Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

If England Had Qualified For The 1974 and 1978 World Cups

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #26
    Originally posted by 3 Colours Red View Post
    They would have just paid off the ref to give them a dodgy penalty or something.
    The ball mightn't even have made it that far back up the pitch.

    Comment


      #27
      Had england qualified for the 74 and 78 world cups they likely would have gone there with a highly rated team, which would have played as though it were less than the sum of its parts, and gone out to the first half decent team they played.

      Comment


        #28
        Originally posted by The Awesome Berbaslug!!! View Post
        Had england qualified for the 74 and 78 world cups they likely would have gone there with a highly rated team, which would have played as though it were less than the sum of its parts, and gone out to the first half decent team they played.
        Same as every world cup then? Are France in 82 the last decent side England beat in the finals tournament?

        Comment


          #29
          Originally posted by Foot of Astaire's View Post

          Same as every world cup then? Are France in 82 the last decent side England beat in the finals tournament?
          Belgium 90?

          Comment


            #30
            Their not qualifying meant that I grew up without having that awfulness that accompanies England being in major tournaments. Which made it more of a crushing blow later on when it did happen, of course. So, swings and roundabouts. Always better if England aren't there, for sure. But which years? Not sure it matters much.

            Comment


              #31
              Originally posted by ad hoc View Post

              Belgium 90?
              Belgium were well on the slide by then. They were more an early part of the 80's team. They finished third in our euro 88 qualification group. The dirty cheating matchfixing bastards.

              Cameroon were a good team, certainly by the standards of italia 90

              Comment


                #32
                Originally posted by TonTon View Post
                Their not qualifying meant that I grew up without having that awfulness that accompanies England being in major tournaments.
                I'm the same age as TonTon and had no real interest in international football as a child - to the extent that I didn't actually realise that most teams had to qualify for tournaments. I assumed England weren't at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups because somebody - the government, the Queen, whoever - had picked Scotland to go instead.

                Comment


                  #33
                  Originally posted by Foot of Astaire's View Post
                  Same as every world cup then? Are France in 82 the last decent side England beat in the finals tournament?
                  Argentina in 2002? I mean, they were nowhere near their best but they were still a supposed 'power' - the group itself very much seen as the toughest in the tournament. (Nigeria were of course hugely disappointing compared to 1994 and 1998.)

                  Comment


                    #34
                    Originally posted by The Awesome Berbaslug!!! View Post

                    Belgium were well on the slide by then. They were more an early part of the 80's team. They finished third in our euro 88 qualification group. The dirty cheating matchfixing bastard
                    Just to be clear, Berba is claiming the Belgians cheated in WC 1982 Qualifying, not that for Euro 88

                    Comment


                      #35
                      Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View Post

                      Just to be clear, Berba is claiming the Belgians cheated in WC 1982 Qualifying, not that for Euro 88
                      I watched the super extended highlights of belgium 4-3 ussr recently. Some of the refereeing in that game was eccentric to say the least

                      Comment


                        #36
                        Originally posted by Jah Womble View Post
                        Argentina in 2002? I mean, they were nowhere near their best but they were still a supposed 'power' - the group itself very much seen as the toughest in the tournament. (Nigeria were of course hugely disappointing compared to 1994 and 1998.)
                        Yeah, I did think a case could be made for them and Cameroon in 1990, as being decent teams although neither had the potential to go on and win it themselves.

                        Comment


                          #37
                          Cameroon's 1990 performances all came as a complete surprise, however.

                          Comment


                            #38
                            I hope this doesn't imply I'm a 78 junta fan but Argentina in that year were fab.

                            Comment


                              #39
                              Originally posted by treibeis View Post
                              I'm the same age as TonTon and had no real interest in international football as a child - to the extent that I didn't actually realise that most teams had to qualify for tournaments. I assumed England weren't at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups because somebody - the government, the Queen, whoever - had picked Scotland to go instead.
                              Well, the ref picked Scotland to go instead of Wales in 1978, really.

                              <goes to the kitchen to make some popcorn and pour a G&T>

                              Comment


                                #40
                                It’s been hard enough listening to all tournaments England “should have won” over the past 50 years without including the few they didn’t even qualify for.

                                Comment


                                  #41
                                  NI probably should have qualified for Euro 84, given that we beat Germany home and away (no other team has managed this in 70 years). But no twist of fate, bias nor other factor is to blame. We were just pants in the other games

                                  Comment


                                    #42
                                    England were more than fortunate to beat Cameroon in 1990.

                                    Comment


                                      #43
                                      Originally posted by Sits View Post
                                      England were more than fortunate to beat Cameroon in 1990.
                                      Cameroon were also a bit unlucky to get drawn against england. They were less shocked by people running around a lot, than other teams might have been. Argentina had absolutely no answer to it.

                                      Comment


                                        #44
                                        I don't see how Ramsey would have survived not getting out of the first group stage in 1974. He might have survived not being as good as Holland or West Germany in the second group stage. But I wonder if he was planning to change jobs then anyway: 11 years is a long time to manage England, and he'd have been 58 if he'd taken England to Argentina (old by the standards of the time).

                                        Comment


                                          #45
                                          Originally posted by Sits View Post
                                          England were more than fortunate to beat Cameroon in 1990.
                                          Not half. No way FIFA were allowing that side into the semi final after the carnage of the opening game, let alone keep open the possibility of them beating Italy in Rome in the final.

                                          Comment


                                            #46
                                            Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                                            Not half. No way FIFA were allowing that side into the semi final after the carnage of the opening game, let alone keep open the possibility of them beating Italy in Rome in the final.
                                            I love a conspiracy as much as the next bloke in a tin foil hat but I don't recall anything that could be described as FIFA influenced in that game. Even by 1990s standards they were 2 definite penalties.

                                            Plus Roger Millar was one of the stars of the tournament. I imagine much of the world would have been delighted to see them get to the final that year.

                                            Comment


                                              #47
                                              Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                                              Not half. No way FIFA were allowing that side into the semi final after the carnage of the opening game, let alone keep open the possibility of them beating Italy in Rome in the final.
                                              Every dignitary at the world cup was at the opening game. They thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. It was certainly one of the most striking aspect of watching the full match.

                                              Comment


                                                #48
                                                Originally posted by treibeis View Post
                                                I'm the same age as TonTon and had no real interest in international football as a child - to the extent that I didn't actually realise that most teams had to qualify for tournaments. I assumed England weren't at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups because somebody - the government, the Queen, whoever - had picked Scotland to go instead.
                                                I assumed something similar in 1978, I thought they didn't want to play or weren't allowed, or it was too far. They did actually employ the latter excuse two years later for the 50th anniversary mini tournament of course.

                                                Comment


                                                  #49
                                                  England would have won the 1974 World Cup dead easily as they would have had some of the greatest Leicester players in their ream - Whitworth, Nish, Weller, Worthington, Shilton - well thats what the 10-year old me would have believed.

                                                  By 1978 I had a much more rounded view of the Global game and just remember Italy tearing us apart in the qualifiers so we didn't deserve to go and would have failed miserably if we had qualified somehow - pretty much like Leicester at that time too.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #50
                                                    Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                                                    Well, the ref picked Scotland to go instead of Wales in 1978, really.

                                                    <goes to the kitchen to make some popcorn and pour a G&T>
                                                    First goal definitely dodgy. But Dalglish’s second goal was an absolute peach. Strange decision by Wales to play the game at Anfield. Can you recall the reason for that.

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X