Random Punter

@NobletStrength Usain Bolt had a crack at being a pro soccer player, he didn’t make the grade. It must baffle you as to why with his level of athleticism! 🤷🏻‍♂️

According to Twitter I have learned the problem with USA Soccer is our players are too big, strong and fast and we need to instead invest in small, weak, and slow players. Being too athletic makes you incapable of being technical and tactical.

@Sofia50020Sofia Kick him in the nuts.

It's become a new "trend" to turn off elevators and stand there blocking them to piss people off. What would you do?

@SarahForRuncorn Which are these previous 2 by-elections that they lost their deposit?

Two years ago, Clacton was represented by a Conservative MP. Today, the Tories are so frightened of losing their deposit (for the third by-election in a row) that they will not even stand against Nigel Farage. How far they have fallen.

@therealdavidwi1 The people of Clacton already decided. Why is Farage asking them to decide again when there isn’t a GE? It’s clearly a stunt.

They Didn’t Just Blink… They Ran. Well, you have to hand it to Nigel Farage. Love him or loathe him, he has once again managed to get every other political party dancing to his tune. His decision to resign as MP for Clacton and seek a fresh mandate from the people wasn’t just a bold political move it was a masterclass in putting the establishment on the back foot. Within hours, Westminster was in a spin. The commentators were scrambling, party headquarters were holding emergency meetings, and then came the announcements. “We’re not standing.” One after another, the opposition parties decided they would rather sit on the sidelines than take Nigel Farage on in front of the British public. Now they’ll dress it up however they like. They’ll call it a stunt. They’ll say it isn’t worth contesting. They’ll produce every excuse imaginable. The reality is that many people will conclude they simply don’t fancy the fight. Because if they genuinely believed Reform UK was on the ropes, this was the golden opportunity to prove it. Instead, they have handed Farage the political stage all to himself. Restore Britain deserves a special mention. Only a short while ago, Rupert Lowe was confidently talking about taking Nigel Farage and Reform UK on anywhere, anytime. Strong words. Yet when Britain’s biggest political contest landed on the doorstep, Restore Britain quietly disappeared into the long grass. For a party trying to establish itself, being beaten heavily by a well-drilled Reform campaign could have been politically devastating. Standing aside may avoid that immediate risk, but it also invites questions about whether the party truly believes it can compete at the highest level. The Conservatives have their own problem. Kemi Badenoch is trying to persuade the country that the Conservative Party is ready for government again. Yet when presented with a contest that would have dominated the national news, the party has chosen not to test that claim in front of the voters. Politics is about asking for support. If you stop asking, people are entitled to wonder why. But the biggest loser from all this may not be the Conservatives or Restore Britain. It may be Prime Minister in waiting Andy Burnham. Because Nigel Farage has done something very clever. He has said to the people of Clacton: “You decide.” Not the media. Not political opponents. Not Westminster. The voters. That is democracy in its purest form. The people of Clacton now have a simple choice. They can back Nigel Farage, or they can sack him. There is no hiding behind opinion polls or television studios. The ballot box will deliver the answer. And if that answer is another emphatic victory for Reform UK, the political consequences will echo far beyond Essex. It will raise one unavoidable question for the Prime Minister. If Nigel Farage is prepared to put his political future directly into the hands of the electorate, why shouldn’t Andy Burnham do the same? If Labour believes it has the confidence of the British people, then seek a mandate. Put up or shut up. Farage has rolled the dice. He has invited the public to judge him. That takes confidence. Now all eyes turn to Downing Street. Will the Prime Minister ask the British people for the same endorsement, or will he decide that now isn’t quite the right time? Politics is often described as a game of chess. This week it looked more like poker. Nigel Farage pushed all his chips into the middle of the table. Everyone else folded. Round one goes to Reform UK.

@Gary_Bertier @barnyboatman @KylePagan_ Correct, but they have more than athleticism going for them, the infrastructure and coaching would still take a generation to build up to a world beating level, and you’d still need the luck of having generational talent peaking together.

@RandomPunter24 @barnyboatman @KylePagan_ Your point doesn't contradict my argument. If you went to France or Spain and waved a magic wand to permanently randomly remove 75% of the nation's most athletic teenage ⚽️ players, in 10-20 years they would no longer be World Cup powerhouses.

