FIFA World Cup 2014

[Black Betsy]

Wish I could trade 1954 and 2014 for 1982 and 1986

 

[hrotha]

Do Brazil care about the Copa America? Looking at trophy history they seem to have always underperformed compared to what they show the rest of the time and to what their players should be capable of.

I imagine it's a bit like the basketball WC for the US. They can't bring themselves to care too much about it, but they're still expected to win.

 

[ILovecycling]

Well...

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Germany is world champion for the first time since a felt 1.000 years... and what does MSM do? Revolt against their own winners because they made a joke dance ("Gaucho Dance"). And it gets better: Around 30% of our brainwashed political correct full blown xxx people take over the the opinion of the MSM (that it was racist, unfair, and what else)... trained monkeys 24 hour working per day to pay taxes and feed the world. But never ready to show emotion, national pride, joy and fun.
Not the "Gaucho dance" is a shame, but my fellow brainwashed citiziens who blame their champions for a simple joke. No wonder this country is going down...

 

[Zam_Olyas]

They could have practice the dance a little bit better. terrible routine. 4 out of 10 for choreography

 

[l.Harm]

What's MSM?

 

[The Hitch]

What's MSM?

Main
Stream
Media.

 

[kingjr]

What's MSM?

Mainstream Media.

 

[l.Harm]

Ok never heard of the Gaucho dance? Why do the media say it's racist?

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

They could have practice the dance a little bit better. terrible routine. 4 out of 10 for choreography

I loved it 10/10 because they did it. 10/10 because our (mostly lefties) worriers got outraged. 10/10 because Klose was involed. And a final 10/10 because it goes against all those political correct brainphucked people.
And a 1/10 because germans can´t dance, but win.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Ok never heard of the Gaucho dance? Why do the media say it's racist?

Because they think Germany shall always be in humbleness. They try to connect everything to that idiot from Austria circa 70 years ago. Absurd.

If it was those lefties total taking control, Germany would not exist anymore. But they do their work inch by inch where ever they can.

BTW, just go to youtube "gaucho germany fanmeile". It´s harmless... but funny.

 

[The Hitch]

Foxxy. Don't you ha e a problem with klose still playing at a world cup level at his age? Especially baring in mind that 36 in football is the equivalent of like 40 in cycling.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

36 isn´t 42 and much more important... he declined with age (as it should be), instead of improving like a certain circus cyclist...

 

[Merckx index]

Some modest suggestions to improve the game:

Officiating. FIFA uses one referee and two linesmen, plus an alternate referee who keeps track of time and substitutions. Only the referee can call penalties. The linesmen help with offsides and such.

So you’ve got a field wider and longer than a football field, you’ve got guys flopping all over the place trying to draw phantom fouls, you’ve got guys biting opponents, and you police such mayhem with one peace officer. This is what is known as anarchy.

One of the charms of soccer is all that open space. Lots of green grass on which to put more yellow shirts. So do like every smart city in America, FIFA, and beef up your police presence.

I agree in principle, more officials would be helpful, but maybe not very smart to use American cities to make the point about reducing crime.

Replay. Baseball, which sometimes is no more innovative than the Amish, has adopted replay review. It’s time to bring it to international soccer. Run the thespians from the game.

When James Harden or Manu Ginobili gets away with a flop in an NBA game, it often costs their opponents two points. Two points in a game that typically totals 210 points. And the NBA is alarmed and outraged.

When Portugal’s Joao Moutinho or somebody acts like they’ve been shot, a gullible referee often will call the foul. Which can lead to a goal. In a game that typically totals one goal.

If these guys want to go all **** Van ****, fine. Stop the game, go to the monitor and let officials decide exactly what happened. If there’s a foul, call it. If there’s a flop, hand the offender an Oscar and a yellow card.

Of course, then the game would have hours of stoppage time. I definitely advocate replay for some obvious situations, but for flops and fouls it could really mess with the game's flow. There is certainly a problem here, but I don't think replay is the answer.

Timeclock. Put the official time on the scoreboard. The official time is kept on the field and is a state secret. Television broadcasts give us a close estimate, but the very notion that fans and players and coaches can’t be allowed to know how much time is left? What is this? The 13th century Catholic Church, where everything is written and spoken in Latin to keep it from the commoners?

Definitely agree with this. Never understood the timekeeping system.

Substitutions. Each team is allowed only three subs. Sort of like the old college football single-platoon system. Which was scrapped more than a half century ago.

Again, agree. Jeez, it’s 90 minutes or more, and these guys run up and down the field. OK, so being able to play while exhausted is part of the skill, but only three subs seems like cruel and unusual punishment. There might be the slippery slope argument, that once you open up subs, you will have players coming in and out limitlessly, like the NFL. I don’t see that as a problem, though, because at many positions, one player will definitely be the best, and will only be taken out if he becomes extremely tired. At other positions, if a platoon system evolves, so be it.

