StevieH

pogba speaks four languages fluently i believe. that wasn't about being able to talk to your mates.

mourinho is a negative, bus-parking manager who looks incapable of getting the best out of good, very expensive players and who takes credit for any wins and blames his players when they lose. so good luck to you with the knowing what he's doing thing. i can't imagine having the job he does and being quite so miserable.

then that's coaching. agree that deschamps is a conservative manager but he isn't the bus-parker that mourinho is, and he knew it, and he let pogba play his own game in a way mourinho doesn't. pogba looked like he was enjoying himself playing for france, having fun. he's never looked like that playing for united. 

32 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

I think one of the reasons he was good in the WC was that he was happy to be an important cog in the machine, rather than trying to steal the show and make wrong decisions, which he did at times last season.

 

Also having Kante next to him helped... I think he'd be best at Chelsea in all honesty! 

or was coached to play as he did in the team setup by deschamps who recognizes his abilities. helps having kante either side of you of course, and matuidi there too. united could do the same but jose will, hopefully, continue to make him play with the brakes on.

3 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Jurgen Klopp after the Pogba transfer in 2016: 

 

“Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players, yes. Do I have to do it differently to that? Actually, I WANT to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I COULD spend that money."

 

 

 

pogba would be amazing in a klopp team. given freedom to attack and be himself. mourinho will probably play him wingback next season. your manager's a bellend mate.

2 hours ago, wilai said:

To be fair, he did try....probably more than he should have!

£8m quid for andy robertson is the best deal any manager of a top side has done in quite a while I think. but it is nice to see him actually being backed now by owners i've always distrusted. maybe they finally realise what they've got and have begun to, spit, maximize their asset.

8 hours ago, RickG16 said:

It's a good signing. Scousers shaping up well.. I don't think they have the best midfield but much like England they don't really need one due to the way they play. 

 

Atm I think Chelsea could have the most problems out of the top 6 next season. Especially if Hazard goes. Sarri is a completely unknown quantity in the PL, and hasn't even had that much time to get to know his squad. 

have you seen much of fabinho and naby keita? i haven't. but they're both very highly-rated.

3 hours ago, BangrakBob said:

Liverpool have made a bid of £62M for Alisson

if this is true, and i hope it is, wow. still possible chelsea could gazump us though and that london bowlocks comes into play again. him and fekir plus what we've already done and i'm all good about the new season.

7 hours ago, RickG16 said:

If you can't see the significance of a 20 year old Englishman putting away a penalty with that much nonchalance and skill in a World Cup, then I can't help you. 

oh it's alright lad, i wasn't asking for your help.

4 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Long way to go.. Rooney was amazing at 19 but pretty much burnt out by 30. Mbappe is ahead of Rashford now but don't bet against him closing the gap in the future . That penalty was the highlight of the tournament for me 

one of the best world cups in decades and your highlight of it was a penalty?

2 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Funny he was fast enough to get his leg to the ball, but you say the ball was coming too fast for the Arm!! I would have given a penalty the ref was correct.

 

nah. it hit him. he didn't hit it.

the ball hit his arm at speed and he clearly didn't move his hand towards the ball, it was literally ball to hand. awful decision that changed the game in france's favour. remember the normal time action rather than the slow-mo replay and there's no way that was intentional handball. 

it wasn't a penalty in a hundred years and just the fact that the referee felt compelled to use the VAR means there was enough doubt in his mind that you don't give it. because referees are supposed to be certain about the calls they make, and if they refer to VAR, which then gives them an entirely different version of the incident in slow-mo, they are by definition not. it's an appalling addition to football and if this keeps up it'll stop me watching the game. there was nothing deliberate about that handball, the referee knew it, and has his mind changed by VAR. it's awful.

19 minutes ago, Greenside said:

AO Framing is #2 on the index of my map

sounds good that greenside, thanks a lot.

Hi All, anyone know a good place to buy photo/picture frames about 12 inches by 18 inches or so? Have tried a few places but no luck yet.

1 minute ago, Kadilo said:

No it’s not good enough with the talent we have so plenty to work on. 

Southgate has come out with a lot of credit and seems a really popular guy with the team too. I think he is work in progress too in. some ways. If I wanted to criticise him I think he was too loyal to Alli and Young and slow to make changes in the Croatia game in the second half when it was clear their tactical moves were causing us problems. 

