English! What if US wins June 12?

[Coito ergo sum]

Odd English phenomenon going on at the moment. The English are almost embarrassed normally to fly the English flag (which looks like this - its the George Cross and is the central bit of the Union Flag).



The symbol has been somewhat hijacked - or maybe people believe it has - by the far right here.

All of a sudden however it has been 'claimed back' by ordinary people. Now I am no patriot at all really, but I think this is a good thing at this point. The are flying everywhere at the moment.

Of course if Merica wins, they will all be down in a minute flat.

Does anyone express any doubts or nervousness about the game? Is there anyone over there in Angle-Land sneezing at the US?

[Rum]

Odd English phenomenon going on at the moment. The English are almost embarrassed normally to fly the English flag (which looks like this - its the George Cross and is the central bit of the Union Flag).



The symbol has been somewhat hijacked - or maybe people believe it has - by the far right here.

All of a sudden however it has been 'claimed back' by ordinary people. Now I am no patriot at all really, but I think this is a good thing at this point. The are flying everywhere at the moment.

Of course if Merica wins, they will all be down in a minute flat.

Does anyone express any doubts or nervousness about the game? Is there anyone over there in Angle-Land sneezing at the US?

The English lack confidence in most things so yes - nervousness. Losing an empire does that to you. However it will be a miracle if the USA wins. They are, having said that, a better team than they have ever been.

[Clinton Huxley]

I'm anticipating the usual formula - all the pre tournament hype will evaporate as England limp through the group stage like a 3-legged arthritic donkey and then get knocked out in the first round of the knockout stage. Stupid footballers, or "borderline rapists" as Bill Bailey calls 'em.

[Coito ergo sum]

Odd English phenomenon going on at the moment. The English are almost embarrassed normally to fly the English flag (which looks like this - its the George Cross and is the central bit of the Union Flag).



The symbol has been somewhat hijacked - or maybe people believe it has - by the far right here.

All of a sudden however it has been 'claimed back' by ordinary people. Now I am no patriot at all really, but I think this is a good thing at this point. The are flying everywhere at the moment.

Of course if Merica wins, they will all be down in a minute flat.

Does anyone express any doubts or nervousness about the game? Is there anyone over there in Angle-Land sneezing at the US?

The English lack confidence in most things so yes - nervousness. Losing an empire does that to you. However it will be a miracle if the USA wins. They are, having said that, a better team than they have ever been.

Whatever happened to that pugnacious English attitude? And, all that: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!" What happened to that swagger?

You English are starting to sound suspiciously like Canadians....

[Wumbologist]

Whatever happened to that pugnacious English attitude? And, all that: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!" What happened to that swagger?

You English are starting to sound suspiciously like Canadians....

Or *gasp* Frenchmen.

[AshtonBlack]

Coito ergo sum wrote:

Whatever happened to that pugnacious English attitude? And, all that: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!" What happened to that swagger?

You English are starting to sound suspiciously like Canadians....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10254055.stm

Shit. eh?

[Clinton Huxley]

Whatever happened to that pugnacious English attitude? And, all that: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!" What happened to that swagger?

You English are starting to sound suspiciously like Canadians....

Or *gasp* Frenchmen.

now, we'll have none of that!

[Wumbologist]

Whatever happened to that pugnacious English attitude? And, all that: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!" What happened to that swagger?

You English are starting to sound suspiciously like Canadians....

Or *gasp* Frenchmen.

now, we'll have none of that!

We'll have SOME of that! Perhaps your team can work on a "Maginot Line" defensive strategy.

[Coito ergo sum]

Oh, by the way, as perhaps a dire forewarning to you Englishmen out there....an odious portent of what may befall you this coming Saturday...recall that if the United States beats England on Saturday, it will be the United States beating England AGAIN in World Cup Competition.....

In the 1950 World Cup Finals in Brazil, the United States defeated England 1–0 in a group match in what became known as the Miracle on Grass.

At the time, the English considered themselves the "Kings of Football", with a post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. Conversely, the Americans had lost their last seven international matches (including the 1934 World Cup and 1948 Summer Olympics) by the combined score of 45–2. The odds were 3–1 the English would win the Cup, and 500–1 for the U.S.

England had Stanley Matthews available, whom they considered the best player in the world at the time, but he had not played with the English team in the three international matches prior to the World Cup (in fact, he had joined the team late, having been touring Canada as part of another group of English internationals). As such, the selection committee (consisting of one man, Arthur Drewry, then president of the English/Wales Football League and later the president of FIFA), opted to stay with the team that had just defeated Chile. As there were no substitutes allowed in those days, Matthews watched the game with the other reserves.
Meanwhile, the American team consisted of semi-professional players, most of whom had other jobs to support their families. Walter Bahr was a high school teacher, and others worked as mail carriers or dishwashers. Not only that, but the team had been hastily assembled, and had only been able to scrimmage all together once, and that was the day before they left for Brazil, which happened to be against the touring English team featuring Matthews. Three players, Joe Maca, Ed McIlvenny, and Joe Gaetjens, were added to the roster just prior to that game. "We have no chance," recently-appointed coach Bill Jeffrey told the press.

England and the U.S. were in Group 2 of the first round robin, along with Spain and Chile.

The U.S. lost their next match 5–2, versus Chile, ending their 1950 World Cup run with a First Round record of 1-0-2. They would not qualify for the World Cup again until 1990.

Newspaper headlines in most World Cup nations trumpeted the shocking upset, except in the United States and England.

There was only one American journalist even at the World Cup: Dent McSkimming of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who could not get the newspaper to pay for the trip, and had taken time off of work to cover the event. His report of the match was the only one to appear in any major American newspaper.

In England, newspapers at the time were generally small, and only had a single page devoted to sports. Because the English cricket team happened to suffer their first-ever defeat to the West Indies the very same day, that was the major story in most publications. However, in publications that did report the World Cup match, so unexpected was the result that it was presumed that the 1-0 scoreline was a typing error and so it was reported that England had won on a scoreline of 10-0 or 10–1.

England's blue uniform, which had made its debut in this match, was never worn again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_v_ ... tes_(1950)

[Coito ergo sum]

[AshtonBlack]

Not going to make too much about it, before hand. I'll be watching thought.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

We're gonna have to watch these Merkins. IF they score a goal they'll want six points.

[RappingAgnostic]

AMERICA NUMBER 1!

[Rum]

Not going to make too much about it, before hand. I'll be watching thought.

As a non footie fan I too will make the effort. The WC is about the only time I do!

[Coito ergo sum]

Come on!

Let's get some smack talk goin' for the week!

Hey, you know how they know Jesus Christ wasn't born in London?

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

Because they'd never have been able to find three wise men and a virgin!

What is the difference between an Englishman and his photograph?

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

The photograph is fully developed!

An Englishman was being shown all over the Niagara Falls for the first time. "Isn't it something?" said his American guide, waiting for a reaction.

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

"Runs all night too, I suppose," said the Englishman.

Never ask a foreigner where he is from.

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

If he is not english he will tell you within a few minutes, and if he is English, why embarrass him?