FIFA World Cup 2010 Finals Thread

[Fastas]

Fastas in you'r avatar is it George best or bobby charlton ? or anyone.

For Le tour de France it's saturday 3 to sunday July 25.
It's the 97th Tour de France with a prologue and 20 stages for a distance of approximately 3 600 km.
Hope to no see drug players and nice race with uncertain winners until the end.

The picture is of the 1966 World Cup winning side - England

The champion held aloft by his team mates is Bobby Moore, the team captain. 👍

FYI George Best played for Northern Ireland

 

[MANU56BZH]

ok i see. thank you Fastas.

My score for Brasil north Korea: 5 : 1

 

[daan]

The picture is of the 1966 World Cup winning side - England

Ah! That'd be the team Scotland beat in 1967 to regain the title of the Unofficial Football World Champions, a position we have held more than anyone else.

http://www.ufwc.co.uk/

[/clutching at straws]

 

[Fastas]

arrrh, that's sweet

 

[arvore]

And no Pato

And yet with a team full of great players
Good luck BRAZIL:tup:
Entertain us with a big SHOW DE BOLA

 

[Touring Mars]

Hmmmm... something tells me the 4,5,6,7,8 - 0 score predictions may be a bit wide of the mark...

 

[Fastas]

Hmmmm... something tells me the 4,5,6,7,8 - 0 score predictions may be a bit wide of the mark...

The boys can play - I wonder if the tears were significant, I don't recall a player crying before a game, only during

I'm prepared to admit I was a little over-ambitious with my predictions today although, I think we've seen some good football.

 

[Touring Mars]

I wonder if the tears were significant

Damn straight - it's not every team that faces the firing squad if they fail to reach the second round

 

[Fastas]

Damn straight - it's not every team that faces the firing squad if they fail to reach the second round

I bet he has to score or he'll loose his wife.

Either that or this is a real life 'escape to victory' match.

 

[daan]

Either that or this is a real life 'escape to victory' match.

They'll be digging through the bath as we speak!

I'm so disappointed the North Koreans are in red. I expected them to be in grey!

They are playing exactly as I thought they would though. Very fit, very organised, closing down Brazil constantly and getting in the way of the ball.

 

[arvore]

Hmmmm... something tells me the 4,5,6,7,8 - 0 score predictions may be a bit wide of the mark...

LOL I think Brazil will eventualy win but probably not with the result that Brazilians(and every other Football lover btw-WE WANT GOALS(just not in our keepers goal) were expecting...

I was hoping to see more ambition and commitement in this W.C the game is no fun without GOALS



EDIT: As I type GOAAAAL Maicon...what a great player.

 

[Touring Mars]

It's been one of the best games so far... Brazil have looked tasty, but North Korea are a real surprise... 2-0 is a very respectable score... NK have looked dogged and skilful, and if Portugal and Ivory Coast turn up to play NK with the same lacklustre attitude they showed earlier, then we might be in for some shock results!

edit: THEY SCORED! Stone the crows!!!

 

[Horde_R35]

Well seems Brazil didnt have a great game either, didnt convince me! Almost got 2-2 at the end. The 1st goal seemed like he was going to pass, because he didnt even looked at the goal, but to his companion. The 2nd goal was a fantastic pass with a proper execution! Medium Brazil game in my opinion. The coach didnt make the best choises...

 

[lpb-nissan-gt-r]

I like the bald #9 for North Korea.

 

[Famine]

So will the crows.

 

[Fastas]

They'll be digging through the bath as we speak!

I'm so disappointed the North Koreans are in red. I expected them to be in grey!

They are playing exactly as I thought they would though. Very fit, very organised, closing down Brazil constantly and getting in the way of the ball.

The North Koreans were very good, slightly naive at times but, to turn out and play Brazil the way they did was superb, probably the best game so far (coincidentally as good as their Southern brothers?).

If only England would play with that level of determination and patience and of course fitness.

 

[arvore]

Sure it wasn't the best exhibition of Brazilian Skills,but it was enough.And allowed to confirm the great potential of most of their players(only Melo seems out of place).Also Dunga did not choose the best players he took to Z.A.-Danny Alves must play-as a left winger,midfielder,whatever-as well as Ramirez.Playing with two defensive midfielders against N.K. is something beyond my understanding

 

[Omnis]

When NK plays portugal, I have a feeling Kim's navy will run aground onto the pitch. BROCKADE!

 

[livemusic]

I liked the game. Robinho seems very motivated, he's made some awesome dribbling and good passes but he needs to shoot harder at the goal. I was well impressed by Michel Bastos and Maicon, very good replacements of my favorites number 6 and 2, Roberto Carlos and Cafu. Kaká was average, he can do much better. I didn't like Elano but at least he scored a goal. Luis Fabiano showed his usual performance, a bit aggressive but we'll need that against Ivory Coast.

Good game by NK too, their #9 has talent and the team is very disciplined but I don't think they'll beat Portugal or Ivory Coast. In some other group they would have a good chance of moving to the next stage.

 

[icelt]

The North Koreans were very good, slightly naive at times but, to turn out and play Brazil the way they did was superb, probably the best game so far (coincidentally as good as their Southern brothers?).

If only England would play with that level of determination and patience and of course fitness.

I think if you watch the PRK documentary "A State of Mind" (avail to stream from Netflix IIRC) you'll find the squad's qualities you describe pretty predictable. These assembled NK football players have likely been playing as a team for 4-6 hours a day and upwards of 8 months out of the year. Very few, if any (maybe China), has the time and literally the "state of mind" to compete with their level of organizational dedication.

A well oiled machine comes to mind. I can't imagine they have the talent and experience at the highest levels of play to be a serious threat, but as you note their extreme organization, dedication and fitness should make them quite dangerous in the opening round. Take heed Portugal and Ivory Coast, the PRK will not lay down for you.

