Football World Cup 2014

he's been watching too much of The Walking Dead

Dello wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

Hamez Rodriguez - phwoar. I came good and hard at his last goal even though it lost me a £300 win in the 90th minute. He don't smoke crack, motherf*cker he sell it.

James. Only pretentious wankers pronounce it "Hamez".

Fine player, though. Shame he went to Monaco for the money rather than joining a proper club in a proper league.  

Like Saints?

Come to think of it - is anyone (left) at Saints?

Something for Skulls and Marty:

48 down, 16 to go. (Assuming they play a 3rd/4th place play-off.)

I reckon we're 3/4 the way through. 75%. Or 0.75 if you are a true decimal fan.


Qualifiers by continent (loosely):

Asia & Australasia: 0/4
Africa: 2/5
Europe: 6/13 (if you include Russia)
Americas: 8/10 (including the USA - 7/9 if you stick to Latin America).

The likes of Paraguay and Peru will be livid they didn't get the pass.

Aye Pete, the "American" teams are certainly thriving in their hemisphere.

I note that this R16 game is the 3rd WC R16 in a row (1998, 2010 and 2014 - they didn't qualify in 02 and 06) where Chile have been required to play Brazil. Not that's just damned unlucky.

Poor Chile ... if we'd have made it through this time, by some miracle, that would have been us.

Be thankful for small murders?

PeterCS wrote:
Like Saints?

Come to think of it - is anyone (left) at Saints?

Players leaving is just an inconvenient disruption. But they'll be replaced and everyone will move on. United and Liverpool have been fleeced. £30+ million for an 18 year old left back? He's a decent little player, but still a left back, with one career assist and no goals. I don't know if they think they're getting the next Gareth Bale, but they're not. More like Kenny Sansom. A steady defender. Nothing more.

£25 million for Lallana is hilarious. He's your classic one season wonder. If he'd left Saints last summer, after a terribly average season, he'd have ended up at a Fulham or a Reading. A highlights footballer - his youtube compilations probably look amazing. Saints' most substituted player, he completely ran out of steam in the second half of the season, contributing only two goals and two assists in the last 15 games or so.

Money to reinvest, two very replaceable players (three, with Lambert working out his retirement on Liverpool's bench), and probably more importantly, at least one Big Time Charlie wanker off the books (Lallana has been briefing journalists against the club for months in order to try and force through the move). It's not the end of the world.

Might get a bit silly if Lovren and Schneiderlin follow them out of the club, mind. Best not to sell of the entire spine of your side in one go.

Nath wrote:he's been watching too much of The Walking Dead

* Apparently * 'Suarezing' is already the new planking.

skully wrote:Aye Pete, the "American" teams are certainly thriving in their hemisphere.

I doubt they will enjoy Russia quite as much... probably will have been given a couple of extra qualifying slots by then though.

Apparently India have got a bye through to the final with the USSR.

And Ukraine have been disqualified.

Socceroos through to Round of 16 at World Cup due to technical ruling
Posted on June 24, 2014 13

A sensational eleventh hour ruling by FIFA has seen Australia’s Socceroos qualify for the round of 16 at the 2014 Brasilian World Cup.
Despite initially finishing on the bottom of Group B, behind Holland’s ‘The Netherlands,’ Chile and 2010 champions Spain, Australia have progressed to the round of 16 due to a little known FIFA rule known as the ‘Foster clause.’
The ‘Foster clause’ named for the former Australian midfielder and now SBS commentator Craig Foster, states that should it be proven that a team ‘should have’ and ‘could have’ won their first round games, they can progress. In an emergency meeting convened overnight in Sao Paulo, FIFA officials reviewed the evidence and declared that Australia qualified for this clause and as such, leapfrog Spain and Chile to move into second place in Group B.
SBS commentator and former Socceroo Craig Foster
SBS commentator and former Socceroo Craig Foster
A statement released by FIFA cited Foster’s comments after the Chile game that, despite their 3 – 1 victory the Chileans were left ‘licking their wounds’ and that if Australia did not give up the first 2 goals and Tim Cahill’s second goal was not called offside, then Australia would have won the game 2 – 1. Following these revelations Australia was retrospectively awarded 3 points and Chile stripped of their points.
In their second match, against Holland’s ‘The Netherlands,’ the original scoreline stood at 3 – 2, however Australia has been retrospectively credited with a draw and one point. On review, FIFA agreed with the comments by Foster that Australia did not ‘deserve’ the 3 – 2 scoreline and a 2 – 2 was more fitting to their effort.
Mile Jedinak celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates against Holland's 'The Netherlands.'
Australia celebrating a goal against Holland’s ‘The Netherlands.’
In their final pool game, against reigning champions Spain, FIFA officials again awarded Australia the full 3 points for the game, despite them not scoring a goal in the game. Once again, FIFA cited Foster’s post match comments that Australia ‘deserved’ a goal and that ‘if Australia had their players today [Spain], they would have won the game.’ FIFA credited Australian captain Mile Jedinak with the goal in the revised 1 – 0 victory, which means he surpasses England’s Wayne Rooney in the all time World Cup goal tally.
In the revised Group B standings, Holland’s ‘The Netherlands’ finish on top of the table, with Australia second on ‘goals for,’ Chile move to third and Spain fourth. Australia now goes on play Brasil in the round of 16, however experts are wary of a repeat ruling against the hosts and one of the tournament favourites, nevertheless, Australia have now matched their efforts of 2006, when they reached the round of 16 only to be beaten by those bloody cheating Italians.

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:
Like Saints?

Come to think of it - is anyone (left) at Saints?

