The Syndicate

If I’d known I’d do so well I would have made some more sensible predictions tbh

This world cup was exciting, entertaining and memorable for all of the right reasons. It's one I will remember fondly.

Great game. Was thankful for pogba and mbappe, before that the result was feeling very unlucky. Croatia mostly had the better of that game, but if you subtract the own goal, the 50/50 handball and the mistake Lloris only made because they were three up, France still win 2-1, so ultimately everything felt as it should be.

And yay I picked the golden glove!

Belgium 3 England 0

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:30 am People had pagers before color TV?

Yeah that struck me as pretty weird.

Tottenham Hotspur last won in 1960-61.

According to Wikipedia "One of the first practical paging services was launched in 1950 for physicians in the New York City area. Physicians paid $12 per month for the service and carried a 200-gram (7 oz) pager that would receive phone messages within 40 kilometres (25 mi) of a single transmitter tower."

Also "It was not until the mid-1960s that color sets started selling in large numbers, due in part to the color transition of 1965 in which it was announced that over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color that autumn."

So.... yes! Except it's false to say Colour TV didn't exist; it just wasn't mainstream.

Tottenham is the perfect club for a Red Sox fan tbh.

Belgium was my Croatia. I’d love Croatia to win but I can’t hate on the French side, they have looked wonderful the whole way.

Whoever comes third, it’s a first for that team. Croatia will also make history either way. France have finished in both positions. Both Belgium and England have finished fourth.

If Croatia wins, they will leapfrog Spain in the overall World Cup results table. If England also came fourth, they’d also pass England due to their third place finish in 1998. They are also only the 13th country to make a World Cup final, every World Cup finalist without a title is European (Sweden, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands)

Sloonei wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:51 pm

Golden wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:50 pm

Sloonei wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:49 pm I take it they’re the Chicago Cubs of soccer.

Nah, they’ve just had a bad run. More like the Celtics.

Hey they won 10 years ago!

Probably about when Arsenal last won too. Arsenal are always in the mix, they’ve had glory days in the past, but now they just never quite seem to be the best.

You’re two years late for Leicester City.

Europa league is my kind of thing. Remove all the big name big payroll clubs and see who’s the best of the rest.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:49 pm I take it they’re the Chicago Cubs of soccer.

Nah, they’ve just had a bad run. More like the Celtics.

dunya wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:41 pm "I don't want a team that always loses, I just want a team that don't usually win anything" - sloonei, july 11, 2018

He’s a Red Sox fan, ok? This mentality runs deep.

Yeah, 2022 is fine to watch. 2026 is going to suck such a bad decision.

If they were going to expand to 48, what they should do is have the highest 16 ranked qualifying teams go straight to a round of pool play, and have the other 32 play off to make pool play, or something like that.

2 Stupid Dogs wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:22 pm i think you're assessment is very harsh on England.

I just don't think there is any way they reach the final four if they hit France, Uruguay, Portugal, Brazil, Belgium, Croatia, Spain or even possibly Russia or Argentina on their way there. I don't think it's harsh it's just the reality of what I see when I was watching them. They did make final four and that should be celebrated, but I think they have so many of the right tools - I could see them winning Euro 2020. The World Cup just came along too early for them.

France 1 Croatia 0

Both of these teams are deserving. The final could be a playoff for golden glove.

I can say that.

England were awful. They had one good game, against Sweden, and one game where they blew out the worst team in the tournament. They lucked out a semifinal spot thanks to a lucky corner of the bracket and Colombia playing particularly poorly against them and butchering the shootout.

They were far worse than their finish suggested. And I say this as someone who is rooting for England to win again. If they keep the core of this team, in four years they may have a real chance. But for now... I was disappointed that their talent never seemed to live up to potential. Was that only one shot on target in that game? They should be so much better than that.

I’m hopeful that the result is enough for Southgate to keep his job for four years because I think he’s got the goods.

Croatia looked bad for the first half hour. But they are looking odds on right now.

England don’t look as awful as they did against Colombia. But they don’t look great either. They have all the athleticism and speed of France without the same ability to actually seem threatening.

dunya wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:44 am cool fact: JJJ is the only player in this who still has a chance to win the final prediction in Phase 1 by having chosen France! he is also likely the only one to win Golden Glove if Lloris keeps it up.

If Belgium beat France I was on track for first and third

There were some really bad calls in there.

But I don’t think they made a difference. Belgium threw a lot at that but France’s defence was so strong. Courtois needed to keep that corner out.

And there we have or World Cup winner I believe. As much as I was willing Belgium to win I have felt like France looked the best the whole way and they’ll be very deserving.

Lloris is playing extremely well. This has been a great game.

dunya wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:30 pm Nah against this Croatia, picking England is the logical choice actually.

