Tag Archives: football

211 to 1: Reflections On The Road to Qatar 2022 – (II) The Road Broadens

Posted on Jul 8, 2020 by

Part One of this series, “The Beginning”, can be found here. The earliest games of World Cup qualifying concerned Asia only; now additional confederations begin their qualification processes. But the earliest games in Africa concern more than football, shining a … Continue reading →

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The FAI (16 Days To Election)

Posted on Jan 23, 2020 by

Today, lets talk about a political grenade of significantly less seriousness than rent or insurance, but one that is certainly close to many peoples hearts all the same. The Football Association of Ireland is a basket case of an organisation, … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2018: Rankings (4-1)

Posted on Jul 16, 2018 by

The tournament is done and dusted, and we have our final four. You can see my other rankings at these links – #32-17, 16-9, 8-5. 4. England (+22) Well, this was an improvement, huh? Even early on in the first … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2018: Final Predictions

Posted on Jul 12, 2018 by

Final rankings will come after the 3rd/4th Place Play-Off and the Final, but for the moment, just quick predictions after I was one for two on the semis (38/62 or 61%). It’s the game no-one wants to play, but 3rd … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2018: Rankings (8-5) And Semi-Final Predictions

Posted on Jul 9, 2018 by

From eight to four. With the Quarter-Finals wrapped up, here’s my rankings of #8-5, ranked by losing margin in the last game, then continuing criteria if required, with ranking relative to 2014 included also. 8. Sweden (Beaten 2-0, +2 GD) … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2018: Rankings (32-17) And Second Round Predictions

Posted on Jun 30, 2018 by

The group stage is done, so lets start ranking teams. They are separated in order of points, goal difference (GD), goals scored (GS) and then disciplinary record, before noting where they came relative to their place in the last World … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2018: Need, Should And Will For Matchday Three

Posted on Jun 25, 2018 by

Matchday Two for all sides is in the books. From NFB’s perspective, here’s what the teams need to do, what they should do and what they will do in Matchday Three. Group A Russia What They Need To Do: Win or … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2014: Final Rankings

Posted on Jul 14, 2014 by

Here’s my rankings of the teams, based along a fairly straightforward stat model, that I used for South Africa and Euro 2012. 32-17 are the teams that failed to get beyond the group stage, ranked in the order of points … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2014: Matchday Twenty Five (Final)

Posted on Jul 14, 2014 by

Germany 1 – 0 Argentina AET Argentina started marginally better, attacking with purpose down the left, with Higuain planting a shot across the face of goal in the opening minutes. Messi, Higuain and Zabaleta would combine down that flank a … Continue reading →

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World Cup 2014: Matchday Twenty Four (Third/Fourth Place Play Off)

Posted on Jul 13, 2014 by

Brazil 0 – 3 Netherlands A poor contest, far different to the last four editions. This time around neither side really looked that interested. The Brazilians are the footballing equivalent of a person who just wants to pull the blanket … Continue reading →

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