World Cup 2010

Right.

So today is the opening day of the games. And tomorrow, more importantly, we play the yanks. Very excited. Ill be at a real ale and cider festival, but i cant imagine a place more likely to have some facilities for watching sport.

Are any Yanks here excited?

You have a really good team. Only problem is that they dont play together especially well. Your coach, however, seems pretty solid, respected and not overly flamboyant in his playing style. You beat spain and lost 3-2 to brazil, the two favourites to win this competition, and that was only a year or so ago.

You have a really good underdog chance. Lets hope it helps footie become the top sport in your continent as it deserves to be.

An hour to the opening ceremony. I really don't care for opening ceremonies, but it's the WC. Gotta see it all.

And I'm getting confident. 9.1% baby yeah!

I nearly had the misfortune of staying at work till 4pm, I've now managed to spin it so i can leave at 1:30pm .... :D:up:.

So excited, i can't wait for the WC!

3 minutes into the world cup and im already sick of those fucking vuvuzela horns. Whose idea was that? How on earth did they catch on? Its not even a pleasant sound. Like a buzzing fly or bee...

Well, that started off disappointing. I'll accept nerves as an excuse for SAF - MEX. URU - FRA was a disgrace. If only Ireland were here, at least they always show spirit.

Please Gods of Football, let South Africa and Mexico kick France's and Urugay's asses out of this tournament.

Yes. That would mean we (england) would play one of the weaker teams later on.

Then again, mexico gave us a little scare earlier in the month...

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Originally Posted by Spawnie

Are any Yanks here excited?

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Yup. The wife and I will watch tomorrow. She actually likes WC soccer. Sort of. Last time she bought a soccer ball for hersl and had me teach her. That lasted 30 minutes. :)

Edit: watched parts of both games today: we have a big wide-screen monitor and speakers on one desk, and had it running continuously. I'm hoping they'll give more yellow cards for fouls on players making runs. Futile hope, I'm sure. The rest of the world perversely prodes themselves on their game with minimal scoring opportunities, where hammering a ball over the crossbar from 35 meters is considering exciting. Americanize your sport, fellas. Clean up the fouls so offensive players don't always end up on their asses.

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You have a really good team. Only problem is that they dont play together especially well. Your coach, however, seems pretty solid, respected and not overly flamboyant in his playing style. You beat spain and lost 3-2 to brazil, the two favourites to win this competition, and that was only a year or so ago.

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Thanks for the primer. :)

US will do OK, but I seriously doubt they'll beat England. But we do have an excellent keeper.

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You have a really good underdog chance. Lets hope it helps footie become the top sport in your continent as it deserves to be.

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{facepalm}
1) You think calling it "footie" will help?!?!?
2) If you could stop guys from doing the occasional line dance after a goal, it would go a long way. I never use this term, but it looks ridiculously gay. You lose >50% of American men RIGHT THERE. Our men are very homophobic, so anything that smacks of effeminate behavior in an athlete is verboten. Only certain types of homoeroticism are allowed, like butt slapping on skin-tight NFL armor/panties.

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Originally Posted by ']['ear

Edit: watched parts of both games today: we have a big wide-screen monitor and speakers on one desk, and had it running continuously. I'm hoping they'll give more yellow cards for fouls on players making runs. Futile hope, I'm sure. The rest of the world perversely prodes themselves on their game with minimal scoring opportunities, where hammering a ball over the crossbar from 35 meters is considering exciting. Americanize your sport, fellas. Clean up the fouls so offensive players don't always end up on their asses.

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They get enough yellow cards handed out for that. Most of those attacking players specialise in making any contact look like assault. Any player fouled in a clear goalscoring (or "last man") position would mean the offending player would get a red card.

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Thanks for the primer. :)

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That wasnt just for you, Captain Solipsism. Not many americans would be especially aware of your teams chances or recent history.

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{facepalm}
1) You think calling it "footie" will help?!?!?

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No... thats what i and millions and millions of other people call it...

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2) If you could stop guys from doing the occasional line dance after a goal, it would go a long way. I never use this term, but it looks ridiculously gay. You lose >50% of American men RIGHT THERE. Our men are very homophobic, so anything that smacks of effeminate behavior in an athlete is verboten. Only certain types of homoeroticism are allowed, like butt slapping on skin-tight NFL armor/panties.

