[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
I told her they are French and not American and it stumped her.[/quote]
If one of my kids had had that reaction I’d lock him/her in the library for a week and force him/her to read through every single Anthropology, Sociology or History book I have there.
And I wouldn’t go advertising that in a thread where the majority of people are from outside the US. We have an image to protect, you know?
Just kidding…
First of all, cadav, Congratulations! I am really happy for you and your team.
[quote]cadav wrote:
supermick wrote:
What was Zidane thinking? Shame for a great player to go out like that.
Honestly i admit i’m really sorry to have seen “Zizoo” ending his world cup and his career in that “stupid” way…[/quote]
You’re definitely not as sorry as my Algerian friends. The last thing they needed was their poster child to help perpetuate the negative stereotypes…
You would not believe how many “He’s an Arab, what did you expect?” or “He’s an Arab, alright!” comments I heard and read today…
[quote]hspder wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
I told her they are French and not American and it stumped her.
If one of my kids had had that reaction I’d lock him/her in the library for a week and force him/her to read through every single Anthropology, Sociology or History book I have there.
And I wouldn’t go advertising that in a thread where the majority of people are from outside the US. We have an image to protect, you know?
Just kidding…
[/quote]
Relax. He said she is seven.
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Yeah right Zidane butts him to the CHEST and the other guy falls to the grounds as if a jackhammer would have crushed his balls. My one year old nephew wouldn’t make such a fuss .
It’s of course unsportsmanlike to do this and Zidane is acting like a fool. Similar things happened to Wayne Rooney.
BUT nontheless:
The world cup 2006 goes to …
The Italien Drama Queens!
Oh God of Football, when did you turn gay? -NTTAW…
[/quote]
What the fuck is the matter with you guys?
I know everyone on this site like to jerk off about testosterone and how manly everyone is - but when has it ever been OK to just up and headbutt a guy in professional soccer and then bitch about the guy getting a red card? Seriously, that’s fucking ludicrous.
Whatever the hell Materrazi told Zizou to get him to flip out like that obviously worked. Call it flopping on Materrazi’s part but Zidane fucking decked that guy. It was much, much harder and way more blatant than Figo’s head-tap in the Holland game. It was malicious and dirty and Zidane apparently thought he could get away with it. Also, as someone already mentioned, this is not the first time Zizou has flipped out like that in a match.
A completely justified and correct red card. Totally classless and uncalled for on Zidane’s part and beyond the bounds of the normal b.s. you’ll see in a match (i.e. flopping, diving).
A shame really, because I thought France outplayed Italy and basically took over the game in the second half and was really moving the ball well. Italy got raped in the midfield and their forwards were absolutely non-existent. Zidane OWNED Gattuso and Totti was a non-factor.
IMHO, Italy reverted to what it does best, the boring catenaccio when it realized that it had no ideas to break the Makelele-Thuram-Vieira brick wall. I guess the strategy is to fatigue the opposition and then try to win it on a counter in the final minutes.
I also thought that they began to exploit the weak link in the French back line, the left-back Abidal - that guy was giving away corner kicks like nobody’s business (4 by my count, including the one that lead to the Italian equalizer) - he had 3 in the second half that nearly cost France the game.
Anyway, credit to the brilliant Italian defense and Gigi Buffon who made two brilliant saves to keep the game tied.
But in the end, I don’t think having Zidane in the penalty round would have made a difference - it would have just prolonged the shootout perhaps, but it was clear that Barthez was way, way off, so much so that barring an Italian choke they would have slotted 10 on that guy = you could also tell that Buffon was sharper and would have probably saved one or two eventually.
When the best goalie in the world was getting worked like that in PK round, only goes to highlight how bad ass Ricardo, Portugal’s keeper, was.
Look, it’s perfectly right in my book that Zizou saw a red card for his Chestbutt- but that’s not my point.
It’s just that I’m so disgusted how the Italians had to emphasize on drama. This is not how a popular sport should evolve.
I’m really so dissapointed of this circus.
