# Let the fun begin



## nigele2

You love it , you hate it , but it is going to be difficult to avoid. The World Cup begins today.

I’ll be here in England until July 22nd and I’m not unhappy about that. The weather here is currently much better than my bits of Spain and as much as I can chat in a bar and support and enjoy Spain playing football for me there is nothing like an English pub, a few pints of pride (in both senses), English hope and the cross of St George.

Of course it has started with the sad news that the great man of South Africa will miss the opening due to the death of his great granddaughter. Anyway I wish South Africa well and hope it is a great tournament – they need and deserve that I think. And if nothing else the world cup takes many a mind away from all the current woes of the world.

But the reason for the thread: would love to hear from those who experience the world cup in Spain. I’m sure they’ll be many funny stories and great 'people watching' – especially if England meet Spain.

And of course for those learning Spanish a great opportunity to learn while watching the game: gol, gol, gol, gol, goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool 

Whatever I wish all footy fans who frequent here a ‘Copa feliz’


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## xabiaxica

nigele2 said:


> You love it , you hate it , but it is going to be difficult to avoid. The World Cup begins today.
> 
> I’ll be here in England until July 22nd and I’m not unhappy about that. The weather here is currently much better than my bits of Spain and as much as I can chat in a bar and support and enjoy Spain playing football for me there is nothing like an English pub, a few pints of pride (in both senses), English hope and the cross of St George.
> 
> Of course it has started with the sad news that the great man of South Africa will miss the opening due to the death of his great granddaughter. Anyway I wish South Africa well and hope it is a great tournament – they need and deserve that I think. And if nothing else the world cup takes many a mind away from all the current woes of the world.
> 
> But the reason for the thread: would love to hear from those who experience the world cup in Spain. I’m sure they’ll be many funny stories and great 'people watching' – especially if England meet Spain.
> 
> And of course for those learning Spanish a great opportunity to learn while watching the game: gol, gol, gol, gol, goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
> 
> Whatever I wish all footy fans who frequent here a ‘Copa feliz’


now i know what this thread is about I know not to bother looking again


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## mr pinks

nigele2 said:


> You love it , you hate it , but it is going to be difficult to avoid. The World Cup begins today.
> 
> I’ll be here in England until July 22nd and I’m not unhappy about that. The weather here is currently much better than my bits of Spain and as much as I can chat in a bar and support and enjoy Spain playing football for me there is nothing like an English pub, a few pints of pride (in both senses), English hope and the cross of St George.
> 
> Of course it has started with the sad news that the great man of South Africa will miss the opening due to the death of his great granddaughter. Anyway I wish South Africa well and hope it is a great tournament – they need and deserve that I think. And if nothing else the world cup takes many a mind away from all the current woes of the world.
> 
> But the reason for the thread: would love to hear from those who experience the world cup in Spain. I’m sure they’ll be many funny stories and great 'people watching' – especially if England meet Spain.
> 
> And of course for those learning Spanish a great opportunity to learn while watching the game: gol, gol, gol, gol, goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
> 
> Whatever I wish all footy fans who frequent here a ‘Copa feliz’


its a shame the spanish are crap at rugby my lady is welsh cant get her head round football and were off to spain end of july for a very long time


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## Pesky Wesky

nigele2 said:


> You love it , you hate it , but it is going to be difficult to avoid. The World Cup begins today.
> 
> I’ll be here in England until July 22nd and I’m not unhappy about that. The weather here is currently much better than my bits of Spain and as much as I can chat in a bar and support and enjoy Spain playing football for me there is nothing like an English pub, a few pints of pride (in both senses), English hope and the cross of St George.
> 
> Of course it has started with the sad news that the great man of South Africa will miss the opening due to the death of his great granddaughter. Anyway I wish South Africa well and hope it is a great tournament – they need and deserve that I think. And if nothing else the world cup takes many a mind away from all the current woes of the world.
> 
> But the reason for the thread: would love to hear from those who experience the world cup in Spain. I’m sure they’ll be many funny stories and great 'people watching' – especially if England meet Spain.
> 
> And of course for those learning Spanish a great opportunity to learn while watching the game: gol, gol, gol, gol, goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
> 
> Whatever I wish all footy fans who frequent here a ‘Copa feliz’


Hi Nigele2
How's it going? 
Have to echo xabia really. I wish I could get away from the World Cup but you can't! I already know who the Spanish team are going to play in their first game, and that they've arrved in S Africa and lots of other crap that I don't want to waste my brain cells on!!
Anyway, hope you and others who are interested enjoy it. 
PS It's COLD in Madrid and rainy. I have got a jumper on - inside the house!! What's occurring??????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## jojo

xabiachica said:


> now i know what this thread is about I know not to bother looking again


ditto lol

Jo xxx


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## dunmovin

jojo said:


> ditto lol
> 
> Jo xxx


Likewise..... I must be the only Scots bloke for thousands of miles that is totally indifferent to this


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## nigele2

dunmovin said:


> Likewise..... I must be the only Scots bloke for thousands of miles that is totally indifferent to this


dunmovin indifferent is good. Pity you didn't advise Andy Murray 

Pesky after 6.5 weeks BIL had op and they removed more than they anticipated but he is recovering. So far so good. Now we await the tests. Good thing he needs lots of rest and loves football.

Weather forecast in Hampshire for w/e is all blue and yellow


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## mr pinks

dunmovin said:


> Likewise..... I must be the only Scots bloke for thousands of miles that is totally indifferent to this


with you scots its a choice between not being interested cos your not in it or a healthy interest in seeing england fall flat on thier face and by the way im not english either im a geordie


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## Guest

I really wish I was in Spain. I'm back in the US, and won't even get to see tomorrow's game as I'll be at a Batchelorette party! I guess I'll just have to wait four more years...


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## nigele2

halydia said:


> I guess I'll just have to wait four more years...


Not if we both go through and play in the final


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## Tallulah

Hey, even I'm getting into the spirit of things here!! Chips, dips and a few cold tinnies!!


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## Pesky Wesky

nigele2 said:


> Pesky after 6.5 weeks BIL had op and they removed more than they anticipated but he is recovering. So far so good. Now we await the tests. Good thing he needs lots of rest and loves football.


Good news!


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## lynn

I'm really really excited about the world cup!! Watching the South Africa v Mexico game at the moment... The crowd are blowing their horns continuously and making an almighty racket. My daughter came and turned the sound on the telly down as she said it was annoying 'like a swarm of bees' (poor girl is the only one in the family not obsessed with sport...)
I'll be cheering for England, cheering for Spain, and watching every game I possibly can. 

Bring it on I say!!!!


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## nigele2

lynn said:


> I'm really really excited about the world cup!! Watching the South Africa v Mexico game at the moment... The crowd are blowing their horns continuously and making an almighty racket. My daughter came and turned the sound on the telly down as she said it was annoying 'like a swarm of bees' (poor girl is the only one in the family not obsessed with sport...)
> I'll be cheering for England, cheering for Spain, and watching every game I possibly can.
> 
> Bring it on I say!!!!


Thanks Lynn atleast there are some people around here (include halydia of course) who appreciate the arte, the passion and the greatest party on the planet


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## jimenato

lynn said:


> I'm really really excited about the world cup!! Watching the South Africa v Mexico game at the moment... The crowd are blowing their horns continuously and making an almighty racket. My daughter came and turned the sound on the telly down as she said it was annoying 'like a swarm of bees' (poor girl is the only one in the family not obsessed with sport...)
> I'll be cheering for England, cheering for Spain, and watching every game I possibly can.
> 
> Bring it on I say!!!!


I'm obsessed with sport - not football.:lol:

Those horns were bloody annoying :horn: (Mrs had it on - she loves it)


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## lynn

OK, so a really good game to 'kick off' the whole thing! Exciting game and lots of noise - what more can you ask?? The thrill of seeing South Africa score was magic, as was the drama of the last minute miss to seal all three points...

But I have a suspicion that my daughter may have a bit of a point about those damned horns - mighty annoying after a few games me thinks??

Now to settle down to the Uruguay v France game. 

Who's watching this on Spanish TV and who's got it on English??? Of course, after this next game we can start to analyse the real competition going on here which is whether the BBC or ITV get all three points for their presentations!!


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## gerrit

jimenato said:


> I'm obsessed with sport - not football.:lol:
> 
> Those horns were bloody annoying :horn: (Mrs had it on - she loves it)


you mean the vuvuzela? The horn that makes it sound like a giant mass of bees are floating around in the TV studio?  I think it's a matter of getting used to it. By the end of the tournament everybody will want one and they'll colour the airwaves of the Camp Nou, Stamford Bridge, San Siro and the ArenA for many years to come  Brings an exotic element into football as well!



As a football addict this is a fun time of the year for me :clap2: with the exception of the pain that is games played during working hours. Especially since I was mainly looking forward to the new faces such as North Korea, New Zealand, Honduras, ... Turns out the hours of kick-off are unsuitable to say the least for some games I looked forward to. Luckily our workplace is football-mad so we asked out boss if we cannot shorten our lunch breaks and instead take a break for watching some football games on TV


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## Guest

lynn said:


> OK, so a really good game to 'kick off' the whole thing! Exciting game and lots of noise - what more can you ask?? The thrill of seeing South Africa score was magic, as was the drama of the last minute miss to seal all three points...


For a minute there, South Africa had me rooting for them. Please, don't tell the Mexicans! 

We're having lunch in a (fake) Irish Pub in Boston tomorrow. I sure hope they've got the game on somewhere! Best of luck to those of you rooting for the team which I most definitely am not rooting for


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## jojo

yawn!

Jo xxx


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## dunmovin

jojo said:


> yawn!
> 
> Jo xxx


agreed ... the big flat screen tv's have been moved from the virtual bar to a virtual beach bbq the island featured on the TV series "Lost" (travel docs and visas available on request)

said TV screens have been replaced with new oness that cannot receive televised football


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## mr pinks

lynn said:


> OK, so a really good game to 'kick off' the whole thing! Exciting game and lots of noise - what more can you ask?? The thrill of seeing South Africa score was magic, as was the drama of the last minute miss to seal all three points...
> 
> But I have a suspicion that my daughter may have a bit of a point about those damned horns - mighty annoying after a few games me thinks??
> 
> Now to settle down to the Uruguay v France game.
> 
> Who's watching this on Spanish TV and who's got it on English??? Of course, after this next game we can start to analyse the real competition going on here which is whether the BBC or ITV get all three points for their presentations!!


sitting in the garden in wales having a barbecue escaping from the multimillionaire jumped up semitalented "atheletes" perform better off watching rossi, pedrosa and thier mates doing some real stuff on sunday believe that is commitment


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## mr pinks

SteveHall said:


> Great to see comment on The Beautiful Game. My cycling will, of course, be scheduled around the matches.
> 
> Spain looked VERY serious against Poland and I genuinely believe they can go all the way.
> England? Should get out of the group and then I think they will struggle.


 murhinio? (spellcheck please)and rooney will make more than bobby charlton ever did mum dad and the 3 kids wont go to see man utd cos it costs as much as a weeks holiday in spain!!!! lend me that russians yacht and ill become interested
fooball is so money orientated nowadays its vulgar i hope all the premier league clubs go bankrupt we might learn the true meaning of sport


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## owdoggy

Although motorcycle racing is my first love ( and by the way, you won't be seeing Il Doctore race for a few months ...... broken legs tend to do that..... get well soon Vale:clap2 but football comes a close second.

To me, football can be an art form, with skill that can be absolutely exquisite. Breathtaking long diagonal passes that arrive two yards in front of a player going at full chat so he doesn't even have to alter his stride pattern let alone his speed. Dodgy passes arriving at waist height but controlled with seemingly effortless ease that leaves the onlooker (i.e.me) wondering how the hell they could do something like that. Vision from some midfield players that has you thinking that they must be psychic......I could go on.......

We all know the bad side of football but when it's played well, then to me, it is "The Beautiful Game" and the world cup is where we have the best chance of seeing performances worthy of legend so to all the doubters I say........LEAVE US THE **** ALONE!.................... oops, it was going so well until that last bit 



Doggy


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## nigele2

owdoggy said:


> .... it is "The Beautiful Game" and the world cup is where we have the best chance of seeing performances worthy of legend so to all the doubters I say........LEAVE US THE **** ALONE!.................... oops, it was going so well until that last bit
> 
> 
> 
> Doggy


Yes doggy but you must feel sad for them . They obviously read threads in which they claim no interest and then feel compelled to post. Like outsiders looking in they know they are missing out but they just can't let go and enjoy themselves. There should be a charity to assist them 

As for the doc again great skill, determination and the confidence and respect those guys have in/for each other is inspiring. Get back soon Rossi.

Well now for the big one. 12 hours to go. Will it be Heskey or Crouch? I'd love to see Heskey have a great game as I can't see Crouch making good in every game.

sorry musical interlude:

Will it be crouchy, will it be Hes
Here's what he said to me
Que sera sera, whatever will be will be ..........

Ummm too much vino last night me thinks, or just nerves before the big one 

But enjoy including our friend desperately hunting a TV in a Boston restaurant 


STEVE long time no hear. Hope you enjoy the match somewhere along the route


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## Guest

SteveHall said:


> Enjoy the USA win, guys!


:clap2: 

The only news here this morning about the world cup is about the elephant who delayed the US team's bus.


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## Pesky Wesky

nigele2 said:


> Yes doggy but you must feel sad for them . They obviously read threads in which they claim no interest and then feel compelled to post.


Guilty.
Will now unsubscribe from thread as it really isn't very interesting for me. Give me a thread about cream any day!!

But, just before I go I would just like to agree with whoever it was who said smth about the quality of the game nowadays. One of the reasons I can't take football seriously is because of the players behaviour. It's outrageous! Push, shove, kick the ball, pull shirt, insult, oh yeah - kick the ball again - just a minute - roll about on floor to waste a couple of minutes, push, shove etc etc. Now I ask you "Is that football?????"

PS But I hope you do all enjoy it and and have some good times watching the lads, Spain or England!!


