Pretty much spot on there by Lou Macari.

That Spain team is ridiculous to be honest. On paper, quality all over, from top to bottom. Keyword being on paper though. It's just a question whether they'd be able to click as a unit and Del Bosque employing a tactic and formation that would suit his playing staff.

That being said though, it would be fun to see Spain lose. Then again I'm not a fan of any particular National team. Although that would screw me up badly in my office WC pool. Already screwed up quite badly thanks to France, Italy, Nigeria, Serbia and England and the US swapping positions.

This post has been edited by air_mood: Jun 25 2010, 12:24 PM

That's what I have down on my office WC pool as the final. Not really impressed with Holland's squad to be honest.

I can't watch that in the office. Who is it?? De Rossi?

The only other ridiculous dive I can think of was Quaglirellaakjjhajhdahkas yesterday. so who is that??

As the maker of the gif states, Dutch Norris.

Zidane's head vs De Jong's boot??

Winner will clearly be Mame Biram Diouf.

To be fair Puyol had no intention playing the ball as well as his hands was across Robben. His intention was to try and stop Robben who managed to wriggle out of it. Just because he managed to wriggle out of it, does not make it a non-foul.

Puyol and De Jong should have both gone, no two ways about that. That cynical trip, who was it?? Xavi or Iniesta?? Beckham got sent off for something similar didnt he??

As I said in another thread, Spain without question was the better team on the day but very, very poor winners throughout. Disgrace of a final littered with cynical foulings and dives by both sides.

It's an assumption though ain't it?? Didn't work that way for Barca didn't it as Busquets playacting got Motta sent off yet Inter still managed to go thru. These what-if's, it's never a foregone conclusion. One could even go and say then had the ref caught Ramos' last man foul on Ozil, gave the peno and sent him off in the semis Spain wouldn't have even been in the final?? Who's to know though.

On the partiality matter, I think I've explained it in one of the threads. I'm impartial towards neither. It's just a case of the lesser of 2 evils for me. Robben and Van Bommel vs Busquets, Capdevila and Torres. So Holland edges it for me, just a little more likeable. Given the choice I would have preferred if both teams lost and the Cup be given to New Zealand.

My principles states that Busquets should be sent off for being Busquets. Won't happen though. The ref was partially to blame, no doubt he missed some decisions which would have been definite game-changers. But both teams were crap and cynical though. If I was FIFA, I would declare the German-Uruguay game as the final. Now, that was a game.

Well there wasn't cringeworthy play-acting, dives and cynical fouling as well was there?? At least non that I managed to notice or that really stood out unlike Iniesta, Puyol, Van Bommel and De Jong this morning.

Both teams were poor in the finals. That was my point. I have no question at all that Holland were dirty and De Jong should have been sent off without question. Then again so did Puyol. The final was littered with cynical fouling by the Dutch and flopping around by the Spanish. Both teams were a disgrace. And I thought it was funny as hell that Spain managed to get the Fairplay award. They should have gotten more yellow cards than they actually did, Puyol should have been off and Ramos as well for his last man foul on Ozil. So I can see where most people are coming when they say that refs looks like they are afraid to book Spanish players. The flopping around in the final itself should have probably gotten them a fair few bookings.

The fact remains that Spain were poor winners, the 8 goals in 7 matches clearly shows that yet still managed to win the title. Shows the standard of this particular WC.

With all due respect, Sid Lowe has been up the Spanish teams bung hole for quite a while now. It's like watching Alan Hansen write for Liverpool. No impartiality whatsoever.

Nah, I've already stated that the Spanish were clearly the better team on the day. They were poor winners of the cup though. The fact that they were a lot of play-acting and diving by the Spanish, that bothered me. I can't remember where I read it but I thought the description was apt. This final was like 94 one, but with loads more diving.

