Will England go to the World Cup?

[eddyclamp]

With what is going on around the world and even more so in Syria ,will the FA or the government pull the plug ?

[werrington]

The only way England won’t go to the WC is if there is no WC

Sport and politics should not and won’t mix

[thegift]

Apr 12, 2018 9:03:29 GMT eddyclamp said:

With what is going on around the world and even more so in Syria ,will the FA or the government pull the plug ?

Haven't got the bollocks 

[essexstokey]

Apr 12, 2018 9:06:14 GMT werrington said:

The only way England won’t go to the WC is if there is no WC

Sport and politics should not and won’t mix

Apart from when boycotting a country unilaterally happens like south Africa.

[vahl]

Think what's happening or going to happen will probably be confined to Syria. Essentially Syria will now become the base for our War Games vs. Russia for the next X amount of years. :/

It shouldn't matter to the World Cup but if things take a turn for the bad who knows. These things can spill out I guess.

It really wont be a good place to be for any England fan anyway. We may as well play behind closed doors.

[Deleted]

Yeah for a week.

[Deleted]

I'm in the camp that says the best way to piss Putin off would be for England to win it, however unlikely that is.

If it was a Russian tournament then boycott it by all means . But this is the World Cup and it will always be played in a country that is some ones enemy.

I'd imagine if it was here that the Russians and N Koreans wouldn't be too thrilled, but they would still come.

[cheekymatt71]

It is a bit reminiscent of the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

Putin clearly uses sport to push the Russian ideology onto the world stage - just look at the drugs program in athletics


We all love watching the World Cup every year so it is never the same without England, but we are legitimizing the Putin government by attending

[auntiegeorge]

If the worst comes to the worst over the next few weeks we could do what the Russians did in the Winter Olympics, who styled themselves as OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia). We could go as FPE (Football Players from England).

[hotterpotter]

Apr 12, 2018 11:01:56 GMT auntiegeorge said:

If the worst comes to the worst over the next few weeks we could do what the Russians did in the Winter Olympics, who styled themselves as OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia). We could go as FPE (Football Players from England).

Soccer Players International England Sector?

[Gods]

It's getting interesting for sure.

If Trump is true to his word and does this:
"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

And if this is correct and the UK join in the missile firing party:
"In the UK, sources told the BBC that Prime Minister Theresa May looked ready to join military action in Syria without seeking parliamentary consent first"

And Putin and Russia are true to their word and respond like this:
"Several senior Russian figures have warned of a Russian response to a US attack. Alexander Zasypkin, Moscow's ambassador to Lebanon, is the latest, repeating a warning by the head of the military that missiles would be shot down and their launch sites targeted."

Then are we not at war with Russia in a foreign land?

It's hard to see how we could rock up there for something as (relatively) trivial as a festival of football.

(Could do with someone backing down here, Assad is a maniac but the collective Jihadist nut jobs lined up against him are an unsavory lot too apart from the Kurds. It may backfire on us down the road if we help let the Islamist brigades in. What to do hey?)

[Absolution]

Apr 12, 2018 11:33:03 GMT Gods said:

It's getting interesting for sure.

If Trump is true to his word and does this:
"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

[/b]
And if this is correct and the UK join in the missile firing party:
"In the UK, sources told the BBC that Prime Minister Theresa May looked ready to join military action in Syria without seeking parliamentary consent first"

And Putin and Russia are true to their word and respond like this:
"Several senior Russian figures have warned of a Russian response to a US attack. Alexander Zasypkin, Moscow's ambassador to Lebanon, is the latest, repeating a warning by the head of the military that missiles would be shot down and their launch sites targeted."

Then are we not at war with Russia in a foreign land?

It's hard to see how we could rock up there for something as (relatively) trivial as a festival of football.

[/quote]


Difficult to see how a viable World Cup could go ahead if that little lot cracks off. If I was a player, I think I'd be pulling the monster of all hamstrings before leaving Blighty.

Edit: I have no idea why the quote function went so wrong. It wasn't me guv'nor.

[OldStokie]

Apr 12, 2018 11:33:03 GMT Gods said:

It's getting interesting for sure.

