World Cup 2006

[DanK]

Brilliant, brilliant display from France. I wrote them off before the WC and they have proved me wrong. ZZ - you are still a bloody legend. The World Game will be worse for your retirement.

Bad luck for England, although on football terms they probably didn't deserve to get this far, but hats off to them. They played their best football of the WC with 10 men.

BTW - I looked up Dipshit in the dictionary and it had a photo of Rooney next to it. This guy is another Gazza in the making. Great talent. Great big dickhead! :redcard:

I also managed to pick up Portugal to win the WC in a sweep at work. Even with the prospect of winning $100 I can't stand the thought of them being this far. WTF was Figo doing in the starting line-up? Why don't FIFA get a spine and suspend players from video evidence?

Germany, Italy, Portugal & France. Well looks like France is my team then. Maybe they can play Italy in the final and win 1-0 with a penalty in the last 5 seconds of the game. What goes around, comes around :yes:

To my Frenchy buddies...ALLEZ LES BLEUS! :xyxthumbs:

[jakobg]

If you don't want to watch the rest, I can give you the results here and now:

Semi's will be: Argentina-Italy and England-Brazil
Final will be: Italy-Brazil
Winners will be Brazil

I'm no Nostradamus, but this is how things will end. :yes:

I'm sure as hell ain't no Nostradamus. :nooo:

[Cedric]

They deserved to win, and they didn't do the whole "fake injury with ten minutes left and a one goal lead" bullshit that Portugal, Italy, et al would have done.

I must say that french players behave rather well in this world cup (well, it's often the case, but I can remember 1 dirty foul of Zidane in 1998 for example :redcard: ). They don't whine, don't waste time, don't commit dirty fouls and don't dive, except Henry against Spain for the second goal : there was a foul, but he did a blatant 'Figo' here...
So overall, they're clean and it's what I like the most in this team. Compared to Portugal or Italy, I naturally root for France, but I won't say I'm really happy with it....

[SPL]

Just to prove we English are not anti French my son and I will be rooting for them. ZZ was brilliant only down side was Henry diving the other night. My son , an Arsenal fan cannot remember him diving at Arsenal and this was out of character.

Sadly I will remember this Wc for players cheating and diving. Portugal are as bad as any and the only relief yesterday was that diving cheating Figo did not score to beat England.

[Monkey Tonk]

The only reason Zidane returned to the national team was a dream he had.
Somebody came to him in the dream and asked him to play at the World Cup. At first he didn't want to say who, but he later clarified it was his dead brother. Some people may laugh at this, but from a Native American (or African) viewpoint that is some pretty heavy medicine.

I'm not impressed by any of the eight teams left, so I wouldn't put it past France to beat Brazil next.

Sometimes dreams do come true. ;)

That was the Zidane of old! Great to see the respect he got from the Brazilians.

[carcajou]

Just to prove we English are not anti French my son and I will be rooting for them. ZZ was brilliant only down side was Henry diving the other night. My son , an Arsenal fan cannot remember him diving at Arsenal and this was out of character.

Sadly I will remember this Wc for players cheating and diving. Portugal are as bad as any and the only relief yesterday was that diving cheating Figo did not score to beat England.

We're not anti-english as well :D ;)

[dws]

Peter Crouch X'D :drecul2: is of the opinion that Carvalho was playacting. X'D :drecul2:

The BBC have been busy running a trailer for the missing X-Files episode ... Ronaldo's wink ;) .... starring Shearer, Wright, Dixon and a few other misguided buffoons.

Italy, France or Portugal ............. as long as it's not Germany :evildr:

[carcajou]

Peter Crouch X'D :drecul2: is of the opinion that Carvalho was playacting. X'D :drecul2:

The BBC have been busy running a trailer for the missing X-Files episode ... Ronaldo's wink ;) .... starring Shearer, Wright, Dixon and a few other misguided buffoons.

Italy, France or Portugal ............. as long as it's not Germany :evildr:

I want a final with France and Germany. The most entertaining teams of the remaining four.

[SE6Ajacied]

I want a final with France and Germany. The most entertaining teams of the remaining four.

