It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Ok we're out.....quiz question time : What is the minimum number of games a team is required to win in openplay in the world cup in order to lift the trophy ?

5.

Costa Rica buried predictions of their early demise to emerge into the knockout stages of the World Cup for only the second time with a 1-0 Group D win over Italy on Friday that sends England crashing out for definite.

Another brilliant team display from the Costa Ricans today, they have the guile to tear England apart in the final group game, fortunately for England CR will probably be saving their energy for the knock outs.

Rooney : Hey boss I can't decided if left , middle or right would be best for me.

Hodgson : For feck sake Wayne pick a seat and get on the plane.






:-)

Stop knocking Hodgson - he did a historically significant and difficult job well. He's the first England manager in many many years to work out how to stop England getting knocked out in penalty shoot outs.

Respect.

lol, on that basis, he's done a brilliant job!

Get em thrown out before the penalty shoot out stage.


Yep! Job done..respect!

Well, you can't polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter dust.

1-1 Ghana troubling the Germans, but according to the commentators they have not got it. lol really.

2-1 no they are no good at finishing., lol.

All over the Germans.

Good match, 2-2

The answer is 0......you can qualify for the second round with three draws......and from then on just win on penalties each time including the final....

I said before the world cup finals that the best style of play to adapt to was West Ham's counterattacking style of the sixties-seventies-eighties : I'm certain it would suit England.....that would mean concentrating on a tight defense and springing into attack whenever possible....in fact the two goals England scored are exactly like that. In the modern game you cannot dominate for long periods like big clubs do in the premiership ....at the World cup and European championships you come up against the best players in the world who can punish you in a flash if leave yourself exposed at the back...what is sad is that nobody in the England camp seemed to be aware of this danger....

Just a remark as there is Portugal-Usa tonight.....it's strange but Ronaldo is turning more and more into Count Dracula in looks, with every game......hope he doesn't show fangs(fans)(oh dear..oh dear...) soon...(best player in the world)...even though Messi scored the goal of the tournament last night.....Brazil-Holland final...

France to win the World Cup.

rf ... playing the world cup in June/July (unless in Iceland) will always be a disadvantage to England.

Best chance they will ever have is to host it again.

PS Good luck Chile and Gary Medel

And for the record ... thought England played ok in both matches and on another day would have won both with same team and same tactics.

Pure hard luck but that's the way the cookie crumbles .... and if Bale and Ramsey were English you would have walked it :-)

Ramsey was English and we won in 1966. It is too late to stop but many of the of the world cup stars play in the Premiership. Stands to reason that we will never progress until we drastically reduce the attractive money deals and moreover restrict overseas players. National teams doing well have their players farmed out across the world - very raely are they playing in their leagues - take Belgium for example - in in that case mostly in England. Support Greg Dyke but even he has not gone ar enough. Finally I am no longer will to pay £ 60 to watch our millionaire footballers and if more followed suit and the grounds became empty we might bring the game back to where it should be with skillful english footballers earning say £ 1500 per week + plus bonuses.

Problem is Oakapples lots of former English fans dont support the National team anymore and just watch their favoutite team usualy in the premiership.

Theyve had enough over the years and just dismiss the National Team and have nothing to do with them.

Somehow we have to get more english players per team playing in the premiership but would this lead to falling standards (not enough fotop foreign players) none entry to the Champions league etc etc.

Its a big headach and a mess.