Serious question: If today we banned every single male athlete in the U.S. from playing any sport beside soccer. How long would it take us to win a World Cup? 4 years? 8 might be generous.

@wildgirldad It doesn’t matter which president made that call, the rest of the world would be angry at the political interference and just as angry at FIFA for going along with it.

@theCTwelve Obama makes that call and gets it overturned, he’d be hailed as a hero, someone supporting his people, and they would turn and say Trump is racist for not trying to help a black player. It’s all a game. Liberals are just extremely vocal on Twitter because they have nothing else.

I, a 43 year old American man, developed some genuine interest in soccer over this World Cup. I was taken in by the stories of people visiting my country, our hospitality once you escape NY and LA. I started appreciating the game itself! It's technical. Interesting! I mean, it's not technical like American football, but the difference is still intriguing. I can appreciate a good game! Then we lost. I thought we would going into the match, though I didn't expect to lose as ugly as we did. Oh well. It would have been better if Trump hadn't raised the issue about the red card, in retrospect. Not that he was wrong, or that others were wrong in the past…but for the sake of being a good host, and for optics, it would have been better if we'd just been gracious and let it be. Oh well. Missed opportunity. Trump's a bit of a mixed bag that way, but honestly, most of our Presidents suck. Anyway, I woke up today, and the Norway memes were already going, and I thought "sure, why not?" I thought I'd root for Norway. But then this shit started. This is but a single example, but as it comes from a Canadian, I took more notice. Look, fella. I don't begrudge anyone a little gloating. It's just sports. But y'all have made this about a whole lot more than simple soccer, and done so in a way far uglier than anything Trump's done. He's just crass and aggressive. Shit like this is personal. I'll still root for Norway, because they seem genuinely nice. But I find myself mostly indifferent, now. It's clear we're not wanted, and I'm happy to leave the game to y'all. Have fun. You can still visit our places and eat our food. But some of the joy in hospitality has worn off. Please, have your Cup, have your fun, and then go. Don't overstay your welcome.

@ironwillforge4 @KevinFrench63 @McBrideLawNYC Trump doesn’t want “fair play” for all, he’s only interested when it benefits his own team. If the red card had been given to one of your bench players and not the star striker, he wouldn’t have given a shit.

@KevinFrench63 @McBrideLawNYC "Special treatment" being another term for fair play. I know soccer is all you people have cause everything else sucks but try to not live in fantasy.

@Gary_Bertier @barnyboatman @KylePagan_ Your football values athleticism over skill as players can be more easily be slotted into positions that fit their physical make up. That’s not the case with soccer.

@barnyboatman @KylePagan_ I don't hear anyone saying it's 'just a woman's game,' even though our women have had far more success than our men (and even though the women don't flop like the men). The main problem is our best athletes will always choose 🏈 over ⚽️. In this hypothetical, it'd change fast

@SiiLv3Rx @Schultz215Dan @DMichaelMG @KylePagan_ Somebody is ripping you off if you’re paying a grand a month to play!

@Schultz215Dan @DMichaelMG @KylePagan_ Uh. No. And organized soccer is expensive. Just for a 9 year old to play 4 months is minimum $4000 for most leagues. The cost to entry is retarded here

@SandblasterSzn Try it, what are you afraid of?

The United States has won more Olympic gold medals than any other country in history, we are the best at sports in the world by far. We don’t even send our average players to compete in soccer but if we wanted to, we’d become the best in the world within five years and never lose a match after that.

@IsabelOakeshott @Nigel_Farage Farage is already an MP, he doesn’t need to be elected again. It’s a stunt, nothing more.

Andy Burnham calls @Nigel_Farage by election a "gimmick" - apparently failing to see the irony that he himself just pulled an identical stunt.....embarrassing

@yinzer_g @ben59495008 They need to go and sit down after a 5 second play, great athletes 😂

@ben59495008 1 play in football has on average 14-20 different collisions. There are 150-160 plays each game. Do the math.

A Football player twists ankle in an elimination game: Gets taped up, gets a shot and gets back into the game. A Hockey player tears ACL in and elimination series: puts a brace on, continues to play. Soccer player slightly twists ankle in an elimination game: takes self out of the game. Soccer just isn't for Americans, it's too soft of a game played by soft players.

