2010 World Cup Pool

[mulligan]

Cost is $20 per team - Winner takes all.

Express your interest in this thread.

Once 32 people have signed up no more will be accepted.

If we don't get 32 people you can indicate that you'd like to buy more than one team.

Draw will be made before the first game kickoff today and entries posted here.

Draw will be made using http://www.psychicscience.org/random.aspx
Each player will be given a random number between 1 - 32
Each team will be given a random number between 1 - 32

PM will be sent on how to make paypal payment .. No payment - No entry.

Places reserved for:

idn
alpha
bwhhisc
tee1
gammascalper
mulligan
Drewbert
Bram

[alexd]

Steve

PM me about the Paypal payments - I'm in !!

Alex

[chrisofmel]

i am in, send me payment info. thanks

[alpha]

Count me in for this football sweepstake, send pp details please.

http://eatliver.com/img/2009/3849.jpg

[sbe18]

OK..I'm in.

I fucking know in my gut, I am slated for North Korea.

Random/ Shmandom.....

Anybody know where to get Kim's Sophia Loren style sunglasses ?



s/

[bramiozo]

I am in, pp details please :) .

[dnnames]

this sounds like too fun to miss. Count me in.

[Drewbert]

I'm in and will take 2 if need be.

[Wot]

Here

[domainguru]

I'm in - always wanted to win the world cup - two left feet though - pm paypal details.

Make mine a double if not enough people.

[555]

I'm in.

[yanni]

Same here

[tee1]

here we go, please pm details.

[sprewellpj]

I'm in. Please PM details.

[mulligan]

So far we have 17 people.

Only 15 places left! Get your name on the list.

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan

Reserved:
idn
bwhhisc
gammascalper

[squirrel]

I'm in if it's not too late

[idn]

Awesome. :) Thanks for running it again Steve! I'll take two if needed!

[mulligan]

So far we have 18 people.

Only 14 places left! Get your name on the list, less than an hour to sign up!

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan
idn
squirrel

Reserved:
bwhhisc
gammascalper

[g]

definitely count me in :D

[idn]

I'll take a third if needed. Unfortunately it's the only poll available to us yanks so my brother and father are both interested.

[bwhhisc]

I'm in...and if you need another my son Ross will play

[MDM]

We're in as well, paypal info pls.

[domainguru]

I'm in...and if you need another my son Ross will play

that's a great idea Bill. I'll change my 2nd entry (if needed) to my son - Jonathan.

[squirrel]

that's a great idea Bill. I'll change my 2nd entry (if needed) to my son - Jonathan.

wow, I feel young as hell.

[mulligan]

So far we have 26 entries.

Only 6 places left! Get your name on the list.

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan
idn
squirrel
bwhhisc
gammascalper
MDM
g
idn (Father)
Idn (Brother)
Ross (bwhhisc)
Jonathan (domainguru)
Drewbert (2)
mulligan (2)

[idn]

Come on, there must be a few others who will step up!! Anyone else want 2? Very close!!

[mulligan]

Anybody want another selection or 2?

[idn]

Put chrisofmel down for 2. I'm pretty sure he'd take it, but if not I'll back it.

[mulligan]

Only 5 spots left!

[idn]

I would just generate the list and wait to release the lottery. I am sure we will pick up these last few spaces within the next hour. People in the US are just moving about.

[mulligan]

List has been generated already, just waiting to fill the last 5 spots, I'll release it shortly.

[idn]

List has been generated already, just waiting to fill the last 5 spots, I'll release it shortly.

Great! Normal paypal address? Time to start sending you money.

[MDM]

Anybody want another selection or 2?

We'll take 2 if it's still available.

[Ryu]

I'll take part if it's not too late.

[mulligan]

We'll take 2 if it's still available.

MDM, extra entries are on hold for the moment so others have a chance to join .. If no further entries you will be given another team.


I'll take part if it's not too late.

Ryu, no, not too late, you are in.

[RussianDomainer]

I'm in.

[mulligan]

So far we have 29 entries.

Only 3 places left! Get your name on the list.
First come first served!

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan
idn
squirrel
bwhhisc
gammascalper
MDM
g
idn (Father)
Idn (Brother)
Ross (bwhhisc)
Jonathan (domainguru)
Drewbert (2)
mulligan (2)
chrisofmel (2)
Ryu
RussianDomainer

List has already been generated and teams allocated.
There are 3 teams remaining and new entrants will be matched with the next team on the list.

[alpha]

I'll take another if there is any spare

[Fka200]

im in!

[mulligan]

So far we have 30 entries.

Only 2 places left! Get your name on the list.
First come first served!

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan
idn
squirrel
bwhhisc
gammascalper
MDM
g
idn (Father)
Idn (Brother)
Ross (bwhhisc)
Jonathan (domainguru)
Drewbert (2)
mulligan (2)
chrisofmel (2)
Ryu
RussianDomainer
Fka200

List has already been generated and teams allocated.
There are 2 teams remaining and new entrants will be matched with the next team on the list.

[phio]

IN

[mulligan]

So far we have 31 entries.

Last place up for grabs!


Only 1 place left! Get your name on the list.
First come first served!

alexd
chrisofmel
alpha
sbe18
bramiozo
dnnames
Drewbert
Wot
domainguru
555
yanni
tee1
sprewellpj
mulligan
idn
squirrel
bwhhisc
gammascalper
MDM
g
idn (Father)
Idn (Brother)
Ross (bwhhisc)
Jonathan (domainguru)
Drewbert (2)
mulligan (2)
chrisofmel (2)
Ryu
RussianDomainer
Fka200
phio

List has already been generated and teams allocated.
There is 1 team remaining and the next entrants will be matched with the last team on the list.

[yanni]

Can my dog play...If so, put me down for another spot.

[Wot]

Can my dog play...If so, put me down for another spot.


If not my grandson :)

[chrisofmel]

can you post the team selections?

[mulligan]

Entries are now closed.

Entrants and their teams are as follows:

alexd -- Korea Republic
chrisofmel -- South Africa
alpha -- Portugal
sbe18 -- Mexico
bramiozo -- Greece
dnnames -- Argentina
Drewbert -- Australia
Wot -- Korea DPR
domainguru -- Slovenia
555 -- Cameroon
yanni -- United States
tee1 -- Italy
sprewellpj -- Serbia
mulligan -- Germany
idn -- Honduras
squirrel -- Netherlands
bwhhisc -- New Zealand
gammascalper -- France
MDM -- Japan
g -- Slovakia
idn (Father) -- Chile
Idn (Brother) -- England
bwhhisc (Ross) -- Uruguay
domainguru (Jonathan) -- Brazil
Drewbert (2) -- Denmark
mulligan (2) -- Côted'Ivoire
chrisofmel (2) -- Switzerland
Ryu -- Paraguay
RussianDomainer -- Algeria
Fka200 -- Ghana
phio -- Spain
MDM (2) -- Nigeria

Good luck to all!

[alexd]

alexd -- Korea Republic

Absolutely Amazing !!!
I dreamt about this team last night - and look what happens !! I get it now here.

Does this mean that this afternoon, I am supposed to cheer on Korea rather than Greece ?? - I don't think so !! Come on you Greeks !!!

Good luck everyone

Alex

[Wot]

Wot -- Korea DPR

We are going to Nuke the rest of the teams, our only chance methinks. :lol:

[chrisofmel]

Here are the current full World Cup odds per Ladbrokes:
Spain
4/1
England
5/1
Brazil
11/2
Argentina
9/1
Germany
9/1
Italy
10/1
Holland
11/1
France
16/1
Portugal
20/1
Ivory Coast
25/1
Chile
40/1
Paraguay
40/1
Cameroon
66/1
Denmark
66/1
Ghana
66/1
Greece
66/1
Serbia
66/1
USA
66/1
Uruguay
66/1
Mexico
80/1
Nigeria
80/1
South Africa
80/1
Australia
100/1
Japan
125/1
Republic of Korea
125/1
Algeria
150/1
Slovakia
150/1
Slovenia
150/1
Switzerland
150/1
New Zealand
1000/1
Democratic Korea
1000/1
Honduras
1000/1

[phio]

me gusta el fútbol
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/gospain.jpg

[Wot]

me gusta el fútbol
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/gospain.jpg

Wanna swap? :p

[bumblebee man]

My two cents:

- France: 10 soldiers and Ribery. Manager Domenech has eliminated pretty much all of their creativity. Plus everyone seems to be doing his own business - lack of team spirit. Won't be strong.

