World Cup 2010 - News & Banter *Contains Spoilers*

[WildCards]

17 days to go I know, but i'm quite excited so i've ripped off Pete's WC 2006 thread, as follows;

Any news, gossip, interesting facts etc should be posted here.

Anyone not interested in football then please just don't bother reading/posting.

So first up, the latest odds (William Hill):

Spain 4/1
Brazil 9/2
England 6/1
Argentina 7/1
Holland 10/1
Italy 14/1
Germany 14/1
France 16/1
Portugal 22/1
Ivory Coast 33/1
Serbia 50/1
Chile 66/1
Paraguay 80/1
Mexico 80/1
Uruguay 80/1
Ghana 80/1
USA 80/1
Cameroon 100/1
Nigeria 100/1
South Africa 125/1
Australia 125/1
Denmark 125/1
Greece 150/1
Switzerland 200/1
South Korea 200/1
Slovakia 250/1
Japan 250/1
Slovenia 250/1
Algeria400/1
Honduras 750/1
New Zealand 2000/1
North Korea 2000/1

[WildCards]

Fabio Capello's 30-man squad will have to be reduced to 23 on 1 June. Eighteen of the squad seem to be certainties, leaving 12 players battling for the remaining five places

The certainties

Goalkeepers David James, Joe Hart, Rob Green

Full-backs Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson,

Centre-halves Ledley King, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, Jamie Carragher

Central midfielders Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner

Wide midfielder Aaron Lennon

Centre-forwards Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe

Up for grabs?

Centre-half

The uncapped Michael Dawson is a long shot to oust one of the more experienced central defenders and would need to excel against Mexico and Japan to stand any real chance of making the cut.

Full-backs

Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock will compete to be Ashley Cole's back-up, with the Everton defender the favourite at present. Both are likely to add to their international appearances in the friendlies. Carragher could feature either at right-back or centre-half in Capello's plans.

Central midfield

Much depends upon Gareth Barry's fitness, which will be tested at Manchester City tomorrow but, even if he is fit, Michael Carrick would expect to travel. That leaves Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker potentially competing for a back-up role should Barry be ruled out.

Wide midfield

Theo Walcott should gain inclusion, if only for the starring role he played in sparking England's qualification campaign in Croatia, and the Arsenal winger can play in a more central role if required. Adam Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips will both feature at some stage against the Mexicans but would be outside bets to make the journey, with the odds stacked particularly against the more experienced Wright-Phillips given that both Walcott and Lennon are also natural right-sided players. Joe Cole's participation will also depend upon how he impresses in the two friendly games given that his last appearance for his country was in the riotous 4-1 win in Zagreb back in the autumn of 2008.

Centre-forwards Should Capello decide to take five out-and-out strikers, rather than leaning on Walcott's versatility, then Darren Bent could yet earn a place in the travelling party with an impressive display in the friendlies. Even so, his inclusion would be something of a surprise.

[miller]

Holland at 10/1 hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Atik]

Getting excited about this now. Not a big footy fan normally but really enjoy the Euro and World Cups.

So on those odds, if I put £1 on every team, as long as none of the top 9 teams won, I'd be laughing /lol

[SGHOM]

Does live news, direct from my family in south Africa count?

If so..... I have news for you :book:

[Spirit]

I have news for you :book:

Spill the beans then D !

I think England as third favourites is a bit flattering TBH /Hmmm

[miller]

Come on Algeria! :P

[KiwiTT]

Please distribute to anyone who may require it.

[Ryan]

Germany may be without Ballack but 14/1 aren't fair odds I'd say. They have a knack of showing up in finals like unexpected guests.

[SGHOM]

Spill the beans then D !

I think England as third favourites is a bit flattering TBH /Hmmm


I spoke to my sister in jo'burg on Sunday. Apparently they had 2 big rugby matches on the Saturday @ 2 different venues. I know 1 was in Soweto, the other, not sure but it was still in jo'burg.
Anyhow.... It was a good oppertunity to test out the new infrastructure...........

Catastrophic fail !!!!! :speechles

80000 fans converging on the city all at the same time, it caused absolute chaos apparently!! Total gridlock & 3 hour queues to get into the stadia !

Doesn't bode well for the world cup! According to Val, the authorities said they had minor teething problems!/help

[WildCards]

I think England as third favourites is a bit flattering TBH /Hmmm

I was thinking exactly that whilst watching the first 45 minutes last night!

[HJM]

Holland at 10/1 hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Don't do it !!!

Like the Kiwis with Rugby, when it comes to the big final ..... cough .... CHOKERS !!!

Now Argentina at 7/1 ??? Would you want to face up against Messi and Tevez !

[WildCards]

The 32 preliminary squads for South Africa provided a host of surprises, with Ronaldinho among several high-profile omissions by Brazilian coach Dunga.

His AC Milan team-mate Alexandre Pato, an exciting 20-year-old who is one of Serie A's brightest talents, was also ignored, as was Adriano, a regular in Germany four years ago but deemed too unprofessional by Dunga.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona also raised some eyebrows by leaving out Inter Milan pair Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, unquestionably two of the best players from this season's Champions League.

Holders Italy will be without a number of high-profile flair players. Coach Marcello Lippi's pragmatic squad had no place for 2006 stars Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero, with Antonio Cassano and Fabrizio Miccoli also snubbed.

France coach Raymond Domenech is used to courting controversy, having previously left out Robert Pires because of his star sign. This time the tarot cards have told Domenech to leave veteran midfielder Patrick Vieira at home, along with Arsenal's Samir Nasri, former Gunner Mathieu Flamini, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Everton striker Louis Saha.

Saha's club-mate Mikel Arteta finds himself on the outside looking in thanks to the wealth of midfield talent at Spain's disposal.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's run of form for Hamburg came too late to earn the veteran striker a place in Bert van Marwijk's Netherlands squad. Another in-form striker, Germany's Kevin Kuranyi, also failed to land a seat on the plane to South Africa.

