We no doubt will lose our 3rd match today. Great is maybe wrong word, but out of 32 teams there are only 4 left playing this weekend, and no-one would have predicted us being one of them. "Fortunate draw" - maybe, but you take what you're given. Strange how I never hear any of us Rover's fans mention our "fortunate draw" in 2001/2002. We never speak of how we only really played one Prem team on route to final in Middlesbrough. None of us can stop banging on about how Wenger made 9 changes to his team leaving out the likes of: Henry, Ljungberg, Ashley Cole, Bergkamp, Pires, Vieira etc. We're like a bunch of broken record players right?! Oh no, that's right, we never mention it, because it's irrelevant. They made a choice, we beat them, and went on to win the cup. We ain't winning a cup this time, but we're here on final weekend. That's a plus for me. Don't care how we got here, so I'll leave it to other people to have selective memories when it comes to fortunate runs in cups.

Of course it's a relevant stat. A football match is 90 mins. You try to win the game in that time. Extra time is a bonus section that you tackle when you've failed at your first objective. Here you go, in comparison in that time Germany have beaten in 90 mins knockout: Brazil , Netherlands, France, Argentina, Czech Republic, Belgium, Mexico, England etc,etc (I haven't even bothered with the likes of USA, South Korea, Sweden) Can you spot the difference there?!

Why?! England and Croatia have both been 10th to 20th in the World Rankings the last 3 years. So, in comparison, you're basically a West Ham fan having kittens because Southampton knocked you out the FA Cup. Moaning that it wasn't Man City or Chelsea. Very strange. It's stuff like that makes the other home countries hate us. Some deluded visions of grandeur. Some people have the memories of goldfish. In the last 50 years the only countries we've beaten in 90 mins at knockout phases are Paraguay, Denmark, and Ecuador. Hardly footballing giants. But we're supposed to breeze through a very good Croatian team. It's been a great World Cup, but I think a reality check is needed to bring people back down to earth. We've done "better" than usual. But we're a long way from realistically competing for trophies, World or Euro.

I'm fairly confident I won't.

Everyone?! This ain't a 7 year olds sports day. It's the World's biggest event for it's most popular sport, which only happens once every 4 years. 3 out of 32 teams. 9%. Get a prize. There's a winner, a runner up, and a 3rd place winner. That's why this game does actually mean something to me. Because 4th place really is a losers spot.

Fair enough, but folk are out there acting like this is some strange phenomenon. There's a reason one of the most famous quotes in football is "game of 2 halves". Cos it happens all the time week after week in all the various domestic leagues we all watch. Remember Rovers v Wigan last season? 2-0 at half time. And I reckon that cost us the title. And IMO, if that game had gone 30 mins extra time they would have probably won it. Not saying it's right and we should sit back and accept it. Of course it needs analysed to try and prevent in future. But this - "Oh my God, I can't believe England didn't make it to the final after that dominant 1st half" - is pretty niave.

I understand that we're in a massive minority but I just don't get the apathy to coming 3rd. They've invested months of time and effort into preparing for this tournament to achieve the best they can. We were all talking about quarters being a fairly good return at one point, so 3rd place is outstanding compared to that it. And it would be our best result in over half a century of World Cups. The only caveat to that is I feel for the players that have sat on the sideline patiently watching it all happen and playing very little part. Do they maybe deserve a run out on the pitch as way of reward? BUT, as the old phrase goes, there's no room for sentiment in competitive sport so I say let's get our best team out there, go all guns blazing and try and finish on a high. I'd way prefer to come back after a win with 3rd place bagged, rather than trudge back after 2 disappointing losses. It's a no brainer surely.

Neville: "Go on, do your impression!" Ha ha ha. You're right tho, if that was an Indian, then everyone loses their minds. Keane is always good value. He's always so grumpy. You would have thought it was his country that had lost.

And people say the English are overdramatic. C'mon, beaten by a single goal 10 mins from the end of extra time hardly qualifies as a "huge capitulation". Calm yourself. On another note, what did u think of your boy Roy Keane last night? With Wrighty. Had me in stitches.

Has anyone else noticed how much trashtalk other teams engage in recently? I'm sure a few other teams' associates have done it over last few years. I guess it's all pathetic attempts to have some sort of effect on our team and unsettle them. Doesn't seem to work as far as I can tell. Empty vessels make the most noise and all that. It's another reason I like the current England set up. They don't react or retaliate to any of it. Just stick their heads down and get on with their jobs. I see it as very similar as Rover's domestic campaign. Paul Cook gobbing off like some deranged lunatic, and our lot just ignoring him. I'm pretty proud of both setups at the minute. And it's a long, long time since I last said that. Long may it continue.

What credit will he get if we get to a semi and get knocked out? Genuine question. I'm intrigued. Cos you've spent this whole thread talking about how success can only be measured by lifting the trophy. Which, of course, I understand is the ultimate aim of any team entering a tournament. But the negative nellies keep talking about "realism ". Well let's get real, we've won it once only. And got to how many semis? Can't be bothered looking it up. But it can't be many. So, will Southgate and the team get credit from the NN's if they achieve what very few have over the last century? Answers on a postcard.

I genuinely fail to see how anyone can not be "positive" about England. That's what makes me laugh. 2 years ago after the Iceland debacle no-one had any hope for the future of England in tournament football. I guarantee you that if you asked at the time pretty much everyone in the country would have predicted that we wouldn't even get out of the group in the next World Cup. Well here we are in the quarter finals with, I would say, a 50/50 shot of hitting the semis. Anyone feel free to tell me how that can be anything other than good progress. All with the 3rd youngest team in the tournament too. Are we world beaters? No. Do we play awesome flowing, attacking football? No. Does our defence look rock solid? No. Regardless, the team still looks better than it has in decades. I don't think anyone has a problem with people critiquing the flaws with this squad. They are certainly plentiful. But the folk pouring negativety on this current campaign are speaking volumes about there general character IMO. Let's just say when I'm at a house party, and you guys are in the living room, you'll find me in the kitchen. And visa versa. Life is full of enough bullshit and misery as it is, so I tend not to associate myself with folk who somehow manage to unearth gloom from what is a rare glimpse of positivity on the sporting front for this country.