- Argentina: Tevez, Agüero, Milito plus the best player of the world - Lionel Messi. Enouth said. Amazing strikers and rock solid defenders. Problems: lack of creativity in midfield and Maradona. Loved him as a player, but I'm not sure whether he's got what it takes to be a good manager. Still they will most likely challenge for the title.

- England: Stong players as usual plus they finally have the manager who can turn this into success. Problem: everything depends on Rooney up front. As usual they'll probably go down on penalties at some point.

- Holland: Amazing attacking power (Robben, van Persie, Elia, Sneijder van der Vaart, Elia, Huntelaar), but crap defense. They'll probably outscore everyone in the group stage but this might not work in the latter stages.

- Italy: Their most influential players (Pirlo, Gattuso, Toni, Totti, Cannavaro, Zambrotta) were at the top of their game in 2006. In 2010 they look like an overaged team. They might still be strong in defense, but I can't see them scoring a lot.

Ivory coast: stongest African team. They are physically amazing and technically gifted. However they usually lack efficiency. Plus they very much depend on Drogba who just broke his ellbow.

South Africa: not quite as strong as the Ivorians, but they'll be pushed by their crowd. However if they if they don't win their group they'll probably get Argentina in the last 16.

- Portugal: Everyone is talking about a Ronaldo. However he doesn't really show his skills in the national team quite as much as in his clubs. Nani and Bosingwa are missing and since manager Scolari was replaced by Queroz they aren't what they used to be in terms of efficiency.

- Brazil: Expect to see a huge difference compared to previous tournaments. They'll be less glamorous up front and better organized defensively. Actually rather German than Brazilian. All their stars (including Ronaldo and Ronaldinho) exept for Kaka have gone. Hard to predict but I suspect that they won't make it to the semi final this time.

- Germany: Same as Brazil. Forget what you know about German football (playing shit and winning in the end). I expect it to be different this time: playing nicely and winning shit. Crap manager and crap selection. Ballack is missing and the squad is lacking experience (youngest squad since 1934) and leader personalities. Defense is a little shaky. However there are quite a few young and unknown players (Özil, Marin, Kroos, Khedira) who are technically gifted and might surprise the world.

- Spain: top favorite in my eyes. They've got the best midfield by far (Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Xabi Alonso) plus Villa and Torres are absolutely lethal up front. Won the European cup in style. They haven't got a lot of weaknesses and their passing game is a joy to behold.

I wouldn't expect much surprise in the group stage. All of the above teams should make it to the last 16. One exeption: group G with Brazil, Portugal and Ivory coast will be pretty close. Only two of them in the last 16 und probably only one of them in the quarter finals (whoever is second in the group will probably get Spain in the last 16).

That's my guess. But (and that's why I love football) I'll probably be totally wrong. :D

[domainguru]

God, my son got Brazil and I got Slovenia. I'm going to have to suck up to him this month in the hope he'll cut me in ;)

[alpha]

Here are the current full World Cup odds per Ladbrokes:
..
England
5/1 ..

that might be the odds for England. but it in no way reflects their chances of winning; it's more to do with the massive amount of £ that has been bet by English folk.

From memory, I think England are ranked #8

agree on Spain though, they are looking like the favorite.

[mulligan]

South Africa were damn unlucky not to beat Mexico yesterday, good game though.

[alpha]

South Africa were damn unlucky not to beat Mexico yesterday, good game though.

you watched the game?

I caught some of it on TV, and I don't know what the TV coverage is like in other countries, but all I could hear was the noise of insects. Apparently some African national thing.. it was totally annoying, and I couldn't cope with it on for more than 10minutes.

I really hope they sort that out somehow.. it's one thing letting the fans let of air horns everynow and then; but a constant "bzzzzzz". arghhh

[bumblebee man]

South Africa were damn unlucky not to beat Mexico yesterday, good game though.

I guess you didn't watch the first half. :eek:

you watched the game?

I caught some of it on TV, and I don't know what the TV coverage is like in other countries, but all I could hear was the noise of insects. Apparently some African national thing.. it was totally annoying, and I couldn't cope with it on for more than 10minutes.

I really hope they sort that out somehow.. it's one thing letting the fans let of air horns everynow and then; but a constant "bzzzzzz". arghhh

Agree, the vuvuzelas are a pain in the arse.

[alexd]

I caught some of it on TV, and I don't know what the TV coverage is like in other countries, but all I could hear was the noise of insects. Apparently some African national thing.. it was totally annoying, and I couldn't cope with it on for more than 10minutes.

I really hope they sort that out somehow.. it's one thing letting the fans let of air horns everynow and then; but a constant "bzzzzzz". arghhh

Thank God it wasn't just me how was getting pissed off with that. It was the most annoying sound I've ever heard during a football match !! Sounds like the entire mosquito population of the world were having their annual meeting in front of the microphones !!

Lets hope that the TV people can at least eliminate that sound - cos it was f**king annoying.

Alex

[domainguru]

Thank God it wasn't just me how was getting pissed off with that. It was the most annoying sound I've ever heard during a football match !! Sounds like the entire mosquito population of the world were having their annual meeting in front of the microphones !!

Lets hope that the TV people can at least eliminate that sound - cos it was f**king annoying.

Alex

Yeah that buzz was really f******** annoying. Atmosphere is great but I can't put up with that for a month.

South Africa are dangerous on the break but in the first half Mexico showed a good passing team will run rings round them. Just need a team with more cutting edge than Mexico to demonstrate that.

Btw, I've invented a new country - Slovazil - to celebrate our family selection of Slovenia + Brazil - may Slovazil go very far in this tourny! (sounds more like a drug name but there you go - it was the best I could do with the 2 words)

[alexd]

Looks like this is annoying a lot of people !!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FIFA-BAN-THE-ANNOYING-VUVUZELA-HORN-FROM-THE-SOUTH-AFRICA-WORLD-CUP-/124891457531066?ref=search

Even the domain name - banthevuvuzela.com, .net and .org have all been registered.

Alex

[bwhhisc]

Annoying as hell and certainly going to spoil the TV ratings.
Hopefully the audio engineers can figure out how to nullify most of the sound.

[yanni]

Wow, Greece officially killed the sport. My neighborhood kids play better football...

[alexd]

South Korea 2 - Greece 0

Looks like my IDN team won at least. Greece were piss poor if I am honest - Only in the last 10 minutes did they look threatening. If they play like that against Argentina, they might end up losing by double figures.

Come on Engerland !!! Can't wait for tonights game - I really hope that being captain of the team will give Gerrard the kick up the ass he needs after a very below average season for Liverpool.

Alex

[alexd]

Wow, Greece officially killed the sport. My neighborhood kids play better football...

I think you and me might have been more successful playing today than some of the players out there !!

[bumblebee man]

Alex, you should be glad to have got Korea and not Greece. :D

This was extremely poor. The Greek game seems far too limited and predictable. And even physically they seemed powerless. Kick and rush without the rush sort of. Their main strength used to be destroying the opponents game and even that doesn't work out anymore.

But still: There must be something wrong when South Korea scores against Greece from a dead ball. :eek:

[yanni]

Their main strength...

...was to pass the ball over to the Koreans and then watch them play ball. Exactly what hey did with Argentina last time they played in the World Cup.

[bumblebee man]

...was to pass the ball over to the Koreans and then watch them play ball. Exactly what hey did with Argentina last time they played in the World Cup.

