1996 - 2006 (a decade of French football domination) ?

[Salamuddin]

Essentially, today's result makes an absolute mockery of this thread.

They lost one game.....That renders all their previous achievements void doesn't it ?
Genius

Let's see what gives after the qulifying rounds are complete........France will qualify (I predict) and that's all matters at the end.

 

[Matteh]

They lost one game.....That renders all their previous achievements void doesn't it ?
Genius

Let's see what gives after the qulifying rounds are complete........France will qualify (I predict) and that's all matters at the end.

They lost to Scotland, a team which has never made it past the first round of WC and not through want of trying. It's a disaster for their credibility.

 

[Salamuddin]

They lost to Scotland, a team which has never made it past the first round of WC and not through want of trying. It's a disaster for their credibility.

France did beat the world champions 3-1 a couple of weeks ago - so by your logic, after that result I should have said France were the out and out best team in the world......
one off results don't matter, what matters...is consistency...let's see where France are placed after all qualifying games are complete.


Oh and since you are so interested in one off results, what did England achieve against those powerhouses Macedonia (a team that's never even qualified for the wc) yesterday ? I must have missed the result on the news.....please enlighten me

 

[Matteh]

France did beat the world champions 3-1 a couple of weeks ago - so by your logic, after that result I should have said France were the out and out best team in the world......
one off results don't matter, what matters...is consistency...let's see where France are placed after all qualifying games are complete.


Oh and since you are so interested in one off results, what did England achieve against those powerhouses Macedonia (a team that's never even qualified for the wc) yesterday ? I must have missed the result on the news.....please enlighten me

I think the gap between the World Cup finalists who beat Italy last month and Scotland is greater than that of a completely off-form England and Macedonia.

 

[marc71178]

They lost one game.....That renders all their previous achievements void doesn't it ?

What previous achievments?

2 tournament years in 1998 and 2000 do not make a decade of domination.

 

[Jamee999]

October 7 2006 (a day of Scottish football domination)?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Scotland linear world champs? Beat the team who beat the winners....

 

[steds]

Oh and since you are so interested in one off results, what did England achieve against those powerhouses Macedonia (a team that's never even qualified for the wc) yesterday ? I must have missed the result on the news.....please enlighten me

Has anyone in this thread claimed England are a dominant force in football? How good England are has no relevance to your claims in this thread.

The fact is, whilst France might have beaten Italy some time in the past, they went to Hampden and allowed themselves to be overawed by the atmosphere. Scotland absorbed everything France could throw at them (albeit with a bit of help from the linesmen, but that's what they're there for) and, in the second half, looked more dangerous than France going forwards. The French were brittle and unable to change the way they played. Scotland won. None of that is the mark of a dominant force.

what matters...is consistency

Exactly. Which is why beating Italy means nothing if you aren't going to back it up with beating a team you really should beat.

 

[steds]

I think the gap between the World Cup finalists who beat Italy last month and Scotland is greater than that of a completely off-form England and Macedonia.

But Scotland are better than Macedonia. Infact, they're probably better than England atm.

 

[Matteh]

But Scotland are better than Macedonia. Infact, they're probably better than England atm.

Meh probably. If they played this week, you wouldn't be able to predict the winner, especially given the fired up nature of the game.

 

[grecian]

All jockos team, better then the disgrace that is Downing.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Brilliant result TBH, shame that most of the callers to phone-ins couldn't revel in it exclusively, had to pop at England.

 

[aussie]

I would say the French Domination would have been from 98-2002 from then they have been pretty poor & patchy & were pretty lucky to get to the WC Final this year.

 

[marc71178]

And how exactly did they dominate between 2000 and 2002 when they played no competitive games?

 

[sledger]

tbf i would say that they were probably the best side in 1998, possibly in 2000 but damn lucky to win, should have done a lot better in 2002, but playing no games plus injuries to big players hit them rather hard, since then they have been pretty pap, bar zidanes performances at the WC.

 

[Pothas]

On the balance of things France have got a case for being the most sucesfull side of the last 10 years and obviously were for a period between 98-2002. They never though had an air of invincibility and had very poor tournaments in 2002 and 2004. They have produced some great players and as i say can make a case for being the most sucesfull side of the last 10 years. Dominance certainly not.

 

[Salamuddin]

1996 - France reach semis Euro 96
1998 - France win the FIFA world cup 1998
2000 - France win Euro 2000
2001 - France win Confederations Cup
2001 - France win FIFA u-17 World cup
2001 - France reach semis of FIFA u-20 world cup
2003 - France win Confederations cup
2006 - FRance runners up FIFA world cup 2006.

Possibly only Brazil have matched France's achievements over the last 10 years......

Vive La Francais ....Allez Les Bleus.......

Oh I forgot to add , 1997 France u-20 World Cup semi-finalists

 

[Johnners]

Seems to me you haven't read all thats been put forward to you, it's a pretty damning argument against French domination for mine.

 

[Matteh]

It's the 2002 shambles that blows it for me.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Hahaha, just read through the entire thread, the idea that France "dominated" 1996-2006 is absurd.