So what's everyone doing..

[Groyney]

Nothing more than a training session, Coachie. All it provided was a warm-up for playing the proper opposition in the Six Nations.

 

I did notice the Hullbridgesque tactical prowess as Italy decided to play one of their wing forwards as scrum half. It's the equivalent of having Steve Gerrard out for a Euro qualifier and replacing him with David James.

 

England's ploy was simple. Let Italy have all the territory and possession they wanted, then when the inevitable screw-up happens with the half-backs, just punish them for it. The match was dead in the water after half an hour. It was embarrassing schoolboy stuff at times.

 

England may not be anywhere near the team they were but Italy were a dire, humiliating shadow of what they were s couple of years ago. The very fact that such a disappointing England performance resulted in such a comfortable win was evident of that.

[coach et 64]

Oval ball....let's talk proper...football i mean!Groyne,i'm 45 years old and i can say proudly to have seen in my lifespan so far, my Country winning 2 World Cups,losing 2 finals,2 semi-finals,2 quater-finals and finishing 3rd and fourth.Also 1 European championship,1 final,and a 3rd and a 4th place in the European Championship.I can die an happy man but unfortunately i can't say the same about anyone that is English and my age.You haven't seen for 43 years your national side winning anything,not even a two bobs cup and that really says it all...i'm sorry mate but it's a no contest..come back when you get another life!

[Groyney]

Quite frankly, Enrico, the upper echelons of the game is so hysterically over-hyped, and has been for so many years, that I feel little or no attachment to the England football team. They don't represent me any more than Manchester United do in European competition.

 

Take the last World Cup. I went to Portgual v Angola and Germany v Poland amongst other matches but for England v Paraguay I simply found a bar showing the rugby and watched South Africa v Scotland. I saw exactly one England match in the entire World Cup and then only because I had a ticket for it.

 

As far as the rugby goes, though, I definitely feel a deeper affinity to the England team. I won't miss a game, if I don't have a ticket I will find a bar and watch the game. I've applied for England tickets and been to the last 5 RWC's, following England across the globe.

 

Given the choice I would much, much rather England win another RWC than its footballing equivalent. It's probably why Italy's footballing stats are as irrelevant to me as England rugby stats to you.

[coach et 64]

Might be you got disillusioned with their failures that you don't wanna even mention them..The only thing that i can say is "I know what a world cup win in football can do to people and till you experience one,you can never say what it is like"

You can't describe it,it's unbelievable! Hope one day people under 45 can experience something like that...even with an Italian manager in charge!!

[Groyney]

I know exactly what would happen. The media would go into over-drive and you wouldn't hear the end of it. All the morons, troublemakers and assorted divs who come out of the woodwork to ruin your local pub when there's an England game on would take up permanent residence. There would be a ridiculous amount of nationalistic fervour bordering on outright xenophobia. All the negative elements of English society would be enhanced.

 

Believe me, Enrico, England wouldn't be a particularly pleasant place to be if they fluked a World Cup win. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[and1inthetree]

spot on groynestrain. i'd rather hornchurch won a 50/50 throw-in on the halfway line in a pre-season match than england winning the football world cup.

[coach et 64]

I have seen England-Italy in 1997 with 80000 England fans,in the English fans sector and I didn't have a problem at all.99,99% of England fans are all well behaved.I think a World Cup win in football,can only benefit English football English youngsters and fans immensely.It might make people realise that sometimes it's worthy playing a local youngster rather than an average foreigner player and stop importing Spanish,French,Portuguese etc players from around the globe.I don't think it's gonna work that way Groyne,i'm optimistic and try to see the good nature of people.Your Country has a lot of good things than the people give credit for.

[Hookey]

With emotions running high (Having just returned from Bowers seeing WHU lose) and having drunk copious amounts of ale, I can say that I have pondered this scenario in more sober moments.

 

I have discovered this, I would sacrifice West Ham's relegation for an England World Cup win. Why? West Ham can come back, as they have done many times, but the feelgood factor I experience when England are in a tournament, e.g. flags on cars etc, is a fleeting moment of unification of a nation. Yes I know it is short-lived but for a few weeks the nation is united.

 

Regulars on the forum know my roots are Irish, but when to comes to football, I'm English through and through!!! (Long story)

 

My chin is well and truly stickng out now, so take your best shot.

[Hookey]

BTW, maybe a coincidence (You can tell I'm rambling here) but my very first visit to Wembley was 14/11/73. I was 14 and it was the same day Princess Margaret married Capt Mark Phillips, England lost 0-1 to Italy, (cue Coachie gloat).

 

Where's the coincidence I hear you cry, well it's this. The game was Bobby Moore's 108th and last cap, Italy's goalscorer was a certain Fabio Capello, the same Fabio Capello that is now pondering whether to allow Beckham to equal Mooro's record...

