A batch of World Cup final tickets go on sale today..
Personally not interested (the thought of going to a football match in Russia is a bit too much of a throwback to Millwall/West Ham in the '70's for me) but for anyone who is...

Any idea how many freebie tickets are being given to FIFA etc etc committee members to sell on the black market this time Bob

Who is it actually that wants these games?

Can only be FIFA/UEFA/FA's (whose members need to maintain their lavish lifestyles)

Fans don't want them (attendances/TV figures/fear of important players being injured/prefer a 24 team 46 game league))
Clubs dont want them (pay 100m for a player and millions for top trainers and equipment and then have some solicitors clerk from Yamoussoukro take the training sessions on a cabbage patch)
Players dont want them (Proud to play for my country soon turns into I cant play due to a broken fingernail and early international retirement to extend their careers)
TV co's dont want them (audience figures for all but the top games are abysmal. they would much prefer more league matches to televise)

Time for Prem league/Serie A/Bunders??/La Liga etc etc to join forces and tell their respective FA's and "governing groups" to go take a long walk off a short pier and rethink their International schedules as players under contract to their teams will NOT be allowed to go on International duty if it disrupts their leagues.

https://www.facebook.com/CH3Thailand/vi ... 288331785/

Pretty sure this says the game is live on Channel 3 for anyone with insomnia or who cant get to sleep due to bloody loud music or fireworks.

Germany qualify but Northern Ireland must have done enough to get into the second placed qualification games.
Poland look like qualifying & Denmark look like taking the second place, but it will go down to the last game..
England qualify &, against all the odds, Scotland have a real chance of finishing in second place..

BobHelm wrote: ↑

October 6, 2017, 6:44 am

score.png

group f.png
England qualify ........

I had been hoping that this mediocre bunch of players wouldn't qualify, and thus save themselves, and their long suffering supporters, the extreme embarrassment that undoubtedly awaits them in Russia.
I suspect that few would argue with my view that, of the players representing England last night, only two are truly of international standard. Mind you, anyone watching the game last night might consider England to be lucky, compared to Slovenia, who didn't appear to have any!

With Serbia losing & both Wales & Ireland winning it is all down to the last game in Group D.
But Wales are home to Ireland while Serbia have the easier game at home to Georgia.
Spain are given an easy qualification out of what looked a tough group.
Italy will have to go into the second place play offs after another disappointing performance last night.
Iceland punch well above their weight again & go top after thrashing Turkey away.
Serbia, so long looking like group winners, can only draw at home & sink to second.
Iceland's last game is home to group whipping boys Kosovo so their must be real hope that they are in the finals..

mathusalah80 wrote: ↑

October 6, 2017, 1:21 pm

I suspect that few would argue with my view that, of the players representing England last night, only two are truly of international standard. Mind you, anyone watching the game last night might consider England to be lucky, compared to Slovenia, who didn't appear to have any!

I do hope you mean Kane and Rashford,mat ?
When Alli comes back that makes three,I spose !
But does a manager like Southgate inspire confidence ? I think,in management,all he has achieved is to get Middlesborough relegated and take England U21's to the European Championships where they finished bottom of their group.
A nice man,no doubt,but he's only got the England job because nay other bugger wants it !
England must be praying for a group that has Argentina,Scotland and either Syria or Australia in it as there only hope of progression.

Zidane wrote: ↑

October 7, 2017, 8:06 am

mathusalah80 wrote: ↑

October 6, 2017, 1:21 pm

I suspect that few would argue with my view that, of the players representing England last night, only two are truly of international standard. Mind you, anyone watching the game last night might consider England to be lucky, compared to Slovenia, who didn't appear to have any!

I do hope you mean Kane and Rashford,mat ? NB: ARE, (present tense), so not yet Rashford.
When Alli comes back that makes three, I spose ! Ditto; so not yet Alli
But does a manager like Southgate inspire confidence ? I think, in management, all he has achieved is to get Middlesborough relegated and take England U21's to the European Championships where they finished bottom of their group.
A nice man, no doubt, but he's only got the England job because nay other bugger wants it !
Come on, be fair Zid, what about all the other FA England Managerial requirement boxes Southgate can tick? He has a good educational standard; he speaks nicely; he is well mannered; he is, and will always be deferential to the FA members, and take note of, and act upon their views & opinions; he will never ever 'make waves', or think or act 'out of the box'; he will never make any major decisions, (i.e. appoint the England Captain), without prior discussion with, and agreement by the FA; oh! and he is an immaculate dresser. In summary, the perfect "Establishment Manager" to fill the FA's requirements for a puppet 'yes man', and the complete antithesis of ANY successful Manager, you can name; past or present, capable of pulling English football out of the doldrums. You really are a hard man to please Zid!