One of the main reasons play in the NFL has become so creative and complex is that different players have different skill sets, and so you try to design different offensive and defensive schemes to take advantage of those skills. You can do this only if you are allowed to substitute liberally. In soccer, the very limited substitutions forces teams to play one kind of approach for most of the game. Once they put in their starting lineup, they're committed to playing the type of game that those players are best at. With more subbing, you could see major changes in the game plan in the middle of the game, which could go a long way IMO to stopping these really boring games where neither team does much.

36 isn´t 42 and much more important... he declined with age (as it should be), instead of improving like a certain circus cyclist...

I don’t understand why some national team doesn’t hire Horner as their trainer. He could teach them his secrets to play into their 30s, 40s, maybe even 50s with not only no decline in performance, but actually an improvement! Think of the implications—you could have a team of great players stay together for decades, getting steadily better with age. How many WCs could Spain have won if they had been seeking Horner’s advice?

And the best part of Horner’s guaranteed anti-aging system is that it’s all natural:

Beetroot juice
Organic EPO, guaranteed synthesized only by pesticide-free bacteria in USDA-approved laboratories
Whole, unfiltered blood, never seen a centrifuge or a freezer
Growth hormone extracted only from free range cattle

 

[Sciocco]

Of course, then the game would have hours of stoppage time. I definitely advocate replay for some obvious situations, but for flops and fouls it could really mess with the game's flow. There is certainly a problem here, but I don't think replay is the answer.

Flopping/diving is the single biggest thing holding me back from watching and following association football on a regular basis.

My favorite team sport is hockey which has less of an issue with diving, by a large margin, but still some issue. I 100% believe my team lost in their playoff series this past season because of diving from the other team (lost by 1 goal in game 7). I was reading a little while ago that the NHL's competition committee is considering new rules for next season:

Players found to embellish or dive would receive warnings and fines. They’d also proposed extending fines to coaches and teams.

The second sentence is the important one to me. I wonder how effective issuing fines to coaches/teams/owners would work in curbing diving. Also, the NHL reviews many plays regardless of how they are officiated on the ice so I would imagine they can do the same with diving. Players are for now likely to be encouraged by their coaches to exaggerate a hit against them in order to try and get a PP since they are prime scoring opportunities in hockey. If a player dives and the NHL reviews the play to see if there was a dive, decides that it was indeed a dive and than fines the coach/team/owner for a significant amount, maybe the player would no longer be encouraged to dive. Might even be discouraged from diving.

More simply, the NHL could review plays and if a play is found to be a dive than fine the player.

Back to association football. I agree with you that constant stoppages of play to review possible dives would slow the game down to the point where it would be unwatchable similar to football (NFL) or basketball. Going after players/coaches/teams/owners/etc.'s money on the other hand... might be something there.

The major issue with fines is that they must be significant, 5000 euro fines would simply be ignored by the big names, even if they dive multiple times per game.

And the best part of Horner’s guaranteed anti-aging system is that it’s all natural:

Beetroot juice
Organic EPO, guaranteed synthesized only by pesticide-free bacteria in USDA-approved laboratories
Whole, unfiltered blood, never seen a centrifuge or a freezer
Growth hormone extracted only from free range cattle

This is just LOL.

 

[hrotha]

Substitutions are perfectly fine as they are, and timekeeping is hardly an issue. But the point about the officiating was just silly: the linesmen can and must tell the referee if they see something he missed, including penalties. Sure, the main ref still gets to make the call, but that's because someone has to be on top of the hierarchy. Officers form a team and the referee trusts his linesmen, so if they're sure of what they saw, the ref will call it. I don't see the problem here.

Replays would be good. Diving shouldn't be punished via replays, as that would take forever, but by committees reviewing the key plays later and handing out suspensions.

It all boils down to Americans wanting to make soccer more of an American sport. Well no thanks, it's mostly fine as it is.

 

[Sciocco]

Substitutions are perfectly fine as they are, and timekeeping is hardly an issue. But the point about the officiating was just silly: the linesmen can and must tell the referee if they see something he missed, including penalties. Sure, the main ref still gets to make the call, but that's because someone has to be on top of the hierarchy. Officers form a team and the referee trusts his linesmen, so if they're sure of what they saw, the ref will call it. I don't see the problem here.

Replays would be good. Diving shouldn't be punished via replays, as that would take forever, but by committees reviewing the key plays later and handing out suspensions.

It all boils down to Americans wanting to make soccer more of an American sport. Well no thanks, it's mostly fine as it is.

First part is an exaggeration. The majority of Americans will gladly mindlessly watch football (NFL) and not give one **** about association football.

Second part I agree with. Mostly fine is exactly how I would describe it. To make it more fine a reduction in the amount of diving by a large percentage would make the sport more of a sport and less of show. I'm American, but I only speak for myself, and the excessive diving I see whenever I watch association football is completely disgusting.

The only thing I would like to see in association football is a reduction of diving, leave everything else the same more or less. The traditions of the game should be upheld.

Out of curiosity, are you OK with the current state of diving in association football as is found in international tournaments and the elite european leagues?

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

...