@DMACBDOGS @PatrickWCutler You do realise you need to be able to control the ball with your foot or head? 😂

@PatrickWCutler If Barkley, McCaffrey, Chase, Kittle, Bowers, Tyreek, Kyle Pitts etc. played soccer The US wouldn’t lose!

Soccer is the 9th most popular sport in the USA 🇺🇸. Most people in America have zero clue World Cup is even going on right now.

@HeidiBriones I hate to break it to you, but it’s still a red card. It hasn’t been reversed, it’s just that the ban has been suspended.

Trump did nothing wrong. He simply asked for a review. They concluded what we all saw. It wasn't a red card. Now stop crying about it. May the best team win. 🇺🇸 🇧🇪

@calwokebot Chocolate

Name one thing that Belgium does better than the US. I’ll wait.

@NealOKelly @HeliJoc @ellencarmichael His source: Trust me bro’

@RandomPunter24 @HeliJoc @ellencarmichael He "did his own research"...

The most interesting part of the red card saga isn't the ruling. It's how differently Americans and Europeans process the idea that they might have been wronged. Europeans are fundamentally different from Americans in one particular way: they expect life to be aggravating and at times unfair. It's just a fact of moving through the world. I joke that in Europe, the customer is always wrong. You didn't read the fine print. The only pharmacy in town is closed every other Tuesday for three hours, and even if the times weren't posted, that's still your problem. Too bad if you want the bill, because the waiter's on his union-mandated half-hour smoke break, and you're just going to have to wait. To quote the great Mark Knopfler: sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. There's something freeing in that. Things are less in your control, so there's less angst in managing your expectations. In America, things couldn't be more different. We simply can't accept a wrong left unrighted. The flight attendant sneezed handing you a drink on your one-hour flight? 15,000 frequent flyer miles. Didn't like your appetizer? A replacement is on the way, and the whole course comes off the bill. There's a reason our interstates are lined with trial lawyer billboards. Europeans have turned complaining into a continental pastime with no expectation that the universe owes them a remedy for their grief. You gripe about the train being late, your friends nod solemnly and everyone goes back to their apéro. In America, we launch a full-blown investigation of the train system, sue the government (and its contractors) that allowed for the tardiness and hold a Congressional hearing on the state of national infrastructure. So to an objective observer, the red card shouldn't have happened, and VAR was a travesty. To Americans, our star player shouldn't be unfairly banned from a match we couldn't afford to lose for a card he so obviously didn't deserve. Who cares that FIFA used a little-used reversal to fix it. Who cares that other people are mad about it. We. Were. Wronged. It was unjust. It must be corrected. We would accept nothing less. Europeans waxing poetic about the sanctity of the game are, of course, talking about a governing body whose last tournament host was decided via confirmed cash bribes — one that imposed dress codes on women, shrugged off widespread allegations of modern slavery and reconfigured the entire tournament calendar to suit the host country. Which is exactly the point. If you've made peace with all of that, at least enough to watch the tournament four years later, a probationary suspension isn't actually a scandal. Maybe that's the real divide. Over millennia, Europeans have made peace with being the bug. Americans have never once considered it, and apparently, we're not about to start now.

@HeliJoc @ellencarmichael Where did you pull the 75% from? 😂

@ellencarmichael They got used to 75% of matches being decided by penalty kicks but didn't stop for a second and wonder if they haven't let the "sport" part get over-ruled by a comical injury flopping spectacle of third world low character advantage gaming.

@ellencarmichael In America it’s always somebodies fault, but never yours, and you’ll seek to profit from it without no regard to morals.

On the red card scandal, I don’t think Europeans understand American mindset: we do not accept a wrong not being righted. In Europe, the customer is always wrong, and they accept bad things happen sometimes through no fault of one’s own. This is an impossibility to an American.

@dodgersphins @radiohead24 @allinkid Everyone who isn’t American thinks this.

@radiohead24 @allinkid No one thinks this.

I honestly believe soccer would be a much bigger game in the US if not for the insufferable flopping

@DennisYu4life @allinkid Betting on “soccer” has been part of the fabric of British life for about 100 years. We just don’t go for spread betting, we prefer accumulators as there’s so many games.

@allinkid It’s not easy to gamble with soccer . NFL Football would not be nearly as popular without the gambling aspect. Try watching an Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game in November if there’s no gambling or fantasy implications, I dare you.