2014 World Cup

[NeverFeltBetter]

Weird game. So far its been total BIH dominance with no end product, book marked by periods of genuine Argentinian threat. But only one team scored twice.

[pineapple stu]

Hello.

Someone say grandstand finish?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Hopefully both teams go through.

Never seen Messi give the ball away so much.

[geysir]

Argentina looked anarchic compared to the neat, organised and impressive Bosnians.
Hondurans were overwhelmed, they should have played us in a friendly.
The Swiss 2nd goal was a spectacular event from beginning to end.
Ecuador were a very disappointing contrast to the team I had seen before, their fans looked a sorry sight after the final whistle.
I listened to some of the rte punditry, Kenny C is a wonder, a fountain of comment. Sadlier and Whelan are just suicidal territory, there should be a sign to warn viewers that you're about to listen to 2 professional moaners and to have 2 of them on together is a dereliction of duty by RTE.

[Crosby87]

Ecuador was a fashionable pick based on the fact no one picking them has ever seen them play. To wit;
Chile 2- 1 Ec
Ec 0-0 Argentina
Honduras 2-2 Ec
Ausies 3-4 Ec
Dutch 1-1 Ec
Mexico 3-1 Ec
Swiss 2-1 Ec
Not exactly lighting the world on fire. But its fun to think so I guess.

[OwlsFan]

I listened to some of the rte punditry, Kenny C is a wonder, a fountain of comment. Sadlier and Whelan are just suicidal territory, there should be a sign to warn viewers that you're about to listen to 2 professional moaners and to have 2 of them on together is a dereliction of duty by RTE.

Agree about Sadlier and Whelan (the former in particular). Wrist slitting stuff. Even O'Herlihy couldn't manage one of his laughs with them. No credit given to the Swiss for coming from a goal down and being in the position they are with pretty much a team of journeymen.

Without checking the results, I think that other than in the English/Italian game, the side who has scored the second goal (where there was one), has gone on to win the game. Quite a few teams coming from behind in this tournament. Do the new systems of play weaken defences I wonder?

[DeLorean]

I'm not sure if this is the funniest or most pathetic thing I've read in a while so I'll go with the most pathetically funny!

Linfield's Tricolour (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/linfield-shop-sign-tricolour-is-ivory-coast-not-republic-of-ireland-flag-30357592.html)

[Stuttgart88]

Agree about Sadlier and Whelan (the former in particular). Wrist slitting stuff. Even O'Herlihy couldn't manage one of his laughs with them. No credit given to the Swiss for coming from a goal down and being in the position they are with pretty much a team of journeymen.

Without checking the results, I think that other than in the English/Italian game, the side who has scored the second goal (where there was one), has gone on to win the game. Quite a few teams coming from behind in this tournament. Do the new systems of play weaken defences I wonder?
Very interesting how many teams are coming from behind. I think football tends to go through cycles, from defences dominating and then attacking dominating. WC 2010 rewarded tight well organised teams but almost immediately afterwards Euro 2012 was full of very open, high scoring games. Unfortunately a couple of those involved Ireland! It certainly looks like at club level that endless possession is contained much more easily now.

I do wonder though whether the pressure on the big wealthy clubs to buy attacking crowd pleasers in an era where budgets are limited by FFP means that the best clubs in Europe are a bit top heavy on attackers and the result is that there are fewer Baresis, Thurams, Blancs, Cannavaros and other top class defenders. Which international defenders do we drool over these days?

Defence also seems to be much more about the collective application of the team at the moment rather than individuals.

[OwlsFan]

We are assuming it's because they don't like the Irish Tricolour but perhaps it's because the good folk of the Shankill believe the shop owners are confused and think we have qualified and have notified the shop of the error of its ways.

[OwlsFan]

. Which international defenders do we drool over these days?

Not sure I drooled over many defenders at international level. Paul McGrath and Beckenbauer perhaps. Definitely no Italian no matter how good they were. Admired sure, respected yes, drooled no but then you'll probably mention about ten and I'll say, oh yes I drooled over them.

