Ravens Forums
General => General Chat => Topic started by: Brigh on May 17, 2010, 08:42:47 am
-
Well England have won 1 World Cup so far
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/8684847.stm
(what a cracking tournament it has been)
lets hope we can do it again come June/July :)
Brigh :D
-
hehe yeah was a nice win that ! Looking forward to the world cup already, but still wondering if this England tem really has what it takes...
-
Cricketers did great, it's about time we had some success in the 1-day game.
As for the prima donnas, I mean footballers, Capello has done a great job but I don't think even he can prevent the wheels falling off in the usual predictable manner. Expect all usual ingredients - unlucky injuries, petulant red cards, missed penalties, dodgy decisions and plenty of rabbits in the headlights when its time to step up to the big occasson. A last 16 exit beckons once more, last 8 if we get a bit of luck.
-
last 16 definitely, plus we'll finish 2nd behind the u.s.a.
Can't say i'm that bothered either, ofc i want England to win but the players make the team so unlikalbe. Every other player in the squad is some sort of cvnt.
-
Last 23:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.
Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney.
So if you were England Manager, would you change anything?
Does every team need to take 3 Keepers? 'cos i'd take 2 i think. Fit Walcott back in.
-
Only real surprise is Walcott. I would take him over either Heskey or Wright-Phillips any day of the week. Walcott's form has been patchy since he came back from injury, but I would have thought he was still worth taking as he has that thing which terrifies sides, speed. His ball control and artistry going round people is lacking sometimes, but he still creates lots of assists and gets some goals of his own, more than Heskey ever does. If I see Heskey in the starting eleven I think I'll just save myself the agony and switch the TV off - England are never going to win anything with him filling a striker's slot and producing no goals from it (I don't care how many assists he manages, anyone can assist, it's goal scorers we need).
I think most sides take three keepers. Its the one slot in the team that is almost impossible to cover if you have bad luck with injuries. Joe Hart should be given the #1 slot, but it's not going to happen.
Glad to see Joe Cole in the side, hope they can get him into shape in time, he brings a touch of midfield magic to the side that is missing without Beckham.
My predictions:
John Terry will be this year's red card muppet and really round off his annus horribilis in 'style'.
The Gerrard and Lampard show will be as disfunctional as ever.
England will stagger out the group in 2nd place with a win and two draws, then run into France in last 8 and go out via some controversial means or other as usual.
-
England will stagger out the group in 2nd place with a win and two draws, then run into France in last 8 and go out via some controversial means or other as usual.
hehe, there's a man who's watched too many World Cups/Euro Finals! ;) Nice script Cern but you forgot the bit after the team is terribly unconvincing in the group stage when we win a game and the team actually performs to a high standard and everyone gets their hopes up that we're maybe not so crap after all :)
-
hehe, there's a man who's watched too many World Cups/Euro Finals! ;) Nice script Cern but you forgot the bit after the team is terribly unconvincing in the group stage when we win a game and the team actually performs to a high standard and everyone gets their hopes up that we're maybe not so crap after all :)
Heh yep, rubbish in the groups stage, then they'll play a blinder in the last 16 / last 8 but will still go out, that's the usual script. The Argentina match in France '98 and the Germany match in Italia '90 being the two classics. I can't go through the stress of penalty shootouts like those again, so if we do end up playing France it's probably best if Henry bashes one into the net volleyball style and we can fully indulge in our other national sport - whinging :)
-
"England captain Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a knee injury in training.
The 31-year-old centre-back had a scan after hurting his left knee following a challenge with Emile Heskey during Friday's first training session."
Told you Emile Heskey should never have been on the plane. He's a jinx.
-
Mystic Cern gets it right :)
-
Lay it on the line here... Whos your pick for the World Cup 2010??!!!
I'm picking Brazil(shocker) with their new more solid style of play.
-
I don't know if this matchup is possible with the way the groups are organised, but I would pick Argentina vs Spain as the final, with Argentina just stealing it 2-1 in extra time.
-
I'm gonna say Holland, think they might actually stand a good chance this time around. I don't think Spain will recreate their form of the euro's 2 years ago.
Argentina and Brazil do look good though yeah. Mostly i think when you get down to the last 8 or so its about form and which team actually plays more like a team and not just a collection of superstar individuals :)
-
hrm, okay who'd have thought the team of the first round would be Germany! I may be speaking slightly too soon as Spain haven't yet played, but just about all the other big guns have been disappointing. Maybe Argentina looked 2nd best?
-
Germany were ruthless, definitely have to be a hot tip now. Argentina looked brooding, more to come from them I'm sure (Messi was stunning in their match, only thing he didn't do was score). Brazil looked smooth and in control this evening, they didn't panic against N.Korea's solid defense and were patient, looked like they had an extra gear if needed. Actually the Brazil vs N.Korea match was the one I've enjoyed the most. Apart from one booking, it was a totally clean game, free of any cynicism and a real test of strategies with some great passing, great defending by N.Korea and three great goals.