Do you know how many times...

Against [xxxx], picking England is the logical choice.

This is never true. In any sport.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:15 pm I've been making what I feel are the rational, unemotional choices the whole time, and I'm essentially in last place.

There's nothing rational about picking England. That's the epitome of an irrational decision

dunya wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 5:34 pm

BuckarooBanzai wrote: ↑Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:44 pm Absolutely, but I can't help it!

That's my excuse too. The people with high scores aren't emotionally invested like me and you

That's definitely what it is! I could be beating DDL if I hadn't made a whole lot of upset predictions just because I wanted to will them into existence.

Belgium 3 France 2
Croatia 0 England 0, Croatia on penalties.

It doesn’t look like England will be in the finals to me, they’ve been easily the worst of the four teams I think. First game is a toss up but whoever wins it wins the final.

My goodness. I was so invested in that finish. Subasic better be ok to eliminate England.

Oh good, just keep them out Croatia.

If Russia advance due to an injured goalkeeper I’ll be so upset.

Hey I can actually win this thing I think

Apparently I started something

France 2 Uruguay 0 full time
Belgium 2 Brazil 2 - Belgium on penalties
Sweden 1 England 0 aet
Croatia 3 Russia 0

A disappointing end to a disappointing game. Congrats Sweden on making the semifinals.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:58 pm england more like lolgland amirite

Lolgland sounds disgusting tbh. Some new form of offal lol.

But boy, they really have been as average as they’ve looked, right?

It just got more interesting.

Realistically speaking this is probably like the nba where whoever comes out one side wins, but they have to get out of that side first.

England Colombia is boring and I no longer see England winning the whole thing. Croatia is the last viable winner on this side I think. Although to be fair England defender has looked good but have they really had to do anything?

Dragon D. Luffy wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:19 pm We have the best defense in the WC.

Maybe...

Belgium still has the best attack, so that one is going to be tested. I'm not going to overreact to them nearly losing to Japan. Underestimating the team no-one thinks can win is the thing that happens all the time. Spain lost to Switzerland in their opening game of 2010. Germany were taken to extra time by Algeria in 2014. Belgium probably took Japan too lightly. But coming back from that and winning anyway shows fortitude.

I'm not sure Brazil's defence has really been tested yet. They haven't come up against any team that has serious offensive capabilities. For now I still like Croatia's.

I think I'll probably select Brazil to win, but I think that game is going to be hard fought.

I can’t be sad for Japan. I don’t need countries that have never won and can’t win knocking out countries that have never won and can. This also applies to the Croatia Russia quarterfinal. I need Belgium and Croatia to hang around.

If Colombia could just take out England that would be good too.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 3:15 pm This all seems to be aligning for a Brazil cakewalk

I've always said the winner of Brazil Belgium wins the whole thing, but I'm thinking I may have underrated France. I wouldn't be surprised at a France/England final from here.

What was that Japan team? Man!

That was fantastic. Subasic already looked like a candidate for golden glove after pool play but he definitely does now.

I was all in on Croatia but I sort of want the Denmark penalties win after that save.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 3:37 pm I love these black Croatian uniforms.

Yeah they’re good stuff.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:51 pm Russia is a boring upset. I still just assume they're all doping. They're not a fun underdog to root for.

I agree, but hey I’m fine with them taking Spain out. They need to lose the next one.

Argentina deserved to lose, but boy they know how to put up a fight. That was great watching. France can definitely win this thing.

Looks like those that predicted Tunisia Panama 2-1 got two points instead of 3

dunya wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 5:07 am I would love this if Mexico beat Brazil.

I don’t see it. Mexico will always let you down.

But I’m rooting for a Croatia vs Belgium final

France 1 Argentina 0 full time
Portugal 3 Uruguay 2 full time

Spain 3 Russia 0 full time
Croatia 2 Denmark 0 full time

Brazil 2 Mexico 1 aet
Belgium 4 Japan 0 full time

Switzerland 1 Sweden 1 (Switzerland on penalties)
England 3 Colombia 2 aet

Oh, ok. Now those three point games just got a little less tough again.

Hoo boy, those three point games just got even tougher

Lucky I have my handy dandy sports almanac from the future here. It says Japan wins the cup, everyone!

dunya wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 5:57 pm I'm driving home so I'll update scores tonight or tomorrow early morning.

If you guys predict knock out stages remember that some.games can go to penalties so to get full score you'd have to predict score after extra time and who wins penalties.

So we should say whether the final score is full time or aet? And then if we predict a draw after aet, who wins on penalties?

What will the points be - eg for correctly predicting that a game goes to extra time, or that it goes to penalties?

Belgium vs England virtually unwatchable