World Cup 2010

[bothwell_buyer]

I have really enjoyed the World cup so far , the so called lesser teams have really caught up in terms of technique Quality and overall ability , it would seem that there are no easy games any more , the England versus USA game being a case in point ( how disappointing was that result ) just wondered how everyone else was getting on in trying to predict the scores / results , very few results have gone true to form , my wife entered a competition at work to predict the scores in each game throughout the world cup , she got me to guess the scores before the competition started , she currently sits bottom on points i have so far failed to get any scores right , but have managed to pick up 4 points due to the result , in that the team i predicted to win , won .

Anyhow , i am loving the football fest , can't say I'm enjoying the noise from those voovoozalers ( not sure of correct spelling ) though , its just a constant drone , a bit like a bee swarm , please god those things do not catch on over here after the world cup , iv'e got a feeling they will be banned from our stadiums in any case .

The other thing that is giving me the a-r-s-e ache , is the constant whingeing from a minority few who happen to hate football , the world cup is a once in 4 years competition , its the biggest single sporting competition in the world bar none , and I'd go as far as saying the biggest sport in the world bar none , so if you don't like it , then tough , go take up knitting or something more feminine

guess you forgot about fishing! Nice and quiet and makes for excellent daytime TV. No drones either.

[bothwell_buyer]

and another thing.... football is obviously flaunting the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 - Rio F should have been allowed to play in his wheelchair. It would have been far more exciting than watching the over-hyped squad of rubberoid scroungers, shockingly over-paid etc

me? I switched over to the Lifestyle programme:

"Professional Knitting for Men World Championships" held in deepest Essex. Could have sworn they mentioned something about a yellow card given to some guy locally who drives a Toyota? A fight broke out and 23 English supporters were taken to hospital having been attacked by a knitting needle wielding thug... couldn't have been BH by any chance :lol:

[balli hi]

and another thing.... football is obviously flaunting the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 - Rio F should have been allowed to play in his wheelchair. It would have been far more exciting than watching the over-hyped squad of rubberoid scroungers, shockingly over-paid etc

me? I switched over to the Lifestyle programme:

"Professional Knitting for Men World Championships" held in deepest Essex. Could have sworn they mentioned something about a yellow card given to some guy locally who drives a Toyota? A fight broke out and 23 English supporters were taken to hospital having been attacked by a knitting needle wielding thug... couldn't have been BH by any chance :lol:

Yes Hello Bothy , how the devil is one these days :D

[Parts-King]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

[balli hi]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships :lol2:

[Raistlin]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships

It shouldn't have taken too long to train, Vic said he only has a small caber...

[balli hi]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships

It shouldn't have taken too long to train, Vic said he only has a small caber...

[balli hi]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships

It shouldn't have taken too long to train, Vic said he only has a small caber...

Vic said ?

[Parts-King]

Vic said ?

Yes you know Vic?.........Vic, with the small .......................Caber

Ron "Kingo" Jeremy

[Raistlin]

I wonder how long it will be before Portugal is wiped off the map in a giant mushroom cloud...

[Raistlin]

Well done England I'm proud,

I mean narrowly beating a side whose best player is a West Brom reject is quite impressive.

Yet again coming runners up in possibly the easiest group of the tournament gives me hope that we will win the world cup...

[bothwell_buyer]

and another thing.... football is obviously flaunting the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 - Rio F should have been allowed to play in his wheelchair. It would have been far more exciting than watching the over-hyped squad of rubberoid scroungers, shockingly over-paid etc

me? I switched over to the Lifestyle programme:

"Professional Knitting for Men World Championships" held in deepest Essex. Could have sworn they mentioned something about a yellow card given to some guy locally who drives a Toyota? A fight broke out and 23 English supporters were taken to hospital having been attacked by a knitting needle wielding thug... couldn't have been BH by any chance :lol:

Yes Hello Bothy , how the devil is one these days :D

sorry - been busy driving thru potholes created by the gas board so I can claim for a set of new wheels.....

"How the devil is one........"

One what?? And which days??

[bothwell_buyer]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships :lol2:

speaking of which, hows your tossing getting on? Any further yet???

[bothwell_buyer]

I havnt been able to post here since Friday evenings debacle......... Not that I'm upset or anything.....much!!!

Only the Bothwell Buyer could find the mens professional knitting championships!!! Class find, only broadcast in Scotland I would imagine

Kingo

Surprised he could spare the time , what with all that training for the upcoming Tossing of ones Caber championships

It shouldn't have taken too long to train, Vic said he only has a small caber...