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## owdoggy

Oooh! that was a bit of a worry. When we get more than light rain here the telly dumps it's reception and halfway through the storm we've just had (thunder, lightening & torrential rain....the full bifter) I was beginning to think that god didn't like me very much and may in fact be American but fear not mon braves...... the telly is working and even though we may be beaten...... at least I'll be able to watch it & shout at the telly a lot........which is what I do

Mrs Doggy is full of admiration, she must be because she says I'm very good at shouting at the telly when there's an England match on



Doggy


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## mr pinks

hope you lot enjoy watching 22 overgrowm overpaid children chasing a pigs bladder round a field having a tantrum when they dont get thier own way can you really stand that infernal din of thousands of halfwits blowing plastic trumpets that sound like a load of angry bees
ive got a world cup free zone here whoopee


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## gus-lopez

owdoggy said:


> Oooh! that was a bit of a worry. When we get more than light rain here the telly dumps it's reception and halfway through the storm we've just had (thunder, lightening & torrential rain....the full bifter) I was beginning to think that god didn't like me very much and may in fact be American but fear not mon braves...... the telly is working and even though we may be beaten...... at least I'll be able to watch it & shout at the telly a lot........which is what I do
> 
> Mrs Doggy is full of admiration, she must be because she says I'm very good at shouting at the telly when there's an England match on
> 
> 
> 
> Doggy


I have the same problem but when it's on bbc I go in through the bbc news 24 channel ,503, then red button, then 3001 to get the sport multiscreen. No matter how bad the weather is once I'm in on the red button it's ok.Unfortunately tonights is on itv!


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## Tallulah

gus-lopez said:


> I have the same problem but when it's on bbc I go in through the bbc news 24 channel ,503, then red button, then 3001 to get the sport multiscreen. No matter how bad the weather is once I'm in on the red button it's ok.Unfortunately tonights is on itv!




You know the match is being shown on Cuatro????


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## lynn

Come on England!!!!!!!!!


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## owdoggy

Tallulah said:


> You know the match is being shown on Cuatro????


Aye & that doesn't seem to be affected as much by the manky weather....... just goes to prove...... there's always hope




Doggy


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## gus-lopez

Tallulah said:


> You know the match is being shown on Cuatro????


yrs, I had to give up with itv & now I've just lost cuatro as well ! Still if we're going to throw the ball in our own net  I'm probably better off not seeing it !


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## mr pinks

if thats the beautiful game bring on the ugly one


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## owdoggy

mr pinks said:


> if thats the beautiful game bring on the ugly one


What, after all that rhetoric....you were watching it?.....well, well, well.




Doggy


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## nigele2

OK I'm going to say it 

Apart from the score England looked very good. Heskey was great, Wright Philips excellent and most played great.

No Gerrard Lampard mismatch. Wayne had a quiet game by his standars - fireworks yet to come.

Freak goal for USA but if they are the 2nd best team in the group bring it on.

Well done USA a battling performance :clap2: Jay a Watford hero used every trick in the book but that is what we used to pay him to do 

And every game I think the officials have been excellent.


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## gerrit

Thank you Robert Green  Due to several reasons I have a dislike for the English team (3 years of living in Ireland - where the rivalry with England has very serious proportions - may have contributed to that) so, while generally I don't even like the US that much, for just one night I was shouting for the USA. 

Ironically that in another topic I said that if there were a UK team there would at least be a non-Englishman in the team because England have no good goalkeepers while Craig Gordon is a great one. Less than 24 hours later, and Green proved my point. Two fumbles in one game, and then he was lucky that second one stranded at the post... Tim Howard looked class though, England would have easily won the game if the goalies were switched between the two teams. IMO Howard man of the match, although the whole US defense deserves some kudos for their energy and fighting spirit. In the England team I thought Rooney played quite poorly, the rest of the team looked OK but not brilliant neither.


Purely when it comes to quality of play, Argentina-Nigeria was the best game today. Some great goalkeeping from Enyeama prevented a huge scoreline. Argentina looked very convincing, only scoring one goal out of many chances being the only downside but then as long as you win the game nobody will complain about that. Maradona hardly sat down a minute, it was as if he had to be stopped to run on the pitch himself at some occasions  Bad coach maybe (?) but you gotta like the guy's passion ...


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## littleredrooster

Strangely enough the USA hero tonight, Tim Howard, once had a disastrous spell ,after signing for Man U for 4 million quid a few years back.
I think they were eventually glad to get rid of him at a knock down fee.
I recall one incident where he dropped what should have been a very simple catch,about a meter over the line behind him, before diving back into the goal, to retrieve the ball.
The ref then waved play on, to the absolute amazement of everyone watching. 
However it was at Old Trafford so maybe not so amazing after all. 

I was surprised at the choice of Rob Green,but not surprised at his elementary error.
I was just waiting for it to happen.
His basic technique was almost akin to someone who had never played between the sticks before, and the same thing could quite easily have occurred twice before the actual goal itself, for much the same reason.


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## gus-lopez

I thought it was atrocious. I was glad when I lost the tv ! Unfortunately it came back but it wasn't worth watching. Roll on wednesday when the Spanish play !


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## lynn

nigele2 said:


> OK I'm going to say it
> 
> Apart from the score England looked very good. Heskey was great, Wright Philips excellent and most played great.
> 
> No Gerrard Lampard mismatch. Wayne had a quiet game by his standars - fireworks yet to come.
> 
> Freak goal for USA but if they are the 2nd best team in the group bring it on.
> 
> Well done USA a battling performance :clap2: Jay a Watford hero used every trick in the book but that is what we used to pay him to do
> 
> And every game I think the officials have been excellent.


To my mind, the fact that Heskey was OK doesn't justify his inclusion. The problem is he is a striker that doesn't score. He had a couple of good chances that any decent striker would have buried. That means the midfield is under pressure to score, and with Lampard and Gerard both being attacking midfielders, we don't have any protection. It's great when we have possession and we're going forward, but leaves us exposed when we lose possession. I don't think Gerard and Lampard can play together in that formation. For me, Johnson and Cole had good games, Gerard was fantastic in the first half, and Rooney was OK. Room for improvement but its only the first game so no panic. Get Barry back and I think that solves a few problems, and drop Green...


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## gus-lopez

There was talk of offering Almuniea english nationality so that they could call him up as he's 4th choice for Spain !


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## littleredrooster

I hope he leaves Green out next game.
Somehow the guy looked overawed from the start for me, and what his frame of mind would be next time is anyones guess.
In any event dare he take the risk?
If he picks him and he drops another clanger, the whole nation will be howling for Cappellos head on a stick.

The Germans looked a class act today,obviously also been working on their superb diving skills as well,though they were hardly needed against a very mediocre Aussie side.


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## Guest

Just got back and saw the highlights from yesterday's game. As a former soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse goalie, I feel very bad for Green. Ow.


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## gus-lopez

He wont feel so bad now the Algerian goalies done it as well !!


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## JBODEN

gus-lopez said:


> He wont feel so bad now the Algerian goalies done it as well !!


the ads are enticing you to place bets on various results (occurences) but I didn't see a price for the possibility that the next goal would also be a goalkeeper blunder.
PS I think that enticing people to place bets is wrong. Any views on this?


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## JBODEN

gus-lopez said:


> He wont feel so bad now the Algerian goalies done it as well !!


it is now know as ''... doing a robgreener...''


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## lynn

JBODEN said:


> the ads are enticing you to place bets on various results (occurences) but I didn't see a price for the possibility that the next goal would also be a goalkeeper blunder.
> PS I think that enticing people to place bets is wrong. Any views on this?


I don't suppose enticing people to place bets is any different to enticing people to have a drink, or have a cigarette... It's advertising for activities that can lead to addiction for a small minority of the population. In the case of smoking, there has been substantial legislation for advertising but gambling and drinking remains big business. All the ads during the football are for drink and gambling aren't they?

My OH makes the odd bet and it just serves as a bit of added excitement during the game... He keeps a small pot of funds on an online betting account and limits himself to that. 'Only bet what you can afford to lose' isn't quite good enough - our rule is 'Only bet what you are prepared to lose' which is not very much!!!!!


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## nigele2

JBODEN said:


> PS I think that enticing people to place bets is wrong. Any views on this?


Yes I'd like to see it banned as the type of people who get in to trouble with these things are often very weak and vunerable. But it is a free world so not sure on what basis I'd ban it. Perhaps a health warning as on cigs.

:focus:

I'm thinking of having a pony on England getting to the last 4. The route, if all pans out, could mean they meet none of the top teams until then


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## JBODEN

nigele2 said:


> ... England getting to the last 4. The route, if all pans out, could mean they meet none of the top teams until then


The only chance for that would be walkovers and a change in rules to allow England to have 2 keepers at the same time and the opponent none.


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## gerrit

gus-lopez said:


> There was talk of offering Almuniea english nationality so that they could call him up as he's 4th choice for Spain !


Not even that. The 5 goalies in the Spanish pre-selection were Iker Casillas*, Pepe Reina*, Victor Valdes*, Diego Lopez, and David DeGea. The ones with an asterix in the end made the final 23. Almunia wasn't even amongst the 2 reserves. And then we forget Spain also has Palop, excellent goalie but overlooked due to an overwhelming amount of good goalies. Almunia as well could easily be nr 1 in lot of countries, whereas in Spain he's like nr 6 or 7 in the order. 

Apparently (but I wouldn't dare to say it's true) Green's girlfriend broke up with him the day before the team left to South Africa. If (IF !) this would be true
1) very unlucky timing from her behalf
2) a professional should be able to, at least during the game, put the issue out of his mind and focus on the game
3) if Cappello knew about it he could have better opted for David James

In the end though, from a professional at that level you'd expect that private issues would not stand in the way of performing on the pitch.

There does seem to be something odd with the new ball. I mean: Green made a terrible mistake, the Algerian one fumbled, the Aussie goalie fumbled when he totally missed that cross leading to the second German goal, the Paraguayan goalie missed an easy corner which lead to Italy equalising, the North Korean goalie looked quite bad on the first Brazilian goal. Keepers were complaining before the tournament already that the ball makes strange curves. 




PS: already ten thousands of vuvuzela's sold in Europe :clap2: The German company selling them in Europa cannot even keep track of the orders. Next season in the Champions League the vuvuzela will be all over the place


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## littleredrooster

Probably Englands only hope is the old tried and trusted method of parking the team bus in front of the goal, and going for a nil nil draw each game,...might even win a penalty shoot out that way too, if they can at least manage to hit the opposition goal with just one spot kick.

Regarding the vuvuzelas, I imagine the Spanish will just love them, with their insatiable appetite for noise and maximum volume at all times.

However further North the craze may not prove quite so popular, and I imagine that the Chinese shops will already stocking up bigtime, ready to follow up on the vuvuzelas, by doing a roaring trade in earplugs and earmuffs.


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## owdoggy

Just imagine if you had a very important project to do and said project involved working with a thing. You spend two years working with your thing but just when you get to the last & most important part of the project the bosses decide to change the thing

Absolutely crazy right?........well, that's what FIFA have done with with the ball.

Wouldn't you think, if you had any grasp of logic at all, that if you wanted to use a new ball you'd introduce it at the start of the qualifiers and not at the Finals. I think you'd probably get a yes to that one from a nine year old.

I've always thought that good management, in whatever field, football, NHS, government or anything else is as rare as rockin' horse sh!te. I thought that when I was working and I haven't seen anything now I'm retired to make me change my mind. In fact I wouldn't trust some of them to sit the right way on a toilet

Eat, drink & be merry for tomorrow some idiot manager is going to put pen to paper (after they work out which end of the pen to use) and bollox summat else up.











Ahhh, that's better............. morning all!




Doggy


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## nigele2

Morning all.

Just a couple of thoughts from old optimist here

The world cup is designed to entertain millions. To do so it needs to create talking points and controversy. Changing the ball was a stroke of genius :clap2: 

The England keeper made one mistake. We have played one game. Teams who win the world cup frequently start the campaign badly and improve. Is anyone writing Brazil off because they didn’t start well?

And finally if people turn up at my beloved Watford with plastic trumpets I will introduce them to another use for them 

Looking forward to SA v Uruguay tonight whilst listening to Bob Dylan . Hope SA qualify from the group. 

But optimist or pessimist enjoy one and all. Now back to my bacon and eggs


----------



## JBODEN

nigele2 said:


> And finally if people turn up at my beloved Watford with plastic trumpets I will introduce them to another use for them


They'll be useful as hearing aids!


----------



## nigele2

JBODEN said:


> They'll be useful as hearing aids!


 It's the way you tell 'em  Well made me laugh JB which can't be a bad start to the day


----------



## owdoggy

nigele2 said:


> Morning all.
> 
> Just a couple of thoughts from old optimist here
> 
> The world cup is designed to entertain millions. To do so it needs to create talking points and controversy. Changing the ball was a stroke of genius :clap2:
> 
> The England keeper made one mistake. We have played one game. Teams who win the world cup frequently start the campaign badly and improve. Is anyone writing Brazil off because they didn’t start well?
> 
> And finally if people turn up at my beloved Watford with plastic trumpets I will introduce them to another use for them
> 
> Looking forward to SA v Uruguay tonight whilst listening to Bob Dylan . Hope SA qualify from the group.
> 
> But optimist or pessimist enjoy one and all. Now back to my bacon and eggs


Genius?....Watford??...........DYLAN???

You know those moments in your life (hopefully not too many) when you realise there's little hope, every muscle in your body tenses up (apart from one), you fall into an instant but seemingly bottomless depression and the only coherent speech you're capable of is the "F" word?
(This usually happens to me when I finally realise I can't save it and I am, in fact, going to come off my motorcycle with the best case scenario being a lot of pain to both body & wallet......... the worst of course is that I'm going to end up a bit dead)

Well, I think I've just had one of those moments............



