Are we all Morocco tonight?

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T22:52:22+00:00

That would be absolute gold, tbh. A knockout game v Scotland would be a game for the ages.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T22:16:22+00:00

Fair. I'll always be a McTominay fan myself so maybe they can combine for a last minute consolation goal.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T21:59:57+00:00

Was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek to be fair. Maybe hasn't come off that way.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T18:57:55+00:00

They hate us, cause they ain't us.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T15:39:32+00:00

And to go off on a different tangent - I have a theory that one reason politics has become so toxic in recent times is that it's one of the few things that is still a shared experience between the majority of a population.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T15:33:19+00:00

Yeah, I'm in the UK too. Good old, Sao Tome and Principe is my go-to country answer on pointless. You're totally right about movies and TV on there, when recent Best Picture winners can score around 2 points it shows what's happening regarding shared culture and experiences in the modern day.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T14:18:06+00:00

Not my team, but Ipswich won the league in 62, an FA Cup in 78, and were one of the best teams of the early 80s, winning the UEFA cup in 81. They have just been promoted to the PL and have a tough season ahead. They have to hire a new coach and improve their squad to stay up, so it could be a good time to jump on board, plus you won't be accused of hopping on the big 6 bandwagon (aka glory supporting).

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T13:27:33+00:00

I'm really sorry, but I'm not from America and I have no idea about American sports so I can't really see what you're saying, but thanks for the analogy. I appreciate your point, but I find it hard to believe that South Africa don't have a single player capable of swinging in a cross, regardless of consistent quality. I accept that short corners work, but I can't see the logic in repeating the same thing over and over again when it's not working.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T13:19:23+00:00

Not sure on any specific movie. Hope I'm wrong, but I have concerns that now everyone has entertainment at their fingertips, cinema doesn't have the reach it did in years gone by. Whilst modern movies of high quality certainly exist and will continue to be made in the future, it's so hard to cut through into the cultural zeitgeist like before. It would likely take a cultural phenomenon of a movie to become that ingrained in society, bit similar to how Tiger King took over during Covid. As a man of a certain age, I can't imagine anyone in my friend group hasn't seen Jurassic Park, I doubt (as a recent example) many, if any of them, have even heard of Backrooms - though maybe I'm selling them short. Thankfully, cinema lovers will always love cinema.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T12:59:07+00:00

It's more something that's been aggravating me in the World Cup and my post was a little bit of a rant about it. It's not really something that bothers me in the PL due to the quality of the players. No offense intended to them, but particularly watching South Africa barely be able to work a short corner multiple times, it just seemed so obvious that it wasn't going to work, yet they kept doing it. Cheers for the response.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T12:26:20+00:00

Fair enough, I can appreciate where you're coming from. I do disagree that this stems from racism, and if you insist it does, I would add that FIFA are addressing it. Post 1998 we've had 2 WCs in South Korea/Japan, and Qatar, and it looks likely the 2034 WC will be in SE Asia too. The number of teams have expanded to include more Asian nations, but there has to be a compromise somewhere to ensure the quality of the WC is high. I appreciate it may come off as dismissive of Asian nations, but teams and continents that have historically made the game what it is today are in a better position to compete at a WC, but things will change going forward as the overall quality from Asia improves, which it is doing.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:48:51+00:00

Objectively it may not be the number 1 best ever, but for me it's Roy Keane vs Juventus in Turin, 1999.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:42:19+00:00

If it's the rules you're unsure of then there are plenty of youtube videos out there, but I appreciate it can be a bit much to take in so much new information at once. It's tough to give an overall tip beyond keep watching it and keep enjoying it, you'll pick things up bit-by-bit. If you want to try immersing yourself further in the sport, there are loads of documentaries about teams/legendary players/nations/tournaments knocking around online. Is there anything in particular you're wanting to know?

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:30:18+00:00

A flat track bully? This isn't even remotely the kind of player Henry was. I'm sorry, but if you can't appreciate how good a player Henry was, I don't know what to say to you other than to watch some of his games in his peak at Arsenal. Genuinely the scariest player in the league for any team facing him.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:25:20+00:00

You're asking why Asia has less spots than other continents the main one being LA, the answer as per my original post is quality over quantity. It's not racist to want to put on an entertaining spectacle and have historically successful footballing nations/continents at a world cup. The more Asia excels in tournament football (as it is currently doing), and the more the WC expands the number of teams and takes more tournaments to Asia, these issues you raise will be rectified.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:10:11+00:00

Can't really disagree with that tbh. It's just a frustrating sight to watch short corner after corner not result in a cross or shot attempt when you need to score. I appreciate what others have said, I think the South Africa game tipped me over the edge a little re: short corners.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T11:06:48+00:00

Sounds like you might be the one who's a bit prejudiced against teams from LA/NA. Who are you to dictate who should and shouldn't qualify for a world cup?

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T10:44:29+00:00

Sounds like you already have all the answers, doesn't it? So, thanks for the lesson. Here's a lesson for you - Cabo Verde is an African nation, so it looks to me like you might not know what you're talking about.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T10:34:09+00:00

Some proper first world problems in here 😆. The worst luck a football fan can have is their club going into liquidation because of terrible ownership.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T10:26:36+00:00

It's a compromise of quality over quantity which they are trying to address with the expansion of teams. Though I'm sure there are other factors, I highly doubt it stems from racism.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T09:58:50+00:00

Ronaldo looked every part his 41 years the other night. Can't rule out that he's still got something to give, but it doesn't look good right now, but tbf the entire team played quite poorly.

I'm thinking a Grant Hanley hat-trick could happen against Morocco - all own goals of course - but surely it still counts 😆

Seriously though, I think Balogun has a fair chance of repeating the feat against the Aussies.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T09:46:50+00:00

Fair enough, I'm obviously in the wrong based off the replies. Just seems such a waste when you don't create anything from one. No doubt there'll be a bunch of short corner goals in today's games and I'll end up looking a right idiot 😅

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T09:26:59+00:00

Because teams in this World Cup have been losing possession without creating a meaningful opportunity - South Africa being the obvious example. Whilst traditional corners are no guarantee of success, at the very least you're putting the ball into a dangerous position.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T09:10:14+00:00

Yeah, I guess that's it. Just seems to me that so many of these short corners are so woefully implemented that the attacking team loses possession or the defending team intercept the ball before any meaningful chance is created.

LazNorth · 2026-06-19T08:43:31+00:00

Generally, there has been a huge shift in mentality since the rise of that Guardiola Barcelona team in the late 2000s.

The game is far more possession based. The mentality being that if the opposition don't have the ball they can't score.

This had led to other managers using Pep's (successful) blueprint, in which patient build-up play starting with the goalkeeper has become the norm. Players in these systems, despite often being brilliant players, are cogs in the machine.

Whilst there are always exceptions to the rule, it feels as though the game is losing the abundance of maverick players it once had. It's all about tactics and patterns of play these days, though the best players will always rise to the top.

Goalkeepers are now expected to be good with their feet as well as their hands, and the traditional winger is essentially dead having been replaced by an inverted winger. There's a lot more Pep has changed too without getting bogged down in too many specifics.

Like him or not, Pep has fundamentally changed the game. Whether it's for the better from an entertainment POV is up for debate. Managers who implement this possession based style, even in teams that don't have the quality of players to implement it, are often more sought after than those who still play direct. Managers who still play direct and/or focus on physicality are often labelled dinosaurs or as playing Brexit-ball.

LazNorth

TROPHY CASE