World Cup Russia 2018 Thread

MDS posted:

Haim Ronen posted:

MDS posted:

Peder posted:

dtchayes posted:

 No one is innocent, Stokie. And they haven't been for many years. 

???? DTCHAYES,.....We're talking here about when you very,very much pass all the limits of what is an acceptable behavior.
That all teams,in some way,are doing different small things (except Japan),...we all know.
But this is at a completely different level.!!

Shameful of Colombia.!!

Peder????

Agreed, Peder. And in looking forward to the quarter-final I'm confident that while it will be a physical and robust game, the Swedish and England players will approach it in the right spirit and we won't see the sort of behaviour that now seems to be a regular feature from Latin-America teams.  The French would do well to steel themselves for what they are likely to experience from Uruguay. Suarez and co are every bit as capable as Colombia in this respect. 

A team has always a choice of sticking to its own game without being dragged into exchange of flagrant fouls and yellow cards. That was not the case in the game against Columbia.

Why badmouth Uruguay? Their game against Portugal was well played. It is a miracle that a country with a meager population of less than 3.5 millions can produce such a supreme group of players.

No more excuses for the UK. The difference in the quality of the teams in their bracket versus the other one is night and day. They clearly have the easy way.

 

Being a small nation doesn't justify dirty tricks and unsportsmanlike behaviour. Iceland is a tiny nation, too, but its players don't behave that way. 

 So how can you explain why Uruguay, with all its dirty tricks and unsportsmanlike behavior you had so easily identified, was awarded the least amount of yellow cards (1) among all participants in the Mondial? 

The groundsmen where delighted after the Portugal / Uruguay match. They finished early, apparently the pitched didn’t need the usual post match rolling.

I think the problem is endemic, and as I said in an early post I cannot think of another sport where cheating is accepted at such a level. No team seems immune-that includes England. Simulating an injury is cheating. Deliberately wasting time, attempting to abuse and put off a penalty taker or keeper, deliberately scuffing the spot before a penalty is taken; all cheating.

Compare the (admittedly slightly hysterical) reaction to the Aussie cricket ball tampering situation. Long suspensions, public disgrace and I'll also wager a lot of lost sponsorship and other contracts. Cyclists who cheat get bans. Yet in football we have Neymar/Ronaldo/Suarez; three of the best and most highy paid footballers and amongst the three worse offenders. Nobody seems to bat an eyelid. They are all seen as heroes!

I'd have the following

• Retrospective red cards for simulation. Red cards = 3 game ban for this, and also for dangerous play (ie straight red)
• Only captains can approach the referee to dispute a decision. Book anyone that gets 'in their face' as so many seem to do. Punish backchat by moving the freekick forward 10yds (or anywhere in a 10yd circle if the team prefer). Look how Rugby League/Union do it.
• 6 bookings or more in a game then the captain gets sent of, or you start the next game with 10 men. Financial penalties are pointless
• Coaches sent to the stands more often, and banned for the next game.

Of course none of it will  happen. It seems to be part of the expected drama of the game. it surely switches off the occasional watcher like me; as does Chris Waddle's hypocritical rant this am.

Shame, when it is great it is fantastic to watch but some of what I have seen this World Cup just makes me never want to watch any football again. I also know from people who play the game locally that referees are having a horrendous time on local leagues with discipline, threats and abuse. Culture change needed-and I think it starts at the top.

Haim Ronen posted:

"No more excuses for the UK. The difference in the quality of the teams in their bracket versus the other one is night and day. They clearly have the easy way."

The UK is not taking part in the World Cup. The UK does not compete as a nation in football.

England is taking part in the World Cup. Unfortunately, Scotland, (along with Wales and Northern Ireland) unfortunately failed to make it through its qualifying group as is all to often the case these days. In fairness to Scotland and the other home nations, it is much more difficult to qualify from the European qualifying groups than it is from almost all other regional qualifying groups in the world.     

Apparently Maradona is slating England, saying Columbia were robbed and we cheated..... quite ironic. considering his past record of misdemeanours.....

maybe he’s spent too much time sniffing the powdered stuff.... 

Its very sad for a once extremely talented footballer, he is rapidly becoming an embarrassment to himself and his country 

Haim's point is that Uruguay has not been any more guilty of dirty tricks etc than anyone else, including England. And maybe you didn't watch Iceland. Admirable in so many ways, but they had no hesitation in roughing up the opposition in all their group games. 

Of course Uruguay could lose the plot, especially if they feel the referee is showing the same bias against Latin teams that is so apparent here.

Comparing tampering with the match ball by picking up scuffing material with duct tape to Neymer breakdancing on the sidelines is ludicrous. 

Diving and histrionics did become part of the game but they will soon disappear now VAR has been implemented. 

Your national captain and vice captain conspiring to tamper with a match ball and roping in a junior player to do the actual deed is a whole other level and was dealt with harshly and rightly so it was a disgrace 

???? DTCHAYES,...Regarding the match England against Colombia,must ask a simple question......Did you see at all that match.??

Even a few of my friends,who were visiting..... and " forced " to see the match.
They have NO interest in football,...but reacted strongly to the behaviour of Colombia in the arena,...against the referee and other players.

So my question again,...Did you see at all the game?