Vic said ?

who's Vic - a hot rub?????

[bothwell_buyer]

sumwun said to me that England is getting gubbed tomorrow by germany - I don't have a problem with either, but I'd rather they keep it to themselves as I intend a long lie in tomorrow morning.

Unless the gas board come round again at 7am to make even more of a mess than they have already..... I asked the guy if he had a corgi - he looked at me in disbelief and asked how i knew his wife.

[Raistlin]

sumwun said to me that England is getting gubbed tomorrow by germany - I don't have a problem with either, but I'd rather they keep it to themselves as I intend a long lie in tomorrow morning.

Unless the gas board come round again at 7am to make even more of a mess than they have already..... I asked the guy if he had a corgi - he looked at me in disbelief and asked how i knew his wife.

Remember the advert on the television telling you not to use light switches if you smell gas,

You may find it useful to always have a candle ready for in case of such emergencies...

[balli hi]

The Manager

Time for Fabio to do the decent thing and fall on his sword , not sure he will , but here's hoping wonder who will take his place ? Roy Hodgson ??? not sure he's the man either .

The Game

I can't help thinking what might have been had lampards perfectly good goal been allowed to stand , England had Germany on the back foot at that moment and were in the ascendancy , however the goal was not given and we had to chase the game , nothing can excuse the way we defended though , which brings me nicely back to Fabio , he sets out the team shape tactics etc , so the majority of blame has to lie with him , i can't understand why we never defended from the front and closed Germany down instead of allowing them time and all the space in the world to pick a pass and play their game , Capello has to shoulder the blame for that .

The Players

Where does one start ? , well Rooney for one , i think was a disgrace - world class my arze , Lennon - what did he do ? , Heskey... , wright phillips .. my nickname for him when he played for chelsea was E.O.M = End Of Move , Glen Johnson - he should never pull on an England shirt again , i said to all that knows me , he's not a defender , great going forward but can't defend for toffey ( However there was only one game i can remember where he went forward with any real conviction ) where was he for 2 of their goals because he was no-where to be seen in the right back position their attackers had a free run down that side because Johnson went awol , i said from the start that i would have picked carragher in the right back birth , yes that might make some of you laugh but at least he wouldn't have gone awol , i know he lacks pace but he's still an able defender with good positional sense , i would not have played him in a central defending role though as he has even less pace than Terry and upson . Garreth Barry ? so much for him playing the Makelele roll sitting in front of the back four , where was Barry when he was supposed to be sheilding the back four , instead he did little apart from give the ball away time and time again , Capello left Scott Parker out of the squad , why ??? , now there's a player with more heart & ability than you can poke a stick at , He'd have played that roll brilliantly , its a shame for him that he joined chelsea at the wrong time as Makelele had that position nailed down and Scott eventually asked for a transfer in order to get regular first team football .

Gerrard had perhaps his worst game of the tournament and lampard his best , John terry covered himself in glory against Slovenia , but was decidedly pedestrian in this game , Upson was like a Rabbit in the headlights , did well for his goal though .... so i'll close with my final thoughts :ffs: :ffs: :censor:

Ps , no doubt Bothy will be along shortly to stick the boot in .... :!Removed!:

[Parts-King]

I cant even build up momentum to talk about it. The thing that annoys me was the total lack of basic skills, forfetting you have to defend as well as attack, and the total disaster that was Wayne Rooney. When he gobbed off about the supporters booing him I wonder if he ever thought how much these people love their country and how much they paid to see these "stars" perform??? No of course not

I cannot bring myself to speak any more about the total disaster. I'm off on holiday for a week now, I will muster up a reply on my return

Thats it I'm outta here here I come :lol:

Kingo

[balli hi]

I cant even build up momentum to talk about it. The thing that annoys me was the total lack of basic skills, forfetting you have to defend as well as attack, and the total disaster that was Wayne Rooney. When he gobbed off about the supporters booing him I wonder if he ever thought how much these people love their country and how much they paid to see these "stars" perform??? No of course not

I cannot bring myself to speak any more about the total disaster. I'm off on holiday for a week now, I will muster up a reply on my return

Thats it I'm outta here here I come :lol:

Kingo

I had to get it off my chest , i'm not one to keep things in ( you lot have a one track mind :D ) i feel better for letting off some steam . anyhow , here's wishing you a very happy holiday , have a good'n Kingo , have a few for me ..... Going anywhere nice ? ..... all the best O :D

[Parts-King]

Kefalonia for a week, sand, sea, sun, sangria,

Kingo

[balli hi]

Kefalonia for a week, sand, sea, sun, sangria,

Kingo

Ahh Kefalonia , know it well.........seen the film :D , Captain Corelli's Mandolin , a film to cuddle up with the missus to :lol2:

Nothing to do with football of course and besides i don't want to talk about it anymore :!Removed!:

PS Kingo.. you missed out !Removed!