I meant in 2004 when they weren't playing anything close to football either, but defending everything and scoring from set pieces. ;)

1:0 Argentina. And Maradona is becoming a lookalike of Che Guevara more and more. :D

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSI. Pure inspiration. Gotta love this guy.

[alpha]

Come on Engerland !!! Can't wait for tonights game..

Me too.

The atmosphere in the streets round here is electric, flags on every other car, flags hanging from most houses, red/white painted faces, kids in their kit and sounds of whistles everywhere.. bars overfull already and that was this morning, 8hrs before kickoff!

[alexd]

Me too.

The atmosphere in the streets round here is electric, flags on every other car, flags hanging from most houses, red/white painted faces, kids in their kit and sounds of whistles everywhere.. bars overfull already and that was this morning, 8hrs before kickoff!

I'll be back in London on the 7th July - I am hoping that England will still be in the World Cup. I remember the atmosphere during Euro 96 - that was amazing !!

Come on Engerland !!

[alpha]

I'll be back in London on the 7th July - I am hoping that England will still be in the World Cup. I remember the atmosphere during Euro 96 - that was amazing !!

Come on Engerland !!

I live 40mins from central London; if its crazy here, I can only imagine what it will be like in the centre near one of the monster screens.

Come on Rooney come on England!

[bumblebee man]

I saw the England match against Portugal back in 2006 on a giant screen next to the stadium. I'm the one in the Portugal shirt btw. :D

http://www.stadionwelt.de/wmspecial/fotos/wm_tagebuch/20060701/324/109.jpg

[phio]

Me too.

The atmosphere in the streets round here is electric, flags on every other car, flags hanging from most houses, red/white painted faces, kids in their kit and sounds of whistles everywhere.. bars overfull already and that was this morning, 8hrs before kickoff!

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/gousa.jpg

[bramiozo]

Alex, you should be glad to have got Korea and not Greece.



:(

Omg, they sucked *ss...there goes the $20 :o .

[squirrel]

apparently al quaeda threatened to bomb the uk-us match. hopefully nothing happens.

[chrisofmel]

dam that goal looked to easy

[squirrel]

ouch.. green didn't look too good on this one

[chrisofmel]

Goooooooooooooooooooooal

[alexd]

Well 1-1 at half time. I thought England started the game perfectly - great passing and a great goal. The US didn't look too threatening to be honest, but what a f**k up by Green to allow them back into the game.

Is it just me, or is David Beckham the biggest poser in the stadium. He is standing there, making stupid serious faces, as though he is the greatest footballer ever !! Can't he just sod off back home with his stick insect of a wife.

Hope England can get another in the second half - they are playing well - though I think maybe Lampard might want to pick up his game a little - he's not been playing well at all.

I've also noticed that with this game, that bloody annoying "insect" noise isn't as dominant as it has been for the previous games. Not sure if it is because of the real footy fans there making more noise, or if the sound technicians have managed to reduce the annoying factor with it.

Alex

[sbe18]

1- hey Mexico is a fair random....thx. need to find my Sun God gear and

Need to find my Cruz Azul club blue sombrero. 80-1 from the bookies seems standard.

2- Messi , if he had been wearing his Barca jumper , looked 3 touches from 3 goals today.
Argentinian defense is not very impressive.

Hey, did Maradonna have more touches in his side box , than the Nigerian forwards ?


3- 4 minutes to Goal for Eng..... jeeesh . I didn't even have my first pretzel.
Green's Christmas gift to the USA is appreciated. thank you.
Hey, Green wearing green/green in goal, well appreciated in Dublin et al tonight I am sure...

Simply put, Eng not leaving the pitch with 3 points today is surprising.
US leaving with 1 point, simply a gift.


4- Greece ---OMG ...
there must be 12+ teams in europe scratching their heads, of why this squad is there. youtube/ wikipedia definition of lack luster writ large.
Hey, send Malta or Monaco....
Whatever happened to sending strong squads from Poland, Bulgaria, ???


5- Uruguay goalie save on the bending direct kick ...highlight of the weekend so far. i am sure his agent is fielding calls already.


Friends say that the Germans will play un-German freer form of footie tomorrow vs OZ.
That would be refreshing.

Same friends say that the Brazilians are playing more defensive/ German like ??
very strange to hear those 2 things in the same phone call.



Beck on the Eng bench...why is he there ?
Do the players want him there, or is this pressure from the management in London ?

re: the buzzing.... get used to it...when the copa goes to Brazil, the samba drumming is likely to be louder.
frankly, the trumpet/ vuvuzela buzzing is black South African revenge for 20+ years of boycotts that punished them and not the rugby addicted springbok fans.

Just read about Mandela's grand daughter tragedy...very very sad.
Simply mind boggling what that gentleman has endured in his lifetime.

s/

[Rubber Duck]

So, that was why Obama was on the phone to Cameron today.

Jeesh, his latest poll samplings must real suck!

[tee1]

Go Italy!!!!!!

http://timwadesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/beautiful-italian-girls.jpg

[Wot]

England 1 USA 1 Ooops

Trouble qualifying now?

[alexd]

England 1 USA 1 Ooops

Trouble qualifying now?

I can't seen England NOT qualifying, but that 1-1 draw was not exactly a great confidence booster for anyone.

Alex

[domainguru]

I would have given Green the "hook" at half-time after that howler. How can anyone trust him after that? He made a great reaction save in the 2nd half but that's the point. His reactions are fine, his "bottle" isn't. Get someone else between the sticks, even Rio Ferdinand would do :)

[alpha]

It was probably the right call not to replace Green, after all it would have killed his career and his confidence, it would be game over for him.

But it will be interesting to see how the England manager reacts to the English press who no doubt will go for the jugular on this one. Will he cave in to the very public pressure?.. will be interesting to see.

[bumblebee man]

English goalies suck big time. There were so many British troops in Germany. There must be some German 3rd or 4th division goalie with an English grandpa or something. Definitely worth looking. :D

[bumblebee man]

Friends say that the Germans will play un-German freer form of footie tomorrow vs OZ.
That would be refreshing.

Same friends say that the Brazilians are playing more defensive/ German like ??
very strange to hear those 2 things in the same phone call.


Yeah, it sounds weird but that's pretty much what I expect as well.

[domainguru]

It was probably the right call not to replace Green, after all it would have killed his career and his confidence, it would be game over for him.

But it will be interesting to see how the England manager reacts to the English press who no doubt will go for the jugular on this one. Will he cave in to the very public pressure?.. will be interesting to see.

I like Rob Green but the problem is his confidence will be shot now. Goalies can take months or years even to fully recover from such a disaster. Ask Paul Robinson.

If he is dropped, its not necessarily because of public pressure. Might just be the correct decision.

[bumblebee man]

Who would be the replacement? David James? :lol:

[domainguru]

Who would be the replacement? David James? :lol:

Yeah, James could easily do a similar thing! I'd play Joe Hart personally, been very solid all season.

[alpha]

Dust off David Seaman

[Wot]

Gordon Banks with one eye could have done better.

Anyway my vision of the final is North Korea beating Brazil 6-1

[alexd]

Gordon Banks with one eye could have done better.

Anyway my vision of the final is North Korea beating Brazil 6-1

At 400/1 odds on North Korea - if you have any faith in your vision - you might to consider a little flutter.

http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/betting/t/347/World-Cup-2010.html

Good luck - I think you'll need it ;)

Alex

[Wot]

At 400/1 odds on North Korea - if you have any faith in your vision - you might to consider a little flutter.

http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/betting/t/347/World-Cup-2010.html

Good luck - I think you'll need it ;)

Alex


Already invested $20 on them I think I will settle at that. :D

[alexd]

Already invested $20 on them I think I will settle at that. :D

Yes, I would say thats more than enough.

Well I've got the other Korea - hows about going 50/50 with me if either of the Koreas win ??

