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2022 World Cup... gonna ruin the European Season

Do you ever get to London for games ?
If yes I alongside a few on here would love to have an afternoon drinking with you just to listen to all your stories, they are awesome

I would love that. And hear your stories about supporting Spurs. Spot of golf wouldn't go amiss there, Tiger.

Bucket list trip for me is visiting MegaLane. My son's already been there. Grew up in Bangor, NI, and have family up and down England and Scotland. Wife and I are planning to retire soon, so trips to UK and France, maybe another to Spain, are among our plans.
 
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Wow pitch side, what as?

Photographer.

Me. Halftime at the final game of the '86 World Cup in the Azteca.

Z6CrAfP.jpg


Still at it. NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, tennis, golf, motorsports.

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Great World Cup to cover. Maradona dominated everyone's thoughts. Danish fans were a blast, Argies were intimidating. English writers were simply obnoxious. Shared a bus seat with Brian Glanville. Didn't make that mistake again. Now a famous golf photographer, David Cannon was England's ambassadorial redemption. Fun guy.

Canadian training camp was so laid back - maybe eight journos in total, including me, a photog, and we all knew one another. Sit around a big table with the charming Englishman coaching the team, Tony Waiters, and have a casual, chummy breakfast - pass the jam, would you Morris? - while discussing what was in store for the days ahead. Everyone relaxed and happy to be there.

Italian training camp was the exact opposite - simply insane with scores of frantic, rabid journalists shouting, gesturing, pushing for position, TV camera tripods wielded to open space or bully others away. Strolled through Irapuato one morning to discover that the Soviet Union players all washed their own kits which were hanging over the railings of their hotel room balconies.

Mexico City is simply incredible. Huge, sprawling, dynamic place. Great history, culture and architecture. Smog you could cut with a canoe paddle.

Made three separate trips to Mexico - WC draw, Canada friendlies, WC - so, really got to know the place. Never once visited the coastal areas where all the tourist traps were. The people I met were all just genuine, decent souls who were delighted to meet una Canadiense. Since I had been at the '82 World Cup in Spain, I decided to learn some rudimentary Spanish at night school before Mexico '86. Made a huge difference - buying food, arguing cab fares, laughing at dubbed Conan The Barbarian in a theatre, getting directions or help from people. Came in handy when I covered the Canadian team tour to Peru and Brazil in 1987. Pretty much forgot most of it now, just out of non-use.
 
Great World Cup to cover. Maradona dominated everyone's thoughts. Danish fans were a blast, Argies were intimidating. English writers were simply obnoxious. Shared a bus seat with Brian Glanville. Didn't make that mistake again. Now a famous golf photographer, David Cannon was England's ambassadorial redemption. Fun guy.

Canadian training camp was so laid back - maybe eight journos in total, including me, a photog, and we all knew one another. Sit around a big table with the charming Englishman coaching the team, Tony Waiters, and have a casual, chummy breakfast - pass the jam, would you Morris? - while discussing what was in store for the days ahead. Everyone relaxed and happy to be there.

Italian training camp was the exact opposite - simply insane with scores of frantic, rabid journalists shouting, gesturing, pushing for position, TV camera tripods wielded to open space or bully others away. Strolled through Irapuato one morning to discover that the Soviet Union players all washed their own kits which were hanging over the railings of their hotel room balconies.

Mexico City is simply incredible. Huge, sprawling, dynamic place. Great history, culture and architecture. Smog you could cut with a canoe paddle.

Made three separate trips to Mexico - WC draw, Canada friendlies, WC - so, really got to know the place. Never once visited the coastal areas where all the tourist traps were. The people I met were all just genuine, decent souls who were delighted to meet una Canadiense. Since I had been at the '82 World Cup in Spain, I decided to learn some rudimentary Spanish at night school before Mexico '86. Made a huge difference - buying food, arguing cab fares, laughing at dubbed Conan The Barbarian in a theatre, getting directions or help from people. Came in handy when I covered the Canadian team tour to Peru and Brazil in 1987. Pretty much forgot most of it now, just out of non-use.

Spent a good amount of time in both Mexico and Mexico City over the decades…I agree with all you say about the country. As for Mexico City, it remains my favourite city, edging out Buenos Aires. I continue to find Mexico and South America wonderful places to visit, albeit there are some horrendous situations in many countries. Great photo BTW…
 
Great World Cup to cover. Maradona dominated everyone's thoughts. Danish fans were a blast, Argies were intimidating. English writers were simply obnoxious. Shared a bus seat with Brian Glanville. Didn't make that mistake again. Now a famous golf photographer, David Cannon was England's ambassadorial redemption. Fun guy.

Canadian training camp was so laid back - maybe eight journos in total, including me, a photog, and we all knew one another. Sit around a big table with the charming Englishman coaching the team, Tony Waiters, and have a casual, chummy breakfast - pass the jam, would you Morris? - while discussing what was in store for the days ahead. Everyone relaxed and happy to be there.

