People who call football wendyball or fannyball are just embarrassments to themselves, not to mention blinkered and in total denial about rugby league.

Think about rugby league. Last weekend, I lost count at how often I saw massive Kiwi players throw themselves face first into the turf at the play-the-ball when no contact was made. What happened? Penalty, penalty, penalty. What a load of massive WendyFannies they all are. I’ve seen RL players ‘take themselves out’ after kicks or run directly into defenders and go down like Ronaldo, looking for a penalty, and defenders doing likewise running into attackers when trying to get tries chalked off for obstruction. It’s just a way to try and earn an advantage within that sport.

Don’t get me wrong. I much prefer rugby league and cricket to football, but I accept that footballers rolling around on the floor, clutching their faces after being blown a kiss, or diving for penalties when there’s no contact is just that game’s version of gamesmanship. It’s done to try and earn a free-kick, win a penalty, get an opposing player booked/sent off or rile the opposition into playing badly or overly aggressively. It’s wrong, embarrassing and laughable, that it just the way in which you try to earn an advantage within that sport.

This may be unpalatable to the noble few RL fans, but it happens in every sport. Cricket has its sledging; boxing its low-blows, and horse racing has so many dodgy things happen, it’s amazing that anyone bothers betting on it at all.

The original point of this thread was a proud Warringtonian trying to garner support for one of the town’s growing sporting teams, the running of which he is heavily involved in. They are doing well and trying to progress up the league and build a fan-base, but this thread, as usual, descends into a load of negative tripe (and the thread was labelled as an O/T before anyone says this is a RL forum). Here’s a thought: if you’re not interested, then just don’t comment at all.

Now come on, that is not fair.

bet wire frantic and latchford blob are liverpool and man utd fans...if these players you pair are on about are not so bad then brazil,argentina,germany ,spain,italy ,portugal,france,holland,croatia etc must be ting themselves at next years world cup

Apart from France and Portugal having to qualify via a Play Off the daftest thing about your comments in particular and those of the it's not a proper sport persuasion is that the OP was calling for some support for a local semi pro/amateur football team.

Not a quantum leap thread drift admittedly but daft none the less.

Anyone know how they got on?

Your logic doesn't equate. Out of the four players mentioned, only one will probably start in the World Cup. Of course, Brazil Argentina, Germany, Spain and Italy all have a better chance of winning the World Cup. They have better players/ teams/squads than England.

Your argument is that you think the standard of the English team is down on what it has been in the past and that was one of the reasons you stopped watching. That's means you must have been enjoying it when the likes of Jermaine Jenas, Danny Mills, Andy Sinton and Darius Vassell were playing. Or further back when Geoff Thomas, Carlton Palmer and Keith Curle were getting picked. Or how about the much revered 86 and 90 World Cups when the likes of Tony Dorigo, Steve Hodge, Steve Bull, Terry Fenwick and Kerry Dixon were in the squads

we did have average players back then as you have rightly mentioned but they played along some good uns like robson wilkins hoddle linnekar beardsley barnes adams butcher gazza etc who i did enjoy watching..who do we have nowadays gerrard lampard.then im struggling to mention any more quality players probably why that footballing nation the usa are above us in the world rankins...i`ll leave the last word with you seeing we are not going to agree..