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resotele
well Dandelion, I am even further down ....

But the matches are fine, so besides my bad predictions I enjoy the world cup.

resotele

Same here, mate

But who would have thought that Spain and England would kiss the WC goodbye this early...

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EddieByword

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odean73
In my opinion the premier league is the most over rated league in the world.

Considering what we < England > done in the last world cup and looks like we are going out even earlier in this world cup is obviously a step back.

I would love sky to pull the plug on the premier league and put an end to stupid wages being payed.

Make it a requirement if players are called up for the england team at whatever level that they have to play if fit.

I would limit the foriegn players to a team.

I would get rid of the football agents and set something up, like they have in Germany.

What i cant under stand is that Suarez should have recieved a welcoming tackle in the first five minutes to test out his recent surgery/injury. I know its not very nice thing to say, but its part and parcel of the game imho.

It would need a general football strike in England, like stop going to matches and stop subscribing to sky sports for something to happen.

I do that already...........Freeview and the radio for me......

Wayne Rooney is due to get £300,000 per week next season, the same amount that a sick person on welfare in Britain would get in 48 years.........

same here regarding sky.

Says it all with rooney's wages, good club player but cant do it on the big stage same for Gerrard as well.

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Koen

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TheGreek
Greece and Japan played to a tie , the sportscaster said the "dreaded tie" . so what happens when you lose your first game and then tie your second game ?

Now they both have 1 point. Next game is essential for both, they need to win to get three extra points to make a chance to go to the next round. But the other two teams in their group (Colombia and Cote d'Ivoire) already have 6 and 3 points respectively, so they will most likely advance.

thanks for the info

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DandelionPowderman


But who would have thought that Spain and England would kiss the WC goodbye this early...

All's not lost for England. They'll have to beat Costa Rica with a good goal difference.
If Italy manages to do the same against Urugay, England might go through on goal difference.
But it's just a thin thread.

I am going into oblivian at the prediction game. I love championships to be unpredictable!

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

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marcovandereijk

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DandelionPowderman


But who would have thought that Spain and England would kiss the WC goodbye this early...

All's not lost for England. They'll have to beat Costa Rica with a good goal difference.
If Italy manages to do the same against Urugay, England might go through on goal difference.
But it's just a thin thread.

I am going into oblivian at the prediction game. I love championships to be unpredictable!

It's an 8 percent probability, according to the newspapers

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TheGreek

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Koen

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TheGreek
Greece and Japan played to a tie , the sportscaster said the "dreaded tie" . so what happens when you lose your first game and then tie your second game ?

Now they both have 1 point. Next game is essential for both, they need to win to get three extra points to make a chance to go to the next round. But the other two teams in their group (Colombia and Cote d'Ivoire) already have 6 and 3 points respectively, so they will most likely advance.

thanks for the info

I had high hopes for you greeks, so get it together now

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DandelionPowderman


It's an 8 percent probability, according to the newspapers

according to this site it's even a 3,4 % chance: 538
But hey, what were the chances of both Chili and The Netherlands beating Spain?

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-20 16:17 by marcovandereijk.

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marcovandereijk

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DandelionPowderman


It's an 8 percent probability, according to the newspapers

according to this site it's even a 3,4 % chance: 538
But hey, what were the chances of both Chili and The Netherlands beating Spain?

The Aussies being close to beat The Netherlands was also surprising indeed

Uruguay x England yesterday was one of the best football matches this year.

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Dandelion P
I had high hopes for you greeks, so get it together now smiling smiley

Clearly that group, C, is the weakest one. And Japan and Greece the most lackluster teams so far. Any other team from the other groups would have qualified in this group. Even England...

About England: I think it's the constant hubris. Before any WC or EC they are always the best team in the world and Premier League is always the best league in the world.
Even though history reveals they're not (they haven't won anything since 1966, almost 50 years ago). So the pressure is always set a bit to high on their national team.
Just one theory, of many, I'm sure...

But I think they did reasonably well in this tournament. They were a bit unlucky with the drawing lots. Italy and Uruguay are very strong teams. Any day.

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Stoneage

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Milkyway
USA 3, Portugal 1. You heard it here first.

I'll reverse that and say 3-1 Portugal. 2 goals by Ronaldo.

You're probably a Ronnie Wood fan, too.

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Stoneage

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Dandelion P
I had high hopes for you greeks, so get it together now smiling smiley

Clearly that group, C, is the weakest one. And Japan and Greece the most lackluster teams so far. Any other team from the other groups would have qualified in this group. Even England...

