World Cup 2010 Thread

Off Topic
521

[quote]Alpha F wrote:

[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:

I think they need to add more referees ON THE FIELD. The National Football League has 22 players on the field and uses 7 referees, the National Hockey League has 12 players on the field and uses 3 referees, the National Basketball Association has 10 players on the court and uses 3 referees.

What makes FIFA think 1 referee on the field can suffice, when a soccer field is one of the biggest fields in all of sports, you are dealing with multiple language barriers, and trying to pursue world class athletes?

The beautiful game could use a beautiful mind.[/quote]

This post is so full of common sense it comes as a surprise no one has brought it up before.
I guess being raised in a football nation makes me accept the refereeing as is.

Maybe more referees would get in the way and interfere with the flow of the game, which is also what makes it beautiful, and that is why no one has thought of it as an option.

But can any one see why we can’t use technology to help the referee? I mean, we don’t tell the doctors in the operating room:

“You are not allowed to look at the camera images and see important, decisive details of the area where you are operating in this person because that is cheating.”

I really can’t see a reasonable reason why referees are not allowed to look at the giant evidence from the expensive technology available of tv images.
[/quote]

I kind of agree - I think decisions which could be important e.g. did the ball go over the line? They should be reviewed.

However, if every single foul were open to a video review (and I’m not saying that this is what people are claiming) then the game would slow down too much. It’d also be a long, long match.

Unlike cricket or tennis where there’s a definite start/stop cycle and thus time to review decisions, football is fast flowing and so we would have to mark out exactly which kinds of controversies were open to a review.

Overall though, I agree - more needs to be done. And red cards (such as Kaka’s) should be overturned. If they can’t take such decisions after the game, then players know that they can get away with all sorts of sporting crimes!

One more referee could be something that they could trial. I would be interested in seeing this incorporated into the championship/Div1 for a while.

522

Wow wow wow.

Who is Portuguese here?

Well done.

Portugal is doing what Brazil should have done:

Bomb King John Ill relentlessly!

“You are breaking my balls”…

Way to go Portugal.
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.
.
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Oh my goally…as I was typing… a fourth goal!

Wow.

Congratulations!

Doing better than Brazil.

523

[quote]Magicpunch wrote:

I kind of agree - I think decisions which could be important e.g. did the ball go over the line? They should be reviewed.

However, if every single foul were open to a video review (and I’m not saying that this is what people are claiming) then the game would slow down too much. It’d also be a long, long match.

Unlike cricket or tennis where there’s a definite start/stop cycle and thus time to review decisions, football is fast flowing and so we would have to mark out exactly which kinds of controversies were open to a review.

Overall though, I agree - more needs to be done. And red cards (such as Kaka’s) should be overturned. If they can’t take such decisions after the game, then players know that they can get away with all sorts of sporting crimes!

One more referee could be something that they could trial. I would be interested in seeing this incorporated into the championship/Div1 for a while.[/quote]

All excellent points you brought up.
And I agree completely with the above.

Specially about stopping too much and killing the flow of the game - and how tennis and cricket are stop and start. I didn’t think of that.

They would have to agree on when to look at the tv images; or have a second referee watching the game from the tv and the replays ( like us ) and then inform the field referee on major decisions like:

The USA disallowed goal, German and Brazilian red cards - because that stops the game any way and having the tv would actually speed up the re start. Faking serial diving and faking injuries, violent tackles, and of course, handball disputes.

These are just a few I can think of.

524

You know Cristiano Ronaldo is good.

And he does get whacked but when gets fouled and he just dives FOREVER and then lies there on the grass like a Greek Goddess on a beautiful divan, waiting to be served grapes and wine, I think WTF.

Get up already. Be a man.
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Oh my gog…5 X 0.

Fabulous.

525

[quote]Alpha F wrote:

[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:

I think they need to add more referees ON THE FIELD. The National Football League has 22 players on the field and uses 7 referees, the National Hockey League has 12 players on the field and uses 3 referees, the National Basketball Association has 10 players on the court and uses 3 referees.

