16 Jul 2026 19:32:49
Regarding Martinez i think you all need a recap of why they feel hatred to Britain.
The Falklands War is a fascinating example of how badly one side can misread the other.
Britain had announced the withdrawal of HMS Endurance and was cutting back its naval presence. Argentina looked at that and seemingly decided Britain simply wasn't that bothered anymore.
Then, on South Georgia, a group of Argentine scrap-metal workers arrived and an Argentine flag was raised on British territory.
Argentina saw weakness.
What they didn't see coming was Margaret Thatcher.
I don't know if I'd have wanted to cross her — but I can absolutely imagine her thinking:
" that old jealous ex who dumps a bloke and hates anyone else to have him "
And just like that, Britain went to war.
Ten weeks later, Argentina had been defeated, its military junta had been humiliated and the entire country was left counting the cost of one of the biggest miscalculations in modern military history.
They thought Britain didn't care.
They were very, very wrong.
Now as an Irishman I can recount 2 major incidents at Lansdowne Road. 1 being very political but I want plant seeds again so let's give martinez a pass because a guy that is more injured than Phil Jones lately just played 5 games straight i believe.
16 Jul 2026 22:03:02
Let's not forget that General Leopoldo Galtiere, the Military dictator of Argentina at that time, had, the previous year led the military junta that overthrew the legitimate government.
He then established a brutal and authoritarian regime, with him at the head of it.
He took personal control of a State death squad which dealt with any political dissidents and civilians, in a violent and brutal manner.
Facing complete economic collapse in the country, due to their incompetence, along with rising civil unrest he authorised the invasion of the Falkland Islands.
Galtieri did not care about the sovereignty of the Islands. He used this as a cynical political stunt to attempt to create a false feeling of nationalism to unify the country and take the spotlight of brutality away from him.
Having lost the war, he resigned his office. He was pardoned for many of his crimes in the 1990s but was placed under house arrest in 2002 for his involvement in human rights abuses. He died in 2003 so nothing further came of it.
This whole episode can be put down to an exercise in staggering cynicism, along with a vainglorious attempt at self survival.
The end result of the totally correct retaking of the Islands by U.K. forces were 255 U.K. military personnel and 649 Argentinian military personnel were killed. There were also 3 islanders killed.
These were all brave young men, making the ultimate sacrifice for
their countries, although it can certainly be argued the Argentinian troops were misled and manipulated.
As with many war's, the side that ends up losing often carry a feeling of injustice and resentment. This, I believe is a big part of the residual feeling's of the Argentinians as having 649 killed and still losing does not sit well.
The Argentinian people need to remember that it is estimated Galtieri was responsible for many more 'disappeared' people, than those killed in the war.
16 Jul 2026 23:05:12
Don't forget, as with many impoverished nations such as those in South America, football is not just a game; it is a deeply embedded social institution and a primary mechanism for upward social mobility, status and happiness. That's all many of them have ruled by fear, corruption and socioeconomic struggle.
So, when they have a world audience, they need to push any old political agenda through the only vehicles they have, as they are largely irrelevant politically outside of football, where they are a global phenomenon.
Hate to sound condescending, but it's the the truth. Congratulations to them for a well deserved victory.
17 Jul 2026 00:18:18
Let it also be remembered that Thatcher was experiencing extremely negative polling with British industry flailing under the weight of simultaneous excessively high interest rates and inflation caused by her monetarist policies which accelerated the decline and the export of jobs, and, in a accordance with her goals, emasculated the unions. I remember it well.
At the time I was an executive in a foundry and engineering business on a part of Trafford Park Road that no longer exists. The invasion of the Falklands and the subsequent war was her saviour. The British gutter press was as jingoistic as ever. One headline after the sinking of the Belgrano which killed over 300 people was "Stick that up your Junta".
{Ed001's Note - very good point.}
17 Jul 2026 13:16:15
The malvinas as they call then have never in history belonged to Argentina so this delusional sense of nationalism and feeling wronged by the British is as farcical as if Russia finally loses the invasion of Ukraine and then mounts a near 50 year campaign of false victim dogwhistling.
They only care because they want the oil rights as a nation and the strategic location of the islands for international relations and every political election trots out this garbage as a hill to die on.