Finishing: '19 - footballfootballfootballfootballfootb

[DrGreggles]

Lads, it's Scotland.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Andy Selva, Alex Gasperoni, your boys took one hell of a beating

The Scots sure showed those fucking hilltop-residing cunts a thing or two about belting a football into a net didn't they?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

What I never get is how the media always lay into San Marino as though they should really be doing better, and take the piss out of them in a way which is unnecessarily mean-spirited. Come on, population-wise they have the equivalent of 1 small town in men aged 16-35 to develop players - I bet nearly all of them fuck off somewhere to Italy to pursue careers they can actually earn full time salaries doing.

Certainly when you look at how well Iceland, Luxembourg and Montenegro have done recently, there may be an argument that they could be more competitive in games but mostly we should appreciate the fact that due to Europe being an extraordinary continent, San Marino are a glorious little quirk and it's amazing that bus drivers and baker's boys get to try and slide tackle Ronalado.

Hopefully one day someone with enough money and commitment might look at seeing if they can turn their nation into a micro-football academy to improve their fortunes.

What I can tell you is that the view from the top of their citadel is awesome, amazing skies.

[king_tubby]

What I never get is how the media always lay into Scotland as though they should really be doing better, and take the piss out of them in a way which is unnecessarily mean-spirited. Come on, population-wise they have the equivalent of 1 small city in men aged 16-35 to develop players - I bet nearly all of them fuck off somewhere to England to pursue careers they can actually earn full time salaries doing.

Certainly when you look at how well Iceland, Luxembourg and Montenegro have done recently, there may be an argument that they could be more competitive in games but mostly we should appreciate the fact that due to Europe being an extraordinary continent, Scotland are a glorious little quirk and it's amazing that bus drivers and baker's boys get to try and slide tackle Ronalado.

Hopefully one day someone with enough money and commitment might look at seeing if they can turn their nation into a micro-football academy to improve their fortunes.

What I can tell you is that the view from the top of Arthur's Seat is awesome, amazing skies.

[DrGreggles]

Just found myself being entertained by an international football match!
Can't remember the last time that happened outside of a major tournament.

Well played NED and GER.

[Captain Z]

BBC up to its usual standards:

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Malta and Luxembourg top of their groups

[billyandthecloneasaurus]

Scott Dobie

Google reckons he's Scottish, disregard.

One of my favourite WBA players as a kid.  We ripped off the Zamora That's Amore chant for him, and I remember as a 13 year old loser doing a really bad interpretation of That's Amore on my dad's nokia 3310 ringtone creator and sending it to his big skinhead mate as "that's amore - scott dobie version"; not sure what exactly made it the Scott Dobie version as a monophonic ringtone but he humoured me and said it was very good.  Cheers, Steve.

He ended up a police officer back in Scotland, and disgraced ex-WBA legend Lee Hughes randomly bumped into him in Brierley Hill shopping centre Merry Hill after he'd been assigned there for some extra counter-terror policing after the Manchester Ariana Grande bombing.



I also only found out the other day that it was Dobie's initial header that was blocked before Jimmy Glass scored THAT goal to keep Carlisle up.

[DrGreggles]

It's the 50th anniversary (give or take a few days) of one of English football's biggest giant-killings, one of Wembley's greatest playing surfaces and one of the shittest goals in history:
https://youtu.be/JQ-rJx13s9g?t=30

Old football is great!

[BlodwynPig]

It's the 50th anniversary (give or take a few days) of one of English football's biggest giant-killings, one of Wembley's greatest playing surfaces and one of the shittest goals in history:
https://youtu.be/JQ-rJx13s9g?t=30

Old football is great!

Bob Wilson looking bemused. His wiki says he still makes appearances on Football focus and MOTD 2, is this true?

[BlodwynPig]

Malta and Luxembourg top of their groups

Technically Malta are only alphabetically top. Luxembourg will do big things this time.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Technically Malta are only alphabetically top.

Yet with a letter that's midway through the alphabet, that's a top effort from the lads.

[DrGreggles]

Bob Wilson looking bemused. His wiki says he still makes appearances on Football focus and MOTD 2, is this true?

Middle name: Primrose*

Hang on, Football Focus still exists!? Fuck my hat!


*not sure if that's true, but I like to think it is

[BlodwynPig]

Middle name: Primrose*

Hang on, Football Focus still exists!? Fuck my hat!


*not sure if that's true, but I like to think it is

fucking hell - yes, Primrose is his middle name

[Rolf Lundgren]

fucking hell - yes, Primrose is his middle name

I think that was his mum's maiden name and it was a Scottish thing to have that as your middle name.

He definitely hasn't been a regular on Football Focus since Peter Ndlovu was in his pomp.

[BlodwynPig]

I think that was his mum's maiden name and it was a Scottish thing to have that as your middle name.

He definitely hasn't been a regular on Football Focus since Peter Ndlovu was in his pomp.

The old Bergerac melancholy swells up with that last point - Bob's wikipedia has not been updated since Peter Ndlovu was in his pomp. What has he been doing. I picture years of isolation and gradual decline into anonymity, save for me visiting his wikipedia page. He doesn't even know what Wikipedia is, didn't have Wikipedia when Peter Ndlovu was in his pomp.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Joe Cole and Ian Wright in the punditry chairs. About 1 below average human brain's worth of intelligence there.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

20 minutes sterile 'domination' from England then concede on the counter, naturally. Montenegro know how to do this better than most. They seem to have played it right tactically by squeezing space on the wing.

[Squink]

Southgate gone.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Big lad on the back stick, Clive, I've always said it

[BlodwynPig]

AGAIN - Turn on to watch France play - they already scored 1, "France in hitting an imperious groove" - soon as I start watching - strolling around, no threat. Christ. Show some fucking spark when I give my time to watch you play. Insolent bastards.

[BlodwynPig]

20 minutes sterile 'domination' from England then concede on the counter, naturally. Montenegro know how to do this better than most. They seem to have played it right tactically by squeezing space on the wing.

Luxembourg on 6 points, Portugal on 1 if the scores stay the same

Edit: fuck that

[Captain Z]

I tell you, Clive, in these sorts of games the one thing you don't want to do is come away having not achieved the result you wanted.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I tell you, Clive, in these sorts of games the one thing you don't want to do is come away having not achieved the result you wanted.

First rule of football that Clive

edit - Kane now got 22 in 37 caps.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Really looking forward to seeing Kosovo in action.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

That was a nice goal. Fucking hell, Black Mountain have absolutely gone to pieces.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

It's not the losing Mirko, it's the pride. Where has the pride gone?

Got to put the pride back

O the bright dawn of May
Montenegro our mother
We are sons of your aspires
And your honours we are keepers.

We love the hard mountains
and their eerie gorges deep
that had never to endure
the shameful chains of slavery.

While to the ideals of Lovæen
our concordance shall grant the wings,
it shall brought the pride and glory
to our beloved homeland.

The river of our waves,
that enter the two seas,
shall to ocean guide the voice
Montenegro is eternal.

[BlodwynPig]

First rule of football that Clive

edit - Kane now got 22 in 37 caps.

21 pennos

[BlodwynPig]

It's not the losing Mirko, it's the pride. Where has the pride gone?

Got to put the pride back

Luxembourg's resurgence dented.

[Beagle 2]

BBC: "It's 2019 and we're sat here talking about players receiving racist abuse during a game of football.

Unbelievable"

Imagine, racism in 2019 of all years!