Reasons to support the Europeans

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Those of us from small European football nations who have trouble qualifying for the World Cup should be encouraged by results to far.  Qualification places are allocated based on performance at previous tournaments, and so far, this has been a great tournament for Europe.

Five European teams have won and only one, reigning champions Germany, have lost.  Croatia got the better of Nigeria, one of Africa’s powerhouses, while Denmark and Serbia edged Peru and Costa Rica.

The draws involving European teams are probably more impressive.  Iceland matched Argentina while Switzerland drew level with Brazil last night.  Mikael Lustig’s Sweden take on South Korea this afternoon, before Dedryck Boyata’s Belgium face Panama.  Tunisia will be hoping to take something from England tonight to prevent a fourth consecutive defeat for African nations.

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318 Comments

  1. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    VFR. 1114

     

     

    I see that my example of an aphorism has been deleted.

     

     

    Since the comment was merely an example of such,”The huns are deid!” and is deemed to be unsuitable to the point of deletion,I have to ask wtf the moderators think they are playing at?

  2. HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE on 18TH JUNE 2018 5:45 PM

     

     

    Lawrenson is an insufferable bore, has been for years, gives the impression he doesn’t like football………….. but for me Hoddle is still the worst.

  3. GreeninbingleyinOslo on

    Three lovely goals. Always had a soft spot for the Belgians since the buccaneering days of the 80s when they had the likes of Vercauteren, Scifo, Ceulemans, and that loony Pfaff in goals.

     

     

    Not convinced by this vintage – a collection of very talented players for sure, but a team?

     

     

    Hope they go far though.

  4. One of the Toronto news channels discussing African teams in the WC mentioned that Tunisia is playing britain next lol. Aye yer right, we’re Scottish or Irish no brits.

  5. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    TWISTSNTURNS

     

     

    Thanks for pointing that out to me,bud. I might feel like a total prat as a result of VFR reposting his word of the day-it’s HIS fault,honest!-but at least it offers me the opportunity to

     

     

    GROVELLINGLY APOLOGISE TO THE MODS FOR A VILE SLUR ON THEIR CHARACTER!!!

     

     

    Hangs head…

  6. Paul67 et al

     

     

    Once upon a time commentators, Moore, Wolstenholme, Whoosh etc, used to enhance the game. Analysts too, from Dougan, Crerand, Clough and Allison enlivened the breaks and the post-match discussion, O’Neill and Hansen a good match up. Lawrenson is the idiot’s idiot commentator, whilst Danny Murphy brings all the enthusiasm of the undertaker to whichever role he plays, and a poor shadow compared to some I have named before. How the BBC and ITV get away with this standard is beyond me, no place for professionals, only rank amateurs.

  7. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    HUNDERBIRDSAREGONE

     

     

    Fortunately you can press the red button for the BBC and listen to R5 commentary instead of Lawrenson.

     

     

    Highly recommended.

  8. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    Any lingering doubts I had about my ABE stance have just been blown out the water by a shocking forest three minutes of BBC coverage.

     

     

    What an utter embarrassment.

  9. !!BADA BING!! on 18TH JUNE 2018 6:14 PM

     

    Rumour Bagwash in Spain for STV to watch the huns training….seriously?

     

    _________________

     

    Just seen that. A lengthy piece with interviews of Gerrard and Docherty. One good bit of news was that Sevco are interested in bringing Jason Cummings back. Please do.

  10. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Wonder what the BBC will do at half-time in the England game. There won’t be anyone at the England camp to go to…..

  11. Yes, STV’s sports coverage just got totally embarrassing. They had the cheek to tell us we will have more tomorrow evening. They actually sent their main sports presenter to Spain to report on the deid team’s preseason training. Sad.

  12. mike in toronto on

    Starry

     

     

    Apparently, the nickname for the Tunisian team is the “Eagles of Carthage’…

     

     

    ‘Come on you … Eagles of Carthage’ …

     

     

    doesn’t quite roll off the tongue,though…

  13. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Danny Murphy is a poor co-commentator but actually a pretty decent analyst.

     

    Can’t be doing with Hoddle, Wright or Phil Neville. And Jenas can be a bit irritating.

     

    Don’t mind Dixon or Upson. Bilic is probably the best.

  14. I remember the day that, Alan Thompson scored a penalty into the huns end net at ibrokes, was on one of MO’N’s beach ball Sunday’s, seen it again at night time after the game, and it was on the BBC Scotland wi, Dougie Donnelly and “wiggy” Smith, and big Paul Elliot.

     

    After the game, as it was also being screened on the “national” BBC 1, big Mark Lawrenson was brought in to discuss the game, and when he got to the penalty issue, big ML said “It was a stonewall penalty, even in this place (meaning inside ibrokes). ”

     

    The look on, Donnelly and Smith’s face’s, added to another brilliant MO’N hunskelping day, back in the days when we were a big club, punching above our weight, at home, and in Europe, we had cojones on the pitch, and more importantly, in the dugout. Magical.

     

    Anywye,……HH

     

    ………oot.

     

    Zzzzzzzzzz

  15. mike in toronto on

    I hope I dont jink this, but that is the poorest england squad that I can remember ….only Kane is truly international class… rest are dead average…

  16. The Sevco STV media partnership still clearly in operation despite Sevco being a new club, Bagwash is one annoying individual, remember down at the Cathedral in Seville interviewing some Celtic supporters outside an Irish Bar, most striking thing about him was the size of his feet.

  17. Nice BBC fantasy fictional compilation about England winning the World Cup in 2018.

     

     

    Completely eradicated my ambivalence towards them this World Cup.

     

     

    Hope they get absolutely savaged.

     

     

    ‘Mon the Tunafish.

  18. I have nothing against the English Percy but I hope they get scudded every time they play, their press have to be the worst in football, from the expectation of their whites team winning the thing to the predictable savaging of their manager when they don’t!

  19. PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 18TH JUNE 2018 6:29 PM

     

    Yes, STV’s sports coverage just got totally embarrassing. They had the cheek to tell us we will have more tomorrow evening. They actually sent their main sports presenter to Spain to report on the deid team’s preseason training. Sad.

     

    —————-

     

    It’s not as if there’s any real football news just now though.

     

     

    Laughing at the footage there showing the England players fighting off the midges. Some Scottish geezer must have smuggled them in.