CroJack
Key Player
They were poor at the back and impotent up front. Played passing football with no end product. Conceded goals from counter-attacks. Sounds familiar?
World Cup 2022
- Thread starter Yankee_Jack
- Start date
CroJack
Key Player
"A week before the 2010 FIFA congress, Michel (Platini) called me to tell me that our plan (they were thinking of giving the World Cup to the United States) was not going to work. I had just been invited by French president Nicola Sarkozy, who had held several meetings with the crown prince of Qatar. Platini's votes were decisive for the awarding of Qatar, that's the truth. And of course there was a question of money involved. Six months after those meetings, Qatar bought fighter jets from the French worth 14.6 billion dollars." - Sepp Blatter
Corrupt to the core.
Commiserations, CJ, but it was not to be. Croatia were toothless up front and I immediately thought of Swans. Good football, no punch and vulnerable to the quick counter. Still, you had a better ride than Wales gave us and Modric proved again how useless Bale and Ramsey were.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
"giving" the world cup to the USA would also have been a violation of FIFA rule 28, which requires a hosting country to operate a football pyramid - which they still don't. Notice how the 2026 tournament is primarily a USA event, with Mexico included to satisfy rule 28, and Canada there to shut them up. Effectively, it's a CONCACAF tournament without all the little countries.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Ntcham is back having played in Cameroon's historic victory over Brazil. A player capable of competing at that level. Yet, he largely plays from the bench in the Championship for us!?!?! Doesn't make any sense. He either can or he can't ... he can against Brazil, yet he can't against the likes of Burnley to Huddersfield .... or at least Martin doesn't think he can. 
Wasn't he used as a sub? Martin usually plays him in that role which suggests to me that his fitness levels aren't what they should be. Come to that I think that applies to many of our players. I certainly don't see too many individual sprints and the rhythm of the team as a whole is something we've all complained about frequently, far too often resembling walking football. I see far more energy in the occasional LOW games I watch.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Yes he appeared as a sub against Brazil, but nonetheless played in a high pressure period in a game and saw the game out. He was a trusted substitute. Let's face it, if he was a regular starting player that wouldn't say much for Cameroon and as a result they probably wouldn't have qualified for the finals.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
We are mentioned here ahead of some BIG clubs ... in an email from CIES (link to posting: Weekly Post 401).
Issue 401 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the clubs having trained the most players selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Training clubs are those where players have stayed for at least three years between the seasons of their 15th and 21st birthdays. At the top of the list are the Dutch side of AFC Ajax with eleven players trained having represented five different national teams.
Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) and Al Sadd (Qatar) complete the podium with ten and nine players trained respectively, but none of whom have reached the knockout stage. The top three clubs for footballers whose teams have reached the knockout stage are AFC Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb and Sporting CP, with eight players trained in all three cases. Manchester City has trained footballers for the most national teams: six.
Six English clubs and a Welsh one are in the top 50 of the table: Manchester City (7 players trained), Liverpool (also 7), Chelsea (6), Swansea City (6), Arsenal (5), Manchester United (4) and Tottenham Hotspur (4). Produced in collaboration with FIFA’s High Performance Department, the 80th CIES Football Observatory’s Monthly Report presents more exclusive analysis on the development paths of 2022 World Cup players.
Issue 401 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the clubs having trained the most players selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Training clubs are those where players have stayed for at least three years between the seasons of their 15th and 21st birthdays. At the top of the list are the Dutch side of AFC Ajax with eleven players trained having represented five different national teams.
Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) and Al Sadd (Qatar) complete the podium with ten and nine players trained respectively, but none of whom have reached the knockout stage. The top three clubs for footballers whose teams have reached the knockout stage are AFC Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb and Sporting CP, with eight players trained in all three cases. Manchester City has trained footballers for the most national teams: six.
