2006 World Cup Chock full o' spoilers thread

[Signe]

I thought the ref completely lost control of that match.  He stunk.  Good for England, maybe, though.

[Jobu]

Such a striking contrast, where the games on Saturday had excellent referees, and the next day.... geez. I remember that same ref from one of the Champions League legs with Barcelona and Chelsea. And he let that game get a little out of control too, as I recall. They ravaged Messi left and right before he called them for it.

The Portugal game was moments away from turning into an all out brawl, and I think it's fair to blame the ref for a lot of it. The players were playing rough, but the ref missing calls, calling bad ones, it sets up a mindset in the players that things are fair game, or that they need to get back at the others. The more he slips up, the worse it gets. I like the shot near the end of Deco and Van Brockhurst, teammates in Barcelona, sitting on the stairs talking to each other about how the ref was total shit.

I was rooting for Netherlands, up until they decided to not return that one ball back to Portugal. That was terrible, terrible sportsmanship, and lost me as a supporter in that game immediately. Embarassing, really.

[Abagadro]

One thing about the "kick it out when a man down" thing that annoys me is that when a team is putting on a performance of Macbeth on the pitch to try and milk out the clock the onus should not be on the other team to kill their own momentum by kicking it out of bounds.  Legit injuries are one thing but requiring you to knock it out because someone is compiling their Academy Award audition tape just doesn't sit right with me. I got the sense that the Dutch just got fed up with all the crap Portugal was playing and decided to keep playing. Bad sports all around and IMO not one-sided despite the breach in protocol.

[Jobu]

Maybe.

But the Dutch were diving, and seeking penalties far more than the Portugeuse, I thought. I felt that it was a terrible disgrace. Not just that one incident, but their playstyle most of the game. The cleats to Ronaldo's thigh (good thing that player wasn't wearing blades...), the way Kuyt scythed down Ricardo near the end (you can see him letting his leg trail and stab into his thigh, he totally could have avoided that). It was just rotten and dirty all around. A shamble of a game.

[Abagadro]

That was going on both ways. The cleats to the shoulder in the box (can't remember the name) and putting a big boot to the Dutch keeper's forehead come to mind.  And I'm not referring to just this particular game in my comment about the kick out.  My feeling is that if play continues naturally and the guy isn't laying in the middle of the action so that he is in danger it should basically be "play on" until a stoppage or there is no longer an attack in progress. Otherwise it opens it to abuse and abuse of injuries is one of the things that aggravates me the most when I watch the matches.

[Tale]

I spent three weeks in Portugal in December and everything was football. National pride was up, despite the ever-present gloom of the Portugese (their national character is saudade, aka "things were better in the old days", which is basically true). Food was great, wine was fantastic, scenery was beautiful, pace was relaxed. Seeing them advance in the World Cup this year doesn't surprise me.

[Jobu]

Yeah, fair enough. Play acting and writhing around just plain sucks. Kind of a catch-22 I guess. You don't kick it out, then when it's your turn to be face first in grass the other team just runs through. Kick it out and you have to deflate your momentum and let the other team waste time. Meh.

So now England have to face Scolari again. He knocked them out of WC 2002 with Brazil, and sent them home with Portugal at Euro 04. One wonders if he can do it again... without Deco, Costinha, and likely without Ronaldo and Figo (who I'm going to guess is gonna get a retroactive booking for that "headbutt"). I'd normally pip Portugal to beat them again at full health, but this time maybe the lads lucked out. Who knows.

And as a side note, I can't count how many crosses and bobbles in the box I saw Holland waste. Van Nistelrooy would have run riot with the service they were producing for that flap Kuyt.

[Jeff Kelly]

I think England and Germany are great teams that are under-performing for their depth of talent. They have some of the very best players in the world who play at a top level for longer than most countries' players, world class coaches, and excellent pedigrees. They need to be performing much much better than they are. I think Germany can win the cup, and I'd certainly rather they did so than a South American country this time round. But right now its not looking good, is it?

Well after watching the match against Sweden I am positive that we can also beat Argentina. It will be a tough match but I think we can make it. If brazil keeps playxing the way they did until now then they can also be beaten. England is playing pathetic but I think this is more the fault of trainer Eriksson. Most of england's players are not team players. Players like Beckham expect that the team is working for them to provide them with what they need to score. It is not sufficient to just take your best players, stick them in a team and hope for the best. You have to build a team out of those 11 individuals. That is something that Eriksson has not achieved and it shows.

