2014 FIFA World Cup

[ThomThomDrum]

Euros suck.

[Andre91]

?? Really?

The majority of top teams in the World are from Europe making it historically a tougher competition to progress in than the World Cup.

What in particular do you not like about them apart from the likes of Brazil and Argentina missing from them??

[pink_triangle]

?? Really?

The majority of top teams in the World are from Europe making it historically a tougher competition to progress in than the World Cup.

What in particular do you not like about them apart from the likes of Brazil and Argentina missing from them??

[ThomThomDrum]

I wouldnt go as far as saying I dont like the euros, but there is a huge difference between them and the world cup. I think the latter has the glamour but also more variation in style, which makes it a more interesting tournament.

[ThomThomDrum]

So the papers are saying that Suarez claims to be 100% fit for the England game. Utter horseshit IMO. Yes, he will most likely play, but if he was near 100% fit the other night he would have come on when the game was 1-1 and the fact that he was sitting firmly on the bench at 2-1 showed he was never ever going to play against Costa Rica. He was only on the bench as a piece of psychological war fare with England and Italy. They hoped they could win without him and make it look as if he is fitter than he in reality is. There is no way a player goes from 100% cant play to 100% fit in the space of 2/3 days.

I also see the chatter is that Woy is considering dropping Wooney. Fair balls to him and I hope it works out for him if he does.

It could also be the making of Wooney if he uses it as a motivating tool. However, if he is to come on at some point he has to play in a central position.

[pink_triangle]

I also see the chatter is that Woy is considering dropping Wooney. Fair balls to him and I hope it works out for him if he does.

It could also be the making of Wooney if he uses it as a motivating tool. However, if he is to come on at some point he has to play in a central position.

[LondonTom]

Ghana should have won....

Edited June 17, 2014 by LondonTom

[ThomThomDrum]

I have had a lot said about Hodgson making "ballsy" decision and I dont really agree.

His squad selection was called courageous, by picking the youth. However this was consistent with the wishes of the fans and the media. To me a ballsy (not necesarily correct) selection is going against public opinion eg picking someone like Cleverley and being open to critisicm if it goes wrong.

As for dropping Rooney, this seems to be in line with public opinion. To me following public opinion is not being ballsy. The ballsy (again not necesarily correct) option is to come out and say, I couldnt care less what the fans think, Im the manager and I pick the team.

[ThomThomDrum]

So here is a really good in depth article on Vedad Ibisevic. (if looking for something to read over lunch) His fleeing for his life from his home town when he was a kid is pretty amazing stuff. At one point his mother digs a small hole for him and his baby sister to hide in and which they do when the Serbs come upon their home.

Its unreal to think of how many such stories the people of Bosnia can tell.

For Ibisevic personally to go from hiding for his life and protecting that of his baby sister's, in a hole in a wood, to scoring the goal that would mean Bosnia & Herzegovina qualify for their first World Cup must be a very cathartic journey

[kaosmark2]

I personally love both. Yep they are pretty different but I dont get how someone who likes football and is from Europe would say the Euros "suck". I just wonder what it is about them that they dont like? The idea of big teams facing each other in a knock out tournament far from sucks to me.

[ThomThomDrum]

As PT said, variation in style is a huge plus for the WC over Euros.

Edited June 17, 2014 by ThomThomDrum

[eFestivals]

Further to this the World Cup always has a few whipping boys, or at least those we can feel confident will not progress. Personally I think the Euros and the WC group stages match up pretty well wrt competitiveness. And if I had to choose one I would say that the Euro group stages are more competitive than the WCs.

while I wouldn't necessarily argue with that, in the WC things are starting to get far more even as the years go by. There's fewer and fewer "definitely going home" (after the groups) teams each time it comes around.

[ThomThomDrum]

while I wouldn't necessarily argue with that, in the WC things are starting to get far more even as the years go by. There's fewer and fewer "definitely going home" (after the groups) teams each time it comes around.

Edited June 17, 2014 by ThomThomDrum

[thetime]

while I wouldn't necessarily argue with that, in the WC things are starting to get far more even as the years go by. There's fewer and fewer "definitely going home" (after the groups) teams each time it comes around.

[ThomThomDrum]

BTW we are still not complete one round of games in this WC so I can only really base what Im saying on previous WCs. And I would argue that in previous WCs folk could have predicted at least up to 8 of those going no where and just making up numbers.

Edit - So far this WC is looking a lot more competitive but we will see if its in fact 1st game blips.......

Edited June 17, 2014 by ThomThomDrum

[TheGayTent]

I think the next euros in France will be interesting as it'll be the first one that's had 24 teams in. Should mean it'll be easier for lower ranked sides to qualify (23 out of 53 will qualify compared to 15/51 previously [14/51 last time due to having 2 host nations]. Which means there will be more opportunities for surprises (or more boring one sided games...)?

[kaosmark2]

My main thing is that you don't get fantastic groups like Germany, Ghana, Portugal, USA in the Euros. Hell the Ivory Coast/Japan/Columbia trio is exciting as well. I love watching the pretty good non-European teams who have real chances of getting to the quarters. You also tend to get the same players in the Euros as you do in CL games, whereas we've seen some fantastic performances from relative unknowns already in Brazil.

To say the Euros suck was a bit excessive, but to me it's just more of the same as the domestic season and qualifiers, it doesn't grip me with tournament fever to anywhere near the same degree. In fact I prefer the ACON to the Euros just because it provides genuine variation and unpredictability.

[TheGayTent]

The ACON is abysmal - quality of football really is shocking. Until the quality of coaching over there improves and improves drastically it's likely to stay that way too.

[ThomThomDrum]

but to me it's just more of the same as the domestic season and qualifiers, it doesn't grip me with tournament fever to anywhere near the same degree. In fact I prefer the ACON to the Euros just because it provides genuine variation and unpredictability.

[kaosmark2]

The ACON is abysmal - quality of football really is shocking. Until the quality of coaching over there improves and improves drastically it's likely to stay that way too.

[TheGayTent]

I'd say its peak is good, but yeah, the quality of coaching really needs to improve.

[kaosmark2]

Despite their first group game I'd expect the reigning euro champions to go further in the World Cup than last years ACON winners. One is better than the other by some considerable distance IMO.

That's not to say that football of a lesser quality is automatically less entertaining - far from it, I've witnessed many enthralling non-league games, however I wouldn't subscribe to the idea that the Euros are less entertaining than the ACON.

[TheGayTent]

I genuinely think the Euros is a massively inferior tournament to the WC in general.

[The Nal]

Fellaini. What a player!

[kaosmark2]

Great strike from Mertens. Belgium very impressive in that second half.