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Same old England, always cheated?
So once more, we’re out of a tournament before reaching the semi-finals, and once more we’ve been robbed, mugged, cheated out of our rightful place further in the competition.
And of course, when we have made the semis, we’ve been knocked out cruelly on penalty kicks.
Let’s take a look back at this strange recent history, starting with only last week…
Euro 2004: Portugal
I won’t dwell on this, we all know what happened. A disallowed goal that should have been given would have given us a win in normal time. Worse still, when penalties come, there are problems with the spot. Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…
(Of course, you could question our decision to try to defend a one goal lead for 80 minutes, given that we’ve only kept one clean sheet in the last eight games.)
World Cup 2002: Japan and South Korea
After coming through a tough group containing the old enemy Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, and easily dispatching the Danes 3-0 in the second round, we were faced with Brazil.
It started well, Michael Owen putting us one up, but before half time it all went wrong. Brazil won the ball back when it should have been a foul, played on, and scored. Worse was to come, a fluke free kick put the Brazilians in front, and out we went.
(That said, we could have actually tried taking the ball of the Brazilians when they went down to 10 men, rather than running around like headless chickens, and giving it straight back to them whenever we did get it.)
Euro 2000: Holland and Belgium
Robbed in our first game, from 2-0 up, we lost 3-2, and there was plenty to complain about there too. First Portugal goal was a fluke, Figo hit it from 35 yards between Tony Adams legs – that’s just wrong.
The third game against Romania ended with the same score-line. Again we led (but not 2-0) and ended up on the losing side. So what was the problem here? Well, the Romanians all had bleached their hair, and the glare of the lights from their heads put off our players – especially Phil Neville.
(Okay, so maybe we needed someone on the coaching staff who understood the concept of defending? Kevin Keegan admitted himself, he knew nothing of the art, so why not bring in a number two who knew how to play the defensive game?)
World Cup 98: France
Very similar to the mugging we received in 2004. Sol Cambell again had a goal disallowed which would have seen us win in normal time. Beckham was sent off when he should only have had a yellow card. The Argies second goal should never have been a free kick, and they were pushing in the wall to create the gap too. Of course, it ended all square, and out we went on penalties.
(But David Batty to take a penalty – when he’d never even practiced taking them? Just having the bottle isn’t enough, some kind of technique, some experience of having tried it before, anything other than just thinking it’s a good idea and the time.)
Euro 96: England
So we made the semi finals this time. And lost on penalties to the Germans.
World Cup 94: USA
But we didn’t even get there! I hear you cry. And why not? Because we were robbed, weren’t we? Ronald Koeman brought down David Platt in the penalty area, when the game was all square, but did he get sent off? No. Did we get a penalty? No. Just a free kick. We screwed it up, and Koeman scored at the other end. That win would have put us in a good position to qualify – even a draw would have been better.
(Or perhaps we should be asking why we let the Norwegians back into the game at Wembley, we had them on the rack at 1-0. Or why we played with wing-backs when we went to Norway, given that none of our players had an understanding of the system.)
Euro 92: Sweden
Again we didn’t make it out of the group stages, leaving with just two points. So what went wrong? Well, the French – who also failed to qualify from the group – cheated us. Basile Boli should have been sent off for a head-butt that left Stuart Pearce with a cut under his eye. We would have beated the French if they had just 10 men, then we wouldn’t have needed to push so far forward against Sweden to let them catch us on the break to put us out 2-1.
(Then again, maybe we should have been able to beat Denmark, a team that had been on the beach a few weeks before, only called into the competition when Yugoslavia were expelled. And come on, letting big fat piggy boy Thomas Brolin score? We deserved to go!)
World Cup ’90: Italy
In the semis, knocked out by the Germans on penalties.
I don’t remember the European championships in ’88. I know we lost all three games, but I’m sure we must have been mugged out of enough points to see us through…
World Cup ’86: Mexico
Hand of God? Hand of God? Damn cheating little Argie. Only good player they had.
