Tournament Football – Dave Thomas's Blog

July 4, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #24 – Whatever Happened To Winning Hearts?

GOM World Cup Diary #24 – Whatever Happened To Winning Hearts? I settled down with my morning coffee expecting Argentina to do what Argentina usually do. Win. Cape Verde, after all, had already

June 26, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #16 – Whatever Happened To Winning?

The World Cup group stage has reached the point where teams can lose and still celebrate qualification. The Grumpy Old Man wonders when football stopped being about simply winning—and why modern life seems just as complicated.

June 26, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #15 – Whatever Happened To Knowing Where You Stand?

GOM World Cup Diary #15 - Whatever Happened To Knowing Where You Stand? The World Cup is entering that stage of the tournament where nobody seems entirely sure what's going on. Mexico

June 25, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #14 – Whatever Happened To Just Having A Go?

GOM World Cup Diary #14 – Whatever Happened To Just Having A Go? I spent a large part of yesterday evening watching England pass the ball sideways. Then backwards. Then sideways again. Then backwards

June 22, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #12: Whatever Happened To Knowing Your Place?

GOM World Cup Diary #12: Whatever Happened To Knowing Your Place? Last week, Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Spain. The experts were surprised. Then Cape Verde drew 2-2 with Uruguay. The experts were surprised

June 21, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #11: Why Is Everybody Always In Such A Hurry?

Why Is Everybody Always In Such A Hurry? Last week Tunisia lost 5-1. Their response was immediate. The manager was shown the door. A new man was appointed. Fresh ideas were promised. Optimism returned. Then yesterday Tunisia

June 19, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #9: Whatever Happened To One Match At A Time?

Whatever Happened To One Match At A Time? Yesterday Mexico became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup. A fine achievement. They've played well, collected the points

June 18, 20261Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #8: Why Can’t We Ever Just Enjoy It?

GOM World Cup Diary #8: Why Can't We Ever Just Enjoy It? England won 4-2 last night. Just let that sink in for a moment. Four goals scored. Three points secured. A winning start to

June 17, 20261Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #7: Why Does It Take Seven People To Get It Wrong?

Why Does It Take Seven People To Get It Wrong? Last night I watched another controversial VAR decision. Or perhaps I should say I watched seven people spend several minutes trying to

June 15, 20260Comments

GOM World Cup Diary #5: Do We Really Need 48 Teams?

GOM World Cup Diary #5: Do We Really Need 48 Teams? Germany beat Curaçao 7-1 yesterday. Which was unfortunate for Curaçao. And, if we're being completely honest, not especially surprising for the rest

by DaveThomas

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