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Hi,
Quote:Round of 16 begins in 7.5 hours. Here's my predictions: [...]
I agree with all, and I especially agree that Portugal vs. the Netherlands will be the closest game. I hope the Dutch will win, but somehow I doubt it.
Quote:Ok so I just realized I have EVERY group winner advancing.
Yep, so far it's a somewhat boring world cup with few surprises, if any. That Ghana advanced was a surprise, but everything else went as expected.
Quote:Brazil is brazil.
They will be able to beat Ghana, yes, but beyond that...I was really disappointed by their games so far. That's not the all-dominating team of soccer magicians we all had expected. In fact, they played no better than Argentina, the Dutch, Portugal, or even us Germans. They will have to do better to really win the world cup! Blame it to Parreira and his somewhat conservative and defensive tactics.
Quote:Spain won't have much trouble with France.
Agreed, and then I hope we won't see that French team of old men ever again...they're really embarassing.
Quote:Oliver Khan did so well in the last world cup that his merepresence on the sideline (a unfortunate happenstance in itself)
Unfortunate? Nah, I disagree. He's still a fantastic keeper (somehow we have no lack of fantastic keepers here...), but his style of playing is outdated. He's the best in the whole world on the goal line, but modern team tactics demand that the keeper has to come out more often, that he's more a part of the whole defense than just a mere goal keeper. Khan cannot do this, Lehmann on the other hand is fantastic in that department.
Too bad that we will have to face Argentina in the quarterfinals.:(I think Argentina was by far the best team during the first round of the tournament.
-Kylearan
There are two kinds of fools. One says, "This is old, and therefore good." And one says, "This is new, and therefore better." - John Brunner, The Shockwave Rider
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Quote:I agree with all, and I especially agree that Portugal vs. the Netherlands will be the closest game. I hope the Dutch will win, but somehow I doubt it.
-Kylearan
I am pulling for the Dutch, and I think Ecuador will be UK.
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Quote:I am pulling for the Dutch, and I think Ecuador will be UK.
Occhi
I'm just sad now.
It was in the end probably not such a good idea to hire Marco van Basten as headcoach......
What a match....two things are for sure..the referee led his last match on this tournament.....Portugal will not continue to the semifinals because most of their players are suspended for next game.
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06-26-2006, 06:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-26-2006, 06:32 AM by eppie.)
Quote:eppie, I don't think you understood my point. The players and the rules officials have in their control the integrity of the game. Their joint complicity in promoting falsehood and fraud damages to truth of what is happening on the field. Your excusing the "lawyer find a loophole" theme as excusable fraud" is part of the problem. Put differently, if you condone slavery, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
I love soccer.
I have nothing but comtempt for liars who try to cheat to win. Falsely trying to portray a slide tackle as injurious is cheating, since it uses falsehood to wrongly influence a referee to award a card designed to punicsh truly rough play. Leave the legal loophole crap in the courtrooms, keep it off the "football pitch."
Occhi
Occhi, since the time sports became something to earn money with, the integrity was lost.
I personally have a lot more problems with the fact that people can make millions per year just by kicking, hitting or throwing a ball, than with the fact that they fake injuries.
Quote:. Just another indication that motor sports get no respect in the mainstream media.
--Pete
No it is an indication that motor sports suck. Why do you need to get respect for driving around in a car?
Take Michael Schumacher. He makes all in all around 50 million dollars per year....for doing a sport 4.8 billion people in this world didn't even try to do once....so the chance that there are 1000s of people better them him is quite big.
If there is one sport that is only there for commercial reasons its motor sports.
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Hi,
Quote:It was in the end probably not such a good idea to hire Marco van Basten as headcoach......
I'm not that well informed about the discussion about soccer in the Netherlands, but didn't van Basten said from the get go that his goal was to form a successful team for the European championships 2008? I think he never claimed to have a lot of success in the world cup 2006, as his team is very young, and somewhat inexperienced. Personally, I think the team has a lot of potential, and I hope van Basten can continue his work. It's very similar to our German situation, only that the world cup happens to be in our country, which helps quite a bit. :blush:
Quote:What a match....two things are for sure..the referee led his last match on this tournament.....Portugal will not continue to the semifinals because most of their players are suspended for next game.
