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Add it to the reasons for why soccer is broken. Other sports have a pretty clear understanding that when Team B changes the aspect of the sport (such as turning Soccer into Volleyball) to stop Team A from scoring, the score is still awarded.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dattu
Between the bad calls, and cheap plays, this isn't the best year for the world cup. :down:
And that's why things work different in football. It also is far from broken.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
Actually, the rule in hockey is the same: if a player (other than the goalie) closes his glove on a puck within the goal crease, the other team is awarded a penalty shot. The only automatic goal in hockey is if a team pulls its goalie and then commits a penalty on a player who has a breakaway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
Since a couple of days Nike is running a new add in Holland which intermingles pictures of the Dutch side with texts the first of which reads; 'Losing gracefully is still losing' and the last of which is 'Break their hearts'.
That add really caught the spirit in this country; people don't really care about 'beautiful matches' any longer, they want to (finally) see Oranje win. And so far it has won every match played. If it would take something like Suarez did to prevent Holland losing another World Cup final I would kiss the hand that did it.
BTW; 11.7 million viewers for that Holland Brazil match. That's on a population of 17 million. I wonder how high the numbers will go if the final is really a Holland - Germany match.
Agreed. It's not the prettiest thing, but he's Uruguay's hero.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazir
And he's disqualified from the semifinals, so that's good for us :D
So much for South American dominance.
And I think that Maradona knows who Müller is, now :D
Maradona was behaving like a ball boy himself during that match :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Flixy
I hope my predictions for the Dutchies doing well doesn't happen, i just noticed i didn't put a £10 on them winning it ... if it comes through i'll be pissed (but happy too but shh don't tell anyone!).
BS. Brilliant heads up play. Great athletes always do what optimizes their chances for winning, and they do so in a split second. But in this case it's a no brainer. Every soccer player learns from an early age to a) get on the line when the keeper is out of position, and b) stop the ball with your hand if its going in. Great play. :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
I couldn't disagree more. Sports rules are NOT like laws, where people who break them are contemptible because they cannot co-exist in a civil society. Rather, sports rules are the parameters that give shape to the game. Players who act best within those parameters make their teams more likely to win. It's as simple as that, and Suarez made a great play that ultimately advanced his team. Had the PK been made, Suarez' hand ball would still have been a great play, because it optimized his team's chances. Kudos to him! The stock of an already excellent player went up further.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dattu
Look, it's not like somebody did a brutal foul to advance their team. Then you're talking an ethically sketchy situation.
Not sad to see Argentina go. Plus, Maradona is a buffoon, and he killed his team. They lacked a coherent game plan and played carelessly. They got to the quarter finals against inferior teams because they have the most skilled squad in the world. But we've seen over and over that quality teams quality collections of players. Diego Maradona coaches like a prima donna striker, and his team showed it. I can imagine him coaching, telling everybody to play exclusively by feel, etc. etc., just like he played. He took the most skilled team in the cup and set up a fall by pure bad coaching. I was praying it would happen, because I didn't want to see that ass win. Tevez and Messi should be royally pissed, not because they lost, but because their soccer federation saddled them with an incompetent. If there's any justice, we'll never see Maradona as a world cup coach again, though my money is on him showing up coaching an African side in 4 or 8 years.Quote:
Anyway, go Netherlands! Also, sad to see Argentina go, but Germany played a very clean, strong game.
:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazir
:haha:Quote:
Originally Posted by RandBlade
There have been somewhat more bad calls this cup than any I recall (but there are always some). But cheap plays? What about Maradona's "hand of God?" Suarez' was a great heads up play. I'm not sure what pot smoking sporting universe you hail from, but the point is to compete at your very best and to win. As long as you do so without any dirty tricks, then I have no problems. This cup, with less whining and less flopping, is much better than most in spite of some spotty officiating. If they can add a review of goal calls, which would only take a studio video review of a minute for each goal, then much of the streaky officiating would be gone. BTW, I was impressed with how the officials in the quarter finals kept the tempers from spiraling out of control when losing teams got desperate. Brazil in particular was shocking with their whining. I thought they started to morph into Italy. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
Had Suarez not done that, you'd be playing Ghana (and winning). Suarez is a hero, and a clutch player. Doubtlessly he'll be devastated not to be playing, but he's the only reason his team advanced, and he should be very proud.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazir
Huh, I think we were running about 6% for the round of 16 game US-Ghana game. :bored:Quote:
BTW; 11.7 million viewers for that Holland Brazil match. That's on a population of 17 million. I wonder how high the numbers will go if the final is really a Holland - Germany match.
I've always liked the Dutch. I think their beautiful game is what soccer is about, and teams like Italy with their brutal conservative ball make me want to claw my eyes out. The Dutch now have some scoring punch as well, and it will likely get them to the Finals (where they will lose).Quote:
Originally Posted by Lor
So far things are working great for my work bracket. I called every post-pool game correctly, and I have Dutch losing to Germany in the Final, with Spain taking 3rd. In principle Spain could mount a good challenge. Their control game is beautiful, but they lack real scoring creativity against a really good defense. I predict that Germany gets another clean sheet against Spain. Of course, wonders can happen, which is why we watch, eh?
PS I love lots of perennial powers going out early (particularly Italy :D). Tired of the same old cast, and fun to see small countries play passionate ball and do well.
Cheap plays? Well, I've seen better, but last world cup Netherlands- Portugal was more like a boxing match than football (and about half the red cards in one match as in the entire world cup so far). I prefer this world cup, it has had exciting matches and no real dirty matches.Quote:
Between the bad calls, and cheap plays, this isn't the best year for the world cup.
I hope Argentina will get a new coach who will know how to use the best player in the world. Sometimes you saw flashes of his brilliance, but you need a team to play well to make the stars play well. See Germany. Such a shame.
It really is, and Messi should be very disappointed. Squandered is the word. The old adage is that phenomenal players don't make great coaches, because they do it all instinctively and can't communicate that to others. Also, those who are most physically gifted don't necessarily have the intellectual understanding required by somebody less gifted. Regardless, there's a long history of superstar-turned-coach train wrecks. But Maradona was extra special in that regard. :down:
The local store had a special semi final beer offer (36 bottles for 10€), which is excellent because we ran out of beer last friday!
We're gonna watch it with some friends too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flixy
I don't know yet if I'll be watching here with housemates + neighbours + friends, or back home where I grew up with other friends at a youth center. I'm thinking it's going to be the old friends and youth center :) Cheap beer + plasma TV + friends = excellent. Maybe they'll hook up a beamer, too.
I'm gonna watch it on German TV by the way, I found out that signal gets in 1-2 seconds before the dutch signal does with UPC. It's really annoying if you can hear from the noise on the square if an action was succesfull or not.
I don't live in areas where that is a big problem :p Either in zeeland (big squares? ha!) or in a vogelaarswijk (big suares? ha!). The only thing I hear is other students watching the same channel we are :D
:shifty: Just 9 hours 15 minutes to go.
:flail:
Maybe I'll even wear orange this time.
Ewww.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flixy
Taste, sweetheart, taste.
For Americans: just close your eyes and imagine a beer commercial every time the game slows down a bit. That would make it more familiar.
@Lolli, the only taste Dutch football fans have is for beer.
This is not a matter of taste or fashion. This is bigger. I don't have anything orange to wear I"m affraid. But I think I will have to buy a shirt or such if they really eliminate Uruguay and Germany defeats Spain.Quote:
Originally Posted by littlelolligagged
The idiots! :headbang:Quote:
Originally Posted by Loki
Yeah, they could at least have planned it so that they would be in South Africa during the finals.Quote:
Originally Posted by Timbuk2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMmsa...eature=related
One more hour to go.
Jesus Christ what a goal! :eek:
Van Bronckhorst from miles out.