England coach Fabio Capello might have brought Ledley King and Jamie Carragher back, but there was no place for either Gary Neville or Owen Hargreaves in his 30-man selection.

Further afield, USA coach Bob Bradley sprung a couple of surprises by omitting forwards Charlie Davies and Freddy Adu.

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen axed Stephane Mbia and Andre Bikey, while Shinji Kagawa and Cristian Gonzalez were surprisingly left out by Japan and Uruguay respectively.

[SGHOM]

A man city fan ( from Dorset ) talking about football??? :furious4:

You had in Robinhio, the worst brazilion since David blunkett shaved his wifes f@nny!! :joker:

[WildCards]

the worst brazilion since David blunkett shaved his wifes f@nny!! :joker:

:shocked: /lol

[HJM]

A man city fan ( from Dorset ) talking about football??? :furious4:

You had in Robinhio, the worst brazilion since David blunkett shaved his wifes f@nny!! :joker:

Ha Ha Grandad - was Stanley Mathews any good ?

Go back down to pit with your ferret and canary !

I've never driven a F1 car but I can still appreciate the sport !

Being a fan of the blunt Blades you're not exactly qualified to talk about top flight football any way :dance:

[Nick VR4]

Well if today's friendly in Austria against Japan was anything to go by..... OMG we are in trouble I know this was a experiment with new players etc but it was poor

Capello now has to work out the 23 players he wants could be fun :D

[JTG]

I don't think too much should be read in to that game today, although at the time it was very frustrating, with hindsight it means absolutely nothing.

[ANTHONY]

so who do you think will knock us out this time?

[Mark 4]

so who do you think will knock us out this time?

Well there's 31 teams that appear to be capable :book:

[CANDEE]

so who do you think will knock us out this time?
New Zealand... /Banana

[Spirit]

England's 23-man squad for the World Cup finals:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

[miller]

only mistake in all that was Heskey!

[JTG]

Shocking that Heskey is in the squad. Barely Premier League quality, let alone England quality.

Would rather see Walcott in the squad than Lennon. Also, is a little too defensive for me, would rather see either King or Upson out for another striker.

[SGHOM]

Well...... Looks like I'm kicking off my world cup campaign in style ! :guitarist

Off to my nephews for englands opener, around 20 of us having a huuuuge braii ( that's a BBQ for us pohms) /Nuuu

Also... We're having a huuuuge SA flag flown in from a chilly jo'burg! /Brolly
not my idea I hasten to add !

[SGHOM]

AAww bless !
I see SWP has brought his own pillow ! :zzz:

[big stan]

sweepstake at work today and i got brazil. come to daddy

[SGHOM]

Well..... That looks like Rio is out of the 1st game..... At least !

As if we didn't have a big enough gap in defence with him playing alongside a cripple !! /Grrr

[Atik]

Sweepstake at work today.. I got Ivory Coast and Slovenia, hehe

[Nutter_John]

Well Rio is 100% out now

[Spirit]

Drogba might be out too after fracturing his right arm

[Nick VR4]

I have just Created my Worldcup Fantasy Team on Metro

And Created a VR4 Mini League please feel free to join :D

My Team Nicks VR4

Mini League is Club VR4 Worldcup (8016145)

http://fantasyfootball.metro.co.uk/worldcup/

[Humpty's Revenge]

Well there's 31 teams that appear to be capable :book:


Too right :iagree:

[SGHOM]

Well...... It looks like the world cup has finally arrived in SA!

You can choose whichever media you want to believe.. Tv, radio, interweb...... I prefere to believe my own reporter on the ground ....... My sister!

Up until now, the build up has been very low key in SA, football is a black sport whereas the whites only deal in rugby & cricket. But now the teams are arriving, the atmosphere is fantastic. & that coming from my sis who doesn't even know what a football is !! /lol
she is across the road from the brazillion squad base, & the training ground is the local school. She has decked her car with both England & SA flags& reckons there isn't a car out there without a flag of some sort! Last week, there was nothing?? :coat

Yep..... Even Val is getting excited, & says the party atmosphere around town is like she has never seen before. I so wish I was there.

[Ryan]

My parents and friends say that the country is "absolut voetbal befok!" ("absolutely football crazy") at the moment.

South Africa 1 - 0 Denmark :D

That means that South Africa are unbeaten in their past 11 matches. So far they are happily defying my somewhat dire predictions... Tournament has still got to kick off though but the form demonstrated so far seems promising.

[White Lightning]

Stevie G is now the England captain then ...

[SGHOM]

Who should start in goal for England ??

I'm suggesting jamie theakston !!! /Devil5

Socceraid 2010 .... 2 world class saves from sammi hypia & henrik larsson. & 4 penalty saves in the shoot out !! :stop:

[elnevio]

Who should start in goal for England ??

I'm suggesting jamie theakston !!! /Devil5

Socceraid 2010 .... 2 world class saves from sammi hypia & henrik larsson. & 4 penalty saves in the shoot out !! :stop:
:iagree:

[aboo]

Have to agree. I was just watching that & the boy did well.

[SGHOM]

& I'm loving the new, improved Honda advert.... Pure quality /bananaroc
expect to be sick of it by the end of the world cup !!

[Spirit]

Piers Morgan documentary on ITV right now......get it on catch up if you missed it.

Sad news about the opening ceremony singer who died of meningitis a few days ago

[foxdie]

Amused by the fact that the flag icons on Googles (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=world+cup) world cup results page were created by someone sat 2 meters behind me :)

(He released them (http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/flags/) under a "free to use" premise, and well Google did just that, nice to see your work being seen by billions of people worldwide!!)

[SGHOM]

Oh no !!! It goes from bad to worse :sick2:

According to the BBC , Portugals Nani is out of the world cup after injuring his collar bone.



