2006 World Cup Chock full o' spoilers thread

[Signe]

what's the word on Owen?

He's dead to me.

[eldaec]

Scan on his knee today - expectation is that it will confirm he's out of the tournament.

EDIT: Cruciate ligament injury - out for 5 months. Fans of Newcastle reported to be mildly wailing and gnashing teeth.

[Ironwood]

This just in from Wife News :  English ITV Commentators sports programmes Suck Ass in every imaginable way.

 

Fixed that.

imo it's not sky or other pay-tv outfits who should be banned from listed sporting events, it's ITV. (adverts in the middle of a grand prix ffs etc)

TV on mute + Radio 5 commentary ftw.

Um, No.  Not in this case.  The hype and bias that comes through during an England match is verging on the fucking hysterical.

Of course, it's actually Hysterical when Henrik puts one in at the 90 minute mark.

Fuckers.

[Righ]

Watched the Argies play the Dutch. Some good football there, but way too cautious on both sides, and it was a bit of a snorefest. Should have watched the other game. Thank goodness for DVRs.

[Righ]

Courtesy of a link on the Guardian blogs, I discovered this accurate depiction of Glasgow football:

[HaemishM]

Holy Crap, Crouch was even more worthless against Sweden than in the other games. I've seen him make two good plays in 3 games, and yet they still keep sticking him in there. That Owen thing looked bad. Joe Cole... damn, that boy was playing. Rooney had a good game, IMO, especially for a guy with a month layoff. But that 2nd Swedish goal... what the fuck was that? It looked like none of the English defenders wanted to touch the ball. To be scored on like that on a throw-in is just bush league.

Germany, however, looked deadly.

[Righ]

Holy Crap, Crouch was even more worthless against Sweden than in the other games. I've seen him make two good plays in 3 games, and yet they still keep sticking him in there.

To be fair on Sven (why?), they've pretty much run out of strikers that don't need wheelchairs or white sticks. At least he provides some comic relief as he trips over the ball or his own legs repeatedly.

[Jobu]

Chances of USA squeeking out tomorrow? I don't give them much hope against Ghana. It'll be close, but Ghana will edge them out. I'm expecting it to be a great game. Both teams have great fighting spirit, and never tire or give up. But Ghana are so good at keeping the ball, it's going to be hard to upset them.

As much as I loathe them, I think Italy will beat the Czechs. The Czech defense seemed terrible when faced with a zestful attack (something the US could not provide against them in their opener). But they have Baros back... will he be enough to keep them alive? I doubt it. Should be a fun end to the group, but I'm calling Ghana and Italy to make it out alive.

If Italy lose, and the Ghana-US game goes to any result that kicks Italy out due to Goal Difference, expect cry-baby whining and conspiracy theories for MONTHS from those fuckers.

Brazil are through easily in their group, and I think Australia will be confident and quick enough to top Croatia as well. Which is nice for them, they totally deserve to go through.

[WayAbvPar]

If Italy lose, and the Ghana-US game goes to any result that kicks Italy out due to Goal Difference, expect cry-baby whining and conspiracy theories for MONTHS from those fuckers.

God that would make my decade if that happened. Then we could joke for years about Italy paying off the wrong officials.

[Righ]

I think there's everything for the USA to play for - the team has shown that they have the ability to beat a team as good as Ghana. They just have to beleive that themselves, and play as spirited a game as they did against Italy. That won't guarantee them a win, but its the only way they stand a chance to get one.

[voblat]

Holy Crap, Crouch was even more worthless against Sweden than in the other games. I've seen him make two good plays in 3 games, and yet they still keep sticking him in there.

To be fair on Sven (why?), they've pretty much run out of strikers that don't need wheelchairs or white sticks. At least he provides some comic relief as he trips over the ball or his own legs repeatedly.

Yes, and he seems to be saving Theo Walcott, the 17 year old he has never seen play before he was picked for this tournament, and who couldnt get into the first team squad at Arsenal this year (and oddly enough whos Arsenal chairman was at squad selection time a senior member of the FA) as some sort of 'secret weapon'.

However, I find it most odd they spent 3 days training and developing tactics that revolved around Rooney and Owen upfront, playing the ball to feet and using both players skill and speed, then , 1 minute in after Owen's injury, having a choice of putting Walcott on, as a direct replacement for Owen , and Crouch, which entailed changing tactics and to an extent shape completely to accomodate him, Sven chose Crouch.

The revelation that the Swede managing the Swedish team gets paid in a year what the Swede managing the England team gets paid in a week sort of sums up why England are perrenial underacheivers.
In a game where heart can be the difference between success and failure, they put all their trust in cash.

