sebsy

I’ve just caught up watching the Portugal vs Georgia game with Czech vs Turkey on the iPad at the same time. Ive mostly been watching whilst looking at stuff on the iPad at the same time, half an eye on the football sort of thing, but I’ve had every game on so far, and I’ve enjoyed it well enough. Chuffed to see Georgia get through, Austria top a group involving France and the Netherlands, and England top the group of bored to death. Gutted to see Ukraine go out mind, especially on 4pts despite being 0pts behind the group winners.

Netherlands vs Austria probably the game that’s grabbed my attention the most in the group stages. Cracking game with the added bonus of the underdog team getting the win and progressing through the group, and as group winners too. France vs Belgium, and Romania vs Netherlands in the Last 16 could both be real crackers and I’m really looking forward to them, but weirdly I’m probably looking forward to Austria vs Turkey just as much because it should in theory be the most closely contested game and it could be quite a frenetic and feisty game. Sadly, I think Georgia will be plucky but ultimately get beaten quite easily by Spain, and I’d expect Germany to get last Denmark pretty comfortably too, but Italy, Portugal, and England will all be tested more by the Swiss, Slovenia, and Slovakia respectively.

Just catching up on the Spain vs Croatia game, and that rule on the penalty is so awful. It makes no sense at all that it was a yellow and not a red. It makes it a no brainer for the defensive player, if you can foul to prevent a literally unmissable goal and turn it into a penalty where there’s a fair chance it doesn’t get scored and all you take for it is a yellow, to make the foul. It’s just such a woefully thought out rule that makes no sense. That has to be a red every single time. It’s no wonder I can’t be ****ed with football these days.

Made me think of Santiago Canizares missing the 2002 World Cup after dropping a bottle of aftershave and severing a tendon in his big toe.

Not excited at all. I will be watching in general, unlike the WC which I completely skipped because of it being in Qatar, but I haven't had excitement for international football for many years, and my general football interest has also waned massively over the years. Back when I was in my early 20's, playing CM, I knew all the players, but these days I don't even know half of the players of the teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs etc... and couldn't even tell too who the hell Adam Wharton is who's made it into the England squad. I'm only really interested in watching United play these days, and am otherwise barely engaged with the PL. Too much football, it's run terribly, corruption everywhere, blood money... just cba with it.

Much prefer the BBC team over ITV.

Yes, a shame really as they looked like a good little side on the up in the Euros this year. Evrard was one of the better goalies in the tournament, and I really liked what I saw of Vanhaevermaet in midfield.

Didn't watch a single game. Thoroughly looking forward to the 2023 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand though.

Still not watched a game. Haven't missed it.

Yeah, really not a fan at all about moving to 48 teams/Groups of 3. Awful decision. Very different reasons to why I haven't watched this World Cup, but already feel like I absolutely won't bother with the next.

Still not watched a single game. Zero appetite. May become interested from the knockouts, or even the last group games, but not feeling it whatsoever.

I've watched none of it so far, not even the England game. I'm no more disgusted by the grubbiness of it all than anyone else, though that is a lot, but I didn't realise just how ambivalent I am to watching this World Cup. Don't get me wrong, I've always been more into club football than international, and my overall interest in football has waned as the years go by, but when it has come down to it, despite having opportunity to watch every game so far, I just literally haven't had the slightest inclination to do so. I've felt full 'Partridge shrug' about watching the games so far.

If you'd posted it Saturday, wouldn't that have been 99 days then?