Pity they didn't qualify !! /Elmo

[elnevio]

Oh no !!! It goes from bad to worse :sick2:

According to the BBC , Portugals Nani is out of the world cup after injuring his collar bone.



Pity they didn't qualify !! /Elmo
:inquisiti

[Nick VR4]

I have just Created my Worldcup Fantasy Team on Metro

And Created a VR4 Mini League please feel free to join :D

My Team Nicks VR4

Mini League is Club VR4 Worldcup (8016145)

http://fantasyfootball.metro.co.uk/worldcup/

BUMP

[Ryan]

Oh no !!! It goes from bad to worse :sick2:

According to the BBC , Portugals Nani is out of the world cup after injuring his collar bone.



Pity they didn't qualify !! /Elmo

They're in group G dude..../wall

[SGHOM]

Ah ! So they are :inquisiti I really must get a wall chart.

Anyway, glad you spotted my deliberate mistake. ......... As you were peeps /help

[HJM]

So how long into the England v USA game before Rooney gets sent off ???

I'm sure the Yank defenders will be thinking of various verbal insults to wind him up.

I think this is where England have gone wrong in the past - not enough intelligent players who can control their tempers.

Good as though Rooney is - he's just another Gazza ???

[SGHOM]

Anyone watching the live concert from Soweto tonight ?
It was very good according to Alex, my nephew! he's just got back . Live my arse lol :p

[Jane]

We had confirmation yesterday that we can leave at 2.30 on Weds 23rd to get to see the England game - I knew there was a reason I stayed at this company :D

What are other England fans doing? Will the country grind to a halt on that day :inquisiti

[SGHOM]

I'm a very busy full time carer ..... So I'll have to go to mum & dads to watch it ! /Devil5

[Spirit]

Well I'll be home to watch the opening ceremony and the first game tomorrow.......advantages of being the boss /yes

Luckily we employ all ladies who have no interest whatsoever in football.........so the WC won't impact us :beatnik2:

[SGHOM]

Loved the concert, & the official world cup song by shakira...... We should have entered that in the eurovision ! :rolleyes3

[Jane]

I'm a very busy full time carer ..... So I'll have to go to mum & dads to watch it ! /Devil5

You poor old thing you :D

[SGHOM]

Just 3 hours away from the greatest show on earth ! /Elmo

But be prepared to be dissapointed...... The group games are all about not losing, & not trying to win :sleeping:

[SGHOM]

My worst fears have been confirmed, as warned by my reporter on the ground :thumbsdow

[Spirit]

Here we go ! Feet up, waiting for kick off.

Come on South Africa !!

[WildCards]

I think this is where England have gone wrong in the past - not enough intelligent players who can control their tempers.

Lol, we're buggered then aren't we? Tremendous Skill & High Intelligence aren't two things are normally associated with one another where English footballers are concerned.

[SGHOM]

0-0. HT
well played bafana bafana..... They've put more of a fight than we did !! :beerbang:

/edit

brilliant... Brilliant decision by the refs assistant for the disallowed goal . Not many would have spotted that

[elnevio]

Wooo! 55th minute of the first game sees the first goal of the World Cup, going to South Africa - and it's an absolute belter! /yes

[WildCards]

Awesome goal!

[Spirit]

Cracking goal, can they hold on ?

[elnevio]

Cracking goal, can they hold on ?
Seems not!


Good equaliser.

[Spirit]

RSA hit the post in the 90th minute ! Looks like 1-1 then

[Atik]

1-1

Good result for the first game I reckon :p

[SGHOM]

The greatest show on earth just got a whole lot better with the hosts still in it :d

Cracking opening game for the biased /Wave

[Wodjno]

Where can you watch a game if you missed it 1st time round /help

[elnevio]

Is it on the ITV Player? As the first game was on ITV1.


Alternatively, I understand that all games shown on the BBC will be available on the iPlayer for 7 days after the game.

[Wodjno]

Cheers.. Got it /yes

But it's not available to watch yet :(

[elnevio]

Anyone else cheering on Uruguay? :afro:

[Wodjno]

Anyone else cheering on Uruguay? :afro:

Yep /yes

[elnevio]

Hmmm


Need more football smileys! :D

[Nick VR4]

Anyone else cheering on Uruguay? :afro:

/bananaroc/bananaroc well that would be a kick in the butt for the frogs :D

[Wodjno]

Is it on the ITV Player? As the first game was on ITV1.



Still not available :huh:

[aboo]

Anyone else cheering on Uruguay? :afro:
I was cause I got them in the sweepstake & cause the French are cheating baswards/yes

[Ryan]

Some sloppy defence by us let the Enchiladas equalise - we created some chances but unfortunately none seemed to find the back of the net :(

A draw is good but a win would have been better! :undecided

[SGHOM]

Without googling, which is highly unlikely knowing you lot . :stop:
can you give the nickname of all the countries participating? & if someone comes up with either all or an obscure one...... Cheat !! :bs:


I'll start with Nigeria: the eagles

[Wodjno]

NFI :huh:

[Ryan]

I'll start with Nigeria: the eagles

South Africa: Bafana Bafana "The boys"

[Nutter_John]

wgas

[SGHOM]

wgas


Not a fan of the beautiful game then John !! :P

[SGHOM]

I've not seen reports in the news or press as yet? Maybe they are keeping it quiet to try & defuse the situation?

My reporters on the ground have witnessed 1st hand attacks in & around the stadium by so called "England fans" /yes

One USA fan was attacked by 6 England fans outside the ground, & also there have various outbreaks of violence in the bars after the game.

When will they learn? :furious4:

[Humpty's Revenge]

BLOODY GROW UP!!/TTTH /TTTH /TTTH

Its a football match for crying out loud :furious4:

Anyway why beat up the yanks when it was one of our own who cocked up!:cowboy:

:soaprant :soaprant:

[Spirit]

Just 30mins in and Germany are 2-0 up on Australia........and looking the best team in the tournament so far

[Ryan]

The Aussies have succumbed to the Fußball Blitkrieg in a most spectacular fashion! 4-0!