England is currently not showing its full potential because of that.

But hey, call me a fucking nationalist hater if you want, it seems to me that it just shows you up an imbecile and a presumtuous asshole.

I didn't call you anything like that. You just keep pointing out that you think germany is playing pathetic and I keep wondering why. Thats all. I thought the game vs. Sweden was a great performance by a team that many here in germany wouldn't even have thought to be in the quarterfinal if you'd asked them five weeks ago.

[Sairon]

I think England and Germany are great teams that are under-performing for their depth of talent. They have some of the very best players in the world who play at a top level for longer than most countries' players, world class coaches, and excellent pedigrees. They need to be performing much much better than they are. I think Germany can win the cup, and I'd certainly rather they did so than a South American country this time round. But right now its not looking good, is it?

Well after watching the match against Sweden I am positive that we can also beat Argentina. It will be a tough match but I think we can make it. If brazil keeps playxing the way they did until now then they can also be beaten. England is playing pathetic but I think this is more the fault of trainer Eriksson. Most of england's players are not team players. Players like Beckham expect that the team is working for them to provide them with what they need to score. It is not sufficient to just take your best players, stick them in a team and hope for the best. You have to build a team out of those 11 individuals. That is something that Eriksson has not achieved and it shows.

England is currently not showing its full potential because of that.

It has pretty much always been like this though. England has often had very good players but never played good together as a team. The historical statistics when it comes World Cup for England isn't all that impressive.

[HaemishM]

Ecuador is a dangerous team, I wouldn't put them in the same league as Paraguay or Trinidad; they are much more capable of punishing England for sloppy plays or lapses in concentration. They are mostly unknown outside of south america, but lately they have had the structure to compete well against the south american teams, and unless England is on top of their game, they'll certainly get a run for their money as well.

Just wanted to quote that for how untrue it ended up being. Ecuador never seemed to play with any urgency whatsoever. The only real shot they had was that play that Cole broke up with his leg, other than that, they lollygagged. Of course, England played with even less heart. I don't think I've ever seen such a boring fucking game. It's like no one wanted to challenege anyone, other than maybe Rooney. He looked like he wanted to win. Everyone else just kind of ponced about. Had they been playing Germany, they'd have gotten killed. The Beckham kick was nice, but other than set pieces, he was invisible. When is this team going to actually play?

The Portugal-Netherlands match was insane. I forgot to Tivo it, and only picked up it up right at about the 45 minute mark. The second half was atrocious, and those refs should have been red-carded. I could not believe how much shit they let go, like the head butt, or how many stupid yellows they handed out. That play where Deko(?) got his second yellow was completely stupid. So he gets a yellow for holding the ball too long, but the guy who slings him to the ground doesn't even get a talking to? WTF? That was an awful display of stupid on both sides, but mostly on the refs.

England vs. Portugal has the makings of a complete embarrassment for the English, even though the Portugal side will be missing what 2 or 3 good players? Maniche and Figo may just embarrass the shit out of Robinson.

EDIT: And more about England's performance... why the fuck is Lampard even in the games? Every shot he's gotten on goal he has missed, at least from my recall. He's had at least 3-5 good scoring chances in all the games, and yet I can't recall him hitting a one. Most either go sailing out of the stadium because they are so high, or just flat miss both posts. What does he bring to the table that someone else wouldn't?

[WayAbvPar]

Germany v Sweden- snorefest

Argentina v Mexico- what a fantastic game. Of course, my goddamned TiVo cut off about 3 minutes before the GW goal, so I missed the end. I have since rectified that by setting all my future matches to tape for an extra hour. I sure would like to see Messi and Tevez get some more time- they are fun as hell to watch.

England v Ecuador- another mediocre performance by England squeaks them through. Everyone bitched about Beckham- I thought he actually played ok; I saw him working defensively FAR more than I normally do, plus the free kick was pure brilliance.

