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[Carpy]

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[holdsteady]

The only thing that keeps me going through the international breaks is working out all the bizarre permutations of who's going to get into the World Cup!

UEFA nowhere near as complex (or as crooked) as the Asian Football Confederation!

I just read the World Cup qualification page of Wikipedia, it’s certainly a complicated system across the different continents.
The draw will happen before we know all the teams with qualification not finished till March with all the different play offs, has that happened before?

 

[holdsteady]

I’ve actually seen some good games featuring the ‘other’ UK teams this break - a lot more interesting and unpredictable than England

That’s mostly because England are very good though, we would come top in any of the groups the other home nations are in.

 

[werthersoriginal]

That’s mostly because England are very good though, we would come top in any of the groups the other home nations are in.

Yes, they’d come top boringly too. Oh, a 2-0 win against Albania?! Worth missing a murder thriller for that.

 

[holdsteady]

Yes, they’d come top boringly too. Oh, a 2-0 win against Albania?! Worth missing a murder thriller for that.

It’s very different to the days of needing draws to the Greece and Italy in the last game to get to tournaments, but with the enlarged numbers that’s probably gone for ever.

Now to Tony W has ruined the suspense that the other home nations are pretty much in the play offs is does make you wonder about the point of all these qualifiers.

 

[werthersoriginal]

It’s very different to the days of needing draws to the Greece and Italy in the last game to get to tournaments, but with the enlarged numbers that’s probably gone for ever.

Now to Tony W has ruined the suspense that the other home nations are pretty much in the play offs is does make you wonder about the point of all these qualifiers.

Just forget the qualifiers and cut to us beating Belgium then getting knocked out by France

 

[holdsteady]

Just forget the qualifiers and cut to us beating Belgium then getting knocked out by France

France only drew with Iceland, so maybe we will lose to someone else. Sort of result that makes you start to think that we could have a real chance, which really ramps the potential for disappointment up.

 

[tonyw]

I just read the World Cup qualification page of Wikipedia, it’s certainly a complicated system across the different continents.
The draw will happen before we know all the teams with qualification not finished till March with all the different play offs, has that happened before?

Yeah, it happened last time as well. Only 29 of the 32 teams were known when the draw was made……

It’ll be 42 out of 48 this time, I think. Four European and two intercontinental spots won’t be finalized until March

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Now to Tony W has ruined the suspense that the other home nations are pretty much in the play offs is does make you wonder about the point of all these qualifiers.

There is no point. It's a complete and utter waste of time. Ruining any rhythm to our domestic season in the process.

48 teams in a WC? Pathetic. Used to be an achievement for a smaller nation to qualify. Used to be the pinnacle of world football.

Instead we'll now have Qatar vs Latvia played in front of 2,500 fans in Portland at 7am with a draw being enough for both to reach the knock-out stages.

F*ck FIFA.

 

[holdsteady]

There is no point. It's a complete and utter waste of time. Ruining any rhythm to our domestic season in the process.

48 teams in a WC? Pathetic. Used to be an achievement for a smaller nation to qualify. Used to be the pinnacle of world football.

Instead we'll now have Qatar vs Latvia played in front of 2,500 fans in Portland at 7am with a draw being enough for both to reach the knock-out stages.

F*ck FIFA.

I don't think anyone would disagree with you. 32 teams in the finals with a more streamlined qualifying process is the way to go, but unfortunately FIFA was taken over by criminals back before I was born and to run FIFA you have to come from the inner circles of FIFA, so be a criminal, so no reform will ever happen. Still next world cup might well be 64 teams, so it might not get better but it can certainly get worse.

 

[m]

There is no point. It's a complete and utter waste of time. Ruining any rhythm to our domestic season in the process.

48 teams in a WC? Pathetic. Used to be an achievement for a smaller nation to qualify. Used to be the pinnacle of world football.

Instead we'll now have Qatar vs Latvia played in front of 2,500 fans in Portland at 7am with a draw being enough for both to reach the knock-out stages.

F*ck FIFA.

Latvia have left themselves a lot to do.

 

[m]

I don't think anyone would disagree with you. 32 teams in the finals with a more streamlined qualifying process is the way to go, but unfortunately FIFA was taken over by criminals back before I was born and to run FIFA you have to come from the inner circles of FIFA, so be a criminal, so no reform will ever happen. Still next world cup might well be 64 teams, so it might not get better but it can certainly get worse.

FFS.

How many more times?

FIFA has investigated FIFA and found FIFA to be free from corruption. Read FIFA's report if you are cynical. Even then, if you disagree, you have the right to appeal to FIFA about the decision.

 

[chuckbert]

FFS.

How many more times?

FIFA has investigated FIFA and found FIFA to be free from corruption. Read FIFA's report if you are cynical. Even then, if you disagree, you have the right to appeal to FIFA about the decision.

Takes too long. Just buy a report from them.

 

[Stranger]

Latvia have left themselves a lot to do.

They need Grebis

 

[Colin B]

Yeah, it happened last time as well. Only 29 of the 32 teams were known when the draw was made……

It’ll be 42 out of 48 this time, I think. Four European and two intercontinental spots won’t be finalized until March

You've been in the USA for too long Tony!

Please don't tell me you pronounce route as rowt instead of root.........................

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

You've been in the USA for too long Tony!

Please don't tell me you pronounce route as rowt instead of root.........................

Gosh don't pull at that thread. The two that I can't abide are:

Graham. We say 'Grey-um', they say 'Gram'?

And they seem to think that the H in Herb is silent. 'Erbs and spices'. What the f*ck is that about?

 

[Colin B]

Gosh don't pull at that thread. The two that I can't abide are:

Graham. We say 'Grey-um', they say 'Gram'?

And they seem to think that the H in Herb is silent. 'Erbs and spices'. What the f*ck is that about?