Go Germany! :D

[sara.mike40]

i am crazy about Football...... i m going to watch all the matches. my favorite team is south africa......they will be the winnner of the world 2010 cup:beerbang:

[HJM]

i am crazy about Football...... i m going to watch all the matches. my favorite team is south africa......they will be the winnner of the world 2010 cup:beerbang:

Like your optimism !

But I think England are more likely to win the final 5-0 than SA winning ???

[SGHOM]

Engerland will struggle against Algeria unless they pull their finger out! At least it's at sea level on Friday.
I was supprised to see green come out for the second half against USA . He was so distraught, he put his head in his hands but missed ! :D

[SGHOM]

Well, I've not seen any great goals yet, just trully awful defending & keeping. The Algerian keeper for one !!
As for today's calamities....... What on earth was the Denmark defender thinking !!!!! :rifle:

[WildCards]

Well, I've not seen any great goals yet

You missed the Germany game last night then D?

Podolsky's goal was fantastic, Also, SA's goal in the opening game was a cracker too.

[SGHOM]

No.... Seen all the games Steve. It was a good goal against dreadful defending. :sad3:

As I said earlier.... It's a must not lose group stage, so the flair from the potential great teams is not there. Netherlands v Denmark today was a dreadful game. :zzz:

[WildCards]

Netherlands v Denmark today was a dreadful game. :zzz:

One of the worst yet I think, the scoreline hides a very boring game. Did you see whatsischops' face after he'd scored that own goal? Grinning like a cheshire cat, I bet the press will have a field day with that.

[miller]

Holland V Denmark was a positivley great game compared against Japan and Cameroon. Bloomin awfull.

[Spirit]

Italy 1-1 Paraquay

Quite a dull game from what I saw, and apparantly yet another keeper error that let the Italians equalize !

[swinks]

Holland V Denmark was a positivley great game compared against Japan and Cameroon. Bloomin awfull.

But Honda scored!:hat:
Where the hell was Mitsubishi then...? /Hissy

[Spirit]

But Honda scored!:hat:
Where the hell was Mitsubishi then...? /Hissy

The joke is......had they played Toyota then Cameroon would never have stopped them :whistle:

[WildCards]

Italy 1-1 Paraquay

Quite a dull game from what I saw, and apparantly yet another keeper error that let the Italians equalize !

First half was pants, second half was quite good, almost like a final with Italy bombarding the Paraguayan (Sp?) defence with no joy. Italy looked good, but lacked creative flair, I think the only chance they'll get to score is on the counter, but the foward players don't appear to have that much pace.

[Ryan]

Must say that evidenced by that game against Australia, Germany looks to me to be the strongest team so far.

Still - only one game in for them and Brazil still to open their account.

[WildCards]

Must say that evidenced by that game against Australia, Germany looks to me to be the strongest team so far.

Still - only one game in for them and Brazil still to open their account.

Meh, Australia ranked 20th and Germany ranked 6th. It was an impressive performance by Germany but I doubt they'd have such an easy time against a a more evenly matched team. The ref was also wearing a black, red and yellow vest for that game.

[Ryan]

Meh, Australia ranked 20th and Germany ranked 6th.

Doesn't always work that way, look what South Africa (83) did against Mexico (17).


It was an impressive performance by Germany but I doubt they'd have such an easy time against a a more evenly matched team. The ref was also wearing a black, red and yellow vest for that game

Admittedly Cahill was very unlucky to be sent off for that challenge but crying like a little bitch about it afterwards was pathetic. Australia should count themselves lucky to have only conceded 4 goals - several other close chances could have made the scoreline particularly embarrassing had they found the back of the net.

[Wodjno]

/Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms Come on New Zealand /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms /Poms

[chris g]

If they are not doing a HAKA (war haka - peruperu) at start of the game, not certain that NZ can psych themselves up to be a threat...

[Wodjno]

If they are not doing a HAKA at start of the game, not certain that NZ can psych themselves up to be a threat

I did it for them :P

[chris g]

Waving pom-pom's...?

Not in the same spirit as 'Ka Mate'...

[SGHOM]

There are no mugs/easy pickings in world football nowadays, they are all there on merit. NZ maybe rank outsiders, but they looked the better of 2 average teams in the 1st half :dalek:

/edit:
& just as I say that, they concede !!

[Wodjno]

93rd minute goal for NZ :D


Well deserved.. They played well /yes

[SGHOM]

Well done NZ
exactly as I predicted ! :rulez: their 1st ever world cup point.

The sheep better run for the hills tonight !! :smash:

[Nick Mann]

Nice one, NZ! I did a bit of work for an old lady from NZ this afternoon. She knows nothing about football but was pleased they had got their first point!

[Spirit]

Yet another poor game with Ivory Coast and Portugal drawing 0-0 !

Ronaldo did hit the post from about 40yds out though !

[elnevio]

Things will hot up after the first round of group games. No-one want to lose the first one!


Odds on Kim Jong-Il scoring first tonight against Brazil anyone? :D

[WildCards]

Odds on Kim Jong-Il scoring first tonight against Brazil anyone? :D

He'll be sitting on his rittle throne making up great prans and watching the footbaw. He'll probably be on his rone though.

[HJM]

So rone ree So rone ree .....

[elnevio]

So ronery and sad and arone!

[Spirit]

Stats on ITV say that after the same number of games to date in 2006 there had been 30 goals scored......this time only 20 !

Let's hope things improve tonight with a hat full of goals for Brazil /Poms

[elnevio]

The North Koreans aren't doing too bad at the moment!

[Nick VR4]

Well half time a Brazil 0 - 0 North Korea

Seems to be a stale mate. anyone else think this new ball design is making it more slower and shots from long distance seem to loose power or not get off the mark so to speak ???

