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England V Tunisia 1900 BST BBC1

decapitated

By decapitated,
in 2018 World Cup Forum

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Wigmore

Wigmore

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25 minutes ago, Bliss Seeker said:

Watching this at home. Hate watching England in pubs because people just annoy me with their **** opinions. Everyone's opinion is ****, apart from mine. 

Agreed, although I am duty-bound to go to the pub as my friend really wants to, and I am the only person he knows who doesn't already have other plans! If I had it my way I'd watch every England game at home in silence.

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pearcey_90

pearcey_90

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50 minutes ago, Barry Cartman said:

So why would you leave him on the bench?

Because of that goal innit, and that performance against Liverpool, despite him literally doing nothing else since turn of the year. He’s in confidence and Sterling is void of confidence.

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Crispypaul

Crispypaul

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32 minutes ago, Heartwork said:

This must be a hell of a game to be on two pages already, can't believe it's not on TV otherwise I'd turn over from the Sweden game

You're watching a game between two countries that actually exist?  What is going on?

;)

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Heartwork

Heartwork

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1 minute ago, Crispypaul said:

You're watching a game between two countries that actually exist?  What is going on?

;)

Actually North Korea doesn't formally recognise South Korea as a legitimate country so IT'S STILL A PARTIALLY RECOGNISED COUNTRY SUCKER

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darren1983

darren1983

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43 minutes ago, Heartwork said:

This must be a hell of a game to be on two pages already, can't believe it's not on TV otherwise I'd turn over from the Sweden game

You don't have to read the thread till after the other games have finished. 

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darren1983

darren1983

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1 minute ago, Heartwork said:

Clearly I didn't read a thing in this thread before posting.

Why moan about people talking about another game? It's an England game, of course it's probably going to be a popular thread even before the game has kicked off. 

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decapitated

decapitated

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44519710

Flies plague England's build-up in Volgograd

Quote

Of all the problems England fans and players thought they would face in Russia, a plague of flies was not one of them.

Gareth Southgate's side face Tunisia in their opening World Cup game on Monday (19:00 BST) in the south west city of Volgograd.

Swarms of the small flying insects have caused chaos for fans, locals and the media, while England players will be doused in fly repellent before taking to the pitch at the Volgograd Arena.

"They are on your face, stick to your lips, get inside your nostrils, your ears and your hair," said BBC Sport's Natalie Pirks. "I've had to debug myself at bedtime as you find dead ones you've splatted in the strangest of places."

"If Sunday night at the stadium was anything to go by, these little creatures are going to make it extremely uncomfortable for everyone there," said Radio 5 live commentator John Murray.

"There are billions of them. At one point last night it felt like I had a hundred thousand in my hair. Fortunately they haven't bitten me at all, it's just their presence that is unpleasant.

"We were warned about many things before coming to Russia, but this was not one of them."

Why is this happening?
It's breeding season.

The stadium is right on the banks of the Volga River where the midges are growing out of the larva stage and turning into adults, leaving the water en masse and flying around the city to mate.

Entomologist professor Adam Hart from the University of Gloucestershire believes they are non-biting midges, known as chironomidae, though he thinks there could be some mosquitoes thrown into the mix as well.

"It's a regular occurrence and just bad timing with a World Cup on", said the insect expert Hart. "The good news is they don't last long.

"It is a hassle rather than a big problem."

Organisers said the flies are a "typical phenomenon for Volgograd in June due to the local climate" and claim the "insignificant amount of flying insects will not disrupt any of the scheduled events in Volgograd".

What's being done?
There are four group games in Volgograd and organisers have been spraying the city with insecticide.

"Preventive measures have helped reduce the number of insects to lower level," the Volgograd media office said.

The area around the stadium, the fan festival zone and "other heavily trafficked venues" have been treated with repellents, which they say are safe for humans and animals.

Not that it is doing much good.

