The World Cup

[nocioni1130]

It's like having the Champions League only including La Liga clubs!

The reason the US teams are the best teams is because there the only teams! lol

Part of the reason European football is so good is because you have the English, Spanish and Italian footy leagues all competing with each other.

 

[SandyR]

Major League Baseball plays a 162 game season. It's utter insanity to consider travel between Asia and the United States during that time.

The reason the English, Spanish, and Italian Leagues can compete against each other is because of proximity. A club like Newcastle United can travel to face a club like Roma in a matter of hours. Do you propose that American teams fly 16-18 hours to Japan to play in 3 game series and then fly back? It's impractical.

 

[Goldiggar]

heres an idea, make them come to you. There is no excuse for not allowing other leagues to participate. Opening up the world series might actually do a lot of good for the Japanese leagues, and maybe one day they will be extrememely competitive. Or is that something MLB is scared of?

 

[kaede]

Why are you taking it so seriously? Just laugh at it like everyone else does!

The 'World Series' is an amusing name, that's all!

 

[vampireoflenight]

Im with you on this - Ledley King is a quality player, and a cant remember how old he is, but Carragher is now one of the oldest players in the current England squad, other than Campbell and Old Man Neville, and is at his peak.

Carragher has also had a solid season, probably one of his best, and although he doesnt ALWAYS look comfortable playing in Midfield, he still CAN. I remember Ledley King playing for England in midfield a while back, and he was aweful!

And, although Carragher has an Everton Tattoo on his arm, he is still our best player, and in my opinion our Player of the Season.

Just a shame that half our Liverpudlian players support Everton (Fowler, Carragher, etc )

 

[berriewedge]

And Peter Crouch has said that if England win the World Cup, Sven has promised to all the players and staff, that he will do the Robot Dance at the end of the Final!

 

[SanchirB]

It just winds me up, its arrogant and inaccurate

If this was happening in MA it would be called Bullshido.

 

[shygirl1]

I agree with what you say about Sven - although my main objection to him isn't his lack of emotion but his lack of tactical ability.

But I disagree about our chances. Everyone is hyping us up, saying we've got the best squad since 1966..... absolute cobblers! The 1990 squad was miles better, and 1986 was stronger too.

We've got a patchy defence, a disjointed midfield (which the manager keeps tinkering with and never gets right) and both our first choice strikers are recovering from injury, with to few alternatives prepared.

We are now relying on Peter Crouch having a great tournament, and the midfield (whatever it turns out to be) gelling very quickly, otherwise we'll be coming home after the first knockout round.

We've got some quality individuals, but the team as a whole still has an unfinished look about it. If we make the semis then it will be a major achievement.

 

[susan15022001]

and lets not forget the fact that Gerrard and Lampard dont play well together

 

[lifeisgood]

So if its not England, who do you think will win it in the end?

 

[danceelovee8]

Brazil are favourites, and Argentina are strong - but South American teams rarely perform well in Europe.

Italy look like a good bet to me, if they can find a regular goalscorer. Vieiri's poor finishing let them down in the Euro's, apart from that I thought they looked good.

Germany have got home advantage, and as we all know only too well...... you never write off the Germans.

England are an outside chance, but we really need to click quickly and have everyone playing to the very peak of their form. That, plus a huge slice of luck, and we could do it. It's just very unlikely, that's all.

 

[AbbyL]

I'm worried about Italy, this whole match fixing scandal could really mess with their heads. Especially Buffons.

 

[Lauz]

Good point - I overlooked that. That is the big unknown variable with them.

 

[outkast_950]

they could show up on fire though, in which case I wouldn't bet against them

personally I'd like to see the Czech Republic do well



....and my boss is running round the office in a paraguay shirt...bloody scots.

 

[marigold]

i think czech republic stand a good chance if they beat brazil during the ko stages. czech has a great team such as cech, kovac and of course nedved!!

 

[mamahuhu]

and baros, who needs to have a stormer so villa can sell him for lots and lots of money

 

[TheNewspaperDress]

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/ps2/game/news/article.jsp?articleId=2006060994723890085&sectionId=1006

I just thought this was a stroke of genius

basically the games review website gamesradar has decided that it will try and use pro evolution soccer 5 (arguably the best football sim ever) to predict the outcome of each world cup match before it's played. The game will be played out entirely by the computer and there will be a match suofftopicry posted up for every game, today's two games are already up so i guess we'll know soon enough how accurate or inaccurate it is

 

[LindsayA]

The Czechs shoul dhave won the last Euro's. They were certainly the best team to watch. So I hope they do well too. I don't really expect to see a new name on the trophy, but if there was then I suppose the Czechs would be the most likely - or maybe the Dutch? (shudder!)

 

[jumpingejade]

30 mins gone, Germany 2- Costa Rica 1

Fascinating half of football, and a good ref (IMO).

Lahm opened the scoring with a great strike, worth watching time and time again for his technique. Costa Rica pull one back with a hilarious use of the offside "trap" by the German defence. Wanchope the scorer, who did well.
Then Klose scored one after getting on the end of a decent ball.

 

[MariamS]

i cant watch the game im at work.... nooooooooooooo..