The Football Thread

[Leone Admirer]

Me thinks me beign cynical but the chances of England winning are... remote 

[Banjo]

Are you going to be an Englishman again just for a month possibly?
Anyway its all down to luck and our squad is as good as any other barring Brazil.

[Leone Admirer]

I don't like soccer/football but I'm not anti English, I'm just being realistic.

[Sundance]

It is of course obvious that Sweden will win the tournament! Atleast England can get the second place (I think because they start in the same group).

[Banjo]

I'd forgotten Sweden are Englands bogey team and the last time we beat you was when dinosaurs roamed the world!

[titoli]

Thanx, Banjo, for the thread.
A yellow card for LA having surreptitiously introduced the word "soccer", banned here.

Totti is the real question that can influence Italy's performance. With him playing the same way he was before he was slaughtered, Italy  is among the candidates to the title. Actually, if we had all the players in top form and with no injured ones (like Zambrotta and Nesta) we could also play without him with good chances of doing a great tournament. The problem is that (as always happen) only 2 players seem to be in top form: De Rossi and Cannavaro. The rest of the team looked like it was way behind in training in the two test matches last week. But of course that has no value. To win a World Cup with 7 matches in a month you have to start slow and pick up speed gradually. Otherwise you do like we did in Argentina, when we were the best team in the first 2 weeks and lost both semifinals and small final. So what will be Italy's performance is anybody's guess.
And of course there's also the question of the scandal: in Italy nobody seems currently to be aware that the World Cup is about to begin: everybody is talking of the scandal. Last Sunday a Juventus F.C. fan was killed by an Inter F.C.  fan: just to let you know where the interest lies.
Of course, there are also the words of Beckenbauer two weeks ago which would let presume that team Italy was going to be penalized by referees in this tournament because of the scandal.   

[Banjo]

Thanx, Banjo, for the thread.
A yellow card for LA having surreptitiously introduced the word "soccer", banned here.
 To win a World Cup with 7 matches in a month you have to start slow and pick up speed gradually. Of course, there are also the words of Beckenbauer two weeks ago which would let presume that team Italy was going to be penalized by referees in this tournament because of the scandal.   

Titoli i did change the offending word to "Football" today.
Like in 1982 Italy are the masters of starting slow and the gradually building momentum-you were very unlucky the way you went out to Korea in the last World Cup.
As an Englishman i'm mostly concerned about our inability to take penalties which is also a problem for Italy i remember.Statitiscally to get the final a country will encounter at least one penalty shootout.

[titoli]

will Rooney make it for first round?

[Banjo]

will Rooney make it for first round?

Rooney has been filmed(much to Man Utds dismay ) in tha last day or two running around,kicking footballs including scissors kicks as if he doesn't have a care in the world.He may be fit enough to play Paraguay on Saturday but the general consensus is that he should be rested until the knock out stages-the rest of the squad should be good enough without him anyway-and with Rooneys propensity to pick up yellow cards very quickly i'd prefer he missed the easier games.

[Groggy]

To be perfectly honest, I have about as much interest in the World Cup as the average European has in the Super Bowl. . . even if the US makes it past the first round (somehow I doubt it), I could care less.  Sorry, I've just never been a soccer/football fan.  (Then again, American football is the only sport I've ever really liked. . .)

[Banjo]

Well the USA is a one-off it would appear in this respect because the rest of the world is totally football mad-you should see the hundreds of England flags already flying in my town and it doesn't start till Friday.
This apparent isolation from football , does this partly explain why you have "world series " in sport events where the only participants are American teams?

[The Firecracker]

This apparent isolation from football , does this partly explain why you have "world series "

we have what?
I dont follow sports no matter what nationality they come from.


I do enjoy Cricket though...(yes I lied)

[titoli]

To be perfectly honest, I have about as much interest in the World Cup as the average European has in the Super Bowl. . .

You mean the World Series...

even if the US makes it past the first round (somehow I doubt it), I could care less.

What if they make the finals?

Sorry, I've just never been a soccer/football fan. 

Yellow card.

[Banjo]

Groggy and Firecracker,what kinda tv coverage and press attention are the Germany World Cup Finals getting in the USA?
Did you know that USA are rated number 4 in the world?

[The Firecracker]

Did you know that USA are rated number 4 in the world?

I wouldnt know Banjo. I dont follow any sports. Its far from my mind.