World Cup!!!

Hello Infixion: "Sometimes"? I would say more like "most times". And while it may be required for a ref to hand out a yellow card for a dive, I have never seen this happen. Granted, I admittedly have not watched a great deal of soccer, but even with my limited sample size I have yet to see a "diver" ever receive a yellow card, while I have seem numerous, OBVIOUS dives result in a red or yellow card for the "offender". Apparently it must take a least one second longer to exploit a teams weakness than it does to play the entire game, because I have yet to see double digit shots on goal recorded for a 90 minute game. Pathetic, in my ever so humble opinion. Yes...that's kind of my point. As a conspiracy buff (), I personally think that the obvious answer is that "yes" these professional athletes have picked up on the fact that soccer, while requiring great endurance and pretty damned good reflexes and coordination, is certainly not as difficult as "non-athletes" (i.e. fans) seem to think it is, so there is a global conspiracy by soccer players to absolutely NOT score too many goals, for fear of no longer being thought of as "Gods" by mere spectators .

And in yesterday's game (Ecuador vs. UK), I saw one of the extremely rare instances where both a goalie and a fouled player (not the fouler, the foulee) got yellows for basically fooling around trying to kill the time on the clock. In US football, it would be a "delay of game" penalty. In world football (aka soccer), it got 'em a yellow. Damn good call from the ref in both cases, IMO.

But that's the point, at world level the teams often don't have weakness that can be exploited that easily - the standard of the players (and their high fitness) means they are able to mark each other to a greater extent. This always makes games much harder to win. Well, it makes actually getting a goal that much more special. Just like getting a home run in baseball.Anyway, if you don't like the game don't watch it. The rest of the world doesn't complain about American football, we just ignore it. ;-)

Hello again: Yes, I know this. However, I have seen plenty of teams work the ball down field only to do nothing once they arrive at the other end.Look, I'm not saying that passing the ball in an attempt to get an opening is a bad thing. I'm saying once you do get close, kick the friggen ball towards the net! Who knows, ya might actually score a goal...or get a rebound and then score a goal, or force your opponent off their game cuz you are actually kicking the ball towards the friggen net (something I can virtually guarantee the other team would find "strange and upsetting"). Ok, fine...what's your point? I'm not calling em pantywaist sissy boys cuz they can't take a punch. I'm calling em pantywaist sissy boys cuz when someone takes their ball away, they act like my three year-old nephew does when I take his ball away. Imagine sprinting for the finish line on your bike...doing about 30-35 mph and getting bumped, or hitting a barrier. Imagine diving forward, with the only protective device between you and the concrete roadway being your helmet. Imagine impacting the concrete with various parts of your anatomy, often times breaking bones. Imagine sliding on this concrete as if it were ice...but it's not...it's concrete. Imaging the burns that would result from this as you slide 90-100 feet. Imagine getting run over by other bikers, who then face the same outcome as what you just went through.You make it sound as if these soccer players suffer more than any other athlete out there. Sorry, but they do not. Soccer is, as you yourself stated, a light sport. Very little protective gear is needed because there is very little aggressive, hard-hitting contact. Well, the only protective gear a biker wears is a helmet (which has saved many a life . ask Saul Raison). The only other protective "gear" we wear are spandex shorts and a team jersey, which offer no protection in the event of a crash. I've actually had my shorts melt from sliding on the road. I'm sorry, but taking a spill during a bike race is waaaaaay worse than getting tripped during a soccer game...even if you are running at full speed. And while a few bikers are down for the count after a crash, many get back up, get some medical attention and then ride on. Hell Tyler Hamilton rode the Tour de France with a broken clavicle! True...but let me also point out that these guys rarely run full tilt from one end of the field to the other.

Good Afternoon: I agree with you on numerous levels. First (and one of the original points to my first post), it was, even by your admission, a rare event. Second, it would be a penalty in American football. Third, it was a damned good call. Fourth (and one of the original points to my first post), it was, even by your admission, a rare event. And lastly (and one of the original points to my first post), it was, even by your admission, a rare event.

You know, even tho' it goes against my national conscience to support the aussies...us being sworn enemies and all that...it even tugged at my heart strings to see them losing in the manner that they did.They played well and made their country proud. Respec!

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"The good Christian should beware the mathematician and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of hell." - St. Augustine

We were robbed I tell you !!!!Damn.. What a way to loose. After kicking azure ass for 94 mins we go out thanks to a unwarrented penalty...-Sigh-Oh well As I'm English I can still cheer for them. AND I drew Brazil in the office sweep stake.... so all is not lost

FliesOnly writes

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I'm sorry, but taking a spill during a bike race is waaaaaay worse than getting tripped during a soccer game...even if you are running at full speed. And while a few bikers are down for the count after a crash, many get back up, get some medical attention and then ride on. Hell Tyler Hamilton rode the Tour de France with a broken clavicle!

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(1) Bike racing most of the time involves one position for a long time. Soccer playing requires constant movement of of parts of the body for manuvering.(2) Same thing with soccer players after a hit or fall. They get some med attention and then play on afterwards. In the mean time, they are replaced by other players so the game doesn't get delayed more than it has to.(3) Much of Hamilton's teeth are artificial now. His teeth were worn severely from him grinding his teeth for so many hours from the pain. While it was good sportsmanship, I always thought it was unncessary. When you go on playing whatever sport you play with a big pain somewhere, you are constantly endangering your entire team. Causing your team to lose because of that key moment where a bone finally snapped right before a perfect kick opportunity is something I wouldn't want anyone to have on his conscience.

