Euro 2008 - UEFA

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Only English people think John Terry is any good.

Lol, my assistant coach is British and thats exaclty what I told him. So true.

Turkey vs. Croatia is going to be a blast, I'm watching to see who Germany will play.

Keep your eye on Rustu, see if he cracks under the pressure.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by united

Good to see some insight and not just useless biased bickering about diving.

In my defence, I feel the need to back up my boy. But yes, the diving talk was getting irritating.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by united

Finally an unbiased well thought out post. I never thought of things in this way for the most part but it does make a great deal of sense. I think the "best" player in the world is one who can adapt to the styles of any situation and excel, but how do you test that?
Good to see some insight and not just useless biased bickering about diving.

There really isn't any way to test it... that's the fun part. It really is all system. Unless of course, a player plays in all the big leagues with all the different systems and styles and is still the best... but the likelihood of that is slim to none.

I hate bickering about diving. Some of it is deserved, but a lot of it is simply not understanding how fast these guys are going and how something that looks innocent really is enough to send anyone to the pitch. Especially in a game where you use your legs to move as well as move the ball.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

There really isn't any way to test it... that's the fun part. It really is all system. Unless of course, a player plays in all the big leagues with all the different systems and styles and is still the best... but the likelihood of that is slim to none.

I hate bickering about diving. Some of it is deserved, but a lot of it is simply not understanding how fast these guys are going and how something that looks innocent really is enough to send anyone to the pitch. Especially in a game where you use your legs to move as well as move the ball.

I understand that. Not every play is either a foul or a dive. Most of the time it's a good challenge and a player falls. I think most people don't like the antics after the whistle has gone. Grabbing the leg or face to try to con the ref into giving cards. OW OW my leg my leg oh.. I better get up since play is continuing.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player and most of the time he's going so fast that the slightest touch on him will knock him over. My only beef with him are the times he goes down after the ball has been lost.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I understand that. Not every play is either a foul or a dive. Most of the time it's a good challenge and a player falls. I think most people don't like the antics after the whistle has gone. Grabbing the leg or face to try to con the ref into giving cards. OW OW my leg my leg oh.. I better get up since play is continuing.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player and most of the time he's going so fast that the slightest touch on him will knock him over. My only beef with him are the times he goes down after the ball has been lost.

I think the big thing with that is the language barrier. A German has a hardtime telling a Portugese ref that a French player kicked the back of his leg (unless of course he's multilingual, which some are)... so, they use body language. Some guys abuse this, but refs are getting a lot better at picking those out, and post-game video is great at the league level for punishing the clear divers.

[rockstar]

Why don't Croatia wear the awesome checkered jerseys? These blue ones suck.

[united]

Alright come on Croatia! Probably one of the few times I'll ever be supporting Croatia in a match.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by rockstar

Why don't Croatia wear the awesome checkered jerseys? These blue ones suck.

I think it is because the teams they played have been predominantly white or red, so they opt for the blue to be more noticeable for their players.

If they play Italy, for instance... they'll most likely get to wear those checkered ones.

[Machiavelli]

Aw! Croatia just missed one!

[rockstar]

They've missed a few now!

[jammies]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player and most of the time he's going so fast that the slightest touch on him will knock him over. My only beef with him are the times he goes down after the ball has been lost.

I agree that it's only really the overacting well after the play that draws my ire, but how is it that CFL/NFL players can run full tilt, get HIT (not barely brushed!) and stay up, yet a tiny touch will send these guys flying like acrobats? I'm not talking about tackles where the legs get taken out, where it's pretty obvious they are really going down - that's understandable and can't be helped.

But it just seems the default action for far too many players is "feel a bit of contact, hit the pitch, hope for a free kick or maybe even a card!" I have far more respect for players that are clearly more concerned about keeping the play going, and keeping on their feet as much as they can, than I do for those that want to show how gracefully they can greet the turf. Further, there's plenty of times where a tactical opportunity is lost because the player is more concerned with getting a hypothetical advantage than the REAL advantage in front of him if he only could stay on his feet to make a play.

[rockstar]

Originally Posted by jammies

I agree that it's only really the overacting well after the play that draws my ire, but how is it that CFL/NFL players can run full tilt, get HIT (not barely brushed!) and stay up, yet a tiny touch will send these guys flying like acrobats? I'm not talking about tackles where the legs get taken out, where it's pretty obvious they are really going down - that's understandable and can't be helped.

But it just seems the default action for far too many players is "feel a bit of contact, hit the pitch, hope for a free kick or maybe even a card!" I have far more respect for players that are clearly more concerned about keeping the play going, and keeping on their feet as much as they can, than I do for those that want to show how gracefully they can greet the turf. Further, there's plenty of times where a tactical opportunity is lost because the player is more concerned with getting a hypothetical advantage than the REAL advantage in front of him if he only could stay on his feet to make a play.

Isn't this mentality one reason why Canada is awful compared to the rest of the world?

I'm not singling you out, nor do I disagree with what you're saying.

Perhaps looking at "diving" or embellishment as a question of strategy and tactics as opposed to a matter of honour or sportsmanship would change this mindset a little bit.

edit: kinda jumped all over that without thoroughly reading it and realizing that you addressed my point before I even made it. my bad.

And your last comment is quite accurate. I've lost count of the amount of times an Italian player has gone down in the box when a cross is on the way in, hoping to get a penalty (which they never will) while at the same time taking themselves right out of the play.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by jammies

I agree that it's only really the overacting well after the play that draws my ire, but how is it that CFL/NFL players can run full tilt, get HIT (not barely brushed!) and stay up, yet a tiny touch will send these guys flying like acrobats? I'm not talking about tackles where the legs get taken out, where it's pretty obvious they are really going down - that's understandable and can't be helped.

But it just seems the default action for far too many players is "feel a bit of contact, hit the pitch, hope for a free kick or maybe even a card!" I have far more respect for players that are clearly more concerned about keeping the play going, and keeping on their feet as much as they can, than I do for those that want to show how gracefully they can greet the turf. Further, there's plenty of times where a tactical opportunity is lost because the player is more concerned with getting a hypothetical advantage than the REAL advantage in front of him if he only could stay on his feet to make a play.

NFL/CFLers wear massive amounts of padding and most importantly do not use their feet to move the ball. That affects their balance a lot, and also affects how hard they fall and how fast they're actually moving.

Thats not to say these guys are without fault, there is a not of tactical embellishment, but it is definitely getting better.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player and most of the time he's going so fast that the slightest touch on him will knock him over. My only beef with him are the times he goes down after the ball has been lost.

[smutty moment]

Cristiano can go down on me anytime.

[/smutty moment]

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

[smutty moment]

Cristiano can go down on me anytime.

[/smutty moment]

tsk tsk tsk.

Actually I saw this funny question on The Guardian

"Has this tournament signalled the demise of the footballer's hairy leg?"

I'm glad to see footballers are now well-groomed unlike the old days.

[Machiavelli]

Gorgeous save off a perfect Croatian free kick!

[rockstar]

About time this game got exciting.
it's been a real snoozer.

[vodafone_b]

looks like will be down to penalty kicks.... (this was my message before the crazy 2 mins at the end of extra time)
I guess my guess still holds true!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!

[GirlySports]

I think John Helm is falling asleep

[Machiavelli]

Croooooooooooo!!!