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World Cup Thistle Connections


Jaggernaut
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Celtic's Maeda might have to face the mighty Thistle defence one of these days......

Right, now that that's out of the way (as Thistle-related), I'm still hyper about Japan's victory last night (Japan time).

Complete domination by Germany in the first half (apart from Daizen's offside goal). If anybody knows the possession scores for the first half, please share; I wouldn't be surprised if it was 90% Germany. 

But the transformation in the second half was just astonishing. Although I'm supporting Japan, I had no real expectation of such a change! Loved it.

So, the big question: Did the manager do the right thing by having the team mostly sit back and soak up the pressure in the first have before going all out in the 2nd half, or was there no choice in the first half? What if Japan had gone all out attack in the first half but then lost a couple of goals as a result? In other words, it's easy to criticize the manager and tactics with hindsight, but that's not always fair.

I see Celtic have just signed a fifth Japanese player, on a 5-year contract. These guys are good.

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7 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

Celtic's Maeda might have to face the mighty Thistle defence one of these days......

Right, now that that's out of the way (as Thistle-related), I'm still hyper about Japan's victory last night (Japan time).

Complete domination by Germany in the first half (apart from Daizen's offside goal). If anybody knows the possession scores for the first half, please share; I wouldn't be surprised if it was 90% Germany. 

But the transformation in the second half was just astonishing. Although I'm supporting Japan, I had no real expectation of such a change! Loved it.

So, the big question: Did the manager do the right thing by having the team mostly sit back and soak up the pressure in the first have before going all out in the 2nd half, or was there no choice in the first half? What if Japan had gone all out attack in the first half but then lost a couple of goals as a result? In other words, it's easy to criticize the manager and tactics with hindsight, but that's not always fair.

I see Celtic have just signed a fifth Japanese player, on a 5-year contract. These guys are good.

So no connection? Thanks.

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8 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

I see Celtic have just signed a fifth Japanese player, on a 5-year contract. These guys are good.

We were talking about these guys in the pub yesterday. Consensus opinion was if Kyogo, who isn't in the Japanese squad, was Scottish he'd be a certain member of our national squad. Probably a regular starter at that. 

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Connection between Wales and Thistle: against Iran Wales played like Thistle at their shiteyest.

Totally useless sideways and backwards passing, overhit passes, no pace, absolutely unbelievably bad first touches, and then lose two very, very late goals.

Ramsey looked like a non-league player having an off-day!

Would love to see them stuff Engerlund, but just can't see that happening, somehow.

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1 hour ago, Jaggernaut said:

When was the last time a Thistle match ended 3-3?

Cameroon vs. Serbia: in several ways, the most entertaining match so far.

10th May 2016. A 3-3 draw with Dundee Utd at Tannadice.  Freddy Frans & Kris Doolan put us 2-0 up at half time, with Ryan Edwards getting the 3rd to put us 3-1 up. We then conceded 2 late goals, the 3rd in the 90th minute.  Match was in the SFL  Premiership.

CORRECTION - I completely forgot about the 3-3 draw at Inverness  against ICT on9th February 2022. Thistle have been involved in at least 73  3-3 draws (excluding friendlies ) in over 5750 matches over the years. 

Edited by East Kent Jag II
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40 minutes ago, East Kent Jag II said:

10th May 2016. A 3-3 draw with Dundee Utd at Tannadice.  Freddy Frans & Kris Doolan put us 2-0 up at half time, with Ryan Edwards getting the 3rd to put us 3-1 up. We then conceded 2 late goals, the 3rd in the 90th minute.  Match was in the SFL  Premiership.

Remember being there. James Penrice's first start and he got an immediate assist by landing the first corner on Frans' head.

It was a "dead rubber" as United were already relegated and we were safe in the bottom 6, but going nowhere. Have a horrible feeling that Simon Murray scored one or more of their late goals.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/15/2022 at 8:30 PM, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

I recall in 1973 when Scotland qualified for the WC Finals 1974, it had been 16 long years since we  had previously qualified. Now, it is 24 years since our last WC Finals’ appearance. But, the good news for Scotland (as regards qualification) is that a whopping 48 clubs will qualify for WC Finals 2026! That’s a 50% increase on the 32 clubs which took part this year and should make Scotland’s ‘job’ easier.