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Rediculous. Dancing is gay but wearing panties and slapping one another on the arse isnt?

Thinking on it, you dont deserve to participate in football...

I think "vuvuzela" seems to be the word of the day. First heard it from Amanda (she's South African) and heard it repeatedly today.

Unfortunately I need to work during most football matches, for the first time in my 5 years with the company though we've got special dispensation to wear our national team shirt if we want on the days our teams play. Amanda went to work today in an SA shirt and tomorrow I have my England one ready. She bought me the Away strip this morning. Coincidentally and luckily, despite doing about 60+ hour weeks at the moment, I might actually get England games 2 and 3 off. I never normally give myself a Friday off, but for next week we have so many managers across the group off that its been dubbed the "week of mayhem" and my boss has for once decided with us when we'll work across the group. Amanda and I've been given Friday as our only day off of the week, to celebrate my birthday on the Thursday which we both have to work on (I am on a training course at head office, so don't mind, I've been wanting to do this course for ages and it was the only date available). So Friday next week I'm hoping we'll celebrate my birthday belatedly in a pub watching the England game :D. For the last few months I've had Wednesday's as my normal day off - and that is the date of our final match. Going to publish my schedule for the following week tomorrow and give myself Wed as normal since that's what we've agreed in general and hopefully I don't get any complaints. Didn't see a single game in '06 so 2 will be refreshing :).

In Euro '04 we actually did play and win on my birthday itself :)

As much as I made fun of them earlier in the thread, I bought today a pair of England flags for my car :)

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Originally Posted by ']['ear

Americanize your sport

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Video judge, sin bin instead of yellow cards and time-outs. Sure.

A 2 minute commercial block every 5 minutes ... not so much ;) I watched most of the Stanley Cup Games ... Key riced that was annoying.

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You lose >50% of American men RIGHT THERE. Our men are very homophobic

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Good riddance.

Dear Green,

What the fuck was that?

Love,

USA


PS:
http://humanprovince.files.wordpress...n_haha2uwr.jpg

england, lol

Oh dear, the one guy on the team allowed to use his hands has butterfingers!

PS I watched Australia flog England in the Rugby last night, it was bizarre since our team is so inexperienced and we were killed in the scrum (we gave up two penalty trys ffs) and yet we still manage to beat them fairly easily.

I wonder if they'll be showing the WC on the plane? Can only hope - it should help me fall asleep...:D

Jeepers, England. Is your keeper only 14? Last time *I* scored a goal like that was against a 14 year old keeper.

Clearly your countrymen don't know how to use their hands. I recommend importing some American talent there. Sort of like America does for every other position. :D

My god I hope they follow through with this...

Those things sound like a mosquito buzzing right by your ear, for Floridians thats easy enough to ignore, to a point, but holy hell I was starting to think the crowd had more stamina than the players.

Germany looks reaaaally good.

Australia not even playing badly, just damn.

Nervous!!!!

Just back from a wedding weekend so caught most of the matches as highlights only.

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Poor Rob Green. :(
He's been fairly solid for West Ham. Better than David James for Portsmouth.
And now this.
Made a good save in the second half though.

We did look lively though from what the highlights showed - passed the ball well. Only seemed like our finishing let us down.

Goal was classic Gerrard. :up:

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Argies seemed very dangerous. Only Nigeria's incredible goalie kept out Messi's umpteen billion attempts on goal. On the looks of this match Argentina are my current favourites to win.

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South Korea pretty much demolished Greece. They look convincing.

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Originally Posted by Ziggy Stardust

Nervous!!!!

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Bah. It's only Denmark.

Bah! It was only USA. :)

Sigh. Yes. True I suppose.

There is no such thing as a gimmie at this level of competition.

Indeed. I'll stop being nervous when we're ahead and the whistle has blown, or when we have a 3 goal margin. I can remember too many games where we gave away a 2 goal advantage.

I'm confident though. :)

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Originally Posted by Timbuk2

Bah. It's only Denmark.

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I think I feel less nervous because we play Spain... we nothing to lose and can only win.

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World Cup 2010: Organisers will not ban vuvuzelas

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...9_vuvuzela.jpg

World Cup organisers say they will not ban vuvuzelas from stadiums in South Africa despite numerous complaints.

