Meenzer

I don't really get it, but then I don't really tend to get anything like it. Doubt I'm exactly its target audience though.

About as close as I can get to guessing what my darling mother might like as a Christmas pressie (other than that cat's arse pencil sharpener, obviously )

Natalie Gauci - Umberella.

My only counter-argument (though I think it's a strong one) is that, in smaller countries in particular, you need to dangle the carrot of "you might get to play against England or France or Italy" in order to make people leave their crops/cows/lucrative banking jobs and agree to kick a football around the pitch a bit in the first place when failure is almost guaranteed. In other words, there has to be a reason to aspire or you'll never get any kind of aspiration. OK, a Liechtenstein is never going to be a world power on the footballing stage, but there's always an element of slippage in this game (viz. the previously decent Estonians now being ranked in the bottom pool), and even making it into the second-last group of countries is seen as something of a badge of honour for the smaller nations in Europe. Maybe it's a fundamental difference between the European (or even British) and American mindsets, but the latter seems to have a lot less time for the romance of the potential giant-killer. EDIT: And, addressing your initial points, a lot of the 'smaller' countries are pretty rich anyway. The last thing a tax haven like Andorra or Liechtenstein has to worry about is a few quid spent on flights and accommodation.

Fop do you just make this up as you go along? It is pointless discussing anything with you, whether tongue in cheek or genuine debate, because you're expert on everything. Am I wrong? In your judgement of the tone of Sammy's original post? Completely and utterly.

Aye, I realise Montenegro had to be seeded in the bottom pot due to their lack of a competitive record, but they did beat Hungary in a friendly so they might be a bit tricky. Still, cheap beer, friendly locals and a spectacular coastline will make it a better away day than England's trips to Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Aye, that and the Fergie track. Like I say, not having a go, it's just so hard to pin these things down in the Internet era. I got into an argument about the release date of "You're Beautiful" once (believe it or not - pub quiz geekery will do this to a man ) - turns out the album was released in late 2004 even though the song itself wasn't a hit until mid-2005.

Kind of... there are 9 groups, so 8 of the 9 second-placed teams go into the play-offs, while the worst is immediately eliminated. Typical FIFA - never a simple solution when you can have a complicated one. You want complicated, you should look at the CONCACAF system. That said, I think it would benefit Europe to adopt portions of that system. I dunno, I know you've got the "get rid of the dross" aspect there, but the European system is precisely what the European countries have grown up being used to. What other benefits do you see in what CONCACAF have to deal with?

I'm not being facetious but at least two of those came out in 2006. That's the reason I stopped trying to do "track of the year"-type playlists, in this day and age there's so little you hear (well, I hear - the Patrokles among us may have better access to the Teat of Music Creation) that's genuinely new.

2 games ago we lost 4-1 at home and the team were booed off, after being shown up by Reading. Cloud cuckoo land. In the full interview I am sure he had been talking about home match form and was saying how after two good wins against Everton and Spurs the next next home matches later and its a disaster. And here's me thinking he couldn't be less concerned with winning points away. Or that wasn't remotely what he was asked about. At all.

Kind of... there are 9 groups, so 8 of the 9 second-placed teams go into the play-offs, while the worst is immediately eliminated. Typical FIFA - never a simple solution when you can have a complicated one.

Sandi Toksvig on Friday night's "News Quiz": "It's been promised that the FA will conduct a 'root-and-branch review' of the England team setup, led by the top banana of the FA, Brian Barwick. Meanwhile, the White Star Line have announced a root-and-branch review of the Titanic's maiden voyage, to be led by the iceberg." I love Radio 4.

Wacky Jnr seems to be hedging a bit and as I like to have a dabble now and then I'd like to take that bet Mr. Fish, if you don't mind. so to clarify you're willing to bet five English pounds that Sam Allardyce will be sacked and we lose our next two games? I'm willing to bet five English pounds that Sam Allardyce will be sacked IF we lose our next two league games. Is that clear Mr. Fish? I hope you didn't think that I thought a 'fiver' meant $5.oo in Yankee money You should have insisted on that fact, at least you'd only be £2.50 out of pocket.

Can't see us qualifying from that group looking at the group of players we're likely to have in the team by then. I know everything is a bit doom and gloom, but if we can't appoint a coach capable of getting England though that group and/or don't have the players I think maybe England should give up international football. That's what we say every year after we bomb at Eurovision, then we end up sending another bit of tacky Europop that gets a grand total of 19 points because we convince ourselves that "it's what Eurovision's all about". The FA and the BBC should join forces to become one big miasma of cluelessness. Might at least cut costs a little.

Can't see us qualifying from that group looking at the group of players we're likely to have in the team by then. I'm just loving the thought of the England fans looking for a fight on the mean streets of Minsk and Almaty, to be honest.

Group 1 Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta Group 2 Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg Group 3 Czech Republic, Poland, NORTHERN IRELAND, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino Group 4 Germany, Russia, Finland, WALES, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein Group 5 Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia Group 6 Croatia, ENGLAND, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra Group 7 France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands Group 8 Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro Group 9 Holland, SCOTLAND, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland

Croatia again.

England get Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Andorra (and a top seed still to come). Tricky journeys...

Asia first, Europe won't be up for a wee while yet. Australia just got drawn with China and Iraq. Wonder if they still reckon it's easier to qualify this way than via Oceania?

No they're not, which is why singling them out for special mention makes you even more pretentious. I like to give the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. no point in saying I had a sausage sandwich... it would be a lie.. True, far better to portray yourself as the great innovator. "Have ye heard of a thing called butter? Gold in colour and slippery to the touch..." (As a postscript, I feel seriously unclean for using a Little Britain reference for comedy purposes. Sorry everybody.)

No they're not, which is why singling them out for special mention makes you even more pretentious.

Everton are streets ahead of us too though. We'd only have lost the equivalent game 3-1 though. :boogie:

It's the type of arrogant comment he usually delivers seriously though Still. Him and me aren't exactly busom buddies either but I'm afraid you'd have to be an utter spastic not to get what he was saying.

It was sarcastically delivered full stop, you pack of retards.

He was pretty awful today. Not that anyone exactly excelled themselves.