The unofficial World Cup Thread,

[InsaneApache]

Go on. You know you want to.

England for teh win.

Next!

:o)

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ooooh I'm so excited!



:cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader:



https://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4097/champselysees1998.jpg



:cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader: :france: :cheerleader:

[Secura]

Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Albiol, Iniesta, David Silva, Xavi, Fabregas, Torres and David Villa have got it in the bag, methinks.

I haven't fancied England's chances in a football tournament since 1998; I'd love it to happen, but I just don't see it.

[Louis VI the Fat]

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say:

Spain - but might collapse under pressure
Brazil - duh
Italy - god forbid
Germany - tournament players par excellence, even when they are bad, they make it to final
England - why not, eh? Capello's got his act together
Serbia - surprise package

France is really just waiting for Blanc to take over. The ref will finish the blues off in the last group match against the home country.
Argentina's players are second to few, but they are coached by the Nose of Coke, El Diego. who managed to not select half of Inter's side.

Portugal and Holland for dangerous outsider.

[Jolt]

I'll reserve my statement of Portugal's probability or not to go far, after the next friendly with Cameroon, a few days from now.

[GeneralHankerchief]

USA. And we still won't care. :unitedstates: :mellow:

In all seriousness though, I'd like to see Argentina go far because their coach is apparently legally insane. That'll make for some interesting news fodder. And maybe England, because I feel sorry for them.

For the non-clueless followers of the sport, does Mexico have any shot? Or did they only stomp us last year because the game was in Azteca?

[naut]

Dunga will win it for Brazil. The man's a tactical and defensive whiz. :yes:

[drone]

Or did they only stomp us last year because the game was in Azteca?
:yes:

I don't think Mexico will make it out of the groups. South Africa will get the calls as the host nation, so Mexico has to beat out France and Uruguay for the other group spot. Not promising. Skill-wise, I'd put Mexico a little behind the US (all other things being equal). Azteca is a huge advantage, at a neutral site they won't intimidate the refs, won't have the altitude, and won't have the battery fire from the stands.

[naut]

:yes:

I don't think Mexico will make it out of the groups. South Africa will get the calls as the host nation, so Mexico has to beat out France and Uruguay for the other group spot. Not promising. Skill-wise, I'd put Mexico a little behind the US (all other things being equal). Azteca is a huge advantage, at a neutral site they won't intimidate the refs, won't have the altitude, and won't have the battery fire from the stands.
It'll be tight, tight, tight. None of the teams have really impressed. Uruguay and France have both struggled, Mexico play some good stuff but are profligate.

[Fragony]

We bring a pretty good team, defense is weak but we have plenty of offensive power.

[Rhyfelwyr]

:england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england:
COME ON YOU ENGLAND!
:england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england:

[Strike For The South]

If there is a team I hate more than England it would be Mexico.

Heres to them losing in group.....You bloody wankers

[Sarmatian]

Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Albiol, Iniesta, David Silva, Xavi, Fabregas, Torres and David Villa have got it in the bag, methinks.

I haven't fancied England's chances in a football tournament since 1998; I'd love it to happen, but I just don't see it.

Agreed on Spain but I think England's chances are quite good, too. I positively loathed how English team was hyped by media and fans prior to earlier tournaments, when it was clear to anyone that there is just not enough quality to do anything. This time round, England has a good side overall with a few world-class players and a coach with strong personality who can actually mold them into a team (arguably, that's what England lacked the most). Quite the opposite now, media and fans are cautious and team is actually capable of achieving something big.

[InsaneApache]

If there is a team I hate more than England it would be Mexico.

Heres to them losing in group.....You bloody :daisy:

Those who want to know......hehe

[pevergreen]

I get the feeling Australia won't get any further than last time.

Go Brazil. :yes:

[LeftEyeNine]

Ze predictions of Ze Mitey LEN World Cup '10 will be following shortly after ze actual squads of 23 players are declared by ze 1st of June.

I'll draw up groups, qualifiers, ze finals and ze winner. :smoking:

Edit: Oh I forgot to mention... And it'll happen that way. :smoking:

[LittleGrizzly]

Spain or Brazil are my favourites, then the likes of England, Italy, Germany and Argentina could pull something out, England seem in the best form out of the 4 but Italy and Germany just excel in tournements (usually) and the Argentinians have some class players despite bad form. Outside of that I see the Portuguese and the French as long shots, im unsure on the dutch they remind me of England slightly seem to usually fall at the later stages. I would be surprised if someone I didn't mention above even made it to the semis so i can't see any of the others as potential winners

[Fragony]

We just insist on letting the world know that we can beat everyone.

Only to don't.

[Moros]

Brazil: as always a strong team, yet not such a strong team for being brazil. Surprisingly not one of my favourites. A lot will depend of Kaka and how Robinho will play. Though they are in great form and have done great I think one of the other big powers of football will defeat them.
Italy: They always have a good defence and never leave holes. However for getting all the way they lack attacking power imo. Buffon and De rossi might get them there after all.

Argentina: I'm not convinced by the amount of depth the team has except for the front. They probably have the best offense of the world on paper (Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Aguero and Milito) and that might just do it. Messi can win games on his own sometimes and with the help of Milito, Tevez & co conceding some goals might not be such a problem.

Uruguay: A good squad that might surprise some other teams, with Forlan and Suarez they have two great and natural goalgetters. Second place in group A is something I can see them pull off. Who knows with a bit of luck they can even win a game after the groupfase.

Paraguay: Not a bad team, but I'd be surprised if they really get far. Probably a battle with Slovakia for second place in group F.

VS: For some reason a team that always gets underrated. Now I'd be surprised if they'd won the final, but I see them getting second place in their group and even possibly with some luck steal Englands 'logical' first place. They have a great goalkeeper some great rising talents (Torres, Altidore and Bradley) However their defense seems rather weak to me and will have to rely heavily on a perfect organisation, as they are lacking great players there. Key to defence I expect should be Onyewu, though he lacks much match practice after his lenghty injury. Donovan will be their keyplayer I'd expect.

France: Don't have any weak spots/players but are in a very long weak form. Barely made it and morally didn't even deserve it. Their main problem I think will be a lack in motivation, a too old and not too convincing attack. I wouldn't put having Domenech as the manager with the positive points. However the individual class of the players is big, Ribery is always a pain to play against and Anelka and Henry though not as fast as they used to be remain great forwards. Key here will be the motivation and a will to attack and counter agressively.

Germany: The ultimate tournament team and with Germans it doesn't matter how big your lead is, you're not sure you've won untill the final wistle is blown. Good overall team, though they miss that one true great player. Keymen will be Lahm and Gomez I'd say. I'm very curious to see Kroos and Müller which are some big talents on the rise.

England: They have some great players, a great midfield and except for one sport a good defense as well. However if you need to play teams like Spain, Brazil and Argentina everything has to work back there. And I have the feeling England will be able to cope such offensive powers. Their offense is mainly one man, Rooney, and while he's a great forward. But can he rather on his own he can prove to be enough to score enough goals to get really far?

Portugal: There are some really big guns in the team but a lot of it is mediocore. If they can football as a team they might pull it off and someone like Ronaldo can even get past the best defenses yet I think they will not get to play nor win the final.

Spain: If there's something that will keep them from winning this it'd mental or motivational problems, injuries but mainly hybris. The team almost soley consist out of stars. And we all remember the last big tournament.

Netherlands: talking about the last great tournament, if there's one team that amazed us and played very nice footbal except for Spain, it was the Netherlands. Sadly they didn't came far. They still have the same strengths a formidable attacking force (if you can leave people like van nisterooy at home...) but a weak to mediocore defense. The Netherlands remind me a bit of the Arsenal of the last years. Always beautifull football, great offensive players, but just not enough to take the big prizes in the end. Keyman will be Sneijder with van Persie as a good substitution for his inter teammate milito.

Greece and Denmark: might surprise if they can form a strong, motivated and organised collective. Having survived the European qualification groups they are always something to watch out for.

Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia: Eastern Europe is steadily growing for years now in the footbal world. They might surprise like Croatia has done in the past.

Ivory Coast: Africa has some great footballers but most countries lack a full squad of great footballers who play in strong clubs from strong competitions. Thier actions and dribbling can amaze the most sceptical of men and inspire the smallest of children. Yet organisation, concentration and teamplay is smething they often seem to lack. Ivory coast might be the exception when it comes to this. They have a great selection of players who are have enough experience on such a high level. Ofcourse having Drogba as a foward doesn't hurt your chances either.

South Korea & Japan: They have proven it in the past, while they don't have teams full of stars they can surprise stronger teams and can form a good team that can go further than one would think at first. It'd surprise me a lot though if none of European or South American giants can kick their but out of their favourite tournament.

Australia: Kangeroos have big feet.

[Beefy187]

Japanese fans has no doubt the team will lose all three games... Our manager havn't been sacked despite the poor performance in the last few games (actually from the very start).
But we'll still support them. Its once every four years...

For the sake of Asians, I support the Socceroos and South Koreans. I hope they do well, but my moneys on England, Spain, Brazil and.... Netherlands. One of those four should get it.

[InsaneApache]

That post makes me feel sad.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Meh, unless you're born in Brazil, Italy or Germany, you are not ensured you will your team win it sooner or later. Even in medium powers, you probably just get to see it once in your lifetime. Spain has never been world champion. A world cup is very much a closed shop.

It's not true that there is one winner and 31 disappointed countries. That's too negative. With some luck, your team playes a few good games and then goes out against somebody whio's simply stronger. That is a good tournament. Plus you get to watch all the other teams, share in the excitement, pick some favourites.

It's all exciting, who cares if you win or not, or go out after three games or not. As long as you're not too rubbish, you'll live.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

:england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england:
COME ON YOU ENGLAND!
:england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england: :england:

Now I've seen everything.


Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Albiol, Iniesta, David Silva, Xavi, Fabregas, Torres and David Villa have got it in the bag, methinks.

I haven't fancied England's chances in a football tournament since 1998; I'd love it to happen, but I just don't see it.

England always do well, just not well enough.

Now I need to take a lie down to recover from Rhy's outburst.

[Fragony]

Last time a family tragedy of one of the players took out the joy, they absolutely destroyed Italy earlier. Enjoy your cup, had we let Romania win they would have been finito. We have a more offensive team then ever, if we get to dictate the pace down=you

[naut]

It's not true that there is one winner and 31 disappointed countries. That's too negative. With some luck, your team playes a few good games and then goes out against somebody whio's simply stronger. That is a good tournament. Plus you get to watch all the other teams, share in the excitement, pick some favourites.

It's all exciting, who cares if you win or not, or go out after three games or not. As long as you're not too rubbish, you'll live.
:bow:

[Beefy187]

Japan vs England test match friendly

1-2

Bad day for England. They suffered a early goal against and the two goals they managed to take was own goal.
I still love you England :kiss:

And pretty good effort by Japan. Just do what you did tonight and you might make it through :bow:

[tibilicus]

Today's friendly is another reason to be concerned in my book. Considering the calibre of some of our defenders it really is inexcusable that in today's game and in the various qualifiers leading up to the world cup our defence has been simply embarrassing. Players failing to mark their man and a lack of basic coordination is just the tip of it.

Personally I don't think we have the players or the form to go that far. If we make the semi-finals I'll consider it a good tournament. After all, this team isn't as good as the one from 2002 or even 2006. Our strike force is basically Rooney and lets not kid ourselves; whilst Crouch is arguably a good performer in the international game, he isn't exactly a Messi is he? After all, you only need to look at his league form to see this.

The fact Charragher has been brought out of retirement (considering his and Liverpool's form this season) and Capelo even wanted to bring Scholes back, who was always awful for England, it seems to be were not even capable of filling a squad full of players worth their ridiculous premiership pay checks for the World Cup.