Doggy


----------



## mr pinks

have you noticed that its always the losers that blame something out of thier control for thier defeat
we shouldnt have been playing on a pitch in that condition
it was the ref
that stadium was far too intimidating
the balls the wrong shape
it wasnt his fault he got sent off
well the winners had to play under the same conditions they never seem to complain
as for them bloody trumpets its not only me whinging about them i popped in the local for a pint last night a sports bar believe it or not a match was on with the sound turned down


----------



## gerrit

littleredrooster said:


> Probably Englands only hope is the old tried and trusted method of parking the team bus in front of the goal, and going for a nil nil draw each game,...might even win a penalty shoot out that way too, if they can at least manage to hit the opposition goal with just one spot kick.
> 
> Regarding the vuvuzelas, I imagine the Spanish will just love them, with their insatiable appetite for noise and maximum volume at all times.
> 
> However further North the craze may not prove quite so popular, and I imagine that the Chinese shops will already stocking up bigtime, ready to follow up on the vuvuzelas, by doing a roaring trade in earplugs and earmuffs.


Well, the German company who got the license for selling vuvuzelas in Europe, has gold sticking to his hands now. Imagine the potential if you start making vuvuzelas with the colours and logos of every well-supported club in Europe? Every fan would buy one. 

It is very common, even in the midst of summer heat, to see people wearing scarves and hats with the colours and crest of their beloved club in the stadium. At some point someone grasped the idea "let's create scarves with logos of clubs and fans may buy it" - it was not like the scarves were invented along with the game. Good merchandising made it so common that they're all over Europe now. If a scarf with the colours and logo of a club sells, why would another item with those colours and logo not sell? I do see a lot of vuvuzelas in all sort of colours and with logos of all clubs being sold soon, just like sport shops sell replica shirts, scarves, pins etc with club crests on it. The vuvuzela has incredible potential and within a few years people will be so used to it as we are used to scarves with club crests on now.

Face it, the vuvuzela is here to stay :eyebrows: I may check the sport stores on the Ramblas this weekend and see if they already sell one with the logo of my favourite club


----------



## nigele2

gerrit said:


> Face it, the vuvuzela is here to stay :eyebrows: I may check the sport stores on the Ramblas this weekend and see if they already sell one with the logo of my favourite club


Perhaps in the UK we stand alone but here we know how to show our support for our team, how to shovel abuse on the officials (yeah sad but true), and how to annoy the opposition .

Unless you are going to have vuvuzela that have a specific sound for each team it won't work here. Yeah a few kids will buy them but that is it.

Possibly in Spain where there is almost no away support it may catch on a little more. But blowing one behind supporters in the UK I think you will find will lead to a demonstration of 'other uses of a vuvuzela' very quickly :boxing:


----------



## JBODEN

nigele2 said:


> ... if people turn up at my beloved Watford with plastic trumpets I will introduce them to another use for them


What did you have in mind?
a) hearing aid
b) snorting coke
c) ....
d) ...

(fill in the blanks please)


----------



## jojo

ooops!!!! 

Jo xxx


----------



## Guest

Not a good way to start my day, drinking my morning coffee and watching that. Ow. My head hurts. 

Some very nice defense though!


----------



## lynn

jojo said:


> ooops!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Quite!


----------



## nigele2

I believe earlier someone wanted Spain to lend England a goalie! Hopefully not the one we saw today 

Hopefully they will recover but it will be a real struggle if Chile beat Suiza. And if not Brazil will probably be waiting. What was the mood like in the Spanish bars anyone?

____________________

Rajoy goes into a bank for money but has forgotten his ID.

Clerk: Sorry but you need ID

"But I'm leader of the PP; do you not recognise me? "

Clerk: Sorry but there is something. The other day Xabier Alonso came in without ID. But he took a football and showed us his skills. It was obviously him so he got his money".

" I see"

Clerk: And Nadal came in likewise but a few racket skills and it was obviously him"

"Well I'm trying to think of something I could do but I've only come up with a few stupid ideas"

+
+
+
+


Clerk: How would you like your money Mr Rajoy?


Don't blame me it came from Madrid


----------



## owdoggy

I think we should get all of this into some sort of perspective.

England have been mediocre, the Germans have been clinical, Spain have bombed at the most important bit, the French were a bit uninterested because they couldn't eat it or shag it, Argentina won because they might get shot if they didn't and Brazil were running around looking for the sand...........no surprises so far then



Doggy







( who's a bit worried 'cos he fears he may be turning into Jeremy Clarkson)


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> Well, the German company who got the license for selling vuvuzelas in Europe, has gold sticking to his hands now. Imagine the potential if you start making vuvuzelas with the colours and logos of every well-supported club in Europe? Every fan would buy one.
> 
> It is very common, even in the midst of summer heat, to see people wearing scarves and hats with the colours and crest of their beloved club in the stadium. At some point someone grasped the idea "let's create scarves with logos of clubs and fans may buy it" - it was not like the scarves were invented along with the game. Good merchandising made it so common that they're all over Europe now. If a scarf with the colours and logo of a club sells, why would another item with those colours and logo not sell? I do see a lot of vuvuzelas in all sort of colours and with logos of all clubs being sold soon, just like sport shops sell replica shirts, scarves, pins etc with club crests on it. The vuvuzela has incredible potential and within a few years people will be so used to it as we are used to scarves with club crests on now.
> 
> Face it, the vuvuzela is here to stay :eyebrows: I may check the sport stores on the Ramblas this weekend and see if they already sell one with the logo of my favourite club


Well the Germans ain't getting it all their own way with their Vuvuzelas,..licence or not,
There is already quite a selection of plastic trumpety thingies widely available on market stalls throughout the UK, doing a roaring trade,mostly in England colours but also some in club colours,with enough variation in size,tone and tune to start up a thousand fifty piece orchestras, and make those S.African thingies sound about as lively as a flag day in Aberdeen by comparison.:clap2:

I don't know if Casillas simply bottled it or was more concerned with preserving his good looks for the final, but he certainly can't blame that one on the ball.


----------



## JBODEN

owdoggy said:


> Doggy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ( who's a bit worried 'cos he fears he may be turning into Jeremy Clarkson)


Nothing wrong with that!


----------



## gerrit

Apparently there were offside calls on the Swiss goal? Also, Spain had over 20 shots on goal, the Swiss not even 10, posession of the ball almost 70% for Spain. If you then don't win, you gotta blame yourself. Chances enough but if you don't score then this is what you get. I wonder why Del Bosque started with only 1 "killer" in front (David Villa) and no second one who very easily scores (eg Pedro, or even Torres if he proved fit enough)

Blaming it on the ball has been the excuse of the fumbling goalies so far, but then... Enyeama stopped about 4 or 5 Argentinian shots in a brilliant way, Tim Howard played a perfect game, the Swiss goalie today was outstanding, ... So if that ball would be really that hard to handle, how did these goalies manage? I'd like to have a try with that ball (been goalie myself, obviously on amateur level but still ...) to see if there is really that much difference with the classic balls like some of the goalies (eg Buffon) claim.


----------



## littleredrooster

owdoggy said:


> I think we should get all of this into some sort of perspective.
> 
> England have been mediocre, the Germans have been clinical, Spain have bombed at the most important bit, the French were a bit uninterested because they couldn't eat it or shag it, Argentina won because they might get shot if they didn't and Brazil were running around looking for the sand...........no surprises so far then
> 
> 
> 
> Doggy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ( who's a bit worried 'cos he fears he may be turning into Jeremy Clarkson)



....and the S.Africans have thrown their toys out the pram.
Seems they spent their pre match preparation training in unarmed combat, with special emphasis on karate chops.
Shame,but they don't seem to have much to offer and the refs generosity had to run out sometime.

As for the Clarkson touch,I think you have at least another half century to go before you begin degenerating towards that state of mind,Doggy.:confused2:

I'm sure my pet hamster has an IQ about ten times higher than Jeremy.


----------



## JBODEN

littleredrooster said:


> I'm sure my pet hamster has an IQ about ten times higher than Jeremy.


Is your hamster stinking rich?


----------



## JBODEN

I heard a rumour that if Spain allowed Switzerland to win, then the GNOMES of Zurich would loan Spain mega-billions to save their economy. 
Another theory is that the Spanish goalkeepers girlfriend sapped his strength.


----------



## mr pinks

conned the spanish there didnt they
the gnomes of zurich dont lend anything without a hefty premium
i dont think a mere football match qualifies unless abramovic was involved


----------



## JBODEN

The Swiss realised that they could get a serious hiding by Spain so they took the only viable option - a stonewall defence - with the hope of a counterattack. It worked. It wasn't pretty to watch but good luck to them.


----------



## xabiaxica

JBODEN said:


> The Swiss realised that they could get a serious hiding by Spain so they took the only viable option - a stonewall defence - with the hope of a counterattack. It worked. It wasn't pretty to watch but good luck to them.


and we got a peaceful night's sleep


----------



## lynn

It saves England's blushes anyway.....


----------



## JBODEN

I wonder if Honduras will declare war on Chile in retaliation for its defeat?


----------



## littleredrooster

JBODEN said:


> Is your hamster stinking rich?


By hamster standards he probably is, and seems to have enough sense to appreciate it, though unlike Jeremy he doesn't appear to have regular stupid brainstorms or go into self destruct mode.


----------



## JBODEN

littleredrooster said:


> By hamster standards he probably is, and seems to have enough sense to appreciate it, though unlike Jeremy he doesn't appear to have regular stupid brainstorms or go into self destruct mode.


A 'kept' hampster!


----------



## Guest

JBODEN said:


> I heard a rumour that if Spain allowed Switzerland to win, then the GNOMES of Zurich would loan Spain mega-billions to save their economy.


Oh man, I sure hope so! 



Regarding the talk about vuvuzelas escaping from South Africa: here's a story about the reaction in New York's Yankee Stadium.


----------



## JBODEN

A Greek player offers the ball to a Nigerian and gets kicked by him. The Nigerian is sent off!
The moral of this is ''*Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!*''


----------



## littleredrooster

Just watched the Mexicans do the French up like kippers.
They look a decent side on that performance, but the French were a complete shambles,..seems they have lots of problems,biggest of which is praying for the right results in the last games just to stay alive.

So the dreaded vuvuzelas have been banned from Wimbledon and the BBC are trying to exclude them because no one is trying to listen to commentaries anymore.

However not sure if it was down to the Beebs sound team or lack of the infernal trumpets, but tonights commentary was not ruined with them and was reasonable to listen to without destroying the atmosphere.


----------



## xabiaxica

apparently it's all her fault

Spanish TV Reporter Sara Carbonero Blamed For Boyfriend Iker Casillas's Letting In A World Cup Goal | World News | Sky News


----------



## littleredrooster

Can anyone think of anything nice to say about this evenings debacle?
Apart from the fact that that James didn't drop a clanger, I am for once almost lost for words.


----------



## mr pinks

oops ive been moved must be anti football


----------



## jojo

mr pinks said:


> oops ive been moved must be anti football



Go and play in there with it!!! I'm just keeping "Spain" tidy lol!!! 

Jo xxx


----------



## gerrit

In all fairness the English team pays the price for the product that the Premiership has become. All top teams' key players are foreigners, with the sole exceptions being Rooney and --with a bit of goodwill-- Lampard, Terry. All other key players in the Premiership are foreigners. The price you pay is that the national team is quite mediocre because few of the players have an important role within their club. Add to that that Rooney, the one real world class player England has, seems out of shape. However, to just say England was crap may be a bit unfair towards Algeria who surprised me with a very strong collective performance. They seem to lack a goalscorer, but their defense and midfield were very well organised and they showed a lot of spirit. Sure, England wasn't at their best, but Algeria does deserve some credit as well for their performance.

France... well, it's quite a miracle if you see the names they got, that they played such terrible football. By the way, I watched the game in a pub with some Mexican expats all wearing the national team shirt. Amongst them 5 ladies who could easily be a professional model. If that's the standard for Mexican women, then I think I'm gonna start checking out options to emigrate there


----------



## littleredrooster

jojo said:


> Go and play in there with it!!! I'm just keeping "Spain" tidy lol!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


I think this ref is extremely biased in favour of Spain.
Best behaviour now lads or next thing we could be red carded.


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> In all fairness the English team pays the price for the product that the Premiership has become. All top teams' key players are foreigners, with the sole exceptions being Rooney and --with a bit of goodwill-- Lampard, Terry. All other key players in the Premiership are foreigners. The price you pay is that the national team is quite mediocre because few of the players have an important role within their club. Add to that that Rooney, the one real world class player England has, seems out of shape. However, to just say England was crap may be a bit unfair towards Algeria who surprised me with a very strong collective performance. They seem to lack a goalscorer, but their defense and midfield were very well organised and they showed a lot of spirit. Sure, England wasn't at their best, but Algeria does deserve some credit as well for their performance.
> 
> France... well, it's quite a miracle if you see the names they got, that they played such terrible football. By the way, I watched the game in a pub with some Mexican expats all wearing the national team shirt. Amongst them 5 ladies who could easily be a professional model. If that's the standard for Mexican women, then I think I'm gonna start checking out options to emigrate there


Well that arguement doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.
When England play well the influence of talented foreign players is often given credit.
Furthermore whilst Italy are World cup holders,their top team Inter won the Champions league without fielding a single Italian player in their starting line up for the final and at least one semi-final.


----------



## gerrit

True, but Italy won the world cup 4 years ago. I would be very surprised if this time they'll even make it to the semi-finals because they gave a very inspirationless impression against Paraguay and their preparation for the tournament was quite poor as well.

I think the tradition that European teams only win the cup on European soil will be kept alive. The best teams by far until this point were the South American ones, especially Argentina and Chile although Uruguay left a very decent impression as well. The only European team that left a convincing impression so far was Germany but maybe we'll have to contribute that as well to the Aussies playing a very poor game.


----------



## JBODEN

I pity the England supporters who paid megabucks to travel to SA and watch that rubbish. I enjoyed the 2nd half of USA-Slovenia match though. USA were robbed.


----------



## lynn

JBODEN said:


> I pity the England supporters who paid megabucks to travel to SA and watch that rubbish. I enjoyed the 2nd half of USA-Slovenia match though. USA were robbed.


Yes, I have been in a similar position when travelling to the West Indies to see England play cricket. You can't imagine how depressing it is when you've planned and paid for your dream trip and the players let you down.. However, when they do deliver and you see your team win, it's a feeling money can't buy! 

