South Africa, 2010

Paul

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no beer? Homer go crazy.

I'd say Argentina should get it, but i bet Hernandez to score first for Mexico. so Argentina 2-1. If i get this wrong i'm gonna retire from predictions and bow to the octopus.
 

Diana W.

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Why do I do it? Why do I go through every tournament thinking we can go far? I just can't do it anymore. Defeat I can take. I'm used to it. But the sheer size of this defeat is too much to take in right now. It looks like we need to rip the team up and start over. Too many bad performances. We haven't had a single good game through the tournament. Lampard and Gerrard can't play together and what's with this stupid habit of playing Gerrard out left. And while on the subject of Gerrard how many long range shots did he try when he would have been better off passing or crossing to another player? Rooney was pathetic. I could just go and on. All in all a very bad day at the office. :rant:
 

Diana W.

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no beer? Homer go crazy.

I'd say Argentina should get it, but i bet Hernandez to score first for Mexico. so Argentina 2-1. If i get this wrong i'm gonna retire from predictions and bow to the octopus.


Sounds like a very good idea! :tongue
 

Kaiser-Kun

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Argentina played well, Mexico was terrible. A well deserved result for both.
 

Priene

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Why do I do it? Why do I go through every tournament thinking we can go far? I just can't do it anymore. Defeat I can take. I'm used to it. But the sheer size of this defeat is too much to take in right now. It looks like we need to rip the team up and start over. Too many bad performances. We haven't had a single good game through the tournament. Lampard and Gerrard can't play together and what's with this stupid habit of playing Gerrard out left. And while on the subject of Gerrard how many long range shots did he try when he would have been better off passing or crossing to another player? Rooney was pathetic. I could just go and on. All in all a very bad day at the office. :rant:

I know the feeling. Think I reached that point in the last World Cup. The point where it turned to farce was Heskey coming on as substitute. Replacing Defoe who was the only one of our forwards to actually score in South Africa. Now I'm not an internationally famous manager like Capello, but I'm thinking a player with two international goals since 2003 probably isn't going to do it. When you strip out friendlies, he's only ever scored three goals for England. He has 62 caps. Meanwhile Rooney, who couldn't have played worse with his shoelaces together, was kept on. His goalscoring is marginally better, as he does the business in qualifiers. It's just over six years since he scored at tournament level, and Capello built the team around him.
 

rugcat

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What's with the refereeing? I know this comes up every FIFA World Cup[SUP]TM[/SUP] (couldn't resist) but this is on another level.

Bad calls are routine, part of the game, like the red carding of Kaka for a mythical foul, but it's gone beyond that. The US/Slovenia mysterious disallowed goal. Then the goal England wasn't given, although the ball clearly hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced a good yard over the line -- it wasn't even close. Neither the ref nor the linesman could see it? Then, the Argentine goal with Tevez standing right in front of the goal, clearly offsides -- again, not by inches, but by a good five or six feet.. How is it possible to miss that? It wasn't even a bang bang play; he was standing there when the the ball was lofted to him with defenders rushing to catch up from behind.

Reffing is difficult, I know -- I've reffed a few amateur club games myself. But these are supposed to be the best refs in the world.

What's going to happen if the final is decided, not just by a blown call, but by an incomprehensible one?
 

Priene

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What's with the refereeing? I know this comes up every FIFA World Cup[SUP]TM[/SUP] (couldn't resist) but this is on another level.

This man is what's wrong. Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, who is dead-set against any technology innovations, even though most major sports have done it. His theory is that football should be exactly the same at all levels, from parks to World Cup finals. He vetoed any changes back in March, and yesterday's dual farce was the result. I'm pretty sure England and Mexico would have been hammered anyway, but the Rivaldo incident against Turkey changed the course of a World Cup. We know with absolutely certainty that linesmen can't competently judge goalline calls, and have the technology to fix it, but we don't bother. It's just baffling.
 

Paul

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Pfft, it wouldn't even need any technology if that's what he's afraid off. An extra guy stood by the goal to say 'Yeah that was over' would do.

Head of the ref assoc said they asked for just that, one each goal post area and were refused.
 

Diana W.

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I don't think it would have changed the end result if the goal had been given. Germany were just too strong for us. But you're right, the quality of the refereeing is diabolical. And if the US hadn't scored that late late goal against Algeria then that terrible decision to rule out a winner against Slovenia would have cost them the chance to play in the second round.

One thing that IS good though is that many of the refs are clamping down on the cheats. Quite a few players have been booked for diving. Even Portugal players quit after a couple of players got booked in their game against Brazil. Long may that continue.
 

robeiae

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Pfft, it wouldn't even need any technology if that's what he's afraid off. An extra guy stood by the goal to say 'Yeah that was over' would do.

Head of the ref assoc said they asked for just that, one each goal post area and were refused.
I thought this was done recently at a major tournament. The Euro?

Anyway, my understanding is that this is in the works.
 

Priene

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Good spot. They had them in last year's Europa League. They're to be used in next year's Champions League and qualifiers for Euro 2012.
 

Paul

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Good spot. They had them in last year's Europa League. They're to be used in next year's Champions League and qualifiers for Euro 2012.

but not the biggest event of all?

nutter that Blatter fella.

anyway, tonight/ todays predictions , ahem

Holland to win 2-0 Kuyt to score anytime. (Vittek might get one so that'll be 2-1, but i doubt it - just tell the bookies Paul sent you, he understand)

Brazil to win 2-1 Sachez to score first.
 
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Priene

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That's Brazil and Holland done for then. Paul's kiss of death has been bestowed.
 

Diana W.

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That's Brazil and Holland done for then. Paul's kiss of death has been bestowed.


:ROFL:

I wouldn't rule Slovakia out. They've had a couple of chances already. Though Holland should win it. Thing is with this World Cup you just never know.
 

regdog

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I'm thinking Germany
 

Diana W.

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I don't know about that. I think part of it is that England were so slow and weak we made Germany look better than they are. It's going to be interesting to see how Germany get on against Argentina. Messi still hasn't scored I believe...Saturday would be a good day for him to break his duck...
 

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I think Germany has looked very strong in this year, even without the England game.
 

waylander

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The German centre halves Friedrich and Mertersacker are slow, the German midfield don't track back. Argentina will have too much firepower up front for them
 

Diana W.

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Germany looked strong against weaker opponents such as Australia and (I hate to say it) England, but they did lose to Serbia and struggled to beat Ghana. Argentina are looking very menacing. Even without Messi scoring, which surely won't go on much longer.