The ‘bad’ news from a ‘football’ point of view is that a 48-nation competition is going to introduce more group games, (eg the boring non-knockout element is extended and the number of teams with no chance of winning the trophy is increased. The competition becomes even longer from start to completion.) Also, will it improve the quality of football on offer, or is it in fact, more likely to be to the detriment of that aspect. Certainly, FIFA want this change and their reasons have more to do with ‘filthy lucre’ than improving the competition. Of that, there is no doubt. So, no change in FIFA’s priorities then!

Hopefully, after two WCs being given to two highly dubious hosts-Russia and Qatar-the reasons being mired in controversy, more thought and wisdom will be shown in selecting countries chosen to accommodate the WCs of the future! But, I’m not counting on it, based on Infantino’s speech before this year’s tournament got under way.

Not arguing with much of what you say, but with the glaring exception of Argentina v Holland (and possibly England v France), the knock out games have been much less exciting than many of the final round of group matches when goals in one game had bewildering knock on effects on the real-time table and on what teams in other games had to do.

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On 12/15/2022 at 8:30 PM, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

I recall in 1973 when Scotland qualified for the WC Finals 1974, it had been 16 long years since we  had previously qualified. Now, it is 24 years since our last WC Finals’ appearance. But, the good news for Scotland (as regards qualification) is that a whopping 48 clubs will qualify for WC Finals 2026! That’s a 50% increase on the 32 clubs which took part this year and should make Scotland’s ‘job’ easier.

The ‘bad’ news from a ‘football’ point of view is that a 48-nation competition is going to introduce more group games, (eg the boring non-knockout element is extended and the number of teams with no chance of winning the trophy is increased. The competition becomes even longer from start to completion.) Also, will it improve the quality of football on offer, or is it in fact, more likely to be to the detriment of that aspect. Certainly, FIFA want this change and their reasons have more to do with ‘filthy lucre’ than improving the competition. Of that, there is no doubt. So, no change in FIFA’s priorities then!

Hopefully, after two WCs being given to two highly dubious hosts-Russia and Qatar-the reasons being mired in controversy, more thought and wisdom will be shown in selecting countries chosen to accommodate the WCs of the future! But, I’m not counting on it, based on Infantino’s speech before this year’s tournament got under way.

I think the groups have always thrown up many boring games. This one, though, also gave us quite a few surprises right from the start. There is no doubt that FIFA are motivated by money, but they are also about the expansion of the game. I think the performances of some non traditional footballing countries show that their strategy works. USA,Japan and Morocco have all progressed. 
I guess it remains to be seen if the format for the next WC will change. It is meant to be groups of 3.

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I'm not sure I'm on board with the "group games are boring" idea when Japan, South Korea, Senegal and Morocco all made it to the last 16, one of the World Cup finalists lost to Saudi Arabia, the other lost to Tunisia, Brazil lost to Cameroon, Japan beat Germany and Spain etc. etc.

The main concern for the next World Cup is that groups of 3 are barely groups at all, and you'll have a team sitting-out the final matchday.

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World Cup Thistle Connections. Well only a loose connection and only this Thistle fan. When over in Spain at the World Cup '82 we adopted Cameroon as our "second team". Reason being two or three of us often drank in Cameroon's Bar in St Georges Rd. Well spelling didn't seem that important back then. :)

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4 hours ago, Woodstock Jag said:

I'm not sure I'm on board with the "group games are boring" idea when Japan, South Korea, Senegal and Morocco all made it to the last 16, one of the World Cup finalists lost to Saudi Arabia, the other lost to Tunisia, Brazil lost to Cameroon, Japan beat Germany and Spain etc. etc.

The main concern for the next World Cup is that groups of 3 are barely groups at all, and you'll have a team sitting-out the final matchday.

There were more 0-0 in the 1st week of this WC than the whole of the last tournament, I believe. There were certainly some unexpected results, but I think more often than not the exciting games are reserved until the final round of games. Maybe they should look at some kind of knockout, with a 2nd chance for 1st round losers ? 

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2 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

World Cup Thistle Connections. Well only a loose connection and only this Thistle fan. When over in Spain at the World Cup '82 we adopted Cameroon as our "second team". Reason being two or three of us often drank in Cameroon's Bar in St Georges Rd. Well spelling didn't seem that important back then. :)

Numbers bolstered, no doubt, by those who fondly remember purchasing a Cameroon Bar for a half time snack. 

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