Alex

[rofsjan]

In case you missed a match. On this site you can watch the recorded matches as well as the summaries:
http://nos.nl/wk2010/gemist/

Notes: The comments are in Dutch.
Samenvatting = Summary

[Fka200]

I'm simply posting to show off my new avatar.

[bumblebee man]

Australia is getting destroyed.

Just love to watch Özil and the other young lads play. Pure inspiration. :cool:

Podolski and Klose? Worst shit players on earth when playing for their clubs. Give them a national jersey and tell them it's world cup again and they'll score. :)

[mulligan]

Harsh red card ... The Germans looked very good albeit against mediocre opposition.

[Drewbert]

Bloody Australians.

The only team sport they're any good at is gang rape.

[bumblebee man]

Next one, please! :D

[tee1]

I'm simply posting to show off my new avatar.
its very.................. let me get back to you on it.

when I get a cool avatar like you I am going to post just to show it off as well. :)

[Wot]

Yes, I would say thats more than enough.

Well I've got the other Korea - hows about going 50/50 with me if either of the Koreas win ??

Alex


It's a deal-what's half of zip? :lol:

[squirrel]

Friday afternoon pastime : http://www.miniclip.com/games/free-kick-challenge/en/

[alpha]

FIFA: no ban for the vuvuzela‎ (aka that effin annoying retarded plastic "horn") they're here to stay.

[tee1]

FIFA: no ban for the vuvuzela‎ (aka that effin annoying retarded plastic "horn") they're here to stay.
I now consider those the US victory horn (hack cough hack I mean "tie" horn) :D

[alpha]

I now consider those the US victory horn (hack cough hack I mean "tie" horn) :D

You just know somewhere, someone is calculating the air pressure generated by one of those horns, and multiplying up by a factor of 40,000 and blaming them for blowing the ball out of our goalies hands.

[tee1]

You just know somewhere, someone is calculating the air pressure generated by one of those horns, and multiplying up by a factor of 40,000 and blaming them for blowing the ball out of our goalies hands.

I feel for that guy I really do and when they finish that study please post the link.

[sbe18]

Fleet street: mirror or sun ??

Hand of Clod.

The t-shirt will be a big seller in Buenos Aires, possibly.

[tee1]

ITA 0
PAR 1

for some reason all of a sudden I am not feeling so well:'(

[alexd]

ITA 0
PAR 1

for some reason all of a sudden I am not feeling so well:'(

45 mins for you to feel better again.

[alexd]

FIFA: no ban for the vuvuzela‎ (aka that effin annoying retarded plastic "horn") they're here to stay.

Well if thats the case, I really hope that South Africa never win a bid for the Olympic Games or any other major sporting competition. This irratating and f**king stupid noise has really ruined the World Cup for me, and its only 4 days old !!!

[tee1]

1- 1 I am starting to feel alittle better, still not feeling up to full strength

[Drewbert]

Get a DSP audio filter and hook it into your home theatre and notch it out.

On a happy note, the broadcasting company handling the coverage for Mexico has a trust and anytime ANY player scores a goal for ANY team, they take his shirt number and donate that many new houses to poor people in Mexico.

[alpha]

Well if thats the case, I really hope that South Africa never win a bid for the Olympic Games or any other major sporting competition. This irratating and f**king stupid noise has really ruined the World Cup for me, and its only 4 days old !!!

Yes completely ruined it.

If you're an England supporter, you'll have heard these guys play from the crowd in every international match for decades
http://d.yimg.com/i//ng/sp/eurosport/20100609/25/fcc2872186b9352bb9befbc81bf8600b.jpg

playing the theme tune to the "Great Escape" every 20 minutes or so.

Again, like clockwork they are there in SA, but can you hear them? No, drowned out by that retarded plastic kids toy.

Can you hear the plethora of England singing/chants? no, just that plastic trumpet.

Someone at FIFA needs to have one of those shoved up their arse

[Drewbert]

A sit-down strike by players might have an effect.

[jose]

What a great match: Holand x Denmark: http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/copa-do-mundo/fotos/2010/06/gatas-na-partida-entre-holanda-e-dinamarca.html

[squirrel]

The game is played on the pitch..

in my humble opinion

[squirrel]

What a great match: Holand x Denmark: http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/copa-do-mundo/fotos/2010/06/gatas-na-partida-entre-holanda-e-dinamarca.html

I don't think you could ever see fans like that at nascar race.
One of them has a QR code on her shirt !!

[sbe18]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXo2nm2ODF0&feature=player_embedded

nice to see the Guardian with a sense of humor on the US 1-1 victory...
via stop action lego pieces...


Denmark very talented blondes trying to have plastic grinders against the vuvuzelas ....good luck.

It may be possible for Brazilian women, to get the RSA crowd to take the damn things out their mouths...but unlikely.

wow....Paraguay ....well played set piece header vs Italy.
another 1-1 shocker.

[Drewbert]

Drewbert -- Australia
Drewbert (2) -- Denmark


Well, aren't my teams doing exceptionally well?

[mulligan]

Well, aren't my teams doing exceptionally well?

I thought Australia were particularly unlucky not to win that game ... :p

[bwhhisc]

I thought Australia were particularly unlucky not to win that game ... :p

There talking about the new Adidas ball being a bit of an "optical illusion" causing some of the flub ups especially the f/u for the goalees.

Saw this article as well...

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/controversy-over-world-cup-ball-won-t-die--fbintl_ro-worldcupball061310W.html

[bramiozo]

I think the ball is too smooth, usually the ribs/stitches produce a turbulent boundary layer which stabilises the ball when there is no spin, now the spin also has less effect since the boundary layer is more laminar than usual.

It will already help a lot if they would put rough tape around it in two directions.

[squirrel]

Check this guy's videos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaQCHBIyFs
On the 3rd and 4th kicks, the ball is clearly moving. Not sure if this is how a "regular" ball should behave.

[rofsjan]

Here is a handy interactive World Cup Schedule (http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html).

You can check the scheduled matches based on Team (Country), Date and Location.

[owen]

Check this guy's videos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaQCHBIyFs
On the 3rd and 4th kicks, the ball is clearly moving. Not sure if this is how a "regular" ball should behave.

I played quite a lot of soccer as goalkeeper back in my younger days. The ball moves in all sorts of directions depending on how it's kicked. Like a pool ball or anything else it depends on the spin on the ball (good players can control this to some extend), wind, imperfections in the ground when it lands, etc. The farther away it is the longer you have to react but the farther away it is also gives more time for the spin, wind, etc to apply it's force upon the ball. Anyhow, I think the goalkeepers need to suck it up, own up to their error, and just focus on stopping the next one :) There is a lot of stress on the goalkeeper, probably more than any other player, and dwelling on missed shots just makes you play worse.

[phio]

Deflate the ball a little, and scrap it up with grit 30 sandpaper and you've got a game.
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/dirtyball.jpg

[Drewbert]

Check this guy's videos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaQCHBIyFs
On the 3rd and 4th kicks, the ball is clearly moving. Not sure if this is how a "regular" ball should behave.

There's only one feasible explanation for that - the ball was designed by the Warren Commission

[alexd]

There's only one feasible explanation for that - the ball was designed by the Warren Commission

Yes, I completely agree with you on that.
I noticed that the ball was always going back and to the left, back and to the left, back and to the left !!

[bramiozo]

There's only one feasible explanation for that - the ball was designed by the Warren Commission

Hahaha

[alpha]

FIFA ban...

when I saw the two words "FIFA" and "Ban" pop up in my RSS feed earlier, you can imagine my excitement.. woohoo, those spineless morons have at last banned those stupid gay trumpets.

but oh no.

instead they banned and ejected from the stadium 30+ young blond mini skirt wearing babes.

http://www.dutchdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/dutchdress.jpg

link (http://www.dutchdailynews.com/fifa-bans-dutch-babes/)

for the record, none of these girls and their dresses carried any kind of advertising whatsoever.