Holland v Portugal- ARRGH. I have been a Holland fan since 2000 or so (had a buddy on my soccer team who was Dutch, so I adopted them). Not playing Van Nistelrooy was a fucking joke. The guy scores a LOT of goals. Unless he was hurt, there is no excuse. Portugal, OTOH, I have always hated. They play a dirty, diving game, and drug Holland into the muck with them yesterday. I actually felt sorry for the ref- once things got heated, he had pretty much no control over the game and did his best to keep both teams from killing each other.

Go Socceroos!

[Righ]

Another world cup match decided by a bad ref call. Disgraceful.

[CmdrSlack]

That was some serious bullshit for Australia there.

If there was a video dictionary, the "foul" that triggered the penalty kick that won the match would be attached to the entry for diving.

That was the biggest non-foul I've ever seen, even after the one that gave Ghana the penalty kick which lost the match for the USA.

Now I have to hope that Italy is crushed in the quarterfinals.

[Tale]

Welcome to my 3am heartbreak.

(edit) TV just crossed to reporter in downtown Melbourne, with thousands of people in the background chanting "bullshit, bullshit".

[Wolf]

that's why I only watch football once or twice a year.

That shit was ridicolous.

[Hoax]

re: England, I dont get you fuckers at all, hasn't Beckham pretty much won 3/4 games for you?  I realize he doesn't do much on the defensive side of the ball but he has single handedly won 3 of 4 games.  Lay off?


I have to say, when I first saw the Italian go down in the box I thought it had to be a pk, it wasn't until I saw the slowed down replay that i realized he was just out of gas and let himself be tripped up.  I have no sympathy though, Australia should have already scored who knows how many times.  Italy's midfield winked out of existence in about the 70th minute.  Meanwhile on the other end they let that guy beat two defenders and as much as it pains me to agree with that fucker Balboa the 2nd defender perhaps should have not tried the slide tackle.

Italy earned that game by default because Australia clearly didn't want it badly enough I found their play confusing and frustrating as usual...  How many people had open looks at the top of the box who didn't shoot and instead passed it to a guy a little farther in with 3 Italians at his back?  Not to mention any long distance shots they took were over the net.

I may have missed something though, I was falling asleep throughout.

[Azazel]

I think I mentioned the need for a video ref once or twice earlier in this thread. That's all I have to say.

[Signe]

That was a pretty good game overall, Hoax.  Would be nice if refs were alert enough to spot obvious dives.  I hate refs.

If you were falling asleep throughout, you're not a good enough football fan and will suck at being a decent hooligan. 

NO FOOTBALL THUGGERY FOR YOU!

[Azazel]

http://www.thefootballfactory.com/

And to be fair, Materazzi shouldn't have been given a red off the bat like that, either.

[Tale]

Italy earned that game by default because Australia clearly didn't want it badly enough I found their play confusing and frustrating as usual...  How many people had open looks at the top of the box who didn't shoot and instead passed it to a guy a little farther in with 3 Italians at his back?  Not to mention any long distance shots they took were over the net.

That's true, but Italy also missed several major chances when they should have scored. They were the more skilled team and everyone knew that from the start, but the fact is Australia held them to 0-0 and it would have gone into extra time with an Australian advantage (it goes to 15 mins each way, then if no result a penalty shoot-out). It would have been much healthier for football if that had gone ahead.

[Signe]

You're probably right about the OT, Tale.  I hate seeing any game depend on a shoot-out, however.

[Llyse]

I am just spewing. Totally bull crap, it's true we didn't finish well. But we were attacking as much as they could. They may not of been able to score but not for the lack of trying. It's true we didn't make full advantage of the extra man either. But it doesn't mean that we deserved to lose like that from a penalty at the end of injury time.

spewing.

[Righ]

It would have been much healthier for football if that had gone ahead.

That's why it was a bad ref call. Just as it would have been stupid to penalise the Italian actress for her ballet dive, it was stupid to award a penalty for Neill lying prone in front of an attacker. At that point in the match, play on, if nobody scores, let them prove themselves in the following half hour. The ref obviously had a dinner date and needed to get out of there.

[Horik]

Well I can't wait for the next match to see the new and interesting ways the refs will continue fuck this World Cup up. Much the same way that Russian ref saved Graham Poll this Spanish ref (Spain wtf? apparently FIFA can't find any refs from North Amerca, South America, Asia or Africa to call this game) saved that Russian guy. Think anyone will be talking about yesterday's match now?