England must be praying for a group that has Argentina ,Scotland and either Syria or Australia in it as their only hope of progression.

I think you are being overly optimistic in over estimating the chances of these current English players qualifying from such a talented group!

"I think you are being overly optimistic in over estimating the chances of these current English players qualifying from such a talented group! "

I think he is banking on Khun Aguero taking the rest of his Argie team mates on a "chill out" trip to Amsterdam to .......... errrrr "watch a concert " ..... nobody will care who is playing after an afternoon in the Green House

Two to qualify from each group innit ?? Therefore Argentina and one other !

Holland keep their faint hopes of qualification alive with a win, but with both Sweden & France doing the same it is an outside bet..
Down to the last game for the 1/2, but the Swiss need a major fail to lose the automatic spot.
Already winners Belgium do Greece a huge favour by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina away in a real thriller. Greece look like the sort of side that the other second place sides would love to meet in the knockout though!!

"Down to the last game for the 1/2, but the Swiss need a major fail to lose the automatic spot."

I hardly think losing 1:0 away to Portugal who have won every game at home with their only loss coming in the reverse fixture in Switzerland would really be called a "MAJOR FAIL" Portugal record P9 W8 D0 L1 GF 30 GA 4

More needless injuries last night ...... Fellaini & Kante and probably several knocks etc that didn't get reported

As the Swiss have a 9 zip record & will go through with the draw, it will be a major fail...

Well that is the group stage over for groups C, E & F.
Perfect qualification from Germany.
The surprise of the group was second placed Northern Ireland. They lost their final game away to a previously disappointing Norway but have done enough to go through to the play off stage between the highest point scoring 8 second placed sides.
A group already decided before the final game. Poland win, Denmark go to the play offs,
England through undefeated, although 2 draws more than necessary out of a poor group. Slovakia top Scotland by goal difference only, but will have to wait for other group results before they know if they are through to the play offs..

stattointhailand wrote: ↑

October 8, 2017, 3:59 pm

"Down to the last game for the 1/2, but the Swiss need a major fail to lose the automatic spot."

I hardly think losing 1:0 away to Portugal who have won every game at home with their only loss coming in the reverse fixture in Switzerland would really be called a "MAJOR FAIL" Portugal record P9 W8 D0 L1 GF 30 GA 4

More needless injuries last night ...... Fellaini & Kante and probably several knocks etc that didn't get reported

And YET ANOTHER needless injury Shkodran Mustafi injured in Germanys dead rubber thrashing of Azerbeijan

Serbia qualify as group winners & the Republic pip Wales for second spot play off place.
Already done & dusted before the final game.
Spain only having a draw as a slight blot qualify with Italy easily going through to the play offs.
The Group that probably should have seen the tightest tussle for places.
As it is Iceland again punch well above their weight & qualify. Croatia take the play off spot & Turkey finish in 4th. place, way off the pace, after a disappointing qualification showing..

In the end too many draws cost the Welsh in this campaign......just 1 defeat but 5 draws !
Good luck to the Republic of Ireland in the play offs......it would be great if N.Ireland qualified also.....could they meet in the play offs ?.....now that would be tasty !

South America consistently produces the most competitive World Cup qualification campaign on the planet, with more strength in depth and fewer easy games than anywhere else.
Brazil flirted with disaster before securing their place in the 2002 World Cup - which, of course, they won. Argentina had a bad time in the 2010 qualifiers but managed to grab the last automatic slot. Uruguay, who had to be content with the play-off position, went on to come fourth in the tournament after finishing fifth in the South American group.
But even bearing all that in mind, Argentina have dug themselves into a hole this time. They go into the final round down in sixth, outside even the play-off spot following a goalless draw against Peru. On Wednesday (00:30 BST - live text on the BBC Sport website) they are away to Ecuador at the dreaded altitude of Quito, conditions they despise. A win will guarantee a play-off place and might even send them automatically to Russia, but a draw will leave them reliant on other results and a defeat will eliminate them.
There is, then, a real danger that Argentina, Lionel Messi and all, will be missing from the 2018 World Cup.