The World Cup Approacheth

Gnome, there's only one thing I hate more than Barzil.... Maradona! OMG to see his team loose will be divine!

Boerderij, I'll be cheering the "Orange" all the way! I'm a fan on Kuyt!

Germany were not that great. England made them look better by playing crap and then having to play catch up. Germany will have a tougher time when they have to play a good team.

Have you been watching the World cup? Germany has shown some great plays including the best goal in my opinion.
OK I showed my hand, besides the South Americans, who do you think?

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

Germany were not that great. England made them look better by playing crap and then having to play catch up. Germany will have a tougher time when they have to play a good team.

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I hate to say that I agree with you! My Germans have looked good on paper, but if you've seen the whole games, you can see where they will have problems, especially with remaining teams such as Argentina, Brazil, and Netherlands...

(Gnomey, I love how you use the international "Germany were not..." as opposed to the traditional singular American way of thinking "Germany was not..." -- it really adds to the "team" concept of soccer (Germany as plural) as opposed to the individual concept of most American sports )

AZ_IPA said:

I hate to say that I agree with you! My Germans have looked good on paper, but if you've seen the whole games, you can see where they will have problems, especially with remaining teams such as Argentina, Brazil, and Netherlands...

(Gnomey, I love how you use the international "Germany were not..." as opposed to the traditional singular American way of thinking "Germany was not..." -- it really adds to the "team" concept of soccer (Germany as plural) as opposed to the individual concept of most American sports )

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Germany was plural for quite awhile.



Headline for Germany's first game: "Germany strikes first."

Me: What else is new?

shecky said:

Germany was plural for quite awhile.

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I see your grammar radar is working properly today....

The only team that looks like they're firing on all cylinders at the moment, is Argentina. Germany stumbled a wee bit (I think they looked better than LG gave 'em credit for against zee English), Holland looks suspect at the back to me and I don't think have been tested yet, Spain still looks like a team that has trouble putting matches away, and after watching the Brazil match today, I think that scoreline really flattered them.

I suppose though, it's not how you start this tournament, it's how you end it. After tomorrow, it REALLY starts getting interesting. I'm still backing Spain to do the business, though.

Portugal 3-2 with the upset. Mark my words, Ronaldo will wake up and give the rest of the tournament fits.

ubermick said:

The only team that looks like they're firing on all cylinders at the moment, is Argentina. Germany stumbled a wee bit (I think they looked better than LG gave 'em credit for against zee English),

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I didn't mean they can't up their game though. They can. As you know, teams tend to play according to the quality of the opposition. Faced with more serious competitors, Germany will improve.

Needless to say, the spirit of the teams will increase as they get nearer to the final.

I'd be surprised to see Spain win this though, they are notorious bottlers, just like the England team.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

Portugal 3-2 with the upset. Mark my words, Ronaldo will wake up and give the rest of the tournament fits.

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Thing about Portugal is that they have Ronaldo.

Thing about Spain is that they have Xavi, David Silva, Fabregas, David Villa, Navas, Iniesta, Mata, and that Torres fella. If Torres wakes up, God help whoever they're playing!

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

I didn't mean they can't up their game though. They can. As you know, teams tend to play according to the quality of the opposition. Faced with more serious competitors, Germany will improve.

Needless to say, the spirit of the teams will increase as they get nearer to the final.

I'd be surprised to see Spain win this though, they are notorious bottlers, just like the England team.

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I think England pays the price for the Premiership. Best league on the planet, and they play at such pace, along with the physical nature of the league and the volume of games they have, come the summer the Premiership based players are wrecked. Even look at the other countries with Premiership players who play regularly. Torres hasn't made it through 90 minutes yet, and the time he has spent on the pitch, he's been fairly pedestrian.

It's a heck of a lot easier to be ready for a World Cup when you play in a league with fewer games, where sneezing on a player is deemed a foul, and you get a lovely 2 week holiday for Christmas than it is when you're playing 2-3 times a week, getting lumps kicked out of you away at Bolton, and are going absolutely non stop from the first week of August to the middle of May. It's no wonder the German players were fitter and were able to burn each and every player in red for pace.

Interesting.... after the England lost goal they are now talking about using technology to review goals.

What a crappy day for me. Loaded down with work, and both my teams for the day lose.

Boo hiss. Ronaldo didn't wake up, Villa continues to rock it hard. That second half was pitiable.

Joker said:

Interesting.... after the England lost goal they are now talking about using technology to review goals.