[Cyrrex]

You also have to believe that the US team is bound to actually make a few shots on goal in this game, and that perhaps even a couple of them will roll in.  The laws of probability must be on their side.

Meanwhile, the Argentina vs. Holland game - which on paper could have been a fabulously entertaining match - was so boring that I nearly fell asleep.  I mean, they weren't playing for much, but jesus criminy.

[eldaec]

However, I find it most odd they spent 3 days training and developing tactics that revolved around Rooney and Owen upfront, playing the ball to feet and using both players skill and speed, then , 1 minute in after Owen's injury, having a choice of putting Walcott on, as a direct replacement for Owen , and Crouch, which entailed changing tactics and to an extent shape completely to accomodate him, Sven chose Crouch.

If they were training to play back-to-goal pass-to-feet football then Crouch would have been the perfect selection for Gerrard, Rooney and even Lampard to run on to. Owen and Walcott you need be playing into space and have the strikers running off the defender's shoulder, the whole set up with them would have to be more counter-attacking and it never quite works when your team are favourites.

Contrary to popular assumption, Crouch is good on the ground, average in the air, excellent at keeping the ball and holding play, but a bit slow. Lazy journalists make other assumptions simply because he is 9 foot tall.

England's overuse of the long ball is down to the fact that Beckham has been making poor pass selections, Cole keeps running down blind alleys and running out of other options(albeit in a very exciting manner), while Lampard is doing nothing whatsoever other than the occasional pass back to the opposing keeper. At the moment only Hargreaves, Gerrard, and Lennon (as well as Carragher and Terry in defence) seem to understand how to play the simple ball without losing possesion.

Judging on current form alone England should play...

-----------------------Crouch---------------
------------Rooney------------------------
JCole-------------Gerrard----------Lennon
--------------Hargreaves---------------------
Bridge----Terry-----Carragher----Neville
-------------Robinson-----------------------

But based on the fact that Sven appears to consider Beckham, Rooney, Owen, Gerrard, Lampard, Ashely Cole, Terry, Ferdinand and Neville to undroppable when fit, my realistic hope for the lineup is.....

--------------Rooney-------------------
JCole-------Gerrrard-------Beckham
--------------Hargreaves--------------
ACole-----Terry----Ferdinand--Neville
-------------Robinson-----------------

.... Lampard will also be on the pitch but I haven't put him in the formation as on current form he won't actually do anything so there is no point considering where he will stand while making no contribution. To be fair to him, this formation may help him play better.

[voblat]

Judging on current form alone England should play...

-----------------------Crouch---------------
------------Rooney------------------------
JCole-------------Gerrard----------Lennon
--------------Hargreaves---------------------
Bridge----Terry-----Carragher----Neville
-------------Robinson-----------------------

But based on the fact that Sven appears to consider Beckham, Rooney, Owen, Gerrard, Lampard, Ashely Cole, Terry, Ferdinand and Neville to undroppable when fit, my realistic hope for the lineup is.....

--------------Rooney-------------------
JCole-------Gerrrard-------Beckham
--------------Hargreaves--------------
ACole-----Terry----Ferdinand--Neville
-------------Robinson-----------------

.... Lampard will also be on the pitch but I haven't put him in the formation as on current form he won't actually do anything so there is no point considering where he will stand while making no contribution. To be fair to him, this formation may help him play better.

You are probably right on the team likely to play.
I thought lennon was the reason they beat T&T myself, sure , Rooney lifted moral when he appeared, lennon did the work though.

Despite the criticism he got in previous matches, i thought Hargreaves was probably Englands best player during the first half against Sweden, certainly on a par with J Cole at least.

Id still like to see them play 4-5-1 , with cole, gerrard, hargreaves ,beckham and lennon accross the midfield.

Th eone thing I do find incredulous is after 4 years, the manager still hasnt accepted gerrard and lampard are incapable of playing effectively as a midfield pair.

[Ironwood]

Courtesy of a link on the Guardian blogs, I discovered this accurate depiction of Glasgow football:

It's not funny because it's true.

[Signe]

I've decided to turn to Satanism to try and help England win the cup.  I will also not be shaving my legs until they return home, victorious. 

[Tale]

Neither will I.

[Abagadro]

The screw job on the US continues with that rediculous PK call. Although both goals were created by horrific play along the back line.  Do those guys not know how to clear a freaking ball?

[Numtini]

I can't remember an international series with as much horrible reffing as this cup. Regardless of which way it goes, play has been about surviving the referees. That's exactly what they're not supposed to be doing.

[Signe]

Have all the refs always been this bad?  Or do they wait for the Cup to show us their dark side?   