They have one more match to redeem themselves and give something back to all those loyal fans who have travelled to see them. Lets just hope they can deliver...


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> True, but Italy won the world cup 4 years ago. I would be very surprised if this time they'll even make it to the semi-finals because they gave a very inspirationless impression against Paraguay and their preparation for the tournament was quite poor as well.
> 
> I think the tradition that European teams only win the cup on European soil will be kept alive. The best teams by far until this point were the South American ones, especially Argentina and Chile although Uruguay left a very decent impression as well. The only European team that left a convincing impression so far was Germany but maybe we'll have to contribute that as well to the Aussies playing a very poor game.



I agree Germany looked very impressive against a poor Aussie side,yet I was amazed at the way they seemed to throw the towel in against Serbia during the last half hour,when only one goal behind.

Speculation is rife regarding what's gone wrong with the England squad and I tend to go along with the view that something is sadly wrong off the field.
Whilst Capello must be given much credit for the way England qualified, he may possibly be partly responsible for the present debacle.
During qualifying he only had the players under his control for a few days at a time.
However they have now been under his rod of iron for quite a long spell and don't appear to appreciate his company quite so much.
Last time the WAGS got much of the blame,maybe this time the lack of WAGS for so long, is having a detrimental effect.
A similar situation occured during Capello's spell at Real when he fell out with Beckham, and other top players in the side virtually went on strike for a while.
However even that is hardly sufficient excuse for a game in which Algeria appeared to be the better side with regard to basics like passing and ball control.


----------



## gerrit

Again, let's not forget to credit USA and Algeria for a good performance. I mean, England was not good no, but the opponent also did very well to secure a point. Prior to the game an Algerian colleague of mine said they had no chance at all ; some websites and blogs on the world cup claimed Algeria would not even get a point at the tournament. Let's just not forget, while admitting England was poor, that part of the result comes from an opponent who appeared to be stronger than most people expected.

Just watched Holland-Japan. Terrible fumble from the Japanese goalie. Other than that, Holland again played very poorly, this team by no means deserves to be compared to the beautifully playing team at Euro 2008. OK, they got 6/6 but against the Danes an own-goal did the trick and against Japan they needed a fumble from the Japanese goalie. This Holland side won't get too far I think. Mixed feelings personally, unlike most Belgians I have no rivalry feelings or negative attitude towards the Dutch people, on the contrary I really like the Netherlands as a country. However, I find the Dutch fans a bit clownesque, it's like they turn football into a carnaval.



Oh well, let's not forget one thing when your favourite team doesn't perform as you wished. It's a game, and that it remains. It distracts us from the real problems of life for a while, that in itself is a victory. In the end, the world goes on, la tristesse durera. It's a sports game and nothing more. The worst quote ever in the football world was "Some say football is a matter of life and death. I disagree. It's much more important than that". The fact that for a month we got some distraction and stuff to look forward to, is a victory itself. Those who travelled to South Africa and see their team fail on the pitch meanwhile did make a travel that hopefully also showed them the beauty of the African continent. Such a trip can never be a waste.



I hope the Kiwi's cause another upset against Italy tomorrow, but realistically, it won't happen ...


----------



## mr pinks

hi folks been out all day enjoying ourselves anything happening with the football???


----------



## jojo

mr pinks said:


> hi folks been out all day enjoying ourselves anything happening with the football???


Dunno, my sons watching something with men, a football and vuvuzelas, but it could be a repeat from yesterday

Jo xx


----------



## mr pinks

jojo said:


> Dunno, my sons watching something with men, a football and vuvuzelas, but it could be a repeat from yesterday
> 
> Jo xx


who would know other than the indoctrinated


----------



## mr pinks

im off for a lie down the excitement is too much for me


----------



## JBODEN

mr pinks said:


> im off for a lie down the excitement is too much for me


you missed a good game!


----------



## littleredrooster

JBODEN said:


> you missed a good game!


Shame for Cameroon who played some great stuff, but just couldn't finish.

Also a great shame for the England fans after making such an effort at huge cost to support a squad of players who would obviously prefer to be somewhere else right now,like on the next flight out.

Short of a miraculous transformation both on and off the pitch, the sooner they're out of there the better.


----------



## gus-lopez

Eroskis are selling England shirts for 5 €'s. Sales on already !


----------



## JBODEN

Is this the end of the World as we know it? NZL won, Italia one. I was 'impressed' by the disparaging remarks made by the commentators against the NZ team. The game is to win or, if you can't manage that then to draw. NZ did just that. Good luck to them.
I wonder what is the price of an Italy shirt?


----------



## gerrit

There were two teams I have a soft spot for (while my favourites are not qualified): North Korea and New Zealand. So I somewhat screamed hooray after the final whistle tonight, great spirit of the Kiwi's to hold on to that point and not break under the pressure of the Italians. Never was too convinced of goalie Paston but must admit he played a great game today (although I would still opt for Glen Moss in goal, that aside)

Well, the ugly duckling (aka kiwi ) got 2 points already, while everyone thought they'd get hammered in all group games. Their World Cup is a success already, they can play without any pressure now against Paraguay because the players are heroes amongst the Kiwi football fans already.

Now hopefully North Korea does a similar stunt against Portugal tomorrow. If a simple football game can bring a bit of joy in the lives of the oppressed people there, then I keep my fingers crossed for the North Koreans. Also, I really can't stand Cristiano Ronaldo, so another reason to root for North Korea tomorrow.


----------



## JBODEN

gerrit said:


> I really can't stand Cristiano Ronaldo, ...


Where does he find the time for sky diving???
This guy has no self respect. He is on the world stage and is monitored by dozens of cameras who show the whole world how he cheats. He's an embarrassment.


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> There were two teams I have a soft spot for (while my favourites are not qualified): North Korea and New Zealand. So I somewhat screamed hooray after the final whistle tonight, great spirit of the Kiwi's to hold on to that point and not break under the pressure of the Italians. Never was too convinced of goalie Paston but must admit he played a great game today (although I would still opt for Glen Moss in goal, that aside)
> 
> Well, the ugly duckling (aka kiwi ) got 2 points already, while everyone thought they'd get hammered in all group games. Their World Cup is a success already, they can play without any pressure now against Paraguay because the players are heroes amongst the Kiwi football fans already.
> 
> Now hopefully North Korea does a similar stunt against Portugal tomorrow. If a simple football game can bring a bit of joy in the lives of the oppressed people there, then I keep my fingers crossed for the North Koreans. Also, I really can't stand Cristiano Ronaldo, so another reason to root for North Korea tomorrow.


Well after today's events I'm inclined to believe that pigs can fly after all.

Big bother in the French camp also where the whole squad seem to have chucked their toys out the pram,.....speaking of which they should have one for Ronaldo so they can just wheel him around the touchline with a dummy in his mouth,so he can't get hurt or trip over himself.

I remember the N.Koreans in my native N.E. back in 66, where they got a great welcome, before proceeding to dump the Italians out of the competition.
They went on to lead Portugal 3-0 in the quarter final before the great Eusabio took a hand and turned things around.


----------



## mr pinks

JBODEN said:


> Is this the end of the World as we know it? NZL won, Italia one. I was 'impressed' by the disparaging remarks made by the commentators against the NZ team. The game is to win or, if you can't manage that then to draw. NZ did just that. Good luck to them.
> I wonder what is the price of an Italy shirt?


in the beginning there were good teams and bad teams the bad teams got better eventually the bad teams got to be as good as the good teams so the good teams dont look so good anymore so endeth the tale of football anybody fancy a game of scrabble im crap at that


----------



## tazster

dunmovin said:


> Likewise..... I must be the only Scots bloke for thousands of miles that is totally indifferent to this


nope im right behind you couldnt give a monkees


----------



## mr pinks

tazster said:


> nope im right behind you couldnt give a monkees


2 choices this afternoon italy nz or limerick cork in the hurling im not even remotely irish guess what i watched


----------



## gerrit

JBODEN said:


> Where does he find the time for sky diving???
> This guy has no self respect. He is on the world stage and is monitored by dozens of cameras who show the whole world how he cheats. He's an embarrassment.


Exactly. I know, North Korea has Kim Jung Il, not exactly a nice guy neither. But still, Cristiano Ronaldo is a cheat and his ego is bigger than the Bernabeu. Go North Korea, time to take revenge for 1966!! :clap2:


PS and yes I'm serious since I collect football merch from obscure teams... Does anyone know if shirts or scarves from New Zealand and North Korea are for sale somewhere? Plenty of sporting stores in Barcelona but while some go as far as selling Australia jerseys, Ivory Coast or USA jerseys, ... I haven't seen any All White or Korea DPR merch. Would like to get at least one of both to have a souvenir of this world cup from a team I actually do sympathise with.


----------



## mr pinks

got a wales grand slam jersey if youre interested its got mud on it as well !!!!


----------



## mr pinks

toys out of the pram i ee boys in the beautiful game


----------



## mr pinks

french have thrown thier toys out of the pram now this is ridiculous what do they think they are lorry drivers???


----------



## littleredrooster

mr pinks said:


> toys out of the pram i ee boys in the beautiful game


Well there was a time back in the good old days when men were men.........

Now they're mostly a bunch of big girls blouses, however it seems all this nonsense and play acting is part of the attraction of the modern game,such as it is.

The thing to remember is that apart from being footballers of a sort, and oscar winning actors, they're mostly famous celebs as well you see,which all helps to swell their bank balances and keep their agents and sponsors happy.


I mean its even spread into rugby now, and no way are those guys gonna let themselves be outdone,..so they've decided to go one better.
Hence two premier rugby teams refusing to go out and play on a wet pitch in case they got their knickers wet.
Then theres the bloodgate affair of course, which makes some of the soccer guys acting seem pretty amateurish by comparison.


----------



## littleredrooster

Oh dear,not so good for N.Korea.
Imagine they'll all be queuing up for political asylum by now.
Either that or go back and face the firing squad.
Pity, they played some good stuff the first half hour, but had nothing at all to offer in front of goal. They got a few good crosses in also, but a total waste of time and complete mismatch with two midgets in the middle up against five big Portuguese.

Size does matter after all,especially on a football pitch, and a team of good big uns will almost always beat a team of good little uns, hence unlikely the Japs,Koreans and co will ever win the World Cup, unless future generations all manage to grow quite a few inches.

Can't understand why Capello took Wright-Philips along and left Walcott at home.
Hope at least they give Joe Cole a run out next time.


----------



## nigele2

The French - will they won't they??? 

I'm sure it will not happen but if France default how will they calculate the RSA goal difference?? And if they field a second team with a few unfit players and RSA win 3-0 and pip Uruguay or Mexico ??? O how the french love creating havoc - but what entertainment  

Do you think they are looking for an excuse to go home rather than face the maradona kissy cuddle squad? 

Taking my mind away from tomorrow afternoon which is a blessing (only 29 hours 25 mins and 13 seconds to go )


----------



## littleredrooster

So the French will have to go home and face the firing squad same as N.Korea whose punishment could be even more severe after S.Korea's success.
Apparently N.Korea TV has opted for a rerun of the 1966 world cup.

As for England, I'm convinced that Capello is in the hands of the Italian mafia.
How can anyone explain the extreme contrast between the side that qualified and the present sad shower of much the same players.

It also beggars belief how he could leave Walcott and the other Johnson behind,refuse to play Joe Cole,(the one guy who could really make a difference),yet take along and play the likes of Wright-Phillips and Defoe.
Crazy.

They are doomed I tell thee, DOOMED.


----------



## nigele2

littleredrooster said:


> They are doomed I tell thee, DOOMED.


Pull yourself together Fraser. Those Germans and Ities are not going to win this war, we are. Bring on the soggy chips


----------



## jojo

Oh, well thats rare, England have just scored a goal??????

Jo xxx


----------



## littleredrooster

nigele2 said:


> Pull yourself together Fraser. Those Germans and Ities are not going to win this war, we are. Bring on the soggy chips


Looks like Captain Mainwaring and friends came to the recue.
Either that or some form of divine intervention by the good Lord above.
Nothing else could account for such a miraculous transformation.
Just wish he'd allow us a bigger margin of victory.
These one nil jobs aren't so good for the old ticker.


----------



## nigele2

littleredrooster said:


> Looks like Captain Mainwaring and friends came to the recue.
> Either that or some form of divine intervention by the good Lord above.
> Nothing else could account for such a miraculous transformation.
> Just wish he'd allow us a bigger margin of victory.
> These one nil jobs aren't so good for the old ticker.


Yes a Captain Mainwaring plan with Jo'nsey putting it up 'em. Didn't quite go to plan but history will only record the result. As you say LRR bad for the ticker but I'm going to slow mine down with an ice cold cava in the garden 

Now bring on the Germans assuming they get through  C'mon Ghana do it for Africa :boxing:


----------



## owdoggy

Doggy


----------



## jojo

owdoggy said:


> Doggy


now thats what you'd be doing if you had thrown your TV in the pool 

Jo xxx


----------



## owdoggy

jojo said:


> now thats what you'd be doing if you had thrown your TV in the pool
> 
> Jo xxx


Aye but the tv is where it should be & Mrs Doggy & myself are getting quietly bombed.....and all is well with the world........at least for a while



Doggy


----------



## nigele2

owdoggy said:


> Aye but the tv is where it should be & Mrs Doggy & myself are getting quietly bombed.....and all is well with the world........at least for a while
> 
> Doggy


Here back in blightie the sun is shining both physically and virtually. Germany awaits on a weekend so for most no need to fake a sickie; and the hand of god awaits beyond with luck. And Scottish fans have to stimulate the UK economy buying yet more flags and shirts 

And in the traditional village game in Cardiff today England go against the Oz in Cardiff 1-0 up and as favourites 

And Wimbledon has ground to a halt while two guys turn it into an endurance event 

Does life get any better than this ? 

ps hope doggy hangovers are not too bad !!


----------



## owdoggy

nigele2 said:


> ps hope doggy hangovers are not too bad !!














Doggy


----------



## jojo

owdoggy said:


> Doggy



Go and sit outside on your terrace with you hangover and a coffee, its a beautiful morning!