More or less agree with that post from A to Z.
Informative, funny at times, great suggestions to change soccer... But in the end nothing will change.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Well no thanks, it's mostly fine as it is.

No it´s not at all. Besides if guys like 1-0/0-0 games... that lays in the eye of the beholder (it´s nothing for me in the long run, but could/have lived with it for four weeks something). But if games on the biggest stage (I wonder how much BS goes on in lower leagues) are regulary decided by refs, than something is really wrong. I doesn´t matter if refs are doing it intentionally, are just overwhelmed, or the rules are impossible to apply with consistency... it´s not a game to decide who is the best, no it comes down to pure luck (and/or outside influence). That has got nothing to do with sports competition...

Says a guy who really loves that Germany won, so there must be something really wrong.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

First part is an exaggeration. The majority of Americans will gladly mindlessly watch football (NFL) and not give one **** about association football.

... and some hardcore fans in Europe/Germany too. Going all in at Sundays from 7 p.m. european time until 4 a.m. the next day (3 full live games a 3 hours). For 5 months. The reason we don´t kill ourselves in winter...

 

[Sciocco]

... and some hardcore fans in Europe/Germany too. Going all in at Sundays from 7 p.m. european time until 4 a.m. the next day (3 full live games a 3 hours). For 5 months. The reason we don´t kill ourselves in winter...

So the saturday/sunday/monday night and superbowl games are at 0100 for you? I've ****ed my sleep schedule to watch tennis and hockey before so, I know what ya mean.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

So the saturday/sunday/monday night and superbowl games are at 0100 for you? I've ****ed my sleep schedule to watch tennis and hockey before so, I know what ya mean.

Actually I like that (first game 7 p.m.; second at around 10 p.m.). You know upfront, that sunday is not the shitty day before working-Monday, but another party day added.
Can´t imagine to watch football during mid-day. I think a lot of our US friends here like that too. Especially those on holidays or students...

TNF/SNF & MNF are even later they start 2 or 3 a.m. depending on summer/winter time. Those games are missed often, but not always. Depends on the pairing...

 

[Merckx index]

It all boils down to Americans wanting to make soccer more of an American sport. Well no thanks, it's mostly fine as it is.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think it's hypocritical if FIFA wants to make soccer a worldwide sport, participated in and watched by countries all over the world, but dismisses any input from certain major parts of that world. Your post sounds to me like, come into my yard and play with me, and bring all your friends, and sometimes we will all go into your yard and play there, but you can’t change the rules, they have to stay exactly the way they always have, even if you and your friends have different experiences that may affect how you see the game.

I don’t like all Olympic sports, or the way certain Olympic sports I do like are played, but I recognize it’s a worldwide institution, and people in different countries have a right to have their views considered.

Soccer is no longer just a European sport, or Euro and South American. If you want the North American audience, you have to expect North American influence. That doesn't mean Americans get to redesign the game entirely to their liking. It just means that if a large enough portion of the paying audience wants changes, they have a right to push for them. Europeans, who have vastly influenced American culture by immigrating here, ought to be the first to appreciate this.

 

[Sciocco]

Actually I like that (first game 7 p.m.; second at around 10 p.m.). You know upfront, that sunday is not the shitty day before working-Monday, but another party day added.
Can´t imagine to watch football during mid-day. I think a lot of our US friends here like that too. Especially those on holidays or students...

TNF/SNF & MNF are even later they start 2 or 3 a.m. depending on summer/winter time. Those games are missed often, but not always. Depends on the pairing...

The schedule makes football kind of an "all day" event. I went to college in the deep south and a lot of people followed a pattern: Wake up sunday morning, go to local baptist church, eat brunch/lunch with family or friends, and it is time for the first set of games of the day. East coast and central timezone (where I was in college) have football from roughly 1300 to 2300, 1200 to 2200 so it fits. Saturday was more important though, because college football is more important than NFL football in Mississippi.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

The schedule makes football kind of an "all day" event. I went to college in the deep south and a lot of people followed a pattern: Wake up sunday morning, go to local baptist church, eat brunch/lunch with family or friends, and it is time for the first set of games of the day. East coast and central timezone (where I was in college) have football from roughly 1300 to 2300, 1200 to 2200 so it fits. Saturday was more important though, because college football is more important than NFL football in Mississippi.

I know, a lot of guys follow college football. I tried that back in the 80s. Too hard to keep track since you have a roster overturn after every circa 2 years... So I gave that up.

Back in the 90s, I played still league Baseball, and came winter time we played tackle football in the backyard Sunday mid-day (w/o protection OFC ) in rain, snow, or whatever came up. After the first week we felt muscles on our bodies we didn´t know they exist (later in the "backyard season" our bodies got used, so it got better), then barely made it to the bar to watch the games. But the beers always helped. And we could imagine 1% of what NFL players go trou. Nothing for divers or whiners... Those were the greatest days. The days when Superbowls were routine blow-outs. I liked it b/c I couldn´t remember a single play after halt-time anyway on Super-Sundays...