Happy holidays

[Raistlin]

Kefalonia for a week, sand, sea, sun, sangria,

Kingo

Ahh Kefalonia , know it well.........seen the film , Captain Corelli's Mandolin , a film to cuddle up with the missus to

Nothing to do with football of course and besides i don't want to talk about it anymore

Happy holidays Kingo

It's good to see you in touch with your feminine side...

[Bizarra]

Comments & opinions, please

Lampard fooling no one but himself

England players still not singing from same hymn sheet as Chelsea star fails to see the bigger picture, writes Daniel McDonnell

By Daniel McDonnell

Monday June 28 2010

A wise man once said that he who can analyse his delusion is called a philosopher. It is only a matter of time, then, before we are told that Frank Lampard is a deep thinker.

We are in the bowels of the Free State Stadium and Lampard is musing. He is one of the few noteworthy England players to stop and, considering it was his shot that outfoxed that pesky Uruguayan linesman, a large crowd is gathering for the gospel.

"Nobody can stand here and tell me Germany were a lot better than us," he observes. "Not 4-1 better than us."

Fate has clearly decreed that Lamps and Steven Gerrard will never be able to synchronise. Nearby, Stevie G is making one of his few accurate contributions of the tournament.

"I don't think we can use it (the goal that should have been) as an excuse," he declares. "The Germans were more organised. They scored four goals and we've only got one."

If they can't even toe the party line in harmony, what chance did England have?

Understandably, Fabio is miffed. It's a painful defeat, yet he, too, is trying to be philosophical, although his gait is that of someone who is startled. He appears from the door behind the stage in the press conference to realise, with undisguised horror, that Joachim Loew is still in session. Worried FIFA men exchange hand signals to facilitate a quick changeover.

Loew has just described, in impressive detail, how his game plan revolved around displacing John Terry and utilising runners from midfield to fill in the gaps. Everything has gone to plan, but Loew is in mood for messing about. He bats away a question about his choice of attire.

"This is not a ritual, wearing this blue pullover," he replies, curtly.

Future

Capello leans back against the wall, with an FA press officer chatting into his ear. Word has gone around that the Italian has postponed his normal post-match chat with the English daily newspapers away from the live cameras and rescheduled it for this afternoon. So, the heavy hitters are forced to join in with the gang and, inevitably, press the 64-year-old on the matter of his future.

Will he resign? "Absolutely not." Is he staying on? "We have to wait."

Why are you having a meeting with the chairman then? "To see if he have confidence in me or not."

Perhaps, with a ridiculously large contract to protect, it wasn't the best time for the Italian to admit how appalling his team were. Well, we'd like to think that was his reasoning for launching into a remarkable analysis of the English performance, essentially offering the opinion that his players were mentally traumatised by the refereeing oversight.

"You don't know the psychology, you don't know the minds of the players," he argues, in refusing to admit that the Germans were clearly the superior team.

This game of tennis continues for a while before an Asian hack is awarded the microphone for the last offering from the floor and, in no uncertain terms, asks: "Why do England keep losing?"

Capello searches for an excuse. "We arrived, probably, at the end of season a little bit tired," he says. "We suffered against the speed of the opposition."

Disappointingly, nobody of a German persuasion has the opportunity to point out that Franz Beckenbauer had observed that the English players looked a little burnt out.

It would have been nice if someone had acknowledged that Beckenbauer was right about this English team, right down from their weariness to his analysis of their kick-and-rush football that was vindicated throughout this one-sided encounter.

Beckenbauer deserved a pick-me-up after a distressing start to his day when, if he'd perused the British papers, he'd have learnt that Ian Holloway had lost all respect for him.

What's more, an irate Piers Morgan -- yes Piers Morgan -- angrily denounced Der Kaiser's wind-up campaign. "Who does he think he is?" raged Morgan, with no sense of irony. (Answer: Former World Cup winning captain and manager.)