Jo xxx


----------



## gerrit

North Korea  I doubt the players will face any sanctions at home though, the times when you got the death penalty for the slightest thing are over since North Korean leaders fear the population numbers would drop too much. Alternative punishments are more used nowadays for severe violations of the regime, and I doubt losing a sports game classifies as such. Probably the result of the Portugal game will remain hidden to the locals, and obviously they won't show the images on TV and just pretend this game never took place. The team played very decently against Brazil and a decent first half vs Portugal, once the Portuguese scored their second it seems the Koreans weren't trying anymore. By the way, do you notice the North Koreans are amongst the few who rarely dive or fall down, and who immediately stand up and run after the ball again after a tackle? 

As for yesterday, two big similar questions remain:
- the clearing off the line by Philip Lamm in Ghana-Germany: was it hands or was it with the chest? Penalty and red card, or perfectly valid clearing?
- the ball against the arm of Tim Cahill in the last minute of Serbia-Australia: indeliberate hands or deliberate hands and thus penalty?

Imagine Serbia had that penalty and scored it, then it would have been Serbia qualifying instead of Ghana. Such controverse in the dying seconds of the last group game ... How much longer will FIFA refuse to let referees use video images like it's done for years in other sports like tennis or ice hockey have long embraced modern technology to help the referees?


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> By the way, do you notice the North Koreans are amongst the few who rarely dive or fall down, and who immediately stand up and run after the ball again after a tackle?


Obviously part of their training schedule.
Badly injured or not, anyone who doesn't jump straight up and chase the ball is shot on sight.

Sounds quite a good idea to me, could recommend it to a few European teams, especially the Italians.

So its a ww2 rerun again.
The French surrendered immediately and did a runner.
The Yanks left it till the last munute to do their bit.
and the Brits are left to deal with the bloody Germans, again.


----------



## gerrit

littleredrooster said:


> Obviously part of their training schedule.
> Badly injured or not, anyone who doesn't jump straight up and chase the ball is shot on sight.
> 
> Sounds quite a good idea to me, could recommend it to a few European teams, especially the Italians.


If capital punishment for a dive would be applied, Cristiano Ronaldo would have been in the grave several years ago 

Nah, I really think the North Korea thing is exagerated. Granted, their "justice" system is criminal: extremely severe punishments for simply listening to South Korean radio, not kneeling for a status of the great leader is punishable by law, ... Very hypocrite if you know the dictator himself enjoys browsing South Korean websites.
However, it's not just that bad yet that a soccer player could risk imprisonment for events during a sports game. At least, such thing has never been reported. And despite lack of footie skills, you gotta credit the Korea DPR team for their spirit and determination, what they lack technical-wise they compensate by a "never giving up" spirit (OK, they did not really make much effords vs Portugal once it was 2-0, but I wouldn't be surprised that against Ivory Coast they'd get at least a draw because of the motivation not to return home without a single point)




I'd like a North Korea scarf or jersey for my collection. So far the rarest item I have is an official scarf of the Faroese national team. But a merchandise item from the North Korean team would be an even more rare collector's item. Any idea where it'd be for sale?

I also would fancy buying a scarf from the New Zealand team, I quite sympathise with them also. Hope they'll qualify for the second stage although realistically they won't go through: they need to play the surprisingly strong Paraguay while Italy face the less impressing Slovakia. So I guess it'll be Paraguay winning the group with Italy coming in second.



Denmark-Japan will be a tough one to predict tonight. The Japanese team have a great physique and determination, the Danes are the more experienced side. Will be a very close encounter.


----------



## gerrit

ITALY OUT  Slowakia through in their first ever world cup... And New Zealand, whom everyone thought they'd lose every game with harsh scores, collect 3 draws and remain unbeaten, which means Italy finishes bottom spot in a group with NZL, Paraguay and Slowakia...

I feel sorry for Lippi. The guy made them world champions 4 years ago but, knowing the Italian press, Lippi will be axed right now. Especially some choices like not taking Totti and Toni to the tournament will be used against him now ...

Kudos to New Zealand for proving the whole world wrong and not lose any game, and kudos to the inexperienced Slowaks for this. The biggest shock of the tournament so far without a doubt.


----------



## littleredrooster

I've little sympathy with the Italians who were one of the poorest teams ever to win the World cup 4 years back.
They would not even have got past the US and the Aussies but for some very dodgie decisions by the refs.
Also they ruined the final as a spectacle, especially near the end with that sad incident involving Zidane.
Fortunately they haven't been so clever at conning the refs this time.

Great performance by the Japs tonight, though they did get a helping hand from Sorenson who completely lost the plot.
I seem to recall him gifting England two goals in the finals a few years ago.
Probably catching the eye of a few Premier managers, especially Honda, though Harry Rednapp remarked tongue in cheek, that he'd turned down an exchange deal for his Bentley.


----------



## jojo

Spain seem to be a bit subdued tonight?? I know little about football, but they do seem a bit tired tonight??????? Or am I being blonde???

Jo xx


----------



## jojo

jojo said:


> Spain seem to be a bit subdued tonight?? I know little about football, but they do seem a bit tired tonight??????? Or am I being blonde???
> 
> Jo xx



I'm blonde!! 

Jo xxx


----------



## littleredrooster

jojo said:


> Spain seem to be a bit subdued tonight?? I know little about football, but they do seem a bit tired tonight??????? Or am I being blonde???
> 
> Jo xx


Well not anymore.
They're two nil up at half time, but only thanks to stupid mistakes by the Chileans who looked the better team early on.
However it was fairly obvious from the start that Chile were't going to finish with eleven men.
They may well have had the beating of Spain, if they'd kept their heads screwed on the right way.


----------



## jojo

littleredrooster said:


> Well not anymore.
> They're two nil up at half time, but only thanks to stupid mistakes by the Chileans who looked the better team early on.
> However it was fairly obvious from the start that Chile were't going to finish with eleven men.
> They may well have had the beating of Spain, if they'd kept their heads screwed on the right way.



I'm missing Eastenders for this !

Jo xx


----------



## mr pinks

jojo said:


> I'm missing Eastenders for this !
> 
> Jo xx


beer acors in his jojo ha sending off deserves an oscar


----------



## mr pinks

jojo said:


> I'm missing Eastenders for this !
> 
> Jo xx


beer acors in his jojo ha sending off deserves an oscar
my "t"s sticking


----------



## gerrit

Spain-Portugal, what a nice fixture! With all the countless Portuguese expats in Barcelona I expect a heated night  (Not suggesting violence or so but friendly rivalry and noisy cars in the streets and flags everywhere)


----------



## littleredrooster

Apparently there's been a special warning for all England fans hoping to attend tomorrows game.

Be sure to get there early or you may find that all the seats have been covered with towels.


----------



## gerrit

One of the nice things of this world cup is the surprise fixtures. Due to the fact that some giants were eliminated by some unexpected ones, and due to the likes of Portugal, England, etc not winning their group, some big guns will face each other in an early stage of the knock-out rounds and thus eliminate each other. Nobody would have expected Uruguay, USA or Ghana in the semi-finals, but we surely we see one of them reach the semi's since Uruguay now faces the winner of Ghana-USA, while meanwhile in Germany-England and Spain-Portugal we're sure to see two big teams being eliminated.

I wasn't too impressed with Uruguay but that second goal was world class. Not even the greatest ever goalie could have stopped that.


----------



## nigele2

gerrit said:


> I wasn't too impressed with Uruguay but that second goal was world class. Not even the greatest ever goalie could have stopped that.


A peach of a goal covered in Cornish clotted :clap2: Best I've seen yet and the celebration wasn't bad 

Hopefully Ghana make it - nothing against the USA but it would be good to keep the African dream alive. 

But now less than 20 hours to the big one  Gerrit who will you be supporting for England Germany and Spain Portugal? And as an independent what would you think the scores?

I'm biased but I reckon 2-0 for both England and Spain - but wouldn't be surprised if it was the other way round.


----------



## gerrit

I guess a 2-0 for Spain as well but I'm on the other side when Germany-England's concerned ... Lived in Berlin for a year and greatly enjoyed it, since then I do sympathise just a tiny bit with the Germans (and 3 years in Ireland with the rivalry with England included also contribute to my preference for Germany)

So Spain-Portugal 2-0, and Germany-England ... well, 2-1 after extra time.

Argentina-Mexico also a very tight 2-1. Mexico have pleasantly surprised me in their last games (even when the French side they played was not at their normal level) and I'd not be surprised they'll give Argentina a hard time. In the end however, the individual class of Argentina will make the difference.



Just back from the pub watching USA-Ghana. Only became amusing for me at extra time, but nothing to do with the game. There was some open air celebration at the square next door to the pub, the noise of half an hour fireworks was terrible and made me almost desire to hear the vuvuzela's  Luckily the fireworks quit when extra time got started. Well deserved victory for Ghana, US was equally good in general but the fighting spirit and determination of the Ghana squad was very pleasant to see. Some players really played above their level, one example being their goalie who is only a reserve at Wigan for gods sake but was outstanding today.


----------



## littleredrooster

I agree with you about that goalie who for me was man of the match,positive in everything he did and made some excellent reflex saves.
He is said to be the number one in Africa and the main reason Ghana even got to the finals and even scored a goal against Tanzania on one occasion.
Something of a checkered career.
He played for a number of clubs in Turkey for quite a while,was suspended for six months after failing a testosterone test,then had a bad injury and started out again with a Swedish club, before Steve Bruce took him to Birmingham in 2007,played one game there before being dubbed a waste of space by the owner, and followed Bruce to Wigan where he only had 3 games,(only 4 premier games in total since 2007),has recently been released by Wigan and was not considered amongst their top three keepers at the end of the season.
He is now 32 yr old and said a few months ago he would be happy to retire from club football to help his country in the finals.
Can only think that he must have had some problems off the pitch....


----------



## nigele2

well England are slaughtering the Oz at the cricket. 212 is not a lot 

I've already downed a bottle with the lady of my life and one more waits in the fridge when we get the result we deserve.

C'mon England


----------



## nigele2

nigele2 said:


> well England are slaughtering the Oz at the cricket. 212 is not a lot
> 
> I've already downed a bottle with the lady of my life and one more waits in the fridge when we get the result we deserve.
> 
> C'mon England


Well the cricket is still going well 

Well done Germany :clap2:


----------



## jojo

nigele2 said:


> Well the cricket is still going well
> 
> Well done Germany :clap2:


The best team won! 

Jo xxxx


----------



## jojo

I'm no football fan, but what I dont understand is why the England Manager is foreign??? He can hardly speak English, so why's that, surely he should be English? who chose him ???

Jo xxx


----------



## mrypg9

The FA chose him!! And for this I gave up two hours of sunbathing......
What a useless shower


----------



## gus-lopez

It was utter rubbish, even worse than the game against Algeria.


----------



## littleredrooster

nigele2 said:


> Well the cricket is still going well
> 
> Well done Germany :clap2:


Didn't even bother watching the footie,I could only see one outcome.

Phew,they cut it fine at the cricket after cruising to 184 for 3, then back to the old ways of almost turning certain victory into defeat losing 6 wkts for 18 runs,before limping home by one wkt.


----------



## nigele2

littleredrooster said:


> Didn't even bother watching the footie,I could only see one outcome.
> 
> Phew,they cut it fine at the cricket after cruising to 184 for 3, then back to the old ways of almost turning certain victory into defeat losing 6 wkts for 18 runs,before limping home by one wkt.


LLR very true but we must rejoice that now giving the oz hell is expected whereas 10 years ago one would have laughed at the suggestion. I just love the fact we have problems including the full spin attack or the full pace attack. Happy days and I expect the ashes to be coming home (not that they ever actually leave of course )

well as for the footie now we have gone I can pick andchoice special matches and enjoy the beautiful game. O b*gg*r I forgot I've now got to support Espana or the family will never forgive


----------



## mr pinks

nigele2 said:


> LLR very true but we must rejoice that now giving the oz hell is expected whereas 10 years ago one would have laughed at the suggestion. I just love the fact we have problems including the full spin attack or the full pace attack. Happy days and I expect the ashes to be coming home (not that they ever actually leave of course )
> 
> well as for the footie now we have gone I can pick andchoice special matches and enjoy the beautiful game. O b*gg*r I forgot I've now got to support Espana or the family will never forgive


apparently the refs assistant was a frustated coke addict! couldnt find the white line


----------



## littleredrooster

Seems that David Blaine is absolutely gutted after hearing that his record of being in a box doing absolutely zilch for 42 days,has been completely shattered by Wayne Rooney.


----------



## lynn

littleredrooster said:


> Seems that David Blaine is absolutely gutted after hearing that his record of being in a box doing absolutely zilch for 42 days,has been completely shattered by Wayne Rooney.


...


----------



## littleredrooster

lynn said:


> ...


Weather warning for the UK today.
Don't go out without your brollies, as a shower of sh!t is believed to be heading in from Africa.


----------



## littleredrooster

The only person seen in S.Africa today with three lions on his chest, was believed to have been a guy of Italian origin who was found in the local Safari Park.


----------



## dunmovin

northern england was told the warnings of a drought had been reversed to flood warning Apparently just over the border there are 5 million Scots, who have been pissing themselves laughing.


----------



## littleredrooster

Word is that the squad are all gagged for now, but when the sh!t hits the fan in a couple of weeks or so, the truth about why it all went pear shaped is expected to be an all time shocker.


----------



## lynn

littleredrooster said:


> Word is that the squad are all gagged for now, but when the sh!t hits the fan in a couple of weeks or so, the truth about why it all went pear shaped is expected to be an all time shocker.


I understood that it was the press that had been gagged, and now the world cup is over the truth will out.... shocking revelations about the captain I've heard whispers of....


----------



## littleredrooster

lynn said:


> I understood that it was the press that had been gagged, and now the world cup is over the truth will out.... shocking revelations about the captain I've heard whispers of....


Nothing like a bit spicy gossip to attract the ladies...

