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Original poster

To ask why the England team (the men) keep falling at the final hurdle, (well virtually at the final hurdle,) at the football World Cup ... and The Euros too?

837 replies

GorgeousSpringtime · 16/07/2026 08:58

Not an England-team bashing thread, but why, oh WHY do they - the men - keep falling at the final hurdle (well, virtually the final hurdle,) every time at the football (soccer) World Cup - and the Euro Cup too...?

They do so well, and get so far, and then BANG they're out. Nearly always in the top 8, or top 4, (and the top 2, in the World Cup once, and a couple of times in the Euros I think,) but never the winner. (Not since 1966 anyway!)

Is it nerves? Is it that they're so anxious to win that they keep making silly mistakes? Are they just not quite good enough? WHAT IS IT? Why do they keep getting so close, but just never manage to get the win?!

As I said, I am not bashing them, and they did well, and I am proud of them, but I just get so frustrated that they can't quite ever get the win!

!

OP posts:
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ImImmortalNowBabyDoll · 16/07/2026 15:04

Dappy777 · 16/07/2026 14:06

Self-loathing.

The British left hate Britain. Above all, they hate England and Englishness. I remember reading an interview with the ‘comedian’ Alexi Sayle (very left-wing) in which he said “this country needs to lose a war.” That was years ago, yet I have never forgotten it. It reveals what really goes on in the minds of the British left. Just listen to people like Will Self or Stewart Lee for five minutes. They hate England so much they can hardly get the words out.

Unfortunately, the left have a massive influence. They run academia, the BBC, the arts and the publishing industry. Radio 4 can’t even mention Jane Austen without linking her to colonialism. People absorb, or internalise, that hatred, and our footballers are no exception. When they come up against mediocre sides like Mexico, it’s not a problem. But when it is 1-1 in a semi-final against Argentina, the urge to go that extra mile just isn’t there. My grandparents never said anything patriotic, because they didn’t need to. They’d grown up in a country that had such a deep-rooted sense of history and culture and identity and pride that there was no need to wave flags. All that has gone. To be honest, the drip drip effect of leftist thinking has even worked on me. Frankly, I don’t give a sh*t that England lost either.

Edited

I hope you did a proper warm up before making that reach, you'll do yourself an injury.

TheCurious0range · 16/07/2026 15:02

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 09:57

I can't understand why that line that was so effective against Mexico failed.
I think at the moment we've got the best team we've ever had.

Hopefully they can be proactive against the French and shine.

Because Argentina are a very different side to Mexico and one tactic fits all doesn't work. Defensive changes were made too early in this match.

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:46

I was just watching it again. Very bad play by England in the late second half. Bad defending

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:38

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 14:32

We were one up until the 86 min. Jude very very nearly intercepted their first goal he ran to tackle and misses it by a millisecond.
86 mins we were the better team !!

86 mins doesnt mean anything. i think argentina timed it to get their goals later so that it wouldnt go to extra time

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 14:32

We were one up until the 86 min. Jude very very nearly intercepted their first goal he ran to tackle and misses it by a millisecond.
86 mins we were the better team !!

Rewis · 16/07/2026 14:27

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:15

Well they can really celebrate anywhere they want on the pitch.

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Of course. I was just answering the question. His celebration was unsportsmanship like and was looking for a reaction and he got one.

BeSassyOpalSquid · 16/07/2026 14:24

We ARE one of the best teams, but keep letting it go at the final hurdle. Why?

My view: because the EFA keep appointing former defenders to be England manager. You can only take it so far i with a defensive, cautious strategy, which is what they tend to adopt.

Tuchel, Southgate, Sven Goran Ericsson, Roy Hodges - all defenders.

Quote from Rooney: “ “If you’re an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up and you see the changes which the manager’s making, you’re losing belief. Then you start thinking, ‘Oh no, we’re going to sit back for this long, how are we going to get through this?’ It’s a panic, it’s a real panic. You can’t go a goal up and then surrender the strength of the ball and surrender any opportunity going to try and get the second goal, because that’s what you want to do.”.

Even the coach for Argentina has effectively stated Tuchel made an error going all defensive when what’s needed is attack.

And the interesting thing is that Tuchel made the same error he identified Southgate had made with this kind of approach.

Time we had a striker / midfielder in the position of manager. Because these people are less afraid of attack. We need one known for his determination and refusal to give up, that would inspire the players. But not Rooney.