Asian sides in general have been impressive, really enjoyed watching the two Koreas and Japan play. European (with exception of Germany) and African sides have been very disappointing. Given it's in Africa, the lack of ethusiasm and commitment shown by the African sides has been perplexing.
Champagne Moment so far has to be New Zealand equalising in the last minute of stoppage time. My next door neighbour is a Kiwi, he will have gone into orbit - but his wife is Italian, so that is likely to bring him back down to earth when the two play each other next week!
As for England .... urgh. The goalkeeping error isn't the big issue though, that can happen to any side (and has been). The real issue is our reversion to type - early goal followed by a failure to consolidate, panic & disorganisation leading to 70s style long ball football, abject failure up front with rabbit in headlights striking (Heskey .... barn door .... need I say more?). So what if we let a goal in and it came from an error. Big deal, just go and score another, that's what sides like Germany and Brazil do.
-
I think the goal keeping area is an issue, been swaping and switching there for ages with no sign of who our number 1 was until the usa game. Then he losses us the 3 points (yeah, hes to blame) and some of us are now left wondering who rly should be in goal....
ok we SHOULD have won anyway, but we didn't. Heskey played rly well imo, and ofc would of got a 10/10 for putting that chance away, but we knew he wouldn't. I'd also like to see our "world class" Striker on the ball more. I've always thought Rooneys incredibly hyped for how good he actuly is... I think defoe would latch on to more of those knock ons from Heskey.
Been hearing from commentators and pundits that they are unhappy with the play style, 1 long ball and hope for the best... we brought Heskey and Crouch as 2 of our strikers, what did they think our bread and butter attacking football was gonna look like?
But nvm, knew usa would be tough, we'll see how England fair againt the might of Algeria and Slovenia.
oh dear Spain... we thought England had a bad game :o
-
Yeah, i didn't watch the spain game cos I was working, what happened there then? Nightmare!
Hart should be our keeper if Copello really picked on form, he was on fire at the end of the season. Never been a fan of Green and don't think he's really done it for West Ham this season either, James is ok (actually way better than he used to be) but he is aging. I guess there is something to say for a major tournament about picking an experienced player over a rookie, but I think Green was always the wrong choice myself.
Biggest England disappointment for me is we spent years proving that Gerrad and Lampard can't play in the middle together, yet we keep reverting back to it. Sometimes you just have to leave the big names out even if it hurts egos and reputations.
-
Biggest England disappointment for me is we spent years proving that Gerrad and Lampard can't play in the middle together, yet we keep reverting back to it. Sometimes you just have to leave the big names out even if it hurts egos and reputations.
Exactly. This is what Spain do, they left out Fabregas because he didn't fit into their system and only used Torres as a substitute. Mind you, it didn't help them. Spain didn't actually play that badly but found it very hard to break down a Swiss team who seem to have made defence an artform. The match had 0-0 written all over it until the Swiss bundled in a goal (literally). But the scoreline doesn't reflect the number of chances in the game, it was a great to watch.
I agree about Rob Greene. Capello should either go for experience in James, or a genuine up and coming rookie in Hart. Both have been in top form for their clubs this season. Greene falls between two stools and has had a poor domestic season anyway, so was never the best choice.
I also agree Heskey played well in his support role. But surely there are other stikers who could do equally well in support yet also pose a threat of their own (in the current squad, Crouch). Strikers need to score not just make chances. When Heskey went 1 on 1 with the keeper, had you frozen the frame I would have confidentally bet everything I own on Heskey not scoring. Those chances come along once or twice in a match and you have to take them. Controversial thought maybe, but how about Wayne Rooney plays support to another out and out striker like Defoe? Guess his ego couldn't take it.
Until the England team are brave enough to drop Heskey forever, drop either Lampard or Gerrard and to solve the goalkeeping debacle then they are just sitting in a queue for the plane home.
-
oh dear oh dear...
-
Dire, but strangely funny to watch :D I'm suprised J. Cole hasn't had a run out yet. Carco said the paper headlines should be "Wayne Whooney?"
Also, i'm positive Leeds would have schooled that England team last night :P
-
England were dismal, awful, terrible, woeful and any number of similar adjectives. But at least they weren't this:
-
Well, the script is going according to plan. Woeful start followed by a dramatic recovery. And here comes yet another German showdown with the possibility of Argentina beyond. So a heroic exit after a plucky but ultimately doomed performance in the last 16 or quarter finals beckons once more. I think we'll beat Germany only for Maradonna to get one over on England once more. You'd think it was almost arranged in advance!
-
hehe, i wouldnt bet against it :)
-
wow, Italy as well. At least England is not the biggest disgrace of the big teams :)
-
Really bad deffending.
Would the game have unfolded differently with the 2nd goal being given?
Did the league season take alot out of the players?
Is Wayne Rooney the most overratted footballer in the world?
