Football World Cup 2014

aye Cahill has 5 goals across 3 wc's....a cracking effort

Spain entertained more in this tournament more than ever since the racist slug Aragones' departure from the team.

rofl....I expect them to take out their angst on Oz next week

With Tim Cahill out it should be a close game.

Spain's preformance has been odd to say the least...is it a question of an ageing squad or rats in the ranks?...seem to remember the French put their disappointing effort in SA down to internal issues

horace wrote:aye Cahill has 5 goals across 3 wc's....a cracking effort

A world class legend, our Timmy.   

horace wrote:Spain's preformance has been odd to say the least...is it a question of an ageing squad or rats in the ranks?...seem to remember the French put their disappointing effort in SA down to internal issues

Well France last time was definitely was due to that. That team had a host of qunts in it led by the proper qunt Evra and caused a strike and all sorts. Lizarazu really does dislike him intensely after 2010. The only good that came from that was Raymond Domenech's sacking.

Dunno, Spain were just shit. Then again, it is a team that has lost to South Africa recently. But goodness they're a boring side to watch.

I had forgotten what a cool strip Cameroon has.  shame about the team.

tricycle wrote:

horace wrote:Spain's preformance has been odd to say the least...is it a question of an ageing squad or rats in the ranks?...seem to remember the French put their disappointing effort in SA down to internal issues

Well France last time was definitely was due to that. That team had a host of qunts in it led by the proper qunt Evra and caused a strike and all sorts. Lizarazu really does dislike him intensely after 2010. The only good that came from that was Raymond Domenech's sacking.

Dunno, Spain were just shit. Then again, it is a team that has lost to South Africa recently. But goodness they're a boring side to watch.

Just a team in transition I think, they didn't actually have that many of the older players in action last night - only Casillas, Alonso and Iniesta (just) are in their 30s, of those who started. Xavi of course is the icon of tiki-taka and his decline to the point where he was dropped for this game was a watershed moment. There's still lots of quality there, they just have to evolve their style into a new side, and perhaps add a bit of pace from somewhere.

beamer wrote:

tricycle wrote:

horace wrote:Spain's preformance has been odd to say the least...is it a question of an ageing squad or rats in the ranks?...seem to remember the French put their disappointing effort in SA down to internal issues

Well France last time was definitely was due to that. That team had a host of qunts in it led by the proper qunt Evra and caused a strike and all sorts. Lizarazu really does dislike him intensely after 2010. The only good that came from that was Raymond Domenech's sacking.

Dunno, Spain were just shit. Then again, it is a team that has lost to South Africa recently. But goodness they're a boring side to watch.

Just a team in transition I think, they didn't actually have that many of the older players in action last night - only Casillas, Alonso and Iniesta (just) are in their 30s, of those who started. Xavi of course is the icon of tiki-taka and his decline to the point where he was dropped for this game was a watershed moment. There's still lots of quality there, they just have to evolve their style into a new side, and perhaps add a bit of pace from somewhere.

They've been too loyal to "past it" players like Casillas and Torres, and players who have been treading water form-wise for a long time, like Pique and Pedro. Just a look at the strikers in their squad suggests something other than footballing reasons have governed selection: Costa is playing on one leg, Torres is finished, David Villa has gone to the MLS to work out his retirement as he's been a shadow of his former self since breaking his leg.

Seems odd that Fernando Llorente, Juventus' first choice striker, or Alvaro Negredo, who was brilliant for half a season at Man City before tailing off, or some of their U21 stars like Iker Muniain or Alvaro Morata couldn't get a look in. A lack of pace is an obvious weakness in the squad that those two youngsters would've addressed.

I doubt it's the beginning of a downward spiral for Spain, as their U21s still kick everyone's arse, but a new generation's coming and whoever is the manager after this tournament is going to have to put sentiment aside (which it looks as though Del Bosque wasn't able to this time) in order to bring the likes of De Gea, Dani Carvajal, Alberto Moreno, Inigo Martinez, Koke, Isco, Illarramendi, Thiago, Muniain and Morata through.

Damn, they've got some shit-hot youngsters. England U21's last squad had players from Charlton, Brighton, Middlesbrough and Reading...

Jamie Redknapp ( a cricket nut ) was a guest in the Sky Com Box during Lord's last week, discussing with Hussain and Bumble the merits of the WC, the expected performances and the likely winner.

Naz sat there saying nothing throughout - the conversation flowing between Bumble and Redknapp . . . till they all had to nominate their idea of the WC winner.

Having kept silent whilst listening to the other two for all of 5 minutes, Naz finally uttered his one word of profound wisdom ....

"Spain".

That was the most buttock-clenchingly awful five minutes of cricket commentary in recorded history.

Dello wrote:That was the most buttock-clenchingly awful five minutes of cricket commentary in recorded history.

