England v Argentina | World Cup Semi Final | 15 July 2026

Think the main decisions will come down to the right side behind Kane (Madueke, Saka or Rogers), right back, and whether or not the extra days recovery have helped Rice get over his bug.

HastingsRed said:

jose said:

Argentina is fascinating for the Chacarera, the Tango, the Zamba and the Malambo.
It is also famous for Fray Bentos pies in tins.
And Welsh being the first, second or third language in Patagonia.
Sadly for me I would never visit Argentina because of the food, and I couldn’t afford it anyway.

Very true....sorry to be a bit of a wanker but Fray Bentos is in Uruguay.

Can’t hear the words Fray Bentos without thinking about this wally 😂:

Ref no longer a problem

I despise them. Nazi harbouring scum. 

DamoNorthStand said:

Think the main decisions will come down to the right side behind Kane (Madueke, Saka or Rogers), right back, and whether or not the extra days recovery have helped Rice get over his bug.

If Rice isn’t right then I would start Mainoo. I also like the idea of Rogers playing instead of Madueke.

Would be an extremely big call to stick him in when he's had 0 minutes all tournament.

MuttleyCAFC said:

Watched the Switzerland v Argentina game and it was clear Switzerland were going to score when they did and Argentina couldn't live with them. Had not Embolo had a rush of blood to the head they would surely have beaten them. The Swiss showed us the way but you need to add disclpline.

The Swiss always seem to get a fair bit of stick (there boring etc etc)....but they played really well and as you say would probably have won if it wasn't for the sending off.

carly burn said:

The omission of Saka is key for me. We really haven't seen the very best of him yet. 
There was some indication on Saturday night that he's about to enter the party. 
Here's hoping

Madueke tried plenty in his appearances but little came off, not all his (un)doing.
Saka tried a couple of things in his latest 2nd half appearance, one almost came off, but he chickened out and turned inside at the first sign of a defender, ignoring how often Madueke had gone by them.  Defensively he repeatedly wandered off his Norway oppo, we were rudely exposed down our right until Djed Spence came on to do his legwork for him.
All of which shifts attention to Morgan Rogers.  Start him with instructions to emulate on the right the terror that Anthony Gordon serves up on the left and the shabby Argie defense will be torn several new holes.

An advantage we have is this game is about getting to the final. All the history is ancient. We don't carry the baggage and it doesn't matter who we are playing.  It is just another game to win.

From a footballing perspective, they’ve always been a scummy side with brilliant individuals.  Maradona, Batistuta, Simeone, Aguero, Messi, some fantastic players.  As others have alluded to, they’re the ultimate shithousery tossers.  

 Saint Harry 😇 of Leytonstone and now King 👑 Harry of Munich is partial to a roll over when in contact with opposition players. When H does it, I always believe he has been fouled despite what Garry Neville said or what the camera appears to show.

This is football panto land and we need goodies and baddies; Harry and Jude are the heros and the Argies are Captain Hook,  Wicked queen, King Rat, and the Sheriff of Nottingham/Buenos Aires all rolled into one.

It's a sporting or unsporting contest and we need to come out on top as we are Saints and they are Sinners.
Oh no their not, oh yes they are.

Neil_Heaney said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

Completely and utterly disagree.

I can hear Jimmy Hill now, saying it's just not cricket & what a terrible way to win. And most would agree. 

Genuinely think it's odd that someone can be born and raised in a country and so completely not understand it's character or mentality. 

DamoNorthStand said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

I agree with 99.9pc of what you post, but that is miles off.

1 - It wouldnt have happened in the first place - it just not how young players are raised here.
2 - Especially nowadays, they would end up getting frozen out for the rest of their career.

I think we're a nation who love a sly bit of cheating, just not in the way that the South Americans or Europeans do. We don't like diving but we love when a player goes too hard or too late into a tackle. It's why we loved Dobbo and Man Utd fans loved Roy Keane. We all want Miles Leaburn to start "using his body" aka fouling his opponent in a way the ref doesn't see. A cynical foul to stop a counter attack will get praised and most of the crowd telling the ref he's an idiot and nothing happened. Admittedly, we seem to like cheating when it makes you look hard but this idea that we're holier than thou is nonsense. 