FIFA is like the ICANN of football.

[bramiozo]

Supposedly the WC is sponsored by Budweiser for $50.000.000, Bavaria spent 30*ticket fee...

[Drewbert]

"The three Dutch girls were held and questioned for three hours"

WTF???

[tee1]

"The three Dutch girls were held and questioned for three hours"

WTF???
If you are gonna "HOLD Them" I would have done it longer than three hours :D

[bramiozo]

I would start by hosing them down and let them mud wrestle for their freedom..and then let them go saying it's a big misunderstanding.

[alpha]

Supposedly the WC is sponsored by Budweiser for $50.000.000, Bavaria spent 30*ticket fee...

yes, and if anyone had a great big Bavaria logo or writing on said clothing, fair enough - but there was none of that. Just Orange dresses.

[alexd]

yes, and if anyone had a great big Bavaria logo or writing on said clothing, fair enough - but there was none of that. Just Orange dresses.

Even if these orange dresses were part of a Bavaria stunt, don't you think that FIFA have now given more exposure to Bavaria than a million orange dresses would have done ? And if this was nothing at all to do with Bavaria - then the company must be rubbing their hands together with glee at this huge promotion !!

Fifa - you've f**ked it up again !!

[phio]

yes, and if anyone had a great big Bavaria logo or writing on said clothing, fair enough - but there was none of that. Just Orange dresses.

If only the girls would have followed the instructions on vuvu blowing here: http://www.phresh.co.za/tutorials.php?hid=HowToBlowVuvuzela

Spain just over 8 hours from now...Go España!

[tee1]

Host broadcasters to 'filter' noise (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5287552/ce/us/bbc-mulls-vuvuzela-free-option-viewers?cc=5901&ver=us)

what are the odds there is an actual difference?

Apparently this all stems from one BBC viewer that lives an hour or so south of London :D
"The BBC, which had received 545 complaints from viewers as of Tuesday morning, said it is considering giving viewers the option of muting ambient noise while maintaining game commentary through its "red button" digital service. Viewers would push a red button on their remote controls to receive the quieter broadcast on a separate channel."

[alpha]

Yeah my highly polished copy/paste skills came in handy putting those 545 complaints in

I knew this idn lark would payoff

[555]

"The three Dutch girls were held and questioned for three hours"

WTF???

Arrested:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7832413/World-Cup-2010-Bavaria-beer-stunt-organisers-arrested.html

Now Released:
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-dress-babes-released-bail

[alexd]

Spain 0 - Switzerland 1

Wonder how many people were expecting that result in the game ??

[phio]

Spain 0 - Switzerland 1

Wonder how many people were expecting that result in the game ??

not me:no:

[alpha]

Spain 0 - Switzerland 1

Wonder how many people were expecting that result in the game ??

aren't Spain supposed to be the favourites?

[bwhhisc]

aren't Spain supposed to be the favourites?

they started out as favorites :p

Uruguay is up 1-0 at the half against S. Africa...wonder if the horns will drive them crazy in the latter parts.

[squirrel]

disgusting red card to SA

[phio]

disgusting red card to SA

yeah, a yellow was barely in order.

[Rubber Duck]

disgusting red card to SA

No doubt as your interest grows you will learn the rules!

[Rubber Duck]

not me:no:

Actually, one of the guys at work who knows about these things was righting off Switzerland and I told him not to be so sure!

[Rubber Duck]

Supposedly the WC is sponsored by Budweiser for $50.000.000, Bavaria spent 30*ticket fee...

I wish Interbrew would stop pushing that crap and put more into selling the real stuff. How much was that in Euros?

[bumblebee man]

No doubt as your interest grows you will learn the rules!

Wikipedia helps learning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_foul)

[bwhhisc]

yeah, a yellow was barely in order.

WIKIPEDIA (link from bumblebee man):
Subsequently, the wording of Law 12 was changed and the term professional foul was replaced by denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to remove the implication that in order for a red card to be issued, such a foul had to be deliberate. Currently, if a player denies a player an obvious goalscoring opportunity by foul means, whether deliberate or not, he is almost certain to be sent off

[squirrel]

I was not aware of that rule. Anyway, I still feel that Suarez was denied a goal mostly as a result of his own action. I'm just a soccer fan after all. I'll go back to watching ice hockey. :D

[bumblebee man]

Argentina is fun.

[mulligan]

Alex, Yanni .. hope you guys haven't keeled over from shock :p

[alexd]

Alex, Yanni .. hope you guys haven't keeled over from shock :p

Not yet !!

I couldn't believe that first goal !! What a gift. At least the Greeks have looked a bit more threatening since Nigeria went down to 10 men. And at least they have scored a goal !!

I did more than my fair share of screaming when that one went it !! Hope I didn't wake up any neighbours having an afternoon nap !!

Fingers crossed for the second half !!

Alex

[alexd]

Well Done Greece !!!!!

History is made - their first win in the World Cup !!!

Bravo !!

Now I'm waiting for England to win tomorrow as well, then I can have a nice weekend !

Alex

[yanni]

Alex, Yanni .. hope you guys haven't keeled over from shock :p

I was shocked when we took that goal but at least the players were actually playing ball this time around.

Overall the defense still lacks and we lucked out with Kaita out of the game.

I'm certainly extremely happy that Greece finally won their first W.C. game.


And... if you have nothing to do from now until the next game try this (http://xn--mxafcqbvt1d.com/vuvuzela/) for some fun

[sbe18]

ok maradonna apologizes to Platinni but not Pele....

what a jerk.

but support and finishing around Messi...impressive....

gee ...thought Nigeria would win ...but Greece concentrated well.

and my sun gods win against France...

the first looked off side to me, but the replay showed fair.
and the penalty kick was a fair call as well.

I did not know that Mexico was 0-11-5 vs EU in WC games.


France ....deserves disgust by their national fans.
listless....lethargic...
and both center backs arm raised ....did not move to play on...
wankers....(grin)

Spain losing to the Swiss ????
gasp.

I have to say Argentina front 6, is the most impressive in movement and control of the ball.

....but viva Mexico..

[sbe18]

to you Pommies...

I am greatly enjoying Steve McManahan as an analyst for espn2.

I know he played for Liverpool, but not sure on his accent being from there ?


He enjoyed slamming the French..

what a shock...

s/

[tee1]

flu will be coming my way in the morning (cough hack cough)
can't make it work, wonder whats on TV :)

any predictions on the score?
here's mine

Slovenia 1 USA 2 :)

[alexd]

Germany 0 - Serbia 1

And Germany missed a penalty as well ??

This is turning out to be a very interesting World Cup.

Lets see what happens with todays other games !!

Come on England !

[alexd]

England 0 - Algeria 0

I'm sorry - I thought England were playing tonight, not this team of freaks who I spent the last 90 minutes watching. What the f*ck were they playing at ?? I haven't seen such a poor England performace since we had that d*ckhead McClaren as manager !!

Lets see what England can do in the next game. If they don't win that or qualify, then heads will definitely have to roll.

[alpha]

England 0 - Algeria 0

embarrassing.

[tee1]

England 0 - Algeria 0
ahh I think they were trying to help the US out. I think they felt bad for us.

If you make a call in soccer don't you have to make the call against someone, or can you have phantom calls? :eek:

[Rubber Duck]

I hadn't realised that Tire Kicking had developed into a well paid spectator sport.

If it were up to me I would ban it and make them practice their archery on pain of death.

[Drewbert]

embarrassing.

At least you didn't let them dribble one into the net.

But yes, you guys are turning out to be an endless source of amusement.

[sbe18]

wow...

England, Germany, joining Spain, and France populations all upset and confused at the same time ?



And not caused since a Corsican artillery captain ???
s/

[Wot]

Perhaps now Obama will stop bleating about BP now that the England team have rolled over and allowed the US the chance to go through.

My forecast-England undefeated with 3 draws and going back to the UK to watch the second round onwards.