Rumour is,that it goes back to the start of the boot camp in Austria and has split the squad completely in two ever since.
A certain S.G. is said to have done a J.T., but had his case swept under the carpet,..or so he thought,..until the whole thing blew up big time and resulted in continuous vendettas, right through the shambles of a campaign.


----------



## littleredrooster

Well done Holland.
I wouldn't have given twopence for their chances at half-time,although they didn't play so bad in the first half.
Be nice to think it could be their year for once after all their previous disappointments.


----------



## lynn

Living in the CDS, I'm delighted for many of my neighbours that Holland has won! Orange flags are flying next to Spain flags... 
I thought the Brazil side really lost the plot once they went behind and behaved very unsportingly. The foul that lead to the red card was cynical and dangerous. Couldn't believe they argued the point with the ref..
Big night tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to. I think the whole tournament is the better for England being out of it TBH


----------



## littleredrooster

What a day of drama,but a sad one for Ghana after coming so close and having a certain winning goal taken away from them by a defenders hands on the goal-line.
In such situations, I think a goal should be awarded rather than giving the offending team a second chance and the opportunity to benefit from such a blatant offence.
The red card was virtually irrelevant under the circumstances.
No justice,a real heartbreaker for Ghana and Africa.


----------



## gerrit

It's not a defender who got sent off, it's Suarez who is one of Uruguay's strikers who easily scores. Will be sadly missed against Holland, because along with Forlan he is usually the one scoring the goals. Plus, playing for Ajax, he knows a lot of the Dutch players well and could have used that knowledge of their weaknesses. 

Anyways, disagree with the last part there. Because where do you draw the line? A goalie fumbling in the dying seconds of the game, or a ball hitting the post in the last minute are also quite dramatic, you gotta draw the line somewhere. Suarez got punished with the red card, Ghana had the door wide open and blew it themselves. If that penalty went in nobody would have talked about injustice. Dito with the final shootouts, that first Ghanese miss was a terrible penalty kick. Bit harsh to say maybe because I think the whole world would have liked an African team in the semi's (me included) but Ghana mainly have themselves to blame. Pity because I fear Uruguay won't be much hinder for the Netherlands now that one of their lethal strikers (Suarez) is suspended.

I hope whoever wins Argentina-Germany will win the world cup. Netherlands? Rather not. Not because of the Belgium-Holland rivalry thing, because in all fairness I find the Dutch mentality a lot more pleasant than the Belgian one and always enjoyed Holland as a country. Their football team however is an exception. The team's OK, but their fans look plain silly. I hope Uruguay will win the semi final but got little hope, all hope left for that one is with Forlan I guess.

As said, whoever wins Germany-Argentina got my blessing for the rest of the tournament. Argentina I like because of Maradona I must admit, he's such a colourful personality and such a passionate coach, I know some doubt his capacities but undeniable the guy is more passionate than any other coach out there. His emotions are almost as if he's on the pitch there as a part of the team. Germany on the other hand have a young and multicultural squad, best of luck to them.

PS: apparently Barca is interested in signing Özil, although I would like to see that rumour confirmed by some usually reliable sources ...


----------



## xabiaxica

*couldn't resist*

sorry


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> It's not a defender who got sent off, it's Suarez who is one of Uruguay's strikers who easily scores. Will be sadly missed against Holland, because along with Forlan he is usually the one scoring the goals. Plus, playing for Ajax, he knows a lot of the Dutch players well and could have used that knowledge of their weaknesses.
> 
> Anyways, disagree with the last part there. Because where do you draw the line? A goalie fumbling in the dying seconds of the game, or a ball hitting the post in the last minute are also quite dramatic, you gotta draw the line somewhere. Suarez got punished with the red card, Ghana had the door wide open and blew it themselves. If that penalty went in nobody would have talked about injustice. Dito with the final shootouts, that first Ghanese miss was a terrible penalty kick. Bit harsh to say maybe because I think the whole world would have liked an African team in the semi's (me included) but Ghana mainly have themselves to blame. Pity because I fear Uruguay won't be much hinder for the Netherlands now that one of their lethal strikers (Suarez) is suspended.
> 
> I hope whoever wins Argentina-Germany will win the world cup. Netherlands? Rather not. Not because of the Belgium-Holland rivalry thing, because in all fairness I find the Dutch mentality a lot more pleasant than the Belgian one and always enjoyed Holland as a country. Their football team however is an exception. The team's OK, but their fans look plain silly. I hope Uruguay will win the semi final but got little hope, all hope left for that one is with Forlan I guess.
> 
> As said, whoever wins Germany-Argentina got my blessing for the rest of the tournament. Argentina I like because of Maradona I must admit, he's such a colourful personality and such a passionate coach, I know some doubt his capacities but undeniable the guy is more passionate than any other coach out there. His emotions are almost as if he's on the pitch there as a part of the team. Germany on the other hand have a young and multicultural squad, best of luck to them.
> 
> PS: apparently Barca is interested in signing Özil, although I would like to see that rumour confirmed by some usually reliable sources ...


Given a repeat, I have no doubt that Uruguay and many others would do exactly the same thing again, and take their chances on a penalty as against a certain goal.
Surely they would much prefer to move into the semi-final minus a top player, than be on the plane back home.
In this particular instance it was a 100% certain goal,not a fumble or something to dispute.
Other sports have very successfully moved into the 21st century without detracting from the game in any way,in fact quite the opposite.
In rugby for instance that would have been a straight forward case of awarding a penalty try.
In other instances the technology is readily available to deal with disputes such as the ball crossing the line, in a matter of seconds, however for some unfathomable reason and flying in the face of public opinion the football authorities prefer to remain back in the stone age.
Had the game simply gone to penalties without that incident, then there could be no arguements about Ghana going out.
As it was an injustice was done that could have clearly and simply been avoided.

Prefer to see the Dutch win it myself after being so entertaining but unfortunate so many times in the past.
Maybe I have reason to be biased, but I can't say I've had anything but positive experiences with Dutch fans, remembering of course its been very much a family game there for quite a while, popular with most of the ladies especially , more so than in England in recent times.

For me Forlan has been the outstanding player of the competition to date.
Apart from his great goals he is so creative in so many different ways.
Wherever and whenever he gets the ball he is remarkably perceptive of all the possible options, that I doubt many others would even be aware of.


----------



## JBODEN

littleredrooster said:


> The only person seen in S.Africa today with three lions on his chest, was believed to have been a guy of Italian origin who was found in the local Safari Park.


I heard that the three lions were rented from the Wiz of Oz


----------



## gerrit

littleredrooster said:


> Given a repeat, I have no doubt that Uruguay and many others would do exactly the same thing again, and take their chances on a penalty as against a certain goal.
> Surely they would much prefer to move into the semi-final minus a top player, than be on the plane back home.
> In this particular instance it was a 100% certain goal,not a fumble or something to dispute.
> Other sports have very successfully moved into the 21st century without detracting from the game in any way,in fact quite the opposite.
> In rugby for instance that would have been a straight forward case of awarding a penalty try.
> In other instances the technology is readily available to deal with disputes such as the ball crossing the line, in a matter of seconds, however for some unfathomable reason and flying in the face of public opinion the football authorities prefer to remain back in the stone age.
> Had the game simply gone to penalties without that incident, then there could be no arguements about Ghana going out.
> As it was an injustice was done that could have clearly and simply been avoided.


What injustice was done then? The ball did NOT cross the line, Suarez got the penalty he deserved for breaking the rules, and Ghana received their spot kick and could have easily been in the semi finals... if they didn't waste that opportunity themselves.

No injustice at all here. Injustice is what I call the Henry handsball against Ireland. Who knows who'd have qualified if it went to penalty kicks instead of an equaliser which resulted from clearly breaking the rules without being punished? We'll never know, maybe Ireland would have been there instead of France...

In Uruguay's case, no such injustice has been done. They broke the rules, but got sanctioned for it. The referee exactly did what he had to do: sending off the player, and awarding a penalty kick to Ghana.

I too would have loved to see Ghana proceed, so it's not like I'm pro or against Uruguay. But let's our disappointment not stand in the way of honesty. Ghana blew it themselves. If that penalty went in, they were in the semi finals. They got the opportunity and wasted it. It's not Uruguay's fault that they shot that penalty kick against the crossbar. Uruguay were penalised for the breach of rules, their star player was sent off and they were all but eliminated and escaped only because Ghana did not use the opportunity given to score from the penalty kick.




After having watched Argentina-Germany I am beginning to get convinced Germany may be the absolute favourites. For sure they've played the best football so far, almost un-German like. In the past, Germany was physical football, working hard, kick and rush. Now they are almost playing the type of football Brazil used to be famous for. This is a smooth collective with some lethal goalscorers (Podolski, Klose), some outstanding players to serve them (Müller, Schweinsteiger, Özil, ...), a nice mixture of experienced players and young talents, a tight collective, a nice mixture of "Germans" and second generation immigrants ... I am beginning to more and more like this team, mainly for their multicultural aspect and for their way of playing. Also, the German fans are quite nice people, colourful without ridiculising themselves with silly attributes like the Dutch fans. I was rooting for Argentina ever since the knock out stages began, but after tonight I wouldn't mind Germany to win this cup. It would just be deserved, they've been playing the best football so far and I doubt anyone could claim they don't deserve to be in the semi finals.

"Football is a game with 22 players and a ball, and in the end the Germans win"


----------



## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> Argentina I like because of Maradona I must admit, he's such a colourful personality and such a passionate coach, I know some doubt his capacities but undeniable the guy is more passionate than any other coach out there. His emotions are almost as if he's on the pitch there as a part of the team.


Not much sign of that today.
The guy looked almost suicidal from the minute they went one down.
It's at such times that maximum inspiration is needed most.
I've even seen Sven looking more cheerful and lively than that.
As I remember it the Argies were already calling for his head on a plate after some absolutely disastrous performances in qualifying, so I'll be surprised if he survives this debacle.
Congrats to an excellent all round German performance, which puts the England game in a slightly better light, considering they should have been 2-2 at half time, had the linesman paid a visit to specsavers or modern technology been in place.....:confused2:


----------



## owdoggy

littleredrooster said:


> Not much sign of that today.
> The guy looked almost suicidal from the minute they went one down.
> It's at such times that maximum inspiration is needed most.
> I've even seen Sven looking more cheerful and lively than that.
> As I remember it the Argies were already calling for his head on a plate after some absolutely disastrous performances in qualifying, so I'll be surprised if he survives this debacle.
> Congrats to an excellent all round German performance, which puts the England game in a slightly better light, considering they should have been 2-2 at half time, had the linesman paid a visit to specsavers or modern technology been in place.....:confused2:


Aye, although it pains me to say it (cos' them joormans bombed my granny in the wor) I was most impressed, simple crisp football played well:clap2: They must be up there as at least co-faves now....... but Spain tonight?.....are they going to fulfill their undoubted potential.......... or dump it yet again?........World cups?....I luv 'em (now I've fished the telly out of the pool after the England match):clap2:


Doggy


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## littleredrooster

What a difference a goal makes, having seen Brazil fall to pieces after that fortuitous Dutch equalizer and Maradonnas outfit without any plan B or any idea at all how to retrieve the situation today.
Germany are and always have been masters of the counterattack, and once they go a goal up, the system serves them well.
However if they go one behind then who knows?
They went a goal down to Slovakia in the group stage, a very average side and never ever looked like pulling it back.
Indeed much like the S.Americans they virtually fell apart and appeared to completely lose heart in the last half hour, although there was only the one goal in it.

Regarding the Argies,no great surprise after the way they struggled to even qualify,losing to Colombia,Equador,Chile,Paraquay and Bolivia who actually thrashed them by 6 goals to 1.
Maradonna was no great inspiration that day either, and would likely have crawled under the nearest stone had one been available.
He's very much a fine weather man trying to grab the limelight with his antics when the score is the right way round, but having watched him during that 6-1 defeat I recall he was as quiet as a little mouse.


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## gerrit

Germany never played Slovakia, you refer to Serbia  And that was the only game so far in which Germany was not downward impressive. They literally tore the Aussies apart (and in their other games the Aussies proved that this was due to Germany being that good and not due to Australia lacking quality), they won deservedly against Ghana although that game was a close call with both sides playing great football, then impressed against relatively strong opponents like England and Argentina. Also, let's not forget that in the qualifiers they had to deal with Russia (semi finalists at the last European championships) ; Germany didn't have such an easy route but nonetheless just gets better and better.

I wish Spain good luck but I think Germany are favourites for that encounter. Spain had quite a tough game against Paraguay and were somewhat lucky not to have to play extra times. They seem to depend a lot on David Villa ; I wonder why Del Bosque keeps on giving Torres (clearly out of form) a starting slot rather than letting Pedro start. Pedro had an impressive season with Barça and also showed his qualities in every minute he played for the Armada.


----------



## Xose

gerrit said:


> Germany never played Slovakia, you refer to Serbia  And that was the only game so far in which Germany was not downward impressive. They literally tore the Aussies apart (and in their other games the Aussies proved that this was due to Germany being that good and not due to Australia lacking quality), they won deservedly against Ghana although that game was a close call with both sides playing great football, then impressed against relatively strong opponents like England and Argentina. Also, let's not forget that in the qualifiers they had to deal with Russia (semi finalists at the last European championships) ; Germany didn't have such an easy route but nonetheless just gets better and better.
> 
> I wish Spain good luck but I think Germany are favourites for that encounter. Spain had quite a tough game against Paraguay and were somewhat lucky not to have to play extra times. They seem to depend a lot on David Villa ; I wonder why Del Bosque keeps on giving Torres (clearly out of form) a starting slot rather than letting Pedro start. Pedro had an impressive season with Barça and also showed his qualities in every minute he played for the Armada.



I think that if Torres keeps attracting 3 defenders every time he's on the ball, he'll keep going on.

Also, Paraguay run their socks off stopping Spain from playing their game, until their socks started to come off - then the boots went in quite a bit, although the ref was clearly not at the game half the time. Spain were not awarded a penalty with the linesman (or whatever their called today) on top of it when the goalkeeper brought fabregas down and nowhere near the ball after the failed 2nd penalty. 

