Official FIFA World Cup trash talk thread ;)
 

We haven't had a truely off topic Coat Room topic for a while, so I thought I'd start this one :).

ENGLAND, you're GOING DOWN tomorrow! (today?) We're totally pulling the upset! Roonie's gonna choke! Ha! Take that and eat it with your tea! :D:D.

(Sorry, we Americans do love our "trash talk" prior to the game. Not sure if England is the same way? Hopefully so, otherwise, 1000 apologies... losers ;).)

England will win, but gets kicked off again before semi finals by penalty shootout.. as usual.. ;) :p

The USA will cause England plenty of concern because they will hustle non-stop for 90 minutes +, but will be let down by their inability to finish. Plus, England's defense has been suspect in their last few matches and they've lost Rio Ferdinand.

Final score: USA 0 - 2 England

Ha, ha. :-)

Whatever, America thrives as the under dog. Besides which, America is on a hot streak and Britain is trending downwards. I think (and hope) we'll be under estimated. If so, I think we have more than a fair chance of winning this match. Just an hour to go...

Well, there we have it. A tie :). Now it's off to the races to see who gets the division...

I'm guessing the USA and England will get through the group. I wonder who will be in goal for England in the next match? Green was one lucky save away from an American win!

Lucky save???

"You're 'avin a giraffe my son!"
;)

Yes, lucky, as in "if it had only been an inch more to the right it would have been a goal" sorts of lucky. It bounced off the post and across the goal, quite close as I recall...if only :-). Anyway, now that we've had this match, good luck to England in all their other Group C games. Well, when I say luck I mean, "don't score too many goals, I want the US to be number in the the group" :).

Indeed. Many more games to come yet and the US gave a strong showing this morning. Let's hope they keep it up and do well.

Huh, 55 min into Germany v. Australia. My only observations, Germany is very very good. And every time a something is called against Australia they all life their shoulders as if to say "what are you talking about!" in unison. I guess if you can't score any goals you're left with little else to do ;). (GERMANY 2 - 0 AUSTRALIA)

PS -- Oh, ouch. I was just having some good natured fun, but now I feel bad. Come on Australia, get some points on the board! (GERMANY 4 - 0 AUSTRALIA, 72:08)

Well, tbh, Germany wasn't _that_ good. Australia was _that_ bad to make Germany look good. ;)
The red card was a bit to harsh, but the retiree club called Socceroos had no chance to win against such a young and eager team. IMHO, Australia needs a complete remoulding.

I agree that Australia wasn't much competition, but Germany still showed the best football skills of any of the teams that have played so far. Lethally accurate crosses and sharp passing. The Germans are never rated at the top, yet always look like winners.

Damn it.

France vs Paraguay: What a failure. 0-0 :-(

What is with France these days anyway? Their rating seems to have been falling off sharply over the last several months. I'm used to them being better than this!

@freelunch, I'm just hoping that Australia will still get second in their division (which isn't looking so great right now). With some luck, maybe America can be number 1 in group C and face Australia in the first round of the knockout. Might give us a fighting chance of progressing :). If we get the number two seed and face Germany...eh...

America was very unlucky to lose to Germany in the last World Cup, I seem to recall. They just need a couple more lucky bounces...

I knew the Oz team was in trouble when they got beaten by the US in a "friendly".
They aren't really a team. Just a collection of professional players.

@warragul -- Sounds like a coaching problem to me. Gotta admit though, it can be a serious issue. Over here in the US we had the "dream teams" that would go to the olympics and win gold medals for us (nice of them). But the last incarnation or so was basically just a bunch of professionals who figured they had it in the bag, and they lost, deservedly so :). If you can't learn to play as a team, then team sports tend to be very difficult to excel at.

That being said. We beat you because we're better, not because your terrible. So there :-p.

I know exactly what you mean. In England's case, all the players are good in their teams, but when you collect them together in an England side, they never seem to quite gel.

For instance, no one can figure out how to play Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard together. Who takes the lead? They don't know. And Wayne Rooney is a better player when he is not the focus of attention. He was better when he was playing with Ronaldo.

If we end up having to play Germany in the quarters, I fear it's auf wiedersehen. I couldn't bear another penalty shootout against the Germans!

