Andrew Hopkins

@HuntersofPutney @DominicFrisby

@DominicFrisby Apparently the German team tried Kia Ora during their hydration breaks, but it was too orangey for Kroos.

Looking forward to the BBC playing this ahead of England's next encounter

@TheCUSACentel Go look up Dryburgh Cup. A pre season tournament in Scotland early 1970s FIFA sanctioned experiment with no offside outside of 18 yard line..It was an unmitigated disaster and has thankfully never been seen again. Also "why so many UStards can't follow offside in soccer so much"

Why do the eurotards defend offsides in soccer so much… It’s pretty dumb

@mbeisen No thank you. The rest of the world manages fine without adding in things like US sports do. It is bad enough Infantino has allowed 3 minute advertising breaks in each half which thankfully will never be seen again in UEFA sanctioned tournaments.

I wonder if it would make things better if soccer implemented a challenge system like most major sports in the US use where each team gets 2 challenges and calls only go to VAR when challenged. Or you could have unsuccessful challenges cost a team a sub.

@snikles313 @Dollarydoos_ Everyone knows when the game will finish of sorts. Watching league games you can predict the added time almost every time. 30 seconds per substitution, you know how long the stoppages were. Need to take into account any stoppages in added time adds on to the game time. Very easy.

@Dollarydoos_ Not really. NHL has one timeout per game. It is not an important part at all. The reason why there is so much discourse is because it is fucking stupid to have a game clock and nobody fucking knows when the game is over

stoppage time discourse is weird because there is simply no problem that needs solving here. but i also think underlying it is that the major american sports all have timeouts where the coach or players can directly stop the clock so they are focused on it. but many sports are not like this!

@snikles313 @Dollarydoos_ Try looking into what happens with rugby then. That has a clock which stops when ever the ref needs it for injuries, discussions with players about decisions etc. even when time is finished the game doesn't stop until the ball goes dead, a try or drop goal is scored or foul.

@tiredofcons1978 @WRCPAST Toyota IQ. Aston released the Cygnet which was a rebadged IQ with an Aston Martin interior & Aston Grille to bring the emissions of the range down & meet emission regulations.

@WRCPAST Smart Car?

🇬🇧 Aston Martin Cygnet V8 1 of 1 170mph 0-62 4.2 seconds 1,375 kg Engine: 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 (from the V8 Vantage S).  430 bhp.  Torque 490 Nm (361 lb-ft).  Transmission: 7-speed Sportshift II automated manual gearbox.  Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive.  The Aston Martin Cygnet V8 (often referred to as the "Super Cygnet") is a unique, one-off engineering project created by Aston Martin’s "Q by Aston Martin" division in 2018. It is widely considered one of the most outrageous and extreme city cars ever built.  While the standard Aston Martin Cygnet (2011–2013) was a luxury-trimmed city car based on the Toyota iQ, the V8 version is an entirely different machine. It was commissioned by a loyal client to see what would happen if a full-size Vantage S powertrain were fitted into the diminutive Cygnet chassis. The car features a bespoke welded-in safety roll cage, a new front bulkhead, and a custom transmission tunnel to house the Vantage powertrain and torque tube.  Suspension & Braking: It utilizes front and rear subframe assemblies from the V8 Vantage S, complete with independent double-wishbone suspension and high-performance braking components (380mm front discs with 6-piston calipers).  Bodywork: To accommodate the wider track and larger wheels, the car features carbon composite flared wheel arch extensions.  Interior: The cabin is stripped of standard city-car luxuries, replaced with a carbon fibre dashboard, Recaro racing seats, and racing gauges to match the car's track-focused intent.  This crazy car was spotted in the UK. 📷 Lanes Ko 👏🏻👏🏻 #cars #astonmartin #carporn #v8

@petelincoln48 Again, if you do not understand the, very simple, laws of the game just say "I do not understand". Funny how the rest of the world can understand them fine. Sometimes a sport isn't for you.

Exactly. Where did all that extratime come from?. Between the offsides and the mystery clock this is why soccer is ignored in US outside of the World Cup

@Chris_arnade Why do so many Americans have such difficulty with this?? 30 seconds added per sub, any VAR stops added back on once into added time any stoppage/sub in that time adds more on. Very simple. The amount at the WC is artificially high due to the 3minutes of advert breaks each half

Soccer refs: We 3D-scanned all 1,248 players before the tournament, track every limb 50 times a second, and can confirm you are offside by a toenail. No goal. Soccer refs: Added time? I'm thinking... seven minutes. Actually, ten. Could be twelve. Hard to say really.

@TheFootyFeed Was a fantastic tackle. South African got a touch on the ball first and then was kicked by the Canadian. If he hadn't got the touch on the ball, which was really obvious, then it would have been a penalty.

How is this not a penalty!? 😳

@Only9built That's a lovely coke bottle, especially with the flawless chrome.

Really like this.

