hate is a strong word, I think 'dislike' would be more appropriate.

 

[Dirk]

Best of luck in the future and I actually kind of miss Germany being in the tournament because there is no team left in it for me to hate.

For me neither. Italy and Netherlands aren't even in it this time and Brazil is out too.

Hmm on second thoughts hate is a strong word, I think 'dislike' would be more appropriate.

Just read your addendum : You're absolutely right here


edit: Double posts merged

 

[Chris FGR]

No - Southgate is the main reason you won't win it.

Eh? So without him we would be doing a lot better would we? Absolute tosh.

I'll admit I wasn't a fan of his appointment at all, but the blokes done a superb job.

It would have been pretty entertaining if Big Sam had taken us into the tournament mind, proper real life Mike Bassett stuff. We would be out by now though.

 

[Abertawe]

Eh? So without him we would be doing a lot better would we? Absolute tosh.

I'll admit I wasn't a fan of his appointment at all, but the blokes done a superb job.

It would have been pretty entertaining if Big Sam had taken us into the tournament mind, proper real life Mike Bassett stuff. We would be out by now though.

He hasn't done a superb job - you've been faves in every game you've played except for Belgium. He's done standard.

 

[blademan89]

He hasn't done a superb job - you've been faves in every game you've played except for Belgium. He's done standard.

We were faves against Belgium too. Either way he's done something only 2 previous managers have done ever for us.

 

[Abertawe]

We were faves against Belgium too. Either way he's done something only 2 previous managers have done ever for us.

That still doesn't translate as a superb job. Italia '90 you got results against legit teams. Holland, ROI, Belgium, Cameroon. This time around you've played Colombia minus their best player - mint.

 

[blademan89]

That still doesn't translate as a superb job. Italia '90 you got results against legit teams. Holland, ROI, Belgium, Cameroon. This time around you've played Colombia minus their best player - mint.

It really is hurting you ain't it that england are in a world cup semi final.

 

[SF_]

Shit, don't say Holland.

 

[Abertawe]

It really is hurting you ain't it that england are in a world cup semi final.

No I'm chuffed - I just can't tolerate unwarranted praise for that cheerleading ponce.

 

[Bobbin']

Shit, don't say Holland.

Don’t think we have to worry about it, he seems to have gone very quiet all of a sudden. Can’t think why.

 

[SALTIRE]

Look at this German here only being able to look back at past glories.

Show some respect, his team are still the world champions; something you lot could only dream about (and don't say '66 as most of you on here won't have remembered that or been born within thirty years of it being a thing - Claret definitely, but that's about it).

 

[Dirk]

Show some respect, his team are still the world champions;

don't do this Salty (although "technically" you're correct, for another week at least. And we're still #1 in the (not yet updated) Fifa Rankings. (sorry, even I have to laugh at this atm, the update will "bomb" us out of the top10 for the first time for ages I think)

 

[SALTIRE]

don't do this Salty (although "technically" you're correct, for another week at least. And we're still #1 in the (not yet updated) Fifa Rankings. (sorry, even I have to laugh at this atm)

Well you are until next Sunday when one of your neighbours in Belgium or France lift the trophy. Enjoy it till then mate, and I'm sure you'll see plenty more World Cup victories!

 

[Dirk]

Well you are until next Sunday when one of your neighbours in Belgium or France lift the trophy. Enjoy it till then mate, and I'm sure you'll see plenty more World Cup victories!

Of course, we always come back after a short period. Our Eastern part had this even as the header for it's hymn "Auferstanden aus Ruinen (Risen from the ruins).
But enough about Germany, back to our english friends here to enjoy their success against Sweden.

 

[Leo]

Don’t think we have to worry about it, he seems to have gone very quiet all of a sudden. Can’t think why.

He never comes on at weekends Bobbin.....this weekend he'll have been composing notes on some other subject to take the thread well off topic....'population size, BBC news re World (England) Cup, empirical evidence about shit, BBC news (more World Cup about England), I know better than you....oh...any old shit to cover his arse'.....Zzzzzzz's!

 

[Skinner]

Well, I've got some distance to it now. I've read through the thread and kudos, I thought I'd get a million dug up quotes thrown at me tbf and I was going to come back swinging but turns out you've been rather gracious. Someone saying they'd be "ashamed as a swede" (wtf) but aside from that, kudos.

