masterblaster72 0 #201 July 11, 2010 Quote Quote It's on! Go Spain. we did it !! The Swiss are the only ones who defeated the Wold Champions Hah! I was telling my friend earlier that the Swiss can be proud for that. Hopp Suisse. Well done by Spain, enduring a team of hackers for 120 minutes and winning a well-deserved cup at the end playing some beautiful game all tournament (other than the first game Robben played hard but whined a bit much...and Castillo was as valuable as a striker putting one up on the board. This was a final to remember. España Campeones! Viva el futbol. edit: and Forlán for Golden Ball, nice one FIFA. Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #202 July 12, 2010 Quote Again: Congrats! Very well done. Thanks, Christel. Yes, I think we put on an excellent show and I believe the tournament as a whole was a great success. Very sad news coming out of Uganda: Bombs killed more than sixty people while they were watching the game last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #203 July 12, 2010 Quote Quote Quote It's on! Go Spain. we did it !! The Swiss are the only ones who defeated the Wold Champions Hah! I was telling my friend earlier that the Swiss can be proud for that. Hopp Suisse. Well done by Spain, enduring a team of hackers for 120 minutes and winning a well-deserved cup at the end playing some beautiful game all tournament Switzerland beat Spain in I think the first game for both teams at this World Cup, right? More than likely, Spain simply woke up and started playing the way they were supposed to, so thank the Swiss for that. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #204 July 12, 2010 Hats off to South Africa for hosting the World Cup. They did an excellent job and it looks like it will go down as the 3rd highest attended World Cup. World Cup attendance 3rd-highest ever: FIFA The final wasn't the best game. But it ended very dramatically and I am so much happier that it ended with a goal versus ending with penalty kicks. But of course I must ask FIFA why the game didn't end immediately after Andres Iniesta scored his goal. Anyway, congrats to the people of Espana (and their fans around the world), congrats to La Furia Roja. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,254 #205 July 12, 2010 Quote The final wasn't the best game. I thought the first half was great fun - some of the best fouling I've seen for a long timeWhat I think is hilarious is that the Dutch are coming out and bitching about the ref's decisions - they should be thanking him for not having them down to ten men (or quite justifiably 9) by half time!Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christelsabine 1 #206 July 12, 2010 Quote The final wasn't the best game. But it ended very dramatically and I am so much happier that it ended with a goal versus ending with penalty kicks. But of course I must ask FIFA why the game didn't end immediately after Andres Iniesta scored his goal. .... The rules clearly indicate a "2 x extra time of ea 15 minutes" and not "extra time until first goal ..." Ask FIFA, if you meet *them* next time .... BTW: I do LOVE penalty shootout! dudeist skydiver # 3105 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #207 July 12, 2010 Quote The rules clearly indicate a "2 x extra time of ea 15 minutes" and not "extra time until first goal ..." Ask FIFA, if you meet *them* next time .... That being a rule change from long established ones. Awful game, but the right team won. Another poor showing by the ref - had the worst combo of many many cards, yet the players continued to play rough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #208 July 12, 2010 I understand the "extra time" rule and personally I think it is a dumb rule. But what can I say, I grew up on a steady diet of the NHL where come playoff time they play until a goal is scored and once scored the game is over. Penalty shots are fine for deciding regular season games, but they should never be used to decide a championship. But as I said, at least this Spain/Netherlands game was decided by a goal. Viva Andres Iniesta ... Viva futbol Espanol ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Man 0 #209 July 12, 2010 Quote Quote The rules clearly indicate a "2 x extra time of ea 15 minutes" and not "extra time until first goal ..." Ask FIFA, if you meet *them* next time .... That being a rule change from long established ones. No, the 2x15 min. overtime rule is/was the long established law of the game. FIFA allowed the "golden goal" rule for about 10 years ~1993-~2003. Even then it was not universal, each competition could decide to use it or retain the more traditional format. It was used in 1998 and 2002 world cup. Holland definitely should have been down to 9 men by halftime."What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #210 July 12, 2010 Geez, a nine-page thread about balls. Doesn't this belong in the Bonfire? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyrad 0 #211 July 12, 2010 So, gun crime in South Africa.....When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy. Lucius Annaeus Seneca Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterblaster72 0 #212 July 12, 2010 QuotePenalty shots are fine for deciding regular season games, but they should never be used to decide a championship. What would be your alternative then? I disagree, even as a fan of a national team with an awful history in PK shootouts (with the exceptions of 2000 & 2006). Penalties show what a team is made of psychologically, and in most cases, from what I've seen, the team that merits the victory goes through...even if it's often not the team that I'm rooting for. That said, PK shootouts can be quite unnerving to watch from a couch. Imagine what it's like for the players... Back in the day the alternative to the extra 30 mins + PKs was to play another game on a different date, as was the case for the Euro finals in 1968. Logistically that's a pain in the ass to organize within a short period of time, so naturally the game has to end somehow. Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #213 July 12, 2010 QuoteWhat would be your alternative then? Keep playing until a goal is scored. You can't get much more simple than this. If it takes six hours to score, it takes six hours. They do it in the NHL. Hockey and soccer (or football if you choose to call it this) have enough similarities. If they can play until a goal is scored in hockey they can play until a goal is scored in soccer. FIFA needs to get with the times. The days of glamorizing Pele and Mara'goner are over. The first thing FIFA needs to do is adopt instant replays. Once this is done, then if they have guts they can address their over time policy in playoff games. But I would say the instant reply should be a higher priority. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christelsabine 1 #214 July 12, 2010 Quote So, gun crime in South Africa..... Not only this! Big deal: Sylvie van der Vaart has been mugged!! What a foulness that is But that happened in her hotel at my hometown few weeks ago - (), not in South Africa .... Can't contribute another bloody story, sorry dudeist skydiver # 3105 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Man 0 #215 July 12, 2010 I heard most of the Spanish team was assaulted as well."What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterblaster72 0 #216 July 12, 2010 Quote Keep playing until a goal is scored. You can't get much more simple than this. If it takes six hours to score, it takes six hours. They do it in the NHL. Hockey and soccer (or football if you choose to call it this) have enough similarities. No, not nearly enough similarities. In hockey you have ice on a small rink that helps you move. That's not to say that it doesn't take energy to get you moving...but once you're moving, you can stop running and the ice still moves you. In soccer it's hard running on a far larger field of play. These guys can run miles in 90 minutes...and they're miles of short-burst running. I can tell you from years of first-hand experience that it wears on you after a while, especially after 120 minutes. Quote If they can play until a goal is scored in hockey they can play until a goal is scored in soccer. That's like saying because I'm a fan of the game of soccer, hockey should be played in two halves of 45 minutes each with no time-outs. In this final and in the one four years ago, the players had nothing left in their legs at the end of 120. And these are the best athletes in the game. There's a reason why FIFA doesn't follow hockey time limits. Quote FIFA needs to get with the times.The days of glamorizing Pele and Mara'goner are over. FIFA glamorizes Pele, not Maradona. Just look at the opinions most people have of Maradona (even on these forums alone), especially in English speaking countries. I'd say he's pretty far from glamorized. That's FIFA and the English press. QuoteThe first thing FIFA needs to do is adopt instant replays...I would say the instant reply should be a higher priority. Here we agree, but unfortunately Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, will never consider introducing the camera to the game. His likely successor, Michel Platini, has stated in the past that he's not fond of the idea. In a way, I'm not too fond of the idea because it disrupts the continuity of the game, and you'll end up with a sport that looks like an American one choc full of timeouts for commercial breaks -- no thanks. In any case, the replay rule will probably not change any time soon. It's a trip...I never hear so much complaining about the rules of this game as I do from Americans, Canadians and Australians. Sure it can be improved in some areas, though most of the rest of the world embraces the game for what it is -- a joy to play and watch if you know and understand it. Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #217 July 12, 2010 QuoteQuotePenalty shots are fine for deciding regular season games, but they should never be used to decide a championship. What would be your alternative then? Playing on is the obvious answer, as the offense tends to gain the advantage as the defense is more prone to mistakes. That seemed to play out in this game as NED was mostly hanging on the penalty kicks. But that could go on forever in some games. I like the college football OT solution, though think it would be better moved back 10 or 20 yards as it current is somewhat akin to the penalty kick setup. alt 1) replace penalty kicks with corner kicks and a 60 second clock, or until the defense clears the ball past midfield. alt 2) man on advantage (hockey's power play). Give each team 3 minutes with a man advantage. Then 2 man advantage if needed. Make the winner score a traditional goal, not the fish in a barrel setup of a penalty kick. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #218 July 12, 2010 Quote In a way, I'm not too fond of the idea because it disrupts the continuity of the game, and you'll end up with a sport that looks like an American one choc full of timeouts for commercial breaks -- no thanks. In any case, the replay rule will probably not change any time soon. The NFL's challenge method would work perfectly for this and result in minimal disruption. College football's method, otoh, would be highly destructive. It's hard to get past faults where balls bounce into the goal and out and everyone knows it, but we can't do anything about it. That's not "Americans, Canadians and Aussies being unwilling to accept the game," that's people coming up with solutions to problems. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #219 July 13, 2010 Quote Quote So, gun crime in South Africa..... Not only this! Big deal: Sylvie van der Vaart has been mugged!! What a foulness that is But that happened in her hotel at my hometown few weeks ago - (), not in South Africa .... She obviously wasn't carrying a gun then? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #220 July 14, 2010 Vote for the goal of the tournament. I wonder why that USA goal against England is not in the top ten? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beverly 1 #221 July 14, 2010 I am just glad FIFA are leaving the country. They took over the government, police force, roads and every highway! They have disrupted my life enough. go go far far away!! I think true friendship is under-rated Twitter: @Dreamskygirlsa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