The playacting bit, it was in this final game where it really, really stood out didnt it?? Iniesta going down repeatedly and what really, really surprised me was Xavi. Never pegged him as that sort of player. But this final game was where the playacting really, really stood out. Although I did recall seeing a very, very funny video of Torres going down when there was no one around him at all. Can't recall which game it was though. And recall Villa being blasted for going down easily in some other game as well.

Ozil was complaining asking for the peno, which was a very clear one. You mentioned one peno turned down doesn't effect anything. Let's play the what if game where you stated that it would have been a different game had De Jong been sent off earlier. You think it wouldn't have been the same case had the Germans got the peno and Ramos sent off?? It would have been very, very different and it happened in the 1st half as well if I recall correctly.

As I mentioned as well, not really a supporter of any of the teams in the final. Hell, didn't really care who won. No attachment whatsoever to National teams, only to United. What bothered me was the amount of cynical tackling and playacting that was going on in the game hence why I said it was a shame that this was the final match determining who was winning the Cup.

---

Added on July 13, 2010, 4:09 pmNah, I've already stated that the Spanish were clearly the better team on the day. They were poor winners of the cup though. The fact that they were a lot of play-acting and diving by the Spanish, that bothered me. I can't remember where I read it but I thought the description was apt. This final was like 94 one, but with loads more diving.

The playacting bit, it was in this final game where it really, really stood out didnt it?? Iniesta going down repeatedly and what really, really surprised me was Xavi. Never pegged him as that sort of player. But this final game was where the playacting really, really stood out. Although I did recall seeing a very, very funny video of Torres going down when there was no one around him at all. Can't recall which game it was though. And recall Villa being blasted for going down easily in some other game as well.

Ozil was complaining asking for the peno, which was a very clear one. You mentioned one peno turned down doesn't effect anything. Let's play the what if game where you stated that it would have been a different game had De Jong been sent off earlier. You think it wouldn't have been the same case had the Germans got the peno and Ramos sent off?? It would have been very, very different and it happened in the 1st half as well if I recall correctly.

As I mentioned as well, not really a supporter of any of the teams in the final. Hell, didn't really care who won. No attachment whatsoever to National teams, only to United. What bothered me was the amount of cynical tackling and playacting that was going on in the game hence why I said it was a shame that this was the final match determining who was winning the Cup.

This post has been edited by air_mood: Jul 13 2010, 04:09 PM

Which was why I was surprised when he didn't go down after Puyol fouled him. The Robben we all knew would have and it was a clear foul anyway as Puyol has his hands across Robben.

Might have been harsh. but the rules states that Ramos prevented him from a goalscoring opportunity did he?? It was barge into Ozil's leg. Irregardless, it should have been a peno at the very least, that is definite. A sending off, well it can go either way.

You can't say that Ramos could only avoid it if he had completely stopped. Just because he didn't mean it, doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. Let's take for an example the fleet footed wingers. Robben at his best for Chelski had a very bad injury because he got caught by Aaron Mokoena. Mokoena of course apologised afterwards saying that he mistimed as Robben was too quick for him. Mokoena's fault not Robben for being too quick. Same case for Ramos here. Because Ozil made a sudden turn which collided with Ramos' current momentum, it's still a foul as he was denying Ozil a goalscoring opportunity. He probably didn't mean it but just because he had good intentions and didn't mean it, doesn't mean it was a non foul.

It doesn't have to be a clear cut goal scoring opportunity though, just a goal scoring opportunity, which that was, hence foul.

Anyways, why I mentioned the incident was because there was some talk on ho if De jong was sent off, which he should have been btw, the game's outcome would have been sown up much earlier which of course, I argued against, citing the Barca-Inter game this season as a reference.

For the record, I'm glad for players like Casillas and Pique to have won it whom I happen to see as OK guys. Hell, even Alonso who was probably the only Liverpool player I can stand. Thought Xavi was admirable at one point what with being very low key and all, very Scholes like if you will, just goes on with his business on the field not bothered about what happens off it but the finals change my opinion a bit though. The likes of Iniesta, Busquets, Capdevila, Silva can f off though.

