Soccer thread 07/08

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:47 pm

Germans seem to play better when they are the underdogs. They seem to be able to shut down teams with skills and flair, but perhaps without key players like T. Frings and maybe their best forward Podolski, the task maybe more difficult this time.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:40 pm

10spro wrote:Germans seem to play better when they are the underdogs. They seem to be able to shut down teams with skills and flair, .

You nailed it...The Germans sure do have that knack.

The Portugese did make it an exciting finish with the late goal.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:53 pm

Given all the attention being paid to holding and jostling in the area, I'm surprised that Ballack got away with that mighty shove. Then again, I picked the Germans in our Pick 'em contest, so no complaints.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:56 pm

RobVarak wrote:Given all the attention being paid to holding and jostling in the area, I'm surprised that Ballack got away with that mighty shove. Then again, I picked the Germans in our Pick 'em contest, so no complaints.

I know the plaque on your desk says so..but...Its really not all about you.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:05 pm

Mighty shove ? Oh please Ferrerea was soft like the rest of the pork and cheese no one mentioned botingwa sticking out his little toe to try and stop the cross to a streaking forward who farrera just watched go by .
Quite appauling level of softness by the Potuguese im glad they are gone and lets hope Renaldo sulks and goes to shitey Madrid boy that would be a good career move.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:09 pm

What Jimmy said, only in English.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:17 pm

Sorry.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:31 pm

Soft or not, Ballack gave him a good heave. He'd get away with it 90% of the time, but if anything the refs have gone overboard in trying to cut down on that in the group stages.

Agree that the defending was shocking in general. And it's not like they didn't know coming in that the Hun were going to trouble them on set pieces.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:57 pm

The refs have been calling the arms around each other maulings.
What Ballack did was a little push to give him some seperation totaly different , although still a foul there is no way a ref can call all these even if he sees them.

Just more crappy reffing realy.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:08 pm

I'm glad that Cristano Sulkaldo is out - every time I see him sulk/cry I want to reach into the TV and slap him. Also good to witness another disappearing act by the Show Pony.

Hopefully Big Phil takes that level of commitment and defensive prowess to Chelsea......

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:48 pm

Macca00 wrote: Hopefully Big Phil takes that level of commitment and defensive prowess to Chelsea......

Take it, I thought they already had it.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:11 pm

Macca00 wrote:I'm glad that Cristano Sulkaldo is out - every time I see him sulk/cry I want to reach into the TV and slap him. Also good to witness another disappearing act by the Show Pony.

I had the game on while doing other things so I wasn't playing the closest attention, but at one point I asked myself if Ronaldo was even playing. Pretty pitiful performance for someone many say is clearly the best player in the world.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:09 pm

you count out the Germans at your own peril

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:43 pm

Naples39 wrote:Pretty pitiful performance for someone many say is clearly the best player in the world.

Despite my intense dislike for the guy I'd say that on his day he's been the best attacking player in the world this past season....except for the big games. Even the CL final was a bit of an anomaly - he scored but did f'all apart from that. I know that sounds funny to say (scoring a goal is a big deal, after all) but for such a high-impact player he did little else in that final and had a great penalty.

Sttutter step....miss.

Plus he has a mullet. But it's not even a real Tomas Ujfalusi-type mullet (which, in conjunction with his biker goatee makes him look cool in a just-got-out-of-prison-for-armed-robbery-don't-you-dare-f'-with-me kind of way), no it's a girly-man mullet. If you can have a girly-man mullet....

Okay, I'm rambling.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:54 pm

fsquid wrote:you count out the Germans at your own peril

Ooh, ooh, I know this one! Omar Bradley c. Fall of 1944 before the Ardennes went up in flames?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:01 am

Germany is damn cohesive at the back -- at least it was today except for Postiga's goal. But I'm wondering what the Germans can do offensively against a taller team that actually knows how to defend even the simplest set piece.

I also shed no tears that Ronaldo is out. That play where he was clipped around the ankle, hit the deck, looked up with no pain and then faked agony to get the ref's attention was appalling.

Not that it matters to those outside of America, but I truly believe one of the reasons Yanks don't warm up en masse to soccer is the diving and play-acting. It's a disgrace. I love the beautiful game, but that sh*t has become an epidemic just in the 10 years I've followed the sport.

Take care,
PK

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:20 am

pk500 wrote: Not that it matters to those outside of America, but I truly believe one of the reasons Yanks don't warm up en masse to soccer is the diving and play-acting. It's a disgrace. I love the beautiful game, but that sh*t has become an epidemic just in the 10 years I've followed the sport.

Take care,
PK

...noob

It's the pernicious influence of ponces like Blatter's Glove Puppet, trying to turn what was a man's game into a spectacle for prawn sandwich munchers, couch potatoes and metrosexuals. Last I heard, he was putting forward a proposal to ban the slide tackle....why not just go ahead and ban all tackling ?

In a very afterthought-ish attempt to maintain good old British fair play, I would have to admit that watching almost any game from the 1970s will have at least one moment where even I wince at some of the challenges, and I was brought up in the era of proper hard men like Norman Hunter, John Giles, Peter Storey, 'Chopper' Harris et al.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:25 am

Diving and play-acting are probably the #1 reason Americans don't take to the sport. That and the low scoring nature of th game.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:15 am

Thanks for the perspective, Dave.

I did like the challenge by Deco late in the match where he and the German player raced for a ball near the touch line, and Deco just planted his feet into the ground when he collided with the German player, sending the Gerry to the turf.

Legal, clean, hard, good!

Another problem is enforcement. The officiating is so inconsistent. A challenge that one ref could ignore could produce a card from another. And that ref last night was varying his calls from half to half!

But that's one of the cumbersome realities of footy being a truly global game. If the NFL or NHL has a problem with officiating, it can hold a conference call with its referees or the supervisor of officials can send an e-mail. We're not talking about a large number of refs. That's a tougher task for FIFA, with the hundreds of national federations and national-level officials.

Take care,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:58 am

I know what you mean PK and dont take this as me sticking up for Ronaldo but in the incident your talking about his foot got stood on and crunched after the trip, looked quite painful actualy.

But he still was milking it to try and bring his list of players i personally helped get sent off to 6. He wants that record aswell.

FabulousBastard · Post by **FabulousBastard** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:04 pm

I know Ronaldo is everyone's favorite punching bag... but he was not their problem. Awful defense (especially on set plays), bad reffing and only one striker... Nuno Gomez. Those were their problems.

And I don't understand Phil's strategy of putting Ronaldo up as a striker... then not sending any high balls into the box for him to win. I was assuming that's why he did it... though I don't think that's a good play either.

And Jimmy's right... kid mullet got stomped.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:27 pm

Yeah but it was Ronaldo who got beat in one of the set pieces which resulted in one of the German goals.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:29 pm

Don't blame it on sunshine
Don't blame it on moonlight
Don't blame it on good times

Blame it on Ronaldo

This just seen outside Old Trafford:

*ahem*

C'mon Croatia!

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:07 pm

Bet the German Police are also cheering on Croatia as well, given that the alternative is a Germany v Turkey semi final.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:01 pm

Not a great match, but gripping as hell. My boys asked all the questions in the second half, but seem clearly on the back foot and fatigued in the first half of ET. The Turks seem the more likely to score, so I have to pull for penalties, but I don't think my heart can take it...especially with how well the Turkish keeper is playing.