FIFA World Cup 2014

Well what did you think of Roy's New Model Army? 

MDS,Prandelli said,before the match, we need to play as for a win.All the Italian players agreed.Then the match started and Italy just played for a draw.That's it.

In the 43rd minute, a reply! And the reply is "not a lot". No graft, no craft, just daft. Overpaid rubbish.

Pray can anyone explain/tell me why in such heat some England players are wearing those long sleeved vests under their shirts,and what exactly are they ?

Mista H

I think they are to 'wick' sweat from the skin so you actually feel colder when sweating in them than losing liquid by it dripping off you. Or it's something else their private tattooists can 'ave a go at, as there's sod all left that's natural.

I see Prandelli has already resigned, too.

Yes,I see too MDS

Was it a bite, or more or a mouth led head butt?  I was shocked to see El Mordedor fall to the ground and grab his rather oversized front teeth in agony. Guess he keeps forgetting that these matches are being recorded by lots of video cameras?  Just ridiculous!

The guy must have a couple of screws loose.  Or incisors.

If I were Brendan Rogers, I would be livid. Yes, Suarez was playing for Uruguay at the time, but he is under contract to Liverpool, and so his absurd behavior also reflects on his club.  Will be interesting to see what Rogers has to say, and what FIFA intends to do. What's appropriate? Banned for next game? For the rest of the Cup?

There's a saying in baseball, but it applies to all other sports as well as to life in general:  three strikes, and you're out!

ATB.

Hook

PS - What a finish to the Greece/Ivory Coast match!  Samaras went down too easily IMO, and they only showed one replay.  Was hard to tell, but it appeared to me like he was barely touched.  Oh well, probably does not matter.  Neither of these teams were getting past Costa Rica in the next round.

I am not a follower of football, and I don't even have cable so I only see bits of the games and highlights at the gym, so I will ask you followers:  In the Italy/Uruguay highlights, it appeared an Italian player got a red card (?) for a foul, and to my judgement it looked like nothing.  Is that an accurate assessment?

And I think the biter should be suspended - even in a violent contact sport like ice hockey that would get you suspended, and for more than a single game!

The way I saw it, Marchisio was sent off for a potentially dangerous challenge on Rios. Even though it didn't look like much on the replay, he clearly came in hard, led with his studs, and hit Rios fairly high up on the leg. It was reckless, and could easily have resulted in a serious injury. Given how Marchisio went over the ball, it even appeared intentional. IMO, it was deserving of a red card, but then again, we've all seen much worse play that was given only a yellow (or even no card at all).  The problem is, of course, that it all depends on the ref's viewing angle.

Given how a red card changes the game, there has been suggestions that it should be challengeable, and reviewable using real-time video. But one of the great things about footie is the pace and flow of the game, and rules committees are very hesitant to introduce any new wrinkle that would cause long delays in play. Besides, most of the time, refs really do get the calls right.

ATB.

Hook

Just about sums it up. They should remember to feed him just before Kick off.

OW

So you are just another runofthemill ManU WUM then.

Steve,

No, just liked the Henderson touch, hence the .

Cheers,

OW

In for a penny............................

So France have won their group but they were rather wasteful against 10-man Ecuador and didn't look too impressive. Sending off probably justified.  Last 15 mins of the game was quite exciting with the game getting very stretched.     

Apparently this was a real product error at the games:

Wat,you're welcome.I was the first to say Italy did not play well despite some referee's decisions.Anyway the Azzurri's staff was told there was a flight back to Italy on 26/06 at half price.Aren't we(Italians)in economical crisis?

A mix of thuggery and comedy; not the highest boot but studs up, add riding the players leg when trying to stay standing, and cap it with the knee falling into Digne's groin after losing balance.

Digne was lucky not seeing yellow re an Ecuador break; the refereeing reminded me of Germany v Portugal - leaning to Germany/France. Not the red cards, the smaller stuff. That said, Giroud should've been off - punch and elbow.

Cheers,

OW

Germany looking very comfortable against the USA during the second half.  Schweinsteiger looks very good.  As well as keeping possession well, Germany seem to pass with purpose. 

As I write, Germany has won though we also go to the next round.  The German ball control was in another league. However, I'm thinking a big change is afoot here in the US. Television ratings have been through the roof, higher than the World Series and NBA finals. Our biggest sport by a vast margin is NFL Football. However, recent concerns about concussions and brain damage may signal a changing sports landscape here. Soccer has been wildly popular for years at the grass roots level. As concerns about long term health issues with American football grow, soccer could be the beneficiary. Get a few football and baseball speed merchants playing pro soccer instead of American football and things could get interesting real quickly. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to think that the US could be a real World Cup threat by say 2026 or 2030 and playing in the late rounds earlier than that.