daylight

Good stuff OP! Jumping off the couch and punching the air, I've got good memories of that.

In all my years of playing I've for the first time got a lower league side unbeaten for an entire year, pretty chuffed with it, given how crap I am at other games .... see the off topic forum.... I thought I would take a screenshot as I suspected Chelsea would end that in the FA cup quarters, they did just that with a 3-0 win, I did actually beat 2 EPL sides on the way to the quarters though. https://steamcommunity.com/id/Sinhealer/screenshot/942845410505042221

It was a penalty, no idea why all the drama about it. I watched the game at my father in laws, and his brother kept going on about it was never a penalty, it got to the stage I stopped talking to him. His hand moved to the ball, yes he was close but he did move his hand to the ball, at any rate, if he didn't stop the ball with his hand it could have created a chance for France. I absolutely hate Shearer with these sort of things, he will bitch and whine when a penalty is given but later in the season he will bitch and whine that the defender has moved his hand or raised his hand in the box and thus given the ref something to think about and it has to be a pen. Honestly listen to him this coming season and how he changes his views.

He pulled a Homer!

Timing. I can only go back to the early 80s, I honestly can't remember an England team that played poorer, getting further doesn't mean they played better than previous sides.

I of course meant the worst England side I have seen, not the worst side ever, at least you got a Scotland joke in there though eh?

you could be right!

Undermine and belittle what? They beat Tunisia in injury time, they beat one of the poorest sides I have ever seen at a WC, their B side got beaten by Belgiums B side, they then beat Colombia on pens,I still think Colombia would have won if Rodríguez was fit, they then beat Sweden. Trust me, if England had beaten say Belgium, Argentina maybe Uruguay then I would say, however much it hurt, how well they did, they didn't though. I honestly don't think they played that well, I think Kane went missing way too often and I can't understand the praise he is getting and the criticism Sterling is getting. Sterling did more for the team than Kane did, if Kane wasn't all for himself he would have passed to Sterling when England were 1-0 up against Croatia and Sterling would have made it 2-0. At any rate I think most of the fans enjoyed the ride but never got seriously carried away.

You also had Baines and Carrick, also Hart when he was also considered by many to be world class. As you said though, hard to see many, if any, of this England side making the team from 2010. This was one of the worst sides I have seen, they got to the semi final but even the most blindsided fan must admit they never played well, they beat the poor sides and struggled against the other sides. Southgate shouldn't be the manager, no way, he has no idea how to change things, also why name Kane captain? Stupid decision, if there is one England player that is out for himself then it is Kane. Out of the players in the team it has to be Henderson, if a manager can't even see that then you know you have problems.

That's 4 world class players! Most sides are lucky to have 1 or 2, add Ferdinand and Terry to that. I honestly think that team or any England side from the 00s and they could have won this WC, especially if they got the luck and breaks that this England side got. Wrong team at the wrong time.

The final is a totally different beast. They only lost 1-0, could easily reverse that.

I feel you guys could have if you hadn't beaten England the first time. Belgium are better than Croatia and I think they would've beaten France in the final.

It would have been BBC, the wife kindly informed me that her Dad had invited us to eat there some 2 weeks ago. So Netherlands one channel it is.

I don't think there was any improvement, they got some luck and a few breaks went for them that in the past didn't. A perfect example of that was when they drew 1-1 with the USA and then 0-0 was it Algeria? With a bit of luck or a break going for them they could have won both games. This England side, I think, is poorer than that England side.

In all honesty I'm not sure if my neighbours will talk to me again. We are an hour ahead in time than you guys in England, a lot of people were already in bed. When Croatia scored the winner I was also cheering, I know it's sad! I asked the wife, who was also asleep, the next day if she heard me, before I even finished asking she replied "yeah I heard you screaming, I take it England are out then?" Sorry guys, I'll try to be better next time, it's just been breed into me from a very young age, it's really my parents fault, I can leave their telephone number if you want to give them a hard time!