Hart says trying to spray an entire city is like "fighting a losing battle", adding that authorities can not spray a stadium of fans.

"It has made little difference to the swarms," said Pirks. "Officials say the problem has been getting steadily worse."

Vanilla essence and towels - the ways to cope
Fans are allowed to take repellent spray into the fan zone, but Pirks says they are redundant. However, the locals have given her a few tricks to cope.

"They swear by vanilla essence and the security guards have extra strength aerosols to nuke them," said Pirks. "Pitch-side is the worst, with no wind to blow them off course.

"The Football Association says the team doctor is aware and all players will be covered in repellent before taking to the pitch but they are a huge distraction and the goalkeepers in particular could be affected if they're standing still for long periods."

And then there is Murray's unique idea.

"Our plan is to take some towels from the hotel to wear over our heads, but I am concerned about swallowing some while I am commentating," he said.

'I hope England play with as much bite'
Members of the media have been sharing their experiences on Twitter.

Danny Armstrong: Currently being munched to death by midges in Volgograd. If England play with as much bite, they may be in with a chance tonight. An absolute angel of a waitress in the cafe where I am sat has just sprayed me with anti-midgie spray and I almost asked for her hand in marriage.

Andy Walker: Matchday stroll in Volgograd. The sun is out, spirits are high and the midges are relentless.

Dan Howells: I've decided my first novel will be called The Midges Of Volgograd.

Sal Ahmad: Not looking for sympathy but the midges are loving a taste of me in Volgograd! Quick detour to chemist to get some spray.

Barney Ronay: I don't know the exact origin of the phrase 'there's no flies on you'. But I think we can rule out Volgograd

 

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decapitated

decapitated

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/18/bugs-strife-swarms-cause-chaos-in-volgograd?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

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Swarms of flying bugs are causing chaos for fans and broadcasters around Volgograd with fears they may be a nuisance to England players when they face Tunisia in their opening game of the World Cup on Monday evening.

It is understood the city of Volgograd, which is in the south east of the country, knew that the bugs – a mixture of mosquitoes and midges - would be a nuisance. Two days ago they deployed helicopters to spray the nearby marshland with pesticides.

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It is understood City of Volgograd officials asked the Visit Russia tourism board to include in their guide to the city the fact they had “deployed chemical weapons” to target the insects. But it was pointed out to them, in light of the Sergei Skripal poisoning in Sailsbury, that this might not be the best choice of words.

It is thought that the pesticide did reduce the number of mosquitoes in the area over the weekend but they have returned with a vengeance and are wreaking havoc. Sky Sports News had to abandon a series of live interviews they had planned at the England team hotel on Sunday evening when their presenter Kaveh Solhekol was attacked by a swarm of bugs.

It is thought the position of the stadium, which is directly by the river Volga around which this city is built, might mean the number of bugs is even higher during the game on Monday evening.

The FA were aware of the potential issue of bugs in Volgograd having done a couple of reconnaissance visits to the city since the draw was made last December and England players are thought to be taking precautions before the game.

At the fan zone, where supporters are gathering to watch the games on a giant cinema style screen, security procedures mean liquids are banned. But officials have relaxed regulations to allow people to bring insect repellent into the area because the problem is deemed to be so serious.

 

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decapitated

decapitated

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1 minute ago, elgreenio said:

not really noticing anything from the little live interview during HT of the Belgium game

hopefully its all overblown. The player I'd be worried about it affecting would be Pickford being he's in goal and inexperienced. The English press aren't known for their empathy towards errors even in understandable circumstances. I would hate for his confidence to be destroyed and for him to end up like Rob Green.

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enigmatic

enigmatic

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23 minutes ago, decapitated said:

1-0 is more likely I reckon. We'll scrape through but the plague of files will become part of England folklore and you'll have the media picking on certain members of the team for whatever reason.

I'm sure the Sun and Mail have already found a way to link the flies with Raheem Sterling...

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