[Ryan]

Brazil 2 - 0 North Korea

83rd minute...

[elnevio]

Wow! A goal for North Korea! :o

[Ryan]

Wow! A goal for North Korea! :o

Wow! That's pretty awesome!

[mattnz]

I'll take a draw :)

[SGHOM]

1-0 to chilli v Honda:beatnik2:

Honduras hardly got a kick..... Which proves my point that there are no "weak " teams in this world cup.

Spain next...... They won't get an easy ride either:vulcan:

More later from the only person on here who actually knows about football

[WildCards]

C'mon Switzerland!!!! 1-0

[WildCards]

Honduras hardly got a kick..... Which proves my point that there are no "weak " teams in this world cup.

Spain next...... They won't get an easy ride either:vulcan:

More later from the only person on here who actually knows about football
/haz /haz /haz You so funny D :monkey:

[Atik]

Haha, Spain lost :p

[SGHOM]

Err ?...... Told you so Steve /yes

SA tonight have a chance to go through, so I think it will be a more open game, but still a 'do not lose' game. I reckon piennar will get sent off :smart:

[SGHOM]

5.20 in, & piennar is booked!!

Read my lips!

[HJM]

Lack of quality - can't see SA getting through

[aboo]

That game was more like it & Forlan was outstanding.

Glad I got Uruguay in the sweepstake now./yes

[Ryan]

RSA were flattened. As predicted, their campaign is close to an end. /wall

[chris g]

Am I the only one who that the SA game was like third division football...

Both sides giving the ball away, kick and rush at times, jumping into tackles...

SA seem particularly keen to fly through the air to tackle and hit peoples ankles and legs

SA passing/crossing for sake of it and not actually being creative but Uruguay little better at times...

'hey I passed to a colleague/crossed the ball into the box so I must be playing world class football'...

And the quality of shots on goal and the commentary..

'oh he was unlucky' 'oh that was a good shot'...

No he wasn't unlucky and no it wasn't a good shot...

He did not hit the target, no luck involved in that, the goalkeeper did not have to save that shot at all and just hitting the ball hard near the goal or hitting the wood work is not a definition of a good shot for goodness sake...

[elnevio]

Am I the only one who that the SA game was like third division football...

Both sides giving the ball away, kick and rush at times, jumping into tackles...

SA seem particularly keen to fly through the air to tackle and hit peoples ankles and legs

SA passing/crossing for sake of it and not actually being creative but Uruguay little better at times...

'hey I passed to a colleague/crossed the ball into the box so I must be playing world class football'...

And the quality of shots on goal and the commentary..

'oh he was unlucky' 'oh that was a good shot'...

No he wasn't unlucky and no it wasn't a good shot...

He did not hit the target, no luck involved in that, the goalkeeper did not have to save that shot at all and just hitting the ball hard near the goal or hitting the wood work is not a definition of a good shot for goodness sake...
Derek predicted you'd turn up eventually! :D


More later from the only person on here who actually knows about football

[chris g]

No I cannot be that person....

[SGHOM]

I predict a tactical 1-1 draw between Argentina @ south Korea. 4 points each will put them both in with a good chance to reach the knockout stages............... But what do I know!:jester:

[chris g]

Well you must know, spending every hour there is watching football rather than the job we pay you to do as 'carer'...

Or do you make them a cup of tea at half-time...?

Or slip them a 'mickey finn' to be quiet during the games...?

[AlanDITD]

can anyone try login to the ITV website to view that matches...i cant seem to get it to work today? Not sure if its me or the site!

Cheers

[chris g]

Don't tell me, cannot watch football on ITV website...

That's un......

NBo can't type it again

[elnevio]

Quote from BBC live commentary:

12 mins Commentary
Lionel Messi just misplaced a pass. I repeat, Lionel Messi just misplaced a pass. Unbelievable.



:unbeleeva

[Humpty's Revenge]

Quote from BBC live commentary:

12 mins Commentary
Lionel Messi just misplaced a pass. I repeat, Lionel Messi just misplaced a pass. Unbelievable.



:unbeleeva


Nev missed that mate, what was it??

[AlanDITD]

can anyone try login to the ITV website to view that matches...i cant seem to get it to work today? Not sure if its me or the site!

Cheers


IGNORE just had to flush DNS

[SGHOM]

Do you think it's too early to ask Nelson Mandela what he's doing with his grandaughter's ticket for the World Cup Final?

[chris g]

No give him a ring and prob his tkt available as well...

[Spirit]

Woohooo Mexico 2-0 France.....just 5 mins left :beerbang:

[HJM]

Looks like the Irish are gonna get some justice :)

[miller]

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOWOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO


AU REVOIR LES BLEU'S


cheeeri feckin o

[Spirit]

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOWOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO


AU REVOIR LES BLEU'S


cheeeri feckin o

:end: for France ! /Wyhy mes amis

[SGHOM]

So that's 2 south American countries, Meh-hi-co & uglywhy, only needing a point against each other to qualify........ Wonder what that result will be? :thinking2

[Ryan]

Mexico is a central American country :scholar:

[SGHOM]

State the bleeding obvious why don't you ! :rifle:

Any way, yr from NZ..... Sheep don't play football, & neither does yr national side!

[Ryan]

State the bleeding obvious why don't you ! :rifle:

Any way, yr from NZ..... Sheep don't play football, & neither does yr national side!

I don't care either way :2thumbsup

[SGHOM]

The England team visited an orphanage in south Africa today.
It's good to put a smile on the face & give hope to the struggling, people with no hope & constantly bickering.... Said jamal umboto . Aged 6

[Spirit]

Oops......Klose sent off for Germany, and two minutes later Serbia take a 1-0 lead ! 38 mins played.

The Spanish ref has already issued 5 yellows and 1 red and is being a bit anal !

Could another shock be on the cards ?

