Haha sorry!

ah, kahn was fucking fantastic. so did he get 2 trophies?

anyway re: nike/adidas: hell yes to what maradona said about marketing schemes.

poor messi, pimped out like that. and clearly he didn't care for the award:

https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/...9664--sow.html


haaa haaaa haaaa

In the same tournament? No.

Tell you what, after the game last night I had that deflated feeling you get after the world cups. A month of games has flown by.

Meh well, less than 5 weeks till the premier league starts. 4 if we include my supposed second team's season starting (Preston if you're interested).

yesterday we were like "oooh, summer vacation is over!".

today feels a bit like a hangover.

i can't figure out if i want to forget about fútbol for a month and just read books or if i want to start studying up on the coming season ha ha ha.

i had never heard of preston (the club or the city) but i looked it up. are you from that area? (or from liverpool?). you go to the stadium, etc?

Yeah I'm from this tiny dullsville. I live about 15 minutes walk from the stadium and I go to games every now and then. It's a nice ground actually. P.N.E are stuck in league 1. They keep getting in the playoffs to go up a league but keep getting knocked out at the final hurdle.

Random facts about pne. They were the only team to ever do a season unbeaten (back in 1888-89), that was until Arsenal did the same a few years back. Tom Finney is their hero who also gave us this classic photo. He died in February and every game played the following week gave two minutes silence/applause for him.



I went to school just outside of Liverpool even though I lived here in Preston (about a 40 minute drive) and it's through school I supported Everton.

I already miss the World Cup, I get that way after every big Summer tournament. Spending 3-5 weeks watching big games and events daily becomes very habit forming.. You get into that rhythm.

Revised now that its all over..


Honorable mentions: Messi's goal against Iran; anything James from Colombia did; Von Persie's header looking like Flipper; Brooks' goal against Belgium; Italy win against England a match of art vs discipline

aaaaah…. i understand everything now.

so dullsvillse or not i'm jealous of the fact that you can walk to the stadium and catch a game. the closest stadiums for me would be in denver and somewhere in utah… both *hundreds* of miles away--if not over 1,000.

so instead i get to pick and follow teams like i'd follow a band whose music i like but i have no real loyalties there. the club i grew up watching is in a different part of the planet and out of reach and i don't know a thing about it anymore and actually don't give a shit.

damn, i miss going to the stadium. last i did was for dc united when i lived there. it was a crap team but you'd get a nice seat for $12.


i'm terrible at ranking stuff but chronologically my most memorable world cup events began with van persie's header against spain and ended when neuer bypassed the handshake and hugged merkel like she was his long lost grandma-- this not strictly football but still a part of the whole thing. otherwise the last one would be gotze's goal, a thing of beauty.

too many things in between to mention.

really it's been a fantastic world cup. in a way it's been exhausting. i'd like to imagine this is how the ancient greeks felt after their dyonisian festivals and attending the theatre for days upon days.

I missed a big big chunk of the last two games.
I saw the second half of Holland-Brazil and wished I could have played my fantasy team accurately (Blind...).
Then the housewarming party carried on and I was left with the extra time of the final, which looked a bit dull, mostly because the players had run 90 minutes and tried different things.
Schweinsteiger was the only one I could think of during that time that was consistant (in being thrown to the ground and rising again).
I'm glad Germany won (and Holland) before the shoot outs.

Messi named man of the tournament was as ridiculous as handing Qatar the WC in 8 years.

Russia 2018 then... A lovely democracy...

It was a great tournament. After the shock and awe of the groups, the knockout stage was in danger of looking predictable but the Brazil-Germany game even eclipsed Spain-Holland in the wtf stakes. Might be fair to say it didn't throw up a great team or even a consistently great individual but WCs rarely do. The strength of this one is that it had so many great matches compared with previous ones I can remember. Belgium v USA, Chile v Brazil, Mexico v Brazil, Australia v Holland, they were what really stood out for me. Plus the obvious sensational results between Germany and Brazil and Spain and Holland. And of course Suarez's bite.

a couple of fun reads:

1) world cup highlights by different writers
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/...d-cup-reaction

2) what ifs:
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/...ig-calls-right
(this one a couple of weeks old but i just found it)

--

also just found out that conte is leaving juve. ayayay!

Great reads. I loved Michael Cox's funniest moment, even though I don't remember seeing it

There was a Cameroon substitute – I’m not even sure who it was – sitting next to the injured Samuel Eto’o in the second group game. As the camera (and big screen) flashed to a shot of a miserable-looking Eto’o, this unused substitute saw himself on TV and looked absolutely delighted his picture was being beamed around the world, despite the fact Cameroon were getting absolutely thrashed by Croatia. Then he suddenly realised he needed to appear professional, and quickly pretended to focus on the game…while sneakily looking at the big screen out of the corner of his eye. These players aren’t all superstars – some of them are simply happy their mum will see them on TV.