Then again, maybe I'm just a pessimist..

[Rhyfelwyr]

Now I need to take a lie down to recover from Rhy's outburst.

Haha, I always supported England to lose. But we were talking about this issue in my history class, and the lecturer pointed out that English fans supported Scotland when England didn't make it to the WC in the 70's, so I've decided to support England, mostly to troll my parents that are Scottish nationalists...

[InsaneApache]

It's true, in 1978 I supported Scotland. I should have known better! They lose to Iran in the first game. :embarassed: :laugh4:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Yes, I was wondering what was up with some Scot rooting for 'the enemy'.



'ere you go, mate:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOO42jHw3-Y

[Moros]

Last time a family tragedy of one of the players took out the joy, they absolutely destroyed Italy earlier. Enjoy your cup, had we let Romania win they would have been finito. We have a more offensive team then ever, if we get to dictate the pace down=you

That's all nice and well if you actually can play in the tournament. Oh well with the rising talent Belgium has we might surprise next time. Now let's hope Lukaku will become as good as they say.

[Fragony]

Qualifying helps ;)

[Moros]

Qualifying helps ;)
Oh then that's what me must be doing wrong!

I said next time... If Lukaku (16 years old and already scoring in the Europa League - where we got quite a bit further than the Dutch teams - and being topscorer Belgium) and the two brothers Hazard (With Eden being only 19 and already chosen to be the second best player of League 1 and winning twice in a row best/most promising player of the league 1) keep growing and Dembele (Ti ta tovenaar!) picks up where he left the previous season we've got quite an attack. With Vermaelen (selected in the Premier league dream team and the revelation of Arsenal this year), Kompany (Man City) and Fellaini (Everton) who are still growing and getting better we'll have quite a good central defence of Premier League level with some very good subs that are still getting better each year as well (Jan Verthongen, Lombaerts, Alderweireld,...) . In front of that Defour (Why did he leave Genk :( ?), Witsel and possibly De Bruyne (fingers crossed). And there are many more talents on their way who seem to be of great caliber: Benteke, Boyata (Man City), Ritchie de laet (Man Utd with two other Belgians), Carcela, Mats Rits (16 year old GBA striker), Raman, Dennis de Praet,...

Perhaps Vandenborre actually get his act together by then (so much potential just a lack of will or something), remember the tight game against Spain which we sadly lost with 1-2 in the end, he was phenomenal. If he always played like that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Barcelona would be fighting each other over him. Okay that's perhaps a bit much, but really if he just used the talent he has...

Either way we'll see in 4 years time.

Edit:
Just to back up my words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zai4r5dU9kQ

[Fragony]

Sure would be fun to see Belgium kick some butt, enough quality. They think too much, most teams have developed a style of their own everybody knows his place. Good as individual talent may such teams will tear you apart. Italy is a good example it's a perfectly oiled machine. Sadly.

[naut]

I don't know if any of you are aware of Zonal Marking (http://www.zonalmarking.net/), the football tactics blog, but recently they've been running pieces on the national sides involved in the world cup. Very informative.

[naut]

Marca (http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html) has an excellent World Cup Calendar. :yes:

[Pannonian]

France is really just waiting for Blanc to take over. The ref will finish the blues off in the last group match against the home country.


Talking of finishing off, wasn't one of your captains shot for treason after France flopped in a World Cup?

[naut]

Bump.

Seems every tournament the ball gets criticised, but this year's ball seems to have substance behind the criticism.


I got my first look at the 2010 World Cup ball this morning as I watched the USA play against Australia in the Colonial Bowl and I have to say, it’s weird, it’s unpredictable, it dips faster than I’m used to, and it’s only going to benefit the weaker teams.

FIFA recently launched a scathing rebuttal of Brazil coach Dunga’s criticizm of the ball when their general secretary Jerome Valke said that Brazil was basically making excuses for their failure:




"And is it Brazil that says that because they are afraid that they will not make it and it will be due to the ball."



But it’s not just Brazil who have complained, other technically adept sides like Spain have also said that the ball is going to be a problem. These teams are used to hitting the ball a certain way and generating a certain spin, dip, and knuckle. With the new ball, this is reportedly easier to do. Clint Dempsey said he likes the new ball because you don’t have to hit it very well or even very hard to make it knuckle. Of course, he also said that any overcooked passes made the player look foolish because of their unpredictability.

In today’s game all three keepers looked unsure of how to deal with crosses and it’s not like they are amateurs. Marcus Hanneman was the best keeper in the Premier League in the second half of last season, Tim Howard played every league game for Everton, and Mark Scwarzer is a vastly experienced keeper at 38 years old yet none of them were able to deal with crosses which seemingly dipped and swerved erratically.

I’m thinking this new ball is going to be a huge advantage for teams with less adept players because an unpredictable ball is an advantage. We’ll probably see plenty of long range efforts that seriously test the keepers this Summer and you should bank on several weird upsets owing to the unpredictability of the ball.

It’s going to be a wild ride I suspect.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

So apparently they are only showing 10 games on network tv here...only one of the USA group games, half of the quarterfinal games, and neither of the semifinal games.

********.

[Moros]

So apparently they are only showing 10 games on network tv here...only one of the USA group games, half of the quarterfinal games, and neither of the semifinal games.

********.

You can probably stream them from the internet if you look around.

Edit: France lost from China, Italy dissapoints again. Not that surprised though. It looks like they might end up the same way as two years ago.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Edit: France lost from China, Italy dissapoints again. Not that surprised though. It looks like they might end up the same way as two years ago.Sure, we may have lost to China B, but we managed a 2-1 win over costa Rica!! And we kept Tunisia to a draw!!


Gah! Dissaray days before a World Cup is tradition for the French team. But this time, I do not see how the tide can be turned. There's no Zizou (pbuh) who can take charge, or Platini, no sense of group spirit, no sense of higher purpose as in 1984 or 1998. The games are getting progressively worse.

Spirits have been broken since the game against Ireland, and everybody is waiting for the end of Domenech's reign. As a result of both, there is no enthusiasm, no sense of destiny and purpose.

What should've happened, what could work, is the injustice having been done to France, or anger in the team over being underestimated by the fans. Or some such. You know, something to rally spirits around. That could work. But it is not there.


Desailly openly predicts that South Africa and Uruguay will progress to the next round. He might be right too.

[Pannonian]

Spirits have been broken since the game against Ireland, and everybody is waiting for the end of Domenech's reign. As a result of both, there is no enthusiasm, no sense of destiny and purpose.


I thought Domenech was done for in 2006. How the hell has he lasted this long, when he plainly doesn't have a clue?

Houllier back as coach, with Ginola as his assistant?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Blanc, the greatest living coach in Europe.

[Pannonian]

You didn't bite.

You still didn't answer the first question though, which was serious. How the hell has Domenech lasted this long when he looked patently clueless in 2006, and hasn't looked any better since?

[Louis VI the Fat]

You didn't bite.

You still didn't answer the first question though, which was serious. How the hell has Domenech lasted this long when he looked patently clueless in 2006, and hasn't looked any better since?Despite wicked foreign rumours to the contrary, Houllier has never been the coach of France before. After Michel, Jacquet took over, taking us directly from the glory days of the eighties to the dream team of the late nineties.


Domenech has managed on his handsome looks, courtesy of his Spanish ancestry:

https://img48.imageshack.us/img48/7098/domenech1wa9.jpg

[Wishazu]

I would love for England to do well this year but I'm not confident they will. I think the first game will go USA's way, we`ll finish 2nd in the group then get knocked out by Germany in the second round. :( I'm still hoping to be pleasantly surprised though...

[Secura]

Any Brits who missed it can catch World Cup's Most Shocking Moments on BBC iPlayer here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00snp1b/World_Cups_Most_Shocking_Moments/). Was pretty funny to watch, though Peter Crouch has all the charisma of a piece of wood.

For the non-Brits, the top 10 were:

10 - Accomplished spotkick takers Lampard and Gerrard missing penalties, England vs. Portugal, Germany '06
09 - Diana Ross' awful miming/penalty-taking performance during the opening ceremony The USA hosts a footballing tournament?!, USA '94
08 - Klinsmann perfects the art of diving, Italy '90
07 - Gascoigne's crying, England vs. Germany, Italy '90
06 - Ronaldo plays for Brazil despite having seizures prior to the final, Brazil vs. France, France '98
05 - Cristiano Ronaldo's winking, England vs. Portugal, Germany '06
04 - Rijkaard's spitting on Völler, Germany vs. The Netherlands, Italy '90
03 - The Hand of God, England vs. Argentina, Mexico '86
02 - Beckham's lashing-out after being fouled, England vs. Argentina, France '98
01 - Zidane's 'header', France vs. Italy, Germany '06

Typical British media tries to bring the national team down by highlighting the worst moments, and then wonders why they never do well? >.<

[Joooray]

Marca (http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html) has an excellent World Cup Calendar. :yes:

Two great links, Psycho. Much appreciated.

Though I'm not normally very patriotic, I will be looking forward to the performance of the German team. 'We' have suffered quite a bit of bad luck, injury wise, but the result is that we have a quite young team now which could play out both ways: they can do fantastic or they can be utterly defeated. I'm very optimistic that we will prevail in the group phase but when we are up against the likes of Argentina or Spain, I'm not sure how it will go.
A lot of drama is assured though and I hope my heart will survive, as there was a recent study in Germany that during the the 2006 world cup, heart attacks sky-rocketed. But than again, I'm still young. :wink:

[Sarmatian]

Two great links, Psycho. Much appreciated.

Though I'm not normally very patriotic, I will be looking forward to the performance of the German team. 'We' have suffered quite a bit of bad luck, injury wise, but the result is that we have a quite young team now which could play out both ways: they can do fantastic or they can be utterly defeated. I'm very optimistic that we will prevail in the group phase but when we are up against the likes of Argentina or Spain, I'm not sure how it will go.
A lot of drama is assured though and I hope my heart will survive, as there was a recent study in Germany that during the the 2006 world cup, heart attacks sky-rocketed. But than again, I'm still young. :wink:

In your dreams :D

[Joooray]

In your dreams :D

I have one word for you: Turniermannschaft! :smug:
Now, beg for mercy and face your inevitable defeat! :laugh4:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Serbia will be this tournaments surprise package. Provided, of course, they do not succumb to complacency about lack of in-fighting. ~;p



We need to get our bets in for the in-tournament game!! The pre-tournamnet bracket game decides who is the most knowledgable of all about world football. The in-game game decides who's got the best analytical skills, best intuitive sense of team psychology, best feel for the flow of a tournament.

The winner then gets to brag for two years, and gets to annoy lesser posters with his superior footy knowledge. Needless to say, this person is going to be me, and you will not hear the end of it after my inevitable victory.




First Day predictions:

South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/22px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/22px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png Mexico 1 - 1
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team) [/URL]


[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay_national_football_team"]Uruguay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_City) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/22px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_A#Uruguay_v_France) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png France 1 - 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team)



I still think thios group is the most open of all. It is anybody's for the taking. Odds of a boring and cowarldy nil - nil for Uru - Fra are just as high as the river plate wizards up front putting four past the world's most posh goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris

[Joooray]

Alright, Louis, I see your First Day predictions and I raise you:

South Africa :southafrica: 2 - 1 Mexico :mexico:


Uruguay :uruguay: 0 - 2 France :france:

I think SA will use the euphoria in the country to at least win the first match. Who knows, maybe Zuma had a tête-à-tête with the SA-captain and they will after all go on to win this thing, for the unity of the country. :wink:
Anyway, I dunno much about Uruguay, but I'll give France this one victory.

And two 1-1 on the first day? That'd be lame! :no:

[LittleGrizzly]

The winner then gets to brag for two years, and gets to annoy lesser posters with his superior footy knowledge. Needless to say, this person is going to be me, and you will not hear the end of it after my inevitable victory.

