OT: World Cup 2010

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Targan

I just hope Italy does poorly. Cheating bastards.

So Targan, did you enjoy the New Zealand - Italy game?

[TiggerCCW UK]

Anyone want to speculate on the fate of the North Korean team when they get home? Pretty spectacular result today.....

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

Anyone want to speculate on the fate of the North Korean team when they get home? Pretty spectacular result today.....

If they go home...

[Fusilier]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

Anyone want to speculate on the fate of the North Korean team when they get home? Pretty spectacular result today.....

A year of hard labor working in a coal mine, then 2 years probation spent polishing Kim statutes.

Their families have probably already been transported to a detention camp as well (keeping in custom with NK blood justice).

...or return as World Cup champions after the game footage has been altered.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

So Targan, did you enjoy the New Zealand - Italy game?

Thats what you gotta love about the world cup - "small " nations ( football wise ) face their Goliath and come out with unexpected results . I thought US -England was such a match also ( for ONCE the US was an underdog- gotta jump at the chance to cheer them on )

Havent seen Mohohender here in a while - though he might not respond in this thread

seriously - it must be hard for fans and not to mention the millions of kids that have been looking forward to the games to see their side behave like the French have these past days.Loosing is one thing -quitting quite another imho .

I would be pissed off.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Havent seen Mohohender here in a while - though he might not respond in this thread

Yes I haven't been around in months, too much to do lately and that's not going to slow down. RPGs and Twilight are back on their shelves for a while. However when I saw you asking HQ, I couldn't resist

I don't felt it to be that hard. Nobody was really excited anyway while fans and kids (almost all) supported South Africa during the last game. It's a biggest issue for our politicians.

The only thing is that the French team was a perfect image of what France is at the moment (hope it doesn't last). At least they achieved something collectively: failure.

Sorry to all our american friends, however, as during their match against Ghana I was supporting Ghana. The image I will remember is that of both coaches hugging each other. I was supporting Ghana but, for the first time in decades I had watch a nice game. Players taking risks and playing to the end. Nice game from both US and Ghana, sincerely.

Too bad Ghana is out now.

Bye everyone, back to work!

[Muti]

Looks like I'm the only Italian here and I read some "nice" comments...

Anyway I don't care about World Cup 2010 simply because I'm not a soccer fan. I've got a sympathy for Germany.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Muti

Looks like I'm the only Italian here and I read some "nice" comments...

Anyway I don't care about World Cup 2010 simply because I'm not a soccer fan. I've got a sympathy for Germany.

Yes,you are right -a lot of these comments were not really nice .I apologize for mine if they were regarded as anti-italian in any way .They were more an expression of frustration over general trends in the game that I find are negative .

( I was sure you were from Finland or Northern Sweden ???)

Italy has amazing players,a strong history and many triumphs to boast about.
Slamming Italy is not alright .Critizising their team is - as long as it is not groundless.
It is a fact that "filming" is universal and not only Italian.

Some fans may not understand some aspects of Italian football culture though .

Full respect to Italy and Italians alike.

[headquarters]

ok - if you check out this you are adding to the guys view counter -but I just had to...he is just so...weird.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBkbj...layer_embedded

hehe.

what a card.

[Muti]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Yes,you are right -a lot of these comments were not really nice .I apologize for mine if they were regarded as anti-italian in any way .They were more an expression of frustration over general trends in the game that I find are negative .

( I was sure you were from Finland or Northern Sweden ???)

Italy has amazing players,a strong history and many triumphs to boast about.
Slamming Italy is not alright .Critizising their team is - as long as it is not groundless.
It is a fact that "filming" is universal and not only Italian.

Some fans may not understand some aspects of Italian football culture though .

Full respect to Italy and Italians alike.

Thank you! Don't worry about your comment, only Targan said that Italians are cheating bastards But as I said before, I don't care.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Muti

Thank you! Don't worry about your comment, only Targan said that Italians are cheating bastards But as I said before, I don't care.

Oops I did say that, didn't I? Well to clarify, not ALL Italians are cheaters, just certain members of their national football team.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Yes I haven't been around in months, too much to do lately and that's not going to slow down. RPGs and Twilight are back on their shelves for a while. However when I saw you asking HQ, I couldn't resist

I don't felt it to be that hard. Nobody was really excited anyway while fans and kids (almost all) supported South Africa during the last game. It's a biggest issue for our politicians.

The only thing is that the French team was a perfect image of what France is at the moment (hope it doesn't last). At least they achieved something collectively: failure.

