World Cup 2026

[HVC]

Swedish commentators are having a discussion on if the Spanish tactic will be to bore the French to a win.

The football world is finnacy waking up to the cancer that is Spain.

Nah, people have always bad mouthed it. Even 20 years ago at the hight of their keep away game. Unfortunately they also win with it. Kind of like when everyone was bitching about Italy's style of play back when they were winners. 

[Threviel]

Yeah. This time it's very clear just how good football players they are, what they do is very difficult.

It's like brutalist architecture. Takes high skill and creates monstrosities.

[Duque de Bragança]

It's the morrocan in him

Racist!
What about the Equatorial Guinean part in him?

[HVC]

I don't know how good at soccer that part of him is

[HVC]

FIFA should penalize backpasses across the center line like basketball does. Free kick.

[Duque de Bragança]

FIFA should penalize backpasses across the center line like basketball does. Free kick.

Enough with the Americanisation of the sport!

[Sheilbh]

Interesting thanks.

I've no diagnosis on Scotland - Scottish fans I know and Ferguson was echoing a lot of this do seem to think the whole Scottish FA from top to bottom is just incompetent. There's a sense there's lots of jobs for the boys and basically they just see their job as keeping the Old Firm happy.

In the UK lottery funding is used for sports (including youth development) but it tends to focus on athletics and the sorts of sports you see in the Olympics (which has been hugely successful for GB medal totals). I think possibly because there's a sense that other sports like football, tennis, rugby wash their own face so can fund their own youth development while athletics really doesn't.

There's state funding for youth infrastructure on things like local authority and school playing fields though. But I think it's been a long running complaint in Scotland and your point is right that basically below the SPL there's not much and even within the SPL below the Old Firm (and maybe the Edinburgh teams) there's not much. Similarly I know friends whose kids are in the South London youth football scene (I think one is even in the Crystal Palace academy now) and it is basically every evening of the week they're doing training in one park or another. It's a real commitment for the parents. But I'm not sure that really exists in Scotland and I think it's because, in England the FA are pretty good at distributing (this was one of the big structural reforms of the last 20 years or so that is paying off) but you also have lots of clubs in the pyramid where bringing through young players is basically their business model all over the country - so there are lots of pathways or ways in for kids and I just don't think that's happening in Scotland.

On the immigrant and minority point I think that's true across Europe (I got quite annoyed at American racists adopting various European teams or players because they're white etc - I saw it with Norway, Croatia, that Swedish player - I just slightly wish they'd all fuck off and hopefully they won't be paying attention to the next World Cup). I think Scotland's relative lack of diversity may hurt it there. England is less than 75% White British, Scotland's more than 85% (similar with Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales) - there's a whole variety of reasons.

Academy poaching has become a big problem in England too - I think that players are allowed to change academy once at a younger age than in much of the rest of Europe. And agents are getting interested because there's not vast amounts of money most of the time but as a volume business enough - and I think you're seeing a lot of young players leaving academies with really good records at developing youth for bigger/richer clubs who don't have that record but have money, stockpile youth and aim to sell them on at a later date. I think agents bullshit the path and are possibly ruining long-term careers - the other side is someone like Jude Bellingham and his brother where their parents (who I think still manage them - mum with Jude, dad with Jobe) have had very clear development paths. Stayed at Birmingham until they broke through, then went to Dortmund which is phenomenal at developing young players and then make your big move - I think a lot would have their head turns by a Premier League club expressing interest in that journey (and many did).

[HVC]

FIFA should penalize backpasses across the center line like basketball does. Free kick.

Enough with the Americanisation of the sport!

I've thought so for years. Both as a means to stop time wasting and to speed the game up in general.

[HVC]

Guess France is adopting the Paraguay style of play

[Valmy]

FIFA should penalize backpasses across the center line like basketball does. Free kick.

Enough with the Americanisation of the sport!

I've thought so for years. Both as a means to stop time wasting and to speed the game up in general.

I have always had the opinion that rules should be changed in accordance to the wishes of the people who love the game, not to attract the people who don't 

So if stoping time wasting and speeding it up makes it better for the people who currently love soccer, then change away. But never suffer under the delusion that some casual fan or non fan is suddenly going to become a serious fan because you made the game faster. They won't. And if it is a change that pisses off the current fans you are only making your game less popular, not more.

Putting in the pitch clock sped up baseball games and made lots of baseball fans happy (eventually...after all the contractually obligated reactionary bitching of course) but I don't think it attracted lots of new folks to the baseball park.

[Norgy]

Yeah. This time it's very clear just how good football players they are, what they do is very difficult.

It's like brutalist architecture. Takes high skill and creates monstrosities.

That is a good simile.

I do not mind possession-based football, but the Spanish variety is possession for possession's sake. 
They're not breaking down any defences, just waiting.
It does tire out the opponent, I suppose, although I see giving the French attack an inch would be instant trouble.

[Sheilbh]

Guess France is adopting the Paraguay style of play

France - a phenomenal, enjoyable attacking side with the constant risk that Didier Deschamps will commit a terrorism

[HVC]

FIFA should penalize backpasses across the center line like basketball does. Free kick.

Enough with the Americanisation of the sport!

I've thought so for years. Both as a means to stop time wasting and to speed the game up in general.

I have always had the opinion that rules should be changed in accordance to the wishes of the people who love the game, not to attract the people who don't 

So if stoping time wasting and speeding it up makes it better for the people who currently love soccer, then change away. But never suffer under the delusion that some casual fan or non fan is suddenly going to become a serious fan because you made the game faster. They won't. And if it is a change that pisses off the current fans you are only making your game less popular, not more.

Putting in the pitch clock sped up baseball games and made lots of baseball fans happy (eventually...after all the contractually obligated reactionary bitching of course) but I don't think it attracted lots of new folks to the baseball park.

I say that as someone that loves the game but hates time wasting lol

[Valmy]

I say that as someone that loves the game but hates time wasting lol

Fair enough 

You might be on to something then.

[HVC]

Yeah. This time it's very clear just how good football players they are, what they do is very difficult.

It's like brutalist architecture. Takes high skill and creates monstrosities.

This is where spains style kills the opposition. One ahead.