 

 

[Groyney]

Point taken but I cannot stand all that flag waving gumph. If people were genuinely proud of the country they live in it would surely be displayed more prominently all the year round and not hanging limply out of windows in the more troublesome of neighbourhoods.

 

Can't stand the hype attached to it, can't stand the small and decreasing, but still evident racist, core of the support. I would rather Southend United stayed up than England win either the World Cup or European Championship. Conversely, though, England winning the Grand Slam and / or another RWC, or our cricketers regaining The Ashes, I'd gladly swap for both Sunderland and Southend going down. No hype, no flags, just sport.

[Hookey]

First of all Groyney, thank you for responding, I was beginning to think my post was so profound that no-one had anything to say!

 

Secondly (after I had hit the "Submit" button prematurely (Must stop doing that). How can I put this?............. Oh I know... BO11OCKS!!! It is national furore and a natural indignation of all things unjust that makes us, well us, and when I say us I mean a nation. When we stop thinking as us we become them!!

 

 

[coach et 64]

You're not a football oriented man Groyne,more into other sports may be.To me you sound like my brother in law that used to go footie training putting his hands in his pockets and always left in one corner from his team mates till the manager told him to look for an alternative sport to practise because football couldn't be played by someone with his hands in his pockets!Therefore your resentment towards footie,which is clearly not your number one sport.I can understand your feelings mate and horse racing,cricket and rugby are good alternatives.Footie is definitely not for you,don't matter how much effort you make...

[Groyney]

We do actually share the same viewpoint too. I would also sacrifice a West Ham relegation if it meant England's footballers winning something.

[Groyney]

You clearly don't know me at all coachie. If football wasn't for me I'd be assistant manager at Hullbridge. Or the groundsman.

 

I don't support the English football team becasue they - the overpaid players and thuggish element of their support - don't represent me in any way, shape or form. I do, however, back any other English team and, time and money permitting, will and try and get to their matches.

 

Football has a certain priority in my life. I love the simplicity of the game itself, I love seeing the genuine joy it brings to kids, I adore those few moments of skill you see where you think "I could never do that in a million years". That feeling of euphoria when, playing as a targetman, the side I played for won their League Cup against a team that had previously beaten us 11-2. I enjoyed seeing others enjoy the game for what it is and should be.

 

I also, though, see through the bullsh1t. The ridiculous coverage in the papers. The tv channels constantly telling you how incomplete your life is if you don't support a Premier League team. The sterile punditry. Above all, the many people who attach themselves to football as a way of hiding something that's missing in their lives. I wonder if you do, Enrico, judging by your recent behaviour.

 

I choose what's for me and what isn't. If you don't like it, tough.

[coach et 64]

You sound really strange to me..don't support England but goes and watch premiership teams of overpaid foreigner players.."football is a matter of death or life"Actually more than that and if you don't share that vision you're not a real footie man.Rugby,cricket and all that rest attract you more...and when England will win the World Cup,i'll be watching ya...

[Eastside Urchin]

coach,you c0ck sucking phildomite,the reason we all love grass roots football is we can't be doing with the arty farty noncy poncy sucky c0cky top flight,jump on my pussy and call me bob type of football you dirty greasy wop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ps.i love you muppet

[Groyney]

Originally Posted By: coach et 64

You sound really strange to me..don't support England but goes and watch premiership teams of overpaid foreigner players.."football is a matter of death or life"Actually more than that and if you don't share that vision you're not a real footie man.Rugby,cricket and all that rest attract you more...and when England will win the World Cup,i'll be watching ya...

Okay, let's disect this bit by bit.

1. I do not go and watch Premier League football and haven't done for a good half a dozen years.

2. You are misquoting Bill Shankly when stating football being more important than life or death. He was, in fact, being ironic and laughed after he said that. There's 38 dead Italians and 96 dead Liverpool fans as proof of that.

3. I would suggest that, attending 20+ football games during the course of a season, helping out with some youth coaching, as well as taking Chipper to his coaching school, as well as editing the programme, as opposed to going to half a dozen England rugby games, a couple of England cricket games, plus say a couple of club / county games each, in comparison I enjoy football as a sport more than any other.

4. When England win the World Cup you won't be watching me. You'll be long since dead! Keep an eye out for England rugby in 2015 though. You might just be right about that .....

[coach et 64]

Originally Posted By: Urchin Mentalist

coach,you c0ck sucking phildomite,the reason we all love grass roots football is we can't be doing with the arty farty noncy poncy sucky c0cky top flight,jump on my pussy and call me bob type of football you dirty greasy wop.

Che????











































ps.i love you muppet

[coach et 64]

Rugby is a sport for ugly and overweight people...football is the one and only sport that moves masses of people everywhere in the world!!Football uber alles!!And....i'll see England win it before i move up to Brian Clough's pastures!!

[Eastside Urchin]

do you play rugby you fat wop lol???