That’s as far back as my memory goes, and I think I’ve presented the cases to show that we’ve been cheated out of almost every competition in recent years, unless we’ve actually made the last four.
Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?
So once more, we’re out of a tournament before reaching the semi-finals, and once more we’ve been robbed, mugged, cheated out of our rightful place further in the competition.
And of course, when we have made the semis, we’ve been knocked out cruelly on penalty kicks.
Let’s take a look back at this strange recent history, starting with only last week…
Euro 2004: Portugal
I won’t dwell on this, we all know what happened. A disallowed goal that should have been given would have given us a win in normal time. Worse still, when penalties come, there are problems with the spot. Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…
(Of course, you could question our decision to try to defend a one goal lead for 80 minutes, given that we’ve only kept one clean sheet in the last eight games.)
World Cup 2002: Japan and South Korea
After coming through a tough group containing the old enemy Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, and easily dispatching the Danes 3-0 in the second round, we were faced with Brazil.
It started well, Michael Owen putting us one up, but before half time it all went wrong. Brazil won the ball back when it should have been a foul, played on, and scored. Worse was to come, a fluke free kick put the Brazilians in front, and out we went.
(That said, we could have actually tried taking the ball of the Brazilians when they went down to 10 men, rather than running around like headless chickens, and giving it straight back to them whenever we did get it.)
Euro 2000: Holland and Belgium
Robbed in our first game, from 2-0 up, we lost 3-2, and there was plenty to complain about there too. First Portugal goal was a fluke, Figo hit it from 35 yards between Tony Adams legs – that’s just wrong.
The third game against Romania ended with the same score-line. Again we led (but not 2-0) and ended up on the losing side. So what was the problem here? Well, the Romanians all had bleached their hair, and the glare of the lights from their heads put off our players – especially Phil Neville.
(Okay, so maybe we needed someone on the coaching staff who understood the concept of defending? Kevin Keegan admitted himself, he knew nothing of the art, so why not bring in a number two who knew how to play the defensive game?)
World Cup 98: France
Very similar to the mugging we received in 2004. Sol Cambell again had a goal disallowed which would have seen us win in normal time. Beckham was sent off when he should only have had a yellow card. The Argies second goal should never have been a free kick, and they were pushing in the wall to create the gap too. Of course, it ended all square, and out we went on penalties.
(But David Batty to take a penalty – when he’d never even practiced taking them? Just having the bottle isn’t enough, some kind of technique, some experience of having tried it before, anything other than just thinking it’s a good idea and the time.)
Euro 96: England
So we made the semi finals this time. And lost on penalties to the Germans.
World Cup 94: USA
But we didn’t even get there! I hear you cry. And why not? Because we were robbed, weren’t we? Ronald Koeman brought down David Platt in the penalty area, when the game was all square, but did he get sent off? No. Did we get a penalty? No. Just a free kick. We screwed it up, and Koeman scored at the other end. That win would have put us in a good position to qualify – even a draw would have been better.
(Or perhaps we should be asking why we let the Norwegians back into the game at Wembley, we had them on the rack at 1-0. Or why we played with wing-backs when we went to Norway, given that none of our players had an understanding of the system.)
Euro 92: Sweden
Again we didn’t make it out of the group stages, leaving with just two points. So what went wrong? Well, the French – who also failed to qualify from the group – cheated us. Basile Boli should have been sent off for a head-butt that left Stuart Pearce with a cut under his eye. We would have beated the French if they had just 10 men, then we wouldn’t have needed to push so far forward against Sweden to let them catch us on the break to put us out 2-1.
(Then again, maybe we should have been able to beat Denmark, a team that had been on the beach a few weeks before, only called into the competition when Yugoslavia were expelled. And come on, letting big fat piggy boy Thomas Brolin score? We deserved to go!)
World Cup ’90: Italy
In the semis, knocked out by the Germans on penalties.
I don’t remember the European championships in ’88. I know we lost all three games, but I’m sure we must have been mugged out of enough points to see us through…
World Cup ’86: Mexico
Hand of God? Hand of God? Damn cheating little Argie. Only good player they had.