Of course it wouldn't happen in the modern day Damo, it would be ruled out by VAR and an incredibly dumb thing to do. I don't think the modern day Argentinian's would do it either. 

I'm not saying I like cheating or like that Maradonna did it and got away with it. I just think that there are people of all nationalities and who play all sports that like to push the line in the hope of victory

Very good point this. We battered Maradona all over the park at The Azteca (rightly so) – elbows, two-footers, the lot. His response was a slight of hand to steal a goal and take revenge for his treatment and the way us Brits have meddled in his country and most others in the world over history.

Hacking players down and handball are both forms of foul play. I 'prefer' our foul play because it's how we're raised and what we're used to, but it goes both ways.

I cannot stand this Argentina side (apart from the manager who's an absolute gent) and hope we batter them, but as commented above it's a great country full of brilliant people. 

I don't think it is a good comment, because he was specifically talking about the HoG. He said we'd be happy if Gazza or someone did that. And I don't think that is true at all. In fact it's nonsense. 

And I don't think as a nation we love dirty or cynical fouls. It's why the 1970s Leeds team was widely disliked and isn't respected despite it's achievements. Even now, people call them Dirty Leeds. Wimbledon were also widely disliked, despite their fairytale rise from non-league. Wimbledon like is an insult, not praise. 

As for meddling in the affairs of Argentina, you really do need to buy a history book and a map. It is Argentina, a country formed by the ancestors of people that stole the land from the native people, that meddled with the Falklands as part of their pathetic military posturing. We should feel sorry for the poor working class lads of Argentina who were forced to fight for an island that had and has nothing to do with Argentina. And never has. 

I suggest that their current day players also read a history book and then campaign for justice for the veterans of that war, rather than sing songs about it. They've been completely brainwashed by their government. 

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

Neil_Heaney said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

Completely and utterly disagree.

I can hear Jimmy Hill now, saying it's just not cricket & what a terrible way to win. And most would agree. 

Genuinely think it's odd that someone can be born and raised in a country and so completely not understand it's character or mentality. 

DamoNorthStand said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

I agree with 99.9pc of what you post, but that is miles off.

1 - It wouldnt have happened in the first place - it just not how young players are raised here.
2 - Especially nowadays, they would end up getting frozen out for the rest of their career.

I think we're a nation who love a sly bit of cheating, just not in the way that the South Americans or Europeans do. We don't like diving but we love when a player goes too hard or too late into a tackle. It's why we loved Dobbo and Man Utd fans loved Roy Keane. We all want Miles Leaburn to start "using his body" aka fouling his opponent in a way the ref doesn't see. A cynical foul to stop a counter attack will get praised and most of the crowd telling the ref he's an idiot and nothing happened. Admittedly, we seem to like cheating when it makes you look hard but this idea that we're holier than thou is nonsense. 

Of course it wouldn't happen in the modern day Damo, it would be ruled out by VAR and an incredibly dumb thing to do. I don't think the modern day Argentinian's would do it either. 

I'm not saying I like cheating or like that Maradonna did it and got away with it. I just think that there are people of all nationalities and who play all sports that like to push the line in the hope of victory

Very good point this. We battered Maradona all over the park at The Azteca (rightly so) – elbows, two-footers, the lot. His response was a slight of hand to steal a goal and take revenge for his treatment and the way us Brits have meddled in his country and most others in the world over history.

Hacking players down and handball are both forms of foul play. I 'prefer' our foul play because it's how we're raised and what we're used to, but it goes both ways.

I cannot stand this Argentina side (apart from the manager who's an absolute gent) and hope we batter them, but as commented above it's a great country full of brilliant people. 

I don't think it is a good comment, because he was specifically talking about the HoG. He said we'd be happy if Gazza or someone did that. And I don't think that is true at all. In fact it's nonsense. 

And I don't think as a nation we love dirty or cynical fouls. It's why the 1970s Leeds team was widely disliked and isn't respected despite it's achievements. Even now, people call them Dirty Leeds. Wimbledon were also widely disliked, despite their fairytale rise from non-league. Wimbledon like is an insult, not praise. 