[Llyse]

Right now I'm a very angry little Aussie.

I hope that referee dies in a bath of acid.

That alone does not convey how pissed I am.

I'd think of something worse but right now creativity isn't quite my strength

I mean the frigging ref was 5metres away for god's sake

[Righ]

I understand the hate, but really it has to be a 'learning experience' too. Neill was frankly a Silly Nelli to let himself get exploited. Most of your hate should go to poor sportsmen (like Grosso) that play act to gain advantage. At that point in the game it was a bad ref call, but its the kind of crap that happens, and the Aussies let themselves get mugged. Blame the mugger, not the stupid policeman however.

[murdoc]

What was up with Italy and the thumb thing at the end? Wasn't able to watch the game, but all the pictures have the Italian players with their thumbs in their mouths.

[Righ]

What was up with Italy and the thumb thing at the end? Wasn't able to watch the game, but all the pictures have the Italian players with their thumbs in their mouths.

I think its meant to be a trumpet or something. They've also 'played a violin' when scoring. They've likened their goals to symphonies in press conferences, and that they are writing music with their football. I think it all sounds a bit sad, and they look like babies when they suck their thumbs, but I've seen worse celebrations.

[Llyse]

I understand the hate, but really it has to be a 'learning experience' too. Neill was frankly a Silly Nelli to let himself get exploited. Most of your hate should go to poor sportsmen (like Grosso) that play act to gain advantage. At that point in the game it was a bad ref call, but its the kind of crap that happens, and the Aussies let themselves get mugged. Blame the mugger, not the stupid policeman however.

frankly I'm not sure what Neil could have done to not have impeded Grosso a millimetre. Dig a hole in the ground?! This World Cup will be know for the referees. And frankly FIFA is to blame, after 2002 you'd think something action would have been taken.

gah. out of words.

[Megrim]

Italy deserved the win. Working the defenders for a mistake in the dying stages of the game is very much a valid tactic. The one thing i do not understand is why they did not bring in Aloisi for Viduka at half time. Australia played very well throughout, but they seriously have 0 finishing power without either Kewell or Aloisi on the field.

[Righ]

Working the defenders for a mistake in the dying stages of the game is very much a valid tactic.

If you no longer care about sport or sportsmanship, yes.

[Wolf]

I understand the hate, but really it has to be a 'learning experience' too. Neill was frankly a Silly Nelli to let himself get exploited. Most of your hate should go to poor sportsmen (like Grosso) that play act to gain advantage. At that point in the game it was a bad ref call, but its the kind of crap that happens, and the Aussies let themselves get mugged. Blame the mugger, not the stupid policeman however.

frankly I'm not sure what Neil could have done to not have impeded Grosso a millimetre. Dig a hole in the ground?! This World Cup will be know for the referees. And frankly FIFA is to blame, after 2002 you'd think something action would have been taken.

gah. out of words.

How is bad refereeing against a no-name team a new thing? Try and find the Bulgaria - Italy Semi-Final game from the 1994 cup. I was 10 back than, and remember the fucking call like it was yesterday. It was basicly the same thing as tonight. Can't fucking stand italian football ever since

[Llyse]

yeah but this is the World Cup that gave 3 yellow cards in 1 match to the same person.

The Ghana penalty was suss too, there's just too many to mention, Portugal vs Hollahnd, Australia vs Croatia, Japan, Italy. US vs Italy? was that dodgy? The list just goes on. I'm certain that Ivory Coast was denied a few well deserverd penalties.

Horrendous.

[Jobu]

This just strengthens my hatred of Italian football. I hope their league goes down in flames and all their star players end up picking olives in Tuscany for the rest of their lives.

Sepp Blatter says the referees suck. Yeah, no shit Sepp. AND IT'S ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT, YOU FREAKING JACKASS!

[Hoax]

That was a pretty good game overall, Hoax.  Would be nice if refs were alert enough to spot obvious dives.  I hate refs.

If you were falling asleep throughout, you're not a good enough football fan and will suck at being a decent hooligan. 

NO FOOTBALL THUGGERY FOR YOU!

I agree it was an interesting match, the sleeping was not indicative of the quality of play as much as how little rest I got this weekend and how worn down my body is.  I'm not at work right now because I really can't walk with 3-4 blisters on each foot.