[Stuttgart88]

If anyone's watching on a SKY+ or TiVo box, rewind the Germany game to 25:02 / 25:03. In between the two straw hats is that an old Cork City jersey?

[Stuttgart88]

Germany looking very very polished. Much more purposeful looking than the tippy tappy style of Bayern.

[pineapple stu]

Which international defenders do we drool over these days?
Philipp Lahm gets regular mentions on here anyway (BonnieShels ia a particular fan, I think!). Though again, I guess a fair bit of that is for his attacking qualities.

This one is yet another very enjoyable game. What a World Cup so far!

[pineapple stu]

Portugal imploding. Really soft red. Germany should - and could yet - be further ahead.

[Stuttgart88]

Daft by Pepe but I think football's zero tolerance to aggressive actions is counterproductive. Muller's initial reaction was pathetic but wouldn't be encouraged if the offence he was trying to intimate happened if the ref had discretion how to punish those incidents. I don't think the "head butt" warranted a red at all. It makes the game look stupid and actually encourages over reaction to innocuous offences. Pepe was fully entitled to make his disgust at Muller's cheating known.

I'm sure Geysir was seething!

[Stuttgart88]

Philipp Lahm gets regular mentions on here anyway (BonnieShels ia a particular fan, I think!). Though again, I guess a fair bit of that is for his attacking qualities.

This one is yet another very enjoyable game. What a World Cup so far!

Philip Lahm the converted midfielder? :)

[pineapple stu]

Philip Lahm the converted midfielder? :)
Löwe was thinking the same as you; that he was wasted at full-back. :)

Great minds and all that!

Best I could think of though. Unless Richie Dunne counts.

3-0 Germany now.

[Stuttgart88]

Cracking finish to the first test between England and Sri Lanka!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Thankfully a draw, but not the World Cup...

[Stuttgart88]

No, but it coincided with the last 6 mins of a 4-0 formality. That last over was thrilling.

Btw, I played an hour of footy yesterday, Fathers Day game at my son's footy club. Loved it, despite getting turned twice by a guy who was clearly a proper full back in his prime but who revealed he was 67 after the match. Still, I scored one and after a switch into nets made 3 good stops but punched two corners when I should have caught them. Match sharpness, if you're reading CD! I'm aching like hell today.

[Razors left peg]

Bad day at the office for Portugal today, the Germans were very good but it seemed like one of those games that anything that could go wrong did. Still dont think Ronaldo looks fit, he had no sharpness at all.

The Germans look best team in the tournament so far, even their bench options are frightening

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, but how often does the team that impresses most after game one go on to do well? Portugal could have scored twice or three times, including that awful miss by Coentrao.

[Crosby87]

Do you chaps think ghana will beat the usa?

[Charlie Darwin]

They have better players so yes.

[BonnieShels]

I listened to some of the rte punditry, Kenny C is a wonder, a fountain of comment. Sadlier and Whelan are just suicidal territory, there should be a sign to warn viewers that you're about to listen to 2 professional moaners and to have 2 of them on together is a dereliction of duty by RTE.

Always liked Kenny. Very insightful. Pretty much like the Irish Hamann.


Agree about Sadlier and Whelan (the former in particular). Wrist slitting stuff. Even O'Herlihy couldn't manage one of his laughs with them. No credit given to the Swiss for coming from a goal down and being in the position they are with pretty much a team of journeymen.

Without checking the results, I think that other than in the English/Italian game, the side who has scored the second goal (where there was one), has gone on to win the game. Quite a few teams coming from behind in this tournament. Do the new systems of play weaken defences I wonder?

I think Whelan is easily the worst of the bunch. At least Sadlier for all his moaning actually makes sense.

Whelan is one of the worst pundits I've ever seen. Never says anything. Always whinsging about stuff and makes comment that any okle in a bar could spout. Moron.


Philipp Lahm gets regular mentions on here anyway (BonnieShels ia a particular fan, I think!). Though again, I guess a fair bit of that is for his attacking qualities.