Somehow I don't think it will get that far. The Germans look like a team.

Wasn't it Urugay in fact? My memory's been going the way of France (since I just arrived in the Normandy region by plane).

Worst games for now: Italy - Paraguay and Uruguay - France.
Let's hope that Brazil will play better than those two alleged title contenders.
*yaaawn*

Ronaldo hits the post? That's the best Portugal can do? Maybe England didn't do so bad after all...

Brazil had a hard time with N. Korea? I thought there was an embargo against footballs in N. Korea (for better or worse)? Why was this so close? Can someone enlighten me?

I reckon Brazil's second goal rivals South Africa's for best goal of the WC to date. The goal must have looked about two feet wide from the striker's angle!

I'm told the ball is pretty crazy this time through. Hard for me to know, being in America and all. Is the ball looking funny to anyone else?

Swiss beat Spain.. hihihihi.... :p
Nice one. :D

So, I'm told that the coach of the English squad is having his methods called into question. Anyone here from England want to comment on that. I have no idea why...

It's the English press. Capello took over the team and England qualified easily. All smiles. However, the last two friendly games before the WC, then the draw with the USA (which should have been a win if all was right with the world) has the press scared to death. Suddenly Capello, who could do no wrong, now has feet of clay. He never tells the team who will start until two hours before kickoff. When they were winning, that was "keeping them on their toes". Now it's "unsettling".

Capello has been seen chasing photographers away from their camp. That is seen as lacking confidence. The press didn't like some of his team selection. Why were Theo Walcott and Darren Bent left home and injury risks like Ledley King selected?

Capello will be back in favour when Rooney has a good game and we beat Algeria 3-0 today.

The USA will beat Slovenia 1-0. England will top the group on goal difference.

Nerves will be calmed.

"Dick Predicts."

And Mexico beat France! They're weeping in their vin rouge in Paris...

@Freelunch -- Right. Except I'm sure you'll be flummoxed by Algeria, probably end up winning 2-1. The US is DEFINITELY winning 2-0 this time through. We have quite the talented team and, for the first time, this country has a large fan base rooting for their national team :). We're taking #1 in this group if for no other reason than to make England dislike us even more! :D.

Seriously though, if we do get lucky and manage to take the group (an outside possibility if I'm honest), I don't know how we would do against germany in the round of 16. Not that we'll do all that much better against Serbia I suppose... Well, with some luck. I'd at least like to see us win a game in the elimination rounds. Anything to get some more football fans in America ;).

Whoa! Germany loses. USA behind 0-2 at the half. All bets are off!

how did germany lose to serbia after owning australia 4-0 and serbia getting beat by ghana 1-0..makes no sense..

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!:mad::mad::mad: STUPID REF CAN"T SEE THEY WERE ONSIDES! Darn it all! It was CLEARLY a goal! Should have been 3-2, heck, should have been 3-1, since they were offsides once when they scored... Not happy right now, not happy.:mad::mad:

Well, sorry England, for now I'm definitely rooting for a super upset from Algeria.

---

PS -- I changed my mind. England, go ahead and beat Algeria (like you needed my permission) then please beat the ever loving tar out of Slovenia for us. Then the ball is in our court, if we can beat Algeria we can advance as well (and that's all I can hope for).

On behalf of Mexico, where I am now, I would like to give you swine flu. France is safe...

Germany/Serbia: 1. Player controversially sent off. 2. Losing to a weaker nation. 3. Missed penalty. That wasn't Germany. That was England in German shirts.

USA/Slovenia. Nice comeback! Exactly the score England needed. Cheers! (And you're right, should have been 3-2. The Slovenians had their arms around at least three American players! Don't know what game the ref was watching.)

Now I can steel myself and hope England get the goal fest we so richly deserve...

Let me guess freelunch, you live in England? Oh yeah, there's no such thing as a freelunch :-P

Yes, I live in London, it's halftime and I'm depressed.

I am not one for violence... but I think the entire England shot should be shot.... alot :mad:

Ouch guys, sorry about that. I thought the US had it rough, but watching England play was just painful. :(

PS -- Looks like the US might get some sort of commupance. Doesn't fix the game, but hey...
US/Slovania Ref being reviewed by FIFA

How about this...
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/...ockey-940.html
Poor Canada :)

@renaultssoftware -- I dunno, might be subjective. At least if you get any bruises in hockey there is always ice close at hand :).

italy fail :(

They didn't fail, they drew. They're in the same position as England: a win will send them through.