LuckyHazelFox · 16/07/2026 14:23

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:18

They will just have played each other. England France is an old rivalry, I'm sure whoever loses will care

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Yes, it's a nothing match and one I won't be watching.

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 14:22

@Dappy777 that team wanted to win.
We were v close . I would be very interested to know how we could have opened up that last 20 mins and got them on the back foot Bellingham and kane hardly got near our goal and I'd be interested to know how and why

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:20

BackToLurk · 16/07/2026 14:17

FWIW I have no idea what 'Dance Moms' is.

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It just shows our different interests! I went to dance school as a child and teenager.

Dance Moms is a tv show about the dance competition world

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:19

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 14:18

I'm really enjoying it now I couldn't last night bevause it was too emotionally charged !

We made a much better effort than the French i would be heartily dissapointed as a french fan !

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I'm pleased you're enjoying it. I'd just sit there and seethe at the poor decision making.

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:18

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:16

nah im sure they dont.

Do any of us remember who came third or fourth in the last world cup?

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They will just have played each other. England France is an old rivalry, I'm sure whoever loses will care

ComeOnEngland12 · 16/07/2026 14:18

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:01

Why would you do that to yourself?

Watching the awful decisions live was bad enough but watching them again the next day? You absolute masochist

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I'm really enjoying it now I couldn't last night bevause it was too emotionally charged !

We made a much better effort than the French i would be heartily dissapointed as a french fan !

BackToLurk · 16/07/2026 14:17

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:14

I don't know that is/ From looking him up...he's an F1 driver?

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FWIW I have no idea what 'Dance Moms' is.

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:16

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:15

I suspect the 4th placed team cares about the 3rd placed...

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nah im sure they dont.

Do any of us remember who came third or fourth in the last world cup?

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:16

Rewis · 16/07/2026 14:13

After Argentinas goal this player ran from the bench across the field to celebrate in England players faces while rest of the Argentina team were in the opposite corner celebrating the goal scorer.

Edited
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I can see why Jude got annoyed though. If any of us lost in a world cup semi final, wouldnt we all be pissed off at seeing the other team celebrate

randomchap · 16/07/2026 14:15

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:12

AS Abbey Lee Miller on Dance Moms said

'2nd is the first to lose'

No one cares about the third place team

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I suspect the 4th placed team cares about the 3rd placed...

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:15

Rewis · 16/07/2026 14:13

After Argentinas goal this player ran from the bench across the field to celebrate in England players faces while rest of the Argentina team were in the opposite corner celebrating the goal scorer.

Edited
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Well they can really celebrate anywhere they want on the pitch.

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:14

BackToLurk · 16/07/2026 14:13

I'm pretty sure she stole that from Senna

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I don't know that is/ From looking him up...he's an F1 driver?

BackToLurk · 16/07/2026 14:13

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:12

AS Abbey Lee Miller on Dance Moms said

'2nd is the first to lose'

No one cares about the third place team

Show quote history

I'm pretty sure she stole that from Senna

Rewis · 16/07/2026 14:13

Caniweartheseones · 16/07/2026 13:57

What I want to know is why is Jude Bellingham so rude? I saw him slap the back of an Argentinian player’s neck at the end of the match. Not into football here but I saw the end.

After Argentinas goal this player ran from the bench across the field to celebrate in England players faces while rest of the Argentina team were in the opposite corner celebrating the goal scorer.

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:12

EastGrinstead · 16/07/2026 14:11

@XelaM, it is you who is doing the diminishing.

If England beat France on Saturday, they will finish in third place, not fourth place.

This would mark England's best World Cup result in sixty years.

Edited
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AS Abbey Lee Miller on Dance Moms said

'2nd is the first to lose'

No one cares about the third place team

ConverselyAttired · 16/07/2026 14:12

BackToLurk · 16/07/2026 14:10

Indeed. If you read it more than once it's even bigger bollocks. What was your favourite bit? The conflation with 'England' and 'the British' was quite good. Although I must admit I do like the idea of all the up-and-coming footballers tuned into Radio 4.

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Some people really are butthurt that their roundabout flag works of art got washed off, aren't they?

mindymoo11 · 16/07/2026 14:11

It'll be '100 years of hurt'

EastGrinstead · 16/07/2026 14:11

XelaM · 16/07/2026 13:14

And 2026!!

And two Euro finals in the last 2 Euros.

That's quite a record! Why are you trying to diminish it?

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@XelaM, it is you who is doing the diminishing.

If England beat France on Saturday, they will finish in third place, not fourth place.

This would mark England's best World Cup result in sixty years.

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