You, me and PPV: CRO-ENG

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

This England was very Mediterranean against Croatia. Walker's yellow came from him having been a massive cu** at least thrice before the yellow when he held on to the ball tried to do the Italian delay game shite. Even throw the ball just that couple of yards away from where the Croatian player was supposed to take the kick or throw in. And a couple of the other players in England were doing that same bullshit. Then, all of a sudden, when they were not ahead and Croatia controlled the game, then all of a sudden they wanted things to flow on.

I hope the English sports journalists writing for the big papers are having a nervous breakdown. And seek help. Because we know at least half of them are alcoholics.

[tee rex]

Dude, you should be celebrating! Leave the windmills alone.

When Mbappe runs past Lovren you'll be wishing it was still now. Enjoy this.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Yeah, be gone windmills. I'm a tad drunk but that dooen't excuse my above post. Erase it.

[Ray de Galles]

Originally Posted by SouthdownRebel
Wright and Keane losing the plot there.

Summary please

https://twitter.com/weegordiestrach/status/1017159064361594881?s=21

[Ray de Galles]

Modric is a hell of a player, but a fairly poor winner, eh?

I think being a poor winner normally means disrespecting your defeated opponent, which he hasn’t done at all. Setting the record straight on inaccurate, arrogant media and pundits is a different thing.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Jesus fucking Christ!

This is the dilemma with England. This right here.

Lineker asks a question about how England will cope in the final against France, and what does Rio do? He fucking starts to answers it with a long bullshit whatever instead of what any normal in the head would say cut it short; "let's get there first".
And people wonder why so many around the world want arrogant England to be knocked out?

I seriously can't think of any other nation who does this. Ever. Who already before they are there start to talk about how they could beat the next. Fuck's wrong in the head with the lot?

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

That's said, I would like this Croatia team a lot more if they weren't such a bunch of time-wasting cunts.

You are a funny guy.

[jeanmid]

Modric is a hell of a player, but a fairly poor winner, eh?

Yep and curious how he doesn't give any examples of this.

[tee rex]

I think PPV's clip is a bit misleading. The caption is, anyway.

Clearly they're talking after the other SF. It's not the build-up to England-Croatia. So it's pundit padding, after a game on the BBC, not before a game which they didn't have.

I'm sure there's plenty of English media arrogance, but that's not a great example.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

I think PPV's clip is a bit misleading. The caption is, anyway.

Clearly they're talking after the other SF. It's not the build-up to England-Croatia. So it's pundit padding, after a game on the BBC, not before a game which they didn't have.

I'm sure there's plenty of English media arrogance, but that's not a great example.

Well, sorry, but that's my bleeding point. Right after the France-Belgium game, they're talking about how England will do against France. As if the game against Croatia won't even be played. Again, I have never seen this amongst other nations, never heard them do it. If Sweden had three Maradona, two Messi and one Ronaldo, they wouldn't be talking about the final before they'd even played the semi. If someone brought such a thing up they'd be bollocked over the head with a stern "oy, we're not there, so let's focus on what we have in front of us instead". But in that clip, they spend minutes, not seconds, minutes yapping about England vs France. Well good luck with that stance. It ain't gonna happen now, is it?

Look, I'm not trying to make fun of it. What I'm trying to say is that if England is supposed to have a truly decent chance when they come up with a decent side like this one, this kind of shit needs to stop. I'm bringing it up as an issue which isn't even laughable anymore. It fucking needs to stop. Who the fuck talks about tactics in a final when you haven't even played the semi? Who? It's plain weird. And stupid. And so typical English old-school you need to kick them all out to suite this new lot of more..... suave. Don't let the old bullshit guard ruin what England are actually looking like they're building new here.

[jeanmid]

Well, sorry, but that's my bleeding point. Right after the France-Belgium game, they're talking about how England will do against France. As if the game against Croatia won't even be played. Again, I have never seen this amongst other nations, never heard them do it. If Sweden had three Maradona, two Messi and one Ronaldo, they wouldn't be talking about the final before they'd even played the semi. If someone brought such a thing up they'd be bollocked over the head with a stern "oy, we're not there, so let's focus on what we have in front of us instead". But in that clip, the spend minutes yapping about England vs France. Well good luck with that stance. It ain't gonna happen now, is it?

You ignored the part where Linekar said if England are going through.

[Incandenza]

Just watching the highlights and marveling at the absolutely appalling shithousery of Pickford screaming abuse at Mandzukic when he was injured after their collision. It contrasted hugely with Mandzukic and his teammates lovely treatment of the photographer that got knocked over in their celebrations for the winner.