New Zealand played out of their skins to take a point against the world champions. A late substitute (Woods, I think) was described as a banker and semi-pro footballer, who had to ask for time off work to play. I'll bet they are having one heck of a celebration right now!

But can England pull it together, that's the question. They drew against Algeria, for goodness sake. I'm hoping for them to win, personally. I habitually cheer for the Englishmen when an American isn't present (take Button in F1 for example). And (if I'm honest) I'm not quite ready to hang all my hopes on America's team just yet...I'll be happy if we make it out of the round of 16 :).

Watching Portugal v North Korea. It's soaking, pouring down rain, and Korea is doing it darndest to hold on. Quite an exciting match so far! :D

Well, as the game progresses, it just gets uglier for N. Korea. I'm not sure fearless leader is going to like them being down 4-0 in the 60th minute...

More -- Yikes! Tell me, in Europe, is it okay to just keep pounding the ball in like this? In America it's usually frowned upon to continue scoring when you're winning by this much. But Portugal continues to be aggressive in the 90th minute. Maybe football is different from American sports? It just seems a bit excessive is all...

If Portugal ties with another team in their group, score difference matters.

Yeah, Honduras might feel the same... Score difference decides in some groups.

Ah, interesting. Yeah, we recently had a sports league decide that point difference would be used to break ties in some cases, and they've started running up scores as a result. I suppose I hadn't thought of that. 7-0 though, wow...painful for N.Korea, that's for sure.

And a fun tidbit from ESPN

Just look at the group. If Portugal loses against Spain and Ivory Coast wins their game agaist North Korea (which is likely to happen..), Portugal and Ivory Coast have the same points (4), but the score difference is 9(!). So IC has to win 10:0 against NC...

I'm sure you meant Portugal v Brazil. And it's a very likely scenario. Portugal will be pleased to have all those points in the bag.

Poor France. They have to pray that Mexico beats Paraguay, then score at least 5 against S.A. If the other match ends in a scoreless draw, France go home.

Wednesday, the USA and England will go through after winning their matches. I know, because I HAVE FAITH !!!

(Still, I will probably be watching between my fingers.)

Ermmm.. yes, I meant Brazil.

tbh, I won't miss France this time, their games were boring and the internal trouble in the Équipe Tricolore doesn't sound like a team, more of a kindergarden.

I won't miss their football, but I'll miss the daily soap opera!

Having said that, the England team are having their own dramas: John Terry (the ex-captain) stuck his head above the parapet to announce that the team were unsatisfied with the manager and there was to be a team meeting with everyone speaking their mind.

As it turned out, no one spoke up – or Terry misjudged the situation – and he looks a fool now.

Can't wait to see how they play tomorrow. And if Terry starts.

(Edit: Apparently, the nation have turned their backs on the team and 70% of the French now hope France lose to S.A.)

If England lose to Slovenia, they can expect a pretty cool reception when they get home.

But, HEY! THEY WON'T, THEY WON'T !!!

You British are so polite. In Brazil, if the national team came home in the same fashion as France or Britain seem to be, they'd all be hung from the nearest tree :). Or so I'm told by people who have lived there...

Well, there are some advantages to having low expectations. One of them is that if America for some reason doesn't make it through we'll still see this campaign as a bit of a success. We drew with England, we should have beat Slovenia. If we lose to Algeria, I'm sure we'll do it with some gusto...or something.

Still, if England and America don't make it through I'll personally be heartbroken. France, on the other hand, I'll just laugh at. I keep thinking that this must be Gods way of giving South Africa a chance to break out of the group rounds...there's no other logical explanation for this lunacy. :p

PS -- S. Africa is winning 1-0 in the 35th minute.
PPS -- Now 2-0, France..it's like a bad joke...
PPPS -- And Uruguay is up on Mexico now 1-0! S. Africa might just make it through...

Nope, didn't work out that way. But France did lose 2-1, and that makes me happy. Mostly because I thought the current team was just a bunch of whiners (coach included), so I'm happy to see them off.

