International break including WC playoffs (15 Viewers)
- Thread starter Evo1883
- Start date
I would rather have celebrated a World Cup win and a European Championship, but each to their own.
Nah - would always rather have the actual trophies than participation trophies.
I mean, it’s getting a bit silly to go back that far, but if you’re talking just World Cups then Uruguay have a better record than England (more appearances in the final, plus more semi-finals). So unless you have a particular fetish for being knocked out in the QFs, then probably?
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
The world is going to be wanting a Ukraine win.Good win for Wales then lads yes
Think they will beat whoever they face from Scotland and Ukraine at home tbh
Would be good to see Wales in a WC and see how they get on without a powderpuff group stage.
Evo1883
Well-Known Member
I want the Welsh to do it , if not them then the jocks
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
I think it's saying wouldn't it have been nicer to have been European and World Champions in the recent past and missed out on getting to the tournament this time. If we end up not winning it (and we don't tend to do well when a tournament is outside Europe) then it's just another let down and I'd rather not qualify for the occassional tournament if we actually won the odd one we did instead. It stops us papering over cracks too - if we keep qualifying they can keep pretending everything is fine.
We still have people going on about winning it over 50 years ago and we still remember the FA Cup win 35 years ago. I doubt we'd have such fond memories of a plethora of losing finalist or semi-final experiences.
But of course I'm looking forward to it and hoping we bring the trophy back.
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
That's the most tenuous attempt you've made to be right yet.
A criteria for qualifying for the tournament was being the current holders. So according to the rules we qualified.
As the top teams enter the FA Cup in the 1st/3rd rounds, I assume that as they've not had to do the qualifying or pre-qualifying rounds they didn't actually even qualify for the tournaments that they won.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
hardly tenous from 1962 to 1982 we did not go through the fan experience of qualification
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
So? We got the fan experience of being at the actual tournament. Know which I'd prefer.
Give how we utterly failed at qualifying in the 70's do you think that 'fan experience' was good? Rather than losing to the likes of Brazil and Argentina in the finals we could lose to Poland in qualifying. That feels so much better. 1978 we failed on goal difference to Italy, who ended up fourth.
Oh, and both of those tournaments were won by the host nations, who didn't qualify either. I bet they're gutted they missed out on the experience. Just like how I feel our win in '66 has always been tarnished by the fact we didn't have to go through the qualification round.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
what on earth are you droning on about?
so again you’d rather be Uruguayan would you?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Bur we didn't win a league title because the season was curtailed before it finished...
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Whataboutery again,
Uruguay has nothing to do with this. Italy won the Euros a year ago. Let's say we don't win the World Cup. Would you prefer to be Italy who won the Euros and didn't win the World Cup or England who didn't win either the Euro's or the World Cup?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
lol do you think if England had won the euros and lost to Macedonia in the way Italy did and fail for two times in a row ti qualify for the biggest football occasion in the world oriole would t be screaming for the managers head and demanding changes in the structure of football in the country?
im sure Italians don’t care as they won the euros
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
As much as a punch in the gut losing that final as it was an incredible month going out and watching the games with friends. I wouldn’t give that up for anything and am happy that we’ve done it twice in a few years instead of never bothering.
Picking a successful country and comparing them is just another stick to beat England with.
May as well say would you rather be a Romania fan.
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Otis
Well-Known Member
Anyone watching England U21's tonight?
Should have had a penalty and it really pees me off.
Pull back of the shirt in the penalty box. Clear as day, but just a little pull.
Anywhere else on the pitch and it is a foul every single time. Because it's in the penalty box, not given.
At times it's like it has to be a worse foul in the penalty area before a foul is given.
A foul is a foul.
Should have had a penalty and it really pees me off.
Pull back of the shirt in the penalty box. Clear as day, but just a little pull.
Anywhere else on the pitch and it is a foul every single time. Because it's in the penalty box, not given.
At times it's like it has to be a worse foul in the penalty area before a foul is given.
A foul is a foul.
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
So what if we'd be screaming for the managers head and demanding changes? Maybe it's what would be needed. If you qualify for every tournament and then do nothing you just end up doing the same thing again and again and excusing the lack of trophies because at least we qualified. I don't know about you but I'm fed up of qualifying for tournaments only to then not win them.lol do you think if England had won the euros and lost to Macedonia in the way Italy did and fail for two times in a row ti qualify for the biggest football occasion in the world oriole would t be screaming for the managers head and demanding changes in the structure of football in the country?
im sure Italians don’t care as they won the euros
And in a decade or two do you think Italy will care more about winning the tournament or that they failed to qualify for the next one? How much do people talk about not getting to 1974 and 1978 compared to winning in 1966?
If they qualify and win for 2026/2030 do you think they'll care they missed out this time?
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
I would. For winning them. And I bet you would too. I bet the worst part of that month was when we lost the final. Imagine if it'd had culminated in actually winning the trophy instead.
Why was it an incredible month? Would it have been so incredible had we limped out in the group stage? Why we're you getting exited about if you're not bothered if we win or not? Do you know what made it enjoyable? Winning. If we're going to go to the competitions not bothered if we win them or not, why be bothered if we qualify for them at all in the first place?
I thought the point was Italy weren't being successful, as they've failed to qualify for two World Cups in a row? Hence why it's far better to be us than them.
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
If it was a choice of having that month once every two years and falling short or once every two decades and winning I’d take the former.
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Were we automatically qualified for 1970?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
and 66
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Strange thing about England not qualifying for world cups in the 70s was the way it dominated club European competition in that decade
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. I take the latter.
Think how special that one month would be though having not qualified for a while and then winning the tournament. Be greater than ultimately being let down every couple of years.
Liquid Gold
Well-Known Member
A lot of that was Scottish players though wasn’t it?
Surprising they never did anything at a World Cup in that era.