This one is yet another very enjoyable game. What a World Cup so far!

I've been known to maybe say one or two positive things about Mr Lahm.

*swoons*

[pineapple stu]

Funny you praise Kenny there. Last night, he (and Ossie Ardiles) both suggested Nigeria should qualify ahead of Bosnia from their group. This game is drivel. Nigeria are awful.

[Charlie Darwin]

Whelan is one of the worst pundits I've ever seen. Never says anything. Always whinsging about stuff and makes comment that any okle in a bar could spout. Moron.
He hit a new high point when he decided on the basis of the Netherlands that Liverpool should under no circumstances sign Diego Costa.


Funny you praise Kenny there. Last night, he (and Ossie Ardiles) both suggested Nigeria should qualify ahead of Bosnia from their group. This game is drivel. Nigeria are awful.
To be fair, I've seen Nigeria play a few times in the last 18 months and I thought they would really challenge. There aren't words to describe how bad they were today.

[pineapple stu]

They have some good players alright; it was amazing how they just completely failed to turn up at all. Long time since I've heard a World Cup match end with such a crescendo of boos.

But I think Bosnia's squad shades Nigeria's; Dzeko and Ibisevic up front versus Odemwingie and Ameobi in particular. Was surprised to hear both basically write off Bosnia. Though there's still two games each to go, of course.

Is Enyeama, the Nigerian keeper, the guy Jimmy Magee noted in 2002 that he wouldn't get into a League of Ireland team? He's improved a bit since then in fairness.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well you have to consider the opposition. Iran sat back and basically dared Nigeria to break them down. If you're looking for an inspirational figure to take the game to the opposition, are you looking at Shola Ameobi or John Obi Mikel? Argentina and Bosnia are going to try and win the games against Nigeria - I expect they'll give a much better account of themselves.

Don't remember the Magee reference but according to wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Enyeama) Enyeama only played once at the 2002 WC and kept a clean sheet against England, so it was hardly him. More likely to be the first choice, Ike Shorunmu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Shorunmu).

[pineapple stu]

True on Mikel; not sure Bosnia have a match for him. Though he was particularly wojus this evening.

Still, onwards and (surely!) upwards. Will the US regret leaving Landon Donovan at home? Will Ghana suffer an Uruguay-like collapse of form from the last World Cup? Not sure what to make of this one. I'd make Ghana slight favourites, I think.

[Razors left peg]

Cant make up my mind whether I love or hate this US kit

[pineapple stu]

29 seconds!

Makes up for the evening game already!

[DannyInvincible]

You ask a lot of questions.
But yes, IC are the only team on the FIFA list not in English.
Why is that? how is that? as Van Morrison says "it just is".

The IOC also refer to the country as Côte d'Ivoire. Wikipedia provides the following explanation:


The coastline of the modern state is not quite coterminous with what the 15th- and 16th-century merchants knew as the "Teeth" or "Ivory" coast, which was considered to stretch from Cape Palmas to Cape Three Points and which is thus now divided between the modern states of Ghana and Ivory Coast (with a minute portion of Liberia). But it retained the name through French rule and independence in 1960. The name had long since been translated literally into other languages, which the post-independence government considered to be increasingly troublesome whenever its international dealings extended beyond the Francophone sphere. Therefore, in April 1986, the government declared Côte d'Ivoire (or, more fully, République de Côte d'Ivoire) to be its formal name for the purposes of diplomatic protocol, and officially refuses to recognize or accept any translation from French to another language in its international dealings.

Despite the Ivorian government's request, the English translation "Ivory Coast" (sometimes "the Ivory Coast") is still frequently used in English, by various media outlets and publications.


Doesn't the ref have a gizmo that buzzes when it's a goal though?

The ref would have known it was a goal based on the device (located in his watch (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2658557/Goal-line-technology-works-Frances-Karim-Benzema-volley-call-high-tech-World-Cup.html), I believe) he was wearing buzzing, so most likely would have based his immediate call on that.

