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It's all on Tuchel. The England players gave everything but he handed the initiative to Argentina after taking the lead. Contrast that to Spain on Tuesday who took the lead and then proceeded to control the game. England had shackled Messi well for an hour but then with no out ball and everyone camped around the England box he, and others, had time and space. The outcome was inevitable from then on. As BC said the England players tired late on too which didn't help. The game was won and lost by the substitutions from both teams. Still, that's that, I've always been a club before country man, so the important football can start now!

I don’t think England were totally outplayed culduthel, they were 50-50 for 65 minutes but were found wanting in the last 20-25 mins. It was in Englands tool box to grasp a place in the final however they came unstuck (for me) for the following reasons:- Tactics - Tuchel tried to ‘shut up shop’ by substituting flair / speed for bulk. Players - Englands top players went ‘missing’ in this period. Ie they were either too exhausted or mentally drained to take the game onto /into the Argentina half. Easy to say/ see with hindsight but England just came short at the very top level of football. I feel if Tuchel had brought on Rashford and Watkins instead of Burns O Reilly then the outcome could have been different. Ie Argentina would had to deal with running attackers and that would have released the pressure on the defence. Three great goals, a intense & somewhat ‘in your face’ and absorbing match, with the presence of a once in a lifetime truly world class player, then with the atmosphere you have a contest unparalleled in any other sport. Best team won on the night. England just short of what was required to get over the line. bc

Good summary BC. England did pretty well keeping possession in the first half and not reacting (too much) to Argentinian dirty tricks. But they lacked the bravery to turn that possession into chances. Argentina looked to get forward more in the 2nd half and that gave us the space to attack with speed. That resulted in us scoring a great goal with a sweeping move. What happened after that is a bit inexplicable. One of the things Tuchel had said earlier is that the way to stop Messi was to starve him of the ball. So what do England do? Sit deep and leave Messi in acres of space! We defended by hoofing the ball up the park with no player up for an out ball, so Argentina got the ball straight back to come at us again with Messi being given time on the ball. Argentina had previously come back brilliantly from 2 down against Egypt so it was pretty clear what they are capable on that situation. Kane said after the game that the messaging was to keep going forward, but replacing Gordon with Konsa gave a very different message. It was a situation that was screaming out for the likes of Watkins up front who will chase and chase. Rice was clearly not fully recovered so fresh legs in midfield were called for. In the absence of Wharton (who would have been ideal in this situation), why not bring on Mainoo? Eze, Rashford and Saka could all have made it very difficult for Argentina. As BC says, England had the tool box to beat Argentina, but on the day, poor decisions were made. Tuchel ultimately didn't have enough faith in his players. It is the players sitting on the bench who could have won it for us that I feel most sorry for.

I wouldn't say totally outplayed, but I would need to caveat that into a ' before we scored' and 'after we scored'. Before we scored it was pretty even, but after we scored and went super defensive, protecting the penalty box we handed the initiative to Argentina. You can't defend like that for 30+ minutes and expect to not concede. Tuchel took a risk with his tactics and substitutions, and f#cked it up, in the same way he took some risks with his squad selection and that didn't work out (selecting Mainoo and Jordan Henderson over Adam Wharton for instance, and no real back up for Reece James) We weren't great during the tournament, but we got to the Semi's and might have gone the whole way with a bit more courage. But to suggest England is a 'last 32 or at best last 16' team, is just not proven especially given our record over umpteen tournaments. Which given our resources is not that surprising....but anyway I can't be arsed to watch the final since I am away in the Midlands for the T20 cricket finals day, but hope Spain win. As for the 3rd place play-off, who will watch that? France (who should have been in the Final, but for their own nightmare game) will beat England probably through a JP Mateta goal.

Expectations: On the evidence presented in pre season and against East Fife, for me, we will struggle against some quality teams in the Championship. Anything above 9th is fine by me. Dreams: We will click into gear and smash the league and win all the cup competitions. [Then I woke up].

Summed up very nicely in the posts above. I really didn’t like the way Argentina approached the game, particularly in the first half, but England’s tactics after they took the lead (with a great goal) backfired spectacularly on them and, by the end, Argentina were deserved winners. I’m rooting for Spain in the final.

