In F1 the "right" decision is always the "rational" decision imo.
With Alonso fully beside Kubica is it fair that Kubica should be able to keep his position by simply forcing Alonso off the track? Alonso had the inside line for the next corner and his front wheels were alongside Kubica's. I guess that's why Brundle and Coulthard both thought it was a very harsh decision.
If you reply to this then try to be objective please! Fanboy opinions aren't interesting to anyone.
Edit: McLaren are so good at maximizing their performance in the races that I think they look the most likely to take both titles now. Especially with the RBR generally only having one driver at the front. Ferrari also seem to self-destruct at almost every race, and despite having one of the fastest two cars in each of the last two races they've failed to pick up serous points so I guess it's looking pretty bad for them.
One other thing... wasn't F1 a lot more interesting with refuelling?
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
Did he break it? I thought it actually just broke and came off by itself - it wasn't anything that Vettel did wrong afaik?
If the team still favour Vettel now that Webber is ahead in the standings then I'll agree with you. But when they made that decision Webber wasn't ahead in the standings, Vettel was.
I hope Webber doesn't win the title. If he was in any other team he probably wouldn't stand a chance at taking the title, yet instead of being professional and showing some gratitude to the team who are giving him the opportunity to fight for the title for the first time all he does is bitch. Wanker.
Edit: Actually, if the alternative is bottling up your true emotions and being a McLaren robot type like Hamilton then Webber's attitude isn't so bad. I think Red Bull (and their drivers) might make too many mistakes to win the championship though.
Edit: Actually, if the alternative is bottling up your true emotions and being a McLaren robot type like Hamilton then Webber's attitude isn't so bad. I think Red Bull (and their drivers) might make too many mistakes to win the championship though.
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
That's what the last two posts were about
. It'll be back up tomorrow. Although I've just realised I neglected to mention that.Some of the stats scripts haven't scaled well at all, I've had to disable them now until I have time to optimize them.
Competition & nation stats will not be updated for the foreseeable future, and the same goes for nation associations.
That's quite a lazy conclusion imo. [edit: although I do agree that Germany were tactically superior and overall the better team] England scored two goals in three minutes or so and were absolutely all over Germany at the time that Lampard was denied what would have been the equalising goal. The third and fourth goals for Germany were scored on the counter at a time when England were going for the equaliser with inappropriate recklessness, which surely would not have been the case had a goal been awarded for Lampard's strike.
I'm not a follower of the English national team; in fact I follow another nation and am very anti-England as a result of living here and swimming against the tide for so many years - but I am capable of being objective and I think people have massively over-reacted with the "Germany are awesome England are terrible" argument since the match a couple of weeks ago.
Germany have clearly been very effective on the counter attack in this tournament but Serbia, Ghana and Spain made them look quite ordinary. Make no mistake, I take great joy in England losing, but if Lampard's goal had stood I firmly believe England would have had at worst a 50% chance of qualifying to play Argentina, against whom they probably would have lost.
My team Chelsea beat Man Utd. 5-0 in the Premier League a few years ago before we were really a title-contending team. We then beat them 3-0 at Old Trafford a couple of years later, before they beat us by the same scoreline at the Bridge later in the season. Momentum can swing in football matches very easily. Any of those three games I just mentioned could have been won by the other team. I really think it's mad how during the World Cup teams are branded as either world beaters or chumps on the basis of one or two games. Football just isn't like that.
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
You are the reason that half the people in this thread wanted Germany to lose.
I think it's fair enough when people offer their own predictions in good spirit - the stupidity occurs when people try to claim that one team is certain to win and flame those who disagree with their own prediction.
It almost seems that some people care as much about their team winning the pre-match predictions as they do about seeing them win the match itself, which is just bizarre really.
Anyway, a team like Germany which relies completely on the counter-attack (see the Serbia and Ghana matches, for example) was never likely to find things easy against Spain, who keep possession better than anyone.
It's anyone's to win on Sunday, but I think Spain are the stronger side and I'm hoping they'll win it! I can't help but feel that Germany will win the dead-rubber on Saturday by 1 or 2 goals.