[Righ]

They've always been this bad. Actually it's FIFA's fault - they choose the World Cup to put on the 'greatest' display of refereeing. Which means that FIFA tells the refs to card at every available opportunity, to reinterpret the rules of footbal in ways no players (or referees) are familiar with, etc. So then it comes as no great surprise when the referees fuck up more often.

[Azazel]

It adds to the drama, you see.

Also, I like the Czechs, but fuck 'em. Italia is in!

[Numtini]

By the end of the match, I didn't even care who the foul was against, I was so tired of hearing the whistle I could have screamed.

Did the US deserve to advance? Probably not. Donovan was a complete no show. And we frittered away a lot of very good chances. And Ghana definitely played and played and played.

But the players in the last two games were secondary to the refs in terms of the outcome. And that's just leaves a really really bad taste in the mouth.

[Righ]

Also, I like the Czechs, but fuck 'em. Italia is in!

Italy. You'll sound like Strazos if you write English with Italian affectations, and we'll point and laugh.

The US lost the game, bad ref call or not. Ghana played fairly well, but they were clearly a beatable side that made plenty of their own mistakes. The US defense was horrible, and there were so many squandered opportunities in their midfield play. The problem is that half of the US will now stop watching as the football gets better, and too much blame will be ascribed to the refs. Bruce Arena has done a damned good job getting the US to where they are today and deserves everybody's respect, but its probably time for some fresh blood in the coaching camp. There's a lot of young talent in the US, and it needs to be converted into a great team by the next Cup.

[Engels]

I think the US should send a squadron of lawyers to sue FiFa for that penalty. We can't win by football, but by god, we know our lawyerin! Ok, just kidding.

I'm rooting for Brazil in Brazil vs Ghana tho. Still, I think Argentina's gonna win this one. Dutch wunderteam or not.

[WayAbvPar]

But the players in the last two games were secondary to the refs in terms of the outcome. And that's just leaves a really really bad taste in the mouth.

Amen. It would be nice to see a major sporting event where the referees are largely invisible due to their competence. Although at this point competence would stick out like a sore thumb. The PK call was laughably bad.

The US didn't play their best game by any stretch. The ball Reyna gave away was just godawful- this is our CAPTAIN?? However, I would have liked to see how the game progressed if Ghana hadn't had the lead giftwrapped for them. They likely would have played the 2nd half very differently, especially with Italy only holding a 1 goal lead (at the time).

Good for Ghana though. I am glad to see one of the African sides go through- most of them played pretty well this Cup. I will be rooting for them against Brazil (fat lot of good that it will do).

Go England and Holland!! And go Argentina, I guess, since I picked them to win it (not sure if it was here or not).

[Hoax]

The US is not ready for prime-time.

They had the skills/speed/strength as individuals to beat almost any team in the field but they never played with the type of strategy or inteligence required to succeed at the international level.  They also played flat as fuck for the vast majority of group play.

[Righ]

Yes, its clear that the US now has the depth of talent to compete strongly on the world stage. Probably several times over given who they took, and who they left behind. That said, the selection was arguable, the team failed to capitalise on opportunities, and they made far too many mistakes. Despite what he's brought to the team, inviting Arena back at this stage would just be foolish.

[Horik]

Jesus some of you people sound like Mavericks fans.

Edit- Erci Wynalda is as much of a whiny bitch as an analyst as he was as a player.

[Righ]

Why, because we don't want to see the same coach for three tournaments in a row? Even if the USA won the damned final there would be a case for changing the coach. It's hardly a "lose one game, cry for coach blood" reaction.

[Tale]

For me, there is currently only one game going: Australia vs Croatia. However,
JAPAN IS LEADING BRAZIL 1-0!

(edit) I must put in a good word for the Guardian's Australia vs Croatia commentary, however. I have laughed out loud several times thanks to Scott Murray's wit.

[Azazel]

Also, I like the Czechs, but fuck 'em. Italia is in!

Italy. You'll sound like Strazos if you write English with Italian affectations, and we'll point and laugh.

I'm part Italian, but, you know, feel free to fuck off.

[Azazel]

As for the effing, I mean, reffing. It's a mixed bag really. I for one would like to see a video ref put in to just fuck all of these controversial descisions right off. Something should be a penalty? make it so. Something should not be a penalty? nope, override. Handball to score a goal? (Hand of God) nope.

It'd also cut down a little on the fake diving and so on. The problem there is consistancy, when you compare the card-confetti from FIFA's quad-annual "tough on crime" spree to the various leagues the players play in there's a world of difference. The "new ball" that we seem to see especially for every World Cup does noone any favours, either imo...

[Horik]

 

The Guardian has had some good stuff, are they only doing this for the World Cup or do they always have minute-by-minute commentray during the season?

[Tale]

Not sure, but they definitely do online commentary for international cricket matches. Scott Murray is also involved in that.