I still don't agree with that penalty kick at that last second.

I take it you have never played football* yourself? Take 22 guys in from the street in a nation where football* is played, and let them at it at a field for two times 45 minutesSure you'll probably see more gals than in a world cup game, but, nt much more than 2 or 3 times. It is actually quite hard to score in a football game!*You americans might call it soccer

Hi RickJB: Oh come on. Look, these are just guys that kick a ball around for a living, not super-humans. I have admitted that I do not play soccer, nor do I watch very much of the sport either. However, the few segments that I have watched lead me to believe that more shots on goal is certainly a realistic expectation. Seriously, try one less pass and instead, kick the ball towards the goal. Ya never know if ya don't try.I keep getting the impression (from the replies I have received) that you guys seem to think that soccer players are like Gods. Super superior amazing athletes who surpass all other sportspersons on a global level for pure athleticism, amazing fitness, and complexity of the event. I mean, God forbid some stupid American finds soccer boring. How uncouth, lazy and stupid I must be to not grasp the concept of such a superior athletic endeavor. Give me a break. It's not that I'm some dumb American that just loves his Monday Night Football. I friggen hate football (and don't get me started on the ultimate of boring sports to watch...basketball. Arrrggg...God I fail to understand how anyone can watch basketball). I have tried to watch soccer, and I truly appreciate the skill and fitness needed to play the game. My only real complaints are:
1) The lack of attempts to score. Hey, there's nothing wrong with a 1 - 0 final score...it happens all the time in Hockey...it's the lack of attempts to score that I find boring.And 2) All the diving that goes uncalled. If some of the guys were truly hurt as bad as they make it look, they'd never be able to stand up and play again. Wait...wait...it's a miracle...the red card has been issued and "Mr. Johnny Cries A Lot" has jumped back up and is ready to play again. Wow...what a gutsy individual, to play with what was moments ago a shattered femur and a compound fracture of the tibia! Simply amazing how superior these athletes are to every other person on the planet, and quite possible the entire Universe.Ok, so I exaggerated a wee bit, but not a whole lot more than some of those supposedly injured players. And here's the rub...I really am interested in watching the games and seeing who ultimately wins. Yes, it's true, I am a border-line fan. I would just like to see a few more shots on goal (if you were to spy on me through my window, you'd see me get a bit excited when one team or the other gets near the net. "Shoot the ball...SHOOT the ball!...SHOOT THE ball!!...SHOOT THE BALL!!!...SHOOT THE FUCKING BALL!!!!...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHOOT THE FUCKING BALL!!!!!....NOOOOO, don't pass it again" Dammit!) Repeat this same phrase over and over again for about 95 minutes.

Have you considered golf? They are only ever trying to hit the ball into the hole.I do have to say that the only thing I find more boring than playing golf is watching it on tv. I think televised golf is solid proof that the human race is insane. I need no further evidence. Still if you want shots on goal that is all golf is.lfen

Ireland are relative minnows in world football and in 1990 they qualified for the first time for the World Cup finals in Italy. They managed to make their way to the quarter finals losing 1-0 to Italy - and they could have forced that match to penalites with which they had managed to eliminate Romania with in the match prior to itThe tactics used were the ugliest that ever graced the "beautiful game". And they had all the simplicity of the two step shuffle mechanism involved in ToE"put 'em under pressure": which meant running around and closing down each and every opposing player who happened to come into possession of the ball. Give 'em no time to think about sensible ways to move the ball around. This forced the opposition into hasty passes (this in the days before pansy-assed diving entered the game and tackles could be real tackles) and mistakes which returned possession to Ireland"hit Cascarino" Tony Cascarino was a very tall striker. The ball would be lobbed at his head from any point on the pitch. He would get to many of them positioned as he was somewhere near the edge of the box and nod it down to an goalbound teamate - resulting in a strike towards goal or at least confidence-sapping panic amongst the defenders. Even kickouts from our goalie were aimed at him too. Its called the long ball game.It devastated the oppostion. Not that we scored many goals but the gameplan of the opposition just couldn't deal with these primitive measures. There was a memorable match with England in the group stages where England were held in their own box for a sustained 10 minutes whilst mortar after mortar was lobbed in at them. The panic in the old enemies camp and the resulting wild clearances back at us had all at home rolling around in the pubs. Ireland held both England and the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in the group stages and squeezed the Netherlands out of the competition to get to the knockout stagesCome the next world cup the opposition had figured out the tactics (which hadn't changed much) a bit but we still managed to scrape into the knockout stages where the Netherlands exacted revenge for our humiliation of them 4 years previouslyAnd that was that for Ireland in the world cup ever since.Kicking the ball at the goal in hope of something happening is a tactic already tried and shown not to work in the long term. Which is why the apparently more difficult methods currently used are employed as they are. But I suppose some reprise of the Irish system could always catch a team off guard

I would have agreed totally, untill I discovered this sport:
Rat City Roller Derby

I truely believe that football need to use the 'fourth official' or 'Video referee' in the same way that Rugby does to sort out things like this. there can then be no dispute and it would shame the players into being honest.(by the way Rugby is the only decent spectator sport, those guys can really take a knock...)