What makes FIFA think 1 referee on the field can suffice, when a soccer field is one of the biggest fields in all of sports, you are dealing with multiple language barriers, and trying to pursue world class athletes?

The beautiful game could use a beautiful mind.[/quote]

This post is so full of common sense it comes as a surprise no one has brought it up before.
I guess being raised in a football nation makes me accept the refereeing as is.

Maybe more referees would get in the way and interfere with the flow of the game, which is also what makes it beautiful, and that is why no one has thought of it as an option.

But can any one see why we can’t use technology to help the referee? I mean, we don’t tell the doctors in the operating room:

“You are not allowed to look at the camera images and see important, decisive details of the area where you are operating in this person because that is cheating.”

I really can’t see a reasonable reason why referees are not allowed to look at the giant evidence from the expensive technology available of tv images.
[/quote]

Yup, they need to do something different. First off, Keita and/or the Ivory Coast organization should be fined heavily for what happened yesterday. That action portrays the sport in the worst possible way. Kaka should have the red card recended and be allowed to play the next game.

I’ve been playing for 35 years and the vast majority of it has been with 1 ref and 2 linesmen…sorry, assistant referees. In high school though they used a 2 ref system with no linesmen. Each ref would stay in a channel in one half from the sideline to aboout 20 yards in. The ref on the other side would help with the other sideline. I can say that they were not in the way more than one ref, but he problem was that they were often not consistant with one another. You would often have one ref calling it very loose on one end and another calling it very tight on the other end.

I’d be more in favor of an extra set of eyes on both endlines and some form of limited ability to use a replay by the 4th official.

526

[quote]Alpha F wrote:
You know Cristiano Ronaldo is good.

And he does get whacked but when gets fouled and he just dives FOREVER and then lies there on the grass like a Greek Goddess on a beautiful divan, waiting to be served grapes and wine, I think WTF.

[/quote]

HAHAH! Can you blame him? He’s so fit and tan. He’s a pouty adonis that just jumped out of a speeding train.

Portugal is Fecking KILLING!!

527

I am supporting Portugal for this World Cup.

7 x 0 with 3 minutes to go…excellence in action!

I have not seen anything like this.

What suddenly happened?!

…King John Ill is going to nuke Europe tonight.

528

Has any of the above ever taken place before, though?

Oh, apparently a BRAZILIAN player was fined $5000 for faking a ball to his genitals to being on his face resulting in the aggressor receiving a red card?

Kaka, however, did nothing. So both he AND the referee were completely conned.

529

[quote]Mascherano wrote:

[quote]Alpha F wrote:
You know Cristiano Ronaldo is good.

And he does get whacked but when gets fouled and he just dives FOREVER and then lies there on the grass like a Greek Goddess on a beautiful divan, waiting to be served grapes and wine, I think WTF.

[/quote]

HAHAH! Can you blame him? He’s so fit and tan. He’s a pouty adonis that just jumped out of a speeding train.
[/quote]

That made me laugh out loud!

You are right…and he precisely gets away with it because he is a pretty boy and the Adonis of charm.

That smile after his goal today was delicious.

Aah…pretty boys are such a stumbling block, just so easy to fall over with these types.

That is why I learnt to keep them as eye candy, only - the little attention whores.

:slight_smile:

530

7 - 0? Damn!

I think that team will be executed when they get back home.

531

[quote]Magicpunch wrote:
I for one am happy for every shit decision that goes against you in this world cup.

[/quote]
After all the hoops we have to jump through just to qualify?
I think Football Australia should save the refs the trouble and just start every match with 10 men.

532

[quote]Adzo wrote:

[quote]Magicpunch wrote:
I for one am happy for every shit decision that goes against you in this world cup.

[/quote]
After all the hoops we have to jump through just to qualify?
I think Football Australia should save the refs the trouble and just start every match with 10 men. [/quote]

Heh. That would actually be a pretty good protest.

If it helps, you’ve got one englishman right here cheering for your man at Wimbledon.