 

[Horde_R35]

When NK plays portugal, I have a feeling Kim's navy will run aground onto the pitch. BROCKADE!

Probably!

I liked the game. Robinho seems very motivated, he's made some awesome dribbling and good passes but he needs to shoot harder at the goal. I was well impressed by Michel Bastos and Maicon, very good replacements of my favorites number 6 and 2, Roberto Carlos and Cafu. Kaká was average, he can do much better. I didn't like Elano but at least he scored a goal. Luis Fabiano showed his usual performance, a bit aggressive but we'll need that against Ivory Coast.

Good game by NK too, their #9 has talent and the team is very disciplined but I don't think they'll beat Portugal or Ivory Coast. In some other group they would have a good chance of moving to the next stage.

Yes Robinho was the man of the match in my point of view:tup:! NK are good defenders and they did what they could! I wish you guys good luck with Ivory Coast!

Take heed Portugal and Ivory Coast, the PRK will not lay down for you.

Well make them lay down with goals!

 

[Dan_]

And no Ronaldinho?

He wasn't called, so we must work with whatever we have.

Well, my impressions on the game? Disappointing. 👎

You guys might be under the impression of a good game by Brazil, but it wasn't, first of all, this team cannot attack very effectively, our biggest weapon is the counterthrust, lethal. Since NK defended pretty well and only counterattacked, we almost didn't have any chances to do a proper counter move. The history would have been different against a more offensive team.

Our defense is locally praised as one of the bests ever, but we let them slip through many times, and if they had practiced more shooting.....

Talking about individualities, Robinho, the man of match, he was participative and moved nicely from one side to another, opening spaces for the side backs and dribbling nicely to create spaces. 👍 Michel Bastos and Maicon were awesome, safe defending and consistent attacks, looks like we finally have two decent side backs again. Maicon was effective and persistent, as always. 👍

Luís Fabiano, Kaká, Felipe Melo and Gilberto Silva...no comments. Our 9 wasn't inspired for today's game, Nilmar performed better in the last ten minutes, more active. Kaká isn't producing anything, many passing errors and no straight vertical attacks which he's famous by, he must dare some more to get back to his old style of playing.

Felipe Melo and Gilberto are bad players, but that's Dunga's fault. You can't play against a defensive team using TWO defensive midfielders, must use either Felipe or Gilberto, not both of them. Ramires would have been a better choice, physically weaker, but faster and does the defending-attacking transition nicely. Elano scored, but he was only regular, he's a regular player so within the expectations.

I'm sorry to say, but playing in this manner we can't win. Dunga must fix the team first, and yes, Kaká isn't performing well, and he won't in the three first games, now I'm missing Ronaldinho so much.

 

[Omnis]

I think if you watch the PRK documentary "A State of Mind" (avail to stream from Netflix IIRC) you'll find the squad's qualities you describe pretty predictable. These assembled NK football players have likely been playing as a team for 4-6 hours a day and upwards of 8 months out of the year. Very few, if any (maybe China), has the time and literally the "state of mind" to compete with their level of organizational dedication.

A well oiled machine comes to mind. I can't imagine they have the talent and experience at the highest levels of play to be a serious threat, but as you note their extreme organization, dedication and fitness should make them quite dangerous in the opening round. Take heed Portugal and Ivory Coast, the PRK will not lay down for you.

Not really. A few of them are J-league players. Why they play for DPRK and haven't filed for some kind of refugee status is beyond me.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

Do you guys think that DPR Korea will make it to the quarter finals? I actually hope they do.

 

[Omnis]

No. Their goalie is as good as Robert Green's right arm. The Maicon goal was really a pathetic excuse for goalkeeping. No wonder he was crying.

 

[bullie77]

No. Their goalie is as good as Robert Green's right arm. The Maicon goal was really a pathetic excuse for goalkeeping. No wonder he was crying.

Actually I believe Green would be flattered to conceed a goal such as Maicon's one instead of the one against US...

No one's (I suspect even Maicon) would expect he shoot the way he did. 99 in 100 goalies would prepare themselves for a cross.

 

[Famine]

As a goalie I can tell you without hesitation that in that position, you cover your post.

 

[Fastas]

I did wonder what the 'right' position for the keeper is in that situation. I didn't have the sound on the tele so I didn't hear the punditry explanation but I thought the keeper looked good to cover both shot and cross.

It was a mighty shot though from that angle and even if the keeper had got a hand to it he would probably have pushed the ball into the net anyhow.

What are you goal-keeping credentials Famine?

Today's predictions...
Honduras 0-1 Chile
Spain 1-0 Switzerland
South Africa 0-0 Uruguay

(too many goals predicted again today? )

 

[daan]

I was nearly right with my Brazil - N Korea prediction. I had it down as 2 nil for Brazil.

My predictions for today are:-

Honduras 0 - 0 Chile
Spain 4 - 0 Switzerland
South Africa 0 - 1 Uruguay

Bear in mind that these were all picked before the tournament even started

 

[Famine]

What are you goal-keeping credentials Famine?

None, beyond PE lessons at school. And a school staff footie team. And a few stints in hockey - though the goal is smaller, the ball is smaller (and harder - and faster) and you have armour, the principles of coverage are the same.

You don't ever leave your near post - there's simply no excuse for being beaten at the near post. Watch what the really good keepers through the ages do - Buffon, Woods, Schmeichel, Kahn, Casillas, Zoff, Yashin, Zubizarreta - in the same situation. Cover the near post and narrow the angle. If you do your job, they'll cross - four paces and you're in the centre of the goal again - or they'll try a nutmeg or aim for the top-far corner (which is the only bit of goal they'll see).