As I see it this person is still me until the final (when it becomes me again) so until then I shall be the Mourinho, Lippi, Ferguson, Hiddink and you can be.... Domenech ? ~;)

South Africa 1 - 2 Mexico

Uruguay 2-2 France

South Africa are going to be 0 pointers I feel, France possibly too good for Uruguay even disorganised and shambles, either draw or a france win not sure.

[Louis VI the Fat]

this person is still me until the final (when it becomes me again) so until then I shall be the Mourinho, Lippi, Ferguson, Hiddink and you can be.... Domenech ? ~;)Such indeed is the prerogative of one who has displayed superior football knowledge.


I demand to be henceforth quoted as 'Domenech VI', until such time as somebody has managed to dethrone Grizzly. This winner then gets to decide my new football thread name.

[Afonso I of Portugal]

South Africa 1 - Mexico 2

Mexico is far better and should be not too hard for them as the African side will try perform well...

France 0 - Uruguay 1

Diego Forlan will score...

[InsaneApache]

:southafrica: 0 :mexico: 1

:france: 0 :uruguay: 0

:balloon2:

[Ser Clegane]

South Africa - Mexico 1:1
Uruguay - France 1:2

[Jolt]

South Africa - Mexico 1 - 1
Uruguay - France 1 - 1

[johnhughthom]

Im going to keep track of this, points system:


Group stage game: 1 point for correct result, 3 for correct goal score.
16: 2 and 4 points
8: 3 and 5
4: 4 and 6
Semi: 5 and 8
Final: 10 and 15

Bonus Points:
5 for correct prediction of a hat-trick (-1 if it doesn't happen)
3 for correct prediction of sending off (-1 if it doesn't happen

Pre Tournament Predictions Bonus Points:
10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game. Disallowed goals, penalty awarded or not given, etc. Are you as imaginative as the ref?
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals. You get ten points in advance. Two points will be deducted for every goal he scores less, or more, than your prediction. Will he be quite as good or as bad as you think he is?
'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment. Telling reporters to XXX his XXX? Cocaine abuse? Red card?

[LeftEyeNine]

I guess I'll drop my match result predictions here. Here we go:

RSA 1 - 1 MEX
URU 1 - 1 FRA

And tomorrow:

ARG 0 - 0 NGA
KOR 1 - 1 GRE
ENG 3 - 2 USA

South Africa, having some prolific and experienced striker such as Benny McCarthy left out, would like to press on as much as they could being hosts and playing the opening match. However, as athletic as they may be on the flanks and creative in the center of the park, they lack as much when it comes to finishing chances. I say they could find the net on mental rush they'll be piled by the supporters yet the 23 from North America are no underdogs and Vela is one to watch especially in this tournament.

Uruguay, with one of the best upfront some national dream could ever dream of, are one of my shocker picks for WC '10. France is no more a team that sets up instant triangles to penetrate through the defences orchestrated by a genius like Zizou anymore and heavily supported by their solid centre backs, that's how they were the bulldozers of the new millennium. Domenech will have to handle more and more pressure which he already feels a lot and any slight mistake he or his team could make even during a match will end up with Les Bleus losing concentration. Yet first matches are rarely open to surprises when almost equal powers clash and I see this a draw with some fine spectacle.

Argentina is coached by a living proof of greatest-players-don't-make-great-coaches rule. I'm still amazed at the "ability" to leave out Cambiasso and Zanetti. The tournaments are run on a time constraint and it's quite probable that you may run into a series of injuries. I don't know if Zanetti ever played as a striker or a keeper what I'm sure of is that he can cover up any other area on the pitch like that mortar that Hagia Sophia owes its standing for centuries. Also Messi's cloak in white-sky blue jersey that has been hard to recognize so far is another question Argentina has to deal with. He is a tiny black hole that can suck up any hopes of any team and his level of performances will be a direct hit upwards if he ever manages it. Nigeria, on the other hand, this time, has a better upfront which is likely to change the impression "if he's African, he lacks technique". Their tandem of the defence looks prone to the exploitation of the swift and the agile. Still, Argentina, trying not to be criticized at the very first match and Nigeria looking to hold out La Albiceleste which would strengthen the chances for qualification from the group may end up with a draw if you ask me.

I can say South Korea is a better team with a lot of European competitiveness and experienced injected in, compared to their previous squads challenged in such tournaments. Such valuable features are concentrated particularly in the midfield and a midfield is what it takes to be the winners. Greece is the same old Greece with the "too-old"s having retired such as Dellas. You also can't expect any substantial change in the mentality since the Euro 2006 winner coach Otto Rehhagel is still in the director's seat. The choice of players strongly resembles their classic tactical approach to the game as well. "Smother, endure, float and head it".

My first most footy-fruitful prediction is yielded from the match-up of England versus USA. Rio Ferdinand is a great miss whereas I wouldn't want to take Dawson, Carragher and King lightly. The best may not be there but England squad is adequate enough to soothe the wound with better-than-the-most kind of center backs. But still coordination and harmonization among two center backs is like no other and I predict such first-time to cause a score like 3-2 thanks to USA seemingly learned FOOTBALL to a considerable extent. I'd like to see Jermaine Jones on the field running and biting around like Gattuso or Jing Su Park and I'd like to know if he's injured or something. Anyway, Dempsey is my favorite with some unlikely technique coming from across the ocean. Donovan is a #10 cut for such tournaments: gifted and experienced. USA lacks finishers yet the rest of the team is able to provide fruitful results that may allow football come into our minds along with basketball or baseball, when someone mentions the country.

Thanks for not reading this. :smoking:

[InsaneApache]

Thanks for not reading this.

I read it mate, I read it. :smash:

[Louis VI the Fat]

10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
David Villa

5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
Quarterfinals.

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game.
Red card and free kick just outside the penalty box for SA, in the 70th minute.

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
Racist infighting.

The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals.
One measly field goal. And one penalty.

'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.
A tired and overused Messi will be used in a role that requires him running and working for the team, thereby neutralising the world's most gifted player.

[Ser Clegane]

'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.


I am looking forward to another press conference where he ... uhm ... asks journalists for sexual favours.

Actually I think I would pay money to see the reactions if our coach did a press conference like that...

[Joooray]

10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
Van Persie
5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
Quarterfinals.
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game.
Off-side goal given.
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
Bitch-fight.
The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals. You get ten points in advance. Two points will be deducted for every goal he scores less, or more, than your prediction. Will he be quite as good or as bad as you think he is?
3 cocky ones.
'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.
Send off the field in quarter-final against Germany for behaving like a maniac inside the coaching zone.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Does anyone know from where I could get the schedule of the matches?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Marca (http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html) has an excellent World Cup Calendar. :yes:



https://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5486/59842973.jpg

[Pannonian]

Serbia will be this tournaments surprise package.

Serbia surprised me last time round, especially against Argentina.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Thank you Louis.

This means I can't watch any of the matches from June 14th to June 18th. Also, I'll miss the first quarterfinals as well. I hope nothing interesting happens during those games.

I was especially waiting those Swiss games.. Oh well.. :shrug:

[LeftEyeNine]

I read it mate, I read it. :smash:

He read it and he'is richer than you now. :smoking:

First prediction is bullseye. Let's see what's next in the group.

Whom to single out:

Tshabalala, Gaxa, Mphela, Dos Santos, Blanco

[Marshal Murat]

I'm going to give a thumbs up for South Africa. I'm currently extremely biased (I've had the Koolaid to put it simply). A lucky call, they got a goal, they kept it close with a team that is far-and-above them. Had Madiba been there it would've worked out with at least a 10-1 game :idea2: with Matt Damon suddenly appearing on the field. Hopefully they'll keep it up and get to the quarter finals on a wing-and-a-prayer.

I'm not too sure about Uruguay vs. France. I'm hoping that Uruguay will give France the "what-for" but we'll see what happens. Now I will leave and begin to throw all my tea-bags into the sink to get ready for the US-England game.

[Secura]

10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
Fernando Torres

5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
They won't; narrow loss against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game.
South Africa won't progress, a World Cup first.

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
The pressure will get to them in the end.

The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals.
Group of Death, potential Ro16 game against Spain... I'd say he'll score two in total.

'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.
Maradona goes mental to the cameras, is tested positive for drugs and shipped off home, just like USA '94. :laugh4:

[johnhughthom]

Day one scores:
Louis: 4
Joooray: 0
LittleGrizzly: 1
Afonso I of Portugal: 0
Insane Apache: 3
Ser Clegane: 3
Jolt: 4
LEN: 4

[LeftEyeNine]

2 out of 2 with scores spot on. Inkredibilz. :smoking:

[Joooray]

Okay, that was awful, both my performance this round, as well as the game between URU and France. What a waste of time.

Anyway, I was quite pleased with the performance of RSA. If they keep that up, they might just make it to the finals. But then again, with France being in a position that they'll have to win the next games not to fall off grace entirely and Uruguay being strengthen by holding up to France, it still gonna be difficult for South Africa.
But it seems Louis' prediction will come true and this group is going to be a close one.

[gaelic cowboy]

I'm going to remain silent on the Hand of Frog's handball claim :stare: tonight


On a lighter note yea South Africa pity about the equaliser who left those two men inside.

[Louis VI the Fat]

That was the worst handball I've ever seen! Clear penalty there.

I was sooo hoping for Henry to make a complete stink out of it! :laugh4:


Other than that, a waste of time. Pity there were less than ten minutes left after that chap was sedn off. Could've made a goal there if given more time.

I see my two draw predictions - shamelessly copy-paste by lesser Gods such as as LEN - were spot on.



Tomorrow:

Korea Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_Republic_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/22px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/22px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png Greece 0 - 0
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece_national_football_team)
Argentina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/22px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/22px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png Nigeria 1 - 0 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_national_football_team)

Teh biggie:

England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Flag_of_England.svg/22px-Flag_of_England.svg.png [/URL]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_men%27s_national_soccer_team"]United States 2 - 1
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_C#England_v_United_States)

[LittleGrizzly]

Korea 0 - 0 Greece

Argentina 2-1 Nigeria

England 3-0 USA

10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
Rooney

5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
They won't

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game.
South Africa will go out on 1 point

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
Tense game against a team of similar skill in extra time or penaltys

The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals.
3

'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.
umm...

He will copy robbie fowlers snorting the line trick!

[naut]

Typical British media tries to bring the national team down by highlighting the worst moments, and then wonders why they never do well? >.<
They're just preparing you for the inevitable moment when Rooney skies it.

[naut]

Was away yesterday...

Korea Republic :southkorea: 1 - 1 :greece: Greece

Argentina :argentina: 1 - 1 :nigeria: Nigeria

England :england: 3 - 1 :usa: United States

10 bonus points for tournament top scorer.
Luis Fabiano

5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties.
Semi-Finals

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game.
FIFA will ensure that France draws with Mexico, allowing South Africa to steal the second spot in the group.

5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically.
Against Brazil. Brazil will score 2 quick counter-attacking goals (ala Mourinho style play)

The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals.
A big 1.

'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment.
Willie Gallas sent off against South Africa, allowing them to score an equalising penalty.

[Sarmatian]

Serbia surprised me last time round, especially against Argentina.

That was Serbia and Montenegro and it is a general consensus in Serbia that it was in fact Montenegro that conceded 6 goals while Serbia managed to secure a 0:0 draw :D.

