The Round Ball Game - II

[Lat-Literal]

Feel sorry for Sterling. Watched him closely all half. Huge amount of work, always available, getting involved, causing problems. He is worrying them, which matters.

I wonder if England decided to conserve a bit of energy early on. Playing well, only one team in this really.

Yes - that was it exactly. Same 11 for the next match please. Southgate in his playing days was known as "Nord". Experts say that it was a reference to Dennis Norden because of each having a precise way of speaking. I beg to disagree. It was the unconscious, intelligent, well travelled and wordy side of his team mates that was speaking. Hence Gare du Nord - the first four letters of Gareth and a jokey reversal of South to North in French to cross in cleverly with a connotation of Nerd. And you thought it was only Lampard with a "Mensa IQ".

Very best wishes to Russia in the next tie, not that I am making any predictions. Not only are they by far the nicer nation. It will give us an easier match in the semi-final, and not least when the British Foreign Office slips a syringe of "Novichok" into the VAR room. The training has been so thorough near to Salisbury Plain I can't imagine that they could mess things up.

[HighlandDougie]

Just love the way this young team has taken to its task with style, and great positive attitude.

TS, you have expressed my thoughts in the proverbial nutshell. While the outpouring of potential "Engerland" type hype (should they win) might be enough to make a non-Engerlish person support any country other than England, I'd be thrilled if they won. For me, it's sort of, "Roy of the Rovers", managed by someone whom it's hard not to admire. V W 5 just played to celebrate their win, irrespective of the fact that it was not exactly the greatest game of football that one might have seen in the past couple of weeks.

[Lat-Literal]

Just love the way this young team has taken to its task with style, and great positive attitude.

Wonderful to see our still -football - mad country get a taste of the football good times. And this team sets such a great example to young people of how to do things well, and with class.

Sterling deserves a lot of credit, he worked his socks off, and made things happen. You simply cannot win games like this with passengers.

Happy days.

Well , the Undertones Song was good enough today, , and it may be four days till the Semi.., and so not strictly Wednesday Week......but who cares.?We can keep that Lightning Seeds record for Sunday Week

You do realise that the Undertones weren't English?

However, I applaud your memory of music equals football.

When I was in the thick of things one song that seemed to capture the feel on what was then the Finsbury Park Tavern jukebox was also not English. Spendid bombed out, slightly off tune vocal and seemingly irrelevant lyric but I get it now. "The World Seems So Alive" - a sort of present feeling interpreted among the crowd as the past. Now it's all Ariane Grande et al. Good luck to 'em but it's the wrong kind of scuzz. Too Bedroomish. Not spiritually or environmentally atmospheric. Anyhow, no hand of god and going for gold with Pickford's finger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQV1gGuGGok

Incidentally, we had no idea then they would come up with an album that was an indie Rodgers and Hammerstein with a touch of Disney classic. That, I guess, was Charlotte Hatherley's doing although it could easily have been Paddy McAloon. Ludicrously underrated - and wherever the bands hail from, it's now time for the Beeb to get their anthems out for the "Dads":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhM9oRDPLpI

[johncorrigan]

Very best wishes to Russia in the next tie, not that I am making any predictions. Not only are they by far the nicer nation.

I assume that's a joke, Lat.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I enjoyed the game, but I thought England had moments of unnecessary carelessness among many finer moments.

[Lat-Literal]

I assume that's a joke, Lat.

Erm…….Croatia has the nicer countryside.

(I really like Russia - it's getting there on its iffier points - being nice to it will speed that up)

[Bryn]

Not much impressed by either team's current quality of play.

[DracoM]

Frankly wouldn't fancy England's chances agaist EITHER of these two after the turgid Swedish miasma. Crickey!

[jayne lee wilson]

Wow - stunning Cheryshev strike, yet another G-o-t-T contender - half-time, 1-1 ... very evenly matched despite Croatia's obviously greater innate talents (look at their squad - almost as studded as Belgium...). but that Russian crowd is almost an extra player... not sure who would be toughest, the Croatian footballing giftedness or that raucous red army of support... Cheryshev can turn a game in a second.... despite the pleasure in watching them, sometimes I doubt if Croatia truly madly want it, you know?

Some England stats.

1) Current under 20 world champions.
2) Current under 17 world champions.
3) Current under 19 Euro champions.
4) 2017 Toulon Tournament winners.
5) One of the best womens team in the world. ranked as high as 2nd (currently 4th)

6) Mens senior team in current world cup semi final.