Yuk! Please can I have Italy, at leat some of their players are talented. I think I need to go back to pc lessons as I just don't want the Germans do well.

DWS is Scottish, you cannot expect him to be opjective about the England team ;) ;)

[dws]

I want a final with France and Germany. The most entertaining teams of the remaining four.

Yuk! Please can I have Italy, at leat some of their players are talented. I think I need to go back to pc lessons as I just don't want the Germans do well.

DWS is Scottish, you cannot expect him to be opjective about the England team ;) ;)

I second that Yuk!

The Germans are fine :yes: ...... but the German football team :nooo: :pukey:

SE6, I have to admit there is some truth to your gentle jibe. My nightmare final would have been England v Germany: lose, lose for a Dutch supporting Scotsman.

Now that England are out I can put away my peashooter. War between Scotland and England has been averted :D

Will the politically motivated media-fuckwits now desist from the Scotland hates England and England hates Scotland nonsense that they have been indulging in? I hope so, but I won't hold my breath. :xyxthumbs:

[SE6Ajacied]

Will the politically motivated media-fuckwits now desist from the Scotland hates England and England hates Scotland nonsense that they have been indulging in? I hope so, but I won't hold my breath. :xyxthumbs:

I'll second that too - it goes without saying I have no problem with Scots people (in London thaqt would be half the people I work with apart from anything else) but I've no problem with the Scots footy team either. If Arses like McLeish the Scots first minister stopped coming out with crap about not supporting England perhaps there wouldn't be quite so many assaults on disabled England supporters in Scotland and other stuff we read about.

Anyway, I think most people keep it sensible, sporting rivalry is one thing but in real life all working class people are just the same, whatever country they call home :xyxthumbs:

[ajaxusa]

I want a final with France and Germany. The most entertaining teams of the remaining four.

Agreed. I love to root against Germany, but this particular German team has made a fan out of me.

And I must say: France, wow. What a game. And I watched it in a casino bar in Vegas, with money riding on France. The bartender was Brazilian, and he went from cocky and condescenting (before kickoff - "You put money on France?") to complimentary ("France are playing well" but clearly expecting Brazil to restore order any moment) to quiet and unfriendly. Absolutely brilliant. :xyxthumbs:

[jamcocteau]

Will the politically motivated media-fuckwits now desist from the Scotland hates England and England hates Scotland nonsense that they have been indulging in? I hope so, but I won't hold my breath. :xyxthumbs:

I'll second that too - it goes without saying I have no problem with Scots people (in London thaqt would be half the people I work with apart from anything else) but I've no problem with the Scots footy team either. If Arses like McLeish the Scots first minister stopped coming out with crap about not supporting England perhaps there wouldn't be quite so many assaults on disabled England supporters in Scotland and other stuff we read about.

Anyway, I think most people keep it sensible, sporting rivalry is one thing but in real life all working class people are just the same, whatever country they call home :xyxthumbs:

SE6, I was not going to repsond to this for the sake of keeping the peace but then thought yes, I should to clarify a few things.

Firstly, Jack McConnell is the Scottish minister and not McLeish who resigned years ago. Secondly, you mention the crap about not supporting England, please again get it correct. He was asked a question and the question being "Who will you be supporting at the World Cup", and he replied "Trinidad and Tobaggo" and that was because 5 or 6 of the T&T squad were playing or had played in Scotland, fair enough I thought. At no point was he actually asked if he would be supporting England or anything of that nature. It wasnt until the media picked up on this and blew it out of all proportion that the shit hit the fan. He gave an honest answer to a straight question, nothing anti-English whatsoever in what he has said. That came in the mind of a few journalists.

I am as disgusted as anybody by the attacks on the English fans in Scotland and feel ashamed that they have happened in my country.

But I will say that some of the comments in the Englsih media about Scots has been nothing short of disgusting as well and in my opinion has fuelled this stupid situation. An example being Kelvin McKenzies article in the Sun ( I know its a rag but that is not the point) in which the first paragraph stated that there was some good news for England fans in that Scots are dying earlier because of our poor health record. Now if you replaced the name Scottish with any ethnic minority this article would have been pulled and McKenzie fired.