I think they should get their own language, instead of bastardising ours with odd spellings and mispronunciations, while claiming that they speak English.

They can't even leave numbers alone, and call 1,010 "one thousand ten" missing the word "and" out. Illiterate heathens.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I think they should get their own language, instead of bastardising ours with odd spellings and mispronunciations, while claiming that they speak English.

They can't even leave numbers alone, and call 1,010 "one thousand ten" missing the word "and" out. Illiterate heathens.

They should make Spanish their main language. But then they'd annoy the Spaniards by speaking it wrong

 

[SteMerritt]

I think they should get their own language, instead of bastardising ours with odd spellings and mispronunciations, while claiming that they speak English.

They can't even leave numbers alone, and call 1,010 "one thousand ten" missing the word "and" out. Illiterate heathens.

That's "math" for you...

 

[tonyw]

You've been in the USA for too long Tony!

Please don't tell me you pronounce route as rowt instead of root.........................

Ah, this old chestnut!

You'll be glad to know that I have retained 95% of my Britishisms. I certainly say root, Herb (because it's got a ****ing h on it) and my numbers always have an 'and'.

But 'ize' vs. 'ise'. Afraid I think the Americans have this one right.

'ize' stems from the ancient Greek ending -izo which is where many of the verbs have their origins; whereas 'ise' is just the English borrowing from the French at a later date because for some reason they thought they were cool.

Oxford English Dictionary uses 'ize'. So did Shakespeare.....and the King James Bible!

 

[chuckbert]

Ah, this old chestnut!

You'll be glad to know that I have retained 95% of my Britishisms. I certainly say root, Herb (because it's got a ****ing h on it) and my numbers always have an 'and'.

But 'ize' vs. 'ise'. Afraid I think the Americans have this one right.

'ize' stems from the ancient Greek ending -izo which is where many of the verbs have their origins; whereas 'ise' is just the English borrowing from the French at a later date because for some reason they thought they were cool.

Oxford English Dictionary uses 'ize'. So did Shakespeare.....and the King James Bible!

*except where ise is actually part of a Latin root, hence exercise vs size, reprise vs assize etc.

 

[tonyw]

Getting back to the football.......

England have now qualified, and are the only European nation to have done so with one whole international window left to play (Croatia would have to lose to Montenegro and the Faroe Islands by a combined ~10 goals to miss out......but they still mathematically could!). I still don't think we're great against ten men behind the ball, but six games, six wins, 18 goals for, none against is hard to complain about too much.

The Asian Football Confederation got their way, and both Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualified after the horribly rigged fourth round of Asian qualifying

And Nigeria pulled off the most ridiculous turnaround to keep themselves alive. They were absolutely dead and buried after some horrible results, but then Eritrea removed themselves from the competition and for the table comparing second placed teams, all results against the bottom clubs in each group got expunged (Nigeria had drawn twice against Zimbabwe, who finished bottom in their group). They then won 4-0 today against Benin (who had previously been top of the group) with the final goal coming in injury time, and got the final "Best Second place" spot by a single goal.
They've still got to win a four team knockout tournament in November (which will also include Cameroon, Aubameyang's Gabon and Peter Kioso's DRC) and then win the Intercontinental Playoffs in March to get to the tournament. But it's a ridiculous comeback that they're still in it at all.

Now just the Concacaf qualifiers to follow tonight (let's go, Greg) and then I can get back to Championship football.......

 

[tonto]

I thought Sparky looked good against belgium maybe could do a job for us?!

 

[Mike_H]

Gregly's Jamaica now 1-0 up v Bermuda, thanks to an o.g. in the 24th minute. Live on YouTube for anyone still up!

 

[SteMerritt]

England have now qualified, and are the only European nation to have done so with one whole international window left to play

I was about to query this and say hadn't Portugal qualified as well, but then checked to find they had conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to Hungary.

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Mind Altering Shoes???

What are the 'mind-altering' shoes that England players are wearing?

England are always looking at ways they can gain an advantage for their players as prepare to try to win the World Cup and now they have turned to fluorescent red 'mind-altering' shoes as tool to help them do that.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Sarge]

Mind Altering Shoes???

What are the 'mind-altering' shoes that England players are wearing?

England are always looking at ways they can gain an advantage for their players as prepare to try to win the World Cup and now they have turned to fluorescent red 'mind-altering' shoes as tool to help them do that.

www.bbc.co.uk

red shoes??? - if they click their heels together 3 times while saying theres no place like home does that equate to an exit after the group stages conclude?

 

[tonyw]

P7 W7 GF20 GA0 - can't really complain about England's qualifying performance. We've made sure that Serbia won't be in the US next summer as well now. They can't catch Albania (and for anyone who is keeping notes, Serbia didn't win their Nations League group last year, so they're not getting into the playoff that way either).

Straightforward task for Italy to make it too now. They just have to beat Norway in their final qualification match on Sunday by nine clear goals.

 

[holdsteady]

France join England in qualifying, Norway are there in all but name now as well. Albania in the play offs with Ukraine/Iceland and Hungary/Ireland in with a shout of the play offs.

Nigeria to play DR Congo for the right to go to the inter continental play offs in the African qualifiers after both win tonight, UAE and Iraq drawing 1-1 after the first leg to do the same.

 

[tonyw]

And the next round of CONCACAF qualifiers tonight, that could push some interesting countries close to qualification! Let's go Greg!!

 

[holdsteady]

Greg Leigh's Jamaica mess up with only a draw this morning and let Curacao go top of the group, they play each other Wednesday morning in Jamaica with the winner qualifying automatically, a draw would pretty much see Jamaica in the inter confederation play offs while a loss would see them looking at results in the other groups as its only two of the three group runners up who go through to the play offs.