As for meddling in the affairs of Argentina, you really do need to buy a history book and a map. It is Argentina, a country formed by the ancestors of people that stole the land from the native people, that meddled with the Falklands as part of their pathetic military posturing. We should feel sorry for the poor working class lads of Argentina who were forced to fight for an island that had and has nothing to do with Argentina. And never has. 

I suggest that their current day players also read a history book and then campaign for justice for the veterans of that war, rather than sing songs about it. They've been completely brainwashed by their government. 

Just an addition to my nonsense. I think you’re right that we don’t like dirty teams but I still think we like to have a few dirty individuals in our teams

Still don't agree.

I don't think Dennis Wise or Robbie Savage are particularly revered at any of their former clubs. 

I think the Brits like hard but fair players much more. 

Roy Keane was never dirty. He committed that savage foul. But wasn't a dirty player. So is probably the closest player to what you are alluding to. But he wasn't dirty in a snide way. 

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

Neil_Heaney said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

Completely and utterly disagree.

I can hear Jimmy Hill now, saying it's just not cricket & what a terrible way to win. And most would agree. 

Genuinely think it's odd that someone can be born and raised in a country and so completely not understand it's character or mentality. 

DamoNorthStand said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

I agree with 99.9pc of what you post, but that is miles off.

1 - It wouldnt have happened in the first place - it just not how young players are raised here.
2 - Especially nowadays, they would end up getting frozen out for the rest of their career.

I think we're a nation who love a sly bit of cheating, just not in the way that the South Americans or Europeans do. We don't like diving but we love when a player goes too hard or too late into a tackle. It's why we loved Dobbo and Man Utd fans loved Roy Keane. We all want Miles Leaburn to start "using his body" aka fouling his opponent in a way the ref doesn't see. A cynical foul to stop a counter attack will get praised and most of the crowd telling the ref he's an idiot and nothing happened. Admittedly, we seem to like cheating when it makes you look hard but this idea that we're holier than thou is nonsense. 

Of course it wouldn't happen in the modern day Damo, it would be ruled out by VAR and an incredibly dumb thing to do. I don't think the modern day Argentinian's would do it either. 

I'm not saying I like cheating or like that Maradonna did it and got away with it. I just think that there are people of all nationalities and who play all sports that like to push the line in the hope of victory

Very good point this. We battered Maradona all over the park at The Azteca (rightly so) – elbows, two-footers, the lot. His response was a slight of hand to steal a goal and take revenge for his treatment and the way us Brits have meddled in his country and most others in the world over history.

Hacking players down and handball are both forms of foul play. I 'prefer' our foul play because it's how we're raised and what we're used to, but it goes both ways.

I cannot stand this Argentina side (apart from the manager who's an absolute gent) and hope we batter them, but as commented above it's a great country full of brilliant people. 

I don't think it is a good comment, because he was specifically talking about the HoG. He said we'd be happy if Gazza or someone did that. And I don't think that is true at all. In fact it's nonsense. 

And I don't think as a nation we love dirty or cynical fouls. It's why the 1970s Leeds team was widely disliked and isn't respected despite it's achievements. Even now, people call them Dirty Leeds. Wimbledon were also widely disliked, despite their fairytale rise from non-league. Wimbledon like is an insult, not praise. 

As for meddling in the affairs of Argentina, you really do need to buy a history book and a map. It is Argentina, a country formed by the ancestors of people that stole the land from the native people, that meddled with the Falklands as part of their pathetic military posturing. We should feel sorry for the poor working class lads of Argentina who were forced to fight for an island that had and has nothing to do with Argentina. And never has. 

I suggest that their current day players also read a history book and then campaign for justice for the veterans of that war, rather than sing songs about it. They've been completely brainwashed by their government. 

Just an addition to my nonsense. I think you’re right that we don’t like dirty teams but I still think we like to have a few dirty individuals in our teams

Still don't agree.

I don't think Dennis Wise or Robbie Savage are particularly revered at any of their former clubs. 

I think the Brits like hard but fair players much more. 

Roy Keane was never dirty. He committed that savage foul. But wasn't a dirty player. So is probably the closest player to what you are alluding to. But he wasn't dirty in a snide way. 

