The Germans

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Big Ronaldo

Big Ronaldo

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So it’s them again.
Despite all the usual ‘we won the war’ crap that goes with playing them, I do have a healthy respect for their ability to grind out positive results, even when they are not blessed with a team that is comparable to quality German teams of the past.
Their winning mentality is proven over many years, racking up World Cup glories and Euro victories while we have lumbered and laboured from unlucky losers to embarrassing tournament chumps along the way.

Games against us often bring out the best in them while we get all tied up in the histrionics of 66 and penalty heartbreak.
Next Tuesdays match is interesting in itself because both teams come into it in the face of some criticism and we see a German side that have, at times looked fragile.
England’s dour performances so far have been practical but dull and it seems that Mr Southgate has no intention of playing any other way.
What it means is that maybe, for the first time in a generation, we will be facing a German team that is very beatable, while we look hard to beat.
What it would do for the tournament, the players, indeed the nation cannot be fathomed if England were to beat them on Tuesday. Where did I put my trumpet?😂
After all, they have a historic pedigree that ensures that we will all have to dig extremely deep to surpass.
The other side of Tuesday night is a perfect sunrise in the valley of opportunity, but to get there we will need to scale the physical and psychological mountain that is The Germans.
 
The thing is, we are the Wycombe to their Oxford. We will get all excited in the buildup, '66, penalty heartbreaks, 5-1 in Munich, whereas we are just another country to them. The Dutch are their Swindon...
 
Berliner said:
Germans hate their own team much more than other country's, Holland included.
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The thing is, we are the Wycombe to their Oxford. We will get all excited in the buildup, '66, penalty heartbreaks, 5-1 in Munich, whereas we are just another country to them. The Dutch are their Swindon...

See even the inbreds have got the Germans and Dutch thinking they're all 1 family
 
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Berliner said:
Germans hate their own team much more than other country's, Holland included.
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Really, in what way.
A couple of people I know almost want England to lose .
Are some of the Germans like that?
 
Foley said:
Really, in what way.
A couple of people I know almost want England to lose .
Are some of the Germans like that?
Click to expand...
"Die Mannschaft" goes through enormous peaks and troughs in the public eye. When the atmosphere is good, they are almost jingoistically supportive, when it goes bad...not so much.

In 1990 the team was symbol of a brave new world, but inside a decade or so we had Vogts and Völler having stand-up arguments with moderators on TV. The shambolic showing at Euro 2000 was the breaking point for a complete new rethink in terms of academies, club ownership and such, rewarded within two years with a World Cup final (though with one of the easiest paths to a final in known memory). The 2006 World Cup was where "football came home". All at once it was acceptable to fly German flags, colours and support the team. Huge groundswell of support since then. Unfortunately (and this is despite winning the greatest prize of all) the DFB went down the path of monetising every part of the team, commercialising everything and pushing "Die Mannschaft" as a brand. Since then, the public have become massively disillusioned with the national team, it has never had such a dearth of support as this year for years and years.

In terms of rivals, Germany goes about their job with ruthless precision. No time for any of that rivalry business. Of course the hools love it, but the majority of Germans think the Dutchies dislike for them is funny if anything. Certainly not much malice from this direction. Same with England, it's seen as a "classic" but without any negative connotations. And certainly without any war references, that's viewed with the distaste it deserves.
 
HampshireYellow said:
English people want England to lose?!
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Getting towards the end of the Scotland match, part of me felt I'd rather Scotland got a winner than we did, for the way both teams played.

Had the same reaction when we lost 1-0 to Northern Ireland about 15 years ago.

Otherwise no, I generally don't want us to lose as long as it looks like we're putting in a shift.
 
I don’t mind the Germans, especially the girls I came across as a teenage boy on holidays in the Balearics, worked with and met a few sound ones as well but when it comes to playing them it’s two world wars and one World Cup etc, great games though even if we have come out in the wrong side of the result a few to many times, really looking forward to Tuesday.

As for wanting Scotland to score though, f**k that, it’s an entire country that measures itself constantly against us yet fails to realise what a collective mental illness that is (especially when added to the national dress and food they eat).
 
I've spent a little time in Germany watching football - and I must say there seemed a mutual respect. Ive spent a bit of time with Hamburg fans and St Pauli fans (although not in the same boozer - that would have made Oxford vs Swindon look like a teddy bears picnic), and they like English culture, especially the culture that is connected with football.

I think there are some proper strange souls who see the Germany fixture as a chance to remind German football fans and players (who have little to do with the war) that a few times England actually came out on top.

Make no mistake - England will need to be at their very best physically and mentally. We can beat them, but this is what the Germans do best - knock nations out of competitions. The kind of performance we saw in the group stages will see us get done by 2 or 3 clear goals.
 
Mountain scaled!
Wow!
For the first time in my living memory, we have beaten them in a knockout tournament.
This is truly a ‘let’s get pissed’ moment.
 
Big Ronaldo said:
Mountain scaled!
Wow!
For the first time in my living memory, we have beaten them in a knockout tournament.
This is truly a ‘let’s get pissed’ moment.
Click to expand...
We were very good tonight. Great mentality, 2 good goals and a slice of luck when we needed it. This is doable!
 
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