BTW, the WC itself was pretty cool here in Germany.
Goodbye, soccer fans from all over the world. Hope you took some nice memories home.
[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
When the best goalie in the world was getting worked like that in PK round, only goes to highlight how bad ass Ricardo, Portugal’s keeper, was. [/quote]
I think I’m in love… 
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
It’s just that I’m so disgusted how the Italians had to emphasize on drama. This is not how a popular sport should evolve.
I’m really so dissapointed of this circus.
[/quote]
I’ve been following this long winded discussion on how flopping is “ruining” the game.
That’s funny, this shit has been around as long as I have been watching the game (25 years now) - face it, it’s part of the game.
When the stakes of winning are this high forget “beautiful football” - teams are going to do whatever it takes to get an advantage over the other team. Flopping, diving, sucker punches, headbutts, you name it.
Like they say in American football - “Defense wins championships” - as we have seen today, this is also true of international football.
At the WC elimination level it is truly the survival of the fittest and the strongest - not the prettiest playing or necessarily better team.
Please understand this - this is both the drama and the curse of football. It isn’t really going to change.
Maybe if FIFA brings in another official who can eyeball the flagrant diving and actually begin to enforce it with yellow/red cards then maybe it may stop. But until that point, quit your whining, sit back and enjoy the madness.
Can’t wait for the transfer market to go into full gear again.
Can you say Serie A fire sale? The La Liga and EPL big boys are going to go on a buying frenzy. Should be fun.
[quote]hspder wrote:
OARSMAN wrote:
When the best goalie in the world was getting worked like that in PK round, only goes to highlight how bad ass Ricardo, Portugal’s keeper, was.
I think I’m in love… ;-)[/quote]
I’m flattered, but I don’t roll in that way. LOL.
Yeah, Ricardo was the best GK in the WC IMHO.
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Relax. He said she is seven.[/quote]
And THAT, my friends, is why “1000 years of German Humour” is officially the shortest book in History…
[quote]Harry Flashman wrote:
It’s official,there is no God!
How can anybody believe that we live in a fundamentally just Universe when the Italians win?And you have to say if there is a God then the Universe has to be fundamentally just,because there is no way a benign deity would allow an unjust Universe.
My arguement goes like this:-
a)The Eyeties are cheating bastards.
b)Their domestic football is rotten and many of those players are involved in this win.
c)Grosso scores the winner and he’s the guy who conned the ref with that outrageous dive against Australia and should have beeen banned for life.
d)Eyeties are cynical,cheating bastards.
No deity with even a shred of conscience(or omniscience)could possibly let those bastards win.I was 99% atheist before this,I’m genuinely 100% now.[/quote]
God is punishing the French for not going into Iraq with us, in our fight for justice. The Italians went in with us, though, in all fairness, the Brits or Aussies should have won — they sent more troops.
HH
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Yeah right Zidane butts him to the CHEST and the other guy falls to the grounds as if a jackhammer would have crushed his balls. My one year old nephew wouldn’t make such a fuss .
It’s of course unsportsmanlike to do this and Zidane is acting like a fool. Similar things happened to Wayne Rooney.
BUT nontheless:
The world cup 2006 goes to …
The Italien Drama Queens!
Oh God of Football, when did you turn gay? -NTTAW…
[/quote]
Soccer is a gay sport. Football (American) is for men. Glad you figured that out!
HH
[quote]hspder wrote:
OARSMAN wrote:
When the best goalie in the world was getting worked like that in PK round, only goes to highlight how bad ass Ricardo, Portugal’s keeper, was.
I think I’m in love… ;-)[/quote]
I’d love to head-butt her chest. Only at 1/1000th of Zidane’s speed. 
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
God is punishing the French for not going into Iraq with us, in our fight for justice. The Italians went in with us, though, in all fairness, the Brits or Aussies should have won — they sent more troops.
HH
[/quote]
Oh, wow. I thought it was because France lost three of their best scorers and Barthez the goalie couldn’t even block the sun with an umbrella. My bad. It was all God’s doing.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
God is punishing the French for not going into Iraq with us, in our fight for justice. The Italians went in with us, though, in all fairness, the Brits or Aussies should have won — they sent more troops.