They were great reads, I also didn't see Cox's funniest moment.. I also enjoyed their World Cup Recap and their Match Rankings..

Funniest moment had to be seeing Suarez sitting on the pitch holding his teeth.



And while it'll mean nothing to anyone outside Britain, this was my fave bit of punditry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G1Xe5vsAPU

Chiles is such a douche. A classic line from Mark Lawrenson during the Germany/Argentina game

"Let's hope it isn't a German run away"
Mark-"Yeah or a German take-away"

As soon as he said that me a coupla friends who were watching the game jsut turned to each other looking confused as hell.

Higuain put this up on his facebook. Translation below.



Miren esta imagen, es la tristeza en persona. Un chico que creció en el silencio de nuestra sociedad, el cual nuestro país le dio la espalda a la hora de llevar su tratamiento, un chico que desde los 11 años se sometió a miles de inyecciones para poder crecer y poder triunfar con nuestros colores diciéndole que NO a España, país donde lo respetan como se merece y con el que ya hubiese alcanzado la gloria en el 2010. Y todavía lo ponen en duda? Les puedo asegurar que ninguno de los que vimos el partido por tv o en la cancha esta sufriendo ni siquiera 1/4 de lo que lo sufre él. Él sufre mas que nadie el no poder haber traido la copa, él sufre mas que nadie su disparo que salio rosando el poste izquierdo de Neuer, pero también les puedo asegurar que él no fue tan feliz como los miles de argentinos que gritamos su goles decisivos en la primera ronda para poder claisificar, por que? Porque mientras el jugaba, estaba con la presión de saber que el partido siguiente tenia que dar el doble de esfuerzo y que aunque el estuviera brillando siempre algún mal intencionado iba a reprocharle algo. Cuando brillo individualmente, se criticaba la "Messi dependencia" del equipo y cuando se puso el traje de obrero para que el equipo funcione y brille, lo tildaban de "pecho frio", "que desaparecio" y miles de cosas mas. Como veran, los argentinos nunca se conforman. Han cometido el grave error de compararte con Maradona, siendo jugadores distintos en momentos distintos y en planteos tácticos distintos, quizas no hayas traido la copa como Maradona, pero puedo agradecerte de ser un ejemplo como profesional y humano al no estar perdido en un mundo de drogas dando mala imagen o hablando barbaridades ni peleandote con otras personas. Nunca dejes de ser ese niño que solo quiere jugar a la pelota, espero se arrepientan de todo lo que te dicen y siempre voy a estar agradecido de que seas ARGENTINO. Gracias enano! Tus lagrimas y cada una de las de los 23 HEROES Argentinos siempre van a estar en mi.. GRACIAS POR INVITARME A SOÑAR
Te quiero mucho amigo !!

Look at this image, is the sadness in person. A guy who grew up in the silence of our society, which our country turned away at the time of your treatment, a guy who, since age 11, underwent thousands of injections to be able to grow and to succeed with our colors saying NO to Spain, a country where respect it as it deserves and that it had already achieved glory in 2010. And they lay still in doubt? I can assure you that none of those who saw the match on tv or on the Court this suffering or even 1/4 of what he suffers it. He suffers more than anyone else not have brought the Cup, he suffers more than anyone his shot that came gliding left Neuer post, but I can also assure you that he was not as happy as the thousands of Argentines who we yell his decisive goals in the first round to claisificar, why? Because while the playing, it was with the pressure of knowing that the next party had that effort twice and that although the was always shining some ill intentioned was going to accuse him of something. When shining individually, criticized the ' Messi dependency "of equipment and when is put worker costume to team work and shine, branded as it"chest cold","that disappeared"and thousands of things more. As you can see, the Argentines never comply. They have made the serious mistake of compare yourself with Maradona, being different players at different times and in different tactical schemes, may not have brought the Cup as Maradona, but I thank you for being an example of how professional and human not to be lost in a world of drugs giving bad image or talking nonsense or peleandote with other people. Never let be that child who just wants to play ball, I hope repent of all what you say and you'll always be thankful that you are Argentine. Thank you dwarf! Your tears and each of the of the 23 HEROES Argentines will always be in my... THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO DREAM
I love you lot friend!

The translation gets a bit wonky, but the sentiment remains the same. You can't help but feel for Messi. He'll be hurting for a while, I suspect.

I'm convinced commercial interests are behind him getting the Golden Ball but it certainly did him no favours. Although stats heads might find this interesting.

That was pretty funny, unlike the last two guys Suarez bit, I don't think he was expecting this one to hit back ;)



Agreed though there are indeed several stats which can support Messi having technically been the best player there, but it didn't pass the "smell test" for most fans who clearly thought James Rodriguez, Muller, or Ardjen Robben were the best individual performances. In fact, looking at the stats, I damn near say that Muller completely deserved the Golden Boot, he had the 5 goals and 3 assists (including a fucking hat trick!!) and did all that with only 2.3 shots per game (ranking 48th!!).

