All things Football (soccer) related

[warspite1]

Please remember folks to give your quarter final predictions before the kick-off of the first match on Thursday.

[Orm]

The extra referees at the goal areas are a joke. [:(] Maybe next time they find some that are not completely blind.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

The extra referees at the goal areas are a joke. [:(] Maybe next time they find some that are not completely blind.

Warspite1

Agreed - these guys add NOTHING....

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: redcoat


and Italy ...



versus

the Rep. of Ireland

Warspite1

I'll vote for Italy - nice cheeks. Don't tell Wodin though, he doesn't like chubby cheeks [;)]

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

No luck tonight on Euro 2012... [:(]


Spain scored from off-side and just before that there was clear penalty for Croatia - Spanish defender used both hands to pull don Croatian player... [:@]


Croatia vs. Spain: 0:1

Italy vs. Ireland: 2:0


Spain and Italy advance on...



Leo "Apollo11"

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

No luck tonight on Euro 2012... [:(]


Spain scored from off-side and just before that there was clear penalty for Croatia - Spanish defender used both hands to pull don Croatian player... [:@]


Croatia vs. Spain: 0:1

Italy vs. Ireland: 2:0


Spain and Italy advance on...



Leo "Apollo11"

Warspite1

Hi Leo - shame you don't hang out here for the Euro's what with being a proper footie fan and all. Hope you can join us for the rest of the tournament.

Unlucky tonight - yes, once again the extra officials prove worthless.....

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Spain - great couple minutes of football. Class.

Not really... Spain disappointed me totally...

Before championship and before tonight I thought surely that Spain will win with ease - but after tonight I am 100% confident that they they didn't deserve win and that they didn't play good...


And BTW:




Leo "Apollo11"

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Spain - great couple minutes of football. Class.

Not really... Spain disappointed me totally...

Before championship and before tonight I thought surely that Spain will win with ease - but after tonight I am 100% confident that they they didn't deserve win and that they didn't play good...


And BTW:




Leo "Apollo11"

Warspite1

I was talking about the build up play prior to the goal. Great movement down the left wing. Other than that I though Croatia defended well and stopped the Spanish from playing. But the sign of a good team is to win when they don't play well....

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: redcoat


This evening we have Croatia ...



versus Spain

Warspite1

Spain please

[warspite1]

I think the English entry lacks a certain degree of class....

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: redcoat


and Italy ...



versus

the Rep. of Ireland

Warspite1

I'll vote for Italy - nice cheeks. Don't tell Wodin though, he doesn't like chubby cheeks [;)]

Indeed. [:)]

[Orm]

Do you think England, as a team, will play better with Rooney on the field?

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Orm

New page begins with a England fan. [:)]

Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe

I thought this was pure class.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Orm

Do you think England, as a team, will play better with Rooney on the field?

The secret to win is rather simple... have world class players. Anytime & anywhere. Then there is luck, of course.

Given that Rooney is a world class striker, YES, he should make the difference. But of course let's not forget what happened to Messi during the WC... the best player out there but if your midfield can't give him good, decent balls he has nothing to do.

Whatever, great players make the difference, so yes, Rooney necessarily improves the English team.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

ORIGINAL: Orm

Do you think England, as a team, will play better with Rooney on the field?

The secret to win is rather simple... have world class players. Anytime & anywhere. Then there is luck, of course.

Given that Rooney is a world class striker, YES, he should make the difference. But of course let's not forget what happened to Messi during the WC... the best player out there but if your midfield can't give him good, decent balls he has nothing to do.

Whatever, great players make the difference, so yes, Rooney necessarily improves the English team.

It should be as you say. But several times I have noticed that the other players relax when they have a star on the pitch. It seems like they think "lets give the boll to the star and we will win" and thereby do less themselves.

I've seen the English team with Rooney make worse games than they have so far in the tournament. With that said I look forward seeing England improve their game tommorow.

[TulliusDetritus]

To back up what I am saying:

Argentina won her WCs (1978 and 1986) because of an exceptional generation: Maradona among them. France, exactly the same in 1998 (Zidane & Co.). And right now Spain. It's all about great players, a coincidence, luck.

Maybe Argentina, France and Spain will need to wait let's say 30 years... when a new exceptional generation will show up.

Now it's true that the Dutch missed their chance (in the 70s that is).

Rather simple as you can see [8D]

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

To back up what I am saying:

Argentina won her WCs (1978 and 1986) because of an exceptional generation: Maradona among them. France, exactly the same in 1998 (Zidane & Co.). And right now Spain. It's all about great players, a coincidence, luck.

Maybe Argentina, France and Spain will need to wait let's say 30 years... when a new exceptional generation will show up.

Now it's true that the Dutch missed their chance (in the 70s that is).

Rather simple as you can see [8D]

Like Greece in 2004?

I think I can list a lot of teams with great stars that have played poorly in the tournaments.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Orm
It should be as you say. But several times I have noticed that the other players relax when they have a star on the pitch. It seems like they think "lets give the boll to the star and we will win" and thereby do less themselves.

Or perhaps they will have more chances. World class striker = fearsome guy = he is terrorising the defenders only because he is on the pitch [:)]

This -many times- opens many spaces for other players, namely offensive midfielders (let's say in this case Gerrard).

When we think about great players it's not only about what they do with the ball. They are dangerous even without the ball, as per the reasons stated above [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

To back up what I am saying:

Argentina won her WCs (1978 and 1986) because of an exceptional generation: Maradona among them. France, exactly the same in 1998 (Zidane & Co.). And right now Spain. It's all about great players, a coincidence, luck.

Maybe Argentina, France and Spain will need to wait let's say 30 years... when a new exceptional generation will show up.

Now it's true that the Dutch missed their chance (in the 70s that is).

Rather simple as you can see [8D]

Like Greece in 2004?

I think I can list a lot of teams with great stars that have played poorly in the tournaments.

As I said on one of my first comments on this thread, there have been many underdogs in the Euro Cups: Greece, Czech Republic, Denmark... Not exceptional teams but they won it. But the WC, you will hardly find a standard team winning it.

I don't know the reasons, but just check the winners [:)]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

To back up what I am saying:

Argentina won her WCs (1978 and 1986) because of an exceptional generation: Maradona among them. France, exactly the same in 1998 (Zidane & Co.). And right now Spain. It's all about great players, a coincidence, luck.

Maybe Argentina, France and Spain will need to wait let's say 30 years... when a new exceptional generation will show up.

Now it's true that the Dutch missed their chance (in the 70s that is).

Rather simple as you can see [8D]

Like Greece in 2004?

I think I can list a lot of teams with great stars that have played poorly in the tournaments.

As I said on one of my first comments on this thread, there have been many underdogs in the Euro Cups: Greece, Czech Republic, Denmark... Not exceptional teams but they won it. But the WC, you will hardly find a standard team winning it.

I don't know the reasons, but just check the winners [:)]

Warspite1

To be fair how do you judge what is "standard" and what is "exceptional"? You seem to base that on the country not the team.

I think we can all agree that Greece were "standard". They had a "defensive" game plan and it worked. 99 times out of a 100 they would have fallen before or during the final. But fair play they won it without any world class players.

Denmark beat Holland and Germany to win Euro 92. They had some great players if not world class in the manner of Pele or Maradona.

But you say that does not happen in the World Cup - was England an exceptional team in 66? Was the West Germany that beat the exceptional Hungarians in 54 exceptional themselves? Not judging by the reports I have read. Italy in 1982 (couldn't win a first round group game), Germany in 1990 - exceptional?