England could win this world cup.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:12 pm

looking at the groups seems an easy route to round two, we just need to beat colombia or poland and 1/4 final is next stop.
From there we have as good a chance as anyone of winning it .
The average age of the so called bigger teams appears to be around 48 year old, so we have youth on our side too.

taio · Post by **taio** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:18 pm

Nah. Mind you if the average age of the favourites is 48 then who knows.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:19 pm

Another “we can win the WC thread” please delete as completely delusional

Vegas Claret · Post by **Vegas Claret** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:22 pm

I agree 100%, we could win if somehow
France, Peru, Denmark, Australia, Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria, Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea, Belgium,Tunisia, Panama,Poland, Colombia, Senegal, Japan are all denied entry and Russia are banned

4:20 · Post by **4:20** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:24 pm

This summer is going to be magical.....and even if it doesn't turn out that way, I still had the time when I imagined it was.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:27 pm

I looked at the possible route a while back and I still can't see us making it past the Quarter Finals.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:32 pm

the biggest battles are usually fighting the way through group phase matches, as we have nobody to beat i there, qualification is all but guaranteed.
the 1/4 finals are big pressure games for anyone, and england will be through the embarrassing exit stage by then too.
so, confidence will be sky high.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:38 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:the biggest battles are usually fighting the way through group phase matches, as we have nobody to beat i there, qualification is all but guaranteed.
the 1/4 finals are big pressure games for anyone, and england will be through the embarrassing exit stage by then too.
so, confidence will be sky high.

it’s a cracker.

KRBFC · Post by **KRBFC** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:39 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:the biggest battles are usually fighting the way through group phase matches, as we have nobody to beat i there, qualification is all but guaranteed.
the 1/4 finals are big pressure games for anyone, and england will be through the embarrassing exit stage by then too.
so, confidence will be sky high.

Are we not in the same group as Belgium? England have only won 6 knockout games in 50 years at major tournaments.....

JohnDearyMe · Post by **JohnDearyMe** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:40 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:the biggest battles are usually fighting the way through group phase matches, as we have nobody to beat i there, qualification is all but guaranteed.
the 1/4 finals are big pressure games for anyone, and england will be through the embarrassing exit stage by then too.
so, confidence will be sky high.

Have you forgotten how abysmal England have been in our recent group matches in the World Cup? I wouldn't take progression to the knock out phase for granted

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:43 pm

no i havent forgotten belgium, but as two teams go through, then I considered both us and them, hence the either or games with colombia or poland in the second phase.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:08 pm

Can I be the first to nominate WEC as optimistic of the year 2018.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:16 pm

if i understood betting odds, I would be tempted, but I had a look and it was a jumble of meaningless fractions , I hadn't a clue.

Diesel · Post by **Diesel** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:18 pm

If Harry Kane plays to his potential then who knows, the problem is, is that he will be shite.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:19 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:if i understood betting odds, I would be tempted, but I had a look and it was a jumble of meaningless fractions , I hadn't a clue.

In a way that’s good as I wouldn’t like to see anyone on here loose money.

Tall Paul · Post by **Tall Paul** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:19 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:if i understood betting odds, I would be tempted, but I had a look and it was a jumble of meaningless fractions , I hadn't a clue.

I can explain. You can get 18/1 on England to win, that means if you put a tenner on it, you'll lose a tenner.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:21 pm

Tall Paul wrote:I can explain. You can get 18/1 on England to win, that means if you put a tenner on it, you'll lose a tenner.

Another cracker

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:25 pm

Haha !

piston broke · Post by **piston broke** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:35 pm

KRBFC wrote:Are we not in the same group as Belgium? England have only won 6 knockout games in 50 years at major tournaments.....

As you are being statistical how many have we lost? Excluding penalty shoot outs.

dushanbe · Post by **dushanbe** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:03 pm

I don’t understand the negativity about England. I fancy us to get it the quarters and then it’s a lottery.