Just a few days to go until the World Cup Final, which will probably be Messi's last World Cup game, but you still have time to enter our Prize Draw. Entries close on Sunday at 1900, and the draw will take place on Monday with the winner being contacted following the draw. Thank you to everyone who has entered so far. Tickets are only £5! To avoid missing out on the opportunity to win this unique prize, enter here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/messi-ronaldo-signed-framed-shirts-draw Two of the greatest ever. One unforgettable prize! ICT Supporters Trust

Following our recent Board Meeting, we issued an update to members earlier this week, which included details of a new Board Member and a reminder that our World Cup Prize Draw closes at 1900 on Sunday. You can read the update here: Update to Members: July 2026 Whilst details of how to enter the Prize Draw are here: World Cup Prize Draw - a Sports crowdfunding project in Inverness by Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust The best way to keep up to date with the work of the Supporters Trust is to join us. We have a variety of membership options available: Join Us | ICT Supporters Trust If you are not already a member, please consider joining us and helping us to work on behalf of the fans of the club.

Following our recent Board Meeting, we issued an update to members earlier this week, which included details of a new Board Member and a reminder that our World Cup Prize Draw closes at 1900 on Sunday. You can read the update here: Update to Members: July 2026 Whilst details of how to enter the Prize Draw are here: World Cup Prize Draw - a Sports crowdfunding project in Inverness by Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust

England totally outplayed by a talented Argentinian team. Could have been 5-1 to Argentina if England had not been so lucky in defence. Proves they were basically a last 32 or at best a last 16 team. Would have been criminal to see them in the final. Should be a great final on the weekend.

I agree and understand the consolidation point. I know most supporters don’t give a toss, however I will add we also need a succession plan in place ie 3 and 5 year framework. If we are to limit or mitigate catastrophic cliff edges (of past yore), then this subject should be on the Boards agenda. If they act like the past and think that’s for the next Owner and CEO, then we’ve learned ZIP. On field activities and success or failure run hand in hand with the off field ones. AS has and is doing his bit (within the limits of the budget (+ emergency pot)) he has set himself. A two or three year run in the CHPS would better the club’s position for better outside investment. Avoiding relegation this season must be the priority. Anything else could put us back more than I care to consider. Just putting it out there as I feel it’s relevant. bc

For me, this season is about staying in the Championship, so I see anything better than 8th as a bonus. We’ve a tough start, playing the three teams that made the play offs last season, and could easily find ourselves at the wrong end of the table. It’s hard to know what teams will be strong, but if we can finish above two of Morton, Queens Park and Stenhousemuir, we will have maintained our place in the Championship. Let’s all go into the season with realistic expectations and knowing that it’s going to be hard.

finishing anywhere above 9th will do for me. Would prefer it to be comfortably above 9th, but consolidation this season is the key.

The point i am making - as BC seems confused on my earlier post - is that Balogun's card being suspended (which it should not have been once the decision was made) has made a mockery of every other red card whether it was deserved (like Quansah's), or whether it was deemed worthy of a review. This precedent (or should it be president) now gives anyone the ability to question almost any card and ask for it to be suspended rather than automatically applied and that is fundamentally wrong. The ref calls the red card, and at this level it goes to VAR. It's not 100% perfect, but it's what we have. It is upheld or overturned on the field. Decision made. End of story. Player knows he is out for the next game at a minimum. In the following days the disciplinary committee can look at it and determine the ref got it right or wrong. Again, not a perfect system, but it's what we have. They can choose to increase the automatic 1 game suspension (as they did with Quansah), or they drop it back to a yellow if they feel the ref got it wrong (which they didn't do in either case). However, the act of suspending a card is unheard of and let's be honest, was it on anyone's radar until this happened? Personally, I have never heard of this happening before at almost any level. Even the 1962 card for Garrincha, which is the only other example cited in almost 200 World Cup red cards, was not suspended, a ban was simply not imposed. At that time, there was no automatic suspension like there is now, but a disciplinary committee chose to issue a warning rather than a match suspension after alleged pressure from the country leaders of each team in the match. [full story here and its quite interesting: https://fansided.com/soccer/bribery-secret-calls-and-a-vanishing-witness-inside-world-cup-red-card-fifa-actually-reversed].

I can't make head nor tail of it. Both were deserved red cards. Neither intended to do what happened. Both were "out of control". Both (unwittingly) endangered their opponent - Balogun turning over the ankle as he couldn't halt his momentum and Quansah's leg bouncing up off the top of ball. I really struggle to see how they can be viewed differently from a punishment perspective.