SoulGirl Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 ohmigod rahdi, i think pirlo's really cute too! he reminds me of a waiter who works in a restaurant in town! it was a defensive tournament, disappointing overall. and the diving has got to stop - fifa need to crack down on it and forget leniency in order to have good players on the pitch. divers need to be suspended or the game will lose its appeal! i'd like to see these pansy footballers try and play some gaelic football - they wouldn't last ten minutes on the pitch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I had the same thoughts about how these world-class athletes - who have 2/3's their body's muscle mass and half their total weight below their waist - can so easily be pushed/pulled/tripped down onto the ground, in order to beg a penalty. They seemed to take a running hug from a teammate, after a goal, without losing their balance. I would think some innovative coach would demand playing THROUGH a shirt pull (use tear-away jerseys) or light hand/foot contact in order to maintain the flow of the offense. I know that many of the players I saw in the World Cup games wouldn't last two plays on a Canadian League football team before the coach benched them as being non-productive and too light-of-foot for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I know that many of the players I saw in the World Cup games wouldn't last two plays on a Canadian League football team before the coach benched them as being non-productive and too light-of-foot for the game. LOL. Is that a reference to the Italian Loafers those guys were wearing? A couple of observations by a casual fan/viewer: 1. All of the teams spent too much time trying to draw flags. They should cut it out. It's not manly. 2. Games of such import should not be decided by free kicks. What is this after all? Even North American hockey does away with the penalty shots for the playoffs. TV be damned! 3. By definition the team that wins the over-all championship earns the right to be called the best team until they are dethroned. Tearing at them wreaks of sour grapes. (beaujolais I think). 4. I salute all of the teams who particpated for a very entertaining World Cup. 5. Whatever became of the Coco Butt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Games of such import should not be decided by free kicks. Absolutely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I don't think so. Standart situations (Corners, Free Kicks etc.) are an important part of the gameplay. And they take incrediblye skills to shot them. And anyway what would be the alternative? What would you have them to do when a striker is fouled 30m in front of the goal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I am not a soccer fan, but I watched a great deal of highlights on ESPN. All I could think of was the dives these guys were taking. I know it is easier to tell on TV with replays, etc. However, it seemed to be a key ingredient of each game. I know hockey and basketball have tried to lessen these flops, (not sure how that has worked) but it seemd overdone in The World Cup. For what's it's worth, The World Cup seems to have captured the US a bit more this time around. Lot's of excitement for the fans. I was sitting at The Mets game yesterday in NY and the people behind us were giving the play by play analysis while watching a baseball game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 No Farin, I'm referring to the one-on-one kicker vs. goalie kicks to decide outcomes after overtime. Play til somebody wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Oh, I see... But that would be difficult too. You have to keep in mind that often there are not many goals in the regular time and could be a long time before someone wins. Also you may have noticed that many of the players were already completly exhausted after 90, let alone 120 minutes (I heard that they run roughly 15km in a match) btw. before the Penalty shoot-out (Elfmeterschießen) was "invented" in the 60's the winnre in a tie was decided by a coin toss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel2Velvet Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 But that would be difficult too. You have to keep in mind that often there are not many goals in the regular time and could be a long time before someone wins. Also you may have noticed that many of the players were already completly exhausted after 90, let alone 120 minutes (I heard that they run roughly 15km in a match) It's called "bench strength" or depth of talent and is also a critical part of a championship team. When the same 10 to 12 guys (goalie excluded), out of a 25 man roster, play every minute of every game, it is not so much the best team, but the best 10 to 12 guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 That's true, but almost no team has 20 players who have an equal level of playing. And they have to be used to play with each other, to form a "team" so to speak (they only have a few games per year and this year only three or four weeks intensive training after the season ended), and you can only change three players in one game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted July 11, 2006 Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 They used to stop the game and continue (or start anew) the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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