World Cup Finals,Brazil 2014

Post by **stattointhailand** » July 2, 2014, 12:12 pm

Zid wrote "No matches tonight or tomorrow but there are two episodes of Chicago Fire 2 between 7pm-9pm tonight after which many exhausted soccer fans may want to consider an early night for a change."

Any chance we could convince the Brazillian TV people to leave the camaras running at the stadium so as we can get two episodes of "Watching the grass grow" or even "Watching the grass grow 2" please, If I turn Chicago Fire on, I will end up having a very early night (I'll be asleep by 7:05 pm

)

Post by **SkyyWalker** » July 2, 2014, 1:18 pm

Well...it was fun while it lasted. A decent run by us Yanks, but now it's time to focus on real sports like baseball! =D>

Based on the comments posted here, I often wonder if there are multiple versions of the same game being broadcast simultaneously. Anyway, before I turn my attention back to baseball, here's a few parting thoughts. Top 3 players so far are: Messi, Tim Howard and the dude who goalkeeps for Mexico.

Go Argentina!

Nice use of shaving cream on the pitch to prevent the defending side from cheating forward. If this sport was really interested in fair play, they would adopt the policy of allowing the refs to view instant replay before basically just guessing on critical plays. It would have taken less than a minute for Robben to be given a red card instead of a game-winning free kick.

Go Argentina!

Post by **marjamlew** » July 2, 2014, 3:17 pm

16 saves - Tim Howard - Outstanding =D> =D> =D>
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A ... =nAQE_CQYS

Post by **Zidane** » July 2, 2014, 4:16 pm

stattointhailand wrote:Zid wrote "No matches tonight or tomorrow but there are two episodes of Chicago Fire 2 between 7pm-9pm tonight after which many exhausted soccer fans may want to consider an early night for a change."

Any chance we could convince the Brazillian TV people to leave the camaras running at the stadium so as we can get two episodes of "Watching the grass grow" or even "Watching the grass grow 2" please, If I turn Chicago Fire on, I will end up having a very early night (I'll be asleep by 7:05 pm )

Talking about TV for a moment,statto,reminds me that when we were in Phuket last month Home Cable over there had "ITV Choice" which featured programmes like Coronation Street and Emmerdale.Why cant these blighters from Udon have the same over here ?
But back to the footie.....Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong has been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with a torn groin muscle.De Jong went off after just 9 minutes of the match against Mexico on Sunday.
Not to be confused with Siem de Jong who has just signed a 6 year contract with Newcastle ! The Ajax forward and captain has won 6 international caps for the Netherlands but was not chosen for the World Cup squad.
Not to be confused with his brother,Luuk de Jong,who spent 6 months on loan at Newcastle last season from Borussia Moenchangladbach......confusing isnt it ??

Post by **GT93** » July 2, 2014, 4:22 pm

Yes, reading about Wayne Rooney is much easier. Listening to Sir Alex however was more difficult. Thais speak better English.

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » July 2, 2014, 10:44 pm

Zidane wrote:On this form I would expect Belgium to sweep aside Argentina and make it through to the semis where they may well find there great rivals The Netherlands waiting.

I agreed and wanted to change my pool choice to Belgium and then I remembered that Argentina is a quality side compared to the U.S.A., and there is no way Belgium will be able to run all over the place like they did last night. Furthermore, there many defensive mistakes by the sprouts, which would be exploited by Argentina. Still, I would like to see Belgium move on and play the Netherlands.

Post by **socksy** » July 3, 2014, 8:07 am

GT93 wrote:Yes, reading about Wayne Rooney is much easier. Listening to Sir Alex however was more difficult. Thais speak better English.

You could always get Kenny Dalglish to translate for you GT.

Post by **Zidane** » July 4, 2014, 8:18 am

Its back to World Cup action tonight/tomorrow morning with the first two of the quarter finals.

France v Germany,11pm Thai time Friday night
Brazil v Colombia,3am Thai time Saturday morning

So a very late night coming up for most of us and you have to feel sympathy for the golfers who embark on 18 holes afterwards at 6am !

I've actually predicted wins for Colombia and France in the IKTS World Cup League.After the Group Stages I was lying 20th out of 22 in the league but after a successful last round I have now hit the dizzy heights of 14th.
So I'm a man in prediction form.....Germany v Brazil it will be in the semi final then !

I would like Colombia to win the tournament.They have been without their star striker,Falcao,and have done exceptionally well.In James Rodriguez they have the man of the tournament,so far.Its a sobering thought for us United fans that a few years ago young Rodriguez was offered to Old Trafford for 5m but United decided to sign Bebe instead !

You just get the feeling that if Brazil are 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go,theres a dodgy refereeing decision coming up.

...............

Post by **GT93** » July 4, 2014, 1:28 pm

I was chatting to a Brazilian woman today. She was very anxious about Columbia. Unfortunately for her she said was working after the game otherwise she would have been drinking beer during the game to cope with the tension.

Post by **socksy** » July 4, 2014, 2:01 pm

I'll go for wins for Columbia and Les Frogs. The Germans have seven players in the squad with flu like symptoms but their coach seems to think they will have the all clear to play if selected.