Sorry to all our american friends, however, as during their match against Ghana I was supporting Ghana. The image I will remember is that of both coaches hugging each other. I was supporting Ghana but, for the first time in decades I had watch a nice game. Players taking risks and playing to the end. Nice game from both US and Ghana, sincerely.

Too bad Ghana is out now.

Bye everyone, back to work!

Just a little friendly stab Mo.
Glad to hear that you take it all with ease.

France will rise again on the soccer field and become a side to have pride in again .

I agree on the Ghana match .It was a shame that Uruguay managed to steal advancement from them the way they did .Glad the Dutch knocked them out .

See you later -and as you said -back to work

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by headquarters

I agree on the Ghana match .It was a shame that Uruguay managed to steal advancement from them the way they did .Glad the Dutch knocked them out .

Uruguay didn't "steal" the match from Ghana. Suarez did what every other player in the World Cup would have done under the same circumstances- protect his goal in a crucial game-deciding situation by any means necessary. He was punished for it and the Ghaneans received a clear-cut chance to win (the penalty). They botched it and Uruguay finished them in the shoot out. To demonize a player and a team for the actions of one player is not fair. The Ghaneans had two more opportunties to win after the red card. They controlled their own destiny and they couldn't pull it off.

Suarez is taking a lot of heat for his actions but, like I said before, any player in his right mind would have done the same thing. He saved his team from elimination. He was just doing his job. If he hadn't, he would have been a villain to his teammates, coach, fans, and countrymen. I guess, in some ways, it all comes down to perspective.

As for the Dutch, they were my darkhorse pick to win the whole tournament and I wouldn't mind seeing them do it. They, however, dive and play act a lot. Most of the Dutch players are guilty of doing it too. In the case of the Dutch, I think it's fair to characterize the whole team as blatant floppers. They go down easily at even the hint of a foul, presumably to con the ref into giving their opponents cards. A lot of players on a lot of teams do this and it is shameful. But to see a whole team doing it on a regular basis... that's embarrassing. It could come back to haunt them in the final.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Uruguay didn't "steal" the match from Ghana. Suarez did what every other player in the World Cup would have done under the same circumstances- protect his goal in a crucial game-deciding situation by any means necessary. He was punished for it and the Ghaneans received a clear-cut chance to win (the penalty). They botched it and Uruguay finished them in the shoot out. To demonize a player and a team for the actions of one player is not fair. The Ghaneans had two more opportunties to win after the red card. They controlled their own destiny and they couldn't pull it off.

Suarez is taking a lot of heat for his actions but, like I said before, any player in his right mind would have done the same thing. He saved his team from elimination. He was just doing his job. If he hadn't, he would have been a villain to his teammates, coach, fans, and countrymen. I guess, in some ways, it all comes down to perspective.

As for the Dutch, they were my darkhorse pick to win the whole tournament and I wouldn't mind seeing them do it. They, however, dive and play act a lot. Most of the Dutch players are guilty of doing it too. In the case of the Dutch, I think it's fair to characterize the whole team as blatant floppers. They go down easily at even the hint of a foul, presumably to con the ref into giving their opponents cards. A lot of players on a lot of teams do this and it is shameful. But to see a whole team doing it on a regular basis... that's embarrassing. It could come back to haunt them in the final.

lets go! had this been in a bar beermugs would be shattering around our ears and fisticuffs andoutbreaks like "BOLLOCKS!!" would have rung out .

nah- just kidding . But I do feel you are dead wrong mate !

you have some feeling for the República Oriental del Uruguay- and I like that.I was cheering for them as well right up to the last few seconds of the match when they shamed themselves by showing a disregard for the sport .I might disapprove and articulate my feeling of displeasure towards the Uruguyan side ,but to say that I demonize them or the player in question is a bit harsh .To demonize them in a discussion like this I would have to say they were the inventors of all things bad in football - "the acting like hit by a foul tackle" " the mortally wounded didnt get a penalty so up and about 5 seconds later act",the "involuntary-voluntary hands","the shirt pull", " the hand of God","The take out the oppositions most valuable player tackle to the lower knee and then feign innocense tackle","the elbow to the chest when the ref isnt looking elbow" and so on and so on ..Uruguay didnt invent or capitalize on these in any conspicious manner-indeed they fought valiantly and skillfully -to an extent - even against the mighty Dutch I grudgingly must admit .

(To call the Dutch "actors " seems unfair bythe way .)

But Uruguay did commit what in my opinion is a shameful foul.

Firstly - breaking the rules is cheating - we call it a foul ,and not an option you can speculate in on a cost-efficiency basis like happened in said match .

