2014 FIFA World Cup Thread

[nevets88]

Cut & paste baby, C & P

[Abu3baid]

[quote name="FarawayFairways" url="/t/73308/2014-fifa-world-cup-thread/750_50#post_1013770"]But an English keyboard doesn't have the option, so we'll have to stick to calling him Gerd/ Dieter/ Tomas, Miller (delete

Finding the "Ü" on the keyboard: http://www.kruess.com/laboratory/blog/finding-the-ue-on-your-keyboard/ :-P[/quote] Ya but the chances are alim that I will go do that... Besides you knew who I was talking about didn't ya? Isn't it enough that you guys manufacture machines to play but you want the rest of us to type people's name correctly?

[Reval14]

Ya but the chances are alim that I will go do that... Besides you knew who I was talking about didn't ya? Isn't it enough that you guys manufacture machines to play but you want the rest of us to type people's name correctly?

Believe me, if we would manufacture machines to play our team would play a lot better...

[FarawayFairways]

Surely you aren't suggesting that Hans Peter Briegel, Guido Buchwald or Horst Hrubesch were anything other than machines?

[Abu3baid]

[quote name="Abu3baid" url="/t/73308/2014-fifa-world-cup-thread/750_50#post_1013788"] Ya but the chances are alim that I will go do that... Besides you knew who I was talking about didn't ya? Isn't it enough that you guys manufacture machines to play but you want the rest of us to type people's name correctly?

Believe me, if we would manufacture machines to play our team would play a lot better...[/quote] The Germans have made every quarterfinals since for ever.. I'm not saying your production has to make perfect machines, but they are non the less!

[Reval14]

Surely you aren't suggesting that Hans Peter Briegel, Guido Buchwald or Horst Hrubesch were anything other than machines?

Ok. I think Lothar Matthäus was one.

[late347]

I dont personally see whats so wrong about penalty kicks being awarded for obvious errors. It's football - half-contact sport... American football on the other hand is a essentially full-contact sport... Without stiff penalties to punish stupidity, football would be a totally different game I think. Its like a thief complaining to a policeman that the policeman should not have observed the thief in the act of crime (unlucky but hey... cest la vie)

[Golfingdad]

I dont personally see whats so wrong about penalty kicks being awarded for obvious errors. It's football - half-contact sport... American football on the other hand is a essentially full-contact sport... Without stiff penalties to punish stupidity, football would be a totally different game I think. Its like a thief complaining to a policeman that the policeman should not have observed the thief in the act of crime (unlucky but hey... cest la vie)

im just saying that more often than not the pinishment doesn't fit the crime. Using your thief example, it's like if murder, attempted murder, etc were punishable by death .., yet so was shoplifting.

[FarawayFairways]

He he heh

And now the Argies have to go the full trip. I tell you what, if..... if .... if .... the Swiss can take them into penalties, and if the US can beat Belgium, who knows what's on all of a sudden?

A word of warning though.

Disappointment you can cope with, its the hope that's so hard to handle

[Chilli Dipper]

Another day, another second-round match heading into extra time. Yesterday, it only seemed like it was a matter of time before Algeria fell, but there is no sense of inevitability about the outcome of this match; I think it goes to penalties.

[FarawayFairways]

With one eye on last nights free kick, I've sourced this from a German 4th division match

Das Devious Deutsch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4J1rCmR6o

[RJH999]

Finally. A Goooooooooooooooal. Di Maria! Ooooh!! So close, so close for a Swiss equalizer

[FarawayFairways]

It's becoming a bit of a feature of this round that a team goes into a shell and concedes.

Switzerland were finishing the first period with a bit of a flourish and the Argies started to look rattled. Like a few teams before them (principally Mexico) they eased off and settled for trying to protect what they had. They basically did what the opposition wanted them to do. I'm sure the likes of Holland and Argentina would have been a lot less comfortable had the less considered team pushed on. Your suddenly saw what happened at 1-0 and how flakey Argentina looked. If Switzerland had been able to apply that level of pressure for the second period we might have seen a very different result.

The one thing the US won't do I suspect though is respect reputations and they're much more likely to play the game, and not the name

[FarawayFairways]

Thought this might amuse you

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28100892

I can't say I'm massively surprised to see that the US are one of the worst offenders, nor am I surprised to discover that their supporters would regard them as one of the least likely to cheat. In the first case a lot of the American players play in Europe, so they're going to be exposed to this kind of thing, and like so many newer countries (Japan were particularly bad) they adopt the more cynical side of the game rather quickly. I normally assoicate America with performance enhancing drugs though when it comes to cheating rather than immitating Europeans and South Americans

If however, American adoption of the game does start to stamp out diving, then they will undoubtedly have made a telling contribution for which the world should be eternally grateful.

I tend to associate diving with Italy who were the first country to start exporting it, but as the article suggests, the evidence points to the fact it works. It was only in the mid 1960's that it started to make its presence felt in England for the first time, and by the mid 70's it was causing debate (Stan Bowles of QPR being one of the worst exponents). By now it's become industrial in scale, but then we bring in so many players from other countries it's almost inevitable. It also needs to be acknowledged we have more than our own share of home grown divers now as well, but as the article suggests, Klinsman was one of the worst (and amongst the current crop Ronaldo is right up there too on the pantheon of diving cheats)

[Gunther]

What does Altidore bring today? I'm not sure much with a bum leg. Maybe a sub for some spark late?

[RJH999]

Kyle Beckerman not starting...very surprising he's played very well

[phan52]

What does Altidore bring today? I'm not sure much with a bum leg. Maybe a sub for some spark late?

He is not listed as a starter. I assume he will only play if they get behind and need a lift near the end. If they can move on without him he could be fully ready by the next game.

https://www.google.com/?gfe_rd=ssl&ei;=gAmzU9ShAdHe8gaSnoHoCQ#q=US+starting+side

[RJH999]

I fear this may not end well for our beloved squad. Still hoping, go go USA.