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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 18:19 12 Jul 2026
Yeah. Kelly's not really a 'Soccer Guy' so fudges/misreads the details sometimes.
I think his overall point stands though. The big stars get the calls and the media attention plus the crowd can't help but influence the way the way the game is managed.
It's coincidental, but relevant, that Antonio Rattin passed away yesterday. That Argentina/England match in '66 was, I believe, a classic example of unconscious bias on the part of the referee, or so it seemed to me at time. It was a blistering hot day. Both teams were playing nasty and the crowd was getting really ugly. IMHO the German ref, probably unconsciously, played the odds by sending off Rattin in order lower the overall temperature. It's technically wrong but in the circumstances understandable if not forgiveable. [Post edited 12 Jul 18:23]
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Reply | England Thread 🏴
at 23:05 11 Jul 2026
Yup. They should have better bench depth than Norway, and that'll count in the heat. |
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Reply | Summer transfer rumours 2026
at 16:22 11 Jul 2026
I've wondered about a Madsen/Chair midfield combo too.
Main downsides I can see are that both of them play on the left, also a two man midfield would have to cover a lot of ground. Illy could manage that I think, but Madsen is slower than a wet week in Bridlington so I think his game would likely suffer. A third midfielder on the right could make it work though. Like Vale perhaps? |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 22:32 10 Jul 2026
Good game but, barring something unexpected, you always knew Spain would take it. Felt bad for Courtois and de Bruyne going off injured. The latter clearly shouldn't have been playing as he was little more than a space filler, but how could you leave him out? |
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Reply | England Thread 🏴
at 15:50 8 Jul 2026
No one gets to the QF's of the World Cup with one or two generational stars and a bunch of journeymen. Thinking that way is a recipe for disaster. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 02:27 7 Jul 2026
He looks like the assistant head-master at third rate private boys school.
3-1 Belgium. Major cock-up by U.S. keeper. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 18:22 6 Jul 2026
Weasel words from Infantino:
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday defended his organization’s decision to defer U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension ahead of the Monday World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” Infantino said in a statement posted on X. “I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”
On Sunday, FIFA announced that its disciplinary committee suspended the red card that Balogun received during the U.S. game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he had called Infantino to lobby for the suspension to be lifted, though the president insisted that “all I did was ask for a review,” and “I didn’t say that you have to do this.”
Infantino acknowledged discussing Balogun’s suspension with Trump but said he explained the “ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies” to the U.S. president.
Infantino added that “respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.” |
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Reply | England Thread 🏴
at 16:33 6 Jul 2026
Honestly didn't know who half the team were beforehand, but I do now.
Me too. 'Cos I don't watch the Premier League. But who could not be impressed by that performance? Emotionally it seemed like they were battling most of the population of Mexico, and FIFA's faceless computer nerds as well as eleven players. The penalty award had me fuming to point of incoherence (see somewhere above.) But it turned into a match for the ages without a doubt. Nice. Very nice! |
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Reply | England Thread 🏴
at 04:09 6 Jul 2026
An incredible, awful, awesome, attritional game of football. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 03:37 6 Jul 2026
What a farce this match is turning into. Why not just subtract the number of 'fouls' from the team that complains the loudest and give the game to them |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 02:58 6 Jul 2026
Hard to see how Mexico hadn't conceded a goal before tonight. Bellingham's were both well taken, but not exceptional and could have been defended. Second half should be good. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 20:15 4 Jul 2026
Yeah. We're very naive compared to most other footballing nations, and it showed today. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 18:59 4 Jul 2026
Probably our best half of the tournament so far, but no end product yet. Statistically Maroc have had 65% possession apparently, which just feels wrong. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 17:59 4 Jul 2026
So — barring the most unlikely result in the tournament so far — we're about to bid farewell to our boys from the Great White North. |
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Reply | The ultimate World Cup thread
at 04:15 3 Jul 2026
It isn't so much VAR, per se, I object to it's the way it's applied. The appeal should come from the oppo bench, not some faceless dudes sitting in front of screens somewhere. There should also be a limit to the number of appeals, and — most importantly — if they're wrong then there's a penalty, eg: losing a substitution. |
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