The Soccer thread

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

Worst start possible.

 

Every 4 Years, I look forward to watching a fair bit of soccer, when I do I inevitably find myself realising why I don’t watch it a lot. Sisko’s pathetic acting rewarded with a foul, the French cheat Hernandez diving away and getting constantly rewarded for it, Pepe yesterday. Until the sport introduces retrospective yellow cards for these cheats and stomps out the blatant diving, it will never win me over as much as it could.

 

BTW, if you want a laugh, look up Pepe shame (I think) on YouTube 

[Macca 16,972]

Thank goodness for VAR hey!  ha ha

[Earl Hood 6,086]

18 minutes ago, Macca said:

Thank goodness for VAR hey!  ha ha

First break go our way in 4 World Cups. I will take it. 

[Macca 16,972]

19 minutes ago, Earl Hood said:

First break go our way in 4 World Cups. I will take it. 

You make your own luck EH.  That type of penalty is rarely paid - we got very lucky. 

I do have a problem with the inconsistent VAR rulings though ... as we know,  they've got oodles of time to get the right outcomes but what we get is inconsistent outcomes. 

Edited June 21, 2018 by Macca

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

Frustrated we haven’t played Cahill

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

My Kingdom for a Striker !!!

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

18 minutes ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

Frustrated we haven’t played Cahill

he would have perhaps given us more than Juric  in those last ten minutes... who is almost Pedersenesque.... great at VFL but in the big league .. doesn't quite have it

Mclaren perhaps ?

[Macca 16,972]

We were the better team but just couldn't finish things off ... but that's the game.  Arzani looks a real player and he made a difference when he came on. 

Anyway,  the good news is that we are not out of it.  It would be better if Peru were to defeat France later on but I don't like their chances. 

What we do know is that we will have to win our last game and probably need to win by more than 1 goal.  It's do-able especially if we play as well as we played tonight.  If Peru lose tonight then they will be out of it and would have nothing to play for in their 3rd game against us - except pride.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

Well, bummer. Now our fate is out of our own hands. Even if we manage to beat Peru who will not be any pushover.

Turns out our last 5 goals in international comp (not counting friendlies) are all by Jedinak from penalties. Our fire power around the box is very limited. In AFL terms we generate plenty of inside 50s but do not convert any of them.

We are in heaps here and need to throw it around a bit. Start Arzani for some X factor. Play Timmy for as many minutes as he can handle. Have to get on the scoreboard and pile on the pressure. And then hope ...

[Macca 16,972]

Brazil really turned it on in the finish ... mesmerizingly good in the last 10-15 minutes.  Their tournament just kicked into gear and they'll be hard to stop now. 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Macca

[deelete my account 1,194]

bloody kruze, every first touch seemed a metre too far and easily blocked and turned over

[binman 42,986]

11 hours ago, John Demonic said:

bloody kruze, every first touch seemed a metre too far and easily blocked and turned over

If he plays well and we get through it might be the kruze cup

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

The last Australian game is played in Sochi..the site of the Winter Olympics. The city is on the Black Sea and is a major tourist resort.

Predicted weather for kickoff is 30 degrees. Bad luck we are not playing one of the European teams as I suspect the Peru team is used to the warm. Could however be a tough day at the office.

Nearly 30 degrees here in Kazan and boy is the sun warm. Had Russian dumplings for lunch...they are called khinkalis and if well made are absolutely delicious.

Also had my first borscht... very good ?

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

As Korea bows out this evening along with the already departed Iran and Saudi Arabia (and probably Japan to join soon) one wonders whether Ange was right or is simply getting here a result in itself.

In soccer terms there is nothing wrong with being mid table as the money etc is well stacked in the various leagues in favour of the powerful and wealthy few. Not so sure the Australian ethos will accept it going forward.

Have an English friend who supports Manchester City. Will not accept that like others they have purchased their way to somewhere near the top.

[deelete my account 1,194]

Wow. Germany with the late free kick goal. Poor Sweden. Another great game. Gee this world cup is really kicking the AFL's arse for spectacle.  Every one of them entertaining in the least and gripping, intense and nail biting at best. Loving the fluidity of ball movement.

Edited June 23, 2018 by John Demonic

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

2 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Wow. Germany with the late free kick goal. Poor Sweden. Another great game. Gee this world cup is really kicking the AFL's arse for spectacle.  Every one of them entertaining in the least and gripping, intense and nail biting at best. Loving the fluidity of ball movement.

Unbelievable. Heartbreaking for the Swedish fans. This is turning out to be one hell of a tournament with so much more still to play out.

Mexico is my “Smokey”, never underestimate the Central Americans. ‘Chicharito’ with his 50th international goal for the Mexicans. 

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

5 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

As Korea bows out this evening along with the already departed Iran and Saudi Arabia (and probably Japan to join soon) one wonders whether Ange was right or is simply getting here a result in itself.

Bert has made a very sudden change to the way we play. Remember the stodgy wins on the way to qualifying, and embarrassing draws & losses? Now we look really quite dangerous. It's just our lack of finishing letting us down. When we compare the one touch, BANG! finishing of the best nations ... the ones who will go deep in this tournament ... to our touch, stop, look around, ah sh*t ... pass backwards efforts ... nearly always our men around the box take that one step too many and give the defenders the time they need to clog it up.

In terms of what Aussie fans will accept,  I think most understand we'll always struggle to compete with Brazil, Germany, Spain, etc. I think most want us to simply punch above our weight and claim a few prize scalps. Give us something to be proud of, where we can pack the bars all night long. But that means going deep into the tournament and not limping into the 32 and then going home after 3 plucky but unfulfilling matches. Put another way, we don't expect to win the cup, but nor do we expect to simply make up the numbers.