Players leaving is just an inconvenient disruption. But they'll be replaced and everyone will move on. United and Liverpool have been fleeced. £30+ million for an 18 year old left back? He's a decent little player, but still a left back, with one career assist and no goals. I don't know if they think they're getting the next Gareth Bale, but they're not. More like Kenny Sansom. A steady defender. Nothing more.

£25 million for Lallana is hilarious. He's your classic one season wonder. If he'd left Saints last summer, after a terribly average season, he'd have ended up at a Fulham or a Reading. A highlights footballer - his youtube compilations probably look amazing. Saints' most substituted player, he completely ran out of steam in the second half of the season, contributing only two goals and two assists in the last 15 games or so.

Money to reinvest, two very replaceable players (three, with Lambert working out his retirement on Liverpool's bench), and probably more importantly, at least one Big Time Charlie wanker off the books (Lallana has been briefing journalists against the club for months in order to try and force through the move). It's not the end of the world.

Might get a bit silly if Lovren and Schneiderlin follow them out of the club, mind. Best not to sell of the entire spine of your side in one go.

Whatever else, I'd never have thought of you as a bitter man, Dello. Before today.

PeterCS wrote:

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:
Like Saints?

Come to think of it - is anyone (left) at Saints?

Players leaving is just an inconvenient disruption. But they'll be replaced and everyone will move on. United and Liverpool have been fleeced. £30+ million for an 18 year old left back? He's a decent little player, but still a left back, with one career assist and no goals. I don't know if they think they're getting the next Gareth Bale, but they're not. More like Kenny Sansom. A steady defender. Nothing more.

£25 million for Lallana is hilarious. He's your classic one season wonder. If he'd left Saints last summer, after a terribly average season, he'd have ended up at a Fulham or a Reading. A highlights footballer - his youtube compilations probably look amazing. Saints' most substituted player, he completely ran out of steam in the second half of the season, contributing only two goals and two assists in the last 15 games or so.

Money to reinvest, two very replaceable players (three, with Lambert working out his retirement on Liverpool's bench), and probably more importantly, at least one Big Time Charlie wanker off the books (Lallana has been briefing journalists against the club for months in order to try and force through the move). It's not the end of the world.

Might get a bit silly if Lovren and Schneiderlin follow them out of the club, mind. Best not to sell of the entire spine of your side in one go.

Whatever else, I'd never have thought of you as a bitter man, Dello. Before today.

Not bitter at all. The club have smashed it and got £55 million for Stewart Downing and Wayne Bridge.

Dello's bitter alright. But not about this. Well, about this, but only because as bitter as Green & Blacks with a pint of Murphy's. Plus he summed it up nicely, if only a tad bitter.

I thought Green and Blacks made ice cream. Lovely, sweet, sugary ice cream.

That's you, that is.

What a match to kick off the knockout stage... and compare the last penalty taker for each side, Barca's record signing and Forest reject! Only the width of the post separated them.

I don't think Neymar's penalty technique is legal. You're not allowed to put a massive stutter in your run up.

Not that anyone's going to pull him up on it in this tournament.

Dello wrote:I don't think Neymar's penalty technique is legal. You're not allowed to put a massive stutter in your run up.

Not that anyone's going to pull him up on it in this tournament.

More to the point, should the Brazialin keeper be allowed 2m off his line before the kick.

Brass Monkey wrote:

That's you, that is.

NEARLY right.

Dear me, Big Phil has become a figure of fun in all his eye-bulging, arm-flinging Mr Punch antics. I know he's under severe stress, but have an iota of dignity, man.

Blimey, Fred is one big stiff! How did he ever get in that team? Presumably a Scolari favourite? He's a cross between a  lightweight Ron Jeremy and an Andy Carroll with the last peck of skill taken out.


And another thing. Why was Agassi managing Chile??


A wish: that sportsmen would finally agree to stop claiming God as their exclusive patron and supporter. (Are their opponents supposed to be some force of The Devil, then?) A few of these Brazilian footballers seem as bad as a coterie of South African cricketers since Hansie. (Which is why I was glad the calm, impressive and non-heaven-pointing Amla got the top gig, rather than AB ...)

Big Phil and Godbotherage together, almost enough to make you wish Chile had won it, despite the peroxided genius driving their attack.

And generally, that divers agnostics and atheists who walk in darkness (or believers, however devout, who have enough modesty and sense not to keep taking the Almighty's name in trivial, massively self-centred vain) sweep all before them in sport!

So Brazil are taken all the way to a penalty shoot-out by Chile, ay? Have to say, on the highlights it looked all Brazil, but how funny if that 120th minute shot by Chile had've sneaked under the bar.

Meanwhile, Colombia, or rather Hamez Rodriguez, are making the Uruguayan defence look ordinary. Man, how much is his left foot worth now??

Have to say, I'm enjoying seeing the whinging Uruguayans go down. The pathetic defence of Suarez's unforgivable chomp has been just galling.

Yeah, don't think there's anyone outside of Uruguay itself and blinkered Liverpool fans supporting them tonight.

Just hoping for a typically petulant red card moment for them to sign off with now...

Thirded about the 'Guayans. The most cynical of teams. All too often they display the added temerity to claim in righteous outrage and incomprehension that they were the ones fouled after they have - sneakily or brutally, as occasion demands - tripped, barged, kneed, scythed down or sunk their teeth into yet another opponent. Suarez is definitely the star in this regard too - but he has a strong supporting cast.

And the fact that the country treated Psychohyena like a national hero, enraged at the way he was wronged, just redoubles the gratitude the rest of the world can feel towards the Snorters for dumping out the Thunderuruqunts.

Mind you, Colombia played brilliantly. Hammezz goes from strength to strength. But many of his teammates looked sound too. Hopefully they will give the hosts a headache.