I guess this just depends on where you draw the line of fair. A crunching tackle by a "reducer" might get classed as "hard but fair" by some and a foul and a yellow card by others. I supsect we just view these things from a different place. I love a hard tackle that's probably just over the line but I'm aware it's a dirty tactic and one we use. We sing about Lloyd Jones breaking ankles, of course he doesn't actually do it but we're revering him for his aggression. Plenty of opposition fans called us a dirty team. Plenty of Luton fans love NJ, Allan Campbell (yes really) and Danny Hylton because their football crossed that line. 

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

Neil_Heaney said:

fenaddick said:

ValleyLocal said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

Completely and utterly disagree.

I can hear Jimmy Hill now, saying it's just not cricket & what a terrible way to win. And most would agree. 

Genuinely think it's odd that someone can be born and raised in a country and so completely not understand it's character or mentality. 

DamoNorthStand said:

fenaddick said:

AllHailTheHen said:

The Maradona hand ball being the single greatest act of cheating at a world cup and somehow being accepted by the Argies as the hand of God is something i'll never be able to get past. Add to that Batistuta's nodding at Beck's red card and the general shit housing that their team is allowed to get away with. I hope we crush them.

I still maintain if that had been done by an English player like Gazza he'd be praised for being cheeky and it would be an iconic thing in this country

I agree with 99.9pc of what you post, but that is miles off.

1 - It wouldnt have happened in the first place - it just not how young players are raised here.
2 - Especially nowadays, they would end up getting frozen out for the rest of their career.

I think we're a nation who love a sly bit of cheating, just not in the way that the South Americans or Europeans do. We don't like diving but we love when a player goes too hard or too late into a tackle. It's why we loved Dobbo and Man Utd fans loved Roy Keane. We all want Miles Leaburn to start "using his body" aka fouling his opponent in a way the ref doesn't see. A cynical foul to stop a counter attack will get praised and most of the crowd telling the ref he's an idiot and nothing happened. Admittedly, we seem to like cheating when it makes you look hard but this idea that we're holier than thou is nonsense. 

Of course it wouldn't happen in the modern day Damo, it would be ruled out by VAR and an incredibly dumb thing to do. I don't think the modern day Argentinian's would do it either. 

I'm not saying I like cheating or like that Maradonna did it and got away with it. I just think that there are people of all nationalities and who play all sports that like to push the line in the hope of victory

Very good point this. We battered Maradona all over the park at The Azteca (rightly so) – elbows, two-footers, the lot. His response was a slight of hand to steal a goal and take revenge for his treatment and the way us Brits have meddled in his country and most others in the world over history.

Hacking players down and handball are both forms of foul play. I 'prefer' our foul play because it's how we're raised and what we're used to, but it goes both ways.

I cannot stand this Argentina side (apart from the manager who's an absolute gent) and hope we batter them, but as commented above it's a great country full of brilliant people. 

I don't think it is a good comment, because he was specifically talking about the HoG. He said we'd be happy if Gazza or someone did that. And I don't think that is true at all. In fact it's nonsense. 

And I don't think as a nation we love dirty or cynical fouls. It's why the 1970s Leeds team was widely disliked and isn't respected despite it's achievements. Even now, people call them Dirty Leeds. Wimbledon were also widely disliked, despite their fairytale rise from non-league. Wimbledon like is an insult, not praise. 

As for meddling in the affairs of Argentina, you really do need to buy a history book and a map. It is Argentina, a country formed by the ancestors of people that stole the land from the native people, that meddled with the Falklands as part of their pathetic military posturing. We should feel sorry for the poor working class lads of Argentina who were forced to fight for an island that had and has nothing to do with Argentina. And never has. 

I suggest that their current day players also read a history book and then campaign for justice for the veterans of that war, rather than sing songs about it. They've been completely brainwashed by their government. 

Just an addition to my nonsense. I think you’re right that we don’t like dirty teams but I still think we like to have a few dirty individuals in our teams

Still don't agree.

I don't think Dennis Wise or Robbie Savage are particularly revered at any of their former clubs. 

I think the Brits like hard but fair players much more. 

Roy Keane was never dirty. He committed that savage foul. But wasn't a dirty player. So is probably the closest player to what you are alluding to. But he wasn't dirty in a snide way. 

This is brilliant!