France.
I hate them but they played great footy the other night. Zidane is a genius.
France vs Germany final.
[quote]hotsauce wrote:
It?s done!!!
It was all us after the first goal. The gauchos were in control of the ball most of the time but had just one real chance to score and the goal was a corner kick, so great defense on our side again. Metzelder and Mertesacker are really playing great together right now. I am pretty confident we will destroy Italy and make it to the final once again! We are by far the team with the biggest heart in this tournament.
I believe!!![/quote]
Your kidding right? Destroy Italy just like you “destroyed” Argentina? Germany was really fortunate to win that game because Argentina were clearly the better side that day. My prediction. Italy will score first, put 10 men behind the ball and win 1- 0.
electric_eales, are you the black fella or the white fella in your avatar?
Because the black fella is the absolute spitting image of one of my mates. His name’s Shaun, just in case.
[quote]hspder wrote:
1-packlondoner wrote:
The World Cup is the chance to show what you are truly made of. Germany are doing that. England may have done that by failing to beat you, but I fear Ronaldo also did that with those actions.
You do have a point there. I agree that Cristiano Ronaldo is not exactly providing great press for Portugal. Not that I fret too much about it, since only my friends know that I’m of Portuguese descent… Most people in the US don’t even know what Portugal is… Plus my extremely obviously Brazilian wife tends to deflect attention a lot. 
However, again, you do have a point.
1-packlondoner wrote:
PS - I must stop praising Germany. Makes me feel all unclean inside… lol
Hey, Germany might be one of the most mind-numbing boring places I’ve ever lived in, but I have nothing but praise about all Germans I’ve met. Still have many friends there, especially at the Max Planck institute, which, by the way, is at the forefront of scientific research in many areas – which is amazing, considering their lack of financial resources.
Plus, I think we can all agree that ANYTHING is better than France winning the Cup. Right?
[/quote]
Anyone but those cheating italians and portuguese for me mate, oh and the germans because im supposed to dislike them right? so that leaves, shit, the french. Oh well
I dont care who wins it this year.
RUGBY WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR!!!
[quote]supermick wrote:
RUGBY WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR!!![/quote]
Yeah fuck soccer - it’s for pansies. I’m all about American football now.
[quote]1-packlondoner wrote:
electric_eales, are you the black fella or the white fella in your avatar?
Because the black fella is the absolute spitting image of one of my mates. His name’s Shaun, just in case.[/quote]
Thats the two main characters from ‘human traffic’ Koop and Jip, tell your mate to rent it out, Koop is cool as fook
[quote]supermick wrote:
RUGBY WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR!!![/quote]
I do not fancy our chances of holding onto it though 
I am going to support France for the duration of this world cup, I will do so just out of respect for Henry who I think is a totally amazing guy on and off the field (and I hate the gooners too)
[quote]electric_eales wrote:
Thats the two main characters from ‘human traffic’ Koop and Jip, tell your mate to rent it out, Koop is cool as fook
[/quote]
How funny… He’s a dead ringer…
[quote]1-packlondoner wrote:
bg100 wrote:
1-packlondoner wrote:
My thoughts on it.
Any player that clutches themself or that causes play to be stopped because they are ‘in pain’ should spend a minimum of three minutes on the sidelines before they can rejoin the game to erm… Make sure they are ok.
This would surely cut down on exaggerated claims of injury.
Any player motioning or requesting for an opposition player to be carded should instantly be yellow carded themselves.
Only the captains of the two teams should be able to approach the referee and question a decision. Attempts to surround or otherwise intimidate a referee should result in a yellow card for all offenders except the captains, unless they too are attempting to intimidate the referee.
I think these measures would go some way to cleaning up the game.
Great suggestions. After all, what is the captain’s armband for? So the ref knows who to talk to! They do it better in league and union. The player who needs talking to and the captain of both teams are called out by the ref, everyone else is waved away and the ref won’t start talking until they go away. That way the players know that they aren’t going to get anywhere by intimidating the ref.
One thing I don’t like, and I’m not sure if this happens in football, is that the refs are nowing talking to players by their first names. I think becoming too familiar can break down the levels of respect. It was better when the players were just referred to by their team colour and number e.g. “blue team No. 8”, and the players called the ref “sir”. Keeps it simple and respectful.
Agreed. Some times you see a ref just too in awe of Ronaldinho or fatty Ronaldo to book him.
[/quote]
1-packlondoner: I hope that at some point they will seriously consider changing the rules and your ideas are pretty damn good. Bring honor back into the sport, even if the players have to be dragged into it, kicking and screaming.
Franz Beckenbauer has commented that the players are making the refs’ lives hell and that they are to blame (the players). Someone in this thread commented that we can watch a replay 4 times and then call the ref an idiot. I agree, they have a very tough job. They will make mistakes, and that makes things even more interesting. But the odd bit of support from a video crew as in some other sports would be good. Also, punishing divers seeking cards after the game could be introduced as well, taking some pressure off the refs during the game, and increasing the pressure on the players to act like warriors instead of fuckin’ pantywaists!
where did i say anything about us destroying Argentina???