Some are. Some in South Africa have been speaking their mind.

Personally, I'm a dual-national. Born in the USA, in London since 1983.

As far as I'm concerned, at the end of the day, when it's said and done, when the fat lady sings – it's just sport, not life or death.

I forgot about the Bruins and Celtics losing in five minutes.

(Okay, I lied. It took longer...)

GOOOOO USA!!!!!!!!!

Awesome game against Algeria today. Had issues finding a free stream and found one and it is great. Going to watch all the games, I mean listen to them in the background, as I work...

The USA were the only team to score against Algeria in open play. The only other goal they allowed was a Slovakian penalty. We're lucky they were no good going the other direction!

England finally got their act together and played like they'd been introduced to one another. They will have to tighten their defense now if they are to beat the Germans.

I like the Americans chances against Ghana.

I think with just a bit of luck both England and the US will make it through the first elimination round. Beyond that it's hard to tell. If England plays up to their talent, they can probably make it further. If America keeps playing with the energy they have, we might have a chance as well. I'm just happy to be where we are :D:D:D.

.
Domenech is amazing! What can you say a coach that trashes star players because they were born in the wrong astrological sign?

My heartfelt sympathy to any French forum members.

.
On a brighter note: Congrats to the USA! Talk about fine margins!
.

When they retracted that first goal for offsides, and then replays showed it clearly was not off sides, I wanted to throw my computer....well not literally, but figuratively.

France out, Italy out.. who's next? :D

Yeah, a lot of the powerhouses are getting awful close but not going out. Maybe America has a chance to get to the semis this year then :).

So.. next level. Some interesting matches like England - Germany and Portugal - Spain. Argentina - Mexiko also sounds promising. Hope we see now better matches than before...

1st ever world cup hosted in Africa, playing an African country team in Africa, the USA has their odds against them.

I can't help but feel the same way... That being said, I'm still giddy about the whole thing. We have a decent chance, if nothing else. Just 11 more hours now...

Ghana has a good team and made a fine match against Germany.
Over the last years, the african teams got better and better, I guess it's gonna be a hard game for the USA. The african teams still need more coolness, more serenity to stand the pressure in such games and they often lack a decent team play. But, tbh, I probably bet on Ghana.

Uh, thanks, I think. (I'm in France on vacation) My dad and my great-uncle both said how France wasn't even playing together -- and I agree. They're sinking because they're not united. Eerie reminder of some interesting passage in the Gospel:
That's Matthew 12:25 if the thing didn't say it.

So well, I was right. Sorry for the US team, but Ghana's success is OK, both teams played well, but Ghana was a tick better.

The USA had a couple of good scoring chances, but in each case managed to kick the ball right at the 'keeper. Sorry, soccer fans, but their late scoring touch eluded them tonight.

I don't know if Ghana will be going much further in the competition. They've lost at least two of their starters for the next match through yellow cards.

I'm ready for tomorrow afternoon. Both England and Germany have had good and bad games. I hope England can get their act together against their old rivals.

Bad news (depending on your POV) from The Register:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06..._germany_odds/

Ouch.

(That is all I have to say. The board says my message must be 10 characters minimum.)

Double ouch.

Well, seems like the english defense was on holiday. At least, I didn't see one.

Now Germany will face Argentina and this game will be much harder I guess.

Did the English field a defense? Upson scored our goal. Rooney was in mid-field half the time. I don't know what was going on. I don't think Capello had a clue, either.

Anyway, I will support Germany against Argentina. (I worked in Heidelberg for almost three years.) But I like Carlos Tevez. He's a thug, but he's one heck of a player. Latin flair against Prussian organization. Too close to call, I think.

I'm not entirely sure who to support at this point. I was supporting the US, and my second team was England. Both went out, so... I do want to chear for Ghana because I kind of hope at least one African team will make it deep into the tourney. Granted, that's going to take an upset of Uruguay, but hey, they upset a few other teams, maybe it's just their lucky year? :D

Other than that, I just don't know.

PS -- I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to cheer for Brazil. I hate cheering for a heavy favorite, but the problem is that Pele (stories about his play at least) is what first got me interested in football...so... Maybe I will cheer for Brazil after all :). If so...things are going well against Chile :D:D

I am American, mostly Irish and some German descent. So, I guess, GO GERMANY!!!!