Spain were crap, compared to what they could be, but playing against 2 up 8 defending football has always been difficult for them and it's always taken them a while to build up the storm and break the oponents down - and that's when their passing is on form..... which it hasn't been for most if not all of this tournament.

I agree, Germany are hot, but they also like to play football. A bit like the dutch. To be honest, win or not, I'm looking forward to a match where both sides are out to attack and not simply catch on the break.... which Germany did brilliantly against Argentina, but as said earlier by someone, how would they play if they didn't score first?

I can't wait.


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## littleredrooster

Unfortunately Paraguay just didn't have enough left in the tank to see it through, and I doubt if they would have survived extra-time for too long.
However if that poor guy hadn't missed the first penalty they may have had enough heart to survive the 90 minutes and scrape through.
Never seen a player so heartbroken and unconsolable as that poor fella after the game.
After Llorente's super sub performance against Portugal, I could not understand why he didn't start yesterday, yet he never even came on as sub.
He absolutely tore the Portugese to shreds and they had no answer to his powerful running and no little skills, and from the moment he came on there was obviously only one winner.
Can only think that maybe he wasn't fit to play for some reason.
The majority of Spanish fans are also in no doubt that he should be their number one choice up front.
I think he is the one guy who could really rattle the Germans, possibly more so than Villa who I imagine could be crowded out or have his dodgy temperament exposed.
Should be an interesting clash with the Germans as favourites, but I wouldn't rule out the skillfull Spanish, if they finally put it together and hit some decent form.


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## littleredrooster

So its a massive game for Spain tonight ,with the prize being a place in the World cup final with Holland.
Hope they come through, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Should set up a great final if they do.


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## gerrit

I do think Germany goes all the way. Winning this one and winning the final.

And in all honesty no other team deserves it as much as the Germans. If any team came close to playing attractive technically gifted football, it were the Germans. Also, there was an article on how the number of players with foreign heritage was giving immigrant youngsters in Germany a sense of being accepted, seeing how other "immigrants" like Özil, Klose, etc also managed to make it. Well, if that's the impact of it all, then I really wish Germany wins this cup because if it gives hope to people then we talk about something way more important than a sporting result.

Also, while I will support Spain if they'd reach the final, I still feel sour about the political FA who forced UEFA to crawl for them and change application rules in order to ensure Gibraltar couldn't join UEFA. UEFA should have not listened to threats from Spain about leaving UEFA, it's not up to Spanish FA board members to tell who can play football and who can't. They made it a political thing and UEFA just crawled. 
I rather would see Germany win to be honest, but in the final I'll support whoever wins tonight.

I don't want Holland to win the cup. Nothing to do with the Belgium-Holland rivalry because I'm not patriottic enough for that. It's just that no team has ever been as lucky as Holland. Extremely easy draw in both qualifiers and group stage, lots of luck against both Brazil, Denmark and Japan (owngoals) and against Uruguay (three goals are going in via the post) ... That luck cannot and should not last forever. Germany and Spain both played much better football than the Netherlands are much more deserve the cup.


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## JBODEN

gerrit said:


> It's just that no team has ever been as lucky as Holland. Extremely easy draw in both qualifiers and group stage, lots of luck against both Brazil, Denmark and Japan (owngoals) and against Uruguay (three goals are going in via the post) ... That luck cannot and should not last forever.


Napoleon wasn't interested in 'good' Generals - he always asked ''... but is he lucky''. Arnold Palmer hit a hole-in-one and when told by a spectator that he was lucky, he replied '' the more I practice the luckier I get''.
PS. Don't you think that Robbens walks and runs as if someone has stuck something up his rear end?


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## gerrit

Thing is, in a game a defender will head the ball narrowly next to the post into corner ; in a lucky game the ball with fall into his own net. In a game you can shoot and hit the post 3 times without scoring a goal, or in a lucky game the ball will bounce off the post into the net. Holland could have been long eliminated if it wasn't for 3 (!!!) owngoals in the tournament so far, several goalkeeper mistakes (Julio Cesar for example, and the Japanese keeper) and balls hitting the post going in someway in the end ... They've had more luck in this campaign than a team normally gets. Meanwhile they are in the final despite playing a type of football that a first time watcher would scare away to never enter a football stadium again. They were downward terrible yesterday for 3/4 of the game, Uruguay was't that great neither but at least they were trying to attack the entire match.

Also, how many more games Van Bommel will be allowed to make the most dirty tackles without even getting a yellow card?

Has to be said: Robben, Kuyt and Sneijder are world class players. If you have 3 such players in your team, you do have a lot to offer. But knowing that they got that quality, it just makes it even sadder that they still manage to play such boring football. It's no coincidence it's these 3 players who got them this far, the rest of the team is nothing special but they got these 3 guys who are amongst the best of the world and pull the team through on their own if necessary. Knowing Liverpool's financial worries and that they'll be keen to sell their players for a good price, I wouldn't be surprised if Kuyt gets a transfer to one of the top teams in Europe. He's like a machine, no matter how much he runs, he seems to never ever get tired!


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## JBODEN

gerrit said:


> Thing is, in a game a defender will head the ball narrowly next to the post into corner ; in a lucky game the ball with fall into his own net. In a game you can shoot and hit the post 3 times without scoring a goal, or in a lucky game the ball will bounce off the post into the net. Holland could have been long eliminated if it wasn't for 3 (!!!) owngoals in the tournament so far, several goalkeeper mistakes (Julio Cesar for example, and the Japanese keeper) and balls hitting the post going in someway in the end ... They've had more luck in this campaign than a team normally gets. Meanwhile they are in the final despite playing a type of football that a first time watcher would scare away to never enter a football stadium again. They were downward terrible yesterday for 3/4 of the game, Uruguay was't that great neither but at least they were trying to attack the entire match.
> 
> Also, how many more games Van Bommel will be allowed to make the most dirty tackles without even getting a yellow card?
> 
> Has to be said: Robben, Kuyt and Sneijder are world class players. If you have 3 such players in your team, you do have a lot to offer. But knowing that they got that quality, it just makes it even sadder that they still manage to play such boring football. It's no coincidence it's these 3 players who got them this far, the rest of the team is nothing special but they got these 3 guys who are amongst the best of the world and pull the team through on their own if necessary. Knowing Liverpool's financial worries and that they'll be keen to sell their players for a good price, I wouldn't be surprised if Kuyt gets a transfer to one of the top teams in Europe. He's like a machine, no matter how much he runs, he seems to never ever get tired!


1. Let's face it a lot of the games were dull. Yesterday it was 'dull'-'brilliant goal'-'dull'-'brilliant goal' - half time- dull etc.... One commentator said that the Dutch are playing German style whilst the Germans are playing Dutch style. Maybe if they meet Germany in the final they'll agree to swap roles again 
2. Kuyt & Sneijder have been playing well. Robbens & 'Percy' - no comment.
3. Generally the standard has been average. I think that the ball has had a lot to do with that. Almost without exception no one has been able to receive a strong pass without the ball bouncing away a yard, thus giving the opponent a minisecond to close in.


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## littleredrooster

Well the Germans have won the cup on at least two occasions playing the most boring football in the World.
The Dutch have missed out twice at the final hurdle after being by far the most entertaining team in the competition and they are generally accepted to be the unluckiest team never to win it, so maybe the are due a slice of luck or two.
What about that Spanish goal that got them through against Paraguay, who were just beginning to think it was their lucky day after the ball smacked the post 3 times,......until it crept over the line?
One coat of paint too many on the posts or an ounce too much pressure in the ball maybe?
I read an article last week which claimed that either 5 or 6 of the regular German side were born outside the country and the rest all had at least one parent but mostly two, born outside the country.
Previously they did most of their cradle snatching in Poland, but they now seem to cast their net Worldwide and could almost be regarded as representative of a Rest of the World Eleven.
Shame that money and perks decide players international futures, rather than possibly the country where their heart lies.
I don't doubt it's within present regulations, but it seems a pity that it will continue to push poorer countries further out of the reach of major honours, leaving a bigger gap between the elite and the rest.


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## gus-lopez

Like Boateng, the left back born in Germany of Ghanaian parents lining up against his brother Paul in the Ghana team who reverted to his parents nationality,@ short notice, when it became obvious that he wasn't going to make the German squad !!


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## jojo

Gosh, well that wasnt expected!!!!! YAY España!! Its gone wild out in the village, horns, shouting, fireworks.............

Jo xxx


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## owdoggy

Vamo......Vamo......Vamo......Vamo......Vamo......Vamo......Vamos España!!











Doggy


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## Caz.I

Brilliant, isn't it! It's gone wild here too...probably all night celebrations by the sound of it... Plus, looks like the psychic squid could be right about the final once again!


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## jkchawner

jojo said:


> Gosh, well that wasnt expected!!!!! YAY España!! Its gone wild out in the village, horns, shouting, fireworks.............
> 
> Jo xxx


all of england are 
behind spain thats for sure


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## Guest

jojo said:


> Gosh, well that wasnt expected!!!!! YAY España!! Its gone wild out in the village, horns, shouting, fireworks.............
> 
> Jo xxx


I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to be in the US right now. My OH has disappeared from Skype as well, so I can only imagine he's presently out enjoying the festivities. :hurt: Everyone have fun tonight and on Sunday!


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## Tallulah

halydia said:


> I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to be in the US right now. My OH has disappeared from Skype as well, so I can only imagine he's presently out enjoying the festivities. :hurt: Everyone have fun tonight and on Sunday!


Don't worry hon - we'll be having one (or several) for you!!! :clap2:


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## littleredrooster

Great result,just too much class for Germany.
Slaughtered em again one nil,....just like in the Euro.
Mind if the Germans had scored in the last few minutes,that Pedro should have been hung from the tallest tree in Spain for his selfish stupidity.
Expect he's learnt his lesson.
Should make for a good final now we are rid of the boring Germans.


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## Guest

Tallulah said:


> Don't worry hon - we'll be having one (or several) for you!!! :clap2:


THANK YOU!  And if you hear any screams from the west, that's me. Scared my deaf dog while watching the game. Oops.


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## jojo

halydia said:


> I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to be in the US right now. My OH has disappeared from Skype as well, so I can only imagine he's presently out enjoying the festivities. :hurt: Everyone have fun tonight and on Sunday!



Get on a plane hun, the atmosphere here is electric!! :clap2:lane:

Jo xxx


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## Guest

jojo said:


> Get on a plane hun, the atmosphere here is electric!! :clap2:lane:
> 
> Jo xxx


I'll go buy a lottery ticket. If I win big, I'll be in Spain for Saturday!!!


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## Pesky Wesky

halydia said:


> I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to be in the US right now. My OH has disappeared from Skype as well, so I can only imagine he's presently out enjoying the festivities. :hurt: Everyone have fun tonight and on Sunday!


Halydia,
I'd be interested to know if the result was celebrated to such a degree in the Basque country as they're "not part of Spain"...
Here everyone (except me who's not a fan and OH who's got crowd phobia) was out in the street shouting, horns blaring, fireworks etc. I wonder if it was the same up there???


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## jojo

Pesky Wesky said:


> Halydia,
> I'd be interested to know if the result was celebrated to such a degree in the Basque country as they're "not part of Spain"...
> Here everyone (except me who's not a fan and OH who's got crowd phobia) was out in the street shouting, horns blaring, fireworks etc. I wonder if it was the same up there???



It was wild down south!!!! And so good natured. It would not have been like that in the UK - even if they had won! But yes, I wonder if the Basques even watched the match????

Jo xxx


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## geez

Pesky Wesky said:


> Halydia, I'd be interested to know if the result was celebrated to such a degree in the Basque country as they're "not part of Spain"...


We're in Bilbao and last night went to a German bar where most of the locals were wearing German colours and kit. There was a crowd of confused looking tourists walking away from the bar wearing Spanish kit as we arrived. However, we switched to another neighbourhood bar where everyone was really animated towards the end of the match. On the walk home we saw loads of smiling faces and celebration. Just then heard the guys working on scaffolding on the building next door chanting 'poooo-deeee-mosssss' to each other ('we can do it').

I had a similar experience in, gosh was it really '98, when I was in Sardinia and witnessed the largely separatist Sardes turn into Italians towards this end of the campaign.

Having said that it is much less subdued here than it was when we were in Catalonia during Spain's successful Eurocup. In Catalonia the locals (council, aside*) seemed to be prepared to be supportive of their players in the national team (Puyol, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas, Pique) if not the national team itself. However, the Basques I've spoken to do not generally seem to feel the same even though they've two of their own in the current team. I've been given instructions to buy an Iniesta shirt for my partner to wear to work on Monday if they win. I'll report back as to whether he is allowed back Tuesday!

*The night of the Eurocup win, the Ajuntament in Barcelona closed off Plaza Catalunya to restrict people's ability to celebrate the win. This resulted in thousands of confused, red-and-yellow clad teens and kids arriving in the centre with no where to congregate. Can't imagine that petty act won them too many prospective voters.


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## Pesky Wesky

geez said:


> We're in Bilbao and last night went to a German bar where most of the locals were wearing German colours and kit. There was a crowd of confused looking tourists walking away from the bar wearing Spanish kit as we arrived. However, we switched to another neighbourhood bar where everyone was really animated towards the end of the match. On the walk home we saw loads of smiling faces and celebration. Just then heard the guys working on scaffolding on the building next door chanting 'poooo-deeee-mosssss' to each other ('we can do it').
> 
> I had a similar experience in, gosh was it really '98, when I was in Sardinia and witnessed the largely separatist Sardes turn into Italians towards this end of the campaign.
> 
> Having said that it is much less subdued here than it was when we were in Catalonia during Spain's successful Eurocup. In Catalonia the locals (council, aside*) seemed to be prepared to be supportive of their players in the national team (Puyol, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas, Pique) if not the national team itself. However, the Basques I've spoken to do not generally seem to feel the same even though they've two of their own in the current team. I've been given instructions to buy an Iniesta shirt for my partner to wear to work on Monday if they win. I'll report back as to whether he is allowed back Tuesday!
> 
> *The night of the Eurocup win, the Ajuntament in Barcelona closed off Plaza Catalunya to restrict people's ability to celebrate the win. This resulted in thousands of confused, red-and-yellow clad teens and kids arriving in the centre with no where to congregate. Can't imagine that petty act won them too many prospective voters.