Italian training camp was the exact opposite - simply insane with scores of frantic, rabid journalists shouting, gesturing, pushing for position, TV camera tripods wielded to open space or bully others away. Strolled through Irapuato one morning to discover that the Soviet Union players all washed their own kits which were hanging over the railings of their hotel room balconies.

Mexico City is simply incredible. Huge, sprawling, dynamic place. Great history, culture and architecture. Smog you could cut with a canoe paddle.

Made three separate trips to Mexico - WC draw, Canada friendlies, WC - so, really got to know the place. Never once visited the coastal areas where all the tourist traps were. The people I met were all just genuine, decent souls who were delighted to meet una Canadiense. Since I had been at the '82 World Cup in Spain, I decided to learn some rudimentary Spanish at night school before Mexico '86. Made a huge difference - buying food, arguing cab fares, laughing at dubbed Conan The Barbarian in a theatre, getting directions or help from people. Came in handy when I covered the Canadian team tour to Peru and Brazil in 1987. Pretty much forgot most of it now, just out of non-use.

Great post, working in the media is a great privilege and opens so many doors, shame about Brian Glanville as he was one of my favourite writers, I suppose it's why you should never meet your heros.
 
Great post, working in the media is a great privilege and opens so many doors, shame about Brian Glanville as he was one of my favourite writers, I suppose it's why you should never meet your heros.

Yeah, I quite liked Glanville's written work. Subscribed to World Soccer magazine for many years and always looked for his column. We were sat on the bus with a London writer who was a West Ham fan and a Canadian scribe who supported Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Glanville just droned away about his perceived flaws with our clubs. Found out years later he was an Arsenal supporter.

I'm still griping today about Arsenal supporters in the media - well, not Ian Wright.
 
Great post, working in the media is a great privilege and opens so many doors, shame about Brian Glanville as he was one of my favourite writers, I suppose it's why you should never meet your heros.

Kevin McCarra at The Guardian was brilliant and a lovely bloke. His passing was very, very sad indeed.
 
A mate of mine in events is out in Qatar as he set up a stage for a show, he said its just one big building site currently. Same happens to all these events but likely to be a last push of 100,000s of workers taken over to express finish
 
I hope it’s a total disaster in every aspect and I resent FIFA for that because I absolutely love tournament football!

Yeh your heart sinks really

We had a WC in Russia which looks more laughable by the day and despite the warnings for human right groups people laughed it off and all we got was loads of "ohhhh I have loved my time in Russia" from journos

People just swallow the same old "Well if we don't go and report on it people won't know about how bad it is" like anyone really goes to expose rather than gorge on free football and hospitality
 
I'd like to know (Can't be bothered to check myself) how many of our squad will be going and how likely some of them will be to go deep in the tournament? Some PL clubs might have a real advantage with players missing the world cup completely or getting knocked out early and having a massive rest compared to others
 
I'd like to know (Can't be bothered to check myself) how many of our squad will be going and how likely some of them will be to go deep in the tournament? Some PL clubs might have a real advantage with players missing the world cup completely or getting knocked out early and having a massive rest compared to others

Something like this:

Argentina – Romero

Brazil – Richarlison

Croatia – Perisic

Denmark – Højbjerg

England – Dier, Kane

France – Lloris

Senegal – Pape Matar Sarr

South Korea – Heung-Min Son

Uruguay – Bentancur

Wales – Davies


As you say, the big question is how far each player will go in the tournament.

Quarterfinals is on 9-10 December, so the players out at that point will get at least 16 days rest before the game at Boxing Day.
 
Hmm 10 or so players, A handful might come back after the 3 group games. Maybe 3-4 max might get to the later stages I would assume.

I guess no one will know the full impact of this circus winter World Cup until well after we come back and resume games. I wonder what the clubs will do with all the players that don't go? Will there be some winter pre-season and training camps abroad with random friendlies or do you think they will just rest them all and keep them wrapped in cotton wool?
 
Something like this:

Argentina – Romero

Brazil – Richarlison

Croatia – Perisic

Denmark – Højbjerg

England – Dier, Kane

France – Lloris

Senegal – Pape Matar Sarr

South Korea – Heung-Min Son

Uruguay – Bentancur

Wales – Davies


As you say, the big question is how far each player will go in the tournament.

Quarterfinals is on 9-10 December, so the players out at that point will get at least 16 days rest before the game at Boxing Day.
So our worst case scenario team, if the WC players are crocked or knackered:
Forster
Tanganga...Sanchez...Lenglet
Emerson/Doherty/Spence...Skipp...Bissouma...Sessegnon
Kulusevski...Moura...Gil​
 
So our worst case scenario team, if the WC players are crocked or knackered:
Forster
Tanganga...Sanchez...Lenglet
Emerson/Doherty/Spence...Skipp...Bissouma...Sessegnon
Kulusevski...Moura...Gil​

What you're saying is that things will be fine
 
I guess no one will know the full impact of this circus winter World Cup until well after we come back and resume games. I wonder what the clubs will do with all the players that don't go? Will there be some winter pre-season and training camps abroad with random friendlies or do you think they will just rest them all and keep them wrapped in cotton wool?

Sure Conte said he will give the players 2 weeks off then go somewhere warm for a training camp
 
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