Brazil 2014. The World Cup thread

Hodgson’s already lining up his next job somewhere abroad

Fingers crossed Fulham can be classed as somewhere abroad – well adrift anyway

compare and contrast him and CRonaldo

Rooney will at least still give it his all, even when his team are losing. CRonaldo goes missing whenever things aren’t going his way. This was the main criticism when he was at MU, and is still the case now.

Mebbe, but look what they’ve done with their gifts and physiques. CRonaldo has gone on to be one of the world greatest players and has the conditioning of a greek god (his lats are bizarrely massive though), Rooney hasn’t really progressed and still has the simple expression (not his fault) and doughie body of a medieval ox cart driver.

I did wonder about Gerrardo and Lamps doing their little speech about the pain of going home early from tournaments

Agree – what a way to put the fear into people! Go out, enjoy it, try to play your best and everyone will be happy.

No we are not world beaters but we should be able to put up a good show for ourselves.

compare and contrast him and CRonaldo

Ronaldo was useless in Portugal’s first game – barely featured. And that was playing where he wanted to play.

Rooney was England’s outstanding player last night playing in his favoured position.

And I can’t believe people are talking about comparable physiques – they are different people. Rooney could never have Ronaldo’s physique (like many players couldn’t). It doesn’t mean he is any less fit – in fact Rooney normally covers the most ground during matches.

CRonaldo has gone on to be one of the world greatest players

Gone onto join a team full of world-class players. Rooney has stayed at a club that’s gone downhill.

Rooney’s performances for England eclipse CRon’s for Portugal; where was he against Germany? Nowhere. Whereas Rooney can take a game by the scruff of the neck and turn things around. I know which one I’d rather have in my squad.

was that the Gerrard you see for Liverpool?

Well he’s now cost Liverpool the Premiership and his country a place in the next round with some very simple mistakes so I guess you’d have to say yes. 🙂

Well he’s now cost Liverpool the Premiership and his country a place in the next round with some very simple mistakes so I guess you’d have to say yes.

I said the same thing last night but it can’t really condemn him for either as they were both very unlucky and slightly freaky. Imagine how HE feels though?

You have to say the way the ball fell last night we were a bit unlucky. But then we didn’t make enough luck of our own. #goinghome 🙁

As I’ve said elsewhere, I can now rest comfortably in my appreciation of the skill, style and clear-sighted purpose of the German football team.

Does that make me a heretic? Burn me.

Well he’s now cost Liverpool the Premiership and his country a place in the next round with some very simple mistakes so I guess you’d have to say yes.

Harsh, although funny. Sadly, it’s an accumulation of many small things. Glen Johnson didn’t play well, Jags let Suarez out of his sight for the header, Hart was a bit off, Rooney didn’t play well till Barkley came on, Ox/Walcott were injured…etc etc.

Does that make me a heretic? Burn me.

Nope. Nothing wrong with watching good football. This what a lot of the haterz don’t get. They think watching football is this, and yes it can be, tribal thing where you ONLY watch your own team and can have no appreciation for other teams playing better.

I don’t watch England for the spectacle….more a sense of duty 8)

That’s a bit complicated for some Jimmers. It’s far simpler to blame one man.

That’s a bit complicated for some Jimmers. It’s far simpler to blame one man.

As Sir Dave Brailsford almost once said, it’s the “the cumulative effect of marginal losses.”

Rooney’s performances for England eclipse CRon’s for Portugal; where was he against Germany? Nowhere. Whereas Rooney can take a game by the scruff of the neck and turn things around. I know which one I’d rather have in my squad.

Good grief….you clearly don’t know how Portugal qualified for the WC then? Rooney take the game by the scruff of the neck! Are you serious?
Its not like I dislike him, but have no idea what you are talking about!

In other news, FIFA like money.

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/fifa-bans-beats-headphones-from-world-cup-matches/

Dr Dre will not be amused.

I didn’t watch the game – can’t stand football (ridiculous boring twaddle) – but I DID watch the national anthem singing and it was clear to me right there who the losers were going to be.

One thing I have noticed is how clever some teams work set pieces around the goal area, apart from Suarez’s direct attempts at scoring from corners, which I just think were down to individual quick thinking.

Both Italy and Uruguay had clearly worked on their movement to pull defenders away from the target player, rather than just lump every ball into the 6 yard box for everyone to fight for. England just never seemed to play smart. I wonder if that is a lack of imagination from the coaching, or if the players just aren’t smart enough to pull it off.

The trick is not to bite…

can’t stand footbal

The comforting noise of a complete moron wasting his time on a football thread to tell everyone how uninterested he is in football.

Thanks. Clearly, you missed my point – if you reread the item, you’ll notice that there was, in fact, more to it than you seemed to assume.