Demands of an enormous sex life stopped me from posting yesterday but for today:

Korea - Greece 0:0

Argentina Nigeria 3:1

England - USA 2:0

[InsaneApache]

:southkorea: 2 :greece: 0

:argentina: 2 :nigeria: 0

:england: 2 :unitedstates: 0

:balloon2:

[Secura]

:southkorea: 1 :greece: 0

:argentina: 2 :nigeria: 0

:england: 2 :unitedstates: 0

[Ser Clegane]

Saturday
South Korea - Greece 0:1
Argentina - Nigeria 2:2
England - USA 3:1

Sunday
Algeria - Slovenia 1:1
Serbia - Ghana 2:2
Germany - Australia 3:1

[Romanic]

:southkorea: 1 :greece: 1

:argentina: 2 :nigeria: 0

:england: 3 :unitedstates: 1


Blargh, I thought predictions were only made in the other thread. I'm starting 4 points behind, I'll have to :smash: my way up.

************
Edit:

Is it too late to fill those?

Pre Tournament Predictions Bonus Points:
10 bonus points for tournament top scorer. Robinho
5 bonus points for predicting at which stage England goes out on penalties. Quarters
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which, FIFA will help South Africa progress in their final group game. Disallowed goals, penalty awarded or not given, etc. Are you as imaginative as the ref? Not calling an obvious offside leading to a goal
5 bonus points for predicting the manner in which the Dutch will collapse psychologically. 0-3 vs Brazil in Quarters
The Ronaldo game: predict his number of goals. You get ten points in advance. Two points will be deducted for every goal he scores less, or more, than your prediction. Will he be quite as good or as bad as you think he is? Two
'Dear oh dear' 3 point bonus: predict a Maradona 'dear oh dear' moment. Telling reporters to XXX his XXX? Cocaine abuse? Red card? Gah!

[Joooray]

Well, I'm to late for South Korea vs. Greece, but for completions sake I else where predicted a 1-0.

Anyway, for the other two games, I'd say:

:argentina: 2 - :nigeria: 1
:england: 3 - :unitedstates: 1

[Rhyfelwyr]

Looks like Enyeama spolied things for all those predicting for Argentina to get a few...

As for tonight, I'll go with...

:england: 3 :unitedstates: 0

[Sasaki Kojiro]

:unitedstates: 2 :england: 1


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMRMW1FXSHw

[LeftEyeNine]

Jeez, should England fail to beat Yankees, I'll turn into a tomato paste godling.

I missed about 50 mins of S. Korea - Greece match but watched the rest. Oh boy, what an awful sight to behold is Greece's teamplay. Even Carpathian clubs with semi-amateur players do not play such a "baloon the ball into the area and let the chances speak" kind of play. Great win for the most experienced and ever-improving Asians of the tournament.

Singling out names for Argentina - Nigeria: Enyeama for his incredible positioning and cold nerves, Haruna for being a powerhouse in the midfield and Kalu for his stunning flair. Oh, and Gutierrez for being so plain and Maradona for playing a left winger as a right back having left out Zanetti.

[LeftEyeNine]

Dempsey !

Dempsey !

Dempsey !

Dempsey !

Dempsey !

Dempsey !



I could never imagine that one day I'd scream "GOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL !!! RRRRAAAAWWWRR !!!" for USA. Yeah, it's some Green effect that led to this but DEMPSEY ANYWAY !

[GeneralHankerchief]

W00t, tie score! The people calling the game, at least in the USA, were all over Green for that goal. They didn't give Dempsey any credit at all. Said something to the effect of "schoolboys don't make that mistake".

I don't care, I'll take it. :smoking:

[Reenk Roink]

Just saw the youtube video of the goal... :laugh4:

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
TOUCHDOWN TOUCHDOWN TOUCHDOWN

We're even good at the sports we're not good at! :beam: That goalie is gonna get killed.

[Gregoshi]

England should Yank Green. That was terrible.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

No matter. England will win anyway! :england:

[Reenk Roink]

https://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6176/23087171.jpg (https://img143.imageshack.us/i/23087171.jpg/)

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

[Marshal Murat]

As one of the ESPN guys said, "A mature performance" :unitedstates:

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Excellent...although, didn't we tie italy in the last world cup and then not make it out of the group? But I think we were in a rougher group that year.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Did anyone (besides Sasaki) here predict a tie or a win for the US?
:beam:

CR

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Well, it's not like I was going to predict a loss. But the 3:0 england predictions were a bit odd. Mine was only a goal post off at least.

[Gregoshi]

So does this mean the US has won the World Cup thingy? :2thumbsup:

Sorry, had to play the Dumb American.

Football is a frustrating game to watch. So many nicely setup attacks get turned away before a shot, those that aren't turned away rarely seem to yield a shot that is actually on net, and those that are on net too often seem to be right at the goalie/goaler/whatever-the-heck-you-call-the-position. And even more frustrating is that my body english doesn't help control the ball movement one bit. :laugh4: The game does look fantastic in HD though. :thumbsup:

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Yeah, I think if they ever want the sport to be popular they need to do something to increase the level of scoring. Maybe allow people to start their fists (not hands) to knock the ball in.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Yeah, I think if they ever want the sport to be popular they need to do something to increase the level of scoring. Maybe allow people to start their fists (not hands) to knock the ball in.

Yeah.. And later we should name it footfistball.

Edit: No wait.. You Americans already have it. :tongue:

[Gregoshi]

Yeah, I think if they ever want the sport to be popular they need to do something to increase the level of scoring. Maybe allow people to start their fists (not hands) to knock the ball in.
Yeah, just imagine football being wildly popular all over the world!

Back to the game, England really put the pressure on in the second half. For what seemed like an eternity, the action was focused really tight around the US net.

Another random observation: the English team looked rather on the old side, at least compared to the US players. Almost made me want to cheer for the old guys (being one myself).

[LeftEyeNine]

Today, I was thinking that "that's what beautiful about football and what not about basketball is. It doesn't have to be a score, you can even get thrilled by a player whirling around himself with an elegant touch in front of his own box or a ball deflected from a goalie". Now I can see that perceptions are what makes preferences so different from one another. Greg gets frustrated over what I can say I would like to live more to see more of it.




This is no basketball, guys. Goals are the fruits of it, but the tree itself is a beauty for the eyes already. :smoking:

[Reenk Roink]

After seeing the first goal I turned on the game, and even though England was pressuring hard, I still found it to be really boring. Just not for me. :shrug: The goal however, is incredibly awesome. :beam:

[Viking Prince]

USA ot lucky, but then -- does England deserve to move on with this performance.?

[gaelic cowboy]

That had to be the most inept performance by Eng I saw in a long time tonight. They will have to sort out midfield and quick Lampard and Gerrard are not workin as a team there not demanding the ball or dominating the midfield.

Fair play :applause: to the USA they had some nice touchs and they could have won if Altidore had a more fortunate bounce off the upright in second half.

[Louis VI the Fat]

England shall have to up its game. What a disappointment. so much for Capello the Tactical Genius. Capello not only failed to solve the key to England greatness: how to make Lampard and Gerrard complement each other, but managed to add to the problem by letting Rooney drop back and add to the problem by getting in the way.

Rooney should perhaps play as a lone striker. Certainly much closer to goal.

England reminded me a bit of France under Domenech - no urgency, no clue, lack of creativity, genuine talent that's wasted. The will is there, the means have not been found. Too much tactics, too little intuitive fun.



Howard is the world's best English speaking goalkeeper. Excellent. Shame about Green. Once again, lack of a decent goalkeeper is going to cost England dearly. Still, England had a full sixty minutes to do something about it. Can't just put the blame a Green alone.

My boy Donovan is great, but not decisive today. I'm counting on his putting two or three past Algeria.

Well done to the Yanks - they are always a delight to have at a World Cup. There's always some sensation or another coming from them.

[Gregoshi]

Today, I was thinking that "that's what beautiful about football and what not about basketball is...
Don't get me wrong LEN, the footwork and body control is simply amazing - however, that isn't what wins the game. And you are right about basketball - one basket in a basketball game is totally meaningless, no matter how spectacular the shot/dunk was. However, more scores like in hockey might do the trick. Or maybe a smaller field so there is more action around the nets. ...And I realize I'm probably talking blasphemy to you football fans. Sorry.

I'll try to watch a little more of the World Cup this time around and maybe I can catch the fever too. :2thumbsup:

[Ferret]

I disagree Louis, I thought it was a strong performance that lacked only finishing. We had plenty of creativity from our wingers and from Rooney and there is no way you can compare England to the shambles that is France at the moment. We played well the only negatives from that game were the result, Green's mistake and Heskey's woeful finishing.

And we do have a quality keeper in Hart, I can't understand why he didn't get more play time earlier, I think he should be number one.

I also thought the pace of Findley was more of a threat than Donovan too, but the USA was very very lucky to get a point from that.

[Hosakawa Tito]

So England played down to our level? Aren't ties like kissing your sister? How do they determine which team moves on to the next round? Help a Yank out here...

[gaelic cowboy]

Capello not only failed to solve the key to England greatness: how to make Lampard and Gerrard complement each other, but managed to add to the problem by letting Rooney drop back and add to the problem by getting in the way.

Englands midfield is a pairing not designed to build an attack but two out an out finishers of the ball this is not good enough.

England will not make the semifinals now say it quietly but they may be second qualifiers now if they do that again.

[gaelic cowboy]

So England played down to our level? Aren't ties like kissing your sister? How do they determine which team moves on to the next round? Help a Yank out here...

Both teams are on the same points but Eng are top of group probably due to there international seeding. I would not be a bit surprised to see US beat the other teams by more goals than Eng now after that anything could happen now

[gaelic cowboy]

We played well the only negatives from that game were the result, Green's mistake

No way man the midfield debacle has to be sorted out and fast thats the main problem, Green just had a bad day at the office but midfield is the real problem

[Rhyfelwyr]

Poor Green... poor England with goalkeepers in general.

They commentators were discussing the possibility of putting James on after half-time... yeah, because he would never make a howler! :laugh4:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Greg - it is about the flow of the game. Teams that dominate entire periods of the game, others that are pushed back. Or sometimes let themselves be pushed back to win on the counterattack. This is where the tension is.

The low number of goals greatly add to the drama - you can dominate most of the game, and still lose by one single action. It's what makes the game so tense. Everything can change at a whim.

The American team was very mature tonight. No panic after England threatened to overrun them at the start. Trying their luck with a long distance shot when it was needed. Realising in second half that one point was the best result they were going to get and stalling for time while falling back on defense.


Hosa:

Try wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup

America is in a group of four teams. All four temas play each other once, for a total of three games. The two best teams progress to the next round, which is a simple knock-out format.



I thought it was a strong performance that lacked only finishing. We had plenty of creativity from our wingers and from Rooney and there is no way you can compare England to the shambles that is France at the moment. We played well the only negatives from that game were the result, Green's mistake and Heskey's woeful finishing.

And we do have a quality keeper in Hart, I can't understand why he didn't get more play time earlier, I think he should be number one.

I also thought the pace of Findley was more of a threat than Donovan too, but the USA was very very lucky to get a point from that. Wingers? You mean like that disastrous Wright-Phillips?

England was not a complete mess - America simply is a good team, that played a mature game. There was a gaffe by Green, but let's not forget how Dempsey turned away from Gerrard as if he was not even there, to get a great unblocked line up for the shot. Gaffes are enforced, certainly with this unpredictable ball. You have to set yourself up, hit that ball hard and precise, to look for that gaffe. It is not mere luck. Then you need to benefit from it, carry the result to the final whistle. America never did look in a whole lot of trouble after the equaliser.

All is not lost for England, that much is true. Even so, England will have to seriously up its game if it's going to try for any more ambitious result than an anonymous quarterfinal exit.

There were several high crosses to that semi-midget Rooney, and none anymore after Crouch got on. Something didn't add up there, I thought. :balloon2:

[Louis VI the Fat]

I didn't see the other two games of earlier today, just the highlights.

Greece was rubbish. Still they have yet to win a point at a WC, or even score a goal. I don't see how they are going to accomplish either this time round.