Uruguay's games have been among the worst in the tournament as far as I'm concerned! Germany do tend to liven things up a bit though.
I really find Spain good to watch, even if their matches do tend to be quite tight. Their players are so so good on the ball and you always get more than your fair share of great technical skill. Did you enjoy seeing Iniesta, Villa and Pedro's ball control? It was similar to watching Messi against Germany. In the middle of the game he produced some sublime skill.
Was anyone else shocked by Pedro's failure to find Torres when they were 2-on-1 against the German defender? Really unbelievable play - I guess he's cost himself a place in the starting line-up on Sunday.
+1
Not just arrogance, ignorance.
I finally saw van Bronckhorst's goal. I actually agree with you - I think the radio commentators were very harsh on the keeper. It was a wonderful strike and it certainly didn't look like an easy save to me.
Spain look so so poor at the back. I guess it shouldn't be a huge surprise with Piquet and Ramos forming half of their defence, but their inability to keep flat and in their correct positions is incredible.
Should have been a red card for Ramos at the end there!
Edit: And there's no one for Spain anticipating the cross or attacking it when it comes in. Villa is a wonderful player but he doesn't look like he can offer anything in that regard. I think they need to get a predator on to play with Villa.
Should have been a red card for Ramos at the end there!
Edit: And there's no one for Spain anticipating the cross or attacking it when it comes in. Villa is a wonderful player but he doesn't look like he can offer anything in that regard. I think they need to get a predator on to play with Villa.
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
"Correspondents says Paul's plumping for Spain has caused alarm in the country..."
Hahaha xD
Hahaha xD
Which is right (I'm not suggesting you disagree, but I think some of the Dutch on here do.) There's nothing more frustrating than seeing your opponents waste half of the allotted injury time with substitutions and faked cramp & injuries when you're just a goal down.
Haha, that was his 15th foul of the tournament apparently.
My mistake.
That doesn't make a difference. The player has to be onside or not "interfering with play" when his team mate plays the ball. Whether or not the ball then strikes an opponent makes no difference.
Hopefully the Dutch will come alive now and play some football for the rest of the game!
Hehe, well when I'm able to watch it later on I'll let you know my own thoughts. The commentators & pundits are speculating that he was not expecting the shot and failed to move his feet. What I will say is that, in my opinion, to be beaten from an angle (which greatly reduces the amount of the goal which is visible) from 35 yards you've gotta do something very wrong.
And, well, I doubt it was a 60mph shot. Hasselbaink scored a free kick for Chelsea against Tottenham a few years ago from a similar distance which was in the 70's (mph), and was, at the time, the fastest shot Sky had ever recorded the speed of. The pundit this evening mentioned that van Bronckhorst's shot was not particularly powerful, which was part of the reason they thought it was a poor effort from the keeper.
It sounds like Gio's shot was a good one, but personally I don't like to call a goal "good", certainly not the "best of the tournament hands down" if it's one the keeper should have saved.
Quagliarella's goal against Slovakia was brilliant, Ozil's against Ghana was great, too. South Africa's goal in the first match was very good if I remember correctly. I'm sure there have been plenty more, too. No one thinks that 90% of goals are goalkeeping howlers, but there have been a lot in this tournament - though still not close to 90%
.Edit: And I'd say most of Germany's counter-attacking goals have been very good as well. Lampard's goal against Germany wasn't bad either.
The thing about national football is that teams can't sign better players. If they don't have a good keeper, there's nothing they can do about it. It's not like club football. I think that probably contributes to it because some of the keepers at this tournament have been awful. Did you think that Donovan's goal against England was a good goal? Forlan's equaliser against the Netherlands just now? I can't get excited by that kind of goal.
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
Well the pundits are former players, but you're right, you probably know better. And you might want to read my last post again, I didn't say it wasn't a good strike
.I'm only listening to the game so I haven't seen the goal, but the BBC 5live commentators & pundits are saying that while it was a good strike it was a goalkeeping howler... not the first of the tournament.