The English obssession at the moment, and that is what is has become, with Scotland not supporting England has created a situation that has resulted in people being attacked for no reason on both sides of the border(this includes friends of mine punched on Saturday night in Manchester for the crime of being Scottish, will the media pick up on this), disgraceful media attacks on people like Andy Murray, again taken out of context and resulting in disgusting cooments being posted on his website about the Dunblane massacre, and a deep mistrust between the 2 nations.

As I say I am not proud to read about the attacks on England fans in my country and wish they had never happened but all I can hope now is that life will get back to normal and decency will return.

[dws]

Jamcocteau :xyxthumbs:

Joke McConnell is an arse, but he is in no way guilty of making anti-English statements. Nasty wee Jack's reply to a question on whether he would be supporting England at the world cup: "No I will not. Scotland is not there and that's disappointing. And there are people who think that as First Minister I should Automatically support England instead. But football is not about politics, so I will not be." He then went on , as Jamcocteau states, to indicate he would be supporting T&T.

Nothing controversial about his comments ...... oops, unless that is , you share the opinion of sections of a seemingly resentful and politically motivated English media that believes the Scots should show unqualified loyalty to England. The fact that they don't may be because they are ... er, um ... Scottish and not English. :D

Scotland has been portrayed in the English media as a Nation of drunken and Bigoted thugs with nothing better to do than terrorise its English residents. Well, that's an other insult we can add to the library which includes: Scotland described as beggar Nation dependent on English handouts . Yes, Scotland is living it up from money generated by the Oil fields and whisky distilleries of London and Kent. :D

The English media and political classes are voluable in their complaints that Scotland receives favoured status within the UK. Yes, Scotland has a Parliament with devolved powers dealing with Health and Education, amongst other matters, on which only members of the Scottish parliament can vote. The English complain that because of Scottish devolution they suffer from a democratic deficit. But Scotland suffered from such a democratic deficit from the inception of the 1707 Parliamentry Union with England. For centuries English dominated Governments were able to foist unwanted policies on Scotland. Now the boot is on the other foot they don't like it.

This is the crux of the matter and the reason for the Anti-Scottish vitriol of the English media. Well , the answer is simple: if the English object to Scottish MPs enabling the UK Government to push through policies they don't want then they can campaign for a devolved English Parliament or for a fully Independent Parliament.


not having a pop at you, Brian :xyxthumbs: ..... but like jamcocteau, I feel the record needed putting straight.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Well here I go for my 2p's worth. On a factual basis the amount of subsidy that Scotland receives is far greater than any monies that flow south of the border.

As to the English hating the Jocks - well how can you hate a race of people whose men go around in skirts and have a large population made up of ginger-haired people who go bright red everytime they see a bit of sunshine. I mean how can we hate these people, I certainly cannot (especially as my Gran came from Glasgow). :D

[SE6Ajacied]

SE6, I was not going to repsond to this for the sake of keeping the peace but then thought yes, I should to clarify a few things.

Firstly, Jack McConnell is the Scottish minister and not McLeish who resigned years ago......

Yeah, you're right, I surprised I didn't remember that. I must admit I'm normally an avid news junkie and don't read the tabloid press but with the world cup I've been less so, I didn't see the full quote from McConnell or the context so probably was a bit tabloidized in my summerisation.

Re Kelvin McKenzie, you are right, he is the worst kind of bigotted arragant rascist prick. I was reminded earlier this week in the Gurdian (I think) about his comments some years ago when Aparteid ended...the man is a disgrace.

P.S, I think my posts from yeserday were fuelled by too much home-made Sangria in the garden on a Sunday afternoon, the first was just before I zonked out on the sofa and the second just after I woke up

[jamcocteau]

Yeah, you're right, I surprised I didn't remember that. I must admit I'm normally an avid news junkie and don't read the tabloid press but with the world cup I've been less so, I didn't see the full quote from McConnell or the context so probably was a bit tabloidized in my summerisation.

Re Kelvin McKenzie, you are right, he is the worst kind of bigotted arragant rascist prick. I was reminded earlier this week in the Gurdian (I think) about his comments some years ago when Aparteid ended...the man is a disgrace.