They are good players and Southgate appears to have them playing in a system that means they can grind out results, although I wouldn’t expect us to spank anyone, equally I can’t see us getting spanked.

We’ve got that ingredient that all teams need - a goal scorer and it’s a month of football, anything can happen.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:07 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:if i understood betting odds, I would be tempted, but I had a look and it was a jumble of meaningless fractions , I hadn't a clue.

The last time I looked we were 12-1. Which means if you bet £100, you'll lose £100.

bartonscigar · Post by **bartonscigar** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:09 pm

we only have to play poland or columbia he says. ICELAND beat us end of conversation

dushanbe · Post by **dushanbe** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:11 pm

bartonscigar wrote:we only have to play poland or columbia he says. ICELAND beat us end of conversation

Based on that, why is anyone bothering? The cup should just be given to Germany as they won it last time. Would save a lot of effort all round

bartonscigar · Post by **bartonscigar** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:14 pm

That is not what im getting at. I think its pretty obvious what im saying with my remark.

ClaretAndJew · Post by **ClaretAndJew** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:15 pm

piston broke wrote:As you are being statistical how many have we lost? Excluding penalty shoot outs.

3 without penalties

8 in total

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:18 pm

iceland beat another england , not this current crop of internationals.

ClaretAndJew · Post by **ClaretAndJew** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:19 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:iceland beat another england , not this current crop of internationals.

1Hart
2Walker
5Cahill
6Smalling
3Rose
20Alli
17DierSubstituted forWilshereat 45'minutes
10RooneySubstituted forRashfordat 86'minutes
15SturridgeBooked at 47mins
9Kane
7SterlingSubstituted forVardyat 60'minutes

Not a massive difference

paulus the woodgnome · Post by **paulus the woodgnome** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:30 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:looking at the groups seems an easy route to round two, we just need to beat colombia or poland and 1/4 final is next stop.
From there we have as good a chance as anyone of winning it .
The average age of the so called bigger teams appears to be around 48 year old, so we have youth on our side too.

No, no we don't.

barba · Post by **barba** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:31 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:no i havent forgotten belgium, but as two teams go through, then I considered both us and them, hence the either or games with colombia or poland in the second phase.

Tunisia may not be a pushover. Looked very good against Turkey and Portugal.

Naim Sliti and Wahbi Khazri could cause us real problems but the loss of their talisman Youssef Msakni with a cruciate injury is a huge blow for them.

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:39 pm

I don't think our defence is good enough to come close to winning it. They all have a game-losing mistake in them against better sides.

Diesel · Post by **Diesel** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:41 pm

Looks like Trippier is going to play a big part, his obvious threat from crosses aside, looks like he's on all deadball duties which straight away is a massive improvement on the last tournament where Kane was trying to get on the end of his own corners.

I'm hopefully optimistic, would have been more so had our Tom not been injured and made the goalkeeper position his own as I believe he is the best, most consistent English keeper since David Seaman.

barba · Post by **barba** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:43 pm

FactualFrank wrote:I don't think our defence is good enough to come close to winning it. They all have a game-losing mistake in them against better sides.

Have to agree but considering we have one of the youngest squads and youth who have winning experience coming through I'll be far more optimistic in 4/8 years time.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:44 pm

tunisia definately wont be the team causing problems for england, they're on a par with accy stanley internationally.

barba · Post by **barba** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 5:51 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:tunisia definately wont be the team causing problems for england, they're on a par with accy stanley internationally.

Nigeria caused problems for England and they are one to the lowest ranked African teams.

Why would the highest ranked African team also not cause us problems?

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:04 pm

barba wrote:Nigeria caused problems for England and they are one to the lowest ranked African teams.

Why would the highest ranked African team also not cause us problems?

because the nigerian game was a lacklustre friendly.

Im_not_Robbie_Blake · Post by **Im_not_Robbie_Blake** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:04 pm

Our defence has never been tested - are they up to the task? (not sure about Walker and Pickford, and Stones can blow hot and cold).
Our midfield is mediocre - no-one stands out as a 'midfield general' a la Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes (should Shelvey have been there?)
Our strike force looks really good though.

