I'm going to call the USA beating England in an upset on Saturday.
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"If I was an American defender I'd belt him one<" Butcher said in the Sun. "The Americans have already said they are going to wind him up and if I was playing against him I would do the same as well.
"I would stand on his toes, poke him, pinch him and do anything to wind him up - even belt him one because his temperament concerns me.
"If you are successful at winding up Rooney you have a really good chance of not only stopping him, but England as well. Something can always happen with him, something could snap.''
what's with your beef against England? Who do you support?
I dont really have a beef against England really, moreso just Wayne Rooney, I guess they're my Toronto Maple Leafs, always the greatest team no matter how good they really are, but they never get it done. If you're going to get this much publicity you better expect to maintain a certain level of criticism.
Basically, England are being touted as among the favourites to win the Cup, and quite frankly I dont think they deserve such a high billing.
Not to mention, they're a one-man band. If Rooney isnt playing at his best and scoring goals England are going home early, and I hate Wayne Rooney, primarily because he has played for two clubs that should be wiped off the face of the earth in Manchester United and Everton as well as his attitude and arrogance.
I support Germany primarily.
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Netherlands are not generally considered to be among the favourites, with Spain, England, Brazil and Argentina ahead of the Oranje in the pecking order.
I dont understand how Holland isnt given more consideration than England and Argentina, they romped through qualifying winning everything and allowing only 2 goals in 9 games. England is a cobblepot of the aging and injured, and while Argentina have the talent, their tactical and strategic approach is a mess because their coach is a nutjob, as evidenced by the fact that they barely even qualified.
I think the Dutch have the talent to play with the best of them, they've got the defensive strength, the attacking talent and the technical discipline.
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I dont understand how Holland isnt given more consideration than England and Argentina, they romped through qualifying winning everything and allowing only 2 goals in 9 games. England is a cobblepot of the aging and injured, and while Argentina have the talent, their tactical and strategic approach is a mess because their coach is a nutjob, as evidenced by the fact that they barely even qualified.
I think the Dutch have the talent to play with the best of them, they've got the defensive strength, the attacking talent and the technical discipline.
holland has the same history of england in choking away big games.
holland has the same history of england in choking away big games.
Absolutely they do, but at the moment I think they have a vastly stronger team.
If you want to talk about history of choking, the team that everyone thinks is going to win, SPAIN, are the greatest chokers the World Cup has ever known. But the same theory goes, I think they have a team that is an order of magnitude stronger than England.
If England were to go up against Spain at some point, I have little doubt that the tandem of Villa and Torres being fed by Iniesta and Xabi would tear England's midfield and defence into tiny bits.
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I agree with that. Holland and spain are probably the two best football nations yet to win the World Cup. There seems to be a bit of luck involved in winning this tourney as well, with all the variables of weather,officiating, hands of god etc.
They are the Maple Leafs of World Soccer. No titles since the mid-1960s, but with all the outrageous hype.
Except for the fact that virtually no England supporters outside of those who write for one of the rag papers actually talk or act as if England is going to win the whole thing. England fans are pretty much as pessimistic as it gets. I was living in London in 2002 and even when they went ahead against Brazil everyone was just waiting for it to fall apart.
That said, if they win their group they could make some noise. A round of 16 match against Serbia wouldn't be a gimme, especially if Rooney doesn't do something magical. If they were to survive that they'd likely face France, and who knows what will come from Les Bleus. A semi with Brazil would then loom, and while I would expect Brazil to win one off games are difficult to predict. They could easily crash out in the round of 16, but they could just as easily wind up in the semi. I'd say that any team that has a legitimate chance of reaching the semi is a contender, if not a favorite.
BTW Locke, who's dubbing England a favorite? The favorites in every thing I've seen are Brazil, Spain and Argentina, with a smattering of Germany, Italy, England, France and Holland thrown in as the second tier.
Edit: Just saw that soccernet bit, definitely don't agree with that. I'm not sure I'd put Holland in England's spot, but I'd definitely pull England out of there. To me it's Brazil and Spain, followed by Argentina (due to the madman on the bench), and then the England, Holland etc. group.
Absolutely they do, but at the moment I think they have a vastly stronger team.
If you want to talk about history of choking, the team that everyone thinks is going to win, SPAIN, are the greatest chokers the World Cup has ever known. But the same theory goes, I think they have a team that is an order of magnitude stronger than England.
If England were to go up against Spain at some point, I have little doubt that the tandem of Villa and Torres being fed by Iniesta and Xabi would tear England's midfield and defence into tiny bits.
Spain's choking reputation doesn't really last when it's been so recently disproven. They carried that monkey on their backs for a long time, but it's pretty much been shaken now. The same can't be said for the Dutch or English.
I agree with that. Holland and spain are probably the two best football nations yet to win the World Cup. There seems to be a bit of luck involved in winning this tourney as well, with all the variables of weather,officiating, hands of god etc.
Of course, and its the same as any tournament, elimination games bring with them an element of the random, as such, luck is important. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good, but when it comes to one-offs, having game breakers in the lineup is clutch, as is not carrying critical weaknesses. I see too much of the latter, and not enough of the former in England.
I love watching England matches, particularly with all my British friends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by valo403
Spain's choking reputation doesn't really last when it's been so recently disproven. They carried that monkey on their backs for a long time, but it's pretty much been shaken now. The same can't be said for the Dutch or English.
I'd say at the moment, having won Euro 2008, that reputation is somewhat diminished, but lets not forget the choke-o-rama they held at the Confederations Cup.
As for the Dutch and English, well, the Brits havent played a really meaningful game for the better part of 4 years, and the Dutch have to live with that epic collapse against Russia in extra time.
So, the labels are all still there, up for anyone to grab. Honestly, I feel that this world cup is WIDE open. As far as I'm concerned, as long as the French, Italians, Argentinians, Americans or the Portuguese dont win it, I am a happy, happy footy fan. So long as the games are great!
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Of course, and its the same as any tournament, elimination games bring with them an element of the random, as such, luck is important. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good, but when it comes to one-offs, having game breakers in the lineup is clutch, as is not carrying critical weaknesses. I see too much of the latter, and not enough of the former in England.
I love watching England matches, particularly with all my British friends.
I'd say at the moment, having won Euro 2008, that reputation is somewhat diminished, but lets not forget the choke-o-rama they held at the Confederations Cup.
As for the Dutch and English, well, the Brits havent played a really meaningful game for the better part of 4 years, and the Dutch have to live with that epic collapse against Russia in extra time.
So, the labels are all still there, up for anyone to grab. Honestly, I feel that this world cup is WIDE open. As far as I'm concerned, as long as the French, Italians, Argentinians, Americans or the Portuguese dont win it, I am a happy, happy footy fan. So long as the games are great!
I am sick of Brazil, so I would add them to your list. The wacky side of me would love to see the Americans win one of these just to see the reaction world-wide!
I am sick of Brazil, so I would add them to your list. The wacky side of me would love to see the Americans win one of these just to see the reaction world-wide!
Fair enough, but I have family in Brazil, so being of German descent, they're first and then Brazil/Netherlands for family reasons afterwards.
I dont want to see the Americans win it, that would turn the whole thing into a sideshow. It might be good for the game though.
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