Only two games left before the quarter-finals. I'll have to cheer for Japan against Paraguay: my neighbour dresses in the Japan strip and puts his hair up samurai-style for the match.

But the match for me will be Spain/Portugal. Neighbours. I have to cheer for Spain, since I still hate Ronaldo for winking to his bench after goading Rooney into a send-off in 2006. Ronaldo then moved to Manchester United and became Rooney's team mate. Bizarre. Ronaldo made Rooney look good with his supply and by attracting the defenders. It's one of the reasons England players are were so highly rated: they play with great players in the Premier League.

England's display Sunday deflated that impression. About time, too.

I think Japan v Paraguay will be a tight game. I don't think there are any clear favorites as far as this one goes.

Spain on the other hand, I reckon will be too strong for Portugal.

@freelunch -- I still think that England's melt down has less to do with talent and more to do with a lack of team unity and thus team energy. In all the games I watched, they never looked like they really wanted it, it never seemed to me like they added that last little bit of effort that would get the ball back into their possession. It was almost as if they'd take a look at the ball and go "meh, it's too far away for me to really give it a go." Sad really...

America, for all it's fault, always gave off the impression that they wanted the ball right now...well, at least every time they were scored on in the first half suddenly they felt like they wanted the ball now :D. If we could just take away those early goals in each of the games we played...we would have won all of them, you know that? Hopefully they can adjust for that before 2014...

Egads! Both my teams lost today! And Ghana TOTALLY should have won that game. Why is it that a hand ball in the net isn't just considered a goal?

i still think the netherlands beating brazil was pretty epic :D

A hand ball in such a situation is IMHO not only red, but a ban for a lot of games for that player. It's unfair and totally unsportsmanlike. The missed penalty.. well.. Ghana's problem.
Holland has a good _team_ this year, let's see. But it's also a good example for what went wrong in many teams - good single players, but no team. Soccer is a team game, and a lot of players simply miss that. True for England, Italy, Ivory Coast, Brazil, ...
Now on to the next quarter finals. Germany - Argentina is a classic one, and Spain vs. Paraguay looks also promising, though Spain should make it. But well, we saw a lot of title candidates stumble this year, so.. ^^ :D

Uruguay handball: the player misses the next game, but ended up making the play that won them the match. Very hard luck for Ghana.

I thought the Netherlands/Brazil match was the best I've watched – well, the second half, anyway. I liked the Dutch team until that match. I think they have taken over the "diving" championship from the Italians.

Heck, Argentina made England look good! We scored one more goal than they did against the Germans. They do look like winners.

Spain, if they can squeak through their match against Paraguay, might just squeak past Germany. They don't half pass the ball well. Maybe Torres will have the game I know is in him.

Spain (the nation, not the team) needs something to cheer them up.

Luck nothing! They were deliberately put into that situation by the opposing side. PKs shot in high pressure situations are historically difficult to make. I don't like the precedence this sets at all. On of Uruguay's old players is already saying that this player "took one for the team". It's insane! Everybody watching knew that goal should have gone in! I still think, going forward, the rule should be amended so that the goal counts.

I am happy about Germany v. Argentina! I was rooting for Germany, and I think that's the first time during the elimination rounds that the team I rooted for won :). Next I'm pulling for the Netherlands to knock the nasty cheaters out of the tournament for me, we'll see how that goes.

By the way it's the perfect time to buy a French soccer jersey. 50% off. (Was €45 now €22.50) My dad and I each got one. I'll post a pic of the display soon.

All I want to know is if they come with egg stains or if you have to do that part yourself? ;)

Ha! Same here. And, the stuff is staying on the shelf.

The England flags that were flying from every white van in the country came down with stunning rapidity, too.

What World Cup?

Argentina had quite the same problem as England: no defense and some lone stars floating around, waiting for the supporters to awestruckly pass them the ball.
This is how you not win a World Cup. This is how you may form a club team, having 40 or more matches time to win a national championship. Maradonna did a bad job for Argentina, but I doubt someone over there will really concede this.
The german team is young and might not stand the pressure now, but at least it was fun watching their matches. All strikers "share" the ball, they play together, not only for themselves. It's boring to watch all those fancy stars trying to enforce a goal, but have nowhere to run and then bump the ball 20 feet over or beside the net instead of passing the ball to a better placed teammate.
Spain vs Germany will be a close game, not a Klose game. ;) Both teams played well as a team, suporting each other, and both teams have something you can call a defense.