That’s as far back as my memory goes, and I think I’ve presented the cases to show that we’ve been cheated out of almost every competition in recent years, unless we’ve actually made the last four.
Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?
yeah u is betta at clutchin straws than football
Meka Dragon wrote:
> Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?
I'd go for the straw clutchers option :D
> Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?
I'd go for the straw clutchers option :D
Tommy Boyd wonder OGGY!
Don't really agree with us being cheated it 2002. Lucky goal but shitt happens.
90, 96, 98, and 2004 we were absolutely robbed.
Don't really agree with us being cheated it 2002. Lucky goal but shitt happens.
90, 96, 98, and 2004 we were absolutely robbed.
Thanks Meka, years of therapy down the drain...
Aye, 3-0 to Morocco. The sods.
And the first game of the tournament, Scotland v Brazil, and we get beaten 2-1. And, as funny as it may seem considering the thread, we were 'cheated' as such out of at least a draw, or even a win.
Their second goal was scored from a deflected hand to ball (and I mean deflected - left the keeper for complete dead if I remember) and then later we had a strong case for a penalty after another clear hand to ball (Rivaldo if I remember) from a shot from John Collins. Ah well. That's in the past now, really.
We can look forward to Italy now. Twice.
***
And regarding the actual post...
"Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…"
Somewhat true regarding the psychology of it all, but the same did happen to Rui Costa (his Row Z penalty was due to the dodgy penalty spot also).
But I suppose it remains - Portugal were the better team on the night anyway.
Aye, 3-0 to Morocco. The sods.
And the first game of the tournament, Scotland v Brazil, and we get beaten 2-1. And, as funny as it may seem considering the thread, we were 'cheated' as such out of at least a draw, or even a win.
Their second goal was scored from a deflected hand to ball (and I mean deflected - left the keeper for complete dead if I remember) and then later we had a strong case for a penalty after another clear hand to ball (Rivaldo if I remember) from a shot from John Collins. Ah well. That's in the past now, really.
We can look forward to Italy now. Twice.
***
And regarding the actual post...
"Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…"
Somewhat true regarding the psychology of it all, but the same did happen to Rui Costa (his Row Z penalty was due to the dodgy penalty spot also).
But I suppose it remains - Portugal were the better team on the night anyway.
SHEEPY wrote:
> Scotland
>
> Now we can't get to tournaments
> When we did we got humped off the naff teams, got a draw against the
> average then humped the favourites and still went out. All the time.
That's so true.
Wasn't it '98 when you played well agaisnt Brazil, but lost 1-0, can't remember the second game, but in the last, if you beat Morroco you would have gone through, but they absolutely thrashed you...
Sorry to bring that up ;o)
> Scotland
>
> Now we can't get to tournaments
> When we did we got humped off the naff teams, got a draw against the
> average then humped the favourites and still went out. All the time.
That's so true.
Wasn't it '98 when you played well agaisnt Brazil, but lost 1-0, can't remember the second game, but in the last, if you beat Morroco you would have gone through, but they absolutely thrashed you...
Sorry to bring that up ;o)
Scotland
Now we can't get to tournaments
When we did we got humped off the naff teams, got a draw against the average then humped the favourites and still went out. All the time.
Now we can't get to tournaments
When we did we got humped off the naff teams, got a draw against the average then humped the favourites and still went out. All the time.
Vampyr wrote:
> stop whining
Read the post you moron.
Do you have no understanding of the English language? Can you not read the words and decipher the meaning behind them?
Go play in the garden and eat dirt.
> stop whining
Read the post you moron.
Do you have no understanding of the English language? Can you not read the words and decipher the meaning behind them?
Go play in the garden and eat dirt.
stop whining
Same old England, always cheated?
So once more, we’re out of a tournament before reaching the semi-finals, and once more we’ve been robbed, mugged, cheated out of our rightful place further in the competition.
And of course, when we have made the semis, we’ve been knocked out cruelly on penalty kicks.