533

DAVID VILLA!!!

DAVID VILLLLAAAAAAAAA!!!

Exceptional goal. Fucking genius.

Did you see the two touches that took him into the box?! FUCK!

534

I kind of wanted North Korea to win, they were playing with some damn good determination in the 1st half. Second half… not so much. I just felt bad for the Korean goalie, haha. What good entertainment that was though.

535

Spain is playing the best soccer at this World Cup. They even dominated the game they lost. Hopefully their team’s curse won’t catch up to them when they play Chile.

536

[quote]nrt wrote:
Spain is playing the best soccer at this World Cup. They even dominated the game they lost. Hopefully their team’s curse won’t catch up to them when they play Chile.[/quote]

Interesting world cup stat, in that no team has ever won the world cup after losing their first game. If this even means anything, then Spain are unlikely to become the 2010 world cup champs.

537

[quote]nrt wrote:
Spain is playing the best soccer at this World Cup. They even dominated the game they lost. [/quote]

Domination + failure to achieve the goal = great weakness.

When you dominate and yet you lose you are far from being the best.

It is like the husband who kept his wife at home so she would not betray him and yet another man came in and scored.

538

[quote]Alpha F wrote:

[quote]nrt wrote:
Spain is playing the best soccer at this World Cup. They even dominated the game they lost. [/quote]

Domination + failure to achieve the goal = great weakness.

When you dominate and yet you lose you are far from being the best.

It is like the husband who kept his wife at home so she would not betray him and yet another man came in and scored.
[/quote]

Fair enough, but top teams often don’t start out in perfect form in the first round. Pretty much everyone has looked wobbly at some point. In 1982, Italy won the World Cup without having won a game in the first round. The only really important thing is to get through; beyond that, I’d rather have a team that does everything right without quite closing than one that ekes out lucky victories. But now that I’ve opened my big mouth, I suppose Spain is doomed to elimination.

As for stats, I think 98% of them are worthless. I’d put more faith in the stat that says Spain and England are a disappointment in 99& of their World Cup appearances. Holland too. (These are the three teams I most root for, incidentally.)

539

Wednesday morning can’t come soon enough.

540

[quote]nrt wrote:

But now that I’ve opened my big mouth, I suppose Spain is doomed to elimination.

As for stats, I think 98% of them are worthless. I’d put more faith in the stat that says Spain and England are a disappointment in 99& of their World Cup appearances. Holland too. (These are the three teams I most root for, incidentally.)[/quote]

C’mon, be more positive for your team…I think Spain needs to get their act together IF they want a chance at going further. You cannot fail to finalize as Torres and David Villa did ( specially miss penalties.) repeatedly in yesterdays game. It could have been a party, at least 3 more goals if they had kept their nerve.

One goal by David Villa was a lucky deflection; he shot straight at the goal keeper and the keeper had it covered until it hit the knee of the defender.

They have to man up like Portugal did; the gates of heaven were left opened and they did not feel unworthy to walk in.

Sometimes I think England feel unworthy to score and be in this heaven and so they give us fans hell; penetrating but failing to finalize. This Cup they are not even quite penetrating - next game will truly take a miracle to redeem them from what ever hell they think they got themselves stuck in.

I notice also when a coach is very tough and pushes for high performance, the English athletes flop and cave in psychophysically completely :
This was exactly what happened with the British swimming team when they hired an Australian coach with similar character to Fabio Lucifer Cappelo and all the swimmers went complaining about how brutal the Australian coach was and blamed his method of training for their disastrous performance at the 2004 Olympics ( Really not noble to pass the buck, but true evidence of psychological weakness).

I though this was just the English swimmers but maybe the footballers also see Cappelo as the Devil and that is why they have created this hell for themselves.

We shall see, we shall see. I am dead curious about this next game and all the crucifixion that may result if they continue as is.

As for Holland, for no particular reason, they fail to enthuse me.
And since I have no ties with them, I don’t particularly care.

I would rather see Spain x Portugal.