WORLD CUP 2010

[JocktheMotie]

If Germany doesn't go to the next round I will have to cry.

I will definitely be on suicide watch.

Booo, I'm for Ghana.

 

[tcda]

We agreed to Milton Friedman, anyway.

Which do you prefer?

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."

OR

"I am favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible."

I'll take the second one.

 

[AOA]

...

(First goal!)

 

[JocktheMotie]

I am Jock's tremendous sigh of relief.

 

[AOA]

(Is it me - or is Marcel Desailly something of an odd ball? lol.)

That was a good setpiece play off Mesut Ozil. Germany go through to face England.

 

[teslashock]

I have a soft spot for underdogs.

But I guess I'd rather lose to Ghana than Germany if we don't make it through this next game.

 

[SolitaryWalker]

(Is it me - or is Marcel Desailly something of an odd ball? lol.)

That was a good setpiece play off Mesut Ozil. Germany go through to face England.

Germany will beat England, 2-0 at least, it may even be 3-0 or 4-0, just like the Under 21 German team beat England by the count of 4-0. After that happens, yet another English media frenzy will erupt about the issue of what exactly inflicted this misfortune upon that glorious nation, was it the coach, the players, the fans, the vuvuzelas? None of that has anything to do with England's recent performance, those ideas are nothing but pitiable excuses for fanatics to avoid owning up to the fact that their team is just not very good, nowhere nearly meritorious enough to compete with opponents who are serious contenders for the World Cup.

 

[tcda]

Germany will beat England, 2-0 at least, it may even be 3-0 or 4-0, just like the Under 21 German team beat England by the count of 4-0. After that happens, yet another English media frenzy will erupt about the issue of what exactly inflicted this misfortune upon that glorious nation, was it the coach, the players, the fans, the vuvuzelas? None of that has anything to do with England's recent performance, those ideas are nothing but pitiable excuses for fanatics to avoid owning up to the fact that their team is just not very good, nowhere nearly meritorious enough to compete with opponents who are serious contenders for the World Cup.

Actually the England players are better on paper. They simply aren't as good as Germany as a team.

 

[INTPness]

I knew all along that the U.S. would win their entire group on an injury time goal and only by goal margin over England. :rolli:

 

[FDG]

Yet, according to you, FDG, the Italian culture does not approve of cheating, what on earth is going on here? Is there anything about the Italian general culture or the Italian soccer culture that promotes such behavior?

Mmm perhaps I was unclear, I do think the professional / competitive soccer culture encourages this behavior, basically any player who had to go through "younger" serie A team will have this fake / cheating behavior ingrained - there's no choice (except not playing professionally, of course - or joining a foreign team). I think a similar issue can be found in cycling with illicit performance enhancing drugs - nobody approves their usage, yet basically every professional engages used doping, simply because you won't reach professional level if you don't. They can be modeled as "positive feedback cycles", they'd need an exogenous shock to be "broken".

 

[Lightyear]

England vs Germany on Sunday. Oh dear. Time for all the anti-German prejudice in England to come to the surface again. And I am a bloody German living in England. Whoever uses the match as an excuse to tell me another stupid Second World War joke or thinks the Hitler salute is terribly entertaining deserves a kick in the balls and I hope they will swell to the size of actual footballs. Ha!

 

[SolitaryWalker]

Mmm perhaps I was unclear, I do think the professional / competitive soccer culture encourages this behavior, basically any player who had to go through "younger" serie A team will have this fake / cheating behavior ingrained - there's no choice (except not playing professionally, of course - or joining a foreign team). I think a similar issue can be found in cycling with illicit performance enhancing drugs - nobody approves their usage, yet basically every professional engages used doping, simply because you won't reach professional level if you don't. They can be modeled as "positive feedback cycles", they'd need an exogenous shock to be "broken".

I do remember that you've mentioned that, but what I am curious about is why Italy producers more divers than other European nations. One may infer that Serie A encourages the behavior more than other leagues, is there something about the general Italian culture that accounts for this difference?

 

[entropie]

MESUT ÖZIL, omg what a game of shite and now its against the isle boys thats gonna be a war

 

[onemoretime]

I have a soft spot for underdogs.

...says the Brazil fan.

 

[Haphazard]

Okay, whoever says we should call the US team the Mutant Ninja Turtles I totally agree with.

GO MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!!

 

[teslashock]

...says the Brazil fan.

I'm just loyal to my "home" country.

 

[matmos]

Time for all the anti-German prejudice in England to come to the surface again.

You should have thought about that before you bombed Coventry.

Here's a tip. Smile politely.

 

[Blackmail!]

Nonetheles, I will stand along my German cousins.

Since France's team is dead and not forgiven, it's time to stand along our most closest friends we have in Europe.

 

[matmos]

Don't sulk. And don't blame the Merrylanders, either.

Sulking French blame England for their World Cup exit | News

 

[Helios]

Germany will beat England, 2-0 at least, it may even be 3-0 or 4-0, just like the Under 21 German team beat England by the count of 4-0. After that happens, yet another English media frenzy will erupt about the issue of what exactly inflicted this misfortune upon that glorious nation, was it the coach, the players, the fans, the vuvuzelas? None of that has anything to do with England's recent performance, those ideas are nothing but pitiable excuses for fanatics to avoid owning up to the fact that their team is just not very good, nowhere nearly meritorious enough to compete with opponents who are serious contenders for the World Cup.

Whilst I'll acknowledge that two of our three performances so far have been poor, it is ludicrous to say that England is "just not very good"; we have some of the best players in the world, playing club football for some of the best teams in the world. The problem lies, or perhaps lay, with those players being unable to act as a unified team.

As for what the result may be against Germany, I think we have a plausible chance of victory-providing there are no penalties involved.