Of course we were lucky to win that game but we deserved the win because we fought until it was over and did not stop playing like the gauchos, after their goal.
And no, I am not kidding about us destroying Italy. These bastards made the FIFA take out one of our best players for the game. It?s still not going to help them.
And again: This is not about playing better or being more talented. It is about winning!!!
[quote]JACKED71 wrote:
hotsauce wrote:
It?s done!!!
It was all us after the first goal. The gauchos were in control of the ball most of the time but had just one real chance to score and the goal was a corner kick, so great defense on our side again. Metzelder and Mertesacker are really playing great together right now. I am pretty confident we will destroy Italy and make it to the final once again! We are by far the team with the biggest heart in this tournament.
I believe!!!
Your kidding right? Destroy Italy just like you “destroyed” Argentina? Germany was really fortunate to win that game because Argentina were clearly the better side that day. My prediction. Italy will score first, put 10 men behind the ball and win 1- 0.
[/quote]
[quote]Austro Canuck wrote:
1-packlondoner wrote:
bg100 wrote:
1-packlondoner wrote:
My thoughts on it.
Any player that clutches themself or that causes play to be stopped because they are ‘in pain’ should spend a minimum of three minutes on the sidelines before they can rejoin the game to erm… Make sure they are ok.
This would surely cut down on exaggerated claims of injury.
Any player motioning or requesting for an opposition player to be carded should instantly be yellow carded themselves.
Only the captains of the two teams should be able to approach the referee and question a decision. Attempts to surround or otherwise intimidate a referee should result in a yellow card for all offenders except the captains, unless they too are attempting to intimidate the referee.
I think these measures would go some way to cleaning up the game.
Great suggestions. After all, what is the captain’s armband for? So the ref knows who to talk to! They do it better in league and union. The player who needs talking to and the captain of both teams are called out by the ref, everyone else is waved away and the ref won’t start talking until they go away. That way the players know that they aren’t going to get anywhere by intimidating the ref.
One thing I don’t like, and I’m not sure if this happens in football, is that the refs are nowing talking to players by their first names. I think becoming too familiar can break down the levels of respect. It was better when the players were just referred to by their team colour and number e.g. “blue team No. 8”, and the players called the ref “sir”. Keeps it simple and respectful.
Agreed. Some times you see a ref just too in awe of Ronaldinho or fatty Ronaldo to book him.
1-packlondoner: I hope that at some point they will seriously consider changing the rules and your ideas are pretty damn good. Bring honor back into the sport, even if the players have to be dragged into it, kicking and screaming.
Franz Beckenbauer has commented that the players are making the refs’ lives hell and that they are to blame (the players). Someone in this thread commented that we can watch a replay 4 times and then call the ref an idiot. I agree, they have a very tough job. They will make mistakes, and that makes things even more interesting. But the odd bit of support from a video crew as in some other sports would be good. Also, punishing divers seeking cards after the game could be introduced as well, taking some pressure off the refs during the game, and increasing the pressure on the players to act like warriors instead of fuckin’ pantywaists![/quote]
Well put. When people say it’s a pansy sport that’s bullshit, but it IS increasingly in the interests of a player to feign injury and LOOK like a pansy because the repurcussions are nothing compared to the greater good of 3 points or winning a cup match. Make the incentive biased towards it being in the interest of the player to stay on his feet and then it would all be different.
http://www.tshirts365.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=2133
Mine’s on order right now!
Damn that Italy Germany game was a great game of football.
I hope Italy win now and thats final 
Great match. I’m proving with my predictions this time around that I have no fucking clue about the game.
I guess I’m going for France now cos of Henry and a final swansong for Zizou.
ITALIA!!!
Scheisse!
It’s a shame.
In the first half, they were the better team, the second half was dominated by us.
I don’t know who they bribed besides the FIFA guys who banned Frings which forced us to reconstruct our whole friggin midfield, but somehow they managed to score in the extra time.
Such a shame. I hope the Frogs will take care of those injury-faking pussies in the final. Then we shall do our part with the other shameless cheaters, e.g. the Portuguese.
Damn.
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Such a shame. I hope the Frogs will take care of those injury-faking pussies in the final. Then we shall do our part with the other shameless cheaters, e.g. the Portuguese.[/quote]
There are three certain things in the Universe: death, taxes, and that Germans will never understand Latin culture.
You call it cheating. We call it Roman Ingenuity…
It’s just a game. It’s a show, a form of entertainment. Don’t take it too seriously.
Carpe Diem!
Sadly, too many, soccer is more than a game. Andrés Escobar - Wikipedia
I really wanted Germany to win that. =/ Anyways, go France!
I hope I can get out of work tomorrow to watch the game.