If Trump is true to his word and does this:
"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

And if this is correct and the UK join in the missile firing party:
"In the UK, sources told the BBC that Prime Minister Theresa May looked ready to join military action in Syria without seeking parliamentary consent first"

And Putin and Russia are true to their word and respond like this:
"Several senior Russian figures have warned of a Russian response to a US attack. Alexander Zasypkin, Moscow's ambassador to Lebanon, is the latest, repeating a warning by the head of the military that missiles would be shot down and their launch sites targeted."

Then are we not at war with Russia in a foreign land?

It's hard to see how we could rock up there for something as (relatively) trivial as a festival of football.

(Could do with someone backing down here, Assad is a maniac but the collective Jihadist nut jobs lined up against him are an unsavory lot too apart from the Kurds. It may backfire on us down the road if we help let the Islamist brigades in. What to do hey?)

If I was a travelling England fan I wouldn't go near the place. When those Russian idiots create havoc, Putin will make the excuse that it's a political backlash against The West.

As for believing anything that's going on in Syria; I've now got to the point where I don't believe a single word that comes from either the Russians or our own 'Pravda'. Especially the BBC! We're being fed a load of bullshit from both sides in this damned proxy war. Chemicals of some sort have been used this time, but by whom is ambiguous. I watch the news regularly and although there have obviously been some terrible things happening, one clip that is shown frequently is of kids being washed down with a hose pipe. The kids look fine but are terrified of being hosed down with cold water. Grrrr!

OS.

[Rednwhitenblue]

Sporting wise it makes no difference if they go or not, they'll lose, as usual, to the first halfway decent side they come up against, if they make it out of the group stage.

Politically, a boycott would only really make sense if a bloc of countries decided to boycott the event, rendering it pointless. 

Given Russia's state doping (cheating) in the Olympics for many years, their apparent involvement in the Skripal poisoning, their support for Assad, the corruption around FIFA and the World Cup bidding process, they deserve to have their World Cup ruined.

[GeneralFaye]

What would it achieve? It would make no impact what so ever unless other countries boycotted the event as well.

[estrangedsonoffaye]

We should certainly boycott 2022. It's an absolute disgrace when you look at what's being done over there to the migrant workforce at the moment.

[senojbor]

We will go I'm sure but I'm not particularly looking forward to it.

[theplantpotter]

It is one great bag of worms

How would any of us feel if somehow some Russians got injured or killed in a British Operation and you were going over there as a spectator amongst those same Russian thugs who, only a few years ago were after any Brit they could find in Football Stadium just so they could beat the merry hell out of them.

I doubt very much that Vladimir would help us.

[sutekh]

Apr 12, 2018 12:53:32 GMT OldStokie said:

Apr 12, 2018 11:33:03 GMT Gods said:

It's getting interesting for sure.

If Trump is true to his word and does this:
"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

And if this is correct and the UK join in the missile firing party:
"In the UK, sources told the BBC that Prime Minister Theresa May looked ready to join military action in Syria without seeking parliamentary consent first"

And Putin and Russia are true to their word and respond like this:
"Several senior Russian figures have warned of a Russian response to a US attack. Alexander Zasypkin, Moscow's ambassador to Lebanon, is the latest, repeating a warning by the head of the military that missiles would be shot down and their launch sites targeted."

Then are we not at war with Russia in a foreign land?

It's hard to see how we could rock up there for something as (relatively) trivial as a festival of football.

(Could do with someone backing down here, Assad is a maniac but the collective Jihadist nut jobs lined up against him are an unsavory lot too apart from the Kurds. It may backfire on us down the road if we help let the Islamist brigades in. What to do hey?)

If I was a travelling England fan I wouldn't go near the place. When those Russian idiots create havoc, Putin will make the excuse that it's a political backlash against The West.

As for believing anything that's going on in Syria; I've now got to the point where I don't believe a single word that comes from either the Russians or our own 'Pravda'. Especially the BBC! We're being fed a load of bullshit from both sides in this damned proxy war. Chemicals of some sort have been used this time, but by whom is ambiguous. I watch the news regularly and although there have obviously been some terrible things happening, one clip that is shown frequently is of kids being washed down with a hose pipe. The kids look fine but are terrified of being hosed down with cold water. Grrrr!