Let’s take a look back at this strange recent history, starting with only last week…
Euro 2004: Portugal
I won’t dwell on this, we all know what happened. A disallowed goal that should have been given would have given us a win in normal time. Worse still, when penalties come, there are problems with the spot. Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…
(Of course, you could question our decision to try to defend a one goal lead for 80 minutes, given that we’ve only kept one clean sheet in the last eight games.)
World Cup 2002: Japan and South Korea
After coming through a tough group containing the old enemy Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, and easily dispatching the Danes 3-0 in the second round, we were faced with Brazil.
It started well, Michael Owen putting us one up, but before half time it all went wrong. Brazil won the ball back when it should have been a foul, played on, and scored. Worse was to come, a fluke free kick put the Brazilians in front, and out we went.
(That said, we could have actually tried taking the ball of the Brazilians when they went down to 10 men, rather than running around like headless chickens, and giving it straight back to them whenever we did get it.)
Euro 2000: Holland and Belgium
Robbed in our first game, from 2-0 up, we lost 3-2, and there was plenty to complain about there too. First Portugal goal was a fluke, Figo hit it from 35 yards between Tony Adams legs – that’s just wrong.
The third game against Romania ended with the same score-line. Again we led (but not 2-0) and ended up on the losing side. So what was the problem here? Well, the Romanians all had bleached their hair, and the glare of the lights from their heads put off our players – especially Phil Neville.
(Okay, so maybe we needed someone on the coaching staff who understood the concept of defending? Kevin Keegan admitted himself, he knew nothing of the art, so why not bring in a number two who knew how to play the defensive game?)
World Cup 98: France
Very similar to the mugging we received in 2004. Sol Cambell again had a goal disallowed which would have seen us win in normal time. Beckham was sent off when he should only have had a yellow card. The Argies second goal should never have been a free kick, and they were pushing in the wall to create the gap too. Of course, it ended all square, and out we went on penalties.
(But David Batty to take a penalty – when he’d never even practiced taking them? Just having the bottle isn’t enough, some kind of technique, some experience of having tried it before, anything other than just thinking it’s a good idea and the time.)
Euro 96: England
So we made the semi finals this time. And lost on penalties to the Germans.
World Cup 94: USA
But we didn’t even get there! I hear you cry. And why not? Because we were robbed, weren’t we? Ronald Koeman brought down David Platt in the penalty area, when the game was all square, but did he get sent off? No. Did we get a penalty? No. Just a free kick. We screwed it up, and Koeman scored at the other end. That win would have put us in a good position to qualify – even a draw would have been better.
(Or perhaps we should be asking why we let the Norwegians back into the game at Wembley, we had them on the rack at 1-0. Or why we played with wing-backs when we went to Norway, given that none of our players had an understanding of the system.)
Euro 92: Sweden
Again we didn’t make it out of the group stages, leaving with just two points. So what went wrong? Well, the French – who also failed to qualify from the group – cheated us. Basile Boli should have been sent off for a head-butt that left Stuart Pearce with a cut under his eye. We would have beated the French if they had just 10 men, then we wouldn’t have needed to push so far forward against Sweden to let them catch us on the break to put us out 2-1.
(Then again, maybe we should have been able to beat Denmark, a team that had been on the beach a few weeks before, only called into the competition when Yugoslavia were expelled. And come on, letting big fat piggy boy Thomas Brolin score? We deserved to go!)
World Cup ’90: Italy
In the semis, knocked out by the Germans on penalties.
I don’t remember the European championships in ’88. I know we lost all three games, but I’m sure we must have been mugged out of enough points to see us through…
World Cup ’86: Mexico
Hand of God? Hand of God? Damn cheating little Argie. Only good player they had.
That’s as far back as my memory goes, and I think I’ve presented the cases to show that we’ve been cheated out of almost every competition in recent years, unless we’ve actually made the last four.
Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?
So once more, we’re out of a tournament before reaching the semi-finals, and once more we’ve been robbed, mugged, cheated out of our rightful place further in the competition.