So, I've got some distance to it now and it hurts a lot more today than yesterday. We are, and have shown numerous times, that we are a much better football team than we showed yesterday. We've been overachieving for so long and yesterday we came out looking like the team that we really ought to be, one that would need a significant portion of luck to even come close to England. But we didn't need luck when we got here, it was never luck, it was a team so much greater than the sum of its parts. To then see it being reduced to just that, the sum of its parts, was painful.

So the distance isn't really helping, it's amplifying the pain of the defeat. I guess the true challenge being a team such as this Sweden side is that we have to play out of our skins every single match, and it was always going to end eventually. Could we have played out of our skins for another three matches? Probably not. But yesterday all that was needed was one more. And you never get another go. The feeling we had waking up yesterday isn't coming back is it. And probably not for a long, long while.

This was the most important challenge but not the toughest, which is why failure feels so ... unworthy? Beating France in the QF was a tougher test. Knocking out Italy over two legs was also a huge test. And going into the group we had, it felt a lot tougher than a one off game against England. Now the group turned out slightly easier than we thought, but still.

It's been so many times we've come up against a challenge too big and thought "it probably ends here". I didn't feel that way yesterday. And now it's over.

It's hard to say to what extent England nullified us, I haven't watched the game over and wouldn't for all the money in the world either. But we conceded 31 corners previously in this tournament, conceding zero chances. Yesterday we conceded the first corner of the match and from there on in it couldn't be done.

The distance isn't helping, it's making it worse, and I don't know how many years this one distance from our last world cup game will be, let alone last world cup quarter final. But this will be the source of some bitterness, certainly.

I hope you win it now, I really do. Then, at least, I can tell my grandkids that we were the second best team this tournament. Just not yesterday, and the bitterness is getting worse for every moment that one yesterday moves farther and farther into the past.

Glad you at least shouted out my quote, was expecting a bit more from you but fair play mate.

Good game

 

[Bilo]

Glad you at least shouted out my quote, was expecting a bit more from you but fair play mate.

Good game

Well we set up similarly to how Palace sets up at Anfield. And the gulf in class in yesterday's game is tenfold that between Palace and Liverpool.

It's a bullshit statement.

 

[LondonOrn]

That's a bit of a put down to say the least mate, if that's the case why have we had so trouble in beating you in previous encounters?

I'd say it's more like Stoke (before last season) vs Arsenal.

 

[Abertawe]

The shout at the dog for being German has done me in

https://twitter.com/x/status/1015762473541128193

 

[AFCB_Mark]

The shout at the dog for being German has done me in

https://twitter.com/x/status/1015762473541128193

That's Bournemouth, FFS I watched the Belgium game in the pub on the right. I apologise on behalf of my townsfolk! They're right about the sun, sea, beer, and England success, all a bit much for some..?!

 

[Carver]

It would have been pretty entertaining if Big Sam had taken us into the tournament mind, proper real life Mike Bassett stuff. We would be out by now though.

Lol.

I remember after we beat Panama someone on twitter said jokingly that in an alternate universe where Sam Allardyce stays on as England manager, they would only beat Panama 1-0 with Wayne Rooney scoring a penalty in the 78th minute to give England a vital win after their horror show defeat off Tunisia.

 

[Skinner]

Well we set up similarly to how Palace sets up at Anfield. And the gulf in class in yesterday's game is tenfold that between Palace and Liverpool.

It's a bullshit statement.

The underdog always wins when Palace play Liverpool.

 

[Johnnyt]

Liverpool fans booed at Chester game when England scored .....scum

Pmsl

 

[T.A]

 

[SALTIRE]

The underdog always wins when Palace play Liverpool.

You lost both league games last season soft lad.

 

[SALTIRE]

Liverpool fans booed at Chester game when England scored .....scum

Pmsl

Love them even more. You going to report me again for saying that?

 

[SALTIRE]

View attachment 9058

More chance of Narnia existing than you lot lifting the World Cup next week.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

are you ok, salts

you seem a bit unhinged in this thread

 

[Carver]

What country is Saltire from?

 

[SALTIRE]

are you ok, salts

you seem a bit unhinged in this thread

I'm fine, honestly fine...