World Cup Reflection

socal · Post by **socal** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:56 pm

Best Match: Mexico v. Argentina - an exciting match and the best one perhaps because the players were committed to attacking and winning rather than trying not to lose. Perhaps the best officialed match, too, in a WC marred by poor officiating

Worst Match: Netherlands v. Portugal - An atrocious match, no other way to spin in. Also perhaps the most poorly officialed match. How may cards? BTW Figo should have been bitchslapped by FIFA the same way Frings was. Ponderous.

Biggest Surprise: France. I had them pegged as over-the-hill, retreads. Now I'm rooting for them against my own Dago lineage. They have been nails in the knockout stages. Rack Zidane and the Frogs. In group play I was pleasantly surprised by Ecuador. Had they not been starstruck against England perhaps they move on. There's always four years from now.

Biggest Disappointment: Eastern Europe - Save for Ukraine which managed to save face, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, and Croatia did not escape group play. At least the Czechs can say they were in the Group of Death.

Biggest Arsehole: Wayne Rooney and his childish tirades narrowly edge Christiano Ronaldo's incessant drama queen act. Throwing his boots, mad dogging referees, cursing out teammates, and stomping on Carvahlo's clit. Nice. Credit to George Bernard Shaw and his foresight in pitying youth being wasted on the young. For the time being these twats play side-by-side for Man U. If there is a God, Man U will not let Ronaldo go to Spain.

FIFA Official in Greatest Need of a Splintered Plunger Handle: Sepp Blatter, for his last-minute directives to referees to give liberal yellow and red color tests.

Best Goal: Maxi Rodriguez's winner versus Mexico. Superb.

Best Player: Zidane. Brilliant ball to Henry to beat Brazil. Brilliant skills in the midfield versus Portugal.

See You Next Wednesday · Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:22 pm

Best Match: Germany vs. Italy - A great match with both teams attacking and defending, lots of flow, well reffed and an exciting finish.

Worst Match: Holland - Argentina. Maybe not te worst game on a purely gameplay basis. But no other game failed to live up to it's promise as much as this match. Both teams had already qualified for the knockout stae and seemed content to play for the 0-0 draw for long stretches. (Switzerland - Ukraine was proabbly the most boring game of the tournament, thoug)

Biggest Surprise: France. Before the tournament I would not have been surprised to see they made it to the final. But given the path they had to take, Spain, Brazi, Portugal, I think they qualify as the biggest surprise.

Biggest Disappointment: Brazil. Going in there were comparisons to the incomprable 1970 team. No World CUp, I believe has had such heavy favorites to win. They slept walked throught the group stages and then disappointed in the round of 8. So much talent, so little inspiration.

Biggest Arsehole: Scolari. Wildly gesticulating ref baiting fatso. His team, Portugal, were the sorriest bunch of divers the tournament has ever seen. And he enabled it completly.

FIFA Official in Greatest Need of a Splintered Plunger Handle: Sepp Blatter, for his last-minute directives to referees to give liberal yellow and red color tests....and just about everything else he does or says.

Best Goal: Argentina's 24-touch second goal culminating in a back heel from Crespo and a driven shot into the back of the net by Esteban Cambiasso versus Serbia-Montenegro.

Best Player: Cannavarro. No matter what is happening in the defensive zone he seems to be there to thwart any attacks. Also plays it clean without a single yellow card to his name.

Nishlord · Post by **Nishlord** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:48 pm

Best Match: Mexico v Argentina. Champions-in-waiting finally meet a team who have a go at them. Took more out of Argentina than they care to admit.

Worst Match: England - Paraguay, or England - Trinidad & Tobago, or England - Ecuador. I'd have enjoyed this World Cup ten times more if England hadn't have been in it.

Biggest Surprise: Italy. The domestic game is absolutely fucked.

Biggest Disappointment: Brazil. They just couldn't be arsed. Nike Curse strikes again!

Biggest Arsehole: Frank Lampard. He was shit. Most underperforming player in a World Cup since that Bolivian star player in '94 who came on, got sent off almost immediately and missed their other two games.

FIFA Official in Greatest Need of a Splintered Plunger Handle: Whoever compiles the FIFA rankings.

Best Goal: Max-Rod v Mexico. The 24-touch goal should have won, but the importance of the former goal shades it.

Best Player: in actuality, Cannavarro. Legend-wise, Zidane. It would be like Elway coming out of retirement and taking the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.

Best Manager: Klinnsman. Made Germany interesting again.

USA: Painfully unlucky with the draw. Will be in last 8 at least in 2010.

England: Couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:52 pm

How 'bout if it was a really big cow?

Maybe babe the blue ox? And yes, I do believe ox is in the cow family.

Nishlord · Post by **Nishlord** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:56 pm

Not a chance. England brought nothing to the World Cup apart from shockingly little trouble. But then again, I knew there was going to be little in the way of hooliganism. Times have changed.

Deckard · Post by **Deckard** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:10 pm

Perhaps an end to the Beckham myth? Maybe bring/play your best players rather than the biggest names... Brazil could take something away from that too.

Nishlord · Post by **Nishlord** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:17 pm

Ronaldinho is the real deal, though. Fuck knows what happened to him.

Zyclone · Post by **Zyclone** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:16 am

Nishlord wrote:Ronaldinho is the real deal, though. Fuck knows what happened to him.

Box in 1 duh!

No wonder your limeys havent won a war that wasnt fought without our help in the last 2 centurys!

Zyclone · Post by **Zyclone** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:16 am

Nishlord wrote:Ronaldinho is the real deal, though. Fuck knows what happened to him.

Box in 1 duh!

No wonder your limeys havent won a war that wasnt fought without our help in the last 2 centurys!

Funkywhiteboy · Post by **Funkywhiteboy** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:22 am

Zidane- what a butthead! :P

Nishlord · Post by **Nishlord** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:12 pm

Beckenbauer is begging Klinsi to stay on as manager. I think he will. But he'd be a very good fit for the US.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:12 pm

Here's a crazy thought. why not make citizenship a requirement for the entire fukking staff, not just players. i assume there is some sort of citizenship requirement, is there not?

RadioFan · Post by **RadioFan** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:14 pm

smackaholic wrote:Here's a crazy thought. why not make citizenship a requirement for the entire fukking staff, not just players. i assume there is some sort of citizenship requirement, is there not?

No citizenship requirement for coaches/staffers.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:19 pm

sorry if I didn't make that clear enough. I know there isn't for the coaching staff. I assume there is for the players or those fukking sellouts would probably jump countries as well. I'm saying that the coaching staff should have to follow by the same rules. Maybe give asn exception to shitty little countries that don't have enough sahkah infrastructure to do it. All the major euro and SA countries should be ashamed to go outside for coaching.

RadioFan · Post by **RadioFan** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:33 pm

Coaches not being citizens of the country they are coaching is fairly routine in the Olympics and other international competitions.

About half (15 or 17 ... can't remember which) of coaches of the 32 teams in this year's WC were citizens of the countries they were coaching.

Nishlord · Post by **Nishlord** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:37 am

He has genuine pedigree and technical knowledge, but he's laid back enough to manage a team like the USA.

It would not suck for him to be England manager, either.

Coaches not being citizens of the country they are coaching is fairly routine in the Olympics and other international competitions.

The Iron Shiek was wrestling coach for the US Olympic team in '72, wasn't he?

It would not suck for him to be England manager either, come to think. "BECKHAM! I BREK your back, FUCK YOUR ASS, make you HUMBLE"