Had been in Barcelona the past few days and was travelling home yesterday whilst the game was on so wasn't able to catch it, but I don't really see why there's such confusion. From the replays I've seen, the video clearly shows that the technology is analysing the two separate goal-line incidents; the first, where the ball hits the inside of the post and ever-so-slightly crosses the line as it returns back out into play, and the second, where the ball fully crosses the line after the Honduras keeper fumbles it back towards goal. It was clear and worked exactly as it was supposed to.

The USA off to a great start here against Ghana with Dempsey scoring after 30 seconds.

[DannyInvincible]

Cant make up my mind whether I love or hate this US kit

I think it's pretty nice, but it is their away kit. Their home kit is the usual all-white combination and obviously that would have clashed with Ghana's.

[Crosby87]

Altidore tore his hammy. Not good.

[Razors left peg]

I think it's pretty nice, but it is their away kit. Their home kit is the usual all-white combination and obviously that would have clashed with Ghana's.
Yeah I know, the home jersey is a bit boring. It almost looks like a golf top

[Crosby87]

You guys must love the Lithuania basketball jerseys Jerry Garcia designed.

[Closed Account 2]

We are seeing history with his replacement, the first Icelandic player to play in a World Cup :) i think the guy was even in Iceland squads for qualifiers for this World Cup but didnt come on (or maybe didnt play) so was able to make the switch to TeamUSA.

Is the TeamUSA kit homage to Captain America (Marvell Superhero not Clint Dempsey)?

[BonnieShels]

Funny you praise Kenny there. Last night, he (and Ossie Ardiles) both suggested Nigeria should qualify ahead of Bosnia from their group. This game is drivel. Nigeria are awful.

I thankfully missed that and my opinion on Kenny remains untarnished.


He hit a new high point when he decided on the basis of the Netherlands that Liverpool should under no circumstances sign Diego Costa.

That was the final straw for me. His determination on how Spain should "win this handily" despite all evidence over the last 2 years to the contrary.

Does Ronnie only watch games he's a commentator or pundit on? He's beyond woeful. Robbie Savage woeful.


I think it's pretty nice, but it is their away kit. Their home kit is the usual all-white combination and obviously that would have clashed with Ghana's.


Yeah I know, the home jersey is a bit boring. It almost looks like a golf top

The hooped red-and-white American shirt was refreshing. I was hoping that they'd keep that as their design basis going forward.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3d/c8/9b/3dc89b29ce51520ff96feb75fa364071.jpg

[pineapple stu]

That was one damned impressive kick to the face!

Game drifting since the opening goal though. Ghana starting to get on top I think. Yanks can't really afford to lose Dempsey and Altidore this early. Though as I type that, Dempsey returns to the game

[NeverFeltBetter]

What happened to the awesome World Cup? A walkover for Germany, a snorefest in the second game and now the USA with ten men behind the ball and Ghana irritatingly worthless in the final third.

[Charlie Darwin]

The African teams have been universally awful so far. They've been involved in all of the bad games so far.

[ArdeeBhoy]

The hooped red-and-white American shirt was refreshing. I was hoping that they'd keep that as their design basis going forward.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3d/c8/9b/3dc89b29ce51520ff96feb75fa364071.jpg

You might well like this, or someone who's a Yankophile...

https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/857142408.gif

[Crosby87]

Is tim howard a top 5 keeper in the epl lads?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Pretty much, top 5 or 10 in the EPL.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Yeah. There's some alternate universe where Old Trafford was more patient with him and he's still their keeper.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Amazing how far Ghana have fallen since 2010. Some baffling pass and shot choices in that second half. US well worth the win. I'm sure they can get points off Portugal too, though I suppose it might be a different story when they don't have a lead to defend right from the start.

[nigel-harps1954]

Could have been 10-2 if Ghana could learn to shoot.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Jesus yeah. 14 of 17 shots off target. The US were 2 from 6 on the same score.

[nigel-harps1954]

I hate when someone spends too much time in America and starts to talk like a yank. Even Jurgen Klinsmman has turned into a jolly happy American.