@Amy_90_x What a load of balls!

😭😭

@TonyStrong631 They do know. We can pretty much get the added time correct at matches throughout the season. At WC, 3 minutes for advert oops hydration break, 30 seconds per substitution, plus what ever stoppages. Also stoppages & subs in added time ads more time.

Can someone explain to me why soccer doesn’t just stop the clock during hydration breaks and stoppages instead of adding a arbitrary amount of time to the clock at the end of the game no one really knows how long should be?

That's a fabulous last ditch takle for South Africa. Is every one missing the fact the South African got a touch on the ball before the Canadian player kicked him. Can only assume the @itvfootball commentators need glasses.

@blankslate2017 @CaptainMcKlide Seriously just say you don't understand the sport & it's not for you. It's ok to not comprehend it. Many games with a few goals can be boring as hell and many 0-0 can be exciting. Not need to devalue goals just so Americans can see a game that looks like FIFA on PS5!

@CaptainMcKlide It's a sport that's starved for scoring. A lot of matches are 90+ mins of dudes getting cardio and not much else.

A lot of Europeans attempting to defend the offsides rule in soccer make analogies to US sports that make no sense b/c they don't understand US sports. They also don't get how the offsides rules, as rigidly applied as we've seen, adds no value to the sport.

@rwakie @totalcrime Doesn't happen every game and doesn't last for 3 minutes unless it is a bad injury. It needs gone and thankfully UEFA has stated it won't be used in their competitions.

The “ruins the flow” argument is funny to me. We've had unofficial breaks forever. The goalkeeper suddenly needs medical attention after absolutely nothing happened. Trainer comes on. Everyone jogs over, gets water, talks tactics, kills momentum. That’s been part of the game for years. I’d rather have a predictable hydration break for both teams than pretend the noble purity of soccer is being preserved by a goalkeeper dramatically sitting on the grass for two minutes. It's true...Americans don't like all the fake injuries and rolling around. I like what I am seeing at this #WorldCup way better. But you guys go back to that when you're leagues start back up.

Unpopular opinion: but the #WorldCup #hydrationbreaks are great for the growth of the game in 🇺🇸! The play is sharper. The energy is higher. Fewer injuries. The final 20 minutes are way more fun. They create tactical chaos too. A team parking the bus suddenly comes out high pressing. Fans get a snack, a drink, a bathroom break, and time to make the game more social. The broadcast gets more valuable. The sport gets more money. Great for growth. Add in the #MLS innovative rules to combat time wasting and flopping, and I’m sorry, but this has been a big win for soccer in America. Boo away. I know change is hard for people as they get old and grumpy, but I hope they're here to stay. America is improving the world's game and we should claim victory. Thoughts? @TaylorTwellman @rogbennett @AlexiLalas

@rwakie @DanSaulKnight22 This "4 quarters" for advertising, which is what it is, was a fear of everyone when the US got the 94 WC. Thankfully FIFA told them to bolt, Infantino will capitulate at the first $ waved in front of him. If folk don't have a long enough attention span for 45mins, their problem!

American soccer fans watch a TON of soccer. We’re some of the sport’s biggest advocates because we’re pushing for football in a country where it still isn’t the main event. We’re not trying to ruin the world’s game. We’re trying to help grow it here. What I'm seeing at this #WorldCup is a better experience in my opinion.

@RuriBarlow How many times over the years has some "diddy" been given a call up because they play in England while better players are ignored?

Scotland have many flaws, but to suggest their biggest is that an anti-English selection bias clouds selection choices is not rational. 13 of the 26-man squad play in England, and 19 have been capped while playing in England, one without even playing senior football.

@StanUsmnt One ref is fine. Managed for years fine like that. Even with one ref they can get in the way, 2.would be a disaster. Would also make a mockery of consistency as 2 refs refereeing action in each half differently.

My hottest American soccer bro take it this. Why is there only one ref to cover the entire field? I get linesmen can assist but they rarely do. There is just no possible way this person can see everything+be a time keeper expected to accurately track injury time through a half

Only. Although Gauld went to Canada, he did not fail in Portugal and has learned alot, but he is one of the good Scottish players that have been ignored. Better people at SFA, market the league better, get more money for the clubs & a NT manager that can get best out of squad.

@Zonal_Marking Part of our problem is the media are all based in England and view UK as England with regards to football. We are given the worst tv deal in Europe which starves clubs of money, youth is signed by English clubs before even making an appearance as we cannot compete financially

A long-ish read on the history of Scotland, the World Cup’s great underachievers. They cracked the code tactically & had the world’s best players when international football took off. Here’s how they wasted that head-start and made themselves underdogs. ⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/73989…

Issues we do have is the dinosaurs in youth who pick physical size over technical ability. Some clubs don't and do produce decent young lads, who'll be pinched. There is also an inferiority complex at play which produces tactics which sit in, don't compete and pick favourites