And of course, when we have made the semis, we’ve been knocked out cruelly on penalty kicks.
Let’s take a look back at this strange recent history, starting with only last week…
Euro 2004: Portugal
I won’t dwell on this, we all know what happened. A disallowed goal that should have been given would have given us a win in normal time. Worse still, when penalties come, there are problems with the spot. Had the first kick have been taken by a Portuguese player, things could have been different…
(Of course, you could question our decision to try to defend a one goal lead for 80 minutes, given that we’ve only kept one clean sheet in the last eight games.)
World Cup 2002: Japan and South Korea
After coming through a tough group containing the old enemy Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, and easily dispatching the Danes 3-0 in the second round, we were faced with Brazil.
It started well, Michael Owen putting us one up, but before half time it all went wrong. Brazil won the ball back when it should have been a foul, played on, and scored. Worse was to come, a fluke free kick put the Brazilians in front, and out we went.
(That said, we could have actually tried taking the ball of the Brazilians when they went down to 10 men, rather than running around like headless chickens, and giving it straight back to them whenever we did get it.)
Euro 2000: Holland and Belgium
Robbed in our first game, from 2-0 up, we lost 3-2, and there was plenty to complain about there too. First Portugal goal was a fluke, Figo hit it from 35 yards between Tony Adams legs – that’s just wrong.
The third game against Romania ended with the same score-line. Again we led (but not 2-0) and ended up on the losing side. So what was the problem here? Well, the Romanians all had bleached their hair, and the glare of the lights from their heads put off our players – especially Phil Neville.
(Okay, so maybe we needed someone on the coaching staff who understood the concept of defending? Kevin Keegan admitted himself, he knew nothing of the art, so why not bring in a number two who knew how to play the defensive game?)
World Cup 98: France
Very similar to the mugging we received in 2004. Sol Cambell again had a goal disallowed which would have seen us win in normal time. Beckham was sent off when he should only have had a yellow card. The Argies second goal should never have been a free kick, and they were pushing in the wall to create the gap too. Of course, it ended all square, and out we went on penalties.
(But David Batty to take a penalty – when he’d never even practiced taking them? Just having the bottle isn’t enough, some kind of technique, some experience of having tried it before, anything other than just thinking it’s a good idea and the time.)
Euro 96: England
So we made the semi finals this time. And lost on penalties to the Germans.
World Cup 94: USA
But we didn’t even get there! I hear you cry. And why not? Because we were robbed, weren’t we? Ronald Koeman brought down David Platt in the penalty area, when the game was all square, but did he get sent off? No. Did we get a penalty? No. Just a free kick. We screwed it up, and Koeman scored at the other end. That win would have put us in a good position to qualify – even a draw would have been better.
(Or perhaps we should be asking why we let the Norwegians back into the game at Wembley, we had them on the rack at 1-0. Or why we played with wing-backs when we went to Norway, given that none of our players had an understanding of the system.)
Euro 92: Sweden
Again we didn’t make it out of the group stages, leaving with just two points. So what went wrong? Well, the French – who also failed to qualify from the group – cheated us. Basile Boli should have been sent off for a head-butt that left Stuart Pearce with a cut under his eye. We would have beated the French if they had just 10 men, then we wouldn’t have needed to push so far forward against Sweden to let them catch us on the break to put us out 2-1.
(Then again, maybe we should have been able to beat Denmark, a team that had been on the beach a few weeks before, only called into the competition when Yugoslavia were expelled. And come on, letting big fat piggy boy Thomas Brolin score? We deserved to go!)
World Cup ’90: Italy
In the semis, knocked out by the Germans on penalties.
I don’t remember the European championships in ’88. I know we lost all three games, but I’m sure we must have been mugged out of enough points to see us through…
World Cup ’86: Mexico
Hand of God? Hand of God? Damn cheating little Argie. Only good player they had.
That’s as far back as my memory goes, and I think I’ve presented the cases to show that we’ve been cheated out of almost every competition in recent years, unless we’ve actually made the last four.
Either that or we’re a nation of straw clutchers…?