That's what I would imagine, that a lot of people watching merely for Llorente and not so much celebrating as other parts of Spain. On the radio this morning it said there was a 50% drop in traffic in Madrid and 19% drop in emergency calls whilst the match was on.


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## gerrit

Here in BCN, Catalunya, most people are supportive of Spain. Only a minority isn't. Even those who fanatically support Catalan autonomy still cannot ignore the fact that (if David Villa included) 7 players last night play for Barça. That alone is reason enough for many to support the national team, and I did see many Spain jerseys and Spanish flags in the streets and the pubs. However, while there were cars passing by making noise and waving Spanish flags, it was all relatively quiet compared to the celebrations when Barcelona won La Liga. So celebrations were everywhere but relatively small compared to when Barça books a success.



Can anyone tell me what to expect if Spain would win the world cup? Should I imagine people celebrating on the beach, or more in the city center? 
Should I imagine lot of drunks jumping in sea naked, or do most people remain sober enough to celebrate in style? 
Do I need to picture mainly the squares in the city to be full of celebrating people while other areas of town will be reasonably calm?


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## Pesky Wesky

gerrit said:


> Can anyone tell me what to expect if Spain would win the world cup? Should I imagine people celebrating on the beach, or more in the city center?
> Should I imagine lot of drunks jumping in sea naked, or do most people remain sober enough to celebrate in style?
> Do I need to picture mainly the squares in the city to be full of celebrating people while other areas of town will be reasonably calm?


 I'm not sure exactly but I can guarantee you
A - Lots of really, really, really boring footage of hoarse, red and yellow painted, "lads" singing oe, oe oe oe ad nauseum.
B - And lots of really, really, really boring footage of young women jumping up and down and screaming and probably shreiking something about Villa maravilla.

I love it really...


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## gerrit

Would people celebrate mainly on the beach or more in the city center (in the streets or/and in the bars)?

Do I have to expect anything absurd like people diving in sea naked because of the overdose of alcohol, people swimming in city center fountains, ... ?? Do I have to fear a mass of pickpockets and drug dealers ruining the atmosphere?

Or should I just expect the usual people dancing with flags and cars honking their horns throughout the city?

I'm mainly wondering where the celebrations would be... shore, city center, bars, ... ?? I would like to catch some of the atmosphere (on the condition there'd be no drunks or drug dealers bothering me) but at the same time I do need to have at least a tiny bit of sleep ...


----------



## jojo

gerrit said:


> Would people celebrate mainly on the beach or more in the city center (in the streets or/and in the bars)?
> 
> Do I have to expect anything absurd like people diving in sea naked because of the overdose of alcohol, people swimming in city center fountains, ... ?? Do I have to fear a mass of pickpockets and drug dealers ruining the atmosphere?
> 
> Or should I just expect the usual people dancing with flags and cars honking their horns throughout the city?
> 
> I'm mainly wondering where the celebrations would be... shore, city center, bars, ... ?? I would like to catch some of the atmosphere (on the condition there'd be no drunks or drug dealers bothering me) but at the same time I do need to have at least a tiny bit of sleep ...



Chill and enjoy, it wont go on forever and you cant beat the sound of folk really enjoying themselves - thats what life is all about!

Jo xxx


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## gerrit

Got some really important work to do the next morning, so I can't afford not to sleep. On the other hand I also don't wanna miss out on seeing people celebrating a world title, it's maybe a once-off event. So ideally people would celebrate until something like 2:00 AM at night, and then I'd be left with just enough sleep ready to tackle the next day 

Just wondering where to go for a good atmosphere without drug dealers and pickpockets ruining it. The beach, I heard, won't be crowded with celebrating people. Heard most of the action will be near Placa Catalunya. Is that right?

I just hope it won't be like when Barça won the liga. The first person approaching me during the celebrations was a man offering cocaine ... As I don't use any type of drugs and rather stay away from such people, let's say that ruined the atmosphere a bit and I ended up leaving after just one hour when too many people got drunk ... I hope this weekend won't be like that.


----------



## Pesky Wesky

jojo said:


> Chill and enjoy, it wont go on forever and you cant beat the sound of folk really enjoying themselves - thats what life is all about!
> 
> Jo xxx


That is really good advice Jo!


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## gus-lopez

So ideally people would celebrate until something like 2:00 AM at night, and then I'd be left with just enough sleep ready to tackle the next day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :jaw:2am, they're just getting ready to get started then . :clap2: :first: :rofl:


----------



## Guest

Pesky Wesky said:


> Halydia,
> I'd be interested to know if the result was celebrated to such a degree in the Basque country as they're "not part of Spain"...
> Here everyone (except me who's not a fan and OH who's got crowd phobia) was out in the street shouting, horns blaring, fireworks etc. I wonder if it was the same up there???


I'd like to know as well. El Correo Digital had a video of a bunch of 20-somethings celebrating in Plaza Moyua, but it looked to be nowhere near the crowd they had in Santander. I will say that one of my OH's family members was rooting for Germany, and I imagine it was the same for many others. BUT SPAIN WON :clap2: 

I haven't spoken with the OH yet today, but judging from the fact that he disappeared from the internet when Spain won, and judging from past behavior, I'm fairly certain he was out with friends celebrating. But, the other thing to take into account is that from what I've deduced I live in one of the most "Spanish" cities (PNV? I don't even think they have a presence in my city) in the area. 

This might help to explain the situation up here: 



 (Clip from Vaya Semanita, the weekly comedy program on Eitb)


----------



## geez

SteveHall said:


> What is the comment re Iniesta? He's from Albacete and not the north.


I'd always thought Iniesta was a Catalan... must be a Valenciano name. Think they might easily claim him as he has been with Barca since he was in shorter pants.

Pesky-Wesky: the locals I've spoken to claim Xabi Alonso too.


----------



## Pesky Wesky

geez said:


> I'd always thought Iniesta was a Catalan... must be a Valenciano name. Think they might easily claim him as he has been with Barca since he was in shorter pants.
> 
> Pesky-Wesky: the locals I've spoken to claim Xabi Alonso too.


Ah yes, apparently he was born in Guipuzcoa.
You see, another football fact that I wish I didn't know. It uses up valuable brain cells that I really need for other things.


----------



## littleredrooster

...and the good news is that against all the odds, England have made it into Sundays World cup final.

The team consisting of Howard Webb and his two assistants will be in charge of the whole proceedings.

Most likely the last World cup game ever to be officiated without the assistance of modern technology.

Lets hope it all goes smoothly, without any dodgy offside goals for Holland or disallowed over the line Spanish goals, otherwise our lives on the Costas may never be quite the same again.


----------



## Guest

Pesky: Las Camisetas de 'La Roja' también se agotan en el País Vasco

Finally got word from the OH, says the city went wild last night.

And to all, this is kind of a cute video. Doña Sofía congratulates the Spanish team in the locker room after their victory. Love Puyol walking out in his towel to say hello!


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## Pesky Wesky

halydia said:


> This might help to explain the situation up here: YouTube - Vaya semanita aupa españa (Clip from Vaya Semanita, the weekly comedy program on Eitb)


Very, very funny halydia.
Will show to OH.
Thanks!


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## littleredrooster

halydia said:


> Pesky: Las Camisetas de 'La Roja' también se agotan en el País Vasco
> 
> Finally got word from the OH, says the city went wild last night.
> 
> And to all, this is kind of a cute video. Doña Sofía congratulates the Spanish team in the locker room after their victory. Love Puyol walking out in his towel to say hello!



Nice touch from Dona Sofia.
Now picture Liz walking into the England dressing room after the German debacle.
Maybe Phil also,who would probably have given them a right Royal rollicking.


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## xabiaxica

*Pulpo Paul says Spain will win*

The Oracle of Oberhausen: 'Pulpo Paul' Predicts Spanish Victory in World Cup - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International


----------



## gerrit

geez said:


> I'd always thought Iniesta was a Catalan... must be a Valenciano name. Think they might easily claim him as he has been with Barca since he was in shorter pants.
> 
> Pesky-Wesky: the locals I've spoken to claim Xabi Alonso too.


Just FYI: Andres Iniesta is not Catalan. He consequently never played for the Catalan "national" team neither unlike Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Bojan Krkic, ... This Catalan side is allowed to play 2 friendlies a year during off-season, and their last encounter was in Camp Nou against Argentina which Catalunya won 4-2  Previously they've beaten the USA as well and I believe also Costa Rica. You'd wonder if Cataluña ever would gain independence and affiliate to UEFA, if they'd not be one of the better national sides in Europe. The Spanish team right now is quite Catalan-coloured as well...


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## geez

gerrit said:


> Just FYI: Andres Iniesta is not Catalan. He consequently never played for the Catalan "national" team neither unlike Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Bojan Krkic, ... This Catalan side is allowed to play 2 friendlies a year during off-season, and their last encounter was in Camp Nou against Argentina which Catalunya won 4-2  Previously they've beaten the USA as well and I believe also Costa Rica. You'd wonder if Cataluña ever would gain independence and affiliate to UEFA, if they'd not be one of the better national sides in Europe. The Spanish team right now is quite Catalan-coloured as well...


Yes, what I was saying... I was mistaken. Will be clearer the next time I need to retract.


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## Xose

So, Germany take Bronze. What a great game tonight. Such a shame that Forlan hit the woodwork on the last kick of the game - and after scoring one of the best, if not the best goal of the tournament - certainly with that whacky new ball, a volley at that hight is no mean feat.

Unlucky Uruguay - but excellent game!


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## gerrit

Uruguay can be proud. They got the furthest of all South American teams, and with some great display. And this is a nation with less than 4 million people. They still did better than giants like their Argentine and Brazilian neighbours. One remark though: Uruguay could have taken the bronze with a different goalie. 2 out of 3 German goals were bad mistakes, only the third and decisive goal was not to blame on Muslera. On the other hand, hard to blame Muslera when it was him who got Uruguay into the semi's with his decisive penalty saves against Ghana.

I doubt the final will be as good as the game tonight. Tonight we saw two teams that had nothing to lose really, so both teams chose for attacking football. Tomorrow the price to be won is so important that both teams will probably not just attack and attack like Uruguay and Germany did tonight.

PS: Forlan should be in the "team of the tournament" for sure. He was amazing throughout the competition.


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## littleredrooster

gerrit said:


> Uruguay can be proud. They got the furthest of all South American teams, and with some great display. And this is a nation with less than 4 million people. They still did better than giants like their Argentine and Brazilian neighbours. One remark though: Uruguay could have taken the bronze with a different goalie. 2 out of 3 German goals were bad mistakes, only the third and decisive goal was not to blame on Muslera. On the other hand, hard to blame Muslera when it was him who got Uruguay into the semi's with his decisive penalty saves against Ghana.
> 
> I doubt the final will be as good as the game tonight. Tonight we saw two teams that had nothing to lose really, so both teams chose for attacking football. Tomorrow the price to be won is so important that both teams will probably not just attack and attack like Uruguay and Germany did tonight.
> 
> PS: Forlan should be in the "team of the tournament" for sure. He was amazing throughout the competition.


Quite agree with all of that.
I've been impressed with Forlan all the way through.
He has the skill and a great footballing brain,often creates something out of nothing, when not even in a threatening position.
In addition he seems to be a real nice guy,a gentleman and a scholar,..player of the tournament for me.
Lets just hope the final lives up to expectations this time, regardless who wins,a showpiece for football to be proud of,...as unfortunately in the past so many of them have been a let down.


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## gerrit

Player of the tournament will probably be either Villa, Robben or Sneijder. FIFA tend to elect someone of the teams playing the final, even when another player was better (I too agree that Forlan would be a deserved winner, but I doubt FIFA will want to award the price to anyone not playing for Spain or Holland)

That said, the player of the tournament award should be decided after the final. In 2002 Kahn was announced as winner and made his one fatal mistake in that final... In 2006 Zidane was elected and we all know what happened in the final. This sort of award should be awarded once the last whistle has been blown.

I doubt to see an attractive game tomorrow and just hope the tension makes up for it. Usually finals of tournaments are not the most exciting games because, with so much at stake, the teams tend to avoid taking a lot of risks by attacking from the start. In a match for 3rd place with less at stake, you're more likely to see nice football with two teams going forward from the first to the last minute. Add to that that the Dutch reached the final more with luck than with skill, they were quite boring throughout the tournament and such team in the final doesn't add to the odds of seeing a spectacular game. If we want to see some really nice game, we have to keep fingers crossed for an early Spanish goal. That way the Dutch are forced to play less tactical than in earlier games and go forward as well, which leaves the Spanish with counterstrike opportunities. That's the only scenario in which I see a lot of goalscoring opportunities come. If no early goal is scored, I fear for a 0-0 to stay on the board for a really really long time.


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## littleredrooster

I stick my neck out and forecast goals,maybe quite a few, 4 or 5 at least,and a fairly open game.
I think the Dutch will be keen to have a go, and we should see plenty of action at both ends,....or am I just dreaming?


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## gerrit

I fear you're being too optimistic. The Dutch have been a boring side throughout the tournament and while Spain does create lot of scoring opportunities, the only one actually scoring them is Villa. We need to hope for an early Spanish goal, so that the Dutch are forced to attack as well, while Spain can then counter-attack. The longer it stays 0-0, the more it will be a tacticle game I fear.

In any ways, I'd not expect a nice game like yesterday. There's just too much at stake for both sides and neither Spain nor the Netherlands will just attack and take huge risks. Yesterday there was not much more at stake than honour, so both Uruguay and Germany just played with attacking intentions. Tonight there is simply too much at stake and thus too much to lose ("you don't win the silver, you lose the gold") so I think both coaches will not be too keen on any riskful tactics. An early goal can open the game, so fingers crossed for that.

PS: message to Del Bosque: Torres is not fully recovered from injury so start with PEDRO or LLORENTE next to Villa in front. Let Torres start the game is like starting the game with 10 players only...


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