Dutch Gronk
Banned
Dat United-Chelsea 2014-2015 preview.
4/5 are (former) Feyenoord players.
Has anybody found Costa? He was last seen in Vlaar's back pocket.
Hup Wes hup.
While not all teams that win the champions league are big teams, I do feel we are not a truly big team on a level with Liverpool/Man United and the European elite until we do win the Champions League.
No Fiats available?
England lost a bunch of embarrassing matches before then. Got thrashed by Scotland 7-2 at one point. Lost to Ireland. Lost to the USA. Their record in the British Home Championship was very far from unquestioned dominance:Of course, it'd be foolish to deny that England is indeed a great football country. Too bad that, when international competitions started, and they started to care about them, they had already started waning. And sorry, the "we weren't there because we were too good so it doesn't count" excuse is bollocks. This match should have made it clear to everyone.
An amateur astrologer and general eccentric, former France manager Raymond Domenech is no stranger to outlandish and improbable claims.
In an interview with French GQ Magazine, Domenech has made the incredible extrapolation that France beating Ukraine in last Novembers World Cup qualifier was the catalyst behind the political crisis now sweeping the country, seemingly on the cusp of war with Russia.
Domenech told GQ:
The Ukrainians thought they had qualified.
If they had eliminated us, they would have something to cling on to by saying: Were going to the World Cup, lets talk about something else and take on the Russians on the pitch. Involuntarily, we are perhaps partially responsible for the crisis in Ukraine.
When I see what state we put Ukraine in, it depresses me. If only Ukraine had won. We saw it in 1998 [in France, the World Cup winners that year], when GDP rose by 1%. Confidence meant that people consumed.
On British press, yea. For everyone else, it's business as usual. And it is, since you haven't gone past the quarter finals in a World Cup in 24 years.
Of course, it'd be foolish to deny that England is indeed a great football country. Too bad that, when international competitions started, and they started to care about them, they had already started waning. And sorry, the "we weren't there because we were too good so it doesn't count" excuse is bollocks. This match should have made it clear to everyone.
Great footballing nation, but one tier below Brazi, Italy, Germany and Argentina, when it comes to international football. If we're talking club competitions though, they're obviously up there with Spain and Italy.
Too bad it wasn't a world cup final but a friendly lol Also Italy played with 10 men for the whole match due to an injury and England had the home advantage. That hardly proves anything. If England wanted to have a shot at winning the World Cup, they should have partaken in it.
How is that not serious.
Italy have reached more international finals in the last 8 years than England have in their whole history. Germany and Brazil are also final masters.
Although I am being very generous to Holland and Portugal in putting them off in the respective tiers.
They are, and Italy and Argentina are a even bigger deal.The point is that England didn't care. You linked to a match that happened in the 50s. England had been playing football since the 1860s or some crap. I said we were dominant for the first 60 or 70s years of the game and I'm of course correct.
I think a country would be more disappointed that England aren't coming to their World Cup than Argentina (if Messi had been ruled out for being a drug cheat) or Italy. That's because England are a big deal in the history of football.
The Italy team of 8 years ago were sixth favourites at best on entering the tournament, with their domestic game in disarray. Hindsight is rosy.You can't compare Italy's team to the Italy team of 8 years ago. and uhm, I'm not even necessarily disagreeing with Italy being at least a level above England, but your list as a whole is a bit silly.
The point is that England didn't care. You linked to a match that happened in the 50s. England had been playing football since the 1860s or some crap. I said we were dominant for the first 60 or 70s years of the game and I'm of course correct.
I think a country would be more disappointed that England aren't coming to their World Cup than Argentina (if Messi had been ruled out for being a drug cheat) or Italy. That's because England are a big deal in the history of football.
Graeme Bailey @GraemeBailey
We are hearing Manchester United have made a move for Thomas Vermaelen.
Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that we're a big team.While not all teams that win the champions league are big teams, I do feel we are not a truly big team on a level with Liverpool/Man United and the European elite until we do win the Champions League.
Graeme Bailey @GraemeBailey
We are hearing Manchester United have made a move for Thomas Vermaelen.
You can't compare Italy's team to the Italy team of 8 years ago. and uhm, I'm not even necessarily disagreeing with Italy being at least a level above England, but your list as a whole is a bit silly.
Also "Big team" discussions are always hilariously shit.
Denmark has one something more recently than most of those countries, we should be up there as a second tier at least!
Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that we're a big team.
Just like England.
England this. Italy that. Costa Rica and Uruguay will be the ones to qualify.
Denmark was a one off.
what the fuck is wrong with this country when you can't get something as fucking basic as antibacterial eardrops?
I've got to go to my GP so that useless cunt can tell me what i already know i've got before they'll help me.
"take some paracetamol." Thanks for the 4 hour A and E wait i'm going to have to suffer to get such a fucking basic thing in a FIRST WORLD country.
England had a 30-50 year head start on most team countries when it came to football. Saying you dominated that period isn't something to be proud of.
Italy missing a world cup is a much bigger news story than England. World Cup 94 went on just fine.
If we could buy antibiotics over the counter we'd be even more fucked.
Yea, that's like saying that Americans are dominating American football, no shit, they're the only ones playing it.England had a 30-50 year head start on most team countries when it came to football. Saying you dominated that period isn't something to be proud of.
Italy missing a world cup is a much bigger news story than England. World Cup 94 went on just fine.
You seriously wanna compare Italy's and England's record in international football? 4 World Cups 2 runner ups, 2 semifinals vs 1 World Cup (played in England and won on a dubious goal) and 1 semifinal?As opposed to the world stopping when Italy failed to qualify for the 58 World Cup or Euro 92.
As opposed to the world stopping when Italy failed to qualify for the 58 World Cup or Euro 92.
We'd have full-on antibiotic resistance by Monday!
If we could buy antibiotics over the counter we'd be even more fucked.
That's one of the biggest regrets I have as an Italian football fan, not knowing how good the Grande Torino team would have been on the international stageAn Italy team that had still not fully recovered from basically losing its whole team in an plane crash 9 years earlier. edit: Italy could of had another couple world cups if it wasn't for this, and also for WW2
GrahamBailey
"We are hearing Manchester United have made a move for Thomas Vermaelen."
Yea, that's like saying that Americans are dominating American football, no shit, they're the only ones playing it.
We can argue how good the English were in the first half of last century for eternity, but there's no way to prove it one way or the other.
The facts are that 1. when football reached worldwide popularity and international competitions started being held, England refused to prove their supposed superiority on the pitch
2. when they did finally agree to play, it turned out they were pretty crap, never going past the quarter finals until 1966, and doing so only once ever since.
That's one of the biggest regrets I have as an Italian football fans, not knowing how good the Grande Torino team would have been on the international stage
Ugly as fuck.19 in December, bruh. It's all good in the neighborhood.
I have no clue the context of this, but there's apparently a reddit devoted to her and this is kind of too good not to share: http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s150/NikolaiFokov/McKayla Maroney/McKayla-Maroney23.gif
I feel upset that I helped start an argument. Can our great nations make peace and bond over our mutual hatred of France?
Can someone explain why we'd be fucked if we could buy antibiotics readily? Obviously it isn't my area of expertise (fried chicken) and I assume it's something to do with our resistance levels.
The England versus Italy debate is stupid. Italy are a far bigger footballing nation internationally, if we're using success in international tournaments as the metric. Not even up for discussion.
Excited for the match tonight. Had my haircut this morning in preparation. It's really fucking short. I look like Michael Owen.
Can someone explain why we'd be fucked if we could buy antibiotics readily? Obviously it isn't my area of expertise (fried chicken) and I assume it's something to do with our resistance levels.
The England versus Italy debate is stupid. Italy are a far bigger footballing nation internationally, if we're using success in international tournaments as the metric. Not even up for discussion.
Excited for the match tonight. Had my haircut this morning in preparation. It's really fucking short. I look like Michael Owen.
I agree. Individually we aren't as good as many teams, heck Spain has better players than us. But in the end what matters is how we play as a team and we excel in that with our Dutch spirit.No need to put the Dutch in a tier. If you look at our individual players we would end up in some low tier. But as a team we can achieve great things. I'm curious to see where this well end. Hopefully not a repeat of 2008.
It's going to be a fun season with Bielsa in Ligue 1.
I can't wait when France slaughters Honduras. Then I can talk shit to my cousins all day long.
"take some paracetamol." Thanks for the 4 hour A and E wait i'm going to have to suffer to get such a fucking basic thing in a FIRST WORLD country.
Excited for the match tonight. Had my haircut this morning in preparation. It's really fucking short. I look like Michael Owen.