Post by **Zidane** » July 5, 2014, 1:08 am

France 0 Germany 1.....France were unable to break down a strong German defence after falling behind to a Matt Hummels header in the 13th minute.Hummels also excelled at centre back and deserved man of the match.
But,other than that,Germany were pretty ordinary especially in attack.
Les Bleus were also a disappointment in a match that was nothing to write home about.

Hoping for better things from Brazil v Colombia at 3am.

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » July 5, 2014, 3:09 am

Here is an interesting article about the goalkeeper of Toronto FC and Brazil, Julius Caesar/Octavian Augustus Caesar:-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/s ... e19452426/

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » July 5, 2014, 3:10 am

Brazil up by one over the cocaine/coffee cartel.

Post by **Zidane** » July 5, 2014, 5:02 am

Brazil 2 Colombia 1.....This was more like it ! A full bloodied cup tie with plenty of goalmouth action and hard tackles flying in throughout.Brazil scored after just 7 minutes due to poor defending and Luiz looked to have clinched the match with a screamer of a free kick in the 70th minute.But just 10 minutes later Cesar,the Brazil keeper,gave away a needless penalty which Rodgriguez converted and gave Colombia hope till the end.
The Spanish referee was so lenient he would probably have acquitted Rolf Harris but a very enjoyable game to watch.

Post by **socksy** » July 5, 2014, 8:07 am

socksy wrote:I'll go for wins for Columbia and Les Frogs. The Germans have seven players in the squad with flu like symptoms but their coach seems to think they will have the all clear to play if selected.

The reason why I rarely win the predictions syndicate

Post by **BobHelm** » July 5, 2014, 11:47 am

Huge blow for Brazil though

Brazil forward Neymar is ruled out of the World Cup with a fractured vertebra suffered against Colombia.

He has looked the only player in their side who looks anything like world class.
Without him they would certainly have not reached this far & it will be interesting to see how they progress now.

Barcelona must be wondering what Big Phil says to Neymar before a match because he has looked nothing like as good playing for them as he has playing for Brazil.

Post by **Zidane** » July 5, 2014, 12:29 pm

Brazil will also be missing their skipper and central defender,Thiago Silva,for the semi final clash against Germany after he was booked against Colombia.
So they will be missing,arguably,their two best players in the tournament so far which is going to make it very difficult for them.
Also,upfront they have Fred.He is supposed to be a striker but has contributed sweet fa up to now.It is saying something when Manchester City and Everton misfit,Jo,can replace him as a substitute and look a lot more effective.
They still have David Luiz,though.You never know if he is going to give away a goal or score a screamer at the other end,like last night,but I enjoy watching him play.
But easy to see why he didnt fit into Mourinho's long term plans at Chelsea,I guess.
Germany have looked strong in defence but poor upfront with only Muller looking a likely scorer.

Tonight/tomorrow mornings games (Thai times)

Belgium v Argentina,11pm Saturday night.....If Brazil relied on Neymar then Argentina do even more so on Messi.Belgium played very well against the USA and I'm going to tip them to win and Belgian beer sales to soar in Udon in the next week !
The Netherlands v Costa Rica,3am Sunday morning....Costa Rica have done fantastically well to get this far but we are getting to the sharp end of the tournament now and I think the Dutch will have too much for them,setting up a Low Countries derby in next weeks other semi final.

Post by **fantom** » July 5, 2014, 6:03 pm

Not sure whether to post this here or in the alternative thread:- I have recently watched replays of World Cup games of 1998 and earlier and what struck me was the low incidence of fouls in those days compared to the prolific pushing, tripping, holding, shirt pulling and, yes, diving we see today. Most of the diving is an exaggerated response to a genuine foul of the kind that referees seem strangely reluctant to punish. I am dismayed by the failure of referees to take charge of a game by consistently punishing foul play, resulting in many players apparently thinking they can get away with anything, such as the disgraceful knee in the back foul on Neymar which did not even attract a free kick. Think I will watch Wimbledon instead, or even the Tour de France.

Post by **BobHelm** » July 5, 2014, 6:15 pm

I would not disagree fantom.
However, in defense of referees you also have the opposite end of the scale where player like Robbin & Suarez go down like they have been shot if another player comes with 10 foot of them.
I think that the only way to curtail it is to hand out hefty bans after the event as nearly every game of football is caught on film from just about every angle.
The holding of opposing players on corners is one that really gets me & is rarely punished. If the first time it happened in a game the ref handed out a yellow (& did for subsequent offenses) then it would stop - although some games might be reduced to 5 a side before the message penetrated..

Post by **stattointhailand** » July 5, 2014, 6:40 pm

fantom wrote:Not sure whether to post this here or in the alternative thread:- I have recently watched replays of World Cup games of 1998 and earlier and what struck me was the low incidence of fouls in those days compared to the prolific pushing, tripping, holding, shirt pulling and, yes, diving we see today. Most of the diving is an exaggerated response to a genuine foul of the kind that referees seem strangely reluctant to punish. I am dismayed by the failure of referees to take charge of a game by consistently punishing foul play, resulting in many players apparently thinking they can get away with anything, such as the disgraceful knee in the back foul on Neymar which did not even attract a free kick. Think I will watch Wimbledon instead, or even the Tour de France.

No Nooooooo, please fantom, for your own good, don't sink that low, noooooooooooooooooooooooo