/Peder ????

Peder: I thought I made it clear that I saw the game, and that I agreed the Colombians had been despicable. My point was (and still is) that every team these days seems to engage in cheating to some degree. Also, there has long been a North European bias against Latin teams -- and vice versa. 

???? DTCHAYES,...Ok, then I am with. Hard to stay 100% updated in all threads ????.

The rest you write may be a certain truth in, but it may also be explained in cultural differences between countries.
"Southern" countries,often react more "explosively" than we do in the more "northern" areas.

But there, the refeere comes in, it is he who will handle this,...and if some teams then do not show respect for the refeere......well, then we have big problems.

/Peder ????

Peder: Cultural differences are brought into sharp relief by World Cups. I find David Goldblatt's must-listen podcast, Game Of Our Lives, to be an effective antidote. The episode with Musa Okwonga is particularly enlightening. And for anyone interested in understanding more about the sociopolitical underpinnings of Latin American football (or if you just want to enjoy magnificent writing about the game), Football in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano just might blow your mind.

And I agree with you: Respect for the referee is essential. Bruce Woodhouse posted some excellent suggestions earlier.  

Anyone else wondering if the big bookies are behind recent outcomes ?

If enough of us bet on a France v England final it might just happen.

I hate being right all the time but from before the competition began:

My predictions for the winner, runner up, 3rd and 4th:

France

Engerland

Brasil

Portugal

Feel free to join in.

Ray

thebigfredc posted:

I hate being right all the time but from before the competition began:

My predictions for the winner, runner up, 3rd and 4th:

France

Engerland

Brasil

Portugal

Feel free to join in.

Ray

Very good, now if you could just pick 6 numbers for tomorrow’s lottery?

Looking forward to the next two days footie. Come on Engerland.

Had to laugh at a report I read in my newspaper today which said that the Wimbledon bosses (the 'blazers' that make up the all England lawn tennis club) were "surprised" and "bewildered" that FIFA had chosen to schedule the World Cup final at the same time as the men's singles final. What on earth was FIFA thinking? (sic).

I wonder if Rees-Mogg is a member of the all-England lawn tennis club?

So it's the first of the quarter finals today and what a pair of fantastic matches,

Uruguay v France at 3 pm.    Stalwart tough defending and two wily old strikers v fearless youthful Gallic flair.

Brazil v Belgium at 7pm.    The true artists of the beautiful game against the new pretenders.

Whoever wins out of those four we are in for a fantastic semi- final next week.

And before the hype starts to build around England tomorrow here is a sobering thought for you.

Imagine 'Big Sam' Allardyce hadn't got himself into trouble with that newspaper sting...............................

Bob the Builder posted:

And before the hype starts to build around England tomorrow here is a sobering thought for you.

Imagine 'Big Sam' Allardyce hadn't got himself into trouble with that newspaper sting...............................

....... we'd be posting things like :

Did you see Federer the other day ? Marvellous back-hand....

Bob the Builder posted:

Comparing tampering with the match ball by picking up scuffing material with duct tape to Neymer breakdancing on the sidelines is ludicrous. 

Diving and histrionics did become part of the game but they will soon disappear now VAR has been implemented. 

Your national captain and vice captain conspiring to tamper with a match ball and roping in a junior player to do the actual deed is a whole other level and was dealt with harshly and rightly so it was a disgrace 

You don't mention the deliberate scuffing of the penalty spot. Surely a direct comparison with pitch or ball tampering?

Simulating an injury is a attempt to get a player booked or sent off by deliberate deception of the referee. In my book that is cheating. Football seems to think it is a bit of fun.

It has blighted games for this non-footie fan. I'm very happy to see a bit of niggle and getting under the skin of the opposition (heck, I'm a wicketkeeper) but not blatant cheating.

Bruce

Uruguay's game plan of containing the French by sheer numbers was going so well, even at 0-1 down, and it wasn't until their goalkeeper's howler, for the second goal, that they were obliged to come out and open things up, which, of course, played directly in France's hands.

Heartbreak for Uruguay, missing Edinson Cavani hugely.

Mind you, the longer the match went on, the more I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed with the two ITV commentators, who seemed to be watching the game through xenophobia tinted glasses. Little mention was made of some of the French players gamesmanship, whilst they seemed to relish every opportunity to indulge themselves in stereotypical South American football anecdotes.

Not good enough guys .......... get it sorted. 

Dave Marshall: Yep. 'Twas ever thus.

I'm also gutted for Uruguay, although I think France have more hope of progressing. Uruguay are among the best at defending a lead, but not so much when they trail. They remind me of Italian teams from the Eighties.

Yes they missed Cavani they are a different team when he plays.

I hope the young Mbappe learns from the late incident in that match that saw him booked.

So we have our first semi - finalist of Russia 2018.   France came through without the goals and the flair that saw them win their round of sixteen match but it won't matter to them they will now face the winner of Belgium v Brazil later.

I'm drinking a good bottle of Leffe tonight. 2 for Belgium already.

Ardbeg10y posted:

I'm drinking a good bottle of Leffe tonight. 2 for Belgium already.

Is it a Leffe Blonde.?

https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/leffe-blonde/2514/#!

Peder????