The official 2010 World Cup thread

[Loz]

That has to be the finest karate kick since Eric Cantona.

[Jah Lush]

Holland can count themselves lucky they didn't finish the first half with just eight men. Sniejder, De Jong and Van Bommel should all have been sent off for disgraceful challenges. It was artists against artisans and thankfully the best team won because they kept trying to play football rather than resort to the sort of thuggery that the Dutch deployed.

[Mick Mac]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> Thought the Ref was poor last night and spoiled

> the game, whether because of his reputation from

> the Premiership I don't know but he had no

> authority on the game. It's a World Cup final and

> there will be late tackles early in the match but

> instead of using his discretion he continually

> nipped the flow of the game. Yet when it came to

> giving a second yellow card to Puyol or Robben he

> decided to use his discretion.

I think Matt that the players disrupted the flow of the game - can't think of many free kicks that Webb could have not blown up for.

[Ladymuck]

600

hee hee

[DJKillaQueen]

Posted by: matthew123 Today, 09:21AM

Thought the Ref was poor last night and spoiled the game, whether because of his reputation from the Premiership I don't know but he had no authority on the game. It's a World Cup final and there will be late tackles early in the match but instead of using his discretion he continually nipped the flow of the game.

What is a referee supposed to do in a game that is as bad tempered as the Dutch were? He had no choice but to issue the number of yellow cards he did. And a game will be stop start when that many fouls are being committed? I'd say he had total authority over the game but the Dutch didn't care. And despite Dutch protestations the linesman was spot of the goal.

The high boot into the chest tackle would have been a straight red for me but it could also argued that it was 'an attempt to get the ball (as opposed to the player) with dangerous play' which is probably why Webb only gave a yellow. Had it not been a final I'm sure Webb would have sent off more Dutch players with second yellow cards but if anything he tried to keep the game credible as opposed to reducing it to a red card farce.

Webb also refereed the Champions League final. There is no doubt that he is a very good international referee.

[Narnia]

The captain interviewed by his girlfriend...................

[Ladymuck]

muy bien Narnia!

[*Bob*]

She looked like she really enjoyed that.

Especially the bonus kiss - right in the eye socket.

[red devil]

Can't see Fergie wanting to give a journalist a kiss...unless it's the Glasgow variety

[matthew123]

DJKQ - Just thought Webb stopped play bit too often. Even when Alonso was put to ground by the Karate kid, Xavi who saw it all took ball and released winger down the flank and it was 3 on 2 but the Ref stopped play. Too many moments like that when he could have handed out the cards after seeing the game develop.

[kpc]

Very much a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

And looking at the game from Howard Webb's point of view, it must have taken a lot of the enjoyment out of the biggest occasion of his refereeing career. He was probably only to happy to get of the pitch at the end of the game and sink a few beers!

[DJKillaQueen]

Agreed KPC - there were just too many fouls for Webb to do anything else. FIFA rules are clear and referees are expected to adhere to them. You can not allow play to continue (to see what happens) after a serious tackle. Referees are instructed to stop the game immediately....so Webb had absolutely no choice.

The Dutch should be ashamed of themselves. Their only gameplan was to stop Spain playing (whatever it took) rather than playing their own game. They walked onto that pitch having already decided they were likely to lose. All of the nonsense that has followed in their criticisms of Webb is a smokescreen for their own shameful performance.

What should have been a compelling final was nothing more than a display of the kind of thuggery usually only found in the Sunday League and the only people to blame are the players themselves. Not Webb or anyone else.

[matthew123]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> I got that Gerrard rumour other day and as someone

> already said no sister exists ... but hey no one

> is interested in a west ham player escaping prison

> for allegedly headbutting his pregnant sister

>

> Based on how Rooney played during WC with his mind

> seeming to be elsewhere, and booking a holiday 2

> days before Germany match, almost in tears on

> return to Heathrow, I think there maybe a Rooney

> story that is about to be exploded in the next few

> days!

I suggested during World Cup that Rooney was sitting on a time bomb and sure enough the Hooker story is splashed all over the papers today.