Shep sounds like one tough dad. I wouldn't be coming home late, or researching the family tree to discover any forgotten Scottish branches ..........
I agree one or two games is a very short time in which to judge a team's potential. Uruguay have been dire but they probably have the best centre backs in the competition, up front Cavani and Suarez (who hasn't looked the part at all) COULD give anyone a run for their money and Muslera is catching crosses like low-hanging fruit ....... But will they even come out and try to do more than scrape another 1-0 against Russia? I'm convinced at least half Russia's team will struggle to achieve a B- against decent opposition. Akinfeyev is yet to make either one of his brilliant saves, or one of his disastrous errors, their centre backs shouldn't be able to hold a functioning Uruguay and their centre forward doesn't seem to have any weapons to trouble Gimenez and Godin ......... but who knows with the crowd and the nation behind them, or a Gulag calling and both teams qualified, how they BOTH will react?
And as for England, if we beat Panama and Belgium do for Tunisia who would you choose amongst Colombia, Japan, Senegal and Poland? Are the Poland who played Senegal the only Poland and what if Colombia keep 11 men on the field and play their game? Might the physical strength of Senegal trouble us or would we be better off playing the Japanese who looked like players once they realised they could win? It's nice if Michael Owen thinks we might win it, but the two steps following Panama would cause me sleepless nights if I were Gareth Southgate. If we DO beat Panama, do we play to beat Belgium and will they play to beat us and in the last 16 there's no one I'd fancy playing. Bizarrely in the Quarters Brazil and Germany look fearsome-ish but any other option would definitely do.
I agree one or two games is a very short time in which to judge a team's potential. Uruguay have been dire but they probably have the best centre backs in the competition, up front Cavani and Suarez (who hasn't looked the part at all) COULD give anyone a run for their money and Muslera is catching crosses like low-hanging fruit ....... But will they even come out and try to do more than scrape another 1-0 against Russia? I'm convinced at least half Russia's team will struggle to achieve a B- against decent opposition. Akinfeyev is yet to make either one of his brilliant saves, or one of his disastrous errors, their centre backs shouldn't be able to hold a functioning Uruguay and their centre forward doesn't seem to have any weapons to trouble Gimenez and Godin ......... but who knows with the crowd and the nation behind them, or a Gulag calling and both teams qualified, how they BOTH will react?
And as for England, if we beat Panama and Belgium do for Tunisia who would you choose amongst Colombia, Japan, Senegal and Poland? Are the Poland who played Senegal the only Poland and what if Colombia keep 11 men on the field and play their game? Might the physical strength of Senegal trouble us or would we be better off playing the Japanese who looked like players once they realised they could win? It's nice if Michael Owen thinks we might win it, but the two steps following Panama would cause me sleepless nights if I were Gareth Southgate. If we DO beat Panama, do we play to beat Belgium and will they play to beat us and in the last 16 there's no one I'd fancy playing. Bizarrely in the Quarters Brazil and Germany look fearsome-ish but any other option would definitely do.