Much more astonishing than the Brexit for England

[SimpleDon]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=intl:2903424

England, the country that gave the world its most popular sport, association football, soccer to Americans, were dumped out of the European Cup by Iceland! A country of only 330,000 beat England.

This is much more upsetting to the English than the Brexit. Not just that they lost, but that they lost comprehensively. For all but the first six minutes of the 90 minute match they were out played by Iceland.

The talk of the Brexit will sink far below the English people's view as to be reduced to insignificance.

This is important. This is football.

And the best player in the world, Lionel Messi retired from international play. After leading Argentina to four successive intentional competition finals without winning even once.

 

[SimpleDon]

The manager of the English team resigned just twenty minutes after the end of the match. Roy Hodgson, who was the highest paid manager of the twenty four national teams at the European Championship.

 

[dismal]

Well, the British still have Wales in there, I guess.

 

[SimpleDon]

Lionel Messi is just tired of being blamed for the failure of Argentina to win a World Cup or a Copa America, the American Cup.

Messi is the only reason that Argentina has made four WC and CA finals!

 

[SimpleDon]

Well, the British still have Wales in there, I guess.

They almost put England out of the tournament in the group round. England only beat the Welsh in the final minutes of the match. As it was the Welsh won the group.

 

[nightwyrm]

England played terribly in their game. The Brexit jokes pretty much write themselves.

 

[JonA]

Since there are only a few players per team, why would the populations of the countries matter?

(Asking sincerely as a complete sports illiterate.)

 

[nightwyrm]

Since there are only a few players per team, why would the populations of the countries matter?

(Asking sincerely as a complete sports illiterate.)

More people means more potential talents. Also, probably more money to put towards their sports programs.

It's usually why the "big" sports countries, ie. US, China, Russia etc. all have big populations.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I don't know how a people can get so wrapped up in a sport.

 

[nightwyrm]

I don't know how a people can get so wrapped up in a sport.

It's the modern substitute for tribal warfare.

 

[barbos]

Since there are only a few players per team, why would the populations of the countries matter?

(Asking sincerely as a complete sports illiterate.)

More people means more potential talents. Also, probably more money to put towards their sports programs.

It's usually why the "big" sports countries, ie. US, China, Russia etc. all have big populations.

Does not explain why Russia sucked immensely in this Euro Cup.

 

[Derec]

Lionel Messi is just tired of being blamed for the failure of Argentina to win a World Cup or a Copa America, the American Cup.

Messi is the only reason that Argentina has made four WC and CA finals!

Messi messed up.

You may say it did not make a difference since it was 4:2, but if he had scored Argentina would have taken the fifth penalty and could have equalized (being two behind it makes no difference so they just stop). Also, he was the first on the spot for Argentina and him missing might have discombobulated other Argentines. Only two out of four scored.

 

[SimpleDon]

Since there are only a few players per team, why would the populations of the countries matter?

(Asking sincerely as a complete sports illiterate.)

The English have four or five tiers of full time professional footballers. Each tier, the same as a league in the US, has twenty to twenty four teams in the so that they play for thirty eight weeks out of the year. In addition the English have two cup competitions, the Football Association Cup and the various league cups. There is also the two European club team competitions and the internationals, the World Cup and the European Cup or Copa America in which the professional players play for their country. An international could easily play in fifty or more matches a year.

Iceland doesn't have a single professional team much less a professional league. About half of the team are professionals who play in different leagues around Europe, the other half are amateurs. The goalkeeper is a plumber.

The English team can pull players from a much larger pool of talent. This should result in a much better team.

However, one of the many beauties of soccer is that it is a team sport. Everyone has to work together to win. Sometimes a team of individually mediocre players can best a team of stars because they play better together as a team.

 

[barbos]

Iceland doesn't have a single professional team much less a professional league. About half of the team are professionals who play in different leagues around Europe, the other half are amateurs. The goalkeeper is a plumber.

OK, I am now officially fan of Iceland team.

 

[EricK]

Iceland doesn't have a single professional team much less a professional league. About half of the team are professionals who play in different leagues around Europe, the other half are amateurs. The goalkeeper is a plumber.

Which is precisely what England needed because of their leaky defense.

 

[Tigers!]

Iceland doesn't have a single professional team much less a professional league. About half of the team are professionals who play in different leagues around Europe, the other half are amateurs. The goalkeeper is a plumber.

Which is precisely what England needed because of their leaky defense.

Don't be like that. Haven't the poor dears suffered enough already?


Why is this thread in Politics?

 

[untermensche]

I don't know how a people can get so wrapped up in a sport.

It is mindless entertainment, like Game of Thrones.

To each his own.

Some like rap music after all.

 

[untermensche]

Lionel Messi is just tired of being blamed for the failure of Argentina to win a World Cup or a Copa America, the American Cup.

Messi is the only reason that Argentina has made four WC and CA finals!

Messi messed up.

You may say it did not make a difference since it was 4:2, but if he had scored Argentina would have taken the fifth penalty and could have equalized (being two behind it makes no difference so they just stop). Also, he was the first on the spot for Argentina and him missing might have discombobulated other Argentines. Only two out of four scored.

Ronaldo had done the same thing just a few days earlier. He hit the post.

These people are human.

 

[C_Mucius_Scaevola]

Astonishing? Not really. Iceland showed in the qualifying campaign that they were a force to be reckoned with, beating the Czechs, Turkey, and the Dutch (twice). They might not have the best individual payers, but they have a terrific team spirit and organisation. England, OTOH, have a squad of overpaid, egotistical "superstars" and a league where the best players are all foreigners. I think "inevitable" describes it better than "astonishing".

 

[dismal]

Since there are only a few players per team, why would the populations of the countries matter?

(Asking sincerely as a complete sports illiterate.)

The English have four or five tiers of full time professional footballers. Each tier, the same as a league in the US, has twenty to twenty four teams in the so that they play for thirty eight weeks out of the year. In addition the English have two cup competitions, the Football Association Cup and the various league cups. There is also the two European club team competitions and the internationals, the World Cup and the European Cup or Copa America in which the professional players play for their country. An international could easily play in fifty or more matches a year.

Iceland doesn't have a single professional team much less a professional league. About half of the team are professionals who play in different leagues around Europe, the other half are amateurs. The goalkeeper is a plumber.

The English team can pull players from a much larger pool of talent. This should result in a much better team.

However, one of the many beauties of soccer is that it is a team sport. Everyone has to work together to win. Sometimes a team of individually mediocre players can best a team of stars because they play better together as a team.

This is a bit of exaggeration. Those Iceland guys are pros, some in top leagues. Iceland was #31 ranked team in the world, England was #11. They beat many top teams in qualifying, including the Netherlands twice.

They were in a Euro elimination game after all. I think I saw oddsmakers gave England had a 71% chance of wining. About 2:5 to 1. Nothing close to the 5000:1 you could have gotten on Leicester City winning the EPL.

Now, it is of course remarkable that a country as small as Iceland has produced so many top players in a single generation and they do mesh as a team far better than the overhyped stars of England, but that was already somewhat evident before this outcome.