Argentina looked alright. There was some fun in the team, inspiration. The players felt free. The Argentinians, contrary to the nation's image, are well disciplined and organised, have an absolute will to win. Always mixing it with genuinely great technical football. Oh, how love them! I hope they go all the way. Maradona may yet prove to be an inspiration more than a detriment after all. That is, if he manages to keep his cool for an entire month. He might still come to regret leaving half of Inter at home.



Algeria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/22px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png 1 - 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_C#Algeria_v_Slovenia)https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png Slovenia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia_national_football_team)
Serbia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png 1 - 0 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_D#Serbia_v_Ghana) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/22px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png Ghana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_national_football_team)
Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/22px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 2 - 0 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_D#Germany_v_Australia) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_national_association_football_team)

[LeftEyeNine]

Hosakawa-san, if you win you get 3 points, if it's a tie, both teams share 1 point each. At the end of the matches, obviously, such tiny little points can cumulate to something meaningful, actually many giant teams who win the cup eventually (or end up as runner-ups), qualify from group stages by those draw points. There even is a mentality that many coaches follow: "If you can't win, don't lose then".

[gaelic cowboy]

England was not a complete mess - America simply is a good team, that played a mature game. There was a gaffe by Green, but let's not forget how Dempsey turned away from Gerrard as if he was not even there, to get a great unblocked line up for the shot. Gaffes are enforced, certainly with this unpredictable ball. You have to set yourself up, hit that ball hard and precise, to look for that gaffe. It is not mere luck. Then you need to benefit from it, carry the result to the final whistle. America never did look in a whole lot of trouble after the equaliser.

England had plenty ball but they gave away a lot of soft ball far too often, a top team with a world class finisher would have buried Eng tonight fact.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Thank you LEN, now I can see the strategy implications in the draws. There must be tie-breakers involved then, like goals scored and/or allowed? Does strength of schedule or seeding come into play for tie-breakers?

[LeftEyeNine]

Tie-breakers are prioritized:

1st: The result of the match between the teams that need a tie break.

Example:

Argentina 7 pt.
S. Korea 4 pt.
Greece 4 pt.
Nigeria 1 pt.

In that imaginary case S. Korea and Greece would need a tie-breaker and the first one to be looked up would be the result of the match between the two teams. Since S. Korea, today, has beaten Greece 2-0, S. Korea would qualify.

2nd: Goal differences of the teams that need a tie-break.

Example:

Take the case above with the same points but assume the results so that S. Korea and Greece had a draw (1-1, 0-0, 5-5, whatever). Then since obviously the 1st tie-breaker is not viable, the goal differences of the two teams would be taken into consideration. Say, S. Korea scored 4 and conceded 1 and Greece scored 2 and conceded 1. That would disqualify Greece since S. Korea had a better goal dif..

3rd: Total number of goals of the teams that need a tie-break.

Same case, as above, S. Korea scored 5 and conceded 2, hence a goal dif. of 3. And Greece scored 4 and conceded 1 whereas the same goal dif. occurs. In that case S. Korea having scored more goals than Greece would make it to the round of 16.

From this point on, if they still need a tie-breaker, I guess fair-play counts and other statistics join in.

[Joooray]

Thank you LEN, now I can see the strategy implications in the draws. There must be tie-breakers involved then, like goals scored and/or allowed? Does strength of schedule or seeding come into play for tie-breakers?

According to Wikipedia the tie, tiebreakers are: first is goal difference, then total goals scored, then head-to-head results, and finally drawing of lots (i.e., determining team positions at random).

In regard to the game (ENG-US), I only saw the last 20 minutes or so, and England's performance look absolutely horrible. No inspiration by any means, little to no ambition to actually win the game and some horrible misplaced passes. Also I have to disagree with you, Louis, I thought that the US team was not just trying to preserve the tie, but were playing rather aggressive and seem to believe there was more possible than the tie.

Edit: Oh well, LEN bet me to it.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Nice explanation LEN. A very intricate system indeed, where one bad game, one bad goal, one foolish penalty could cost the team a tie-breaker. Thanks for improving my understanding of the game. :bow:

[Hosakawa Tito]

According to Wikipedia the tie, tiebreakers are: first is goal difference, then total goals scored, then head-to-head results, and finally drawing of lots (i.e., determining team positions at random).

In regard to the game (ENG-US), I only saw the last 20 minutes or so, and England's performance look absolutely horrible. No inspiration by any means, little to no ambition to actually win the game and some horrible misplaced passes. Also I have to disagree with you, Louis, I thought that the US team was not just trying to preserve the tie, but were playing rather aggressive and seem to believe there was more possible than the tie.

Edit: Oh well, LEN bet me to it.

Thanks Jooray. I find it odd that head-to-head isn't the first tie-breaker, but then I guess the goal differential & total goals scored gives more weight to the over-all team performance and dampens the one bad game effect.

[tibilicus]

Truly appalling play tonight.

Latest odds for England: Qualify second in the group and then knocked out in the round of 16. USA finish top on goal difference.

[Louis VI the Fat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85AeTKyk-To&feature=player_embedded

What..? And they say Euros lose all sense of perspective over a game of football. :laugh4:


Love that frontpages by the Sun:

https://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4847/thesunworldcup2010.jpg

:laugh4:

[gaelic cowboy]

Best analysis I ever saw of Englands team


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH-d_1Btgr4

[Hosakawa Tito]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai5Xr_bugdw&feature=player_embedded

:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:

[drone]

The US defense was too slow, but generally were able to help each other out. Heskey gave them fits, but couldn't finish. Rooney got shut down for the most part. Howard was strong in goal. I was pleasantly surprised that we could hold the ball for stretches, but apart from the Altidore attempt, I don't think we had the ball inside the box for the whole game. And Green is going to hear about this for a looong time. Can't wait to see the Slovenia-Algeria match tomorrow, be curious to see what we have in front of us.

Of the other matches today. Greece looked absolutely dire, SK cut them apart. Maybe they are distracted by their financial crisis. Argentina-Nigeria was fun, Enyeama made some tremendous saves, but Nigeria did not look very good. I figured the Argies would put in at least 3.

[Pannonian]

Thanks Jooray. I find it odd that head-to-head isn't the first tie-breaker, but then I guess the goal differential & total goals scored gives more weight to the over-all team performance and dampens the one bad game effect.

With so few games being played, if two teams finish level on points, they are quite likely to have also drawn in their inter-match, so head to head isn't a great way of differentiating them.

Have a look at this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988%E2%80%9389_in_English_football) for famous tiebreakers.

[pevergreen]

I get the feeling that the seeming complacency that we have for our national team is going to fade away pretty fast. I have a bad feeling Australia won't make it past the group stage.

Oh well, I've been barracking for Brazil for 12 years anyway. :yes:

[Fragony]

This remains the best WC add ever http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/19915/4dc48700/der_g_nther.html

He isn't even German irl, it's worse he's French, pretty sure he's the actor in a French movie called 'White skin' when translated to English. It's about vampires who crave sperm, weird

[LeftEyeNine]

Almost everyone is underestimating the entertainment awating due to the not-so-good reputation both teams have but I assure you that Algeria - Slovenia will be a great one to watch.

[Joooray]

:algeria: 2 - :slovenia: 2
:serbia: 2 - :ghana: 0
:germany: 3 - :australia: 1

Go, Germany!! :jumping: :sweatdrop:

[Romanic]

https://forums.totalwar.org/images/smilies/flags/algeria.gif :algeria: 1 - :slovenia: 2
:serbia: 1 - :ghana: 0
:germany: 2 - :australia: 0

[Pannonian]

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/MAR-Peeves/Muslims.png

[Pannonian]

Today, I was thinking that "that's what beautiful about football and what not about basketball is. It doesn't have to be a score, you can even get thrilled by a player whirling around himself with an elegant touch in front of his own box or a ball deflected from a goalie". Now I can see that perceptions are what makes preferences so different from one another. Greg gets frustrated over what I can say I would like to live more to see more of it.


The beauty of international football, that the US is only beginning to wake up to, is the opportunity to play out historical rivalries and conflicts on the sporting field with much banter but little fallout. This is especially true for England, as we've been warring with most of the world at one point or another. Germany is another favourite opponent for many countries, especially in the Euro Championships. Simon Kuiper writes about the Dutch anguish at being knocked out by Germany in Euro 92, which turned to joy when Germany were beaten in the final by Denmark, another of the countries they'd occupied in WW2.

There was another story about a match between Niger and Botswana. One team was technically excellent, but their players fell to the ground at the slightest contact. The other team was robust, but relied on crude long ball tactics. Watching this, Kuiper noted that one could tell which used to be a French colony and which used to be a British colony.

[johnhughthom]

Scores:

Louis: 7
Insane Apache: 7
Jolt: 4
LEN: 4
Ser Clegane: 3
Little Grizzly: 2
Secura: 2
Sarmatian: 1
Romanic: 1
Joooray: 1
Psycho: 0
Sasaki: 0
Rhyfelwyr: 0
Afonso: 0

[InsaneApache]

Damn I missed the KO. :embarassed: bugger.

Wont count but Algeria 1 Slovenia 2

Serbia 2 Ghana 0

Germany 3 Oz 0.

Note to self: Don't take so much time over luncheon in future. :no:

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Condolences to the UK fans. While I'm happy to take a draw, I am sure the "how" of the draw was disappointing to the UK'ers.

Note: PLEASE do not react to that goalie's mis-cue like some Colombians did (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981082,00.html).

[Sarmatian]

I'm also of the opinion that both Serbia and Germany will win.

Serbia Ghana 2:1
Germany Australia 2:0

[naut]

Serbia :serbia: 1 - 2 :ghana: Ghana
Germany :germany: 2 - 0 :australia: Australia

[Pannonian]

Condolences to the UK fans. While I'm happy to take a draw, I am sure the "how" of the draw was disappointing to the UK'ers.

Note: PLEASE do not react to that goalie's mis-cue like some Colombians did (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981082,00.html).

We don't blame English goalkeepers for embarrassing blunders. We just wonder why the sadistic gods have inflicted Paul Robinson, Scott Carson and Robert Green on us. The goalkeeper we thought would be first choice is David James, who is nicknamed "Calamity" for his habit of screwing up under pressure.

[naut]

Almost everyone is underestimating the entertainment awating due to the not-so-good reputation both teams have but I assure you that Algeria - Slovenia will be a great one to watch.
Ugh, seems you are wrong on that call so far. Eye-bleedingly boring stuff in the first 45.

[Romanic]

A draw against USA isn't so bad, England will advance if they beat Slovenia and Algeria. I hope Capello will keep Green on the starting 11, give the man a chance to redeem himself.

[LeftEyeNine]

I agree I have been wrong so far. :/

Let's hope the second half will evolve into something watchable at least.

[Pannonian]

Ugh, seems you are wrong on that call so far. Eye-bleedingly boring stuff in the first 45.
From the Guardian MBM commentary (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/13/world-cup-2010-algeria-slovenia-live):

28 min: "This is the longest pre-game warm up I've ever seen," yawns Dale Ward, as Rafik Djebbour chases gamely after an overhit cross.

GOAL! A GOAL! A REAL, ACTUAL GOAL! NOT JUST A SHOT BUT A GOAL! A GOAL! Algeria 0 Slovenia 1 (Koren, 79min) Koren shoots from 20 yards and the goalkeeper absolutely RobertGreens it into the net.

[Romanic]

That goal should have been saved, that was poor goalkeeping by the Algerian GK.

[Ronin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5zVgBWfXxg

for Christ's sake....can´t someone make those things stop???

[Gregoshi]

for Christ's sake....can´t someone make those things stop???
I gather these were the things making the constant, annoying drone (no offense drone) during the UK/USA game yesterday? I can understand sounding them off if something good or exciting happens, but constantly?!

