International Football

[MagyarMiller]

Don't really know why or quite when it happened but I don't care much at all anymore. Same with the England cricket team. Sport is all about money now.

I'm the same really, can't really pinpoint when it happened for me either. Just a general wearing down over the years I suppose.
It just all seems a bit samey in recent years. A fairly straight forward qualifying campaign followed by a largely disappointing tournament, with a sprinkling of friendlies I'm mainly indifferent to.

Funnily enough, it's coincided a bit over the last few years with an increased interest in the Hungarian national team and their recent progress.
Since we've been spending quite a bit of time over there in the last 5 or 6 years, i've taken more interest in their qualifying campaigns which have been gradually improving without success up until the last one when they actually qualified for Euro 16.
I even managed to get over for their playoff 2nd leg victory against Norway last year, which was an incredible night.

We'd already booked to be in Budapest at the same time as the Euro's this year, but Hungary's qualification was a massive bonus.

I watched all the group games for both England and Hungary on various screens round the city, and have to say got much more enjoyment from the Hungary games.
After no qualification since the 80's the joy this brought to the football mad Magyars was amazing and every game seemed to end with a massive city wide street party as if they'd won the thing.

I suppose it comes down to levels of expectation, they were just happy to be there, whereas we sort of think we ought be doing better than we do.
I don't know how the drubbing by Belgium in the knockout phase went down as we were back home by then and I watched it in the local.
If I had to guess it ended with a massive city wide street party.

[mellowmiller]

I really look forward to them. I wait for them to start with my eldest daughter. Those special matches where we play well and gives you the smallest of hope that maybe just maybe we could be a threat in a competition. It often ends in a terrible game where we just scrape a result.

Either way I look forward to the time I have with my daughter.

Well that's about as good a reason as you could get.

[CAMiller]

It all started for me with that 3-2 quarter final loss to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup and it's been downhill ever since. Never trusted Chelsea goalkeepers since then either

[mellowmiller]

It all started for me with that 3-2 quarter final loss to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup and it's been downhill ever since. Never trusted Chelsea goalkeepers since then either

Alf Ramsey's substitutions didn't help either.
He thought we'd got the match won and intended saving players for the next round but they didn't work and he handed the initiative to West Germany.
I think if England had won that game, as they should have done, they would have retained the World Cup.

[monty_rhodes]

It all started for me with that 3-2 quarter final loss to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup and it's been downhill ever since. Never trusted Chelsea goalkeepers since then either

Yes, I can still feel the deflation now. 2:0 up and coasting. Then a Stubbsian moment from Sir Alf to hold instead of killing them off, a classic case of ball watching by Labone and then Bonetti.

[monty_rhodes]

Alf Ramsey's substitutions didn't help either.
He thought we'd got the match won and intended saving players for the next round but they didn't work and he handed the initiative to West Germany.
I think if England had won that game, as they should have done, they would have retained the World Cup.

Sorry, Mellow, didn't see your post which I agree with 100%.

[CAMiller]

Alf Ramsey's substitutions didn't help either.
He thought we'd got the match won and intended saving players for the next round but they didn't work and he handed the initiative to West Germany.
I think if England had won that game, as they should have done, they would have retained the World Cup.

Unfortunately we'll never know although eventual winners Brazil who had beaten us in the group stages would have been a tough nut to crack, especially in the Mexican heat.

[Lolmorgan]

When Southgates getting £500.000 for two months work then lets just scrap England & save some money.

[CAMiller]

When Southgates getting £500.000 for two months work then lets just scrap England & save some money.

As silly as it sounds that's a great point Lol. There are continual talks of scrapping the League Cup, scrapping the FA Cup, rejigging the leagues all to pamper to the Premiership gods. The sooner the FA realise that it's all leading to the dilution of the national team to the extent that it is losing (has lost) it's lustre the better for the game as a whole.

[mikemiller]

The England managers, current and previous, have agents. The England players have agents. Some of the agents have agents!
If a player is selected for England there is often a bonus clause in his contract, from which his agent is also likely to benefit.
Of course, it is pure coincidence that under some previous England managers, several unlikely players have been selected for just one appearance, then have "disappeared" from the England squad.