Official World Cup Spoiler Thread

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:54 pm

Serbia are eliminated and Mexico tie a 10-man Angola?

It's a Schadenfreude Friday!!!

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:16 pm

I may have written off Africa too soon.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:41 pm

One of the maligned ESPN announcers said that the African teams aren't as good as the club teams these African star players play for.

I think it was the Argentina-IC game, where they were commenting on their inability to get Drogba the ball, unlike his teammates at Chelsea.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:53 pm

That's probably true for the majority of national teams in the finals.

A top club team like Milan or Chelsea would more than hold their own against any national side. Most importantly, they play and practice together much more regularly. They also have the luxury to be able to build their teams to fill gaps in the squad. It's a lot easier to sign talent from a global pool than to find/build one from eligible players. A club like Juventus can also bribe officials.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:09 pm

Not just Juventus, although they seem to have worked the hardest at it.

AC Milan are right up there too, thanks to Mr Berlusconi

Match-fixing between teams has, of course, been prevalent in Italy for years. Genoa got relegated to Serie C last year (instead of going up to Serie A, as they finished top of B) after getting caught fixing a game, which it turned out was irrelevant due to other results. The team that finished second in Serie B, Torino, then didn't get promoted because of financial irregularities, which meant that Treviso got promoted with about 2 weeks notice before the season started.

And they were relegated - quelle surprise.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:15 pm

Ready made excuse for Saturday's US-Italy result

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:23 pm

What kind of bets can you make on soccer matches?

If the scoring is low, it's got to be harder to shave points right?

There can't be much in the way of point spreads.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:07 pm

There are more ways of betting on soccer than you've had hot dinners. I can bet online on (and these are just off the top of my head)

first scorer (team)
first scorer (individual player)
last scorer (as above)
number of yellow cards (single number, can bet over/under)
number of goals (as above)
first half winner/second half (eg City usually start games well, then do badly. I made loads one season betting City first half/away team second half)

Then you get onto the more esoteric bets

number of throw ins
number of corners
total number you get if you add the shirt numbers of the scorers from both sides together (as a spread bet)
team getting the throw in after next

it goes on and on....and all of these can be combined into doubles, triples etc

With this world cup, i could go online with Ladbrokes and combine any player to be top goalscorer with any team to win - so I've got a £10 on Klose to top score, Spain to win at combined odds for the double of 125-1.

Point spreads are more common as bets over the course of the season (ie, how many points will City get, what will be the number of points of the last team to get relegated) etc.

The bookies also used to allow bets on first yellow card, but then found out players were backing themselves and handballing or committing a minor infraction to scoop the pot. Also, famously, teams have sacked managers for betting on the other team, even when it seemed like an obvious bet - I seem to remember Lou Macari getting the sack for that.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:53 am

Portugal go through, overcoming a lackadasical performance in the first half. Big Phil does it again.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:03 am

RobVarak wrote:Portugal go through, overcoming a lackadasical performance in the first half. Big Phil does it again.

Putting on my jingoistic hat for just a brief moment: Glad to see Iran go home soon. Yes, I still harbor ill will about those cocks*ckers back from 1979, much like Dave probably still hates Argentina due to the war in '82.

Sabre back in sleeve. Hat off. Back to footie!

Take care,
PK

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:03 pm

Ghana gets an early goal on the board againg the Czechs, their first ever in a World Cup. Should be interesting to see how both teams respond to that.

Ghana blasts their second goal in the 83rd minute to take a 2-0 lead! WOW! This makes this pool very interesting...

Atxj · Post by **Atxj** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:14 pm

Wow, Ghana really mixed things up and helped the US out a ton. Now let's see if the US can help themselves out with at least a point against Italy.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:19 pm

Ghana was impressive...

US must get an early goal against Italy and take Italy out of their game.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:29 pm

AtXj wrote:Wow, Ghana really mixed things up and helped the US out a ton. Now let's see if the US can help themselves out with at least a point against Italy.

If Ghana's upset doesn't get the US squad riled up for their match, then nothing will. Now the US can control their own destiny and they do not need help. A win against Italy will put all three teams tied at 3pts.

dougb · Post by **dougb** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:51 pm

pk500 wrote:
RobVarak wrote:Portugal go through, overcoming a lackadasical performance in the first half. Big Phil does it again.
Putting on my jingoistic hat for just a brief moment: Glad to see Iran go home soon. Yes, I still harbor ill will about those cocks*ckers back from 1979, much like Dave probably still hates Argentina due to the war in '82.

Sabre back in sleeve. Hat off. Back to footie!

Take care,
PK

Nah, 1986 get Brits far more riled up than 1982

Best wishes,

Doug

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:49 pm

Wow, the Italians got a lot more money's worth for their red card than the US did.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:53 pm

feck this ref. I wouldn't hire him for the special fecking olympics

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:53 pm

wco81 wrote:Wow, the Italians got a lot more money's worth for their red card than the US did.

No doubt, that was complete garbage. A sliding tackle gets a red card? That was supposed to be flagrant? It was on the Italian side of the pitch.

Now I remember why I hate soccer. These foul calls and fake dives make NBA players look tough. What a bunch of whiney bitches.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:54 pm

I don't think I've ever been more stunned at a decision. That's a joke. An absolute, out and out joke. This guy has stunk from the opening whistle, calling everything tougher than a stiff breeze. This is a damn shame.

dougb · Post by **dougb** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:57 pm

RobVarak wrote:I don't think I've ever been more stunned at a decision. That's a joke. An absolute, out and out joke. This guy has stunk from the opening whistle, calling everything tougher than a stiff breeze. This is a damn shame.

That's a studs up two-footed tackle - can easily break an ankle with that kind of play. Fully deserved a red card just as the vicious elbow earlier deserved a red card.

Best wishes,

Doug

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:59 pm

Far too many whistles so far.

Elbow to the face = sliding tackle

Bring in DaMarcus!

dougb · Post by **dougb** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:11 pm

Wonder what the odds are that the game finishes 7-aside?

Best wishes,

Doug

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:22 pm

They can't possibly let this guy do another game in the tournament.

Either way, win or loose, I've got more respect for this team right now than I thought I would when they walked off the field on Tuesday. Great heart.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:23 pm

dougb wrote:
RobVarak wrote:I don't think I've ever been more stunned at a decision. That's a joke. An absolute, out and out joke. This guy has stunk from the opening whistle, calling everything tougher than a stiff breeze. This is a damn shame.
That's a studs up two-footed tackle - can easily break an ankle with that kind of play. Fully deserved a red card just as the vicious elbow earlier deserved a red card.

Best wishes,

Doug

Help me understand... that late sliding tackle from the side got us a red card, and then 5min later another US player does the exact same thing and it only results in a yellow card?

That would be like giving one offensive lineman 10yds for holding on a play, and then another lineman gets 30yds, 7pts for the other team, and gets ejected out of the game. Those two last cards for the US seemed like the exact same foul, yet the first player goes straight to the red card but the 2nd one was only a yellow? He was coming out anyway since he already had the yellow from the previous match, why not just give him a red as well and skip the yellow? At least it won't like the game is completely fixed as it does now.

Oh well, "real" football starts in a couple of months anyway. Go Rams.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:30 pm

An unqualified ref and the greasy-haired, diving cheat-monkeys from Italy are a bad combination.

Edit:

Turns out that the ref was suspended in 2002 for "professional irregularities."