[sbe18]

very poor refereeing with Brazil.

red carding Kaka was ridiculous.

Aren't the sideline officials there to assist with fake acting and face holding and
bizarre writhing ?


English/Spanish/French/German/Italian media all screaming for blood.

I really wanted to see Port/ Bra squads with a great 3rd match.

Chaos in the French side is simply sad.

Might Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraquay, and US all advance ?


the bookies will murmur....'the horror.....the horror....'
s/

[Drewbert]

# of professional football players:

Italy: 3541
New Zealand: 25

Rankings:
Italy 4
New Zealand 78

# of players on team
Italy 12
New Zealand 11

Occupation of replacement players:
Italy (Mauro Camoranesi) - ferrari-owning Juventus midfielder ex World Cup 2006 final match.
New Zealand (Andy Barron) - bank clerk.

Score:
Italy 1
New Zealand 1

= Epic FAIL for Italy.

[Drewbert]

"You only have to be faster than the slowest gazelle. And at the World Cup, the slowest gazelles are loud, overweight, and very intoxicated England fans."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fifa-world-cup/all-whites/3835687/Paraguay-personal-for-this-Kiwi

[Wot]

"You only have to be faster than the slowest gazelle. And at the World Cup, the slowest gazelles are loud, overweight, and very intoxicated England fans."


Perhaps helping to dull the pain of the inept England performances. :D

[bumblebee man]

7:0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wY15DPiNGw)

Portugal allez! :cool:

I'd expect some North Korean players to mysteriously disappear when returning to their home country. :o

[phio]

Goooooooooool!

[phio]

Goooooooooool!

[Drewbert]

I'd expect some North Korean players to mysteriously disappear when returning to their home country. :o

I think some of them are probably planning to disappear BEFORE they return.

[jose]

7:0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wY15DPiNGw)

Portugal allez! :cool:

I'd expect some North Korean players to mysteriously disappear when returning to their home country. :o

I just prey they'd be shoot to dead when returning after this humiliation.

[Wot]

I just prey they'd be shoot to dead when returning after this humiliation.


A country where that could happen so careful what you wish for. :(

[jose]

A country where that could happen so careful what you wish for. :(

Damn. When I wrote "they'd" I meant "they would not". :(

[bumblebee man]

I think some of them are probably planning to disappear BEFORE they return.

That might be a good idea ...


At other times re-education classes involve long sessions where inmates are forced to memorise speeches by Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, word-for-word.

link (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/06/200968632442604.html)

Even Vogon poetry must be a pleasure compared to that. :eek:

[sbe18]

if Portugal / Brazil come out 1/2 , then it seems that Spain is going to face Brazil in the round of 16.

ouch.

It may be the best match of the whole tournament, before the 8's, 1/4's, semis and final.

s/

[sbe18]

correction:

Spain needs to spank Chile pretty hard...
or else..

Spain out as #2 to face Brazil's #1....in the 16's ?

Port avoids Spain to face the Swiss.....?
the 7 goal cushion relative I guess...



s/

[sbe18]

France squad flight back to Paris for 12 hours...

already referred to as the : L'aero des pathetiques bleus de sud afrique.



s/

[bumblebee man]

I feel sorry for Bafana Bafana. They were running for their lifes and close to 3:0 when their dreams got destroyed by a team which didn't give a shit. :(

What the hell is wrong with the referees? The amount of silly red cards is really getting ridiculous.

[alexd]

Ah well - it just wasn't to be for Greece. At least they did manage to get their first World Cup goals and win - so it's not all bad.

Lets just see what England can do tomorrow - its make or break time for them.

If they also don't go through, I guess I'll have to seriously start supporting my IDNForums team of S.Korea.

Alex

[bwhhisc]

France squad flight back to Paris for 12 hours...
already referred to as the : L'aero des pathetiques bleus de sud afrique.
s/

The news reports that the French viewers at the big screens set up at the Eiffel Tower started cheering on South Africa.

They already had a charter jet on the tarmac to fly them home....in "Coach" none the less. Hopefully they landed in secret location to make their escape back out of the country. :p

On the upside...we have a big population of Uruguayans here in SC, quite a BIG deal today for them to beat Mexico.

[Drewbert]

Ah well - it just wasn't to be for Greece. At least they did manage to get their first World Cup goals and win - so it's not all bad.


Yeah! Congrats!

Baby steps. :)

[g]

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/06/22/112016.html

hijazi: Winning of algeria aganist america is winning of islam and islamic nation :D

I think they choose the wrong team to put their bets on

algerian team is the worst to represent islam

I guess america will win 3-0 :lol:

you can read good automated translation , it is interesting
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/06/22/112016.html&sl=ar&tl=en

[tee1]

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/06/22/112016.html
algerian team is the worst to represent islam


depends on the referee :D

[sbe18]

NPR radio had a spot on 35 to 40% of Scotts being 'ABE',
anybody by England...even now a hit song in Glasgow...

oddly no bagpipes...an ancestor of the vuvuzela to be sure....



Oddly, most of Egypt is cheering for the US to humiliate Algeria.

1998 was a magic moment for France's sense of assimilation.

2010 should mean the sacking of all the FFA directors.




s/

[alpha]

French manager refuses to shake SA managers hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDrq1SM9f_o

:eek:

[alexd]

French manager refuses to shake SA managers hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDrq1SM9f_o

:eek:

Arrogant tosser !!

[bumblebee man]

French manager refuses to shake SA managers hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDrq1SM9f_o

:eek:

That was because Parreira said that France didn't deserve their participation in the world cup.

And we all know he was dead right about that. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZz8JCe52bs) :rolleyes:

[phio]

Congrats to all Group C teams great exciting futbol!

[alexd]

Finally - England win a game !! And with my luck, I missed the first 25 minutes of the game being stuck in traffic !! Bloody early kick off. Also, over here in Greece, we have strikes today including the national TV stations, so I watched the game with no commentry - just sounds from the stadium.

And what a late goal for the USA - bet the American footy fans are over the moon with that late late goal.

Lets see what happens with tonights games.

[bumblebee man]

Lets see what happens with tonights games.

If we beat Ghana tonight we'll be playing England. I'd quite like a penalty shootout. :p

[alpha]

If we beat Ghana tonight we'll be playing England. I'd quite like a penalty shootout. :p

Bring it

[alexd]

If we beat Ghana tonight we'll be playing England. I'd quite like a penalty shootout. :p

Now that would be interesting.

Seeing as how Germany have already missed a penalty in this competition and we haven't ( seeing how we haven't had any ) - I look forward to a penalty rematch !!

Alex

[sbe18]

US goes from out to winner of the group with one goal in stoppage.

fine grit.

wow.

the goalie stop of Howard of the Algerian header, with a great pass to Donovan to get a rapid 4 on 3 is the key element of the goal.

karma over the poor ref negation of the legit onside US score .

s/

[bwhhisc]

US goes from out to winner of the group with one goal in stoppage.
fine grit. wow. the goalie stop of Howard of the Algerian header, with a great pass to Donovan to get a rapid 4 on 3 is the key element of the goal. karma over the poor ref negation of the legit onside US score .
s/

great ending...and nice for soccer to get big time exposure to sports fans in the USA.

yeah, and finally a bit of karma to push us thru and make up for the pathetic calls from the refs.

[sbe18]

the other great story today.....TENNIS !!!!!


59-59 ?????? 5th set and play suspended for a second day ?

borg/ McEnroe
federer/nadal

both epic...of course....

but
mahut/isner over 10 hours

118 games in one set ???

essentially 12 sets in one set, after playing 2-2

the ballboys and judges are more likely to collapse than the 2 players ...
amazing...

Playing 5 complete matches essentially...and still not done...


Mahut had to hold serve each time..... 59 times....

5 match points hours apart .....

91 aces...


France has a hero ....win or lose.....
unlike the dolts in footie.......

[Wot]

The ex manager of France:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDrq1SM9f_o

[sbe18]

wow...