The sound of the plastic horn has been likened to the drone of a thousand bees or a herd of stampeding elephants.

Cristiano Ronaldo says the noise affects players' concentration while some fans watching on television claim they cannot hear the match commentary.

But a World Cup spokesman insisted vuvuzelas are "ingrained in the history of South Africa" and will remain.

Rich Mkhondo also said vuvuzelas had worldwide appeal.

"Let us not make this a South Africa instrument alone," he said. "A vuvuzela is now an international instrument. People buy them and stuff them in their suitcase to go home.

"Only a minority are against vuvuzelas. You either love them or hate. We in South Africa love them."

A recent survey found that the sound emitted by a vuvuzela was the equivalent to 127 decibels - louder than a drum's 122 decibels, or a referee's whistle at 121.8 decibels.

"I'm all for them - let South Africa host the tournament in their own inimitable style" - BBC Sport's Peter Scrivener

Portugal star Ronaldo is the latest World Cup star to voice unease about the trumpet.

"It is difficult for anyone on the pitch to concentrate," said the Real Madrid striker. "A lot of players don't like them, but they are going to have to get used to them."

France captain Patrice Evra blamed the noise generated by the vuvuzelas for his side's poor showing in their opening group game against Uruguay, which finished goalless.

He said: "We can't sleep at night because of the vuvuzelas. People start playing them from 6am.

"We can't hear one another out on the pitch because of them."

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:rolleyes:

They're fucking appalling. Constant, endless drone.

I didnt think there was a more annoying sound than that portsmouth fucker with his bell, but then again, the other few thousand portsmouth fans didnt decided to pick up on the trend.

Vuvuzelas are how this tournament will be remembered.

Also, im finding that the pitch is at exactly the right level to make me hunch my shoulders uncomfortably. Watching games is significantly less pleasant now.

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Originally Posted by Timbuk2

:rolleyes:

They're fucking appalling. Constant, endless drone.

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Disagreed completely. Its a major part of SA culture, what's the point in having it in different places if we just ban the bits of their culture that irritate us? We might as well then just pick one uniform spot and keep it there.

What next, someone else says that fans chanting is irritating so ban that too?

I don't think there'll be many South Africans that will be upset if this tournament is remembered for vuvuzelas, its part of their culture. Amanda certainly was concerned pre-tournament that a tourist would get attacked and the tournament would get remembered for crime. A local musical instrument, even if its a loud one, is not the worst thing ever to remember.

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Shout has really grown on me in the last few days. First saw it on the BGT final and wasn't that convinced by it, but the more I listen to it the more I like it. I quite like the line early on of "we're tired of bragging about things 40-odd years ago". Too right :up: I wasn't even born in '66, anyone under the age of at least 50 won't really remember it yet people drone on about it as if it was yesterday. Best since "Three Lions" easily.

Culture my ass. This is just destroying the ambiance totally:
http://i.imgur.com/rEAil.png

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No chants equals no atmosphere at World Cup

JOHANNESBURG – The constant drone of cheap and tuneless plastic horns is killing the atmosphere at the World Cup.

Where are loud choruses of "Oooohhhs" from enthralled crowds when a shot scorches just wide of the goalpost? And the sharp communal intake of breath, the shrill "Aaahhhhss," when a goalkeeper makes an acrobatic, match-winning save? Or the humorous/moving/offensive football chants and songs?

Mostly, they're being drowned out by the unrelenting water-torture beehive hummmmmmmmmmm of South African vuvuzela trumpets. Damn them. They are stripping World Cup 2010 of football's aural artistry.

Vuvuzela apologists — a few more weeks of this brainless white noise will perhaps change, or melt, their minds — defend the din as simply part of the South African experience. Each country to its own, they say. When in Rome, blah, blah, blah. Get with the par-tee and blow, man.

Which would be fine if this was purely a South African competition. Fans could then legitimately hoot away to their hearts' content while annoying no one other than their immediate neighbors.

But this is the World Cup, a celebration of the 32 nations that qualified and all that did not, but still play and love the game. Hosting planet football brings responsibilities. At the very least, South Africa should ensure that the hundreds of millions of visitors who come in goodwill to its door, both in person and via the magic of television, do not go home with a migraine. How many TV viewers, longing for a more nuanced soundtrack to go with the show, have already concluded that the only way to enjoy this World Cup is by pressing mute on their remote?