There's nothing quite like the ability of the circus that follows this English team to tempt fate. Throughout this competition, one of the Sun's star reporters has been sending home video diaries, each more jingoistic than the previous. The warm-up for this game was quite spectacular, focusing on England's quarter-final meeting with Argentina in Cape Town next Saturday.

The general theme was that if England's attack could trouble the Argentines -- an old rival on the pitch as well as 'the battlefield' -- they'd have a right chance.

The basis of the skit was that Germany didn't even warrant mention, because they would be easily brushed aside. Cos David James had said so.

It wasn't even the most shocking oversight. The hypothetical Argentine game was pitched in the context of England being strong defensively, a claim completely at odds with their performances in this tournament. Or, indeed, any form of logic. All that was required was a half decent team to expose the brittleness and, sure enough the Germans, with a bit of pace and movement, and the remarkable ability to pass to someone in the same coloured jersey, exposed the awful English rearguard, marshalled by Terry, "the best centre-half in the world" (Cole, Joe -- June 23, 2010).

With the Chelsea shades off, however, Cole is capable of providing a less blinkered analysis of this defeat. Substitutes who believe they should have been playing are generally closer to the mark.

"We just weren't good enough," he says. "We have to look at ourselves and accept that we weren't good enough from the start, in the friendlies and in the six games we played, so it's back to the drawing board."

First, though, there will be holidays. The bus to take the England squad away is positioned just outside the media tent, with no curtains to shield them from amateur cameramen.

Jamie Carragher and Gerrard speak at the back of the bus. Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney, both of whom strode through the mixed zone without speaking to anybody -- the latter with the iPod earphones in and a face like thunder -- put their feet up and lean against the window.

They are a picture of dejection, wearing an expression that suggests they would rather be anywhere else. Understandable in defeat, but the problem is that this England team, this laughably titled golden generation, have appeared this way throughout this competition.

"Is there a need for major changes?" Lampard is asked, before he is dragged in the direction of the vehicle. "You know what," he replies. "I don't want to talk about it at the moment."

In his brand of philosophy, there is little room for lateral thinking.

- Daniel McDonnell

Irish Independent

[balli hi]

In response to the article by Daniel McDonnell

I refer the right honourable gentleman to my previous answer... Order O Order Orrr-dah :D

"quote"

The Manager

Time for Fabio to do the decent thing and fall on his sword , not sure he will , but here's hoping wonder who will take his place ? Roy Hodgson ??? not sure he's the man either .

The Game

I can't help thinking what might have been had lampards perfectly good goal been allowed to stand , England had Germany on the back foot at that moment and were in the ascendancy , however the goal was not given and we had to chase the game , nothing can excuse the way we defended though , which brings me nicely back to Fabio , he sets out the team shape tactics etc , so the majority of blame has to lie with him , i can't understand why we never defended from the front and closed Germany down instead of allowing them time and all the space in the world to pick a pass and play their game , Capello has to shoulder the blame for that .

The Players

Where does one start ? , well Rooney for one , i think was a disgrace - world class my arze , Lennon - what did he do ? , Heskey... , wright phillips .. my nickname for him when he played for chelsea was E.O.M = End Of Move , Glen Johnson - he should never pull on an England shirt again , i said to all that knows me , he's not a defender , great going forward but can't defend for toffey ( However there was only one game i can remember where he went forward with any real conviction ) where was he for 2 of their goals because he was no-where to be seen in the right back position their attackers had a free run down that side because Johnson went awol , i said from the start that i would have picked carragher in the right back birth , yes that might make some of you laugh but at least he wouldn't have gone awol , i know he lacks pace but he's still an able defender with good positional sense , i would not have played him in a central defending role though as he has even less pace than Terry and upson . Garreth Barry ? so much for him playing the Makelele roll sitting in front of the back four , where was Barry when he was supposed to be sheilding the back four , instead he did little apart from give the ball away time and time again , Capello left Scott Parker out of the squad , why ??? , now there's a player with more heart & ability than you can poke a stick at , He'd have played that roll brilliantly , its a shame for him that he joined chelsea at the wrong time as Makelele had that position nailed down and Scott eventually asked for a transfer in order to get regular first team football .

Gerrard had perhaps his worst game of the tournament and lampard his best , John terry covered himself in glory against Slovenia , but was decidedly pedestrian in this game , Upson was like a Rabbit in the headlights , did well for his goal though .... so i'll close with my final thoughts :ffs: :ffs: :censor:

[Bizarra]

There mustn't have been any Powerade available in South Africa :(