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Um, only after Memorex and YOU brought the subject up. It seemed only polite to carry on the topic that you started.

England have mentioned it, but still hold their team accountable for a ****e performance. There's also a big difference between a passage of play where there was no whistle blown, the ball crossed the line, and the goal was mysteriously not given, as opposed to what happened to the US (which we will never hear the end of) where the whistle had actually been blown before the ball was in the net.

Either way, the suggestion at hand is goalline technology - a method to determine when a ball had completely crossed the line, without causing a break in play - and not having a replay every time there's a contentious call.

Speaking of contentious calls, I was in the pub watching the match today, and couldn't for the life of me see what Costa was sent off for?

Also, not to crow, but Ronaldo was absolutely useless in South Africa, and I was 8 for 8 in my knockout round predictions. Look for semi finals of Uruguay v Brazil, and Germany v Spain.

ubermick said:

Either way, the suggestion at hand is goalline technology - a method to determine when a ball had completely crossed the line, without causing a break in play

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Yeah, as I was watching the recap of the PARvJPN game they showed the England "goal" and said that today FIFA announced they are seriously considering goalline replays. I'm all for it... just as long as they take less than 10 seconds.... hell, make it 6 just like every other time rule (i.e. amount of time keeper has to get the ball out of the box; amount of time to inbound the ball [even though that one isn't enforced properly])

Look for semi finals of Uruguay v Brazil, and Germany v Spain.

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Agreed, that's how I see it

Joker: Ah I see you mean FIFA are now talking about it after England's non goal. Don't worry about any kind of special favours to England from FIFA. That just doesn't happen. Not ever. They don't like England very much.

I think the reason they have to discuss tech on that incident is because it embarrassed them. It was not a matter for rule interpretation, the whole world could easily see it without all the complications of offside rules etc.

For your reading pleasure...

President: FIFA will consider refereeing questions

Memorex88 said:

How could you not be scared of a ref that looks like this! Shuts you up real fast!

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I love that actor!

I miss Collina. NOBODY fecked with him!

It's official. After almost three weeks of daily footy, I am now going through withdrawal.

I was thinking the same damned thing this morning.

Yeah, but just wait for tomorrow.

Oh wait...

Same thing every world cup. It's all hyper for two weeks..........Then you have to wait for the matches.

Draw us in, and milk it for as much as they can. It is a good model.

Ya I'm watching tennis for f#ck sakes

Even though I am not much of a soccer fan, I do believe I may start wanting to root for Paraguay!!

Wow what a rack on her!!!!

I had a laugh when I read a few comments....

Justeden: This is like pigs flying. It is not gona happen!!

Bittern1980 : Put her on a farm and have her turn too quickly in either direction. That'll likely send some pigs flying. Maybe even a donkey or some sheep, too, judging from the heft of those bolt-ons.

mmmmmmmmmm.....Paraguay.

God, this is insane, and it's only a layover between matches...what's going to happen when it's all over for 4 years??? I'm already scratching my arms and mumbling gggggoooooaaaallll.

And I'm actually missing the sound of those damn angry bees.

I actually got yard work done today. Any more of this no soccer crap and my wife is going to expect me to paint something.

Will someone at least standbehind me a go "buzzzzzzzz" in my ear for the next 2 hours?

Revvy said:

God, this is insane, and it's only a layover between matches...what's going to happen when it's all over for 4 years??? I'm already scratching my arms and mumbling gggggoooooaaaallll.

And I'm actually missing the sound of those damn angry bees.

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The 4 year wait totally sucks, but it is also what makes it special. 4 years of anticipation combined with the despair of losing after all that time is somehow magical


mmmmmm..........Paraguay.

Revvy said:

Will someone at least standbehind me a go "buzzzzzzzz" in my ear for the next 2 hours?

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Use this browser. It will help your withdrawal.

That's why god invented the European Championships. Only two years to go for that!

There's a UFC on this weekend. It's all good.

ubermick said:

That's why god invented the European Championships. Only two years to go for that!

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Yeah, it's like the summer olympics and the winter olympics......You get a tourney every four years when everyone is included, and another four in between when just the Euros get to play (Or the snowy countries)

I'm all for the two year thingy!

Then there's the women next year.

boerderij_kabouter said:

use this browser. it will help your withdrawal.

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bwahahahahahaha!!!!!!

There hasn't been anything as cool as this at all this time around.



We need some Zidane to kick some butt!