 

5 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Have an English friend who supports Manchester City. Will not accept that like others they have purchased their way to somewhere near the top.

Verily, there are none so blind as those who will not see. Has he stopped to consider who owns the club? (Hint: Gulf businessmen.) Also that there are 8 British players in the squad of 27?

Compare with cellar dwellers West Brom, owned by Chinese, 12/20 locals.

Down to the next level ... EFL Championship (second division in the old money) ... Aston Villa: Chinese, 12/24 ... Wolverhampton: Chinese, 14/35.

Down again to EFL League Two ("3rd division") ... mid-table Doncaster Rovers: British, 23/29.

Basically you aren't going anywhere without the money to buy foreign players. (There are a small handful of British-only owners in the EPL but it doesn't need saying that they are fabulously wealthy.)

 

By the way! My statistic about our last 5 goals being from Jedinak was wrong. I trusted another web site that should know better rather than look it up. Turns out he scored our last 2 (up to 4 now in this cup), before that it was Timmy with 2 and before that, shared between Kruse, Leckie, etc.

[Macca 16,972]

Do they have a mercy rule in soccer? 

England 5  Panama 0  ... not yet half time.

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

It's 6:15 and just getting myself together to head for the stadium for the 9pm Poland v Colombia clash.

It has been a very hot day here and the temperature is still around 31 and shows little sign of decreasing.

The Colombian fans are here in force.My son verily informs me from his many late night bar outings that there are lots of Colombians at the university here. Vuvuzelas galore I suspect

The Polish border is a long way from Kazan so I am not sure how many Poles will turn up.

As well as the usual items that are banned from the stadiums they also clearly list selfie sticks and vuvuzelas as banned items. I was silly enough to think that no one would break the rules in a society that is so absolutely rule driven as Russia (they are like Singapore and pedestrians wait for lights). Not to be and I will have my ear plugs ready if it becomes unbearable.

Not many round 2matches to go now and the various possibilities are in many instances clearer.

We have Germany v South Korea next match which will be like that day at the Whitten Oval back in '87 for the German fans.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

The Cup that keeps on giving. Unbelievable drama to finish off Group B. You can’t script this stuff. Missed penalties, VAR intervention, cracking goals. 

Iran almost sent Portugal packing, a one on one at the death and fluffs the shot wide. Iran would have topped the group. Agony!!

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by Dee Zephyr

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

Warming up here... 30 degrees at 8am.

A 5pm start for the Aussies will be very warm. Hoping to find a nice bar to watch in the aircon.

The Colombian match was a wipeout from a spectating viewpoint. Think of yourself in the middle of a Collingwood cheer squad 30,000 strong all on their feet for 80% of the game. I suppose I should be thankful that they left their vuvuzelas at home.

As an aside the TV coverage is always showing the pretty young ladies in the stands. In reality the crowds are 80% male if not higher.

The VAR is starting to dominate games. Cannot think of many sports where scoring is so hard which makes for real tension when the ref goes off to watch the TV. Wonder why soccer doesn't try more onfield referees. A relatively stationary ref at either goal plus the roving ref springs to mind.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Diamond_Jim

[deelete my account 1,194]

9 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

The Cup that keeps on giving. Unbelievable drama to finish off Group B. You can’t script this stuff. Missed penalties, VAR intervention, cracking goals. 

Iran almost sent Portugal packing, a one on one at the death and fluffs the shot wide. Iran would have topped the group. Agony!!

 

Iran have been my favourite neutral team to watch so far. Doing the best with what they've got, holding the dam wall and counterattacking. I can't believe they had that shot on goal at the end. It felt like scoring 2 goals against Portugal was a 1% chance when Portugal were all over them hogging possession at 1-0. It's absurd that they nearly won that game.

I kind of wish we had a team that barely concedes a goal each world cup, gives you more of a chance at progressing if you take your oppurtunities. here we are against Peru, and even if they score 1 goal, we're up against it to progress at 2-1 with our goal difference, hoping france who've been unremarkable, smash denmark...

But... I reckon France might even not go for the big win because they hate us after the physical first game. Happy to tie i bet. At 0-0 or 1-0 both teams might park the bus knowing our match is close. ?

Edited June 26, 2018 by John Demonic

[Diamond_Jim 12,590]

The group games really are the luck of the draw including the order in which the teams play. There was always a big chance that France would play its second stringers in the last match if they had already qualified.

So many combinations possible and most do not suit the Aussies.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/13/1982-world-cup-algeria

Incredible story in the link above of why group matches are now played simultaneously.It includes these two gems:

• "When German fans gathered at the team hotel to protest, the players responded by throwing water bombs at them from their balconies."
• Even less bothered was the head of the Austrian delegation, Hans Tschak, who made these extraordinary comments: "Naturally today's game was played tactically. But if 10,000 'sons of the desert' here in the stadium want to trigger a scandal because of this it just goes to show that they have too few schools. Some sheikh comes out of an oasis, is allowed to get a sniff of World Cup air after 300 years and thinks he's entitled to open his gob."

Did you see the stat for the Iran v Spain game .... Iran had 49 passes in the first half... the lowest in World Cup history for many years with the record being held... you guessed it by Iran with 46.

Not sure I'd like to follow a team like that.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Diamond_Jim

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Play Ball!!! Let’s go!!!

[At Least I Saw a Flag 5,248]

Terrible performance by Socceroos ...