[elnevio]

Wow! :o

[chris g]

We can only hope...

[miller]

That Ivanovic looks alright, reputedly heading to Liverpool for next season!

[WildCards]

**** ref, Germany used all of their luck in the opening game aswell I think. Very poor 90 minutes of football IMO.

[HJM]

Result !!! :)

[HJM]

USA losing 1-0 !!!!!

Lets just hope we are the 1st team today not to cock up !

[chris g]

Serbia won...?

[Spirit]

No it's 25 mins in and Serbia are one up. A draw would be ideal for us TBH.

Mind you, if Serbia win this they are through to the knockouts and may go easier on us in the last game /lol

[chris g]

Sorry, Slovenia beat Germany...?

Good news either way...!

[Jane]

/haz

All these S's are a bit confusing, huh?

[SGHOM]

Nein Chris. Serbia beat Germany.... Slovenia are playing USA. & leading so far !

[Spirit]

Nein Chris. Serbia beat Germany.... Slovenia are playing USA. & leading so far !

Sorry my bad, getting my S's mixed up /yes

Currently Slovenia 2 - 1 USA (51mins gone)

Edit: They said on the commentary earlier that (other than RSA) the official FIFA ticket sales say the USA are the best supported team out there !!

[SGHOM]

Cracking game! ... The best yet :beerbang:

Dreadful quality.... But good entertainment

[miller]

good game good game

[chris g]

Nice to see you...

[Ryan]

Any way, yr from NZ..... Sheep don't play football, & neither does yr national side!

Just think it's ironic that the day after you say that, your star studded national team once again splutters into impotency. 44 years is a very long time isn't it?

[thfelipeth]

the big names aren't doing too well in this world cup! england is not looking too good and france did pretty bad too.. south africa is pretty much out and spain and portugal had pretty slow starts.... i don't know what to make of this world cup just yet! with all the upsets of this world cup it wouldn't surprise me too much if new zealand drew or even beat italy lol. chances are small but you never know.. new zealand beat serbia in the warm up? and now it beat germany who humiliated aussie.. in any case all i care is about CHILE!!! i've been watching most of the games and i think the chilean game was the best one of the world cup so far! GO CHILE!!! .:rabbit: /Banana

[chris g]

Star-tudded England team...?

[miller]

Star-tudded England team...?

Well its rammed down our throats by the UK media day in day out for the last month!

[SGHOM]

Italy 1-1 NZ. Ht.

Italy are dreadful ! :stars: bear in mind the NZ side are made up of players/ ex players of Halifax, Yeovil, Mansfield, Wimbledon, etc !! :shocked:

[SGHOM]

Breaking news:


Le bleau are refusing to train.... The director of football has quit & they may not even turn up for the final match !!!!

& we thought we had problems ! :angry:

[elnevio]

This is probably going to be a memorable World Cup, and not for the normal footballing reasons! :rolleyes4

[miller]

Well done NZ!!!! Part time player on at the end as well!!!

[Spirit]

Brasil 3 - 1 Carvery Roast

Ten minutes to go :thumbsup:

[Spirit]

Kaka sent off - yet again a wrong decision :huh:

[ANTHONY]

that elbow in the chest really hurts the face........i dont think so

[thfelipeth]

yay!! got up at 2 am to watch the n.z game! not the best but great defence!! paston has to take alot of the credit for his awesome save! i wish he had saved that penalty too.. but owell. i hate fakers!! did you guys see teh repeat of that penalty?? i wish i could've been there to dig his face on teh ground! anyway, good result! chile tonight!!! yay! lol

[aboo]

Its not looking good for the French. Anelka has been sent home & the team refused to train today

[SGHOM]

Well that's Portugal only just scraping through


7-0 :D

[Wodjno]

Well that's Portugal only just scraping through


7-0 :D

Feck !!

I watched this match for about 1st 1/2 hour and think it was 1-0 when i left it :thinking2

[miller]

cracking game! Portugese were decent!

[Humpty's Revenge]

BYE BYE FRANCE

[Humpty's Revenge]

2.0, 2.0, 2.0/woot2

[Ryan]

2-1 - bye bye South Africa as well. :sick:

[Nick VR4]

If Slovenia beat England on 23 June 2010, then they qualify as group winners and USA would just need a draw against Algeria to take second place; if Algeria win they go second. If Slovenia and England draw and Algeria win then they take second place. A 2-2 draw by England and a 0-0 draw for USA v Algeria would result in lots, between England and the USA. Two draws with other scores would decide second place on the basis of goals scored. If England beat Slovenia, then England qualify. A win for the USA would give them second place. A draw for the USA would bring them level with Slovenia and it would depend on the respective results as Slovenia are one ahead of the USA on goal difference with the same number of goals scored. If England win and Algeria win, then Algeria would qualify if either of those games was by more than one goal.

[aboo]

I heard that England were getting a new coach.
























Its meeting them at tha airport on Thursday:)

[Humpty's Revenge]

Well it`s now or never!/popcorn

[elnevio]

This is going to get more and more nervy the longer the scoreline stays at 1-0!

[Humpty's Revenge]

I`ve been cracking walnuts with me butt cheeks its that tense!:beerbang:

[Humpty's Revenge]

Shrek nearly scored /boxing

[Humpty's Revenge]

Could be Germans "AGAIN":whistle:

[Nick VR4]

Is Sherk Injured or did he just have the hump being taken off?

And I think he could of at least applauded the crowd :D

[giblet]

He is still nursing an injury I think. Not the most convincing of wins considering the amount of missed chances but sod it a wins a win.

Not hopefully against us being ze germans though, but then again the land of 720bhp leggies might end up losing!

[elnevio]

Has anyone else noticed the resemblance between Charlie Brown and the Slovenian home kit?

Charlie Brown

Slovenia

[miller]

Trust you Nev!!! thats more like Wayne Rooney wearing the Slovenia third away strip!!