Unfortunately I missed most of it, I only saw one kung-fu kick from a Portuguese player (against Robben, I think) and wondered why that didn't result in a penalty.
I later learned that there had been 4 red cards, and 8 yellows. :ph34r: Er...what was that, two grand soccer nations competing in a world cup, or two teenager teams playing in a local rugby tournament? :wacko:
At least I'm having high hopes for Germany now, having seen how many problems Argentina had against Mexico. Maybe we can beat them after all. :D
-Kylearan
There are two kinds of fools. One says, "This is old, and therefore good." And one says, "This is new, and therefore better." - John Brunner, The Shockwave Rider
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Quote:Unfortunately I missed most of it, I only saw one kung-fu kick from a Portuguese player (against Robben, I think) and wondered why that didn't result in a penalty.
Yes me too, but that was because the referee found it a foul of Robben!?!??
Quote:I later learned that there had been 4 red cards, and 8 yellows. :ph34r: Er...what was that, two grand soccer nations competing in a world cup, or two teenager teams playing in a local rugby tournament? :wacko:
At least I'm having high hopes for Germany now, having seen how many problems Argentina had against Mexico. Maybe we can beat them after all. :D
-Kylearan
I can say to Occhi that he is right about the annoying theather that happens in soccer (Portugal), but sissies? This was no sissy game that's for sure.
And Kylearn, probably you find it strange for a dutchman, but I now 'support' germany (I really don't like south european and south american soccer).
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Quote:the referee led his last match on this tournament
Hi,
I'm not so convinced that the referee's to blame for this. The match was a real battle. I agree that he was a bit nitpicking at times, but most major decisions (that he saw with his own eyes), I do understand.
Examples:
yellow/red card for Boulahrouz: First his foul against Ronaldo - Ronaldo even had to give up under tears after that hit with the cleats. Afterwards his elbow in Figo's face - just has nothing to do up there. I'm tempted to claim that Figo would have fallen no matter what Boulahrouz had done, but that's another story.
yellow/red card for Costinha: Dumb dumb monkey. Why would you play a ball with the hand so obviously when you had seen the yellow card before? Not very team-beneficial. This player had it coming.
yellow/red card for Deco: Dumb. He just didn't behave in a phase when the game already was a disrupted battle. Why would he steal the ball and refuse to give it back immediately, thus playing out, and risking the second yellow card? Such a high-decorated player. Bleh.
yellow/red card for van Bronckhorst: Can't really blame him for that. It was already so late that the Dutch had to struggle with all they had to preserve their last chance. But it was justified nevertheless: A clear yellow card.
Some things, the referee just didn't see, for example the kung-fu kick of Nuno Valente against Robben. Also the header of Figo should have been an immediate red card for a clear assault, but the referee didn't see it and rather got told by one of his assistants. Therefore he wasn't so sure about the situation, and chose to give only the yellow card.
All in all, I'm not surprised that it was a tight match, but I'm surprised how violent the players were. Several fouls were hard enough to say that the player commiting the foul accepted a major injury of the player who was fouled. It really resembled a battle more than a soccer match, and it reminded me a bit of the match U.S. vs. Italy.
Greetings, Fragbait
Quote:You cannot pass... I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The Dark Flame will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass.
- Gandalf, speaking to the Balrog
Quote:Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash! Be water, my friend...
- Bruce Lee
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Quote:Hi,
I'm not so convinced that the referee's to blame for this. The match was a real battle. I agree that he was a bit nitpicking at times, but most major decisions (that he saw with his own eyes), I do understand.
