Biggest winners of the tournament

[Martin Alvito]

Cheating was the biggest winner. Seems to have become accepted and normalised too.

Did you ever see Simeone play?

It's been that way for a very long time. I've been using the Suarez handball in the 2010 WC quarterfinal against Ghana as a game theory example ever since - the rules dictate that you cheat and pay the price, because otherwise they lose with near certainty.

I find soccer becomes more enjoyable if you just accept the thesis that the rules are set up to engender controversy rather than arrive at the 'fair' winner.

 

[turner]

This is not just any football forum; this is a football content award winning football forum.

Sure its a good football forum, hell it's even been a great no-questions-asked hook up site for me in the past (@Bungle ) but it will never be truly great until each of us can have those three hundred word descriptions that read like neurodivergent poetry like they do on RAWK (I have copied the first one I saw here for your enjoyment) :

• I before E, except in Dalglish. Thumbs down for thumbs up! Premature ejaculator in the post-match whopper circle jerk. Might be the Rupert Pupkin to Neil Atkinson's Jerry Langford. Wants to know who did this, but may never find out.

 

[PhilM]

Sure its a good football forum, hell it's even been a great no-questions-asked hook up site for me in the past (@Bungle ) but it will never be truly great until each of us can have those three hundred word descriptions that read like neurodivergent poetry like they do on RAWK (I have copied the first one I saw here for your enjoyment) :

• I before E, except in Dalglish. Thumbs down for thumbs up! Premature ejaculator in the post-match whopper circle jerk. Might be the Rupert Pupkin to Neil Atkinson's Jerry Langford. Wants to know who did this, but may never find out.

 

[PaddyJames]

Chiellini.

 

[chrismpw]

Did you ever see Simeone play?

It's been that way for a very long time. I've been using the Suarez handball in the 2010 WC quarterfinal against Ghana as a game theory example ever since - the rules dictate that you cheat and pay the price, because otherwise they lose with near certainty.

I find soccer becomes more enjoyable if you just accept the thesis that the rules are set up to engender controversy rather than arrive at the 'fair' winner.

I saw Simeone, I saw the Maradona hand ball and I watch Peru go at Scotland like a combine harvester. The difference is that in the past commentators and fans were equally appalled. Then the pundits came and started telling us to accept cheating and like sheep the fans followed. Now I find myself being one if the few who find the cheating abhorrent.

Let's remember that when the beautiful game was created it was considered bad form even to defend.

The game and its followers have accepted it becoming sewer. In all honesty if this is to stay in modern football I'm out.

 

[tim gabbott]

@chicoazul for all your great threads

 

[chicoazul]

@chicoazul for all your great threads

You bad bad liar T. Insult me at once please.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

A shout out for the refs as they were perhaps as lenient as I can ever remember in a major tournament and the games were better as a result.

 

[barneygumble]

A shout out for the refs as they were perhaps as lenient as I can ever remember in a major tournament and the games were better as a result.

Unless you’re Wales

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Unless you’re Wales lol

 

[BlueStevie35]

A shout out for the refs as they were perhaps as lenient as I can ever remember in a major tournament and the games were better as a result.

Even made Oliver and Taylor step up their games, let’s hope they keep that standard up when back on PL duty

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Two are @Jamo Martinez and @Billy Dean - two good lads who got sucked into the "England fans have changed" spin.

As said, I feel sorry for them and others here who genuinly took a pride in the team and wanted to believe the payers and manager represented somethng better than the usual muck that the national team throws up as support.

I can't speak for anyone else really (though I have my impressions). However I can categorically confirm that I've never thought ''England fans have changed''. I'm well aware of the scum element within the England fan base. I'm also aware (as you are) that not everyone who follows the fortunes of the English national team with varying degrees of enthusiasm is racist, homophobic or inclined toward drunken loutish behaviour. That has always been the case. Nothing has changed
And no. It's not a majority. However stubbornly you insist on spinning it. And yes, I know the muslim women in the pub are an even smaller minority. We've been through that.

Are the members of that (racist, homophobic, inclined to drunken loutish behaviour) minority a loud, incredibly harmful blight on our society? Of course they bloody well are. I detest them, I'm ashamed of them and I genuinely wish bad things on them.

What you don't see on TV are the thousands of well behaved, well adjusted, civilised people who watch the match and enjoy it if the team they're rooting for (the English men's national football team in this case), win but cause no problem for others if they lose.

As for taking pride in the team, You're mistaken again in my case. I take pleasure (or some measure of disappointment) from the exploits of any football team I follow.

And finally, if you don't think that repeatedly denouncing racism; insisting on taking the knee despite the boos and backlash; running a successful campaign for free school meals and donating money to food banks and the teams' winnings from the tournament to the NHS, represent something better than 'the usual muck the national team throws up as support', I feel sorry for you.

 

[Kurt.]

The people who stole Lando Norris’ watch

Heroes aren’t they

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Back on topic.

Biggest winner? - Corona Virus probably.

 

[Bohemian Toffee]

Patrik Schick, continuing the fine tradition of a decent Czech player having a storming tournament and looking like a world beater for a few games.

The torch of Poborsky is ready to passed on completion of your big money move to the premier league.