Agree . . . and hence Hussain's silence . . . he was not impressed!

I think they had Russell Crowe in briefly once, but he at least seemed to know something about cricket.

Jamie f*cking Redknapp? Jesus.

Dello wrote:I think they had Russell Crowe in briefly once, but he at least seemed to know something about cricket.

Jamie f*cking Redknapp? Jesus.

Rusty loves his cricket.  Mates with Warney, cousin to the Crowe brothers.

Dello wrote:That was the most buttock-clenchingly awful five minutes of cricket commentary in recorded history.

I second that, but then I have to listen to a failed actor, Peter Crouch and Mikael Sylvestre do the build up for the world cup in a programme called Cafe Rio. So, it's become the norm...

Dello wrote:

beamer wrote:

tricycle wrote:

horace wrote:Spain's preformance has been odd to say the least...is it a question of an ageing squad or rats in the ranks?...seem to remember the French put their disappointing effort in SA down to internal issues

Well France last time was definitely was due to that. That team had a host of qunts in it led by the proper qunt Evra and caused a strike and all sorts. Lizarazu really does dislike him intensely after 2010. The only good that came from that was Raymond Domenech's sacking.

Dunno, Spain were just shit. Then again, it is a team that has lost to South Africa recently. But goodness they're a boring side to watch.

Just a team in transition I think, they didn't actually have that many of the older players in action last night - only Casillas, Alonso and Iniesta (just) are in their 30s, of those who started. Xavi of course is the icon of tiki-taka and his decline to the point where he was dropped for this game was a watershed moment. There's still lots of quality there, they just have to evolve their style into a new side, and perhaps add a bit of pace from somewhere.

They've been too loyal to "past it" players like Casillas and Torres, and players who have been treading water form-wise for a long time, like Pique and Pedro. Just a look at the strikers in their squad suggests something other than footballing reasons have governed selection: Costa is playing on one leg, Torres is finished, David Villa has gone to the MLS to work out his retirement as he's been a shadow of his former self since breaking his leg.

Seems odd that Fernando Llorente, Juventus' first choice striker, or Alvaro Negredo, who was brilliant for half a season at Man City before tailing off, or some of their U21 stars like Iker Muniain or Alvaro Morata couldn't get a look in. A lack of pace is an obvious weakness in the squad that those two youngsters would've addressed.

I doubt it's the beginning of a downward spiral for Spain, as their U21s still kick everyone's arse, but a new generation's coming and whoever is the manager after this tournament is going to have to put sentiment aside (which it looks as though Del Bosque wasn't able to this time) in order to bring the likes of De Gea, Dani Carvajal, Alberto Moreno, Inigo Martinez, Koke, Isco, Illarramendi, Thiago, Muniain and Morata through.

Damn, they've got some shit-hot youngsters. England U21's last squad had players from Charlton, Brighton, Middlesbrough and Reading...

They're certainly missing Puyol. Even Aduriz, pretty decent player to be fair to him, would've been a better striker than Torres.

Hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but Casillas not being able to get in the Madrid side ahead of Diego Lopez...

Speaking of commentary, anyone hear Lee Dixon's classic last night?

"You lift your hands up like that and strike an opponent, there's only one place your going. And that's the bathroom."

  

JGK wrote:

Dello wrote:I think they had Russell Crowe in briefly once, but he at least seemed to know something about cricket.

Jamie f*cking Redknapp? Jesus.

Rusty loves his cricket.  Mates with Warney, cousin to the Crowe brothers.

He's a rugger bugger as well, isn't he?

Just keep him away from the subject of music, or he'll whip out his guitar and break into some godawful dirge or other.

Dello wrote:

JGK wrote:

Dello wrote:I think they had Russell Crowe in briefly once, but he at least seemed to know something about cricket.

Jamie f*cking Redknapp? Jesus.

Rusty loves his cricket.  Mates with Warney, cousin to the Crowe brothers.

He's a rugger bugger as well, isn't he?

Just keep him away from the subject of music, or he'll whip out his guitar and break into some godawful dirge or other.

.... or the violin - which he allegedly managed to squeeze a couple of castrated cat'o'wails
out of in Master and Commander.

Fark me, just saw the Song sending off. What a dickhead.

And then 2 Cameroonians head butting each other.

Dello wrote:I think they had Russell Crowe in briefly once, but he at least seemed to know something about cricket.

Jamie f*cking Redknapp? Jesus.

Gary Neville's done it before as well, but he really was a promising cricketer before choosing football. As was Phil, who probably won't be invited into the Sky commentary box in a hurry.

God I hate that goofy twat...

C'mon England, it's only Uruguay, FFS.

Imagine if Rooney had missed that. Christ, that would have been funny.

Glad he scored though of course!