There have been plenty of articles written on what groups are the toughest and weakest.

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World Cup groups (world rankings in brackets)

Group A - Brazil (3), Cameroon (56), Croatia (18), Mexico (20). Total 97.

Group B - Australia (62), Chile (14), Netherlands (15), Spain (1). Total 92.

Group C - Colombia (8), Greece (12), Ivory Coast (23), Japan (46). Total 89.

Group D - Costa Rica (28), England (10), Italy (9), Uruguay (7). Total 54.

Group E - Ecuador (26), France (17), Honduras (33), Switzerland (6). Total 82.

Group F - Argentina (5), Bosnia-Hercegovina (21), Iran (43), Nigeria (44). Total 113.

Group G - Germany (2), Ghana (37), Portugal (4), USA (13). Total 56.

Group H - Algeria (22), Belgium (11), Russia (19), South Korea (57). Total 109.

[www.bbc.com]

So it's a subjective analysis, FIFA rankings-wise, no way is group C "clearly the weakest".

Australia in pre-tournament friendlies, especially those 2 against Brazil and France brought their rating way down, they sacked their manager.

Per the above, it looks like at least 3 groups are weaker than group C.

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MILKYWAY

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Stoneage

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Milkyway
USA 3, Portugal 1. You heard it here first.

I'll reverse that and say 3-1 Portugal. 2 goals by Ronaldo.

You're probably a Ronnie Wood fan, too.

Sure, Milkyway. And you're a fan of the man with the golden hair (and the green face...)

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Stoneage

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Dandelion P
I had high hopes for you greeks, so get it together now smiling smiley

Clearly that group, C, is the weakest one. And Japan and Greece the most lackluster teams so far. Any other team from the other groups would have qualified in this group. Even England...

Absolutely. But Greece is better than what they have achieved so far in this tournament, imo. It's only 10 years since they won the Euro Championship...

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Broomwagon
Per the above, it looks like at least 3 groups are weaker than group C

Statistically, yes. In the real world, no. Ranking is always a difficult thing to do. Greece, for example, is clearly ranked to high. Their EC win a couple of years ago was, probably, a one off.

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DandelionPowderman
All the crazy results in this World Cup really helped pushing me close to the bottom of the IORR World Cup table

Here are the current standings:

Well I'm still on 2nd place!
I'm having fun playing it with you guys!

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Stoneage

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Broomwagon
Per the above, it looks like at least 3 groups are weaker than group C

Statistically, yes. In the real world, no. Ranking is always a difficult thing to do. Greece, for example, is clearly ranked to high. Their EC win a couple of years ago was, probably, a one off.

In the real world no. But that's just your opinion. Subjective.

Japan is better competitively than South Korea, Algeria are generally not seen as world beaters. Algeria hasn't won a Euro Cup.

Greece also went to the last world cup and Greece are usually in the Euro, Colombia is a South American powerhouse, Didier Drogba playing for Ivory Coast is one of the most recognized faces in the world. Ivory Coast also routinely challenges for best in Africa at the African Cup of Nations.

Doesn't sound like that weak of a group.

If you say a group with Iran and Nigeria are stronger, I can totally respect that. But it's still subjective opinion. At least with stats we have something to speak about.

eloratings.net too would bear out more stats.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-20 17:39 by BroomWagon.

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BroomWagon
Yes, Uruguay deserves full congratulations for playing a very good game, entertaining.

CONGRATS URUGUAY ON THEIR FINE WIN!

Remember people, from here on out, fewer and fewer countries will stay in the Cup, there's good people everywhere.

Some team like Costa Rica, they had a real good game about last Saturday, they deserve to be congratulated, now, it seems people don't expect that small Central American nation to advance into the next round. We will see. I tend to not think they will but they've got to play the games.

It's nice to read this kind of comment BroomWagon!

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EddieByword
Italy to beat Costa Rica? why not?

Italy to beat Uruguay? why not?

England to beat Costa Rica? why not?

England to win ..... ...?.............why not?

To borrow a phrase..........."they think it's all over..........."

Of course that can happen EddieByword! England is not totally out yet...

Hi all. Just checking in from a little island near Ibiza called Formentera. Crazy World Cup so far. Holland, Germany, Argentina and Brazil looking good so far. Italy and Uruguay dark horses.

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odean73
In my opinion the premier league is the most over rated league in the world.

Considering what we < England > done in the last world cup and looks like we are going out even earlier in this world cup is obviously a step back.

