WC 2006 Official Thread

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by bababui

I am a bit discombobulated because on the one hand I would love Figo to be suspended muliple games for his nonsense but...is it fair to give England (or whatever team it might be) basically a free pass to the next round. How bout long post WC suspensions? That way players could be punished without destroying the integrity of tourneys?

That would destroy the integrity of tournaments. Why should Portugal - or anyone else - be able to destroy the integrity of a game by cheating, fouling and timewasting, then not be punished for it? Post-tournament bans wouldn't do much to penalise players who'll be retiring anyway. Why should Portugal (or the Dutch, had they got through) not be penalised for the sort of foul play that Argentina, Germany and England all got through without resorting to? There isn't a problem to be fixed.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by bababui

Could someone please explain Decos 2nd yellow???

With his side leading with 12 minutes left, the referee gives a free kick to Holland. He picks the ball up and trots away with it; timewasting, also preventing Holland taking the free kick quickly before the Portugese were ready. Yellow card.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Portugal did. They scored, and the Netherlands did not. It's not the end of the world, nobody died.

"

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

You have to work today??? WTF????

My week starts on a Sunday and ends on a Friday morning

[marc]

Portugal vs. Netherlands was crazy! Looking forward to their match vs. England.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

No one deserved to win the match. They should be forced to replay it today. A permanent black mark on footie,

"Footie" almost had a tear trickle down my cheek, soon have you Americans talking real football talk and none of this "soccer" . Bababui you need to get into training for when I take you to a game over here, for the next week I want you walking with 2 pints of beer and two meat pies in your hands plus want you learning the following phrases "get in there" used when your team scores a goal "ahhhhhhhhhhh" < followed by a movement of the hand used when an opposition player misses a golden chance.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by redmarkYankees

With his side leading with 12 minutes left, the referee gives a free kick to Holland. He picks the ball up and trots away with it; timewasting, also preventing Holland taking the free kick quickly before the Portugese were ready. Yellow card.

You amaze me. So for this grave offense Deco deserves to miss a match. In Football terms you are an 'off with their heads' type. Its nice to see your inner Conservative emerge . Fines would be a better deterent than bogus suspensopns which hurt the fans more than anyone else.

[redmarkYankees]

Originally Posted by bababui

You amaze me. So for this grave offense Deco deserves to miss a match. In Football terms you are an 'off with their heads' type. Its nice to see your inner Conservative emerge . Fines would be a better deterent than bogus suspensopns which hurt the fans more than anyone else.

You're joking, right? How much are you going to fine a footballer who makes £5m/£10m a year, that has the slightest impact when qualification for the next round of the World Cup is at stake?

No, for that grave offense, Deco deserved a booking. He also deserved a booking for the previous offense; two bookings = off and a suspension. Them's the rules. Argentina, England and Germany have all won a 2nd round game within the rules.

If you want to watch World Cup football the way it was played 25 years ago - a side goes one-nil up then commits foul after foul, cynical trips, time wasting, etc, then you never saw much of it. The rules have changed to prevent dull, cynical, negative play. The fact that Portugal and Holland were too stupid to stay within the rules is no one's fault but their own.

The suspensions are NOT bogus. They don't hurt the fans in the slightest. You upset about not seeing Deco in the next match? Write to him and tell him what an idiot he was to get sent off.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by bababui

You amaze me. So for this grave offense Deco deserves to miss a match. In Football terms you are an 'off with their heads' type. Its nice to see your inner Conservative emerge . Fines would be a better deterent than bogus suspensopns which hurt the fans more than anyone else.

some intresting observations from behind enemy lines (aka in America)

we went to a sports bar for lunch on sunday and they had the Ecuador-England match on TV. Surpringly almsot all of the TV's had it on, and about 20 people were watching. When some close plays occured, the whole bar either cheered or groaned depending on the result, which was pretty shockign that they'd care for a team that isn't theres, in a sport that isn't popular in the States.

Quite intresting.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

"Footie" almost had a tear trickle down my cheek, soon have you Americans talking real football talk and none of this "soccer" . Bababui you need to get into training for when I take you to a game over here, for the next week I want you walking with 2 pints of beer and two meat pies in your hands plus want you learning the following phrases "get in there" used when your team scores a goal "ahhhhhhhhhhh" < followed by a movement of the hand used when an opposition player misses a golden chance.

I had the beer part right yesterday but does light beer count? And I am further getting into the spirit of the game by battling RMY over the card system. First man bleeding loses.

I would have been here

http://www.pubcrawler.com/Template/R...t/BrewerID=770

or here

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/pro...annia_pub.html

if I wasnt addicted to this place.

As long as it isnt a Millwall supporters pub Im there with you.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Sdpm100

bababui, I know the other three (btw it was West Germany vs. France, but that's being picky I guess), but why was Brazil/France 1986 so infamous?

