[sonicl]

Originally Posted by jon boy

is it just me or is it really boring when the same teams keep winning and the underdogs never get chance to bite?

Boring, yes, but inevitable.

[jon boy]

exactly.

[acousticrock87]

Japan is keeping it's distance defending. They aren't getting in Brazil's face enough, and that's obviously when they've been getting the ball.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Brazil - Japan got pretty boring after Brazil starting stomping all over them. However, Croatia - Australia is insane. Lead changes, send offs, goalies slapping defenders, players touching referees. Fun stuff.

[Hip Priest]

23 points for me today (16 from my goalkeeper - the Czechs must at least have had plenty of shots for Buffon to pick up that many points).

I'm a bit sad to see the US go, because their nine-man show against ten-man Italy was one of the highlights of this World Cup. Ghana go through - if Ukraine beat Tunisia or draw with them tomorrow, then Ghana will be the only African team in the second round! Especially given that the next World Cup is in South Africa, that's a bit of a shame.

[o o o]

did ghana play well again today? i did not see the game but i read that Essien got a yellow card - apparently a stupid yellow card at the beginning of the game - and will not play against Brazil... that's a shame... and now i am also thinking of transferring essien because i'm not so confident that ghana can manage to eliminate brazil...

by the way, if you still have transfers to make, apparently tomorrow is a deadline to use them... after tomorrow (after the kick-off of the last game, i think), those transfers will be lost...

the problem with those transfers is that everyone is ending with more or less the same teams, if you try to make the more points possible... especially since now everyone realised that nearly only forwards or offensive midfielders bring a lot of points...

[acousticrock87]

I already used mine. Sacked the Saudi goalie (as someone informed me before it started - I apologize) and a Mexican player that they weren't using. Got Lahm and Ji-Sung for them.

[o o o]

i wish i could make those transfers after the last game tomorrow and not before the kick-off of that last game, because i might have three french players out of the tournament tomorrow evening...

trezeguet will be in the starting 11 tomorrow, i hope he will score because it has been a bit sad to see him sit on the bench...

against Korea, when he laughed while entering the game at the 91th minute, i wondered if it was a nervous laugh because he felt this situation was ridiculous or if it was because Trezegol-129-goals-at-Juventus-Turin felt that one had not showed him enough respect or trusted him in this team, and that now he did not care at all about this WC... the fact that he is starting tomorrow is a good sign that he is still motivated... he might be even very motivated to show that he should have played before...

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Despite breaking my heart, I'm rooting for Ghana the rest of the way. No one had them finishing in the top half of that group, NO ONE. Surprisingly, I'd also like to see Italy do well.

I realize I can't be too upset about the US bowing out in the group stage. It really shows how far we still have to go, and damn it, one of these days we will win a World Cup game on European soil.

[acousticrock87]

US and Japan are out. I quit soccer. I guess I gotta root for England now...

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Korea, Tunisia, or Ukraine must make it to the second round, or I give up!

Also, anyone else had enough of the referees yet? Besides the fact I'm a sore States supporter, some of these calls are ridiculous. Cards are being handed out as if were Christmas time...

And we thought it couldn't get any worse than 2002.

[acousticrock87]

I thought that referee-wise the Japan-Brazil game was really good, but the US-Italy game was absurd. I haven't been watching all the games like I did at the beginning of the tournament, though. They're so damn early and I started a job last week. It sucks.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

I've missed most of the early games too, work/class just gets in the way. I left early to watch the US today though. Depressing.

Its the close, all important games that the referees have been fucking with. Not games with a three goal spread. Before the tournament, I know FIFA told all referees not to hesitate to give out fouls and cards, and they have listened. Its a shame. Let them play. Too bad it wasn't an all EPL referee core.

[Bertrand]

Well, yes, lots of fake-virtual-simulacre players are out, some more after France-Togo, Switzerland-Korea, Ukraine-Tunisia & Saudi Arabia-Spain.

We might become more and more demanding while watching the real games for wrong reasons.

I was glad Ghana went through, a bit sad Essien won't make it against Brasil, hope Ghana carries on, but with him out...
Australia? I hadn't seen any of their games yet. Must have brought them luck.

As for transfers, there'll be more next round. I'm lagging off 60 points behind the leader (to think I've been there too, once... how quickly one can fall). I'm gonna bet on a couple of subs for the last transfers, try to pick somebody whose playing will bring me points galore.