I still think Messi was being a spoiled teenager for sulking so much about getting that trophy, even if even he realized he didn't necessarily deserve it, ALL THE MORE reason to be appreciative no?

Also, I really agreed with the best XI of the season from that link you posted, couldn't argue against it in any way

In the real world you're probably right but these are obviously intensely competitive people we're talking about. Had that been Robben up there minutes after the Argentina game, or imagine if it'd been Rodriquez after Brazil, they'd have probably acted in exactly the same way - maybe worse. Great sportsmen are almost always terrible losers, and to lose a WC final must be one of the hardest things a top footballer can face. Yes he maybe should've smiled for the cameras but nobody would've been fooled if he had. I'd rather an honest reaction than a stage-managed one. I don't think everything Messi does is above criticism but I think in this instance he probably deserves a free pass.

I agree completely BUT it also is bullshit because (a) sportsmen is about having good sportsmanship and (b) being a professional athlete means just that, being professional. If at work I miss out on a great promotion but receive a small bonus I can't put on a sulking face at the meeting or the water cooler, I'd look like a bitch.

only an american would think of gloating upon their individual achievement while their team gets killed and their people suffer

but seriously

I never said gloating, but how is sulking like a teenage girl dumped by her boyfriend somehow better?

thanks for posting that. reading it got me a bit teary eyed actually. i mean, he knows messi's character-- and yes, argentinians can be real assholes (i know many). the story of his medical treatment is all true-- barcelona cured him when they couldn't find treatment at home. and the translation is not bad. peleandote =fighting / enano isn't really like "dwarf" but more like "shorty" in this context (though literally it means dwarf). pecho frio means more like "cold heart"-- he doesn't put everything on the pitch (sabella's daughter called him that). no se conforman is more like they are never content. 23 argentinian heroes.

anyway great read & reread.

You must spread the Holy Ghost around before giving It to !@#$%! again.

maybe you're projecting. he has a lovely girlfriend.

messi's sorrow is not for himself, is not about himself-- it's for the fucked up people of argentina who are in the hands of a left-wing kleptocracy that has reduced their economy to shit and the poor fuckers went to brazil without money in their pockets, slept on the beaches cuz they couldn't afford hotels, had no money for tickets, etc.

please understand-- the guy is not american. he's not an individualist. he's the most humble great player you'll see.

Please understand, its not his sorrow I am criticizing, its his timing. Again, guy is a professional athlete, there is a time and a place to reveal your lack of visible appreciation, when the world just elected you the best player in the World Cup and possibly hundreds of millions of people are watching live on television, suck it up and sulk in the locker room AFTER the game.

Part of being a world-class professional athlete is having that celebrity smile in key moments, you are literally the face of your sport.

i googled "american smile" and this came up near the top

Messi winning the Golden Boot..

i won't argue this any further but i think you're projecting your own bias and issues onto a person you know very little about, and i'll leave it at that.

What argument? We're just sharing our differing opinions about it, if anything it just provides for a balanced perspective. I totally get all the points you made, I just think again the timing of it all was a matter of poor sportsmanship. Whether or not it justifiably fits into a narrative of Argentina being a cocky team is another matter altogether ;)

yeah messi is unlike most argentinian stereotypes in that he went to barcelona when he was 12 to be raised by the heirs of anarcho-syndicalism so he's not a dick as if he had come of age in say buenos aires (ha ha). actually argentinians outside of buenos aires are more normal-- cordobeses are actually cool.

One of the reasons Messi struggles to win over the Argentinian masses is they consider him more Spanish than Argentinian.

still dont know what a footing ball is

iz liek herrrling

Curious if anyone else is watching The Open Championchip (golf)?

Sorry, England v India in the cricket right now. But I'm keeping an eye on the leaderboard in the Open.

fuck you, pep, for letting go of toni kroos. fuck you fuck you fuck you.

Kroos had already rejected a new contract at Bayern. Great bit of business for Real though.

that's because guardiola made him a bench warmer

Ah? He was a regular starter in the Bundesliga and the CL last season. I get the feeling Pep was very pro-Kroos and wouldn't be surprised if it was the board that wouldn't meet his contract demands rather than him.

i haven't been able to watch directly but i was under a different impression

http://www.bayernzone.com/players/77...kroos-187.html

bundesliga is coming to fox in 2015. can't wait.

Kroos was no way frozen out by Pep. It was his first season so he was always gonna rotate players in and out and play them in different positions. And even with that Kroos only missed a few games in the BL and the CL. That story in the messageboard absolutely baffles me. It was obviously written in the second week of his two week 'exile' but he was back almost immediately after and was pretty much a mainstay all the way through.

The same thing happens here. Rooney's dropped for one game and the press rumours suddenly go wild.