I watched the Italy game..

They had many chances / touches to score.

Kind of amusing to watch Italian fans in horror as several Slovakian players
dramatically logrolled in feigned agony in stoppage time to push the clock.

I guess the Air Italia flight might be diverted to Palermo....

wow...Paraguay moves on...

[bwhhisc]

wow...
I guess the Air Italia flight might be diverted to Palermo....


LOL...shaping up to be one of the best World Cups ever with some underdog teams getting their shot at the glory.

[tee1]

:no: not good at all!

[g]

I was sad to get slovakia, now wow I cannt believe

slovakia is going to win this cup for Gee lol

[alexd]

Truly amazing results in the World Cup so far. Italy out with 2 draws and a defeat - finishing beneath New Zealand !! I don't think anyone would have predicted that !!

[tee1]

slovakia is going to win this cup for Gee lol

I believe I heard via the tele the Slovakian team chanting "Gee" "Gee" "Gee" as they left the field :D

I was thrilled to get Italy in the draw, initially..... now they are just a bunch of has been washed up.......

[bwhhisc]

Truly amazing results in the World Cup so far. Italy out with 2 draws and a defeat - finishing beneath New Zealand !! I don't think anyone would have predicted that !!

Go New Zealand! that's me surrogate boy$ in this tourney :)

[bumblebee man]

Uruguay is looking like a real surprise team. Rock solid in defense and world class up front.

My favorite matches of the last 16:

Germany - England and Portugal - Spain. Great teams and great rivalry too.

In the German squad Schweinsteiger and Boateng are doubtful, Cacau is missing. I don't care about Cacau and Jansen can replace Boateng. But Schweinsteiger is hard to replace as he is the only leader personality in midfield and even that is only because Ballack is missing. If he can't play I'd come up with Toni Kroos. He is 20 years old and hugely gifted. He can shoot from long range and score (actually seems like a clone of Lampard - hopefully not quite as bad when wearing the national jersey). This might help considering the fact that England is playing without a goalie. :p

BTW: If there's a penalty shootout the English players will be wetting their pants as usual and this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-0xuJ0edM) will kick their arse. :cool:

[Wot]

Was there a wooden spoon prize for the team with the most goals against?

[yanni]

wow, 4 so far. It doesn't look good for England..

[alpha]

Painful

Germany by far the better team today

[Rubber Duck]

Personally, I think we should only select players that are prepared to play for nothing, and perhaps uniquely from the Champions League because that is where all the best teams seem to draw their talent from!

Capello is clearly a failure, and I think it is about time we had an English speaking coach. Shit does that mean we are going to get an American next time around?

And perhaps we should take a tip out of Germany's book and stuff the team full of Poles.

[bumblebee man]

Revenge for Wembley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeXWEVXhdUo)

[alexd]

Absolutely gutted !! No other words for how I feel. Defence was non-existant !! The team have really let the nation down.

It would have been a huge injustice to Germany had they not won that match and gone through.

And it looks like that "Psychic Octopuss" ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10420131.stm ) was correct again !!!

Heres hoping Argentina win tonight, and then they can give Germany a beating, just like they gave England today !!

A not too happy England fan.

[bumblebee man]

Capello is clearly a failure


England is clearly a failure. Capello is one of the best managers around, but he can't turn them into Germans, can he? :lol:


And perhaps we should take a tip out of Germany's book and stuff the team full of Poles.

Well, Klose and Podolski are about as Polish as Rio Ferdinand is St. Lucian. ;)

[mulligan]

Last 16:

http://ringgit.org/wc/table.png

[sbe18]

OK...
I'm out ...
Whoever wins, please enjoy several top shelf tequila shooters with my $20.


Mexico was clearly outplayed by Argentina.

Sideline Ref's with radios miss a clear off sides goal against Mexico, and a 3 foot clear goal by Lampard.

2 shameful calls. But the better squads clearly won both matches.


England was completely outplayed by the Germans.
Blaming Italian coaching is misplaced.

The Germans were fitter, and faster , and sharper in mid field.

Rooney seemingly a ghost for 4 straight games.

England fans who ever hummed 'The Business' song of 'England 5- Germany 1", will need to endure the inevitable Berlin punk band remakes with the German version Deutschland 'vier' / England 'eins' soon enough on youTube.


In my opinion, only Lampard and Gerrard played at the highest expected level.
They have nothing to apologize for.

Lampard clearly robbed, makes FIFA refs with radios, but other tech denied a sad joke.



England needs to admit that earlier Kiwi amateurs looked sharper in defense and certainly at both centerbacks.

And Southgate no longer taunted for 14 years running?????


Germany / Argentina should be a fun match to watch if rapid counter-attacks are frequent for both teams.

Could this be Holland 's year if Chile shocks Brazil ???
Off with the sombrero, so I need to find some clogs.

s/

[Rubber Duck]

Capellon selected and trained those mules. He is absolutely to blame.

OK...
I'm out ...
Whoever wins, please enjoy several top shelf tequila shooters with my $20.


Mexico was clearly outplayed by Argentina.

Sideline Ref's with radios miss a clear off sides goal against Mexico, and a 3 foot clear goal by Lampard.

2 shameful calls. But the better squads clearly won both matches.


England was completely outplayed by the Germans.
Blaming Italian coaching is misplaced.

The Germans were fitter, and faster , and sharper in mid field.

Rooney seemingly a ghost for 4 straight games.

England fans who ever hummed 'The Business' song of 'England 5- Germany 1", will need to endure the inevitable Berlin punk band remakes with the German version Deutschland 'vier' / England 'eins' soon enough on youTube.


In my opinion, only Lampard and Gerrard played at the highest expected level.
They have nothing to apologize for.

Lampard clearly robbed, makes FIFA refs with radios, but other tech denied a sad joke.



England needs to admit that earlier Kiwi amateurs looked sharper in defense and certainly at both centerbacks.

And Southgate no longer taunted for 14 years running?????


Germany / Argentina should be a fun match to watch if rapid counter-attacks are frequent for both teams.

Could this be Holland 's year if Chile shocks Brazil ???
Off with the sombrero, so I need to find some clogs.

s/

[Rubber Duck]

England is clearly a failure. Capello is one of the best managers around, but he can't turn them into Germans, can he? :lol:



Well, Klose and Podolski are about as Polish as Rio Ferdinand is St. Lucian. ;)

There are three Poland born Poles in the team let alone the squad.

[Rubber Duck]

England is clearly a failure. Capello is one of the best managers around, but he can't turn them into Germans, can he? :lol:



Well, Klose and Podolski are about as Polish as Rio Ferdinand is St. Lucian. ;)

There are three Poland born Poles in the team let alone the squad. Not to mention a Brazilian.

We are paying this wanker $9 Million a year to deny responsibility for his failure.

Somebody is having a laugh!

[g]

Go slovakia Go Go

Do it for Gee , pleaseeeeeeeeee :D

quiet impossible for slovakia to beat netherlands

but Miracles happen sometimes :lol:

[bumblebee man]

There are three Poland born Poles in the team let alone the squad. Not to mention a Brazilian.


Germany is an immigration country. Have a look at the Dutch or French squad.


We are paying this wanker $9 Million a year to deny responsibility for his failure.

Somebody is having a laugh!

9 Million? England should have got Guus Hiddink for that money.

I don't like Capello's style of play but usually it's highly efficient. It might not fit English football though. At least he's had more success than Steve McLaren. But seriously: there must be a deeper problem other than just the manager. Most English players don't seem to be quite the same when wearing a three lions shirt. Terry, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney are far stronger when playing for their clubs. And whenever it's neck or nothing for England they seem to be wetting their pants. This is not only a Capello issue because it was the same under his predecessors.

With the Germans it seems the other way round. Klose and Podolski had their worst shit season ever and by now they have scored just as often at the worldcup as in the league. :D

[sbe18]

why I love British humor ?