This is what I -and many with me - regard as the true spirit of the game .


If you cheat you get penalized -true - but thats a consequence from the cheating or foul and not a cost you deliberately factor in to your advantage .

To see you write that any player in his right mind would have used his hands in a similar manner given the situation is to broad a statement and one I feel cannot be valid.
Any player in his right mind would act out of ambition to win and sportsmanship spirit and try to stop the ball using any other part of his body than his hands !

Thats the point of the game and a rule that shouldnt be broken even though ambition has gotten the better of sportsmanship !

Stopping a clear cut goal with your hands is a foul- but its not only a common foul - its the the stereotype foul that one and all agree is cheating .

And cheating is -in fact - still considered to be BAD -even if the game seems to move more and more into grey areas regarding this.Sadly.

The only one more clear cut a blatant disregard for the spirit of the game is the defenders dirty tackle from behind of the player with the ball who is alone with the keeper.

Now, I am sure that the oriental republic of uruguay will rise again on the field and achieve honourable triumph.I will maybe go back to cheering for them agains as I was always a sucker for the underdog -Denmark,Uruguay,USA,NZ,South Africa,Japan ,Australia etc

Parting words ( in this half ) :

all in my semi humble opinion and in the spirit of a friendly game!

[boogiedowndonovan]

ok, I'm not saying I condone what this Holland soccer fan is offering, but...

if anyone is interested a Dutch porn star is offering her 'services' to her Twitter fans if Holland wins the World Cup.

Apparently she is being joined by a few more porn stars who are also fans of Holland. Would this be a proper use of the Aussie term "rooting"?

the link has pics, haven't checked them, so I can't say if it is work safe or not.

link

just throwing it out for y'all.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by boogiedowndonovan

Would this be a proper use of the Aussie term "rooting"?

Yes. Yes it would. And bless her cotton socks.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Targan

Yes. Yes it would. And bless her cotton socks.

Fair reason to support them I guess.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

So Targan, did you enjoy the New Zealand - Italy game?

Did I ever! I watched it with a mate who is a Kiwi like me, we were going nuts right up to the last second of the game. Very happy with the result. Matter of fact if an Italian player hadn't taken a dive (and received a penalty he didn't deserve) New Zealand would have won the match 1-0.

[Rainbow Six]

Well, that's the French out...and the that way they have played they didn't deserve to go any further...I'm sure there'll be a few happy faces in Ireland tonight...

Things have certainly been interesting so far...can't believe we're nearly two weeks in. This has to be one of the worst World Cups for years for the major European teams...I think the only ones who are assured qualification for the next round at this stage are the Dutch and (probably) the Portugese?...so a few crunch matches coming up in the next couple of days...and we could be looking at Spain vs Brazil in the next round...

[Raellus]

Man, I feel sorry for the French fans. I also feel badly for the Irish fans/team. They were effectively robbed of a place in the finals by a team that apparently doesn't even want to be there. This French team is a major embarrassment. To think that many of them played in the championship game four years ago. It seems like a lot of the Euro squads have great inidvidual talent but very little team chemistry (I'm looking at you Three Lions). Capello and Domenech are making Maradona look like a genius.

Uruguay wins their group! I was living in Montevideo during the '90 World Cup so I have a soft spot for the Uruguayos.

Big game for the U.S. team tomorrow. They'd better not blow it. I don't want to hear any crying about how we were robbed during the Slovenia game if we fail to advance tomorrow.

[boogiedowndonovan]

Dae han min guk!

(ok, I'm not rooting for South Korea and that pic is from the 2002 world cup, kato, any idea who she is?)

[kato13]

Originally Posted by boogiedowndonovan

Dae han min guk!

(ok, I'm not rooting for South Korea and that pic is from the 2002 world cup, kato, any idea who she is?)

Shim Mina

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by boogiedowndonovan

Dae han min guk!

(ok, I'm not rooting for South Korea and that pic is from the 2002 world cup, kato, any idea who she is?)

Whoa.

[Caradhras]

It's the big day for England and the US - hopefully decided on the pitch and not names out of a hat which is a potential scenario (if we both draw with same number of goals scored in total).

France were an embarassment, Italy look shaky, Germany convincing then unconvincing, Argentina will be found out by a good side imo, Brazil dont look as good as expected nor do Portugal, Uruguay or Paraguay maybe dark horses..

It has been poor footy in the main - I am hoping once these awkward group stages are over the cream of the crop playing each other in one off games will make for better viewing.

Play Crouchie for the win!