We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Now that we've all got our breath back, we can sit back and enjoy the last match today. I think that Gooner Steve has it just about right when he says that we want Paraguay to win this one and virtually eliminate Sweden. Join me if you've got any energy left.
posted by gatorbob @ 2:45 PM
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
17 Comments:
Fifteen minutes gone and fairly one-way traffic from Sweden so far, with a few nibbles for Roque Santa Cruz. I particularly like this Kallstrom guy. Good player.
Thirty minutes gone and Sweden have got to be starting to sweat. They're looking down the barrel of two points from two draws. Despite some good stuff from Ljungberg and Wilhelmsson, the Swedes haven't carved out that many chances yet. Paraguay at least looked organized.
Half-time 0-0; What would we make of this result? Of course, it would keep both sides technically still in with a chance, as well as T&T.
Sweden would still be in the hunt for points against England - something obviously England would love to avoid. It would be nice to be able to rest the Roon for the third game entirely or just bring him on for a run-about at the end with nothing much at stake.
Sixty minutes: Allback has come on mysteriously for Ibrahimovic and has just had one cleared off the line.
This 0-0 result suits me just fine. It would definitely put England top of the group going through to the next round and England could put Theo out as lone striker for what it's worth.
Those numpties on World Soccer Daily were still complaining about England AFTER the match - spare a thought for the Swedish fans. What must they be thinking?
hey, i'm back from dinner. this has been on in the background. i don't know what to think. i have grudging respect for both of these teams.
i think a draw actually would suit us. sweden would have 2 points and paraguay 1. sweden would have the maximum potential of 5 points if they beat england. paraguay would have the maximum potential of 4. with england on 6, it's immaterial as england would still go through group winners.
the sticky wicket is whether germany would finish first or second. it would be cruel to go through first in group b only to still meet germany next round.
bob, results have been favorable to england so far, but we'd be f**ked if these substitutions that sven has made hadn't worked out.
you know that the turning point today was the risky inclusion of rooney and the essential insertion of lennon. if you see that, and had seen t&t in their qualifiers, their warm-ups and in the sweden game, you knew that they were going to pack it in at the back. especially because of lennon, we had a guy that could get around as well as behind them.
And t&t dealt pretty well with the crosses. you say that the story of the first half was the missed chances. i think it's just as reasonable to call it lack of invention on englands part.
and it's just that inability to change things up with the starting eleven on the field that leaves me with concerns for the next games. maybe the return of rooney will give us that dimension so that if the ball over the top isn't working, we'll have an alternative route that has a chance of getting a goal.
another thought for the future is what to do about cashley. he's had two games where he's been awful and dangerously absent in defending. do we hope he'll improve despite evidence that it's not likely? do we move carra over to the left and bring in hargreaves on the right?
and what about rooney? crouch got the goal today. do we throw him overboard when rooney comes back? or do we throw owen out even though he tends to thrive when rooney is in the side? depending on this result, might it not be a good idea to experiment with dropping lampard and going with rooney and crouch AND rooney?
many questions.
Seventy-fifth minute: Still 0-0. Yes, I think a draw is a good result for us. It throws into relief just how good a start to the competition England has had.
I'm hearing a lot of complaints from fans on the World Soccer Daily and 606 chat rooms, but I think they've got it wrong. For once we've got a team that seems to have a good tournament mentality. We've started slowly but have won both games without conceding any goals.
Sure there are concerns, mainly with Owen? But let me ask you this - which teams have impressed you more in this tournament than England? I'd have to say only Argentina, Italy and Spain, and we've only seen them once. Mexico and the Aussies came back well but I don't fear them.
we're not playing nearly as well as the argies, italy, spain or the czechs. mexico have untapped strength that wasn't on view in their game. the aussies were pure adreneline and they won't get much further.
tournament mentality? i don't see so much of that. i see owen and lamps and cashley trying to get through an awful run of form and a side that's sent out with the wrong instructions from the first minute.
My hunch would be to play Owen and Crouch one more time against Sweden and then drop Owen if he doesn't show again. I really think you're being too critical today. It is the World Cup and there are very few easy games here. Look at how Brazil struggled with Croatia, Germany struggled with Poland, Portugal struggled with Angola, Holland struggled with the Serbs and so on. Lots of big teams not firing on all cylinders.
What's the bigger problem - England and Owen or Brazil and Ronaldo?
My feeling about England all along was that - with our starting eleven fit - we had a chance to win it. We are good enough, even with one or two injury concerns to get to the quarters and then it will depend on things like the draw, refereeing decisions and unfortunately penalties. I hope Sven gives the boys a break from scrimmaging after this match and starts them practicing pens.
Agreed - Italy, Spain, Czechs, Argies look strong. Perhaps even the Dutch. Any game with any of those will be very, very hard. But on the day, I think England could - and I stress the word could - beat any of them.
The nice thing for once is that we've gone through the group stage and there are no worries at all about getting out of the group or being first or second. When was the last time that was the case?
GOAL: 1-0 Sweden; Ljungberg puts the dagger in.
Unfortunately that means that the next match will be another nailbiter with the first/second slot on the line. Shame, that. Still, I'm quietly confident about beating Sweden on this form.
Full-time: Sweden 1-0; Paraguay are eliminated and Sweden now have four points, with a game to play against England. They'll be chasing it, especially if it means avoiding the Germans. What if Ecuador gets a result? Should we throw the match?
when that went in i cheered. dad says, "why, i thought we were cheering for paraguay." the irrational gooner in me took over.
so what he scored only two for us this year. he chipped schmeichel for a winning goal on his debut for us. so what about those naff fashions? love him.
makes the next game a much watch affair. i feel bad that the paraguayans get sent home. they were entertainers.
Sounds like a Python sketch - I love it! I can just imagine the Motty commentary on that match.
becks would be interviewed afterwards, "it was logical, y'know."
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