In Tweeting, "No offense to the vuvuzela posse but, man, it's a bit much," seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was not alone.

Attending or watching a match should be a feast for the eyes and ears. Those two senses work better together, each augmenting the other.

Sounds should ebb and flow like tides with the fortunes on the field. That adds to the drama. Fans reacting with their voices to action on the pitch, to events in the stadium and to each other's sounds, songs and chants are part of football's theater. Outside of South Africa, they are.

A sudden crowd silence can also tell a story — perhaps of the heartbreak of a late, defeat-inflicting goal or of the shock of seeing a player horribly injured by a bad tackle. Sometimes, you should even be able to hear a coach bark orders from the touchline or players shouting at each other for the ball.

There are stadium sounds other than vuvuzelas at this World Cup — just not enough of them. They are being bullied into submission by the trumpets' never-ending screech.

There were scattered unison chants of "In-ger-land, In-ger-land," a few bars of "God Save the Queen" and the occasional "USA! USA!" when England played the United States on Saturday night. But vuvuzelas ultimately won the battle of the bands. They and the result — a disappointing 1-1 tie — silenced England's fans, who usually are among the best-drilled noisemakers in football.

They take their singing seriously, with chants that are cheeky, taunting and often insulting. But at least they are inventive.

The same cannot be said of vuvuzelas. They are simply mindless. Their pitch doesn't change, only the intensity. Blow hard. Blow soft. The range is from horrifically loud to just annoyingly so.

Please, South Africa, make them stop. Give us a song, instead.

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John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/...cester130610_4

They've also been to shown to cause permanent hearing loss...

Well I'm all for the sights and sounds of different cultures bringing something extra to a footy tournament, but not one which;

a) inteferes with the players ability to play the game, and

b) makes watching a match an unpleasant experience.

I found it so irritating that I turned the sound right down to the point that it was barely audible, and could only just hear the commentary above the drone if I strained to listen. When I did so my other half, who was reading the papers at the time, said sheesh, what a relief.

I'm all for chanting, singing, applause, booing, cheering etc yadda which always adds to a football match and the atmosphere of the game, and can boost the players. The rise and fall of the noise and oohs and aahs of the crowd are fantastic, I love it. This goddamn vuvuzela horn does not rise and fall with the play of the game, it's a constant monotonous drone and adds nothing.

earthjoker's pic sums it up nicely.

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Originally Posted by Somewhere on Reddit

Pros:

*A source of national pride.

*Some say it is part of the South African culture

*Many people like the noise and atmosphere it creates.

*Banning it would remind any people of the racism and discrimination that has been such a major part of SA history.

*Many argue: "It's our/their country. Others have no right to tell them what to do."

Cons:

*HOLY FUCK THAT SHIT IS ANNOYING!!!

*It makes SA look like a bad host. They have volunteered to have a party at their house and now they are incessantly blowing horns in the ears of their guests.

*It is rude. If other cultures/countries do things that are rude or annoying to rest of the world, it is irrelevant to this conversation. We all learned the "Two wrongs don't make a right" when we were in first grade.

*It could ultimately be bad for the economic well-being of SA. If the world sees SA as a bad host, people will be less likely to hold sporting events there, leading to less money flowing into the country.

*It completely "drones" out the ebb and flow of the game.

*It blocks out real music with constant noise.

*Makes it difficult, if not impossible, for players and coaches to communicate leading to lower quality football.

*Makes it difficult to hear the announcers and learn about the teams and the game in general.

*At this point, the legacy of this World Cup is one of the divisiveness and annoyance of the vuvuzela when the legacy should be the uniting of the world through healthy competition, comradery, and memorable football.

*This is the WORLD Cup. Although it is being held in SA, it does not belong to them any more than the Olympics would belong to the host country. These events belong to a United World.

*There is the possibility of ear damage to people within the stadium.

*The possibility of spreading communicable disease/illness is increased; notably, I am referring to those who are not playing and sharing a vuvuzela but have just gone to enjoy the match.

*It is not music; it is simply noise.

*The volume and tone does not change during any portion of the match, leading to less emotion of the majority of people watching the matches.

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http://i.imgur.com/kTKdx.jpg http://i.imgur.com/O2DC2.jpg

America FUCK YEAH!:

http://i.imgur.com/DItZT.jpg