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World Cup 2006

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Regrettable Juvenilia

10:44 / 17.06.06

13:47 / 17.06.06

What a busy day! It's Christopher Street Day here and at the same time our esteemed Burgermeister permitted the NPD to have their Bayerntag here in Regensburg. The NPD are Nazis, would be banned had the government, police and secret service not totally mishandled an attempt to do so a couple of years ago, and up to 800 of them might come to the "Bavaria Day." I can't imagine what he was thinking - the mayor - unless it was "well, we're right-wing and they are too so they can't be all that bad." Anyway, we had two demonstrations against them with the CSD march in between. It was fun really, but hot and now I'm knackered.

Thanks for the tremendous analysis of England, Haus. Yes, it all makes sense. Lampard does look tired, or rather overused, jaded. He needs to recover his taste for the game. It’d be really sad for him, but quite possibly the should only play Gerard in the middle and concentrate on the wings. Or yes, Lampard deep and Gerard forward – makes a lot of sense. And of course they do need Rooney for the big games. The defence should be strong enough, by itself, but it obviously isn’t if you have John Terry clearing off the line against Trinidad & Tobago.

14:27 / 17.06.06

Surely replace one of the attacking midfielders (probably Lampard at the moment) with a holding midfielder e.g. Owen Hargreaves?

15:53 / 17.06.06

Asamoah Gyan - surely the greatest forward ever to wear the no.3 shirt?

Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

15:58 / 17.06.06

Robbie Earle on Figo earlier winning a pen; "Yes, most countries do like to make the most of challenges in the box. Apart from England, we don't like to go down."

Bullshit.

Robbie: a) you are a Jamaica international, as Mark 'Lawro' Lawrenson is a Northern Ireland one, so stow the 'we' and b) two words: Michael Owen. Last WC? Yeah, absolute shite.

16:56 / 17.06.06

Ghana over the Czech Republic!!! This is the best result possible for the U.S. A win today over Italy would even the group as they go into their third games. I'm pumped. I know we're underdogs against the Italians, and rightfully so, but I still have faith.

17:04 / 17.06.06

Ghana defeated the Czechs, and completely! I’d seriously underestimated them after their defeat by Italy. They were faster and more determined everywhere. Only Petr Cech saved his team from a drubbing. So there may well be an African team among the quarter-finalists after all. Great!

Good luck against Italy, Slim.

17:13 / 17.06.06

I think Lampard can play deeper, Kit-Cat Club, and when he is on form he’s definitely a class better than Hargreaves. One would hope he’d get out of this rut he seems to be in as the tournament proceeds, presuming it does, keeping him active and involved but preventing him from shooting wildly each time he gets within thirty yards of the goal.

Disco is My Class War

18:08 / 17.06.06

Ghana! What a crazy match. Yay Ghana! Outclass those Czechs! If only they started pushing right up front to score every attack, instead of striking from a distance, like the second and third and fourth shots. It should have ended with the score way more than 2-0.

I'm gonna be on a plane while Brazil and Australia play on Monday morning. I'm kinda bummed. Someone supporting the "Socceroos"* will have to watch this match and do some especially loud screams and yells to make up for my non-attendance at the television altar.

I'm finding it kinda difficult to love the Australian team with no reservations, though. They do play dirty, and in the Western European mould: no helping opponents off the floor, no smiles, no laughter, all intense competitive machismo. And they're such boofheads.

*Since people in Australia have actually begun to refer to the world game as football, rather than soccer, lately, and this trend looks like it may catch on, they are gonna hafta change their name. The Footyroos doesn't quite have the same ring, does it?

19:53 / 17.06.06

Great referee, very hard game … well done USA.

20:06 / 17.06.06

I think Lampard can play deeper, Kit-Cat Club, and when he is on form he’s definitely a class better than Hargreaves.

elene, I don't think that's a particularly useful comparison - Lampard is an attacking midfielder who can play from reasonably deep, Hargreaves a holding/defensive mid, responsible for tidying up loose balls, tackling and distribution. In at least two of these respects either he or Carrick are better.

Yeah, Ghana should've scored about four, really; Razak Pimpong, despite having the best name in the tournament by some distance, is like the team's eager - if slightly hopeless - younger brother. I totally *heart* him, but surely it was self-evident that Gyan or whoever it was that he passed to was offside. Wish they'd got more, if only to improve chances of qualification, but think that reasonably they are probably a good bet now despite Gyan and Muntari's suspensions (anyway, God knows how many the US have racked today.)

I'm glad it's getting less predictable; while I'd a sneaking feeling for Angola earning a draw against Mexico last night, Portugal over Iran would've been the only prediction that I'd've hung my hat on that came through out of the last four fixtures.