[Spirit]

A wins a win :2thumbsup

Doesn't matter if the Germans next......you have to beat the best to win the title /yes

[aboo]

England V Germany. Very tasty/yes

[miller]

im in a bar full or English in Tenerife for that game....


who's lending me a German jersey?

[aboo]

An Irish man in a German jersey in a bar full of English men. That I would love to see/yes

[Ryan]

uploaded/50107/1277325458.jpg

[miller]

An Irish man in a German jersey in a bar full of English men. That I would love to see/yes

:givemebee :givemebee :monkey:

[aboo]

uploaded/50107/1277325458.jpg
PMSL:D

[JTG]

im in a bar full or English in Tenerife for that game....


who's lending me a German jersey?

Dare you to wear it in Linekers.....

[Humpty's Revenge]

Dose`nt it strike you funny how we nearly always collied with the Germans?/Hmmm /popcorn

[HJM]

Not for 20 years now in the World Cup !

This time we will do them !

[aboo]

Italy out:D

[Spirit]

Italy out:D

Gutted...........................NOT ! /lol

[elnevio]

Wow! Both of the 2006 finalists are dumped out of the group stage!

[giblet]

What a game, had both the italy match and the tennis on at the same time. Quite fun keeping up with the drama on both screens.

[Ryan]

Glad the Italians are out of it... diving bastards /Wave bye bye!

[Humpty's Revenge]

Glad the Italians are out of it... diving bastards /Wave bye bye!

:iagree: Don`t mince your words Ryan /lol

[Humpty's Revenge]

Bye bye American pie/hammer

[Humpty's Revenge]

WHAT A LOAD OF B******S

[SGHOM]

Keep me informed..... I just kicked my fecking tele in /duh

[SGHOM]

The most outrageous descision in the history of world cup football ...... Bar none :embarasse

[Nick VR4]

OMG wtf was the ref doing WHY WHY cant they use technology ???

[Humpty's Revenge]

All I got to say is get rid of that w@nka Sh1t Splatter OH sorry Sepp blatter!

Well done Germany you deserve the win when you play under 12`s you got it easy.

I was that disgusted I feel asleep and did`nt see the last 2 German goals.:unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva :unbeleeva

[RobboVR4]

Think outcome might of been different if the lampard goal had been allowed. But the defence was an absolute disgrace & if you play like that against a decent side they will punish you.

What i cant understand is they play extremely well all season for their clubs but when it comes to internationals, well put it this way Rooney would of had a better chance scoring in a nursing home.

[Humpty's Revenge]

well put it this way Rooney would of had a better chance scoring in a nursing home.

He`s been dating my great great great grandmother for 3 years now :sweethear , he`s such a nice shrek.......... ER rooney!

[RobboVR4]

He`s been dating my great great great grandmother for 3 years now :sweethear , he`s such a nice shrek.......... ER rooney!

Think Shrek would of played better for England.

[Joikale]

Go Germany!!!! Well done!!!!

[SGHOM]

David Blaine is gutted, his record of 42 days doing feck all in a box has been beaten by Wayne Rooney :dance:

[Humpty's Revenge]

David Blaine is gutted, his record of 42 days doing feck all in a box has been beaten by Wayne Rooney :dance:

That was really below the belt but boy was that funny!!!

[SGHOM]

Englands next match is a friendly against iceland, followed by 2 games against asda & tesco!

[Roadrunner]

OMG wtf was the ref doing WHY WHY cant they use technology ???

Definitely didn't look like a goal from this angle ... ;)

[Nick VR4]

Definitely didn't look like a goal from this angle ... ;)

Yeah your right just in :curtain:/lol

[WildCards]

Casting a lazy eye over the internet i've stumbled across this on another forum, makes for interesting reading.


a very good source has texted me over the last week lads with the following 2stories.
believe them or dont believe them but if they are true (this guy always has the scoop) they will be in the press soon

1. wayne rooneys poor performances.
new dad wayne rooney was caught with a prostitute before the world cup. fifa had an injuction rule applied to the reporter and he honoured it while they were at the world cup. this story should make the press soon now that englands world cup is over.

2. courts held a 2 week gagging order on steven gerrards private life after reports he has impregnated his wifes sister. this story will hit the paper in 14 days time. the judge held the gagging order to protect the fa while they make decisions about capello's future. john terry knew of gerrards situation and made complaints to capello about the captaincy. the tension in the england camp was down to the split between players who supported gerrard and those who didnt. jt wanted gerrard exposed as the pair were at each others throats in africa.

like i said lads these came from a m8 of mine who's involved with the f.a's media team but true or not, we will soon see

[WildCards]

Further digging finds this;

http://www.football.co.uk/blogs/5010/727037.shtml

[SGHOM]

Kris commons was it ??

& it was posted back in April !

[miller]

I made it to Linkers bar allright.....on advice the German jersey idea was binned.

Just as well, bit of an intimidating atmosphere, left after one drink and watched the game in the bar behind Linekers.

I dont remember much after Klose's goal...i was too busy trying to play a green Vuvuzela at the bar girls!!

So you see by this point my day had started like this! Bear in mind that morning id left for EMA at 4.30am, boarded a plane at 7am, consumed 12 beers at 37,000ft, 5pints of Amstel at our hotel, one omelette, one taxi ride to Playas las Americas, two pint glasses of vodka and red bull and four jaegar bombs. Then we sat down and had a drink....this was 2pm.../woot

bumped into Matt (orion2o) aswell! how crazy is that!

anyways....how bloomin legal is it or should i say lethal is it that a public establishment can hand you a drink that contains 1/3of a bottle of vodka and half a tin of red bull :skull:

I arrived back to my hotel at 6.30am the next morning......

[WildCards]

Kris commons was it ??

& it was posted back in April !

What, that Rooney had been nobbing a lady of the night just before the World Cup? That's some immense predicting if it was posted in April mate.