That was the last chance for the big names, i wonder what kind of talent we'll have for next time round...
-
bleeeeeerghh :)
So are you all sticking with original predictions? I think I will stick with the Dutch :)
Brazil looked good last night though, who'd have thought a Brazilian team would have a decent defence !
-
Brazil do look quietly efficient, but I'm sticking with my original prediction of Argentina. They are playing such explosive football, the question isn't whether they'll score goals against Germany but whether they'll score more than their slightly suspect defence will let in.
bleeeeeerghh :)
So are you all sticking with original predictions? I think I will stick with the Dutch :)
Brazil looked good last night though, who'd have thought a Brazilian team would have a decent defence !
-
I'm sticking with Brazil, but am supporting Ghana ofc :D
Brazil looked good last night though, who'd have thought a Brazilian team would have a decent defence !
Thats the big thing with this Brazil team, solid and talented. Substance before flair.
-
Brazil looked good last night though, who'd have thought a Brazilian team would have a decent defence !
I take this back ! And looks like I might be right to back the Dutch, gooooo Oranges :-)
-
Luck of the Dutch! :P
Ghana all the way now!
-
Holland looked out of it first half but fought well second half and deserved the win. Turns out Brazil are a fairweather team after all. But how many huge chances did Holland squander in the last 10-15 mins? They could easily have killed the game off but no-one wanted to pull the trigger. Lucky for them they didn't end up regreting it.
-
Gutted
-
Cheating South Americans...
but a penelty in the last min of xtra time... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh annoyed
-
Horrible horrible horrible.
Such blatant disgraceful cheating, Uruguay should be totally ashamed.
There needs to be a rule change in the game to allow referees to award automatic goals when the ball was definitely going in and is prevented by cheating. A penalty is not sufficient.
What is even more sickening is the red card for it is a 1 match suspension, so should Uruguay reach the final Suarez will be able to play.
Truly awful advert for the game. How can such blatant cheating be rewarded?
-
Well, bang goes my prediction then :)
Got to give germany respect for really going for it and not just sitting on their early lead.
Germany v Holland final perhaps?
-
Yer, it's looking that way isn't it!
-
Mabye Holland v Spain, 2 of the best to never to win the world cup
-
My prediction still looking good.... should have placed a bet! ;)
Morally i think it was right that uruguay went out anyway, as they are cheaters :)
-
Well according to those in the know it's going to be Holland vs Spain, Germany is in a state of cephalopod induced panic :)
-
and they were right to be :) Wonder who it'll predict winning the final !
-
If it gets the final right, i think it might be Jesus in an Aquatic 2nd coming.
(I had to google cephalopod :P)
-
The octopus is wearing orange.
-
So there is going to be an Englishman in the world cup final, Howard Webbs gonna be the Ref...
He'll prolly end up sending someone off twice or sumthing
-
Or perhaps he'll get in the way of a shot, get a deflection and become the first Englishman to score in a WC final for 44 years.
-
hehe that would be awesome :)
-
My previous info was bogus, they didn't do the prediction for the final until this morning and ....... the octopus chose ..... Spain. And for 3rd place ..... Germany.
-
People are on about bold horizontal colours are to blame, they just can't accept its some kind of Wizard
-
Bow before your new master, Paul the pyschic Octopus.
Didn't actuly watch the Final, but apparently it wasn't a great game.
-
It was rubbish, the dutch gameplan was clearly to spoil the game and hack at the Spanish. I was neutral when the game started but ended up supporting Spain and being very glad they won after the way the dutch came out and played. Frankly they should have been down to 8 men at the end !!
At least it didn't end on penalties :)
And yes, wonder what they'll get Paul to predict next?? :)
-
Totally agree. Started out backing Holland, ended up cheering Spain. Was disgusted by the Dutch approach to the game, especially in the first half when they were lucky not to be down to 9. Almost as disgusted about the way Howard Webb is being made a scapegoat by the Dutch. They should look at themselves for the reasons they lost - wrong ethics and tactics, Robben's miss etc. If anything Webb showed restraint in the face of some pretty ugly football (if you can call it that).
Horrible final but the right result.
Paul for EU President - get him making all the big decisions!
-
The final was the one match I watched and I didn't much care who'd win, but I'm glad Spain won as they at least tried to bring their football. Holland was basically just trying to neutralize Spain's play by spending most of the time on their own half and only countering a few times and making lots of dirty faults. First 15m were kinda nice to see with Spain pasing the ball around, then Holland got a bit better in the match, but it got boring untill the prolongations where Spain finally managed to find holes in the Dutch defense. And yeah, Holland should have ended with 8-9 players instead of 10 :P. The best team won imo.
-
Overall i enjoyed the World Cup quite alot, was fairly unpredictable with the results and the location gave it a great atmosphere... will prolly miss the vuvuzelas.
Just wish Ghana weren't robbed out of a Semi-Final place.
But now its over everyone can concentrate on the home of Football, where it matters the most... the English Championship!