It might be a good idea to remove the part on the tag that says 2010… or else in 50 years they're going to be about $2. Pretty nice shirts too. The polos are really great.

It was strange to observe how we were the only people in the soccer display…

Ha, ha... fun pun, but you might be wrong. Klose had a terrible season, but has really come alive in the World Cup. The passing among the front four is like esp.

Klose is like Arjen Robben for the Dutch – coming good when it counts. Oddly, they both play for the same club side.

Italy, France out wow crazy stuff!

Yeah, France is really starting to 'suck' due to Domenech. He just keeps coming back despite the fact that no civil wants him. Is there corporate corruption and bribery somewhere?
Here's a guide to making a GOOD team:
- Choose people with good talent.
- Choose people who can get along for a year (good luck!)
- Choose people without prejudice.
- Choose people with a team spirit.
Here's a guide to making a BAD team:
- Choose people with Capricorn, Leo and Pisces (chosen at random), with no concern for talent or team spirit.
Sound familiar Domenech?

The Socceroos shirts are still being heavily advertised in the local supermarkets. Don't know if that means they have a lot left or they are still popular.
Given their early exit it's hard to know.

Socceroos? What's that?

Well, Spain has done it. And a deserving win at that! I was cheering for the other side, but hey...there you go.

Hopefully the US will do better next time, I'd like to see us make it to the quarters, or even the semis...

Well, but not with such a team. Spain, NL and Germany showed the future of WC soccer: no kick & rush but many fast passes & rush & score. And always keep the ball, so technically on a very high level. Just like Russia started the last Euro Championship but sure broke down after a few very promising games.
My résumé:
- quite some overaged teams like Italy, Australia and England
- still not much progress in Africa regarding team play (or France.. :D)
- some superstars don't make a team (Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, ...)
- Asia is getting stronger and is likely to make it to the semis one day (Japan, South Korea, perhaps China again, who knows)

I agree with you Jay. I was rooting for the Netherlands but since I was only seeing yellow from them (I'm talking about the cards the ref has to show them!) I switched to Spain.

I didn't see the whole match, only the part before overtime since it was getting late in France. (The goal was played back on France 2 at 1pm this afternoon.)

You didn't miss much. The Germany/Uruguay game was better – right down to the final kick of the game (a free kick from Forlan that hit the post!).

I was cheering for Spain. I think the country needs the boost more than the Netherlands. And I really preferred their style of play. How the Dutch only got one red card is beyond me...

England have to pick a crop of 8-year-olds and start teaching them the skills now that they're gonna need in 2022. And, they're gonna have to legislate a Premier League that limits the number of foreign players on a team. Or, they could just institute a salary cap. Something has to be done.

On Direct 8 last night (in France), they played back the final World Cup match from 1998 -- Brazil vs France. I actually preferred that match because there were almost no cards being shown, and it was a lot closer. The last minute was incredible!!

They'll be playing back the Croatia-France match from the semifinals of that year. Really looking forward to it.

In French you can say 'les coups bas du Pays-Bas' which describes the low stuff that the Netherlands were performing. Spain was just cleaner than that. How come there was only one red card?!

Yeah, I remember when one of the Dutch players used a bit of Kung Fu in the first half, kicked someone right in the chest. Yet there was no red card, how odd is that?

What is really funny is that apparently the Netherlands national team (and the nation itself) are convinced that the ref was to harsh on them. Right...

Watch it again... I can only think the ref didn't want to send anyone off that early in the match. This a red all the way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CekIw5moE5c

World Cup Over Now FA Premier League
 

Hey

Now that the World Cup is over Lets talk about the most exciting League.
The FA Premier League , of Course
My Favourite Team
Liverpool of Course
Does anyone know what has happened to the proposed takeover of Liverpool.
A few weeks ago there was news everywhere about potential new owners
What has happened . Have they all disappeared.
Any one know