Also, I know this wasn't disciplinary wise, but there is another game from 1982 - West Germany/Austria in the group stage. The Germans had lost to Algeria in their opener, but because the final two games weren't played at the same time (as it is now), both teams knew before kick-off a 1-0 win for West Germany would send both of them into the next round.
West Germany scored early, and then both teams showed little interest in scoring, knowing that both would go through at the expense of Algeria, and spent the rest of the game mostly passing it between themselves and back to the keeper (no backpass rule in those days).
It was the impotus for the final group games being played at the same time.

Sorry..I should have said memorable rather than infamous. Brazil v France was one of the alltime great matches. Platini, Zico, Socrates, Giresse all played. I had a Turkish roommate and the one tape he had was of this match.


And the 1982 semi match between germant and France was a classic. 1-1 after regular time. France takes a 3-1 lead in the first 15. Germany ties in the 2nd and its settled on penalties.

[Sdpm100]

Morning/afternoon everyone.

I must just tell you all that I woke up this morning with another one of my gut feelings.
Now, I don't know why, but I think England are going to do a Greece.
We'll bore everyone to death with our play, kill attacking football for another five years, but I'm really starting to think that England is somehow going to win the World Cup.

Teams to come... Totti dropped for Italy, Kewell out with a groin strain for Australia.

[Sdpm100]

Originally Posted by bababui

And the 1982 semi match between germant and France was a classic. 1-1 after regular time. France takes a 3-1 lead in the first 15. Germany ties in the 2nd and its settled on penalties.

And Schumacher's maiming of Battiston.

Another infamous game is the final of France 98 - just what went on with Ronaldo before the game?

[Sdpm100]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

"Footie" almost had a tear trickle down my cheek, soon have you Americans talking real football talk and none of this "soccer"

Do people really care what the sport is called, because I always thought it was only something the media brought up ad nauseum?

[bababui]

Originally Posted by redmarkYankees

If you want to watch World Cup football the way it was played 25 years ago - a side goes one-nil up then commits foul after foul, cynical trips, time wasting, etc, then you never saw much of it. The rules have changed to prevent dull, cynical, negative play. The fact that Portugal and Holland were too stupid to stay within the rules is no one's fault but their own.

The suspensions are NOT bogus. They don't hurt the fans in the slightest. You upset about not seeing Deco in the next match? Write to him and tell him what an idiot he was to get sent off.

Im of two minds about this, For those exact reasons both the NFL and NBA have adjusted their rules to increase scoring. Yes these rules result in more scoring. But its an artifical kind of excitement because star players get protected and less athletic teams get punished.

Portugal fans and fans of the game in general will be punished saturday by not getting to see him on the pitch. If the 2nd card was for a dangerous challenge I can live with that. But for 'time wasting'????

[Sdpm100]

Game 53: Round of 16, Italy vs. Australia (Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern)
Italy

* 01 G Buffon
* 19 G Zambrotta
* 05 F Cannavaro
* 23 M Materazzi
* 03 F Grosso
* 07 A Del Piero
* 20 S Perrotta
* 08 G Gattuso
* 21 A Pirlo
* 11 A Gilardino
* 09 L Toni

Australia

* 01 M Schwarzer
* 14 S Chipperfield
* 02 L Neill
* 03 C Moore
* 05 J Culina
* 20 L Wilkshire
* 04 T Cahill
* 13 V Grella
* 23 M Bresciano
* 21 M Sterjovski
* 09 M Viduka

Ref: Luis Medina Cantalejo

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

I had the beer part right yesterday but does light beer count?

Light beer you do know you have to drink it in plastic cups as were banned from using glass beer containers over here that's why I said you need to practice carrying two pints and two pies as it's an art form with the plastic cups.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Sdpm100

Morning/afternoon everyone.

I must just tell you all that I woke up this morning with another one of my gut feelings.
Now, I don't know why, but I think England are going to do a Greece.
We'll bore everyone to death with our play, kill attacking football for another five years, but I'm really starting to think that England is somehow going to win the World Cup.

Teams to come... Totti dropped for Italy, Kewell out with a groin strain for Australia.

How fun would an England-Germany final be? The streets would run with the blood of their supporters.

Too bad about Kewell. Bad news for the Aussies.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Light beer you do know you have to drink it in plastic cups as were banned from using glass beer containers over here that's why I said you need to practice carrying two pints and two pies as it's an art form with the plastic cups.

Inside the pub itself???

[Sdpm100]

The Fritz-Walter-Stadion, home of 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and venue for the Aussies stirring 3-1 comeback win over Japan in their group opener. It also is infamous for what I've coined the "Battle of Kaiserslautern" group game between today's opponents Italy and the USA.