[SonicBebs]

I think England have been really good the last 2 games
Cahill and Jagielka look comfortable, Baines is amazing and even Smalling had a good game!
We look good going forward, and Andros Townsend is everything Theo Walcott isn't

We're gonna win the world cup

[h8kurdt]

Well what a game. Talk about fast paced! And I agree with SonicBebs, they've looked good. Get about a gazillion chances before scoring but hey.

I <3 Baines.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

USA saves Mexico. Damn it. I know they'll beat New Zealand. FIFA is giving CONCACAF too many chances, but hey, fuck it. If they win its all fair, and USA has top-seeding at the least though we would have had that even if we lost and Costa Rica won. So. Lame. Should have took the dive to diss El Tri

[demonrail666]

Without going over the top about WC chances, last night's performance has left me more optimistic about the England team overall than I've felt in ages.

[punkaspoo]

Iceland's achievement was sensational despite the super easy group

[h8kurdt]

Oh god to be a Sunderland fan right now. You have my deepest sympathies!

[demonrail666]

Almost as bad as being a MU fan right now, except in their case I have no sympathy at all. I'd love it if they don't even qualify for next year's CL.

[SonicBebs]

This generation of utd fans have never had to deal with the reality of being a normal fan. Watching your team fuck up, be shit, lose week after week, be owned/managed/run by a bunch of idiots but still sing your heart out about them being by far the greatest team the world has ever seen is what supporting your team is really about.

When they fail to qualify for the cl and players begin to slowly leave, when they become Aston Villa, when motd show grown utd fans cry I'll be happy man!

[demonrail666]

Totally agree. Romanticising failure and incompetence is a massive part of it for me. Fortunately.

[!@#$%!]

i used to have a tribal football team like that, like a good portion of my family, but that was far away and a long time ago and i had almost forgotten all about it. one guy i knew in high school was an "ultra" (not the fascist kind) and he'd get us good tickets and weed and we'd yell until we could no longer speak and throw piss cans at the ref. i wish i could say "oh, good times," but i'm slightly embarrassed by the memories, actually. one of my uncles remains a hardcore fanatic, he used to travel around with the team and still lives and dies with the team's fortunes.

[demonrail666]

Yeah, I've never been like that. I'm not a very loud person by nature and I'm no different when it comes to football. Same with the kind of blind loyalty that sees every decision against West Ham as somehow indicating a referee's bias against them. I have friends who are like that but I just can't do it myself. Same with chants. I love hearing them but never actually join in.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Totally agree. Romanticising failure and incompetence is a massive part of it for me. Fortunately.

This is true, such is sport! Losing is what makes winning it all so damned fantastic! When Baltimore Ravens lost to the Patriots in the AFC Conference Game in 2012, that shit was one of the saddest sports' days of my life. Made getting that Superbowl the next year soooooo much better. USMNT loses big every WC and got clowned here in LA in the 2011 Gold Cup. Made winning it all this past summer so much more vindicating. Dodgers just lost in the NLCS to the Cardinals. Is it a great experience? Not necessarily. Is it sport? Couldn't have it any other way, cities and franchises and fans have to collectively lose, its called bonding

[demonrail666]

Hard to imagine there'll be a better goal in the Prem this season ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reTBIJnsRLM

[SonicBebs]

They look amazing again. Aaron Ramsey has been just as much an influence on the team as Ozil has. Although motd comparing him with Zidane was a bit far fetched
I think they can definitely win the league this year

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by SonicBebs

They look amazing again. Aaron Ramsey has been just as much an influence on the team as Ozil has. Although motd comparing him with Zidane was a bit far fetched
I think they can definitely win the league this year

God if they did how many of the fans who were calling for Wenger's head a few weeks ago will be calling him a God?

[SonicBebs]

Fuck it.

Oh well. Arsenal on Saturday!

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by SonicBebs

Fuck it.

An epic expression, only matched with its antonym, "Fuck that shit."

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by SonicBebs

They look amazing again. Aaron Ramsey has been just as much an influence on the team as Ozil has. Although motd comparing him with Zidane was a bit far fetched
I think they can definitely win the league this year

Ramsey's on fire but I think Ozil's given them a fear factor they haven't had since Van Persie left. The only question mark for me is that they're still yet to play Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man U. They've had a relatively easy start to the season. Besides Spurs all the other teams they've played so far have been ones you'd expect them to beat quite comfortably, and even against some of those they've not had their way. They can definitely win it, and I'd love to see them do it, but we'll get a better idea of just how good they are after we've seen them face the other main contenders. (Although I'm beginning to think MU at least are in danger of already being out of contention.)

[SonicBebs]

So Hollow has gone. By the looks of it he walked but you can never tell.

Sad times. We're not a premier league club and he is a decent championship manager. Its a shame we couldn't convince him to stay, but if he's gonna bale on us fuck him.
Wonder who we'll get?
Warnock and Pulis are the usual names being thrown about. No one's mentioned Redknap yet!
Just glad mark hughes is currently in a job

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Ramsey's on fire but I think Ozil's given them a fear factor they haven't had since Van Persie left. The only question mark for me is that they're still yet to play Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man U. They've had a relatively easy start to the season. Besides Spurs all the other teams they've played so far have been ones you'd expect them to beat quite comfortably, and even against some of those they've not had their way. They can definitely win it, and I'd love to see them do it, but we'll get a better idea of just how good they are after we've seen them face the other main contenders. (Although I'm beginning to think MU at least are in danger of already being out of contention.)

You could say the same about Liverpool. Apart from Man Utd. they haven't played any of the top tier teams. You only need to look at how Swansea played against them to see that if pushed they could crumble. Bad metaphor I know, but I can't think of any other way to say it.