Bosscat wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 05, 2022 3:45 pm

Must admit Ian I wasn't going to bother too much (apart from England) but have been watching bits of a lot of matches and like I just said spotting the fancy dress fans has been fun. But I wouldn't criticise those who don't watch for whatever reasons anyone might have.

If I’m being honest I think I seem to be missing out on a brilliant Brazil team from what I’ve heard. And with them and Argentina being in the same half it’s hard because that is one of my favourite international fixtures, skill and often extreme violence. Still the main thing is proper football starts again on Saturday.

Really enjoying it especially watching England and the best young player Bellingham.on the downside just count how many times ally mcoist says absolutely in his co commentaries

Stantheman wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 1:24 pm

Really enjoying it especially watching England and the best young player Bellingham.on the downside just count how many times ally mcoist says absolutely in his co commentaries

He's still one of the better commentators out there. Dion Dublin is painful, offers no insight whatsoever.

I could listen to McCoist say absolutely on a 24 hour loop in preference over 1 word from Sam Matterface and his tiresome about to break voice tone.

Whoever thought this boring clown was a good option should also be relieved of his duties, it is a sad state when you hope to hear more from Lee Dixon

in the USA we have Ian Darke - I really like him

Got a lovely picture of a Moroccan fan with a horse in the stadium just before ko,but for some reason can’t attach it.

Im a bit bored of it now tbh. Its just not the same appeal when you cant watch it with a pint in a warm beer garden

Alan Pace seems to be enjoying it

Really enjoying it, especially without all the distractions of Idiots throwing plastic furniture around whilst embarrassing their Country.

ŽižkovClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 4:02 pm

Im a bit bored of it now tbh. Its just not the same appeal when you cant watch it with a cold pint in a warm beer garden

We can watch it here with a warm pint in a cold beer garden Zizkov

Carwin261 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:47 pm

Got a lovely picture of a Moroccan fan with a horse in the stadium just before ko,but for some reason can’t attach it.

Was he wearing a Rovers Shirt

Heres a picture a friend has sent to me on Whatsapp from Sundays game after the match.

Ronaldo benched for tonight's crucial game.

Quelle suprise.

Bosscat wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 4:31 pm

Heres a picture a friend has sent to me on Whatsapp from Sundays game after the match.



IMG-20221206-WA0001.jpg

I was talking to his sister whilst she was on the Brazil match last night!

Loyalclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:46 pm

I was talking to his sister whilst she was on the Brazil match last night!

I don't personally know him but my m8 does who sent me the picture

Shame about Ronaldo ,has been one of the greatest players of all times,should have bowed out 18 months ago,& his reputation would have been in tact,but has let himself down ,& will be remembered by many as a spoiled brat,especially ABU fans,I hated Shearer for being a Rovers ******* ,but still begrudgingly have to admit that he was one of the best English strikers of all time,same should happen with CR7.

Only one thought in my mind at the moment, when the heck are we getting anass back

Bosscat wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:50 pm

I don't personally know him but my m8 does who sent me the picture

They are both sound Clarets. His sister is on the Portugal game now

No World Cup now on telly until Friday......but if you still need your footy fix there's always Stockport ( remember them) v Charlton in FA Cup tomorrow night, Itv 4 I think.

Aclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:01 pm

No World Cup now on telly until Friday......but if you still need your footy fix there's always Stockport ( remember them) v Charlton in FA Cup tomorrow night, Itv 4 I think.

Didn't know about that game cheers.

so now we have the QF line-up FIVE of FIFA's top ranked eight are there:
Brazil
Argentina
England
France
Netherlands

the three interlopers being :
Portugal (9th)
Morocco (22nd)
Croatia (12th)

Elo ranking:-
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Netherlands
4. Portugal
5. France
6. Spain xxx
7. England
8. Italy xxx

11. Croatia
15. Morocco.

Wales dropped horribly after the Iran loss.

Fantastic to get rid of Spain and their tiresome style.

A sad day though for the purists who love 1000 sideways passes in a game.

NRC wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 06, 2022 10:15 pm

so now we have the QF line-up FIVE of FIFA's top ranked eight are there:
Brazil
Argentina
England
France
Netherlands

the three interlopers being :
Portugal (9th)
Morocco (22nd)
Croatia (12th)

Really does make you wonder how on earth a team like Wales were ranked as high as 19th.

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:34 am

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

Not seen it but that is a remarkable feat to get the QFs right, given the teams that have gone out.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:34 am

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

I'm sure there were thousands of Twitter accounts making predictions pre-tournament. A few of them are bound to get it right.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:34 am

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

Sounds like he’s basically got all the favourites most people were predicting and Morocco. Most quarter final line ups for World Cup have at least one “outsider”.
Brazil v England for final is first favourite v 4th favourite pre tournament.
Again hardly Mystic Meg - more like Predictable Pete !

Spijed wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:17 am

Really does make you wonder how on earth a team like Wales were ranked as high as 19th.