[DracoM]

But if that Russian defence goes on like it did to let in the Croatian goal.............? I mean, heck as like!

[Lat-Literal]

Wow - stunning Cheryshev strike, yet another G-o-t-T contender - half-time, 1-1 ... very evenly matched despite Croatia's obviously greater innate talents (look at their squad - almost as studded as Belgium...). but that Russian crowd is almost an extra player... not sure who would be toughest, the Croatian footballing giftedness or that raucous red army of support... Cheryshev can turn a game in a second.... despite the pleasure in watching them, sometimes I doubt if Croatia truly madly want it, you know?

Some England stats.

1) Current under 20 world champions.
2) Current under 17 world champions.
3) Current under 19 Euro champions.
4) 2017 Toulon Tournament winners.
5) One of the best womens team in the world. ranked as high as 2nd (currently 4th)

6) Mens senior team in current world cup semi final.

Wow.

Thanks Jayne...I'm loving those facts which I hadn't heard before.

I've done me farewell Sweden - Agnetha perfection; just imagine the heights had she never been in Abba - and will join it now.

England can beat Russia.

[teamsaint]

You do realise that the Undertones weren't English?

However, I applaud your memory of music equals football.

When I was in the thick of things one song that seemed to capture the feel on what was then the Finsbury Park Tavern jukebox was also not English. Spendid bombed out, slightly off tune vocal and seemingly irrelevant lyric but I get it now. "The World Seems So Alive" - a sort of present feeling interpreted among the crowd as the past. Now it's all Ariane Grande et al. Good luck to 'em but it's the wrong kind of scuzz. Too Bedroomish. Not spiritually or environmentally atmospheric. Anyhow, no hand of god and going for gold with Pickford's finger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQV1gGuGGok

Incidentally, we had no idea then they would come up with an album that was an indie Rodgers and Hammerstein with a touch of Disney classic. That, I guess, was Charlotte Hatherley's doing although it could easily have been Paddy McAloon. Ludicrously underrated - and wherever the bands hail from, it's now time for the Beeb to get their anthems out for the "Dads":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhM9oRDPLpI

Yes, I had spotted the Irishness of one of my fave bands , Lat !!

Just to add, that this isn’t the best group of English players ever. And expectations of the team these days aren’t sky high. But the way they have gone about their business has been so engaging, ,
and it is the way they have done things that brings them credit, rather than just the winning of the games.
just IMO, obviously.

Missed most of the first half of the evening game due to a slight beer or two with friends, but that was some strike. Wallop.

[teamsaint]

Frankly wouldn't fancy England's chances agaist EITHER of these two after the turgid Swedish miasma. Crickey!

You’re a hard taskmaster, Dracs.

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes, I had spotted the Irishness of one of my fave bands , Lat !!

Just to add, that this isn’t the best group of English players ever. And expectations of the team these days aren’t sky high. But the way they have gone about their business has been so engaging, ,
and it is the way they have done things that brings them credit, rather than just the winning of the games.
just IMO, obviously.

Missed most of the first half of the evening game due to a slight beer or two with friends, but that was some strike. Wallop.

Absolutely. They did the job well, kept controlled, kept their heads in that always-worrying injury time...
When Gerard Houllier was in his treble-winning season at Liverpool, he said something like "as long as you're together, you have a chance"..

Belief and spirit aren't everything, but without them.... and they make it a joy to support, and believe in your team, yourself... (until the match starts and the agony and the ecstasy begins..

***
G-o-t-T?
4 come to mind off-the-top-of: Nacho (v Portugal); Pavard (v Argentina); De Bruyne (v Brazil); and just now (!) Cheryshev (v Croatia)...

[Lat-Literal]

Yes, I had spotted the Irishness of one of my fave bands , Lat !!

Just to add, that this isn’t the best group of English players ever. And expectations of the team these days aren’t sky high. But the way they have gone about their business has been so engaging, ,
and it is the way they have done things that brings them credit, rather than just the winning of the games.
just IMO, obviously.

Missed most of the first half of the evening game due to a slight beer or two with friends, but that was some strike. Wallop.

Yes.

I did it all on tea.

I'm having a beer or two now with my friends on the forum and post-realism concepts.

It feels safer than Boxpark and less hemmed in than Brighton beach cinerama.