QF SWE-ENG: Well, I ain't handing this one over to Kevin or Satchmo

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

C'mon Sweden, butcher them with the best defence in the World Cup bar Uruguay!

Send them home!

[San Bernardhinault]

My kingdom or a Norse?

[Kevin S]

Well I guess this just leaves the Russia v Croatia thread to get off the ground then.

I think Sweden are vulnerable at full back. Germany caused them problems when they went wide, especially by getting to the byline and cutting it back. Hopefully England can get some joy trying similar.

[Kevin S]

Bit of a weird thread title this, though, to be honest...

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Well I guess this just leaves the Russia v Croatia thread to get off the ground then.

I think Sweden are vulnerable at full back. Germany caused them problems when they went wide, especially by getting to the byline and cutting it back. Hopefully England can get some joy trying similar.

Do it.

I'm just having a wee bit of fun Kevin. Hope you don't think that I'm a moron annoyed with your threads. It's just, what is it you call it? Banter?

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Hope I didn't come across as if you starting threads bothered me.
The thread title, it's just a stupid joke.

[Kevin S]

Heh, yeah, I got that, it's fine.

I do think England should win this one though. One of the small benefits from Euro 2012 was that we broke the Swedish curse, thank goodness.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I want to know if EIM is going to challenge his patrons with a meatball challenge at his bar on Saturday. Proper IKEA style reindeer balls in loginberry vs Manchester faggots in gravy. Anyone in an England shirt favouring the former is made to take it off and is spray-painted yellow.

[San Bernardhinault]

"Should win" is very strong, Kev. It's more like they're marginal favourites. I'd probably put it at no better than 60-40 to England. Sweden's shocking state in front of goal against Switzerland might mean that England's incident-prone defence can give up a couple of howlers and not get punished. But they're well organised, and big and solid, and that negates England's main threat from corners and free kicks. Low scoring and both teams trying to effective rather than brilliant is what I see. England have the more inventive players, but they've not done a whole lot during the tournament yet and Sweden are the kind of team that means this will probably continue.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I will be in Romania for this game. Are they possibly the only other country in Europe who might want to see England win, due to any harbouring resentment about 1994?

[Patrick Thistle]

It will be interesting to see first choice England playing against a good side that don't resort to shithousery and fouling.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

I want to know if EIM is going to challenge his patrons with a meatball challenge at his bar on Saturday. Proper IKEA style reindeer balls in loginberry vs Manchester faggots in gravy. Anyone in an England shirt favouring the former is made to take it off and is spray-painted yellow.

This is exactly how I want the English players to focus come Saturday. On nonsense. On tiny shit like why their last pedicure wasn't as good as the one they had in Wilmslow 2014. Insignificant details.
The best of all would have been if EIM was part of the English staff. Step up there and braindead their brains to bollocks with a decoy issue like which biscuit is the best and what even counts as one.
While we in Sweden go out play football and try to win the game with whatever resources are in our spine, your lot can chat about the new line of Zlatan apothecary products and what good they've done to their pinky toes.

You have one more day. One more.
Come Saturday, it is war here on OTF.
War.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

My kingdom or a Norse?

Applause!

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that SWEENG?

Heh!

[ursus arctos]

I have a number of Romanian friends and associates, all of whom are very much behind Sweden.

Though one did say that the Romanian media kept going on about how Romania beat England and Colombia in the groups in 1998 (the last time they qualified).

[tee rex]

In the last two World Cups England got knocked out (partly) because they couldn't deal with a bit of Route One. For all the navel-gazing about lacking the silky skills, they were undone by a big boot down field. It'll be too much irony to take if it happens again ("Forget Forsberg, who should've picked up the big lad?").

I wouldn't mind a bit of welly the other way, actually. Giving Sterling and/or Vardy something to chase is as good an option as any. Stones and Maguire thinking they're Baresi and Maldini is giving me kittens.

Anyway, Sweden are returning 4 bucks for 1 locally (win in 90 mins) so that's where my money's going.

[ad hoc]

I have a number of Romanian friends and associates, all of whom are very much behind Sweden.

Though one did say that the Romanian media kept going on about how Romania beat England and Colombia in the groups in 1998 (the last time they qualified).

This. That second paragraph especially. They must have mentioned it every 5 minutes during Tuesday's game.

Sweden also wear yellow. So if you sort of half close your eyes you can imagine they're Romania

[Duncan Gardner]

It'll be like 1992. Fat blond lad to win it for the Svens, SirHarry subbed and retires in huff, pissed Norse try to torch shandy tent

[Duncan Gardner]

Ps Meatballs and lingonberry are a popular cafe option on the Scotland- NI Stena Ferry

Pps Uncle Vlad has announced a ceremony to confirm his promotion to Tsar for life before the next game. Emperor RUS- CRO

[wittoner]

Well I guess this just leaves the Russia v Croatia thread to get off the ground then.

RUSS - CRO Meeting of the Gladiators?
I'm not doing it. I know my place.


Edit: I've just tumbled Duncan's Emperor RUS CRO. Very Good. If only suitable for us geriatrics.

[Duncan Gardner]

Thanks W. Rosko is still broadcasting- did a Radio Caroline 50th anniv gig last year

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Is it true 30 English fans were arrested after the game against Colombia for fighting and vandalising, of which one had written England on the statue of Fjodor Tjerenkov? One English fan stole a flag from a Colombian and when he tried to get it back hi got his nose broken?

We have been spared most of this crap so far but I can imagine a Russia-England semi, things might really take off into terrible when Zenith and other fans gather to challenge, and of course it will be that the English involved were provoked and didn't start it. Well, if the above is true, that's called starting it.

I hope nothing more happens.

[treibeis]

I won't be able to watch the match on Saturday, but I suggested to The Lady I Walked To The Registry Office With - who grew up in Sweden - that she put out some Swedish flags on the tables and get some hot-dog packs in from IKEA.

She then suggested making some "proper" Swedish grub, like her Swedish family make. At which point I called the whole thing off. "Hej, treibeis, dinner's ready. There's a bowl of hard-boiled eggs, with dill, and a bowl of boiled potatoes, with dill, and a bowl of unidentifiable white gloop, with dill. Kalle's just dug up a fish that his great-grandfather buried in a forest. If we can find some dill, we can have that as well."

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Hahaha, yeah, not much culinary imagination here.

[Third rate Leszno]

Is it true 30 English fans were arrested after the game against Colombia for fighting and vandalising, of which one had written England on the statue of Fjodor Tjerenkov? One English fan stole a flag from a Colombian and when he tried to get it back hi got his nose broken?

We have been spared most of this crap so far but I can imagine a Russia-England semi, things might really take off into terrible when Zenith and other fans gather to challenge, and of course it will be that the English involved were provoked and didn't start it. Well, if the above is true, that's called starting it.

I hope nothing more happens.

Not seen that reported anywhere over here, but the longer we stay in the tournament, the more English will travel out there and the more chance there is that the sort of terrible dickheads who treat away games like a stag do will be tempted to go.