The unofficial World Cup Thread,

[Fragony]

Well, what i heard was that the Dutch just dominated the Japanese and let them run, tactical victory but still a victory.
Japanese came somewhat close towards the end but nothing too dangerous from what I saw, the dutch just kept that 1:0

Nah, japan played a good game, mucho kudos.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

heh, in several games this tournament I've watched goalies take pains to avoid picking up the ball so that they could kick it to one of the defenders instead, even when one of the other team's players was closing in. Seemed very strange to me but I guessed they had a good reason for it. But Denmark just got majorly burned...

-edit-

Good god, inches from being burned again. Maybe it's just that defender that's bad?

[Hosakawa Tito]

Both teams are playing bad defense. DEN is coughing up the ball in their own end time after time, very sloppy. Should be at least 2-2.

[Myrddraal]

About England, it seems to me that Gerrard isn't being a particularly good captain. The team is obviously demoralised, but every time Gerrard missed a pass or failed to connect with one, he turned around with a plaintive look on his face almost as if to say "Why didn't you get that?" or "Who was that to?". A captain should be apologising for missed passes, congratulating people on spotting him and passing, always trying to lift the team. Instead he's a pure passenger, captain in name only.

Here's an example of what I mean, sorry about the poor quality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fevsOCoKplE#t=2m16s

[Ser Clegane]

Slovakia - Paraguay 1:2
Italy - New Zealand 2:0
Brazil - Côte d'Ivoire 2:1

[Louis VI the Fat]

Slovakia 1 - 1 Paraguay
Italy 1 - 0 New Zealand

Brazil 2 - 1 Côte d'Ivoire

[Meneldil]

Shock news breaking that Anelka is to be sent home from world cup just like the Roy Keane thing in 2002 will someone just shoot or sack or something anything with that Domench this is devolving by the minute.

No news as of yet but RTE sport just announced a commitee will be convened due to a bust up at half time last night

unbelievable stuff


clickable World Cup 2010: France forward Nicolas Anelka could be sent home after swearing at coach Raymond Domenech

clickable Anelka and Domenech clash - report

Yeah, and what about the bunch of scumbags the french team is made off? Even though it's by now plain obvious that Domenech is a failure, it doesn't mean that the players shouldn't be blamed either.
You don't make up a good soccer team by gathering a bunch of illeterate racist scumbags gangsta-wannabes and hope they'll kick the ball correctly. The french team is a joke, and it's been that way for a good while.

[InsaneApache]

Blimey.

[gaelic cowboy]

You don't make up a good soccer team by gathering a bunch of illeterate racist scumbags gangsta-wannabes and hope they'll kick the ball correctly. The french team is a joke, and it's been that way for a good while.

sheesh bit harsh maybe yes/no

[InsaneApache]

Anyroad. Back to the important stuff.

Slovakia 1 - Paraguay 0
Italy 2 - New Zealand 0
Brazil 3 - Côte d'Ivoire 0

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

1 - 2

1 - 0

3 - 1

[Marshal Murat]

1 - 1
2 - 0
3 - 1

I'm so bummed about Cameroon, but the Danes earned their win with good defense and good goal strikes. The Dutch seem to be chugging along, hopefully Ghana will redeem it's performance next week.

[Myrddraal]

As they said on Match of the Day highlights: why send Anelka home, if they had waited a few more days they could all go home together

[Louis VI the Fat]

Yeah, and what about the bunch of scumbags the french team is made off? Even though it's by now plain obvious that Domenech is a failure, it doesn't mean that the players shouldn't be blamed either.
You don't make up a good soccer team by gathering a bunch of illeterate racist scumbags gangsta-wannabes and hope they'll kick the ball correctly. The french team is a joke, and it's been that way for a good while.

Not too long ago, football was a means of integrating people into mainstream society.

In the current 22 man squad, five or six or so players are not from a deprived, undereducated background. These are an overwhelming minority. So integration goes the other direction (Ribéry), or leaves players isolated (Gourcuff). There are no Thurams, Zidanes, Yannick Noah's anymore.

What do you do? Football draws from this demography.


Just one more match, then it's over! I'm going to sit through it out of sheer masochism-sensationalism.

Hey, there's always rugby if you are not going to watch South Africa vs France. Just last week, the Boks crushed the French rugby team in Cape Town too. No a single vuvuzelas in sight!

[Romanic]

0 - 1
2 - 0
2 - 0

[Pannonian]

Hey, there's always rugby if you are not going to watch South Africa vs France. Just last week, the Boks crushed the French rugby team in Cape Town too. No a single vuvuzelas in sight!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2LPxggvqY

[naut]

Italy 1 - 0 New Zealand

Brazil 3 - 1 Ivory Coast

[Banquo's Ghost]

heh, in several games this tournament I've watched goalies take pains to avoid picking up the ball so that they could kick it to one of the defenders instead, even when one of the other team's players was closing in. Seemed very strange to me but I guessed they had a good reason for it. But Denmark just got majorly burned...

A lot of that is due to the rule that forbids a goalkeeper from picking up a back pass from his own team. He can kick it, but not handle it without giving away a free kick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2LPxggvqY

Thank you for that - very funny.

[gaelic cowboy]

I think maybe the noise of those VuVuZelas caught them out a bit, the few times this has happened the fullback or goalie cannot actually hear any warnings about a man bearing down on them.

[Ferret]

heh, in several games this tournament I've watched goalies take pains to avoid picking up the ball so that they could kick it to one of the defenders instead, even when one of the other team's players was closing in. Seemed very strange to me but I guessed they had a good reason for it.

Were they back passes?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Come on you Pacific Gods!

Only eighty more minutes to go!

[gaelic cowboy]

Come on you Pacific Gods!

Only eighty more minutes to go!

Come on the All-Whites

[Louis VI the Fat]

Come on the All-Whites

Hah! Italy could never beat the all-Blacks, but the all-Whites can beat Italy!


It's all over for Europe's big football nations...

[gaelic cowboy]

It's all over for Europe's big football nations...

I am sure that there is bound to be some correlation between how successful your domestic league is and how bad your national team is.

I off to puncture every football in Ireland then we will be unbeatable.

[tibilicus]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...d-refuse-train

What became of France?

[naut]

Ugh. I blame the ball. It allows defensive teams to sit back and do nothing, because all attacks end up with the ball flying 100 metres into the air. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

[Sasaki Kojiro]

A lot of that is due to the rule that forbids a goalkeeper from picking up a back pass from his own team. He can kick it, but not handle it without giving away a free kick.

It makes so much more sense now...

[Hosakawa Tito]

The Kiwi's played tough. Their goalie was a rock. The French are on strike...I think the vuvu's are part of a voodoo plot on you Colonizers.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I've been playing with the Jubilana ball recently, thanks to finding one abandoned in a hedge a local park.

Can't say its that bad really, maybe on a windy day it might get caught up more but it doesn't seem to travel too wildly.

Plus it is very round.

[gaelic cowboy]

@Rhyfelwyr that must be one of the one's that the Daily Mail or The SUN reckon the FA lost from a batch of 50 so