Also, I think it will be interesting to see how Germany manage without the luxury of an early goal. In each of their three four-goal-games they've scored very early on, and the other team has had to attack them. That didn't happen against Serbia or Ghana and as a result the Germans were unable to rely on the counter-attack. They certainly looked a lot less formidable in those two matches; scoring one goal and conceding one over the two games.
Of course, they might just score early against Spain, too, but then again they might not.
Edit: Germany's ability to step it up for the tournaments really is incredible though. Just look at how poor Podolski and Klose's records have been at Bayern. That said, I don't watch any Bundesliga, so maybe someone with more knowledge on German football can shed some light.
Of course, they might just score early against Spain, too, but then again they might not.
Edit: Germany's ability to step it up for the tournaments really is incredible though. Just look at how poor Podolski and Klose's records have been at Bayern. That said, I don't watch any Bundesliga, so maybe someone with more knowledge on German football can shed some light.
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
The comments of you and Timo throughout this thread have really made me want Spain to win the World Cup...
Having fun, kids? 
To say that the Dutch are easily beatable seems quite a strange statement considering their form and the quality of their squad. Many of the teams in the tournament would be capable of beating any other nation, but on form the Dutch are clearly one of the toughest to beat. They're on a run of something like 15 consecutive victories in competitive games and have already knocked out Brazil, who were the clear favourites for the tournament before that match.
I'm not sure how much high level European football you watch [not trying to sound in any way condescending], but top quality defensive midfield players are hugely important at that level and in De Jong I think the Netherlands have the best one left in the tournament. Just look at the influence players like Yaya Toure, Claude Makalele, Genaro Gattuso, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Emerson etc. have had on the success of their respective clubs in the past decade. On top of that, the Dutch have in Robben a more talented and on-form attacking player than Germany have in their entire squad.
I do agree that the Dutch are a boring team to watch at the moment, but I don't think that a final involving Uruguay would likely provide a better spectacle, no matter how much bandwagon-enthusiasts try to hype Forlan; who has scored one massively deflected shot, one penalty and one free kick which would ordinarily have been easily saved and most likely drawn criticism from commentators and pundits for being a weak and over-ambitious effort.
Personally, I think that a Uruguay vs. Spain or Germany final would be a very one-sided affair, whereas the Netherlands would probably provide stiff resistance for either team. On top of that, Robben is on wonderful form at the moment and is more than capable of providing moments of real excitement.
To say that the Dutch are easily beatable seems quite a strange statement considering their form and the quality of their squad. Many of the teams in the tournament would be capable of beating any other nation, but on form the Dutch are clearly one of the toughest to beat. They're on a run of something like 15 consecutive victories in competitive games and have already knocked out Brazil, who were the clear favourites for the tournament before that match.
I'm not sure how much high level European football you watch [not trying to sound in any way condescending], but top quality defensive midfield players are hugely important at that level and in De Jong I think the Netherlands have the best one left in the tournament. Just look at the influence players like Yaya Toure, Claude Makalele, Genaro Gattuso, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Emerson etc. have had on the success of their respective clubs in the past decade. On top of that, the Dutch have in Robben a more talented and on-form attacking player than Germany have in their entire squad.
I do agree that the Dutch are a boring team to watch at the moment, but I don't think that a final involving Uruguay would likely provide a better spectacle, no matter how much bandwagon-enthusiasts try to hype Forlan; who has scored one massively deflected shot, one penalty and one free kick which would ordinarily have been easily saved and most likely drawn criticism from commentators and pundits for being a weak and over-ambitious effort.
Personally, I think that a Uruguay vs. Spain or Germany final would be a very one-sided affair, whereas the Netherlands would probably provide stiff resistance for either team. On top of that, Robben is on wonderful form at the moment and is more than capable of providing moments of real excitement.
Lol, what the f**k are you talking about?
Hi,
That's my responsibility. I'll look into it later today.
Edit: Fixed
Last edited by joshdifabio, .
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG