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Post by Fortmax2020 on Jul 8, 2010 13:58:12 GMT
I have lunch every week day with a Dutch guy in my lab and a Spaniard from a lab in the next building. I hope they are still talking on Monday...
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Post by Shockprowl on Jul 11, 2010 16:18:02 GMT
EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! Very excited 'bout the Final!!!!!!!
THINK ORANGE THOUGHTS FELLOW HUBBERS!!!!! (unless you want Spain to win, of course!)
My beer is chilling, my pea nuts are pea nutting, Come on Holland!
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Post by Shockprowl on Jul 11, 2010 22:26:47 GMT
Well, you have to say the best team won. I don't think the Dutch went about it the right way. Spain have played brilliant passing football this World Cup, and it is good for the game that a team like them have won it. I'm just sorry for Holland as I think they 'historically deserve' a World Cup win. It's been a good competition, welldone to South Africa! I hope the World Cup leaves behind something in South Aftrica to help the poorer people there.
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Dave
Empty
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Post by Dave on Jul 12, 2010 10:15:09 GMT
I was rooting for the Dutch but they were kicking a bit too much. Spain have grown on me (though not like fungus on a tree) - their play was good to watch, even though last night's display went down a notch.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Jul 12, 2010 10:19:49 GMT
I started off neutral but the Dutch soon lost any sympathy with me given their interest in fouling and kicking the Spanish rather than playing football. I don't think either team played their best or very well at all, but the Spanish deserved the win if only because the Dutch were making fools out of themselves.
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 5,937
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Post by Stomski on Jul 12, 2010 12:39:57 GMT
I started off neutral but the Dutch soon lost any sympathy with me given their interest in fouling and kicking the Spanish rather than playing football. I don't think either team played their best or very well at all, but the Spanish deserved the win if only because the Dutch were making fools out of themselves. +1 All in all, not enjoyed this world cup as much as I thought I would. There just hasn't been anything that I'll look back too fondly on.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jul 12, 2010 16:11:14 GMT
While I care not a jot about the game called football I'll remember with affection the octopus named Paul.
There's one thing in common between TFs and ball-of-foot: In four years' time there'll be a continuity reboot.
(Argh.)
Martin
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Post by jameso on Jul 12, 2010 23:54:51 GMT
This is my World Cup post. It's full of the stuff that Stom got really upset about on page one, but witty banter about the games only works whilst the games are on right? Also, I really liked the world cup, but obviously it's easier for me to rant about bad things than it is to give props to good things...
The first world cup where I haven't had a job means this was the world cup where I watched by far the most games. I don't think anything's ever going to shift the nostalgic memories of Italia 90 when I was nine years old and England made me cry for the first and only time over football, but I'm pretty confident 2010 will stick with me longer than 2002 which had lots of matches at 7 in the morning or something silly like that and 2006, which, in hindsight, was a bit of a stinker. By far my biggest highlight was Germany. I'm afraid I got ridiculously carried away after their demolition of Argentina which I genuinely thought was one of the greatest games in the history of football. I thought we might be watching a revolution in the game comparable to Hungary in 1954, Brazil in 1958 or Holland in 1974, but sadly they were then knocked out by 1-0 specialists Spain, which, deep down, I knew was inevitable. Funnily enough previously in football I've always admired the 1-0 champions more but now I appreciate the beauty of seeing a young attack minded side ripping the opposition apart much more than how Spain played. I can't really dispute their worth as champions, keeping clean sheets in the semi and the final speaks for itself, but I'm not really looking forward to watching them in the Euros in 2012. The biggest negative by far was England's abysmal performance. The fact that this tournament contained England's biggest ever defeat in a world cup says it all, but it's not really that, the insipid performances against USA after they equalised and then against Algeria were not far off being insulting. But the worst thing was the story that pretty much 'everyone' will now know and will come out in the News of the World next week I think where John Terry tried to lead a player revolt to get Steven Gerrard removed as captain because Gerrard is involved in a sex scandal not far off from the sex scandal that cost Terry being captain. Never before have the criticism of people that don't really follow football that the England team is made up of sex obsessed, self centred, pampered millionaires who would be working in tescos if they weren't lucky enough to be able to kick a ball quite well been more evident than in this action which I am entirely convinced did more to damage England's chances than all the actual footballing concerns like tiredness after a grueling seasons and unadaptable tactics. I can't really class Wayne Rooney in the same boat as Terry and Gerrard, I think he genuinely hasn't recovered from being injured back in March during the last game he actually scored in, but his poor performances are totally unjustifiable. Players who England have relied upon before like Beckham and Shearer never performed as badly as he did. One of our potentially greatest ever players will be 29 going into the next world cup and will yet to have scored in one. The most damaging thing to happen for me is that I genuinely don't want to watch an England team consisting of Terry, Ashley Cole, Gerrard and Frank Lampard anymore. They aren't fit to be classed alongside the England team who won the world cup, nor more recent teams consisting of players like Beckham, Shearer, Tony Adams, David Seaman, Garry Neville and others who were millionaires who were totally committed to playing for England. It's not just the England team either, as this was a bad world cup for the premiership where Torres was dreadful and players like Forlan and Robinhino who 'failed' here showed their class. Let's briefly stick with the bottom of the barrel and look at France. Now like lots of people I don't really like France, do like Ireland, have lots of Irish relatives and just like fair play in general in football, so I should love that France went out as early as possible. And part of me does, but another part is just so bitter that France cheated their way in and then behaved so badly when they were there. It just adds insult to injury when you consider how much more Ireland would have made of it. Italy meanwhile did their trick that got them knocked out of Euro 96 and Euro 2004 of playing badly and hoping to win their last game thus staying in the competition, which worked so well in the 1994 world cup they got to the final. Not this time though! I'm also a bit disappointed that even though we have new champions once again the second tier of world teams like USA, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and all the African teams showed they are still miles away from cracking a concentrated attempt at becoming a powerhouse. There's always going to be a Uruguay, see Croatia in 98, Turkey in 2002 for instance but I wanted more from the likes of USA and Japan than the traditional decent group stage out straight away in the knockouts. But having said that, USA and South Korea did go straight out last time, so the second round was an improvement on that.
It's also been one of the major talking points how this has been a world cup of teams, hard work, spirit and communication rather than mega stars, and about time too. This has been a season where Sky Sports constant ramming down our throats of Rooney and Man United, Ronaldo and Real Madrid, and Messi and Barcelona has been shown up when it mattered most at the business end.
Back to the positives, I thought Argentina were doing really well until their elimination, major props to Holland for coming from behind to beat Brazil, I loved Maicon's goal against North Korea, Forlan was terrific, and just in general I really liked that there was loads of football on regular tv for weeks.
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Post by Shockprowl on Jul 14, 2010 18:51:22 GMT
A damn fine overview there, jameso! I concure with all of it, although I did very much enjoy watching Spain, prob more than Germany (although I loved them too), I admired the confidence of their passing game. Holland v Brazil was my personal fave game.
I think you've TOTALY hit the nail on the head regarding England. -"the England team is made up of sex obsessed, self centred, pampered millionaires who would be working in tescos if they weren't lucky enough to be able to kick a ball quite well"- brilliantly sums it up and puts into words thoughts that I've been mulling over. There is alot to be done in the English game, I've no idea where to start, or what needs to be done. Ideas anyone?
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