P.S, I think my posts from yeserday were fuelled by too much home-made Sangria in the garden on a Sunday afternoon, the first was just before I zonked out on the sofa and the second just after I woke up

SE6, thanks for the reply. I posted a reply initially because this is an international board and just felt that your initial post was an inaccurate summing up of what has been happening in the UK and looked bad on the Scots, the vast majority of whom are sickened by the events as anyone. No hard feelings :D

Overall this type of event sadly brings the worst out in UK media and when the idiots resort to violence as happened in these disgusting assaults, the media are very quick to basically condemn a whole nation, rightly or wrongly. Unfortunately, the media will never learn and the sort of shit written will carry on.

BTW did you see the Newsnight report last week. Has the Beeb really hit this low. This was the one when they got a reporter to put on an England top and walk through the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh, follwed by a secret camera, to see what reaction he got. Backfired badly as aside from a few snidey comments and a load of jokes, nobody bothered. Then then decided to plant a car covered in St George flags in the Gallowgate, Glasgow on a Friday evening. As DWS will tell you nobody in their right mind would leave their car in that area on a Friday night. Suffice to say the car got a tanking by 5 hooded neds and looked like such a set up. Anyway has backfired badly as hear the police are looking inot the whole incident - hope they get shafted.

Anyway, lets leave this behind and concentrate on the remainder of the tournament.

[SE6Ajacied]

BTW did you see the Newsnight report last week. Has the Beeb really hit this low. .

I didn't see that no. It does sound a bit low. I assume that the guy in the footy shirt was walking around in broad daylight? What did they expect?? It'd be exactly the same if you wore a Sunderland shirt round Newcastle or whatever - some snidey comments but not a lot else.

Sounds like McKenzie or his pal Richard Littlejohn have got in on editing Newsnight.

Anyway, the World Cups nearly over, I'm supporting France and next season's squad numbers are out so I can decide which "free transfer at the end of the season" to have on my shirt next time. I'm thinking Rosenberg at the moment :xyxthumbs:

[dws]

Well here I go for my 2p's worth. On a factual basis the amount of subsidy that Scotland receives is far greater than any monies that flow south of the border.

As to the English hating the Jocks - well how can you hate a race of people whose men go around in skirts and have a large population made up of ginger-haired people who go bright red everytime they see a bit of sunshine. I mean how can we hate these people, I certainly cannot (especially as my Gran came from Glasgow). :D

OPH, your 2p's worth is just that. PEE! :D ....... What you claim to be factual is not factual but statistical ....and based on an incomplete analysis of revenues and expenditures :yes:

I happen to be one of those ginger-haired people who go bright red every time they see a bit of sunshine. :D

And OPH, with your Scots Granny ..... your one of us ... whether you like it or not :evildr: :xyxthumbs:

[Over Pasanens Head]

And OPH, with your Scots Granny ..... your one of us ... whether you like it or not :evildr: :xyxthumbs:

My God - there's a thought :D

[jamcocteau]

And OPH, with your Scots Granny ..... your one of us ... whether you like it or not :evildr: :xyxthumbs:

My God - there's a thought :D

Just on my way to bed and that thought that OPH is actually one of us will be giving me nightmares :D :eusa_pray: :eusa_dance:

[Blind3]

Praying that France wins and then defeats Germany in the final.

[ZoefdeHaas]

I'm going to be supporting Germany the first and only time in my life..

[Kowalczyk]

I'm going to be supporting Germany the first and only time in my life..

Yeah, me too.

1. Germany
2. France
3. Portugal
4. Italy

(in order of sympathy...)

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

I'm going to be supporting Germany the first and only time in my life..

Yeah, me too.

1. Germany
2. France
3. Portugal
4. Italy

(in order of sympathy...)

K.

Oooh dear Ko,

1. France
2. Portugal
3. Italy
4. Germany

The second and third are really close for me but sorry, Germany are well down at the bottom.

We'll see anyway, Germany are at least playing well (rather than efficiently this time around)

I've just got this feeling that all the scandal in Italy might fire up the team to do well ("we'll show them!")