AEB Scramble

[Satchmo Distel]

Agreed. I think some ABE would be purring in admiration had England and Sweden reversed roles in this tournament, with Sweden replicating England's performance and vice versa.

[Ray de Galles]

Like we “purred in admiration” over Greece in 2004?

I appreciate you are smugly revelling in every chance you have to troll people who don’t want England to do well (and so probably shouldn’t bite but hey go) but nobody is kidding themselves that they are being anything other than workmanlike and effective. That very well may be enough to win the whole thing and would be worthy of congratulation but nobody is admiring your style.

[Satchmo Distel]

No, it is my sincere opinion that they are playing some good stuff. Objectively the win over Sweden was a classy performance. Workmanlike is as crass as if I said Wales were workmanlike v a self-destructive Belgium. You have to play well to make your opponent look ordinary at this level.

[Ray de Galles]

Objectively the win over Sweden was a classy performance.

Sorry, I forgot you’re the comedian who said English people “moved on from ‘90 and ‘96 in a few days”, I’ll file this one away with that and stop biting.

[tee rex]

England 2018 are a limited side who try and get forward, try and use Sterling, Lingard & co but aren't very good at capitalising from open play. Their limitations in execution are not the same as having no intention at all. So, not really like Greece 2004.

Anyway, AEB Fundis don't need to rationalise after the fact. I want Plymouth Argyle to lose every game, and I don't want that any less if they suddenly start playing like magical Magyars. (Which England obviously aren't, but would it matter if they did?)

[ursus arctos]

Maurice White is coming back to earth in a red and white checked cloak to avenge that sacrilege

[Billy Casper]

Rather that than the national anthem.

I am enjoying the occasional comeback of clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, England, though.

[G-Man]

England a rather like Germany 2002. One big win in a group game and two indifferent performances, leading to a pretty easy route into the semis while the big guns got knocked out by others. One lucky knock-out win against a decent team from the Americas (USA/Colombia), one workman-like performance against a poor side (Paraguay/Sweden). Had Russia beaten Croatia, the analogy would be almost perfect.

As it was with Germany in 2002, it's unfair to say the progress was not deserved; you beat whom you are drawn against.

I'd dispute, though, that England have played particularly well. They were poor against Tunisia, good against the poorest side in the competition, didn't pitch against Belgium, were very lucky against Colombia (though, had England lost, they'd have been quite unlucky to do so), and did not much more than the necessary against a Sweden side that had no imagination and no ideas how to place a ball on target (and who lost against the bottom team in their group). The side they'll face has been more convincing.

[Amor de Cosmos]

From the glimpses I've seen on news clips etc., their signature difference from previous tournament teams is patience. They hold the ball, pass, hold, pass until there's a legitimate chance. I realise this is basic stuff but previous squads never seemed to get beyond two passes before they'd blast the ball into the legs of an opponent standing two yards away. It's as significant a change for English football as walking upright was for homo sapiens.

[Patrick Thistle]

My Facebook and Twitter have been full of the England fans trashing a paramedic car and (separately) running amok in an IKEA store.

[Gerontophile]

Was the paramedic one, where the Russian police got hold of them?

[Patrick Thistle]

No. This all happened here.

[The-Reverend]

Let us not forget the Dorset Police dog that was shouted at for being German.

[linus]

That's hilarious. Doberman or German Shepherd?

[San Bernardhinault]

Why are you AEBs so desperate to justify it? Trying to find the (more rare than usual) instances of England players and fans and media being twats... Can't you just hate England because that's what you do?

[HORN]

I’ve been pretty good this tournament. There’s a pleasant, understatedness about the England camp (no doubt helped by 1. me working from home, meaning no banter, and 2. my lightening reactions on my TV’s mute button) that makes me want them to do well.

But as the tournament progresses there are increasing instances of pillocks telling me/anyone within earshot nonsense such as “Jordan Pickford is the best goalkeeper at the World Cup by far” and I start to hope that the World Cup ends up coming about 25 miles from home.

[Patrick Thistle]

I start to hope that the World Cup ends up coming about 25 miles from home.

Sorry to disappoint you, HORN, but I don't think it's coming to Newport.

[Duncan Gardner]

Salop or Cambs?

[Kevin S]

Essex, innit?

[Kevin S]

Oh, I see, you were going about 25 miles away. Gotcha.

[Duncan Gardner]

Kevin- yes, I was thinking of the one near Stansted Airport. Ta

[Ray de Galles]

Sorry, what is 25 miles from where now?

[Kevin S]

Football. HORN's house.

I think I need to start a new thread - was going to do this yesterday - since this thread is kind of not about what it's supposed to be about.

[Ray de Galles]

Did anyone post up Garcia’s recent fine piece, from before Sweden v England :

’The least we owe England is to keep on hating to the end’

Should they hope England fail, as is tradition, or should they take what seems a more enlightened and generous view, rise above ancient grudges, and cheer on the neighbours? The English aren’t all Nigel Farage or Katie Hopkins or Tommy Robinson, after all! A lot of them are even quite nice.

The problem with the second view is that it conflates wanting the England football team to lose with hating the English, which is quite a different thing. It forgets that football is only a game, a fantasy cartoon version of reality, which nevertheless allows an acceptable outlet for some of the visceral and even ugly emotions that also find collective expression in war.

A personal view is that well-meaning Irish fans who think they are being modern by trying to clamber aboard the Football’s Coming Home bandwagon are missing the point.

It’s not just that they will find themselves sharing the bandwagon with some people who think they should be thrown under its George’s Cross-painted wheels. It’s that acting like we can all be on the same side defeats the purpose of international football. International football allegiance isn’t like goods, services, capital or labour; it doesn’t cross borders easily.

[Duncan Gardner]

Surely the RoI team crosses international borders pretty easily? Have of them have ne er lived in the country