HH
[/quote]
The most amazing and sad thing is that you probably aren’t even joking with this comment.
unbelievable.
The French lost because they failed to convert their second half dominance into goals and then Trezeguet choked and hit the bar with his penalty. That is all.
Pretty gutted for France. Have always liked their national side. That said, i have nowt against the Italians, and one of their team was born a few miles up the road from me in Manchester so at least one semi-English bloke got his hgands on the world cup.
Whoever said the guy made a meal of the headbutt though is having a laugh. Unlike most girly footballer headbutts there was real power put into that one, and taking one of those to the chest is fucking painful. IN fact we used to train that exact move in thai boxing whenever the coach wanted to do some self-defence type stuff as a change. We’d hold the pads at chest height and then butt away - even through the pads it would knock the wind out of you and leave you with fairly sore ribs.
Would like to know what he said to get Zidane so riled though.
[quote]Harry Flashman wrote:
It’s official,there is no God!
How can anybody believe that we live in a fundamentally just Universe when the Italians win?And you have to say if there is a God then the Universe has to be fundamentally just,because there is no way a benign deity would allow an unjust Universe.
My arguement goes like this:-
a)The Eyeties are cheating bastards.
b)Their domestic football is rotten and many of those players are involved in this win.
c)Grosso scores the winner and he’s the guy who conned the ref with that outrageous dive against Australia and should have beeen banned for life.
d)Eyeties are cynical,cheating bastards.
No deity with even a shred of conscience(or omniscience)could possibly let those bastards win.I was 99% atheist before this,I’m genuinely 100% now.[/quote]
You were 99% athiest before, now your a complete blatant fucking idiot! Like the Soccer Roos were going to go all the way to the W/C finals. Give me a break buddy. My advice to you is to swallow some of that Aussie pride, eat a big serving of humble pie and get over it. There is always 2010.
[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
Yeah right Zidane butts him to the CHEST and the other guy falls to the grounds as if a jackhammer would have crushed his balls. My one year old nephew wouldn’t make such a fuss .
It’s of course unsportsmanlike to do this and Zidane is acting like a fool. Similar things happened to Wayne Rooney.
BUT nontheless:
The world cup 2006 goes to …
The Italien Drama Queens!
Oh God of Football, when did you turn gay? -NTTAW…
[/quote]
The greatest drama queen and actor of all time is none other then yours truly Mr. Klinsman. Of course, German players never fall to the ground or take dives for that matter. Bull shit! Anyone followed Klinsman throughout his career? The guy appeared to be having multiple seizures at times when hit the ground. Henry from France is no better.
[quote]G.O.A.T wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
While the whole Italian team actually looked Italian most of the French team looked “African-American”. What is up with that?
I doubt you’ve ever been to France then.[/quote]
You still didn’t answer the question though. Italy is also a country comprised of many foreigners, yet one looks at their team only one Argentine born player stands out. Can’t say the same for the French team.
[quote]juninho wrote:
Pretty gutted for France. Have always liked their national side. That said, i have nowt against the Italians, and one of their team was born a few miles up the road from me in Manchester so at least one semi-English bloke got his hgands on the world cup.
Whoever said the guy made a meal of the headbutt though is having a laugh. Unlike most girly footballer headbutts there was real power put into that one, and taking one of those to the chest is fucking painful. IN fact we used to train that exact move in thai boxing whenever the coach wanted to do some self-defence type stuff as a change. We’d hold the pads at chest height and then butt away - even through the pads it would knock the wind out of you and leave you with fairly sore ribs.
Would like to know what he said to get Zidane so riled though.[/quote]
I’d take a guess he said something about zidanes algerian heritage. If so, he should have been carded too.
And kicked in the bollocks after.
I still like zidane.
I just want to point out that no other professional sporting event features so many spaghetti noodles posing as arms as the World Cup.
DB