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

ValleyLocal said:

Chizz said:

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! 

I associate 'dirty' with non football stuff... Pinching, spitting, grabbing, pulling, feigning injury, waving imaginary cards around, handballs etc.

Funny enough, the sort of nonsense the Argentinians rely on to win games. 

In that sense, Roy Keane wasn't dirty for me, whereas Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise were. 

However, perhaps the original poster is correct. Whilst I don't think us Brits would be very proud of a blatant handball, I do think I would enjoy someone two footing Messi to end his career and really break Argentinian hearts, with us 2-0 up and seeing out last few minutes with ten men. 

Chizz said:

ValleyLocal said:

Chizz said:

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! 

I associate 'dirty' with non football stuff... Pinching, spitting, grabbing, pulling, feigning injury, waving imaginary cards around, handballs etc.

Funny enough, the sort of nonsense the Argentinians rely on to win games. 

In that sense, Roy Keane wasn't dirty for me, whereas Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise were. 

However, perhaps the original poster is correct. Whilst I don't think us Brits would be very proud of a blatant handball, I do think I would enjoy someone two footing Messi to end his career and really break Argentinian hearts, with us 2-0 up and seeing out last few minutes with ten men. 

Hopefully you're in a very small minority holding that view

DamoNorthStand said:

Well this stunt by a Scottish pub has backfired somewhat - as both Scottish and English folk have reminded them of the significant number of Scottish servicemen who lost their lives for their country.

What a bunch of fucking idiots 

Chizz said:

ValleyLocal said:

Chizz said:

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! 

I associate 'dirty' with non football stuff... Pinching, spitting, grabbing, pulling, feigning injury, waving imaginary cards around, handballs etc.

Funny enough, the sort of nonsense the Argentinians rely on to win games. 

In that sense, Roy Keane wasn't dirty for me, whereas Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise were. 

However, perhaps the original poster is correct. Whilst I don't think us Brits would be very proud of a blatant handball, I do think I would enjoy someone two footing Messi to end his career and really break Argentinian hearts, with us 2-0 up and seeing out last few minutes with ten men. 

Hopefully you're in a very small minority holding that view

KBslittlesis said:

Curb_It said:

Guardy said:

KBslittlesis said:

I just feel for the Falklanders every World Cup, they must dread it.

I’ve been a nervous wreck before every England game, this will be no different 🫣

Thought you was Irish?

oh leave off. She’s as Irish as I am and I’m supporting England. We don’t live bitter lives we celebrate being dual nationals. We are blessed like that. 

Cheers B 😘
I always find it funny tbh.
My husband is Welsh, yet he wants England to win.
My Mum & Dad were Irish but they always got behind England because they had English kids/grandkids.
I really don’t understand why you’d even give a shit who I support? But there we are, it’s a funny old world.
Irish blood, English heart 💪🏻

It's always interesting seeing the contrast between people who were born and raised in England but have Irish family backgrounds.

My mum is from Cork, and she never supports any of the England teams. In fact, if they're playing in a major tournament, she'll usually want them to lose.

I'm the opposite. I was born and raised in England, so England are my team. Ireland have always been my second team though. I would always get bought Ireland shirts as a kid and have always been proud of my Irish heritage.

Then you have other people who were also born and raised in England but identify entirely as Irish and actively support whoever England are playing. The Gallagher brothers are probably the most famous example.

I remember Dermot O'Leary sharing an anecdote about growing up half-Irish that I could really relate to:

Whenever you'd go over to Ireland to visit family during the summer, your Irish cousins would take the piss out of you for being English. But the moment someone else accused you of being a plastic Paddy, those same cousins would back you all day long and insist you were Irish!

SELR_addicks said:

We win if we have our whole squad at 100%. 

If we have Rice for 45 mins, Saka for 30 and James for 30, we will have a very tough game. 

MuttleyCAFC said:

I understand having a laugh at the Scots. I have to admit I did but I wanted them to get through their group and do well.

Having watched all of their games and all of ours, we have too much for Argentina. What we can't legislate for is controversy, but it will be a brave ref who openly favours them given this has been found out and the Egypt ref has had the book thrown at him and his career ended. Embolo was totally stupid as the Swiss were totally outplaying them and were going through before he got himself sent off! 

What you have to say about Argentina is they have shown the ability to dig in and find a way, in the same way England has. Yes they have Messi, who is now 38, but still a great player. But we have better players overall, two genuine World class players and we are younger and fitter. We are playing in an air conditioned stadium too. I think we have every reason to be confident.                      

letthegoodtimesroll said:

MuttleyCAFC said:

I understand having a laugh at the Scots. I have to admit I did but I wanted them to get through their group and do well.

Having watched all of their games and all of ours, we have too much for Argentina. What we can't legislate for is controversy, but it will be a brave ref who openly favours them given this has been found out and the Egypt ref has had the book thrown at him and his career ended. Embolo was totally stupid as the Swiss were totally outplaying them and were going through before he got himself sent off! 

What you have to say about Argentina is they have shown the ability to dig in and find a way, in the same way England has. Yes they have Messi, who is now 38, but still a great player. But we have better players overall, two genuine World class players and we are younger and fitter. We are playing in an air conditioned stadium too. I think we have every reason to be confident.                      

Forget Messi, Argentina has one great player, Enzo Fernandez, that is holding it all together for them, filling the gaps, running the plays and popping up with a goal when it’s needed, same as he does for Chelsea. Take him out of the equation and they’d be a disorganised rabble.