Opinions, opinions, opinions

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:05 pm

And my gran could rise from the grave

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:35 pm

IN CHANCE A NOT HELLS CAT.

Claret eze · Post by **Claret eze** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:03 pm

Lincoln beat Burnley.England can beat anyone on the day.trotting out losing to Iceland is ludicrous.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:09 pm

As we dont have slow witted Joe Hart between the posts, that in itself is a bonus, the addition of tripps in the squad gives the team and added dimension they were lacking previously. Kane is bang on form and a real threat. I wouldnt like to face england if I were a german manager or brazilian. No Italy to bother about this time around either.spain are a spent force, as to are france. I think this could be the year .

willsclarets · Post by **willsclarets** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:17 pm

The idea that it's a lottery in the knockout states is just not true.
It's the midfield I see being a problem, even with scholes, lampard, Beckham, Gerrard etc we could never control a game. We will be looking to a combination of dier and or Henderson, and we simply won't have enough of the ball. Look at France or Germany's midfield options, it's an embarrassment of riches.
But I'm not being too critical, I like what Southgate is doing and how he's set us up. I'll be delighted if get to the quarters. Just looking forward to a world cup summer!

UpTheClaretsFCBK · Post by **UpTheClaretsFCBK** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:22 pm

Quarters would be great.

Lose to Germany on penalties, just how we like it.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:23 pm

if southgate can improve on his predecessors (and that won't take much) then the team will be confident, just do enough to keep the rabid, illiterate , **** , vermin, tabloid hacks off his back, and they can begin to play with flair a bit more. england can be dangerous, players like vardy wont be put off by reputations of german team, he couldnt care less. This will be his one chance to shine on this stage, he and others will relish it.

JohnMac · Post by **JohnMac** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:28 pm

Eeeee I remember watching the '66 final and thinking England would rule the world forever. Had they beaten Germany in Mexico (2-0 became 2-3) they may have shown more against Brazil than Italy did and made it even greater than it was.

Japebe43 · Post by **Japebe43** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:29 pm

Brazil will win this world cup IMO.

Japebe43 · Post by **Japebe43** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:31 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:if southgate can improve on his predecessors (and that won't take much) then the team will be confident, just do enough to keep the rabid, illiterate , **** , vermin, tabloid hacks off his back, and they can begin to play with flair a bit more. england can be dangerous, players like vardy wont be put off by reputations of german team, he couldnt care less. This will be his one chance to shine on this stage, he and others will relish it.

I think rashford is key. His lack of playing time this season has worked in England's favour. He's the freshest player in the squad.

Wile E Coyote · Post by **Wile E Coyote** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:34 pm

brazil, the samba kings eh ? 7-1 versus germany , and on brazilian home turf. Embarrassing beyond belief.

Japebe43 · Post by **Japebe43** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:39 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:brazil, the samba kings eh ? 7-1 versus germany , and on brazilian home turf. Embarrassing beyond belief.

Its amazing how quick they can turn around from poor to brilliant. They've done it before.

They are my tip anyway.

KRBFC · Post by **KRBFC** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:56 pm

Wile E Coyote wrote:As we dont have slow witted Joe Hart between the posts, that in itself is a bonus, the addition of tripps in the squad gives the team and added dimension they were lacking previously. Kane is bang on form and a real threat. I wouldnt like to face england if I were a german manager or brazilian. No Italy to bother about this time around either.spain are a spent force, as to are france. I think this could be the year .

France are a spent force? they have a scary young side, quality allover the place they even left Lacazette and Martial at home. The current England side is the worst group of players I've ever seen play for England.

Apart from Kyle Walker and Kane I don't think there's a single English player who would start for France.

Diesel · Post by **Diesel** » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:57 pm

Southgate isn't stupid, watch him use Rashford and Loftus-Cheek as the tournament progresses, this is a bit thick and perhaps why I only managed at championship level but I would have taken Peter Crouch for 'that' option.