Pool B - Argentina, England, Georgia, Romania, Scotland

[Somerset]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

No-one does crushing sporting disappointment quite like we do.

To be fair, the Scots have had a pretty good run of making the knockouts at World Cups - perhaps they're to rugby what New Zealand is to cricket! Really it was the Argentina match that killed your chances; even victory tonight was relying on a favourable outcome from the Argentina match tomorrow to confirm qualification for the knockouts.

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by Somerset

To be fair, the Scots have had a pretty good run of making the knockouts at World Cups - perhaps they're to rugby what New Zealand is to cricket! Really it was the Argentina match that killed your chances; even victory tonight was relying on a favourable outcome from the Argentina match tomorrow to confirm qualification for the knockouts.

Was referring to the way we find ways to lose. It's not limited to rugby, the national football team over the years has found many ways of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

Was referring to the way we find ways to lose. It's not limited to rugby, the national football team over the years has found many ways of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Yeah, and very enjoyable they all are too.

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by flibbertyjibber

Yeah, and very enjoyable they all are too.

It's alright, the four yearly cycle of your World Cup fortunes makes up for it.

• Start World Cup campaign with cautious optimism.
• Thump some minnow Eastern European side with a new formation or a couple of new players. Start getting excited, declare that this could be the generation that finally ends the 30/32/34/36/38/40/42/44/46/48 years of hurt (delete as applicable)
• Finish the qualifying stages comfortably top. Install England as being amongst the pre-tournament favourites.
• Ignore "irrelevant" friendly defeat to one of the major footballing powers
• 6 months before the tournament, use media to unsettle the coach or one of the team's important players by publishing lurid details of said individual's private life. Alternatively, spend the previous 4 years absolutely slaughtering the manager for his lack of tactical acumen/personal life.
• Win pre-tournament friendly against a team more technically proficient than yourselves. Ignore any warning signs that may arise from a team like Mexico/Egypt/Outer Mongolia being far more adept at keeping possession than England.
• Start group stages with solid but unspectacular win against some minnow side. Remember, there's no easy games in international football and you don't want to peak too early.
• Repeat above to win group. Declare this as definitely being England's year.
• Continue progressing until you come up against a former war time enemy. This time, those damn pesky foreigners with their annoying habit of being able to retain possession will prevail. Probably on penalties.
• Ignore all shortcomings and instead focus on one inconsequential decision that definitely changed the course of the game in the opposition's favour.
• Find scapegoat and slaughter relentlessly in the media. The scapegoat ideally will be that keeper who just had to save a couple of shots/that idiot who got sent off and let his team down/that fool of a coach who everyone had said for the last 4 years wasn't up to it. The player who missed the penalty was just unlucky, it could have happened to anyone.
• Start next campaign cautiously optimistic, as lessons have been learned/the players will have more experience/you've got a better coach/your star player was injured and you'd have won it if he was fully fit.
• Thump minnow Eastern European side in qualifiers

Repeat forever. Comedy gold.

[Howe_zat]

Quality post.

[flibbertyjibber]

Sadly you have it bang on.

The press are cringeworthy the way they hype the team up in the months leading up to a tournament.

Going to happen again in the coming years as Wilshere, Barkley, Jones, Smalling and others become the new "Golden Generation" only to fail miserably once we meet a side who actually cheat by passing the ball to their own men, playing possession football and having technical ability that is vastly superior to our athletes.

[weeman27bob]

Technique doesn't come into it, you can win everything by being physical and having a bit of grit about you. Right?

[flibbertyjibber]

Well the red tops over here think so anyway.

[Scaly piscine]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

It's alright, the four yearly cycle of your World Cup fortunes makes up for it.

• Start World Cup campaign with cautious optimism.
• Thump some minnow Eastern European side with a new formation or a couple of new players. Start getting excited, declare that this could be the generation that finally ends the 30/32/34/36/38/40/42/44/46/48 years of hurt (delete as applicable)
• Finish the qualifying stages comfortably top. Install England as being amongst the pre-tournament favourites.
• Ignore "irrelevant" friendly defeat to one of the major footballing powers
• 6 months before the tournament, use media to unsettle the coach or one of the team's important players by publishing lurid details of said individual's private life. Alternatively, spend the previous 4 years absolutely slaughtering the manager for his lack of tactical acumen/personal life.
• Win pre-tournament friendly against a team more technically proficient than yourselves. Ignore any warning signs that may arise from a team like Mexico/Egypt/Outer Mongolia being far more adept at keeping possession than England.
• Start group stages with solid but unspectacular win against some minnow side. Remember, there's no easy games in international football and you don't want to peak too early.
• Repeat above to win group. Declare this as definitely being England's year.
• Continue progressing until you come up against a former war time enemy. This time, those damn pesky foreigners with their annoying habit of being able to retain possession will prevail. Probably on penalties.
• Ignore all shortcomings and instead focus on one inconsequential decision that definitely changed the course of the game in the opposition's favour.
• Find scapegoat and slaughter relentlessly in the media. The scapegoat ideally will be that keeper who just had to save a couple of shots/that idiot who got sent off and let his team down/that fool of a coach who everyone had said for the last 4 years wasn't up to it. The player who missed the penalty was just unlucky, it could have happened to anyone.
• Start next campaign cautiously optimistic, as lessons have been learned/the players will have more experience/you've got a better coach/your star player was injured and you'd have won it if he was fully fit.
• Thump minnow Eastern European side in qualifiers

Repeat forever. Comedy gold.

You missed the bit where we laugh hysterically at Scotland for bravely drawing against a country whose entire population is a 5 digit figure.

[Somerset]

Ironically even if Scotland had won by more than 7 points last night, they'd still have failed to qualify since Argentina could only cross for three tries against Georgia. Think Georgia's defence needs to be commended, they conceeded just nine tries in four matches, three of which were against much higher ranked nations.

[TT Boy]

Armitage been cited. Probably get a couple of weeks as he has form for being a cheap shot merchant.

Also - England rugby players in more hot water after hotel worker claims she was victim of crude sexual banter - mirror.co.uk



Something seems to come over England whenever they tour NZ. From hotel spit roasts, rape accusations to dwarf tossing. Always seem to be lively affairs.

[BoyBrumby]

As soon as ITV said three players were involved I immediately guessed all the identities. All seem the kind who get a bit messy/lively very quickly. Haskell in particular seems an absolute cock.

Reckon Armitage's WC is over with his rap sheet. Two weeks for a saint, but for him I reckon 4 min.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

What did Shanksie do? I must have missed that.

[flibbertyjibber]

The high late tackle on Patterson I think.

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

What did Shanksie do? I must have missed that.

Caught Paterson late and high towards the end of the game. Didn't look particularly nasty, but equally I think he probably could've pulled out too.