OS.

Terrified kids and water? Are you sure that’s Syria and not burslem.

[Edward Tattsyrup]

i honestly don't give a fuck either way. i just hope the England supporters stay at home for their own safety.

[Edward Tattsyrup]

Apr 12, 2018 15:24:39 GMT sutekh said:

Apr 12, 2018 12:53:32 GMT OldStokie said:

If I was a travelling England fan I wouldn't go near the place. When those Russian idiots create havoc, Putin will make the excuse that it's a political backlash against The West.

As for believing anything that's going on in Syria; I've now got to the point where I don't believe a single word that comes from either the Russians or our own 'Pravda'. Especially the BBC! We're being fed a load of bullshit from both sides in this damned proxy war. Chemicals of some sort have been used this time, but by whom is ambiguous. I watch the news regularly and although there have obviously been some terrible things happening, one clip that is shown frequently is of kids being washed down with a hose pipe. The kids look fine but are terrified of being hosed down with cold water. Grrrr!

OS.

Terrified kids and water? Are you sure that’s Syria and not burslem.

They're alright with water in Burslem, it's the soap that causes them a problem.

[str8outtahampton]

Too early to dust this off? Apologies if so.

1. England qualify for Russia 2018 with some underwhelming performances

2. Everyone agrees that qualification is the most important thing (which it is).

3. Pundits and journalists begin to talk earnestly about a "new generation" of players - especially following the U-20s success in S Korea

4. Russia squad and Boney M release a football version of "Rasputin"- produced by Giorgio Moroder - it's pretty good and eclipses the pitiful England offering from a Voice wannabe

5. Raggedy flags of St George appear on white vans, pubs and houses

6. Panini stickers on sale in Costcutter and Co-op (really - I've seen them)

7. Lazy articles in the press abound about Lev Yashin, Joe Stalin, Yuri Gagarin and the dog that went into space

8. Large numbers of people who otherwise take no interest in football talk knowledgeably (or ignorantly - take your pick) about Rashford, Sterling, Lingard, Trippier, Walker, Kane, Dele Alli, Pickford, etc as the new "golden" generation

9. Equally large numbers of people attach huge significance to the fact that England are unfancied. (Why...?)...

10. Harry Kane formally annointed as England's new messiah.

11. ITV2 shows updated version of the "worst ever England XI". Carlton Palmer makes the cut. This time Gareth Barry sneaks in. Watch out for Kyle Walker next tournanment

12. Friendlies v Italy and Holland - decent results. Press goes ballistic. We will definitely be champions

13. Home friendlies v Nigeria and Costa Rica. Underwhelming performances. Press thinks again - still, semi finals would be a decent outcome.

14. Home friendly v Portugal. England mesmerised by Ronaldo's hair gel - his last tournament - and taken apart. Press goes ballistic again - we are a national disgrace - and starts calling for Southgate's head

15. Southgate picks final squad. National outrage that Sessegnon is picked. Or alternatively, national outrage that Sessegnon is not picked

16. Talisman player picks up injury in training (see Beckham, Rooney, Barry, Oxlade-C, etc). This time it's Harry Kane's neatly parted hair

17. Radio 5 interrogates eminent Oxford professor of surgery to comment on recovery period for (delete as appropriate) metatarsal/knee ligament/hair weave/psychological barber-related trauma

18. Scare stories in the tabloids about hooligan fears. Mass handing in of passports across the country

19. Media becomes increasingly hysterical - anything less than the semi-final will be a disaster

20. Geoff Hurst says he "has a feeling" this is England's year. (It is, after all, our turn, and we did invent the game). Jermaine Defoe says that England's problem is playing with insufficient "swagger"

21. So does Steven Gerrard - who announces that he will start the 19/20 season as player-manager of Tranmere Rovers

22. Players and management say this is the "best prepared" team they have been involved with. Spirit in the camp has never been better

23. Whole world agrees that England have the best team of psychiatrists and dieticians and general hangers-on

24. Eileen Dury publishes new book, spilling Hoddle beans in the tabloids

25. Opening game ends in disappointment, with at least one goalkeeping and one defensive howler

26. Pundits take the positives from the game. We can still qualify

27. Small cabal of senior players stage revolt, and pitch up at manager's hotel room at midnight on the day before crunch game. "Play us in our favourite positions - or else"