Still here displaying your complete disinterest in football?

I was disappointed in Hart with the Anthem, he was belting ot out, always had him down as a republican.

You can still be proud of representing the nation while not singing our frankly awful anthem which worships an inbred individual rather than being about the country.

Gerard doing what he does best.
If there was a world cup for being a dick he would win gold every time.

Wopster -You can’t stand football, but you regard the singing of national anthems as a spectator sport?

Are there any other preliminary aspects to other sports you don’t like, that you feel compelled to watch?

My point is – there were the Uraguayan players clearly full of energy and hunger belting out their song for all they were worth and then – the English team. Hunched, miserable, mumbling, dead-eyed and looking like they’d rather be ANYWHERE else.

No spirit, not a chance…

Well not everyone can get as excited about belting out praise to the head of the church of England as you.

Isn’t this the bit where you make a comparison with Rugby players, in a superior tone, with an undercurrent of veiled homo-eroticism?

My contact for all things football reckons they’re a useless, pampered overpaid bunch of oxygen thieves.

Obviously, I am unable to comment on this without any background information of my own… 😉 😆

Isn’t this the bit where you make a comparison with Rugby players, in a superior tone, with an undercurrent of veiled homo-eroticism?

Nope. Clearly you’re better at it.

I rather think that the anthem the England players were singing to was massively ahead of what the crowd were singing to, which is confusing and definitely isn’t conducive to a rousing sing-song.

Proof it wisnae me!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-27939845

you clearly don’t know how Portugal qualified for the WC then?

They came second to Russia, in a group containing Israel, Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. 😆

Ok; so CRon scored 4 in the playoffs. But that was against Sweden, hardly titans of world football. Yes, he can turn it on, and be an amazing player. But ask any MU fan; for every great game he had there, there were 2 or 3 where he’d not turn up. I certainly remeber him having a few tantrums when being stifled aganst better teams.

Rooney take the game by the scruff of the neck! Are you serious?

Why woudn’t I be? Rooney’s proved himself a matchwinner countless times for MU, winning them some really big games.

Actually Wopster, I can’t ****ing stand Rugby. Could you start a thread on it so I can repeatedly point this out? Oh… theres one already? Possibly more. I can’t imagine why I’ve not felt the need to read them, and then point out how I’m not interested, and don’t like it anyway.

I’m a bit odd like that though. Avoiding stuff I’ve no interest in.

Well, nobody’s perfect. Don’t beat yourself up about it old boy.

I love football and I am in no way a lover of the monarchy but I am in agreement with Mr Woppit here. The anthem is a chance to show how ready and united you are and I did not get that feeling during it. The England players played how they sung – with fear and trepidation.

My point is – there were the Uraguayan players clearly full of energy and hunger belting out their song for all they were worth and then – the English team. Hunched, miserable, mumbling, dead-eyed and looking like they’d rather be ANYWHERE else.

Maybe they don’t like the ‘God’ bit in the song’s title.

The comforting noise of a complete moron wasting his time on a football thread to tell everyone how uninterested he is in football.

😆

Just do something else if it bothers you that much.

From that link about FIFA liking money…

Also, Olympic athletes are forbidden from wearing gear from their personal sponsors — the same goes for World Cup players.

Is that really true? Doesn’t seem to be the case for boots.

Must be an exemption for playing equipment.

always turn the sound down for the national anthem so i can replace it with a bit of Fat Les.

na na na na na na na.

It was something Woy had focussed on pre-wc…singing the NA in a lusty way, so was a bit disappointing seeing the efforts of a few individuals. However, I don’t think that had a bearing on our performance…we were clearly nervous, nervous of the stage, nervous of making mistakes and Uraguay seized on that.

The anthem is a chance to show how ready and united you are and I did not get that feeling during it.

When signing the Welsh national anthem, the Welsh rugby* team is likely to contain some hairy-arsed prop forward crying. I’m not sure, given their recent record in 6 Nations championships, they could be accused of scurrilous disunity.

I just don’t buy it. There are lots of reasons why Uruguay won last night – the English team being less than 50% of those, and the singing of the national anthem being a tiny proportion of that.

*sorry binners – had to 😉

I wonder if that is a lack of imagination from the coaching

England coaching team lacking imagination? Never! 😆

One of the main issues with England, aside from the fact the players are laregly vastly overrated (the Premier league is great because of the large number of talented foreign players, not so much the English ones), is that the whole coaching set up seems to be about getting what the palyers to fit into a (FA dictated) pre-prescribed formula, rather than focussing on how best to utilise individual talents. And trying to get a palyer to do what he does for his club, when he has particular players around him, whereas in the England team he has different ones. Too often trying to put squre pegs into round holes.