Examples:
yellow/red card for Boulahrouz: First his foul against Ronaldo - Ronaldo even had to give up under tears after that hit with the cleats. Afterwards his elbow in Figo's face - just has nothing to do up there. I'm tempted to claim that Figo would have fallen no matter what Boulahrouz had done, but that's another story.
yellow/red card for Costinha: Dumb dumb monkey. Why would you play a ball with the hand so obviously when you had seen the yellow card before? Not very team-beneficial. This player had it coming.
yellow/red card for Deco: Dumb. He just didn't behave in a phase when the game already was a disrupted battle. Why would he steal the ball and refuse to give it back immediately, thus playing out, and risking the second yellow card? Such a high-decorated player. Bleh.
yellow/red card for van Bronckhorst: Can't really blame him for that. It was already so late that the Dutch had to struggle with all they had to preserve their last chance. But it was justified nevertheless: A clear yellow card.
Some things, the referee just didn't see, for example the kung-fu kick of Nuno Valente against Robben. Also the header of Figo should have been an immediate red card for a clear assault, but the referee didn't see it and rather got told by one of his assistants. Therefore he wasn't so sure about the situation, and chose to give only the yellow card.
All in all, I'm not surprised that it was a tight match, but I'm surprised how violent the players were. Several fouls were hard enough to say that the player commiting the foul accepted a major injury of the player who was fouled. It really resembled a battle more than a soccer match, and it reminded me a bit of the match U.S. vs. Italy.
Greetings, Fragbait
People say that one of the nice things about football and its dubius referreeing without elecronic gadget etc. is that there is always something to discuss. Although I'm getting really stressed during these matches, and that I also don't lose any sleep over it.....I will discuss a bit with you.
The action of Bouhlarouz, was indeed redcard worthy....he gave yellow....maybe this was a good decission by the way..to keep the match under control (which it still was at that time).
Costinha should have had his redcard earlier already. Figo should have had 3 red cards...he is one of the most unsympathetic footballers of al time.
The action against Robben.....this is really a case where I think if the referee was not bought.....To players go up for a duel in the air. One kicks the other full in the shoulder and gets the free kick as well. The referee was afraid to give a penalty (as wel as on two other ocations). And those are the things that make or brake a match that was so close.
(that things like this might happen could for example be seen in the match of Italy against south corea in 2002....there was no proof that referee Moreno was bribed, but a year later In Ecuador (his home country) he let a match go in injury time for around 15 minutes.........to give one of the teams to battle back from a 3-1 to a 3-4 victory....he was suspended for life....there is no reason to believe he couldn't have been bribed on the worldcup as well)
For the rest I think Holland played bad.....absolutely no champion material......
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Quote:One kicks the other full in the shoulder and gets the free kick as well. The referee was afraid to give a penalty
Hi,
I think you got the actions wrong there. It sure was a mean foul against Robben, but the point is, the referee had at that point already 'whistled' because on the left side of the penalty area, Kuyt had 'fouled' a defending player (I think it might have been Carvalho). The foul against Robben was on the right side. The freekick then was executed on the left side.
It wasn't really a clear foul of the forward Kuyt, but the point is, at the moment of Valente kicking Robben, the game already was halted due to the 'foul' of Kuyt. That's why there's no way this would have resulted in a penalty kick. But I strongly agree that a yellow card because of dangerous play would have been justified. A red card because of an assault would have been overdone in my opinion, since Valente didn't do it on purpose, I think. I guess he was still aiming for the ball, not Robben. If he however was aiming for Robben, a red card would have been required.
Greetings, Fragbait
Quote:You cannot pass... I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The Dark Flame will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass.
- Gandalf, speaking to the Balrog
Quote:Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash! Be water, my friend...
- Bruce Lee
Quote: There's an old Internet adage which simply states that the first person to resort to personal attacks in an online argument is the loser. Don't be one.
- excerpt from the forum rules
Post content property of Fragbait (member of the lurkerlounge). Do not (hesitate to) quote without permission.
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Speaking of referees, Italy was just handed that game on a silver platter thanks to a very questionable call.
Of course, if Australia had put any enthusiasm into scoring the ball in the latter parts of the game, they might not have been in that position in the first place.
Why can't we all just get along
--Pete
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Quote:Speaking of referees, Italy was just handed that game on a silver platter thanks to a very questionable call.