I would love sky to pull the plug on the premier league and put an end to stupid wages being payed.

Make it a requirement if players are called up for the england team at whatever level that they have to play if fit.

I would limit the foriegn players to a team.

I would get rid of the football agents and set something up, like they have in Germany.

What i cant under stand is that Suarez should have recieved a welcoming tackle in the first five minutes to test out his recent surgery/injury. I know its not very nice thing to say, but its part and parcel of the game imho.

It would need a general football strike in England, like stop going to matches and stop subscribing to sky sports for something to happen.

I was going to make a comment about the Premier League and your national team, both possitive but reading your words I bold in red was very hard and sad for me. Your DT and players could have think of making a close mark to Suárez and don't let him move and play instead but it seems you prefer the unfair way!

I'm sure you don't support Leverpool at all!

And finally I really hope your beloved wife had a soon and well recovery from her recent surgery odean73!

Anyway I still will enjoy your Premier League watching it every weekend directly by TV.

I always like to read your Stones and music comment but really not this last one about testing out Suárez's recent surgery/injury!

My own axe to grind, if John Terry had been with England, sure, Terry is older but virtually the best England have and was defender of the month twice this past season, England might have kept those goals out, not all goals but perhaps better defending would have prevented 2 or 3 of the 4 goals England has allowed.

But the press investigated every little last thing about Terry and Terry got into that squabble with Anton Ferdinand and was accused of being racist.

Same with this rubbish with the episode between Frenchman Patrice Evra and Suarez, that was a bunch of garbage in my view. Won't go into it now but Suarez was accused of being a racist and I didn't like that from the start, he also got a hefty suspension.

Make no mistake, Terry and Suarez may have made errors in judgement, these two are not saints but still, it shows the Uruguayan FA took Suarez, with Terry is was a bit of a runaround. I don't think either one were racist, just trumped up stuff.

I think the media is as much to blame as anything and anyone. I think the Premier League is more or less, okay but that the FA itself is greedy and perhaps they should be more careful with who they allow as owners and they could tweak the rules to make it so more Brits, English are playing on the selections though I don't think this is as much of a problem as in the past.

England have a feeling of justification and expectancy like no other footballing nation. It was, of course, the founding of the Football Association in the 1800's that gave birth to the 'modern game'. With this, there is a subconscious feeling of 'owning'the game. The reality, however, is that, well, everyone else is better than us! We took the sport to the Americas, Europe and everywhere else. Perhaps we shouldn't have!

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Quique-stone

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EddieByword
Italy to beat Costa Rica? why not?

Italy to beat Uruguay? why not?

England to beat Costa Rica? why not?

England to win ..... ...?.............why not?

To borrow a phrase..........."they think it's all over..........."

Of course that can happen EddieByword! England is not totally out yet...

lol..I know, I know, just more punch drunk than Keith Richards on his 8th night awake.............
Seriously though, qualification is not such a big deal, I would be surprised if those 3 matches don't pan out like that...........after that ....?

People assume Costa Rica will lose one or both of their next two games. It's a bit like Chile vs. Spain, a lot of people thought Spain would take that. Most people thought Brazil would take Mexico. This is a very good World Cup because of all of the unexpected turns, never expected England to drop both of the first two.

Costa Rica will probably lose this next game but I'm sure not positive about that.

Costa Rica is good competition for USA and Mexico.

They are called the Ticos.

Let's go Ticos!

--------

On one of the ads for this World Cup, they play Poison's "Nothing but a good time" or whatever the exact title is, good song.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-20 18:45 by BroomWagon.

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BroomWagon
People assume Costa Rica will lose one or both of their next two games. It's a bit like Chile vs. Spain, a lot of people thought Spain would take that. Most people thought Brazil would take Mexico. This is a very good World Cup because of all of the unexpected turns, never expected England to drop both of the first two.

Costa Rica will probably lose this next game but I'm sure not positive about that.

Nor me, I just put a tenner on England to qualify and then told the guy in the betting shop that I was now going home to watch Costa Rica grind out a draw against Italy...........

England has still a chance but very little chance to make it.
But it does not depend on her. Italy must defeat Costa Rica and then England must beat Costa Rica and Uruguay must lose its last game. Also, score as many goals as possible.
It's never comfortable when your fate is in the other's foot.

My boys will b playing shortly. Come on SuperMario!

What a great pass by Pirlo, if we have many of those, Italy will win, 35 minutes in, Costa Rica is playing well too.