2018 World Cup!

I have been to premier league games, i took plugs along in case but i didn't feel the need to use them. I measured around 75db when goals were scored.

 

our little Xander 11 month old stoke mascot

 

France was scary in the quarterfinal and the semifinal. I think that they are the favorites now. But I root for England tomorrow.

 

My son got thrown across a bear garden watching England play on a big a screen out side and got a 2" cut across his chin but he was drunk...
Family down Wednesday night for the match and a few drinks and food...
I might get some party poppers for grandson to let off if get a goal and let the rest off if win the game....

 

It's coming home !⚽️
watch this space...
7pm kick off.....

 

Defeated and deflated...
but well done England...

 

I think you England fans will enjoy this Washington Post write up of Gareth Southgate:

England lost to Croatia in the semifinals Wednesday, dashing hopes of the country’s first trip to the World Cup final since 1966. But Brits have found solace and pride in Gareth Southgate.

Even in defeat, the country is swooning for the English manager. It has an over-the-top crush. The 47-year-old in the natty waistcoat is the prodigal son, the underestimated man whose story of redemption has inspired a nation.

The Telegraph newspaper Wednesday compared Southgate to Winston Churchill. Seriously.

Before the tournament, few thought England would play this well. And most fans believe the team’s improbable rise never would have happened without Southgate. He took young players to the cusp of greatness. The coach said, “They’re nowhere near what they are capable of.”

Southgate is soccer. But he is bigger than soccer here.

Britain has been going through a rough patch. The country has been tying itself in knots over its decision to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet is in revolt. Add to that attacks with Soviet-era nerve agents out in the countryside and huge demonstrations planned to greet President Trump on Friday.

Southgate offers hope that everyone will be able to get it sorted.

“Our country has been through some difficult moments recently in terms of its unity,” Southgate said. “But sport can unite.”

Of many stirring moments for England from this World Cup, there’s one that catches in the British throat. It came after England beat Colombia in penalty kicks in the round of 16.

As the fans went bonkers, Southgate sought out one of the Colombian players whose miss had helped England to its victory. As Mateus Uribe covered his face in disappointment and wept, Southgate put his arms round him in consolation.

John Crace wrote in the Guardian.

In Britain, parents used the embrace to teach their children about sportsmanship and empathy.

“His arm round Uribe’s shoulder wasn’t a casual, passing gesture: it was one that spoke of a deep personal understanding,” Crace believed. “. . . It was a moment of grace.”

He is the New British Man. In a country that virtually invented soccer hooliganism and gave rise to the millionaire Premier League rock star, Southgate during his career was the quietly competent defender — no drama, all work ethic.

He exudes solid. Married, two kids. He calls his team family. He told the lads, “Write your own stories.”

During the middle of the tournament, Southgate insisted that defender Fabian Delph return home for the birth of his child. Delph missed the win against Colombia but got back in time to play in the quarterfinal victory against Sweden. Delph told reporters that England’s nail-biting penalty-kick shootout induced his wife’s labor.

Oliver Holt in the Mail on Sunday said Southgate’s performance at this summer’s World Cup “has changed perceptions of himself and of English football.”

“His victory is a victory over the fears and doubts that have haunted us and our national side for a generation,” Holt wrote. “. . . For 20 years, we paid lip service to the idea that we believed in ourselves without quite meaning it. Now we believe it.”

These sportswriters aren’t just writing about a game.

The chief football writer at the Daily Mirror, John Cross, tweeted, “Front pages . . . country divided, falling apart. Back pages . . . country unifying, building bridges. Simple solution: after the World Cup, make Gareth Southgate Prime Minister.”

pictures of themselves in Southgate-style vests for #WaistcoatWednesday.

“More nice-dad-at-a-wedding-disco than David Beckham,” the Guardian observed, “the England manager’s look has turned him into an unlikely star.”

Others were tweeting with the hashtag #GarethSouthgateWould and jokingly about the types of unselfish things he might do, such as“#GarethSouthgateWould give you his seat on a bus even if he was 8 months pregnant.”

Stories have emerged in recent days about real-life encounters with the manager — not stunning anecdotes but ones that collectively paint a picture of a man who is decent and generous, regardless of whether the cameras are around.

One fan posted a letter Southgate wrote him thanking him for his kind words after the European Championship in 1996. An east London girls’ soccer club recalled the time that Southgate was scheduled to spend 30 minutes with it but instead stayed for three hours.

“He is compassionate,” agreed Dell Young, 40, a fishmonger in southwest London.

“He stands out a lot more than the others because he cares a bit more,” he said as he spread ice over his fish to help keep them cool on a warm London day.


England fans with Southgate masks celebrate outside Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, England. (Ed Sykes/Action Images via Reuters)
Emilia Campman, 22, arrived at a south London pub wearing an England T-shirt three hours before kickoff Wednesday to get a good seat.

“He cares more about people than winning,” she said. “He actually cares about the players, about the team, whereas a lot of managers just care about winning.”

Sitting next to her at the pub, her friend, 20-year-old Molly Johnson, offered: “He brings such a good vibe to the team, to England, to everyone. Everyone is loving him right now.

“Every time I hear him talk, he’s saying: ‘Give it your best shot. Work hard.’ Everything about him is positive. He’s the kind of person you want in charge.”

 

It's quiet for a celebration. What sound meter did you use?

 

It is called decibel 10 on iphone, i have no idea if it is accurate though.