20:24 / 17.06.06

No one seems shocked at the idea of playing Beckham at right back, Mr. Falconer. If Lampard's told to watch X, feed Y&Z, whatever happens don't let A hit a long ball then he will be able to make a go at it, won't he?

20:59 / 17.06.06

That ref...he's the most hated man in the U.S. sports world right now. I'll have to respond when I'm less tired/drunk. But I am ANGRY.

00:24 / 18.06.06

sorry slim, but i agree with the ref, pretty much. the americans scythed the italian flow and while they carried the ball up the park, it was never a real threat to the italian goal - the italian defence was as resolute as ever.

but what a bizarre own goal!! and a really awful awful elbow to mcbride (good on him for his toughness in carrying on as he did). i thought pope was lucky not to get red first time, so mebbe the no. of players on the pitch somewhat reflected the tenor of the game..?

and gatusso's 'goal' was one, surely. but a dramatic fixture unequaled in this cup yet..? will the cup continue from here getting intriguinger and intriguinger? let's all hope so!

go ghana.

and go socceroos [footyroos? kangaballers?] - with all due deference to dm

ONLY NICE THINGS

01:16 / 18.06.06

No one seems shocked at the idea of playing Beckham at right back, Mr. Falconer.

I'd be quite shocked, for reference. Beckham cannot tackle for toffee, and lacks pace. He's a perfect right-back against a defensive team locked down in their own area, like TnT, because he will be playing further up the field, but a decent left winger would skin him with the quickness.

08:03 / 18.06.06

It obviously depends on the game, Haus, but it's fine, forget it - I don't want to mess up the English team for you. I'll try to avoid unhelpful comments in future.

ONLY NICE THINGS

11:03 / 18.06.06

Oh, no problem - what to do with Beckham is one of the big questions for England. He isn't a suitable right-back, and he doesn't have many of the things you hope for from a winger - he isn't fast, he doesn't go past people and he doesn't cross for the byline. Put him in central midfield and you lose his corsses, and also have to do so at the expense of a better holding midfielder. However, England still relies on his crosses and his set piece delivery (although he's stopped scoring from set pieces) for a lot of their goals, and it's a brave man who gambles that somebody else will make up for that.

13:03 / 18.06.06

I'll try to avoid unhelpful comments in future.

Please don't worry about it, elene. I do agree Lampard is technically a better player than Hargreaves, no doubt, but it doesn't play to his strengths to be deep is all. Both he and Gerrard were far too much so in the initial two games - on the issue, there are rumblings that Gerrard will be dropped against Sweden because of his yellow card with Hargreaves replacing him. However, I have also read contrasting reports suggesting no such thing will happen.

14:05 / 18.06.06

Hey, how come Japan had to play twice in the afternoon and Brazil doesn't have to at all? More money for FIFA, I imagine. Fair play my arse!

Oh, sorry, hang on - Togo and Serbien & Montenegro also have to play early twice, freeing France and Côte d'Ivoire from that burden. Err? How odd!

15:52 / 18.06.06

There's one thing has been mystifying me about the draw, which is that largely the seeds and what I'd imagine to be the second pot teams play in the last group game, but in Spain's group - I can't imagine Saudi to be second tier although they are supposedly the best Asian team at present - and France's (unless Korea are seeds, and even then they play Switzerland?) this doesn't seem to be the case.

15:52 / 18.06.06

Also, Brazil - worse than England? Really disappointing.

17:15 / 18.06.06

with all due deference to dm

ah, respect, such a sweet nectar

OK, seriously now. I'm still disapointed with Brazil's team, but we did better this time around. No much better, but better. Adriano's gol was a beautiful with Ronaldo, and so was Fred's with Robinho.

Ronaldinho did nothing this game, Kaká was once again the best player (but only till Robinho got in). The aussies played quite well, putting lots of preassure, specially in second half. Amazing round-house goal-kick by the guy with an Italian name (which escapes me now) that Dida almost did not caught. In a fair world, it would've been a goal. But fuck fairness.

21:57 / 18.06.06

o, harry....

i thought the difference between brasil and aussies was that we lack a serious world class finisher - brasil have bundles of them across the park; that was always going to be telling.

harry kewell's miss at an open net was unforgiveable, i'm afraid. but bresciano's effort was one worthy of success, thanks the appreciation, dm

i was surprised, frankly, to see schwarzer in our goal.

still, we knew a result at all against brasil would have been a bonus, we still have to play croatia and playing like that i think we'll get something.

and even if we don't, i am fearing the press here once more knocking the lads. to come away from that group with a win and the display and flattering scoreline against brasil, no matter the result against croatia, is worthy of great praise, i rekkun. good on us.

and i think, dm, your lads will be hard to get past. while the score flattered you, there's just so much talent across the park, robinho astounds me and even a maligned ronaldo was wondrous in setting up adriano's clinical delight of a strike. 'just enough' is, however, always enough!