I think you should start supporting a different country as your hearts clearly not in it.

Sorry, but that wasn't a recommendation, way to avoid the question. I wasn't in full support when Southgate got the job, but the way he and his team have conducted themselves, both on and off the pitch, over the last few months has won my support in a big way. Will it fall flat tomorrow night, or over the next few weeks, well we shall see. But Southgate has made some big balls decisions, and to still be calling him a yes man at this stage is pretty unfounded. Here's one for you, I bet if Sam was in charge Rooney would still be on the roster. Sam is the ultimate pleaser of heirachy, he just unfortunately for him committed the ultimate sin, publicly embarrassing the FA. There's no coming back from that. Southgate seems to me like a man playing the cards in front him, i.e. all in and either hero or bust. Whereas Sam would hav still been playing "the percentages " at this point. Something in this World Cup in particular is not the road to go down.

What shambles? Walkers was a 50/50, unlucky it happens, and he was in an awful body position. One of Kane's he had his arm round the defenders throat too. The rugby tackle to the ground, yeah was blatant. But it's strange how the folk that hate VAR are now the ones wanting every single decision scrutised at length. The game generally flowed tonight, wasn't broken up by technology, and we had the odd decision not go our way. Thems still the breaks. Just as it was before.

? No doubt. ?

I thought they looked all right against Germany other night. Played some nice stuff, and knocked it about well. But wow, today was garbage. Maybe I was fooled between friendly and competitive. Personally, reckoned today would be 0-0 or 1-1 draw. With some fun gambling due to commence over the next month, good to see me laser accurate as per.

Leave him to it Khod. Him, and the rest of the bitter home nations, can sit in their houses spouting crap like this for the next month: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/sport/soccer/world-cup/duff-englands-players-are-not-as-passionate-as-irelands-36985359.html I mean FFS Damien, give your head a wobble, chatting about would players "take a bullet". What a clown.

Easy. He started on Radio One in 1999. 2 decades in the top level of tv and radio. I think you'd be surprised, multi millionaire is probably a modest description.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/pcc-rejects-complaint-stan-collymore-over-sun-i-only-hit-her-open-hand-story/ I think the issue was Talksport was bought out by the company that owns The Sun newspaper. And since he had been in some legal battles with the paper as in the link, clearly his contract was never going to be renewed. It's also the reason that Colin Murray quit immediately, because as a Liverpool fan he refused to take paychecks from a company related to The Sun. Which I kind of respect him for, but to be fair, it's a lot easier to be picking and choosing jobs on moral grounds when you're a multi-millionaire. Don't think a lot of the rest of us have that luxury.

Come on a rival clubs messageboard, patronise the members by making sweeping statements about their level of business acumen, all whilst also lauding their much maligned owners as some bastions of high level investment that the fans should be eternally grateful for. Somehow managing to ignore the gross mismanagement and decade of decline that has occurred, the total lack of communication and disdain shown to the long serving fanbase. A tale of such rank bad ownership that even hacks in the most southern based media organisations - (who generally have their heads so far up their own arses they barely mention clubs outside of the Top 6 or London) - use it as a moniker to describe potential disasters and warnings for other clubs. "Careful what you wish for, let's hope they don't do a Venky's". Yep, seems like a hotpot of ingredients, well mixed together and served up that is guaranteed to ensure you are met with a warm reception. ? But perhaps you are the only one that can see the true picture. It must be us Rovers fans and every semi-intelligent neutral in the footballing world that has got things backwards. Hey ho, if only we could all be as "conversant" with things as you.

I'm not a huge fan of it myself, although I would like to see game deciding clangers eradicated somehow. But I'm sorry to say it's coming wheher you like it or not. Can't see anyway it can be stopped now. So, I'm just trying to look at options to make it better, cos I too worry it could be damaging to the game in it's current form. Have to say though, all those people saying they're happy to take bad decisions on the chin - will you still stick to that if we end up getting a howler of a penalty decision in 89th min of playoff final to keep us in League 1 another season?!

That's what I'm trying to solve. I feel like the refs hav their heads up their arses at moment. And I don't blame them. For all the stick we give them, fact is refereeing a top level game is a very hard job to do, and now their heads are full of - should I be checking this, should I hav reviewed that? It must be a frigging nightmare with everything else they're trying to keep an eye on. My way leaves them to carry on as normal, and referee the match to the best of their ability, and a couple of times a match their decisions might get contested, and a final decision will be fed to them.

I totally get this sentiment and I'm with you. Has killed the atmosphere recently. But with my way with no offsides, a goal could only be challenged for a foul - so maybe a handball before scoring, or a foul in immediate build up of play- and how often do those happen. And again, if a manager takes the piss with it, they would be punished. Not saying it wouldn't occasionally kill the atmosphere of scoring, but still think it would be minimal. And a perfect example, Henry's goal would have been chalked off and Ireland would have gone to the World Cup. Or was it Euro? Anyway, that decision would have took about 15 seconds.

To stop bad decisions and make the game fairer. Particularly game changing decisions. For all the stick it gets recently it can actually work. Was watching an MLS game this last week where a stupid penalty was given by lino flagging. Sliding tackle in box, bounced up off defenders knee onto his hand by accident. But obviously, ref had to take linos word. Went to VAR, took about 30 secs , penalty overturned, game back on. Don't we all want errors like that stamped out?