The 2014 World Cup thread

[ratty]

Neymar out. Broken vertebrae. Ouch! Still good riddance to the cheating little coont!

[Otta]

What ratty said. Just can't feel sorry for him, he should have been sent off before he ever scored a goal this WC.

[Jah Lush]

I'm saddened by Neymar's exit. It was an awful snidey knee in the back. He's a top player and great to watch. Brazil though have been getting away with murder in this World Cup with persistent fouling going unpunished. How Fernandinho wasn't booked last night is unbelievable. Felt a bit sorry for Columbia. It was like they were up against someone's big brother in a schoolyard scrap.

But with Thiago Silva and Neymar out I fully expect Germany to knock them out in the semi-final and they'll get a Brazilian sent off if they feel crimes are going unpunished.

[Alan Medic]

31 fouls yesterday by Brazil. They are no advert for the beautiful game and nothing compared to some Brazilian teams of the past. I think its been sheer willpower that has got them this far. I'm hoping some team will prove to be worthy winners because as yet no one really has shown enough to merit that.

Perhaps if Argentina realise they are more than a 1 man team they might. I hope so solely on the grounds it's worth ?100 to me as I picked them out of the hat at work.

[Otta]

Was at the train station yesterday and overheard an okder west indian guy chatting on the phone. He was saying he's lost all interest in the world cup because of "all dem stupid boys trowing demself all over di place".

I thought it was sad to hear, and spot on.

Also love that accent feom thw older generation.

[Alan Medic]

It's amazing how some of them get up so quickly when they are ignored by the ref. I think for the most part that has been a good feature of the WC (the ref's I mean).

[maxxi]

Been exchanging views with some friends in USA on world cup - one or two are fans anyway (and gooners to-boot, sadly) but those new-to-it who have been persuaded to watch this one are constantly remarking on how crappy it is watching people falling over and feigning injury and that it confirmed their prejudices that soccer was a non-sport.

It didn't matter that the comparisons to hockey and NFL players meant some steroid-crazed muscle-mountains clobbering each other and retiring in their 20s with shattered bodies - when you see the slo-mo facial contortions (not to mention sometimes being able to hear the shrill screams) of players beginning their descent it's enough to turn off any potential new fans.

Having said all that - when you see what Brazil get away with you can understand some opposition teams saying - "If they so much as breathe on you, go down... and i want to see agony etched on your face and hear a blood curdling scream" -

[Mick Mac]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Methinks MM put a few quid on Belgium...

The bet was....I had a few quid on James to win the Golden Boot. He's leading but of course is out of the tournament....cest la vie but still has a chance. New thread.

[aquarius moon]

I had a bet on Lukaku!

[GaryD]

Poor Naymar a broken back... what a shame.

[Otta]

Oooo, is his back broken?

Okay I think I can feel some sympathy then.

[Otta]

BBC

"Neymar, will not need surgery, but is expected to be out for four weeks."

Okay, back to no sympathy.

[aquarius moon]

Belgium's performance was very similar to both France & Columbia yesterday.

They all seemed intimidated by the opposition from the start & looked resigned to the fact that they were never going to win.

Gutted :(

[Mick Mac]

What happened to the Brazil 2014 goal fest.

Super game though. Dutch deserved to win probably, but the penalties are anyones.

[maxxi]

Nerve shreddingly good entertainment - win or lose Bravo Costa Rica

[Otta]

What you said!

[Otta]

Don't care what these BBC pundits say, getting in a player's face whilst he's spotting the ball is beyond trying to put them off, it's fecking shit. Really didn't like to see that, and hope the Dutch get knocked the fuck out now.

[maxxi]

These are the same pundits who spent much of the game praising Robben... for playing without cheating.

That's how players are SUPPOSED to play you numpties.

[Jah Lush]

Robben's a great player but I hate his theatrical diving.

[Mick Mac]

maxxi Wrote:

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> These are the same pundits who spent much of the

> game praising Robben... for playing without

> cheating.

>

> That's how players are SUPPOSED to play you

> numpties.

Absolutely right.

[Otta]

Want Argentina or Germany to win it now.

[Jah Lush]

I think that'll be the final and Argentina would love to win it in their biggest rivals own back yard. Never write off the Germans.

[El Pibe]

"In the wake of England's early World Cup exit David Crausby MP has relaunched a campaign to save grassroots football. The petition was originally started in 2013 to force the Premier League to put more of their ?5 billion TV revenue into the children's grassroots game, with Crausby calling for 7.5 per cent of that money to be ring-fenced for the cause. Crausby said: "I want all children to have the chance to play football in a safe and organised environment with good quality pitches. Money pours into the very top of the sport, the Premier League, and it's time that was reinvested into opening up the sport to everyone." "

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/66835

[Mick Mac]

MPs and football don't mix imo.

[El Pibe]

is it because they've mostly OKed the selling off of school playing fields?

Past politics aside it seems worthy to get some investment to replace these lost resources and the premiership's filthy lucre is as good a starting point as any surely?