Of course, if Australia had put any enthusiasm into scoring the ball in the latter parts of the game, they might not have been in that position in the first place.
World Cup = "Australian for Masochism." :huh:
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Quote: Spain won't have much trouble with France.
How nicely predicted:)
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Quote:How nicely predicted:)
I lost 10 bucks on that match. I bet Spain. :angry: Those gents picked a bad day to have a bad day.
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Quote:I lost 10 bucks on that match. I bet Spain. :angry: Those gents picked a bad day to have a bad day.
Occhi
Spain didn't really have a bad day in my opinion, but France clearly had a good day.
Best match so far in the competition.
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Quote:Spain didn't really have a bad day in my opinion, but France clearly had a good day.
Best match so far in the competition.
Agreed. Those last two goals were glorious:D(I'm pulling for France) The match against Brazil will be interesting:shuriken:
"Just as individuals are born, mature, breed and die, so do societies, civilizations and governments."
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Quote:Agreed. Those last two goals were glorious:D(I'm pulling for France) The match against Brazil will be interesting:shuriken:
For best match, I am looking forward to Argentina Germany. Friday. I will leave work early.
I expect the best match of the Cup to be this one.
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Hi,
Quote:For best match, I am looking forward to Argentina Germany.
Indeed! I hope we will be able to play like we did against Sweden, and I also hope Riquelme will have a good day. Then it might become a true classic!
On the other hand, if we are too nervous and play too defensively, and Riquelme has a bad day, this match can become a great disappointment.
Speaking about playing too defensively, why is it that most teams play that way in the world cup? I really hate it when a team falls back very far into its own half, waiting to make quick counter-attacks only. If both teams of a match play that way, it gets really boring. Furthermore, I don't get it why teams that play offensive soccer successfully decide to switch to a defensive tactic! Take Spain vs. France as an example: Spain had played its first three matches aggressively, and won all of them. Many people said they would have the potential to reach the final. Yesterday, they switched to cautious and defensive play, and - lost. Sure, France has a very good defense, but if you put enough pressure on the other team, goals will be scored sooner or later if you only try often enough!
Why France played only with one forward, Henry, even though they have with Trezeguet a second world-class forward at their disposal, is beyond me. If you have such a good defense as France has, you can afford to play more offensively! Both team's tactics combined resulted in a game on a high tactical level, but somewhat boring to watch. And I really think Spain could have won if they had stayed true to their aggressive spirit.
Here's hoping our team will continue to play how they can play best: Offensively. It's not only good to watch (which of course isn't the main goal of a team), but it seems to be very effective as well.
-Kylearan
There are two kinds of fools. One says, "This is old, and therefore good." And one says, "This is new, and therefore better." - John Brunner, The Shockwave Rider
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Quote:Hi,
Here's hoping our team will continue to play how they can play best: Offensively. It's not only good to watch (which of course isn't the main goal of a team), but it seems to be very effective as well.
-Kylearan
If I may quote Kurosawa via Kembai Shimada ( The Seven Samurai)
"If we only defend, we lose the war." ;)
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Quote:If I may quote Kurosawa via Kembai Shimada (The Seven Samurai)
"If we only defend, we lose the war." ;)
Occhi
Today the corruption in football trial started here in Italy.
In a few days probably also the fifa boss Blatter will have to go to court.
Luckily adidas already made 1 billion dollars with selling balls and t-shirts....the money they and other sponsors pay to the fifa, is of course used to rig the games.
I really hope after this WC some heads will roll....the football business is corrupt till the bone.
Referee Ivanov is not allowed to lead a game anymore this WC (same as Poll). Mister Ivanov apparantly got a free year subscription to the shakespeare theather, when within 2 years he is able to recognize theather from real life situations he is allowed back on the international fields.
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Quote:Referee Ivanov is not allowed to lead a game anymore this WC (same as Poll). Mister Ivanov apparantly got a free year subscription to the shakespeare theather, when within 2 years he is able to recognize theather from real life situations he is allowed back on the international fields.
*Applauds* Nicely played, eppie. A 35 meter meteor shot into the lower right corner of the goal. :D
Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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