Meenzer

Theresa in full-on Appeaser mode. Terrific.

https://foto.gettyimages.com/sports/world-cup/photographer-afp-yuri-cortez-captures-croatia-semifinal-goal-celebration/ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/13/croatia-pyry-soiri-finland-world-cup

I knew that lisping nursery teacher was a bad influence.

Bollocks, only 40 minutes or so late with that. Serves me right for not realising there was an extra page of the thread I hadn't read yet.

The Brexit brigade got their knickers all in a twist when Obama talked about us being at the back of the queue - interference! - yet something tells me this will be just fine with them. Funny that.

I'll say it again, Germany got to the 2002 final after beating Paraguay, the USA and South Korea in the knockout rounds. Won all three games 1-0. Reckon they spent all their time self-flagellating over whether they "deserved" to be there?

Gareth Southgate your waistcoat is nice...... oh we lost tera for heros dressed in white. No plans for final night Except the final is in the afternoon. bugger It could have been trashed ambulance in the street it could have been so complete. Now i sing Three lines on the shirt jewles remain still cleaming. Talk about football coming home. Then one night in russia we were strong trippier ready to score and pickford looking at his best hendo certain to put in an adequate midfield display. We could have been dancing in somewhere else in russia. Three lines on the shirt jewles remain still cleaming. No more years of hurt. Cheer up lads

Now that's just being silly.

Wonky breadline.

Now he's said that Germany is "totally controlled by Russia". All is well.

We're seeing Hamilton tomorrow as it happens. I'll look out for signs of cast trauma.

But people are bored of experts. Except when they're rescuing Thai kids from a cave. But otherwise: experts? BOO, we say. BOO.

As always with England, if they win I'll be happy because people I like will be happy, and if they lose I'll be happy because people I hate will be unhappy.

Yet.

He makes me think of Löw in a way, someone who isn't obviously suited to club management but might be the right character to quietly and effectively guide a bunch of disparate players at national level. Or he might just have got incredibly lucky. Also like Löw.

Couple of good WC pieces on the Blizzard that I'd missed, this on West Germany and that match in 1982, and this on the 1994 tournament (which is still one of my absolute favourites, but I suppose anything that happens in your younger years tends to be).

I was going to argue the toss but then I realised he's seven years younger than Sergei Ignashevich, so..

To paraphrase a Facebook comment just now, it seems we're aiming for the Brazilian model - political system, economy and identity in crisis, but it's all OK because we're good at football and it's sunny out.

Just the tip.

I'm starting to see why CT voted Labour.

Careful what you wish for, she'll probably appoint Nadine Dorries or someone as his successor

Maybe they've drugged him so they can get him out of the cave without him panicking.