Six English clubs and a Welsh one are in the top 50 of the table: Manchester City (7 players trained), Liverpool (also 7), Chelsea (6), Swansea City (6), Arsenal (5), Manchester United (4) and Tottenham Hotspur (4). Produced in collaboration with FIFA’s High Performance Department, the 80th CIES Football Observatory’s Monthly Report presents more exclusive analysis on the development paths of 2022 World Cup players.
My worst fear has happened - an Argentina v France final and I'd hate either of them to win. France did a professional job against Morocco who had to chase the game after conceding an early goal then were the victims of an unlucky deflection. They say you need luck to win this and Les Bleus have certainly had their share also benefitting from a biased ref against England and Kane's spot kick that went into orbit.
But I have to say how impressed I was with Morocco. I was really surprised by their skill and technical levels combined with fitness and athleticism that Wales could never hope to match. They are a superior team in every respect to us and I'm hard put to think of even one of our players who'd be good enough to get into their set-up. And their coach is way, way more competent than Page will ever be. I think they'll give Croatia a hell of a game in the battle for third place and I certainly wouldn't like to predict the outcome.
But I have to say how impressed I was with Morocco. I was really surprised by their skill and technical levels combined with fitness and athleticism that Wales could never hope to match. They are a superior team in every respect to us and I'm hard put to think of even one of our players who'd be good enough to get into their set-up. And their coach is way, way more competent than Page will ever be. I think they'll give Croatia a hell of a game in the battle for third place and I certainly wouldn't like to predict the outcome.
CroJack
Key Player
Morocco are a far better team than Croatia. They play excellent attacking football and deserve the bronze medal.
CroJack
Key Player
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
It's a battle of PSG players.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
The big game. Going to be a fascinating battle. Not too familiar with Argentina’s side bar two. France has top players from the top clubs in Europe.
KVetch
Key Player
The same people that have been doing business like that are still in charge. Bribery is the only way they know how to do business. We need to have a vote, get the envelopes of cash ready. I'll get my firm to vote the proper way.
Didn't want either to win. The Argies, would you believe, still reference the Falklands in their football chants despite the fact that the Islands were a British Settlement BEFORE ARGENTINA EVEN BECAME A RECOGNISED COUNTRY!!! I lost a good friend as a consequence of that conflict and, as far as I'm concerned, they can go to Hell in a handcart whilst I cheerfully wave them on their way. Sorry about that but my friend was a good man and left a young family. It's how I feel and I neither forgive nor forget.
As for France, no doubt if they win we'll have to endure their strutting, boasting and posturing for the next four years
and their dislike for us as a country is all too evident but, for me, they're the better of a lousy choice.
As for France, no doubt if they win we'll have to endure their strutting, boasting and posturing for the next four years
and their dislike for us as a country is all too evident but, for me, they're the better of a lousy choice.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
@ivoralljack caught between a rock and hard place has to endure another 30 minutes
Great game of football that I really enjoyed. Shame there had to be a winner! I'd have been happy had both teams lost but not possible I'm afraid. Imagine how Mbappe feels - he scores a hat-trick in a WC Final, scores his penalty in the shootout and ends up with a losers' medal. 
I'd have been happy had both teams lost but not possible I'm afraid. Imagine how Mbappe feels - he scores a hat-trick in a WC Final, scores his penalty in the shootout and ends up with a losers' medal. 
The Blobster
Prediction Champ
I felt that Lori's could and should have saved most of the Argentina penalties. The French penalties were woeful , don't these pro players practice these kicks , as a 11 year old lad i attended a training session at the vetchfield during which an old pro named Ivor Alchurch talked us through penalty taking , his mantra was never look at the keeper , choose which side of the goal you are going for and hit it hard and high , never lower than 5ft and the keeper has no chance , hit it low and keeper can save , hit it softly , keeper can save , keep it simple , choose your side and hit it in your stride. I must admit that I put a couple over the bar in my time , but the majority hit the roof of the net and I never had one saved by the keeper or went wide of the posts . It seriously concerns me that today's pro footballers are shite penalty takers.