22:20 / 18.06.06

Well, I hope you get positive result against Croatia and move on too

and i think, dm, your lads will be hard to get past. while the score flattered you, there's just so much talent across the park, robinho astounds me and even a maligned ronaldo was wondrous in setting up adriano's clinical delight of a strike. 'just enough' is, however, always enough!

Yeah, I agree. But the problem is there's some overlapping f talents. Ronaldo and Adriano both share the same style and position, so they both can't complement each other much (the goal being an exception). Our team would fo better to bench one of them, either one of them (or alternate them) and replace him with Robinho, who can make the connection with the midfield and defense and take the ball, thus making a more well balanced attack duo. And, with Kaká, Cafu and Roberto Carlos to back it up, we have some opportunity for greatness there.

Oh, yeah, and your goalkeeper is indeed stretchy...

00:37 / 19.06.06

that said, going on performance to date: who will stop argentina??? not italy, probably not england or germany, perhaps brasil if they step up a gear or two and start with robinho and bring ronaldo and adriano on as bench players...

i have yet to see portugal in full flight and will again miss spain, but the round of 16 will be thrillinger than even the last group matches... yeah, o boy o boy! ecuador v australia final?

08:54 / 19.06.06

On current form you'd have to expect Spain v. Argentina, which'd be an exciting prospect, but it doesn't do to judge a team on one performance as the Czechs ably demonstrated whilst getting cuffed by Ghana.

Interesting thing about the Ghana group occurred today, which is that should they beat the US and Italy/Czechi draw, they'll win the group and most likely face Australia. The winners of that should face the winners of France's group (likely Switzerland, I'd think, at this point) who'll face whichever (relatively poor) team comes second in Spain's in the quarters; the last three WCs have had surprise semifinalists (Bulgaria, Croatia, S. Korea) and one of Ghana/Oz/Schweiz would certainly constitute that. Obviously, I'm desperately hoping for the former.

11:39 / 20.06.06

Looks like it is going to be Owen Heargreaves in the holding role then. I'm wondering if Carrick will ever get his chance?

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

13:55 / 20.06.06

IF the US wins over Ghana, and Italy wins their next match, am I correct in my assumption that would mean the US would play Brazil next?

Considering the US team has yet to score a goal of their own (that wasn't called back at least. I didn't see the game, was that an offsides ruling?) that game could be a slaughter if it happens.

14:15 / 20.06.06

I can't see USA beating Ghana. Not with a Fulham striker up front. Especially with a broken nose.

If they do manage it though, I don't think the USA ought to give Brasil too much respect - Look at the Australians against them. The Brasilians are taking their time to warm up and Ronaldo is still looking sluggish (which is strange because in some La Liga matches he still had some searing runs that left defenders for dead).

16:45 / 20.06.06

Whenever I criticise a German team for a pathetically weak performance in some friendly my best friend invariable reminds me "aber wir sind eine Tournier-Mannschaft," and she's right, the Germans play tournaments. I bet no one wants to play with them now.

Good luck, England!

19:52 / 20.06.06

Clive Tyldesley: 'England are contenders'

hahahahaaaa

I mean, maybe technically speaking, but really, what a shambles.

20:00 / 20.06.06

Well, they looked a decent team in the first half. Obviously, the expectation that Ecuador effectively equates to a walkover will have me hugging myself with unsupressed glee (and performing about nine wanks, most likely) should it prove otherwise.

The enforced switch to 4-5-1/4-3-2-1 could ultimately pay dividends though, mind you.

20:02 / 20.06.06

You know, I just watched England x Sweden and it was actually quite an exciting game. I thought it would be a sluggish game, since both teams needed only a tie to be first in the group and classify, respectively, and they did that, but with a hard-earned 2 x 2. Kudoz to both.

20:28 / 20.06.06

i watched a lot of the england sweden game and suggest neither are likely to instill dread in their opposition playing like that... though of course both showed flashes. england's two stars scored and made the two goals, their deficiency in aerial defence again highlighted.

also saw some of first half ecuador germany. don't know if ecuador cruised, but the germans had their measure from what i saw. i suspect they'll be a sharper proposition against england.

ooh, it's all getting so excitinger!

Kiltartan Cross

20:49 / 20.06.06

Clive Tyldesley should die. The man clearly has no conception of the power of jinxes and is a tenacious and flagrant tempter of fate. Oh, and his commentary is rubbish.

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