Confederations Cup 2009

[geysir]

Sometimes you just got to credit the strike, it was mm perfect.
The goalie did well to get that close to it, if he was blinded.

I can't tell if his positioning was not the best in this instance, but even if he was, that is a rectifiable fault in a young keeper.
What he has in bundles is that natural cat like ability to pounce in a flash to any extreme angle and gather the ball into his arms.

[strangeirish]

Speaking of free kicks...How about that thunderbolt for South Africa?! Great game so far. Extra-Time now. Their first goal was class also. Great build up to it.

[gustavo]

USA 2-0 up but Brazil attacking in waves

[Noelys Guitar]

Great match. Fair play to the Americans for trying to win the game rather than parking the bus. Donavan's goal was brilliant. Brazil stepped up a level after Alves and Elano came on. Great comeback against a defense that was useful (Howard and Spectre especially). Kaka and Lucio proved their worth in the end.

[endabob1]

can I ask what the reaction to the confed cup has been like, as a first real test of SA's readyness for 2010, it appears to have gone pretty well.
One of the FIFA big cheeses saaid 8 out of 10 and FIFA seem to be happy with how it's all going.
http://www.southafrica.info/2010/project2010column49.htm

Incdentally Hyundai have a great advert here at the moment which goes something like
5 Million unemployed;
Stadiums unfinished;
An underacheiving team that no one wants to support;
Germany 12 months before the 2006 World cup....

I'll try to dig out a link for it, but it makes you think.

[pineapple stu]

can I ask what the reaction to the confed cup has been like
If those effing horns are at the World Cup, I can see myself turning off after two games.

[endabob1]

If those effing horns are at the World Cup, I can see myself turning off after two games.

The vuvuzela is a part of SA football culture, it will be everywhere :D

[pineapple stu]

I don't care. I stand by my comment. And I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one.

[Stuttgart88]

I only really watched this tournament from SF stage onwards.

Any lessons for The Irish team from the way the USA took on Spain & Brazil? To mee it looked like they were very well drilled without the ball and had enough properly good players mixed with reliable others to create a good unit.

It looked pretty cold there. Consequently I think this improves England's chances relative to other years.

[endabob1]

I don't care. I stand by my comment. And I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one.

I know, there's been complaints from a lot of overseas TV Companies, sorry that's just the way it is.



It looked pretty cold there. Consequently I think this improves England's chances relative to other years.

Depending on where abouts in SA you get drawn really,
Durban will be hot (as it is pretty much all year round)
Cape Town is cold and wet as is PE although not as bad
The High Veldt (Jo'Burg Pretoria etc.) - will be cold at night but generally warm in the day

[Stuttgart88]

If those effing horns are at the World Cup, I can see myself turning off after two games.I enjoyed the horns actually.

[pineapple stu]

How?!

As a once off, maybe, but they just drone continuously throughout the game, with no relevance to what's happening on the pitch.

[kingdom hoop]

Watching a match with the volume off can be nice.

(I agree the horns are annoying though.)

[pineapple stu]

It's an option alright, though you need to have some background, stadium noise.

Those things would put me off going to the World Cup entirely, TBH.

[kingdom hoop]

It's an option alright, though you need to have some background, stadium noise.


Take a tape-recorder to the Bowl and play it back on your stereo. :)



Those things would put me off going to the World Cup entirely, TBH.

Come on, that's like refusing to go to a nightclub on the pull cos they might play rubbish music!

[pineapple stu]

Well, maybe.

(Though I'd more liken it to "They will absolutely definitely have a hive of bees nesting in the stereo system" :) )

[Oink]

Well, maybe.

(Though I'd more liken it to "They will absolutely definitely have a hive of bees nesting in the stereo system" :) )

Completely agree about those pointless rage inducing trumpets of satan. They destroy the atmosphere in the stadium and are not used in any way to reflect the mood of the fans toward whats happening on the pitch or to give support to your team. They are just feckin noise.

I hope im right in thinking the WC will be different, that the stadiums will be filled with a majority of actual fans there to support there team and not people out to make random noise and dance about with little care as to whats happening on the pitch....... from what I have seen S. Africans dont really give a hoot about football (;))

I did a little bit of research and noticed that they banned these things from rugby games as the majority of fans complained about them

[DeLorean]

Completely agree about those pointless rage inducing trumpets of satan.

Sentence of the week without a doubt...and it's only Monday!!

[endabob1]

I did a little bit of research and noticed that they banned these things from rugby games as the majority of fans complained about them

They'll never be banned from Soccer games, Rugby is very white/middle class going to a rugby game & a soccer game are 2 very veyr different experiences in SA.

[geysir]

The vuvuzela is a part of SA football culture, it will be everywhere :D
Is it part of their culture?
The pundits in Brazil dug up some tv footage of Brazil's game in South Africa from a few years ago and there were no horns.

[Newryrep]

Is it part of their culture?
The pundits in Brazil dug up some tv footage of Brazil's game in South Africa from a few years ago and there were no horns.

Guy in the Guardian article mentioned that he had never seen them at the African nations cup ever ! seem to be a very recent phenonmen - wonder if a member of FIFA has any interest in the company supplying them:rolleyes:

[endabob1]

They've been at club games as long as I've been coming to SA (10 years) I've never been to a Baffana game so can't really comment.

I like the cynicism NewryRep but in this case I think it's unfounded.

[Newryrep]

They've been at club games as long as I've been coming to SA (10 years) I've never been to a Baffana game so can't really comment.

I like the cynicism NewryRep but in this case I think it's unfounded.

Fair enough Endabob1 :)

[geysir]

Just because it is part of a club culture doesn't earn it any justification for use in the WC finals. Some parts of culture are best kept very local.

I went to a league game once in the Westmann Islands, off the south coast of Iceland.
It was played in awful weather, gale force driving rain. There was nobody at the game, or so I thought. As soon as the locals won a corner, I thought I heard a din in the wind coming from somewhere. Then they scored a goal and all hell broke loose with the noise levels. I looked up over behind the far goal, on top of the small cliff was a car park, there were about 50 jeeps in a line, the supporters were in their jeeps with a grandstand view, blowing their horns/air horns like mad, flashing lights, totally surreal (but practical).

[Oink]

They'll never be banned from Soccer games, Rugby is very white/middle class going to a rugby game & a soccer game are 2 very veyr different experiences in SA.

I wouldn't count on that, if having these things in the stadium is going to negatively affect the viewing figures and/or attendance then FIFA will most certainly get rid of them.... $£€ call the shots.