Rankings have lots of flaws in them.
Look at how high Belgium have been ranked for a decade yet they have never won a tournament (not even the shitty ones !). I’m struggling to think of even a semi final they have made ?
Yet they have been ranked in top 3 and often no 1 loads in recent years.
Not sure there is a better way to rank teams btw but the current one is not a great guide.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:34 am

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

Its not Hurstwood and his amazing Technicolour XL Spreadsheet is it

Big Vinny K wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:02 am

Rankings have lots of flaws in them.
Look at how high Belgium have been ranked for a decade yet they have never won a tournament (not even the shitty ones !). I’m struggling to think of even a semi final they have made ?
Yet they have been ranked in top 3 and often no 1 loads in recent years.
Not sure there is a better way to rank teams btw but the current one is not a great guide.

They made the semi final of the last World Cup and played England in the third place playoff.

Tall Paul wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:47 am

I'm sure there were thousands of Twitter accounts making predictions pre-tournament. A few of them are bound to get it right.

But to get all 16 teams exactly correct in the round of 16 and then to predict the winners is pretty remarkable.

The odds of getting that all correct must be astonishingly high.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:45 am

But to get all 16 teams exactly correct in the round of 16 and then to predict the winners is pretty remarkable.

The odds of getting that all correct must be astonishingly high.

The odds on winning the lottery are pretty high too but someone correctly predicts the numbers.

In terms of predicting the Group winners, I wonder if anyone, anywhere selected Japan to win Group E (ahead of Spain and Germany) and Morocco to win Group F (ahead of Croatia and Belgium).

The odds offered by William Hill on that happening were 10/1 and 11/1 respectively.

Royboyclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:10 am

In terms of predicting the Group winners, I wonder if anyone, anywhere selected Japan to win Group E (ahead of Spain and Germany) and Morocco to win Group F (ahead of Croatia and Belgium).

The odds offered by William Hill on that happening were 10/1 and 11/1 respectively.

That bloke on Twitter did haha

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:21 am

That bloke on Twitter did haha

There will be 1000s of people on twitter who have predicted the results before it began law of averages tell you someone will have got them right. Likewise how mnay have you seen that have been retweeted where they have predicted wrongly.

It is the same as the horse tipsters on there who boom a 6/4 winner but then don't mention the next 5 that all lose.

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:24 am

There will be 1000s of people on twitter who have predicted the results before it began law of averages tell you someone will have got them right. Likewise how mnay have you seen that have been retweeted where they have predicted wrongly.

It is the same as the horse tipsters on there who boom a 6/4 winner but then don't mention the next 5 that all lose.

I know it’s pure luck, but still I don’t think I have ever seen anyone get every prediction right this far into a tournament.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:42 am

I know it’s pure luck, but still I don’t think I have ever seen anyone get every prediction right this far into a tournament.

I think the point that some are making can be better made with the analogy that if you put an infinite number of monkeys in a room with a typewriter and give them sufficient time, they will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare.

Despite all the upsets a fairly predictable last 8 Morocco apart, and European nations to the fore again with 5 of the quarter-finalists, Brazil and Argentina are perennially in the latter stages of World Cups.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:55 am

I think the point that some are making can be better made with the analogy that if you put an infinite number of monkeys in a room with a typewriter and give them sufficient time, they will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare.

If the monkeys are infinite, one of them will do it first time (presuming they have a typewriter each)

Alternatively, you could give one monkey infinite time and it will get there in the end.

Don't those Twitter accounts just post every single permutation possible for the QFs (when nobody is following) then just delete the incorrect ones once the places have been settled?

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:34 am

Has anyone seen that Twitter account that predicted the quarter final matches before the tournament started. Scary how accurate he has got it.

(For the record he predicts a Brazil and England final. With england winning it).

Monkeys; typewriters; works of Shakespeare

You’ve found the monkey who wrote Hamlet that’s all

Edit - just noticed it’s already highlighted above

The BBC seem to think the 3rd quarter final is best represented by 2 substitutes



Anass in good company in that graphic

!aiboforceN wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:40 pm

The BBC seem to think the 3rd quarter final is best represented by 2 substitutes

They’ve predicted the goal scorers surely

I have enjoyed it so far avoiding the media bs and just watching the games and always enjoy the crowd shots. Well done to the Qataris they are doing a great job. Looking forward to the inevitable France v Brazil final.

I've enjoyed it, probably more than I expected to, lived in Qatar twice, left Jan 2013 so seeing the city shots has been good for me. I definitely haven't watched as many games as normal, really enjoyed the crowd watching, particularly Senegal, love seeing people have a good time. Looking forward to the next games but won't watch al of them, I'm doing quite a bit of work with the Dutch and having Team's meeting, they all seem confident they will beat Argentina, which I certainly hope they do. Like watching the underdogs cause upsets and was jumping around last night watching Spain implode and definitely hoping for a repeat and seeing Portugal fall next, have to say I thought the Swiss would give them a tough game, similar to how I thought S Korea would perform, clearly got those two completely wrong.

You start to watch and then have to live with withdrawal symptoms!!!

I spotted that BBC graphic too.

3 months ago you’d have been carted off by the men in white coats if you had said Zaroury would be on such a graphic in such esteemed company.

That was before he made his debut for us, before he kicked on at the Turf, before he switched allegiance to Morocco, before he got selected and before they had their great run.

All it needs now is a couple more fairy tales for him - a winner for Morocco and a title for us (the latter more likely hopefully).