Oh..and I have also always maintained that Sergio Busquets, the play-acting prick should be sent off and banned from football for being Sergio Busquets, so make what you will of that.

---

Added on July 13, 2010, 5:26 pmCrap, why does my post has to have the same tone as lilredridinghood...now people will start to think that I copied her post off. Hahaha.

Ohh by the way. I didn't just point fingers at the Spanish's playacting did I?? I repeatedly pointed out the Dutch's cynical fouling. Why did you think I said that neither deserved to win the WC?? Well, morally at least.

This post has been edited by air_mood: Jul 13 2010, 05:28 PM

Where oh where in my posts did I mention United players did not dive?? I blasted Nani when he pretended as if he got hit after he headbutted Lucas Neill 3 years back. I blasted Ronaldo when he went down all to easily in the early stages of his career here. Hell. I even blasted Giggsy when he was in a stage of his career where he liked to put his hand on his hips and go "Eh, eh...ref??". So don't go mentioning that I play the holier than thou attitude when it comes to United players playacting.

As for the pen, my view was which as the replay shows is that Ramos barged into Ozil, denied him a goalscoring opportunity and which according to the letter of the law is a foul, hence a peno. That is my view. You have yours, fine. but in my book it's a stonewall penalty and possibly a sending off what with him being the last man and all.

As for the dives and playacting I can on and mention Torres against Chile or Capdevila against Portugal but don't really give a crap about those. It's the amount of diving and playacting in the final which bothered me the most since it was the game that mattered most.

And the Barca-Inter game mentioned, my point is that just because is down a man or two, doesn't really mean they have to roll over and die?? It's not a foregone conclusion. Hence the argument that even if De Jong had been sent off, it's no certainty that Spain would have won. I could state other games, ours against Spurs away when Scholesy got sent off would probably be one. Another one which I think would be best is Chelski's few years back where Maniche got sent off, against West Ham I think. They managed to win 4-0 and Maniche got sent off fairly early. Hence, not a foregone conclusion.

Ehh?? Just because I don't acknowledge diving I should stop watching the game?? Roughly 90% of my friends smokes, around 75% or so drinks and about 30 or 40% does recreational drugs. I don't do either of the things mentioned and don't agree with it. So should I stop befriending them?? I don't agree with them doing it nor can they force me to agree with them doing it. Ditto the diving thing. Just because a lot of people are starting to accept as it being part of the game, doesn't mean I have to. It's still wrong anyways otherwise there wouldn't be rules and punishments put into place to prevent simulations.

Just because I tolerate it, doesn't mean I have to establish that it's right though. And my friends know better then to expect me to accept that what they are doing is right anyways.

The playacting from Capdevila which got the Portugal sent off didn't bother me that much. Nor did the dive from Torres which got the Chilean player sent off. but it's started to become a bit of a pattern didn't it? What bothered me was the amount of diving, in a WORLD CUP FINAL, the pinnacle game of the tournament or football even. And for the WC to be won in a game of that manner, that's what bothered me the most just as much as it would bother me if United won the Champions League if Rooney dived to win a peno in the 90th minute and got an opponent sent off. While it's always nice to win, it's just not right. That's the point I'm trying to put across and what I feel abut this Spanish win.

Americans generally like sports that are played with hands hence baseball, basketball, american football and hockey.

In regards to rugby though, trust me when I say it's much harder than it looks. Used to play it up to the age of 23, Hurts much, much more too compared to American Football what with the no padding and all. And fun to play when you're pissed. Legal way to channel the anger.

The Yanks only refer to them as hockey but yeah, ice hockey. I generally used rugby as a way to let out whatever anger I had pent up in me at that point in time. It's legal, so why not make full use of it. It's very much obvious American's watch sports for entertainment. Why do you think then there's a need for cheerleaders, half time shows or fireworks displays?? Not that I mind the cheerleaders bit. Hahaha.

Nelson Mandela did it for South Africa with the Rugby World Cup.