[gaelic cowboy]

The vuvuwhatyeamcallit's should be banned there taking away from the atmosphere of the games. :furious3:

Where are the songs the brass bands the beating of the drums the chants are all drowned under the DRONE.

I predict twill be the last world cup in Africa for a long time after this lark. :thumbsdown:

[Sasaki Kojiro]

I don't mind the vuvuzela's...I mind having to watch the games on a spanish online stream because they aren't broadcast (they are showing infomercials and some show called "say goodbye to bad hair").

But, I did learn that the spanish word for Germany is "Ale-Mania".

[LeftEyeNine]

I'm with gaelic cowboy there. Last night since it was a match between two teams that had nothing to do with the continent of Africa, vuvuzelas were the rarest you could hear playing and I remember myself trying to accompany as the brass band played, IIRC, "España Cañi" at some point.

You could be listening to the crowd in the previous World Cup tournaments when you felt like it or the match turned awfully boring just like how ALG - SLO did today, however thanks to those meaningless neverending vuvuzela cries, watching a match in this tournament is no different than putting your head into a bee hive.

[Joooray]

I predict twill be the last world cup in Africa for a long time after this lark. :thumbsdown:

I don't think you should predict something like that, just because of the way people celebrate in SA. If the atmosphere is good, the people are safe and are having fun, why shouldn't there be another world cup on that continent. And it won't be a lark, only because of the vuvuzelas. I personally don't mind them much, I prefer the normal stadium atmosphere, but at least there is something happening. Also, in my opinion if that's the way they do it SA, let them do it, the World Cup is mainstreamed enough even without them banning vuvuzelas.

[gaelic cowboy]

watching a match in this tournament is no different than putting your head into a bee hive.

:yes:

The best thing about actually attending a world cup is the chanting the songs etc I would say the few hardy fans who made the trip are seriously annoyed.

Another thing just think on this when Brazil take the field soon the famous samba will be drowned under the vuvu's

[gaelic cowboy]

I don't think you should predict something like that, just because of the way people celebrate in SA. If the atmosphere is good, the people are safe and are having fun, why shouldn't there be another world cup on that continent. And it won't be a lark, only because of the vuvuzelas. I personally don't mind them much, I prefer the normal stadium atmosphere, but at least there is something happening. Also, in my opinion if that's the way they do it SA, let them do it, the World Cup is mainstreamed enough even without them banning vuvuzelas.

Fifa are nothing if not money grabbers, they are determined to have another USA world cup and maybe China and the tv companies are getting complaints everyday on the sound at matches. TV rules and by tv I mean European tv trust me Fifa wont allow it again

[Hosakawa Tito]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMx12nERia0&feature=player_embedded

Some of the commercials are hysterical. Is this like the commercial contest the NFL Super Bowl has morphed into?

[Ser Clegane]

Predictions for Monday:

Netherlands - Denmark 2:0
Japan - Cameroon 1:1
Italy - Paraguay 0:0

[Ronin]

I don't mind the vuvuzela's...I mind having to watch the games on a spanish online stream because they aren't broadcast (they are showing infomercials and some show called "say goodbye to bad hair").

But, I did learn that the spanish word for Germany is "Ale-Mania".

I have link to a site with English comentary...check your PM box.

[johnhughthom]

Condolences to the UK fans.


UK/USA game

:inquisitive:

:no:

[drone]

Egads, Teutonic efficiency. Whoever finishes 2nd in the English/US group is in for it.

Slovenia-Algeria. Boring for the most part. Algeria had flashes of individual flair, but neither side looked interested in the offensive third. Slovenia are in a good spot though, US and England will need to win their next games. The best thing about Algeria was the hair. Magnifique!

Serbia-Ghana was a much more interesting match. Both sides were moving well, making runs, entertaining. Ruined by two mental blunders by the Serbs. What was Kuzmanovic thinking? :inquisitive:

[Sarmatian]

Egads, Teutonic efficiency. Whoever finishes 2nd in the English/US group is in for it.

Slovenia-Algeria. Boring for the most part. Algeria had flashes of individual flair, but neither side looked interested in the offensive third. Slovenia are in a good spot though, US and England will need to win their next games. The best thing about Algeria was the hair. Magnifique!

Serbia-Ghana was a much more interesting match. Both sides were moving well, making runs, entertaining. Ruined by two mental blunders by the Serbs. What was Kuzmanovic thinking? :inquisitive:

Algeria Slovenia was extremely boring, I agree but I didn't find Serbia-Ghana much more interesting. No imagination, no creativity, no ideas. Antic messed up tactically in my opinion. Lukovic is a left back, not centre back. He was to blame for 2 out of 3 goals we conceded against Cameroon. Why he decided to play him again in a position he played only once (and was poor) is beyond my comprehension. He was again quite poor and to top it all, two fouls for which he received yellow cards weren't really needed.

Kuzmanovic idiocy (there are no other words for it - probably robbed us all chances of qualifying for the second round) is beyond words. Not raising your arms above your head is something he should have been thought at junior level, especially when there is absolutelly no danger. Idiot.

Germany trounced Ostraliyah, as expected...

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Germany vs Australia was the best game so far! Go Germany!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Wow, Germany v Australia was easily the best game so far. Very exciting to watch on offense.

[Marshal Murat]

I honestly didn't really like the German - Australian game. Germany was the brilliant machine that I expected, Australia was disconnected and impotent. I think that Australia's players definitely weren't all there in the game, the Germans far more aggressive than the Australians. I felt that the Germany - Australia game could've been what the US - England game wasn't. This seemingly shows that Germans are simply more refined Englishmen.

[Moros]

I honestly didn't really like the German - Australian game. Germany was the brilliant machine that I expected, Australia was disconnected and impotent. I think that Australia's players definitely weren't all there in the game, the Germans far more aggressive than the Australians. I felt that the Germany - Australia game could've been what the US - England game wasn't. This seemingly shows that Germans are simply more refined Englishmen.
You don't actually believe the US to be as weak as Australia do you? Personally I don't think the US will get far in the finals, but almost certainly they'll get to start the second round. They are a pretty strong team. England, well they have great players, but for some reason they're not running smoothly for a long time. The English team needs some oil, urgently or I'll prodict a rather failed WC.

Can't wait to see Brazil, Holland and Spain in action we'll see some more goals again when they get their chance for pwnage.

Netherlands - Denmark 4:1
Japan - Cameroon 2:1
Italy - Paraguay 1:0

[Louis VI the Fat]

Germany arrived as well prepared to this tournament as ever. Either the Germans are geniuses, or the rest of the world are a bunch of imbeciles. Is it really all that hard to just gather your best twenty players and have them play a straightforward, disciplined game of football?
All of the German injuries - Ballack! - don't even matter. German players excell in performing basic skills to perfection: passing over thirthy meters, receiving a ball and controlling it effortlesly so you can have your eyes on the pitch instead of the ball, etc. This way, it doesn't matter if you have international superstars or not. All you need are twenty players who can perform basic football to perfection, with discipline and a will to win. Unless Brazil or Spain can deliver their best, Germany will be a major contender yet again.

England (not the UK) and the US shall have to win their group to avoid the Germans!
Second in the group gets beaten by Germany next round, the winner meets a weak opponent and can cruise to the Quarterfinals.



~~o~~o~~<<oOo>>~~o~~o~~


Serbia is in major trouble already. They will lose to Germany in the second game. Then the tournament is already over. Serbia has done itself a major disservice today - I think it could be all over already.



~~o~~o~~<<oOo>>~~o~~o~~


Algeria's goalkeeping howler rehabilitates Green to a large extent: this ball is a :daisy: to control for a keeper if it is shot low with a bounce. Second game in two days that's been decided in this manner.


~~o~~o~~<<oOo>>~~o~~o~~




Wow, Germany v Australia was easily the best game so far. Very exciting to watch on offense. Most of the big teams have yet to play. Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal. Keep an eye out for Holland - Denmark tomorrow for some exhilarating football by two offensive teams.

Of the other three most gifted teams, Argentina so far looked good, England dissapointed, and France put up the greatest football show since Brazil in 1970.



~~o~~o~~<<oOo>>~~o~~o~~


Netherlands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png 2 - 0 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_E#Netherlands_vs_Denmark) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/22px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png Denmark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark_national_football_team)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg) Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/22px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 0 - 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_E#Japan_vs_Cameroon) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/22px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png Cameroon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroon_national_football_team)
Italy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_national_football_team) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/22px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 1 - 0 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_F#Italy_vs_Paraguay)https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/22px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png Paraguay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay_national_football_team)

[Hosakawa Tito]

Wow, Germany v Australia was easily the best game so far. Very exciting to watch on offense.

Germany was dominating, especially on offense. They could have scored twice as many goals. Australia seemed to lose heart after Cahill was red carded and couldn't really finish the few chances they had. First game I've watched in a while.

[Marshal Murat]

You don't actually believe the US to be as weak as Australia do you?
Not necessarily as weak as Australia, but there from my point of view similarities between the two teams, the Americans only seemed to be more aggressive in attack than the Ozzies. Not that there was much doubt about the outcome of the Germany/Australia game, but the US team can learn some valuable lessons from the failures of the Australian defense in how to keep the English-style attacks at bay.

As for the upcoming matches.

:netherlands: 2 - 1 :denmark:
:japan: 1 - 1 :cameroon:
:italy: 1 - 0 :paraguay:

[Rhyfelwyr]

Was a joy to watch Germany play, finally a bit of class and some flowing football. As for tomorrow:

:netherlands: 3 - 1 :denmark:
:japan: 1 - 2 :cameroon:
:italy: 2 - 0 :paraguay:

[Craterus]

:yes:

The best thing about actually attending a world cup is the chanting the songs etc I would say the few hardy fans who made the trip are seriously annoyed.

Another thing just think on this when Brazil take the field soon the famous samba will be drowned under the vuvu's

The vuvuzelas are the chants for Africans. They've probably been complaining about having to listen to the droning sound of "IN-GER-LAND" for years. It's something a bit different. If it bothers you so much, mute the TV. The commentary is hardly insightful or interesting so you're not missing much.

Some predictions:

Netherlands 2 - 0 Denmark
Japan 0 - 1 Cameroon
Italy 2 - 1 Paraguay

Robinho top scorer.
England to not go out on penalties and go out at the quarter finals.
Don't think there will be a Dutch collapse, I think they'll go out to Brazil but play well throughout the tournament.
Ronaldo to score 2.
Maradona's biggest mistake/downfall will be continuing to play Gutierrez at right-back.

[johnhughthom]

Louis: +1 = 8
Little Grizzly: 2
Psycho: +2 = 2
Sarmatian: +1 = 2
Insane Apache: +1 = 8
Secura: 2
Ser Clegane: +1 = 4
Romanic: +2 = 3
Joooray: +1 = 2
Rhyfelwyr: 0
Sasaki: 0

[pevergreen]

Let me just note here for eternity that I laugh at all the silly Australians that thought we were soccer gods.

:laugh4:

The media will just make this a minor setback though. :no:

[naut]

Seems I was too conservative with Germany. But, I'm glad I got the right results this time round. Funny, everyone here is devastated, as if they didn't realise that Germany are about 10 times better than Australia.


Netherlands :netherlands: 3 - 1 :denmark: Denmark
Japan :japan: 0 - 0 :cameroon: Cameroon
Italy :italy: 1 - 0 :paraguay: Paraguay

[Romanic]

:netherlands: 2 - 0 :denmark:
:japan: 0 - 1 :cameroon:
:italy: 2 - 0 :paraguay:

[Crazed Rabbit]

They need to ban that horrid instrument of torture, the vuvuzela.

It can't be compared to chanting or singing or anything but continuously blowing an airhorn because it's the same, constant drone.