1- lol http://imgur.com/QxJvh : a classic .... within minutes !!! and 500K views in 12 hours !!!!

( note the ref is at the half circle and with clear view...ughhhhh.)

2- blogging brilliance from the Guardian:

67 min:

THIS COULD BE IT FOR ENGLAND. Germany 3-1 England. The ball having bounced off the wall, four German players stream upfield, no red shirts bothering to chase back and help. Down the inside left, Schweinsteiger rolls the ball wide right to Muller on the right-hand edge of the England box. James gets a hand to the shot, but it was hit hard as you like and flies into the bottom-right corner.

69 min:
England's four defenders make it back to their area.

s/ :eek:

[bwhhisc]

humour...from the English tabloids

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle/post/English-tabloids-calmly-react-to-Germany-loss?urn=sow,251682

[jose]

Most boring WC ever: Final = Argentina x Brasil.

[Drewbert]

Apparently after the mess of the Mexico-Argentina game, where they awarded the goal even thought the instant replays showing on the big screens in the stadium clearly shoed an offside, FIFA has now banned the showing of replays in the stadium screens.

Hows that for fucktard behaviour?

[jose]

I agree 100% with FIFA.

All these errors are part of the game. A human game with a referee. A machine could never decide a yellow or red card. This makes the game more fun, creates something for we to discuss with friends and sells a lot of newspapers. Please don't take the fun out of it!

Keep in mind its only a game! People keep forgetting this.

[sbe18]

banning the replays is really foolish....as if they won't have SA radios etc..

3 billion in rev's and they make the spectators feel punished for being outraged ???

as if people aren't going to get/give sms texts or use their smartphones for
video in the future.

Just borrow from hockey:

a goal judge for each end for international matches ...



or even the newer hockey with 2 ref's and 2 linesmen.

The ref's are simply going back and forth from 40 to 40 so they can withstand the 90 or the possible 120 minutes of their own running.

Aren't most of the ref's in their late 30's or early 40's...

granted in great shape, but they can't get from top of the box to top of the box at this level of play ..(excluding England's back 4 of course)

they use different balls every tournament...how is that not technology.
the ref radios...????

or the change from 2 subs to 3 subs being a big change ...?


Lastly, there is no reason that yellows/ reds should not be reviewed , judged by a large panel of other ref's .

A large number of yellows should have just been free kicks and warnings.

[bwhhisc]

I agree 100% with FIFA.
All these errors are part of the game. A human game with a referee. A machine could never decide a yellow or red card. This makes the game more fun, creates something for we to discuss with friends and sells a lot of newspapers. Please don't take the fun out of it!
Keep in mind its only a game! People keep forgetting this.

Are you kidding????????????? FIFA should be ashamed of allowing this to go on when the technology is available to make it "fair" to all concerned.

Let the refs hand out yellow cards etc, but lets fix the scoring fiasco we have seen too many times not only this year but dozens of times in the history of the World Cup.

[alpha]

I agree 100% with FIFA.

All these errors are part of the game. A human game with a referee. A machine could never decide a yellow or red card. This makes the game more fun, creates something for we to discuss with friends and sells a lot of newspapers. Please don't take the fun out of it!

Keep in mind its only a game! People keep forgetting this.

bs!

every other major sport has introduced line tech.. Tennis, cricket.. why should football be any different.

those morons at fifa are living in the dark ages

http://static.funnyjunk.com/pictures/filmtoot.jpg

[jose]

I am sorry, but that's my opinion...

BTW, here's a tip: Use Godaddy's "soccer99" coupon to get a domain for $1! :)

[alexd]

I know at the end of the days its a "game", but when a decision in the game can affect the outcome of it - as well as the emotions of hundreds of thousands of people watching the game the world over, then it really needs to be sorted out.

How difficult is it to have a goal line ref in such important games as these ?? If a ref is not sure if the ball crossed the line, or if a tackle deserves a red card - why can't they run off to the sidelines, and watch a reply of the event ?? This wouldn't take more than a minute at the most, and then games of such importance wouldn't be hanging on the judgement of a referee who was 100 meters away from the action and made a decision based on impulse, rather than fact !!

FIFA really need to sort things out quickly !!

I'd also like to see that tosser Seth (Sepp) Blatter chained against a wall, and have penalty kicks taken against him for 10 hours solid !! Heres a quote from the knobend himself ...
"What I am most proud of is the legacy of hope that FIFA and football leaves around the world. It makes all of the efforts and energy I pour into this job worth it. "

[bramiozo]

I agree 100% with FIFA.

All these errors are part of the game. A human game with a referee. A machine could never decide a yellow or red card. This makes the game more fun, creates something for we to discuss with friends and sells a lot of newspapers. Please don't take the fun out of it!

Keep in mind its only a game! People keep forgetting this.

They are talking about a recognizing a goal, sure red/yellow cards are subjective but a goal is not. Btw, FIFA said that human decisions would keep discussions lively but the whole point is that the referee cannot undo a goal that is prevented because he calls off side incorrectly and he cannot change the score afterwards if a goal was not recognized immediately.

FIFA takes itself and their rules to seriously, their should be room for correction.

[Wot]

They are talking about a recognizing a goal, sure red/yellow cards are subjective but a goal is not. Btw, FIFA said that human decisions would keep discussions lively but the whole point is that the referee cannot undo a goal that is prevented because he calls off side incorrectly and he cannot change the score afterwards if a goal was not recognized immediately.

FIFA takes itself and their rules to seriously, their should be room for correction.


Rugby has got it right and a much better game all round. :)

[bwhhisc]

bs!
every other major sport has introduced line tech.. Tennis, cricket.. why should football be any different.
those morons at fifa are living in the dark ages
http://static.funnyjunk.com/pictures/filmtoot.jpg

Yeah, and while they are at lets bump up the size of the goal! :p

[jose]

Ok, you won. FIFA have just admited they will use tech.

[phio]

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/spanish-girl.jpg

[bumblebee man]

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/spanish-girl.jpg

So is she...

http://futbolsevilla.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/portugal_girl_01-500x350.jpg

Força Portugal!

[jose]

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww83/wwicks3/spanish-girl.jpg

Ready to how many up her a*? :)

Who ever wons this is on the semi-finals, but its a worthless journey as it will never surpass Argentina. Brasil x Argentina will be the final match.

[phio]

Goooooooooooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sbe18]

Spain now playing at world class level.

How Paraguay is going to defend Ramos wide right and David Villa wide left, if the Portuguese who even play in Spain's league, have problems ?

maybe set plays ....naaaaah.

should be fun matches if Argentina and the Dutch can score first...later this week.

s/

[bramiozo]

Spain dominated, wow, total control, the best I saw sofar.

Ronaldo...

[sbe18]

Well.......

Bram

I guess the Orange wants a pay back for 1998 semis and those PK's.

re: 1998
Bergkamp's goal against Argentina...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4vVC6OYLu0

Is still a joy to watch...

I guess if Argentina gets past Germany, they would welcome a payback to the Dutch for 1998 1/4's ...

and obviously for the Dutch payback for 78.
Viewing some web sites today, I learned of Cruijff boycotting the Argentinian military dictatorship back then..

I had thought he was hurt etc...learn something every day.

s/

[bwhhisc]

JOHANNESBURG – With global criticism raining down upon him, FIFA president Sepp Blatter did an about face Tuesday, both in tact and possible tactic.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter apologized to England and Mexico for major officiating errors.
Blatter acknowledged major officiating errors in round-of-16 losses by England and Mexico, said he apologized to team officials in both nations and promised to reopen the debate over introducing vreplay technology, including video review, once this World Cup was over.


http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/world-cup-s-best-call-blatter-reconsiders-replay--fbintl_dw-blatter062910.html

[mulligan]

No apology for the Irish team after Henry (The cheating fcuker) blatantly handled the ball which lead to a Gallas goal ... and Ireland not qualifying?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiwFvsHmr_4

[phio]

Holy Shit....Brazil is losing