I started working on a time machine. Hopefully, it's gonna be ready by tuesday, and I'll hop on the 9th of July, see what happens, come back, pick that player who'll score 4 times in the semis and a goal keeper who'll save 43 shots.
If nothing of the sort happens, I'll travel back in time, hire somebody to hurt a striker or two. As it's Germany, I'll have to travel several times to learn German before that. Well. It might take me some time to lay down some good schedule to achieve this master plan.
Of course, if the machine works, I'll allow you to use it too.

[Hip Priest]

Any catching up probabl needs to be done at the start of round two; as the tournament progresses, our teams will feature similar players from the same sides, with the big differece being who we nominate as captain.

Originally Posted by Пятхъдесят Шест

Also, anyone else had enough of the referees yet? Besides the fact I'm a sore States supporter, some of these calls are ridiculous. Cards are being handed out as if were Christmas time...

The US vs Ghana, US vs Italy, England vs PAraguay, Mexico vs Portugal and Ukraine vs Spain have all suffered from the detrimantal effects of bad refereeing. In other games, the paucity of quality judgement has been evident.

Originally Posted by o o o

trezeguet will be in the starting 11 tomorrow, i hope he will score because it has been a bit sad to see him sit on the bench...

He's such a fine player, isn't he? He deserves a good chance in this tournament - I saw him come on as substitute in one of the friendlies and he looked very impressive still.

Originally Posted by Bertrand

I'm lagging off 60 points behind the leader (to think I've been there too, once... how quickly one can fall).

Things can change so quickly though, especially with the right captain. I wake this morning to see myself in third place - I was nowhere four days ago, so I know you can bounce back! Half of my points are from the past four days, think...

[RdTv]

Originally Posted by Пятхъдесят Шест

Despite breaking my heart, I'm rooting for Ghana the rest of the way. No one had them finishing in the top half of that group, NO ONE. Surprisingly, I'd also like to see Italy do well.

I realize I can't be too upset about the US bowing out in the group stage. It really shows how far we still have to go, and damn it, one of these days we will win a World Cup game on European soil.

Ghana was picked by me to finish second in that group. Only on goal differential with the Czech's....but hey at least I picked them. It was no suprise when they qualified...I mean they had to beat a team that until that game had not scored an actual goal in the previous two games....go figure.

[Bertrand]

Well, it's completely different (maybe not after all; since Ghana & Togo, these two small courntries, share a border, looking at the athletes & how different their morphologies were), but have you noticed how thick some players' necks are?
I was thinking about Messi's and Tevez's. They're not gonna die old. And in the same line, for Argentina, stands the healthy, human figure, of Cambiasso. Some difference between them.

[Bertrand]

Ukraine-Tunisia 0-0 half time.
Ukranians play the same way they played against Spain, Tunisians seem paralysed, no movement nowhere, the referee must have had something against Jaziri. Second yellow card for a fault that never existed (that time, first one was understandable). Sore play. Shevchenko isn't given any ball or can't do a thing with it - since there's no speed.

[Bertrand]

Meanwhile, but I haven't seen any action so, can't say much, it's 1-0 for Spain versus Saudi Arabia.
The Spanish bench is on the field, from goal keeper to forwards (the only ones who played a bit in previous games being Albelda, Joaquin & Raul).

These teams loaded with great players (Spain, Argentina, Italy, Portugal...) are puzzling for the virtual game, since the coach ain't too dependent on one single star. They've got good results, different scorers and should thus go far - but might bring next to nada to the SY Leaguers.

[Hip Priest]

THere's also the potential for good points from goalkeepers too, something I hadn't fully realised at the start.

On a slightly different note, do you remember how much I praised English referee Graham Poll after his performance last week? How I said maybe he'll get picked to officiate in the final? Do you? Oh well, I take it all back:


Poll set for early World Cup exit

Graham Poll may have refereed his last World Cup match after a series of high-profile errors during Croatia's turbulent game against Australia. The English official booked Croatia's Josip Simunic three times before sending him off and also twice waved away strong Australian penalty claims. Fifa will study Poll's performance and he will learn his fate by the weekend. But Fifa president Sepp Blatter said: "We had four officials and what is not understandable is nobody intervened."

Oh dear.

Full embarassing story here