It's funny, for the first England team I didn't absolutely detest in quite a long time, two of the biggest pieces of non-injury faking appalling behavior that I disliked the most in the tournament came from England--Pickford shouting shit at an obviously injured Mandzukic, and Maguire taunting and shouting at Colombia while he celebrated when England won the shootout.

[Incandenza]

Yep and curious how he doesn't give any examples of this.

It's a point I heard made numerous times on just the three podcasts I listen to. Not that "Of course England will win, Croatia will be tired," but along the lines of "Croatia will have some tired legs".

It's kind of an odd thing to get worked up about and think it's bulletin board material, but I don't think he's setting up strawmen to argue against.

[Incandenza]

https://twitter.com/sgevans/status/1017169923934687232?s=21

That's one of the most cutting, inarguable points I've heard from a player. I don't know what is more harsh from this year--that quote, or Chiellini's "the history of the Tottenham."

[Incandenza]

I was wondering why Vida was getting so much abuse from part of the crowd.

https://twitter.com/kenearlys/status/1017116253612335104

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

You ignored the part where Linekar said if England are going through.

You think so?
Don't you get my point?
No other country, no other TV-channel in the entire world would have this sort of chat going on for 2-3 minutes about their country in a final when they've not played the semi. None. Not Germany, not Brazil, not Italy.
So what does it matter if Lineker swinged in a millisecond "if" when so much time was spent speculating about Eng-Fra?

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

I was wondering why Vida was getting so much abuse from part of the crowd.

https://twitter.com/kenearlys/status/1017116253612335104

You know now or you would want to know?

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

That's funny. Only now did the picture with Ken's tweet show up on my screen.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

I'm always trying to be honest and there's been a second video with Vida which could have him thrown out.
The first one it was actually one of the Croatian scouts who shouted the Ukrainian thing, with Vida next to him, and the scout was sent home the other day.
In the second video it is Vida, appears to be shouting "Glory to Ukraine" and "Belgrade burn"

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cu...ukraine-video/

[Gerontophile]

Congratulations to Croatia, and of course to PPV. Well deserved.

Best of luck in the final.

[treibeis]

I seriously can't think of any other nation who does this. Ever. Who already before they are there start to talk about how they could beat the next. Fuck's wrong in the head with the lot?

I don't know. When asked why he wasn't in the starting line-up for the first group game, Marco Reus let slip that he was being rested so as to be full of energy for "the more important matches".

[G-Man]

Just watching the highlights and marveling at the absolutely appalling shithousery of Pickford screaming abuse at Mandzukic when he was injured after their collision. It contrasted hugely with Mandzukic and his teammates lovely treatment of the photographer that got knocked over in their celebrations for the winner.

Pickford will soon become a universal hate figure. On the pitch, he comes across as a most unpleasant individual.

He injured Mandzukic with a outstretched-leg, studs-up challenge. He tried to pull out of it, I think, so no red card, but he did injure the player. His reaction was more Harald Schumacher than Gigi Buffon.

[G-Man]

Anyway, my one regret about England not playing France is that we won't have the anthem play-off. Oh, I could picture it. The band strikes up the notes for "God Save The Queen" and England fans begin to sing along lustily. Just then, the French fans counter with the Marseillaise, drowning out England's fans. The England fans carry on gamely for a bit. "God save die Wacht am Rhein", but then it fizzles out as the French sing "Marchons! Marchons! Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons". The camera pans to an emotional woman with the French flag artlessly smeared on her cheek, and the England band pack up to lose the war.

[SouthdownRebel]

I agree with PPV (and Modric) about the punditry. Rio Ferdinand is part of that so-called "golden generation" that completely fell on its arse in international football, and it's pretty apparent that he has learned nothing from the experience. ITV's pundits were hugely patronising towards Croatia - I didn't see the pre-game chat, but at half time the talk was of how England could just turn it on in the second half and win 3-0. It was really disrespectful. Roy Keane rightly laid into them afterwards, as he had done previously, for talking as though England were already in the final. The three of them laughed at him, again.

The Vrsaljko quote above is also accurate - two minutes into the second half, I turned to SdR Jr and said I didn't like how England had suddenly started playing long balls out from the back. It was clear and obvious that something had changed - I wonder if they talked at half time about not taking chances at the back, as had happened a couple of times late in the first half when they were still trying to play out. Or maybe Croatia changed the way they were pressing to stop England's back three playing into midfield.

This is the disease within English football that is rooted in youth coaching and reemerges whenever the pressure is on - the "get rid" mentality. Why the hell would you think it's a sensible idea to relieve pressure by giving the ball back to the other team, for Bobby's sake? It's madness and a shame to see it hasn't been eradicated entirely yet, though right now it feels as though progress is being made - in the past we'd have played that way against Tunisia and throughout.

Anyway, a big congratulations to PPV and Croatia - they deserved to win.