But overall he has taken us a giant step forwards from where we are and I’m sure we will continue to improve under his leadership. 

i think he showed his naivety against a good side, which is totally understandable, he's not an experienced manager. didn't react to their changes as you say and a smart manager would have maybe brought on dier alongside henderson earlier, when croatia started to boss the midfield. 

i don't agree he's made giant steps other than in terms of likeability really. it's been fun to watch this england team in a world cup and the last time i can think of that is probably 1990. tactically he was exposed, but in making the team enjoyable again, and feeling optimistic about it, he's doing great.

4 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I think Southgate said as much in his post match interview. He was very grounded and honest. We are work in progress. 

The most worrying thing for me was the lack of opportunities from open play. We created very little and relied heavily on set pieces. 

The thought that Kane will probably win  the golden boot is bizarre in what has been a strange World Cup in some ways but really enjoyable. 

ah ok, didn't see his interview mate. but i just saw a stat about england having 6 shots on target all tournament from open play, that's just not good enough is it? midfield clearly needs to be better and maybe the 3-4-3 ish system doesn't work then if you're relying on corners, pens and free-kicks for your goals.

southgate is really likeable and i hope he has enough about him to learn and change. seems to. but yeah it's been a mad world cup and an entirely enjoyable one. germany, spain, brazil, argentina and portugal all out early doors. fun, really. hope to christ croatia win it now.

1 hour ago, Mooner said:

It was enjoyable. We had a identity and some belief but came unstuck again.

In reality we may be getting carried away. Did we beat anyone that we shouldnt have?

 

 

nope. pens vs colombia, a very average sweden needed the goalkeeper to be MOTM. the hype is in danger of overtaking the reality. which i thought was the likeable thing about this england side. did well, but let's be frank about it. kane scored 6 goals but 4 pens, 1 deflection off his heel and a header off a corner. didn't have many other chances and opposition keepers weren't worked much.

5 hours ago, mommysboy said:

We simply haven't got a creative midfield.  Southgate needs to look at players like Shelvey again.  I doubt Wilshere will ever be a force again, which is a shame.

 

There is a difference between this and previous squads: we hold on to the ball so much better, and this is particularly evident when you look at the backs. 

shelvey's rubbish mate. so is wilshere. neither anywhere near top class. 

agree about the lack of creative midfield, that's why premier league teams pay massive wages for top class talent, none of which is english. but your latter point i totally disagree, this england team this world cup has not been one that holds the ball or dominates possession at all, it's been a side based on pace and energy, which is fine in its place. it's only been better compared to previous england teams that treated the ball like a hot potato. 

if you are brutally honest about this england team's world cup you say well done for making the semi-finals, smashing achievement, but you did it via a really easy group and then a very favourable draw and you got beat by the first good team you played, which by dint of the draw was the semis. haven't really bossed matches apart from against the pub team panama, haven't really made a lot of chances from open play, most goals have come from dead balls, man of the match in the quarters against sweden was your goalkeeper. look at it objectively and it's been fun and a ride but they've not dominated any match like a really top side does. but then it's been that kind of a world cup i guess. nobody has really been that good.

and on that note, who is your player of the tournament? i can't really think of a standout individual, and i've thoroughly enjoyed this world cup.

6 minutes ago, balo said:

England should have been at least 2 goals up at half time.  Kane and Lingard should have scored and it would have been a  completely different story. 

Because you owned the first half. 

 

Then everything just fall apart. I am impressed by the Croatians who never got tired of running.  They also had the experience that England lacked. 

 

 

kane should have squared it to sterling.

4 minutes ago, champers said:

Very good. Now go and eat your coco pops and get ready for school.

it was certainly a worthwhile contribution to the thread by friend mike west.

but then he started a whole new thread about the same subject so you'd have to imagine he's a wee bit attention-starved in the real world.

4 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

Oh yes!

good shouts. hope you had a flutter on that being the final.

would really like croatia to win it now but kind of expect france to grind it out. plus mbappe looks like being the real breakout star of this tournament.

20 minutes ago, carmine said:

First half we were better by a clear margin with Sterling our best player.  Rest just speaks for itself, the Croats were better.

thought henderson was the best player on the pitch the first half. sterling had them on the back foot and was frightening them but bizarrely he apparently only had 22 touches?

wasn't unexpected in the end really, england were knocked out by the first actually good team they played and the three at the back got exposed in the second half when croatia ramped it up. hope they win it. nation of just four million people it's an incredible achievement getting to the final.

haha, fair play to the tranmere lad. we just cannot start the new season with this guy in goal can we? it's madness.

6 hours ago, wilai said:

Full time....3-2...Karius with an assist!

oh god he didn't did he?