There's no increase in volume when a goal is scored, no brief pause for a lucky save. Just the constant, unchanging drone that just makes it hard to enjoy the game.

Get rid of the wretched, meaningless, noise.

(Also, I predict The Netherlands, Japan, and Italy for winners)

CR

[LeftEyeNine]

Yo, johnhughthom, here are my predictions that mostly screwed up for the matches of Sunday. Please update.

ALG 2-0 SLO
SER 2-2 GHA
GER 3-1 AUS

And about today's fixture:

NED 2-2 DEN
JAP 0-0 CAM
ITA 1-3 PAR (yayz0rz)

[Joooray]

They need to ban that horrid instrument of torture, the vuvuzela.

It can't be compared to chanting or singing or anything but continuously blowing an airhorn because it's the same, constant drone.

Well, according to what they said on the radio here this morning, the South Africans normally use it differently, actually playing rhythms and such. It's the others that just blow it constantly throughout the match. So it seems the 'instrument' is not actually to blame, but the stupid foreigners that can't work 'em.
I also heard that some TV station are already looking for a way to filter the sound.

Edit:
Ah, yes, my predictions are:
:netherlands: 3 - :denmark: 1
:japan: 1 - :cameroon: 2
:italy: 1 - :paraguay: 2

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Somehow I effortlessly tune out the vuvezela.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Algeria's goalkeeping howler rehabilitates Green to a large extent: this ball is a :daisy: to control for a keeper if it is shot low with a bounce. Second game in two days that's been decided in this manner. And don't forget Kingston: the ball simply bounced off his grip.

[InsaneApache]

Louis: +1 = 8
Little Grizzly: 2
Psycho: +2 = 2
Sarmatian: +1 = 2
Insane Apache: +1 = 8
Secura: 2
Ser Clegane: +1 = 4
Romanic: +2 = 3
Joooray: +1 = 2
Rhyfelwyr: 0
Sasaki: 0

Thankyou for keeping tally johnhughthom :bow:

Nah then....

Netherlands 2 - 0 Denmark
Japan 0 - 1 Cameroon
Italy 1 - 0 Paraguay

[Ser Clegane]

They need to ban that horrid instrument of torture, the vuvuzela.


"Vuvu-Stop" (http://www.mydigitallife.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1054686&catid=13%3Acitizen-journalism&Itemid=84)


The earplugs, marketed as the "Vuvu-Stop", have a label on the back of the packet which reads: "Highly effective noise reduction. Uses include soccer, rugby, or for couch potatoes to block out your wife's moaning."

https://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9882/vuvu400.jpg https://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3694/300ww.jpg

[Beefy187]

Netherlands 0 - 2 Denmark
Japan 2 - 1 Cameroon
Italy 2 - 0 Paraguay

I'll bet for Japan because its Japan. Not a fan of the current team though :no:
Hope they prove me wrong.

[InsaneApache]

https://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3231/usawins11.th.jpg (https://img9.imageshack.us/i/usawins11.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (https://imageshack.us)

:laugh4: Fantastic. :2thumbsup:

[LeftEyeNine]

Yo, Beefy, I've read that Uchida signed for Schalke 04. What can you tell me about the player ?

[johnhughthom]

Yo, johnhughthom, here are my predictions that mostly screwed up for the matches of Sunday. Please update.

Sorry about that, I was sure you had made predictions but couldn't find them.

Louis: +1 = 8
Little Grizzly: 2
Psycho: +2 = 2
Sarmatian: +1 = 2
Insane Apache: +1 = 8
Secura: 2
Ser Clegane: +1 = 4
Romanic: +2 = 3
Joooray: +1 = 2
Rhyfelwyr: 0
Sasaki: 0
LEN: +1 = 5

[Beefy187]

Yo, Beefy, I've read that Uchida signed for Schalke 04. What can you tell me about the player ?

He played for Kashima Antlers (My Team! The best in Japan!) and he is by far the sexiest player in Japanese National Team :yes:
Pretty fast RB, with a decent crossing skill. His good at attacking but his often criticized for his defence skill.
I hope he plays tonight :yes:

[Louis VI the Fat]

I predict The Netherlands, Japan, and Italy for winners

CRGo one then, join the prediction game properly! You know you want to...

Most of the points are given in the knock-out phase anyway, so with one right prediction you can catch up with those who started playing before you.



Yo, johnhughthom, here are my predictions that mostly screwed up for the matches of Sunday. Please update.

ALG 2-0 SLO
SER 2-2 GHA
GER 3-1 AUS
Yo, johnhughthom, here are my predictions for the matches of Saturday. Please update.

Eng 1-1 USA (I predict a green howler)
Korea 2-0 Greece
Arg 1-0 Nigeria

:sweatdrop:

[LeftEyeNine]

Lwiz Ze Fad, you haz Turk genes.

Netherlands win and I sink even deeper.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

https://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3231/usawins11.th.jpg (https://img9.imageshack.us/i/usawins11.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (https://imageshack.us)

:laugh4: Fantastic. :2thumbsup:

Sadly, there is more truth to the headline than there should be.....

Pretty much a gift from the "footie dieties" to us on this side of the pond.

[edyzmedieval]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxWX1yGcsHQ&feature=related

K'naan - Waving Flag (the true anthem, not that Waka Waka crap)

Poor Poulsen. From Agger to his head, back to Agger and into the goal. Still, Netherlands had no ideas until Elia came in. Van Persie shouldn't be there, they need Huntelaar.

[johnhughthom]

Yo, johnhughthom, here are my predictions for the matches of Saturday. Please update.

Eng 1-1 USA (I predict a green howler)
Korea 2-0 Greece
Arg 1-0 Nigeria

:sweatdrop:

Update:


Louis: :france: + :shifty: = :rolleyes:
Little Grizzly: 2
Psycho: +2 = 2
Sarmatian: +1 = 2
Insane Apache: +1 = 8
Secura: 2
Ser Clegane: +1 = 4
Romanic: +2 = 3
Joooray: +1 = 2
Rhyfelwyr: 0
Sasaki: 0
LEN: +1 = 5

[Pannonian]

Sadly, there is more truth to the headline than there should be.....

Pretty much a gift from the "footie dieties" to us on this side of the pond.

Would Robert Green have stopped the ball if he were less of a diety and more of a fat bastard?

[Hax]

I want to drown myself after the Netherlands' victory. ;_;

[naut]

Van Persie shouldn't be there, they need Huntelaar.
A nice 6 goals in 5 consecutive games for club and country before today says otherwise. The problem lay in de Jong being ineffecient will keeping tha ball moving and Robben being on the bench. The Elia - v.d.Vaart - v.Persie - Snjeider - Robben front five is much more effective than when Kuyt and de Jong are in the team. Although, admittedly that is fairly attacking.

[Fragony]

Gawd that was boring 2-0 yipee, put us in the group of death next time, we aren't going to win so at least make it fun. Denmark..

[Rhyfelwyr]

Watching Cameroon under le Guen brought back all sorts of horrible memories of his Rangers years. :shame:

Very poor game, no flair on either side. The only difference between the sides was that Japan were actually well organised.

And what was PLG (Paul le Guen) doing with Eto'o on the right of midfield? :dizzy2:

[gaelic cowboy]

That was brutal stuff twas terrible game Cameroon/Japan they deserved there beating entirely.

I shall speak no more of it worst game so far.

[Louis VI the Fat]

It's not the most exciting tournament evar, is it?

Very few goals. Too many matches decided by some defensive howler. Boring, weak teams.

Not enough fans travelled to South Africa. What little atmosphere they wish to create is frustrated by those vuvu******zelas. And what little we hear of this little atmposphere I can't hear because I turn down the volume of that awful monotenous noise.
Imagine what Saturday's game would've been like with a sing-off between God Save the Queen and the Star Spangled Banner. The players would've fought twice as hard.

The ball is a disaster. Players are looking for long distance shots, and defenses are kept tight to block attempts. Once again, Fifa managed the opposite of what it intended with some weird supermarket beachvolleyball - rather than more goals, we see fewer, of lower quality, with less of a passing and attacking game.


One would almost think the lack of atmosphere is standard. Not so. Here's what a football game should be like, for atmosphere, audience participation, sounds, oohs and ahs, anthem sing-offs, taunts:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7NJyNwLlCg

[Sarmatian]

Freakin' trumpets ruin my enjoyment of every match. The sound feels like a giant swarm of mosquitos is circling around the stadium.

Africa unfortunately wasn't ready to organize a tournament of this magnitude...

[Rhyfelwyr]

The ball is a disaster.

It's because it's too round.

Honestly, apparently one of its special features is that it is the roundest ball ever. :shrug:

As for the vuvuzelas, I don't think they're annoying of themselves, but they ruin all the atmosphere. I think a fair compromise would be to let them be used in games were African teams are playing. But other than that, no, let all the supporters be heard in their own style.

[Pannonian]

England 1 - 1 USA

In Lego (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2010/jun/14/world-cup-2010-england-usa-brick)

[naut]

Is every world cup this mind-numbingly boring? Maybe hindsight is blurring my perspective, or not following a team is reducing my involvement, or the "World Cup Fever" hasn't grasped me. But, I don't remember being so bored watching football before....

[drone]

The sad thing is every USian that went to South Africa for the Cup (and supposedly there are a lot of these) is going to come home with a vuvuzela. We'll be hearing these in MLS and national qualification matches for a few years. :no:


The ball is a disaster. Players are looking for long distance shots, and defenses are kept tight to block attempts. Once again, Fifa managed the opposite of what it intended with some weird supermarket beachvolleyball - rather than more goals, we see fewer, of lower quality, with less of a passing and attacking game.
:yes: Why use a ball that makes it impossible to maintain a decent passing game or make simple crosses into the box?

Tin foil hat time:
Adidas gave the Germans Jabulanis months before other teams got a hold of them. It's the only explanation for their clinical performance while other teams are flailing about.

[InsaneApache]

That Kawaksaki Yamaha Honda goal must be the softest ever and the goal awarded to Cameroon IMO. :embarassed: :sweatdrop:

[Marshal Murat]

"World Cup matches have had lots of zeroes (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703389004575304993639569492.html?mod=WSJ_worldCup_Right_Carousel_1)

I would like to say that for many Americans not totally initiated, these games seem to be "soccer as usual", vuvuzelas aside. I thought the glory of the game was scoring that one lone goal...not a high-scoring match like Germany - Australia.

In regard to Vuvuzelas, I don't really know what a regular soccer game "sounds" like, so I'm not seeing the vuvu's as a problem, even though every match sounds like a beehive. I figure (and many Americans the same) that the vuvuzelas are simply "part of the game", especially since the games are in South Africa. Meh. Besides, if it annoys the Europeans, it has to be good.

I think that the more "erratic" balls are making the game so much more intriguing because luck and skill makes every game a toss-up. Who could win, who loses, because the possibility of correctly predicting these games has become more difficult.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

I would hope that the reasons for some of the poor games have been the poor teams.

The USA-england match was good and the Germany-australia match was great. I remember argentina looking pretty good too. And I liked the opener because it's fun to watch the host country and the announcer kept saying "tshabalala--Owww" which was entertaining because I didn't know what the hell he was talking about...

Also, the games that decide for sure whether a team advances will be more tense.

[LeftEyeNine]

For those that were looking for streamless entertainment: Back to your WWEs, UFCs, NFLs or whatever please. This is football and there is a serious trophy up there.

Paraguay leads the game for the moment and it'll end that way after the second half. YAAAARRRR ! :smoking:

[Pannonian]

In regard to Vuvuzelas, I don't really know what a regular soccer game "sounds" like, so I'm not seeing the vuvu's as a problem, even though every match sounds like a beehive. I figure (and many Americans the same) that the vuvuzelas are simply "part of the game", especially since the games are in South Africa. Meh. Besides, if it annoys the Europeans, it has to be good.


