Silas

Just had a peek at our best odds with the bookies , haven't really checked them out since start of season. We're exactly same odds at moment for promotion and relegation. 16 to 1. Not many teams like that, with mirrored odds, just us and Millwall really. Two teams recently brought up from League 1, and the professionals don't hav a clue which end of the table we'll head towards. Hope it's a surprise push towards the top 8.

Unbeaten teams in the Championship: Aston Villa, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest..........Blackburn Rovers. So, with the bookies at beginning of season, basically 4 of the favourites for the top 6, and a relegation candidate. Can't argue with that start.

Wow, that's a pretty passionate response. Your deep rooted feelings towards the bloke ooze off the page. Fair play to you, I've been there with players before. Consider me officially worried then. The only solace I will take though, is that a couple of times you've mentioned attitude, cowardice, application etc. And u don't doubt there's some talent there right? He can play a bit. So, IF, our manager could wave a magic wand and change the attitude and heart, that's a decent player at a bargain price right?! Yes, that's probably just me, your cliche football fan, trying to think the best all the time. (It's the hope that kills you) But it does happen on occasion, a player just not being right at a club, but thriving at another. Here's hoping. Tell you what, would be a major feather in the cap for ToMo if he did somehow revive the lads career.

Do you think your negative view of him has been exaggerated because of the high wages?! Just you wrote an essay breaking down the attributes of the player, and mention the 70k twice. Which, to be frank, is totally irrelevant to his skill set or performance levels. Not knocking you, it's human nature, and we've done exactly the same as fans. When the disaster of Murphy and Etuhu were disgracing our midfield, it was doubly galling as we'd spanked most of our summer budget on them, and they were 2 of the highest paid at the club. So when Danny sauntered around the centre circle for 90 mins, it made our opinion of him twice as scathing. (Christ I still loathe that man.) So hypothetically, judging a 70k a week player in the Premier League, might be different from say, a player on 15k a week in a mid table or bottom half Championship club. P.S. I know I'm maybe interpreting wrong, but "4 years of HIM not winning a game". C'mon, there's 10 other players on the pitch each week, and you were going through a horrendous spell of results (i.e. double drop). Surely you can't be laying the blame for all of that at his door.

Yeah, I take past teams fans opinions with a huge pinch of salt. Aberdeen fans flooded this board to tell us we'd just bagged the best Scottish striker since Kenny Dalglish. (Goodwillie). And Cardiff fans told us Gestede couldn't hit a barn door. Look how those two turned out.

Hasn't he just taken the closest and easiest option due to him living in the North West? Burnley is basically just the next nearest club geographically that would have him. Don't blame him for it, he's in twilight of his career so why not. But don't see it as some bold move myself. More like a no brainer comfort option.

No I'm not upset with what Modric said, I just have no respect for WHEN he said it. Do you struggle reading? Lol

Modric mouthing off after they'd won a match - why not grow a pair and say something the days before - their manager popping off for no reason, and Lovren self proclaiming himself the best defender in the World. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. Cracking result, congrats to France.

Who said I was upset? What a strange comment.

Particularly when he spent so much time in this country. And their manager waffling on about how we play long ball. Yeah, there was about 8 mins left and we were behind, what does he expect, plank.

Will it?! After Modric and their manager gobbing off about us - showing all the class of Paul Cook after a victory - I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it.

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.