World Cup England v Albania

[m]

Very good.

 

[QR]

Empty seats in the extortionate areas.
Great for football or the BVI?

 

[holdsteady]

Bazzer will be loving a Kane hat trick.

 

[m]

Bazzer will be loving a Kane hat trick.

Apart from score 3 and nearly score some others what else has he done?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

It's not England's fault but so many of these games are poor mis-matches. OK it is nice to see a goal or two but watching such non-competitive games is not exactly exciting.

Should there be some sort of pre-qualifying for the WC to reduce the number of games and make sure only the best of the lowest rated teams get through to play in qualifying?

 

[oufc1991]

The thing is tho are Albania that bad ( having won 7 of the last 10 games) or have England just been that good

 

[holdsteady]

It's not England's fault but so many of these games are poor mis-matches. OK it is nice to see a goal or two but watching such non-competitive games is not exactly exciting.

Should there be some sort of pre-qualifying for the WC to reduce the number of games and make sure only the best of the lowest rated teams get through to play in qualifying?

Albania would qualify though, not whipping boys anymore.

England just have a very good team at the moment, one of the best in the world with plenty of depth.

 

[holdsteady]

Apart from score 3 and nearly score some others what else has he done?

Him and Sterling need dropping, 60 plus goals between them, semi finals and finals of tournaments that we walk qualifying for, time to give someone else a chance.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

The thing is tho are Albania that bad ( having won 7 of the last 10 games) or have England just been that good

It's not specific to this game (although it certainly was the half time score that got me thinking!). More Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Latvia, Faroe Islands etc. Shooting fish in a barrel just doesn't make for good watching.

 

[holdsteady]

It's not specific to this game (although it certainly was the half time score that got me thinking!). More Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Latvia, Faroe Islands etc. Shooting fish in a barrel just doesn't make for good watching.

If two of those countries didn’t play you might never have seen Grebis or Buchel though?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

If two of those countries didn’t play you might never have seen Grebis or Buchel though?

I think I'd just about survive...

 

[Sandy]

s**t second half by England tho

 

[Paul Cannell]

I joined Her Ladyship before halftime to watch masterchef.

 

[unification]

It's not England's fault but so many of these games are poor mis-matches. OK it is nice to see a goal or two but watching such non-competitive games is not exactly exciting.

Should there be some sort of pre-qualifying for the WC to reduce the number of games and make sure only the best of the lowest rated teams get through to play in qualifying?

I agree. Normally you end up with one microstate in your group but this time England have ended up with two. What’s the point of England battering San Marino and Andorra twice each? Neither team learn anything from it. The Nations League at least pitches similar ability sides against each other.

Other federations wheedle out the weaker nations in pre-qualifying. There’s little need or point for the US or Mexico to be playing tiny nations like Dominica or the Bahamas for example in CONCACAF.

It’s something that UEFA should investigate. Fewer games of a higher quality would be a lot better whilst maintaining the right number of qualifying berths for UEFA nations.

 

[Bath Yellow]

Kane. Ok scored three, two from set pieces. Sterling put at least five on a plate for him, three in the first half, two in the second, if that was Taylor i dread to think what would be said. Man City must have had someone there with a bit of sense not signing him, apart from the idiot that signed Grealish.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Kane. Ok scored three, two from set pieces. Sterling put at least five on a plate for him, three in the first half, two in the second, if that was Taylor i dread to think what would be said. Man City must have had someone there with a bit of sense not signing him, apart from the idiot that signed Grealish.

Erm I hope you’re joking. Southgate out!!

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Just got back. Should’ve left at half time. Would’ve really smashed the trip logistically.

 

[QR]

I joined Her Ladyship before halftime to watch masterchef.

Euphemisms will never be the same.

 

[Big Ronaldo]

I hate it when teams just ease off like that.
Of course 5-0 at half-time is great but you do expect your team to drive on second-half.
They let up and let Albania off the hook.
A bit of a ‘damp squid’ (game) in the end and that sounds harsh but there was more for the taking tonight.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Doh. *Squib. Fireworky malarkey kind of thing ffs.