A general background murmur, with waves of songs periodically washng across the stands. An intake of breath when there's a chance, followed by an ooh if it stays out, applause if there's good play, or a roar if it's a goal. Having only watched genteel and even parochial clubs, I haven't really experienced them, but I've heard that some of the bigger clubs have atmospheres that one can feel. However, I did once watch a 3-3 which had some pretty decent atmosphere for such a small club.

[gaelic cowboy]

In fairness lads yer all being hard on USA they have supposedly one of the biggest if not the biggest traveling contingents at the games.

Well that Italy game was a bit better but that was only because there was a second goal.

I was gonna say I would turn of telly till the 1/4finals but seeing as portugal and brazil out tomorrow I will be still tuning in.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Can I still join the prediction game?

:newzealand: 0 - 1 :slovakia:

:cotedivoire: 1 - 2 :portugal:

:brazil: 1 - 1 :northkorea:

The Brazilians are pretty old, I don't think we're going to see great soccer from their part.

[Louis VI the Fat]

:newzealand: 0 - 2 :slovakia:

:cotedivoire: 1 - 1 :portugal:

:brazil: 2 - 0 :northkorea:

[Marshal Murat]

:newzealand: 1 - 1:slovenia:
:cotedivoire: 0 - 2 :portugal:
:brazil: 3 - 0:northkorea:

[gaelic cowboy]

A few days ago I would have said Portugal would win 2-0 but the way things are panning out I dunno now.

I think though that Ivory Coast are basically team Drogba though an he aint there so maybe 2-0 is the score.

Brazil will only manage two cos I'd say there will 11 men in the North Korean box for the entire game lol.

[Beefy187]

While I'm happy for Japans victory, I'm still against our manager :curtain:

Anyhow,

Newzealand 0- 1 Slovakia
Ivory Coast 1- 2 Portugal
Brazil 1- 0 North Korea

[Rhyfelwyr]

I'm not doing too well so far. :sweatdrop:

:newzealand: 0 - 1 :slovakia:

:cotedivoire: 0 - 1 :portugal:

:brazil: 6 - 0 :northkorea:

I'm going to be optimistic and hope Brazil pull of some real class, this tournament needs it.

I wonder how things will work for North Korea with fans etc. Are they even allowed out the country?

[Afonso I of Portugal]

It's not the most exciting tournament evar, is it?

Very few goals. Too many matches decided by some defensive howler. Boring, weak teams.

Not enough fans travelled to South Africa. What little atmosphere they wish to create is frustrated by those vuvu******zelas. And what little we hear of this little atmposphere I can't hear because I turn down the volume of that awful monotenous noise.
Imagine what Saturday's game would've been like with a sing-off between God Save the Queen and the Star Spangled Banner. The players would've fought twice as hard.

The ball is a disaster. Players are looking for long distance shots, and defenses are kept tight to block attempts. Once again, Fifa managed the opposite of what it intended with some weird supermarket beachvolleyball - rather than more goals, we see fewer, of lower quality, with less of a passing and attacking game.


One would almost think the lack of atmosphere is standard. Not so. Here's what a football game should be like, for atmosphere, audience participation, sounds, oohs and ahs, anthem sing-offs, taunts:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7NJyNwLlCg

Agreed! did you record that video Louis? Euro 2004 was in fact a great tournament...too bad we lost in the final. I remember the greeks saying terrible things about the ball...in the end they won. :sweatdrop:

[Louis VI the Fat]

Agreed! did you record that video Louis? Euro 2004 was in fact a great tournament...too bad we lost in the final. I remember the greeks saying terrible things about the ball...in the end they won. :sweatdrop:I wish I took it! I just grabbed that video of the internet. Was just looking for some football atmosphere. I was beginning to wonder whether I was imagining things, or maybe suffering from nostalgia, or whether there really is a slight lack of (Euro / South American?) atmosphere in this tournament.

Needless to say, I was rooting for Portugal in the final. I was perfectly happy for the Greeks to have their party, but not with that team.
Euro 2004 was a great tournament. Germany's World Cup was fantastic too, as was Euro 2008. We really should just invite Brazil and Argentina over to the EC in Poland in 2012. Cheap beers, fun girls, lots of fans everywhere - it'll be great.



Ah well, 'nuff of this complaining. The tournament will kick up a notch when the pressure is on in the deciding group matches, certainly in the knock-out phase - which is really what football was meant to be. One game, two teams, best on the day takes all.


I thought Drogba would be fit for tomorrow....if not, I might regret predicting 1-1.

[Ronin]

I don´t think we'll beat Ivory Coast.....

[naut]

New Zealand :newzealand: 0 - 1 :slovakia: Slovakia

Ivory Coast :ivorycoast: 0 - 1 :portugal: Portugal

Brazil :brazil: 4 - 0 :northkorea: North Korea

[Ronin]

New Zealand 0 - 1 Slovakia
Ivory Coast 2 - 1 Portugal
Brazil 3 - 0 North Korea

[Marshal Murat]

I want Cote d'Ivoire to win, but I wanted Cameroon to win as well, but this tournament is unpredictable. I would just like to see a good, fast-paced game between two attacking teams. With Brazil, I just want to watch them play and have fun.

[Romanic]

:newzealand: 0 - 1 :slovakia:

:cotedivoire: 0 - 2 :portugal:

:brazil: 3 - 0 :northkorea:

[drone]

Just watched the Italy-Paraguay match on the DVR. Not exactly the prettiest display, but quite fun. Man of the match = Benito Tellez, the referee. Fairly physical, but mostly clean, and the ref let them play without too much interference and kept it under control. Bodies flying everywhere, heads and feet in dangerous proximity to each other, but the maliciousness was kept to a minimum and everyone was trying hard. Probably the first Italy match I've watched that I enjoyed in years. The work rate from Paraguay was impressive, and it appears they like to slide around in the rain. :yes: It's a shame De Rossi scored the equalizer, I would have preferred he contracted a potent and debilitating venereal disease during qualifying.

[Joooray]

:newzealand: 0 - 2 :slovakia:
:cotedivoire: 1 - 2 :portugal:
:brazil: 3 - 0 :northkorea:

[LeftEyeNine]

New Zealand 0-2 Slovakia
Cote d'Ivoire 3-2 Portugal
Brazil 2-0 Korea DPR

[Ser Clegane]

New Zealand - Slovakia 0:2
Cote d'Ivoire - Portugal 1:3
Brazil - North Korea 2:0

[johnhughthom]

Update:


Louis: +3 = 11
Little Grizzly: 2
Psycho: +1 = 3
Sarmatian: 2
Insane Apache: +3 = 11
Secura: 2
Ser Clegane: +4 = 8
Romanic: +3 = 6
Joooray: +1 = 3
Rhyfelwyr: +1 = 1
Sasaki: 0
LEN: 5
Moros: 2
Marshall Murat: 1
Craterus: 3
Crazed Rabbit: 2
Beefy: 1

[InsaneApache]

:newzealand: 0 :serbia: 1

:cotedivoire: 1 :portugal: 1

:brazil: 3 :northkorea: 0

:balloon2:

[naut]

Hmmm. Dogbreath will play for Cote d'Ivoire. Any chance I can change my prediction to a 1 all draw?

[InsaneApache]

No. :laugh4:

[edyzmedieval]

It's not the most exciting tournament evar, is it?

Very few goals. Too many matches decided by some defensive howler. Boring, weak teams.

Not enough fans travelled to South Africa. What little atmosphere they wish to create is frustrated by those vuvu******zelas. And what little we hear of this little atmposphere I can't hear because I turn down the volume of that awful monotenous noise.
Imagine what Saturday's game would've been like with a sing-off between God Save the Queen and the Star Spangled Banner. The players would've fought twice as hard.

The ball is a disaster. Players are looking for long distance shots, and defenses are kept tight to block attempts. Once again, Fifa managed the opposite of what it intended with some weird supermarket beachvolleyball - rather than more goals, we see fewer, of lower quality, with less of a passing and attacking game.



The groups are not too interesting either, come on. The only one worth watching from beginning to end is Brazil's group, with Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea which will put up a serious fight. Most of the teams are boring too, the game is too tactical. Netherlands - Denmark. I expected some high flying attacks from the Dutch with Sneijder, Van Persie and Co...

Right... Very boring game. The best part was Poulsen's own goal.

[naut]

No. :laugh4:
~;p

Note to self. Don't post predictions until the very last minute.

[InsaneApache]

As far as I'm concerned, as long as the prediction is made before the KO then all's well. Bit like bookie rules.

I'm sure the others in the prediction thingy feel the same.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Come on, Slowakia, make that second goal!

Why oh why did I predict 0-2, when all the sane people here have understood this tournament is all about 0-1, and predicted as such!? :bigcry:



Edit: it's johnhughthom's game. As far as I'm concerned, predictions can be made until one minute to kick-off, so long as one does not make a complete circus of it - bear in mind the host must keep track.

[Ser Clegane]

Why oh why did I predict 0-2, when all the sane people here have understood this tournament is all about 0-1, and predicted as such!? :bigcry:

I guess that point is moot now...

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ooh! Well done All-Whites!!

Serves the Slovaks right for not pushing for that second goal. This is what the tournament needs, some cool team brutally punishing a team for boring the world with another 1-0.

I proclaim NZ the Supreme Ruler of all the Pacific, the Kiwis the superior master race in Oceania (that includes Oceanic countries playing in Asian qualification matches). :newzealand:

[naut]

New Zealanders with a last minute goal. Don't think anyone predicted that result.

Ok, I'm torn. Portugal has kept 15 clean sheets in the last 20. But, Dogbreath is playing. Yet, Portugal score on average 1.5 goals a game and concede 0.5 a goal. And Ivory Coast score almost 2 goals a game and concede 1. So. I think I'll throw all that data out the window. And go with:

Revision:

Ivory Coast :cotedivoire: 1 - 1 :portugal: Portugal

[Ronin]

there are things the stats don´t show....the Portuguese team might have won the last few games...but they were generally bad performances....
I say we don´t win today...and given a first game slip up we might even lose.....

i´m sticking to my initial gut feeling....2-1 Ivory Coast

[naut]

Ronaldo dives twice in 10 minutes. Awesome..... :wink2:

[Ronin]

Ronaldo dives twice in 10 minutes. Awesome..... :wink2:

come on....go easy on the kid....it's just the first game...he'll pick up the pace.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

He also has like the only shot of the half, so we can forgive him for that...

[gaelic cowboy]

looks like this could end 1-nil

[Pannonian]

South African police accused of perpetrating atrocity

Warning: graphic imagery


Link (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/9312/)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Germany got called for offsides about 15 times, and scored 4 goals. Coincidence?

wow, ronaldo makes it into an art form

drogba should have taken that shot

ivory coast made a hash of that final corner kick attempt

players kept cramping up? What's that stuff they spray on the legs

[tibilicus]

The commentary for the game summed the Ivory Coast vs Portugal game up nicely.

"I'm going to give my fee to charity today because I don't feel like I've earned it after that pathetic game".

[drone]

I DVR'ed the game. I take it I should save 90 minutes of my life and delete it? Sounds like it was dreadful.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

I DVR'ed the game. I take it I should save 90 minutes of my life and delete it? Sounds like it was dreadful.

Shots on target:
portugal: 2
ivory coast: 1

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Can someone tell me who are the good teams and who are not (I'm American :clown:).


Are the Swiss good by the way?

[Rhyfelwyr]

Are the Swiss good by the way?

The armoured pikemen of Swissland take on Spain tomorrow. :switzerland:

[Ronin]

Can someone tell me who are the good teams and who are not (I'm American :clown:).


Are the Swiss good by the way?

no..

good teams...

Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany....on lesser level, England, Italy...etc.