[SGHOM]

Check the date of the link you posted.
It's done the rounds! & it was kris :hat:

[aboo]

Did you just see the Dutch goal? Talk about goalkeeping fail!!!

[aboo]

I made it to Linkers bar allright.....on advice the German jersey idea was binned.

Just as well, bit of an intimidating atmosphere, left after one drink and watched the game in the bar behind Linekers.

I dont remember much after Klose's goal...i was too busy trying to play a green Vuvuzela at the bar girls!!

So you see by this point my day had started like this! Bear in mind that morning id left for EMA at 4.30am, boarded a plane at 7am, consumed 12 beers at 37,000ft, 5pints of Amstel at our hotel, one omelette, one taxi ride to Playas las Americas, two pint glasses of vodka and red bull and four jaegar bombs. Then we sat down and had a drink....this was 2pm.../woot

bumped into Matt (orion2o) aswell! how crazy is that!

anyways....how bloomin legal is it or should i say lethal is it that a public establishment can hand you a drink that contains 1/3of a bottle of vodka and half a tin of red bull :skull:

I arrived back to my hotel at 6.30am the next morning......
Now that sounds like a good day:D

[Humpty's Revenge]

OH HOW BL@@DY GOOD WAS THAT!BRAZIL 1 HOLLAND 2/woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot /woot

[miller]

great game! the Brazilians were rattled! What a fool Robinho is....crying at everything!

[Humpty's Revenge]

:iagree:

[Nick VR4]

Further digging finds this;

http://www.football.co.uk/blogs/5010/727037.shtml

I heard about this too a few days ago and that stated it was his Mrs Sister well she dont have a sister

I also heard that he put a legal action not to let this get out to the press

So was this the cause of the England team splitting in SA it seemed John Terry got a bit arsey I wonder if he thought Gerrard should have lost his captaincy :o

[SGHOM]

Great to watch a quarter final graced with world class players from the likes of Birmingham, fulham, Portsmouth & Wigan ! /bananaroc

[SGHOM]

Fantastic game..... Gutted for Ghana , so close /Hissy

[SGHOM]

Argies vs krauts

how do you watch a match when you don't want either team to win ? :deal2:

[Spirit]

Spain 1 - 0 Germany

WOOHOOO !! :dance:

15mins to go !

[Ryan]

Think someone needs to kill that ****ing octopus :speechles

Been a long time coming for Spain, hopefully they don't blow it in the final.

[Roadrunner]

I see England are close to clinching a deal with new shirt sponsors ... ;) :curtain:

[Fully]

Think someone needs to kill that ****ing octopus :speechles

Been a long time coming for Spain, hopefully they don't blow it in the final.

Leave Paul alone, made me some money :D
Spain all the way!

[aboo]

Germany 1-1 Uruguay.

Uruguay are holding ther own & playing well.

Its been a good game so far with both teams having nothing to loose/yes

[aboo]

Uruguay keeper is having a shocker.

[aboo]

Great game & well done Uruguay. Punched well above ther wieght.

[SGHOM]

Holland v Spain
the worst 45 mins of football since the world cup began !! :sleeping:

[aboo]

Could'nt say. I watched top gear & I'm now waiting for the Prodigy to come on BBC2 at T in the park:)

[Wodjno]

Could'nt say. I watched top gear & I'm now waiting for the Prodigy to come on BBC2 at T in the park:)
That'd be BBC2 Scotland then /Hmmm

[aboo]

That'd be BBC2 Scotland then /Hmmm
You'd be right Glen./yes

[Wodjno]

You'd be right Glen./yes
Wanted to see Prodigy and Eminem.. But can't get BBC2 Scootland :(

[aboo]

There on now:D

[Wodjno]

There on now:D
Aboo :rifle:

[aboo]

You never missed much Glen they only let us see 2 songs:(
Huge chunk my bum.

[aboo]

Looks like its going to be extra time & pens.

[swinks]

Arjen Robben = what a **** :ranton:

[aboo]

Have to agree. he's been through on goal twice & should have score but chocked.

[swinks]

It's one another his game where he's pathetic, selfish and waste of space. He should be on a bench.

[666damned]

ugly crap game up to now...........

[Humpty's Revenge]

/drinkswine :sleeping: :givemebee :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

[aboo]

1-0 Spain & 2 minutes to go:)

[Humpty's Revenge]

This world cup has been utter "CRAP" now we got to put up with the bloody spaniards bragging for the next 4 bloody years!

:toilet: :soaprant

I kill that:censored: octopus!!!!!:smash:

[aboo]

Better than the English bragging:)

[swinks]

Howard Webb to Specsavers or lifetime ban from football /pan

World Cup? Worst I ever remember, or at least since 1990.

Congrats Spain...

[aboo]

It was'nt a great world cup. Just as well Germany did'nt get to the final. Howard Webb would have sent them all off/yes

[SGHOM]

And the only unbeaten team in the world cup was ........ ?? :shocked:

[Ryan]

And the only unbeaten team in the world cup was ........ ?? :shocked:

New Zealand.

[Roadrunner]

And the only unbeaten team in the 1974 World Cup was ... ?

[Spirit]

Well I for one enjoyed the World Cup ! It was great knowing that in almost every game it was possible to have a surprise result. The teams are so much closer than years ago.

And well done Howard Webb.....best ref of the tournament and did his best in a game that was poisoned by the dutch.

[aboo]

Scotland will be the 1st team to play Spain after them winning the world cup.

Will we do to them what we did to England in 1967?
























No chance:)

[SGHOM]

Well I for one enjoyed the World Cup ! It was great knowing that in almost every game it was possible to have a surprise result. The teams are so much closer than years ago.

And well done Howard Webb.....best ref of the tournament and did his best in a game that was poisoned by the dutch.

well said that man !

Any other trigger happy ref, & it could have ended up a 5 a side match