28. The same senior players deny the revolt in the tabloids

29. England stumble through group stage

30. England humiliated by first half decent team they meet in knockout stage - quite possibly a team on a fraction of their wages. Egypt for example

31. Players left back at home out of squad treated in A&E. Hernias induced by convulsive laughing fit at England's Keystone Cops defending and goalkeeping

32. Blame apportioned to (delete as appropriate) - being too tired at the end of a PL season/ball too light/ball too heavy/heat/humidity/altitude/internal travel/inferior accommodation/presence of WAGs/absence of WAGs/ boredom/opposition's "technical" superiority/refereeing incompetence/VAR/Brexit/too many foreigners in PL/players' use of social networking/interference of Russian Intelligence/etc. Or just the fact that the opposition are simply too foreign

33. Blame never apportioned to lack of skill, ability to pass and move into space or tendency to lose concentration

34. Low level reprisals taken across the country with minor vandalism of (delete as appropriate) Pret a Manger/BMWs/pizza restaurants/Moroccan Consulate

35. Putin (and Corbyn) implicated in plot to undermine England progress

36. "Team England" attempt to fly into Stansted unnoticed at 3.00 am

37. Team England ambushed by press in Stansted arrivals lounge at 3.10 am

38. Team England lynched and disembowelled on the front and back pages

39. Much hand-wringing, followed by root and branch review of tactics/coaching/youth development/grass roots game. Essentially "something must be done..."

40. Manager replaced and Southgate (and his successors in 2018/2020/2022) takes job in Southampton/Saudi Arabia/Switzerland

41. When the dust settles, the new manager and the FA declare that this was a tournament too early for the new golden generation - we are told to wait for 2020/2022/2024

42. Players' ghosted autobiographies released at Christmas and relate detailed accounts of the revolt described above

43. Autobiographies also outline how England "under-performed". (This would be about the 16th consecutive tournament where that has happened). No-one says - "We are not in fact as good as our salaries suggest". All books have toe-curling titles like "Do or Dier" or "Sterling Effort" or "Kane and Able"

44. January 2nd - warehouse-fuls of players' ghosted autobiographies are pulped by Waterstone's

45. Repeat every two years.

[Deleted]

How many other sporting events would we have to boycott if we don't go to this one.

Half the world is run by utter nutters and the other half is run by the rich. The dividing line between them gets blurry at times^.

Football is sport, not politics or a substitute for war. If we don't go there will be some PC nut job with a reason all ready and waiting as to why we shouldn't attend every future sporting event.

[Mr_DaftBurger]

Apr 12, 2018 12:53:32 GMT OldStokie said:

I watch the news regularly and although there have obviously been some terrible things happening, one clip that is shown frequently is of kids being washed down with a hose pipe. The kids look fine but are terrified of being hosed down with cold water. Grrrr!

OS.

That could have been Burslem!

[malteser68]

World Cup in Russia should be boycotted by all peoples of good faith

These despots see such events solely as a way of obtaining legitimacy to their despotic regimes

We should not play into their hands

[Deleted]

Apr 12, 2018 11:01:56 GMT auntiegeorge said:

If the worst comes to the worst over the next few weeks we could do what the Russians did in the Winter Olympics, who styled themselves as OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia). We could go as FPE (Football Players from England).

That's what North Korea do...
We are North Korea.

And Wales.

The Welsh Association Team.

And Scotland...

Scottish Highland International Team.

and for countries that do not have their own federation, and are trying to get on the World Stage, ie New countries,

Combined United Nations Team.

[Deleted]

I've got an expired yoghurt in my fridge I'm more bothered about than the England football team

[Davef]

Apr 12, 2018 20:32:49 GMT @ukyestoney said:

I've got an expired yoghurt in my fridge I'm more bothered about than the England football team

Yet you never miss the opportunity to join in the discussion whenever they're mentioned.

[Bojan Mackey]

I genuinely fear for our fans travelling over there, there will 100% be a fatality, I’m convinced.


The Russians are completely insane.

[scfcno1fan]

There won’t be a World Cup we’ll all be dead from WW3.