Iāve a sneaking fancy the Dutch will do well. Not win it, maybe the semis again though.
1 Like
Dutch results have been brilliant the last few years.
They have in fairness. I wouldnāt trust them though
Iām thinking that with no build up/run in into the tournament a team that has good recent form has a distinct advantage, no time to work on new formations etc
Iām going with Dutch and Argies (long unbeaten run, Messi swansong, El Diego looking down on his boys etc )*
- I will change my mind tomorrow
1 Like
What aertel said above.
Looks Senegal defo have a stronger squad (I think)
Ecuador have as many lads knocking around the top leagues. They wouldnāt have any superstars really.
Caicedo will move to a top club soon. He is unbelievably good.
1 Like
So are Ecuador going to be TFKās dark horse?
Turkey were for the Euros. They were useless then 
.
Chile I think were the footix dark horse at last World Cup and flopped
Maybe Switzerland this time?
2 Likes
Im backing mexico mate. Iām staking my reputation on them getting to a semi final at least
The gut feeling I have about this tournament is that the ultimate winners, whoever they are, will look unimpressive in the group in a similar manner to Italy in 1982, before stumbling their way into a formation and form. The group will be about surviving. and then come the last 16, finding one performance where things click into gear or build a self belief to propel a team forward. A performance where things change for a team. Examples of this in previous World Cups are Italy against Argentina in 1982, Italy against Nigeria in 1994, France against Paraguay in 1998, Italy against Australia in 2006 and France against Spain in 2006. That would be my hope for England, that they stumble on something more gung ho than expected through necessity, most likely involving Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham, and it works unexpectedly. It happened in 1986 and 1990.
Serbia are my dark horses but they have a hewar of a group. I wonder could Brazil exit in the first round. I think the last time that happened was 1966 when it was a 16 team tournament. Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Spain, Portugal and England have all failed to advance from the group stage of a 32 team World Cup. But never Brazil. Serbia and Switzerland have been at the European coalface for the last four years. The Swiss are a proper team. The Serbs are mercurial mavericks. Itās a combination that could take Brazil out. South American teams have barely played European opposition since the last World Cup. Argentina should have enough to qualify from their group but that Brazil/Switzerland/Serbia/Cameroon group is a doozy and y a distance the most interesting in the tournament.
Mitrovic is a player Iāve always fancied, a chaos agent. I think he could have a great World Cup.
Messi to be top scorer. Heāll score four or five against Saudi Arabia and nick one or two other goals.
2 Likes
Iāve a feeling with the short build up the quality of games will be poor with most teams focused on not getting beat. Slow, tactical and tense games will be the story of the tournament. I expect messi to lead Argentina to glory.
Itāll be that and games interrupted by smelly hippy types chaining themselves to goalposts in demonstration.
How are they getting to Qatar?
Donāt necessarily need to be Europeans. Iāve a feeling thereāll be a few pitch invasions that way.
Smelly hippy Qatari eco-warriors? Niche outfit Iād imagine
1 Like
Something like 80% of the grounds are in a 40 mile radius. If the drink was flowing Iād say thereād be all kinds of trouble
Not a hope
If Sean Quinnās gamble had paid off this World Cup could have been held in Fermanagh and Cavan, perhaps encompassing Tyrone, Leitrim and Monaghan at a push.
The opening game and final of Quinntar 2022 would have been played at the 85,000 capacity Quinn Direct Iconic Arena in Enniskillen.
Semis at the 65,000 capacity Kingspan Grenfell Breffni Park and the world famous Ulster Bombonera aka St Tiernachās Park, now boasting an all seated capacity of 72,000 (though this World Cup semi-final would still clash with a Derry-Donegal Ulster semi-final).
Quarter-finals at
i) Pairc Sean, boasting a capacity exactly twice the size of the population of Leitrim,
ii) Healy Park (55k), with free pub grub for everybody back at Sallyās
iii) The 58,000 capacity Ballyconnell Bowl
iv) The Kevin Lunney Memorial Stadium, Derrylin (52k)
Infrastructure would have been prioritised. New high speed rail links between the central hub of Cavan and Clones, Carrick On Shannon and Enniskillen/Omagh. A monorail around Tyrone. A second set of traffic lights for Leitrim. Further widening of the Shannon-Erne canal. Development of a major new international airport at Tempo. The Ballygawley roundabout upgraded to become Ulsterās answer to Spaghetti Junction.
The opening ceremony would have featured an all-star cast. A duet between Philomena Begley and a hologram of Big Tom. Sean Quigley taking penalties, wrestling a bull and drinking ten pints in one minute. Neven Maguire cooking up a feast from the bull Sean Quigley had killed. Paul Williams doing a monologue about how FIFA were bringing peace to the border region. A hologram of Niall Toibin doing a Cyaaahvan accent.
The Three Tenors live at Marble Arch Caves on the eve of the final.
FIFA Fan Fleadhs at Fermanagh Street in Clones, Cavan Courthouse, the Slieve Russell in Ballyconnell, the Landmark Hotel in Carrick On Shannon, and the beer garden of Sallyās in Omagh.
The World Cup to end all World Cups.
9 Likes
Sweet Jesus 
Callum Wilson is IN the England squad
A smashing player