The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup

[paco]

Surely Villa has to be player of the tournament so far? He's the only one in the Spanish team who seems to have been able to deal with being labelled favourites and has almost single handedly got them to the semi finals.

Agree Paco, Villa has been up there as the outstanding forward of the tournament.  Blotted his copy book a bit with the missed penalty and is as fond of going down easily as most forwards these days but he doesn't need many chances to score.  Given the number of chances Barca create he should score about 60 next season!!  I think Forlan is worth a mention as he was mostly shit at Man Utd but he has been Uruguay's leader on the pitch.  How Torres is still first pick for Spain is one of the great mysteries of this competition.

Aye, looking forward to seeing them together next season, Barca are being linked with everyone these days so the possibilities are endless! Just as we mention them I seen this morning they've sold Chygrinsky back to Shakhtar Donetsk and managed to get £15m for him! Love watching Forlan play, he seems to slow the game down to his own pace and yet no-one can dispossess him, makes it look so easy. I think I heard Torres won't be starting tomorrow night, should be a great opportunity for Fabregas.

[delboy]

Now had Uruguay had the venue for the Ghana match changed to Montevideo then people might have something to complain about.

You need to brush on on your geography a bit, goodison to wembley is just a venue change, SA to Montevideo is a continent change.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Now had Uruguay had the venue for the Ghana match changed to Montevideo then people might have something to complain about.

You need to brush on on your geography a bit, goodison to wembley is just a venue change, SA to Montevideo is a continent change.

FFS, I give up (most posters will doubtless be glad to hear)

[A Quinn Martin Production]

More bad news for England as Gerrard says he won't be retiring from international football (I suppose he's hoping Lampard will give up the ghost first!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8792940.stm

[delboy]

Now had Uruguay had the venue for the Ghana match changed to Montevideo then people might have something to complain about.

You need to brush on on your geography a bit, goodison to wembley is just a venue change, SA to Montevideo is a continent change.

FFS, I give up (most posters will doubtless be glad to hear)

For what its worth i don't agree that england should have been allowed to change venue to wembley and if charlton handled the ball he should have been sent off and misses the final, and for good measure if the ball didn't cross the line it shouldn't have been given.

Anyway whats your view on awarding penalty goals to stop cheating/gamemanship such as carried out by charlton/suarez.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

delboy, in all seriousness I think the concept of a penalty goal is ballix.  There is a saying in political/legal circles that law made on the hoof is bad law.  So whenever the Sun or Daily Mail complained about some law and order issue the last UK goverment would pass a law that more often than not had unintended consequences.  Whenever there is a controversial incident in a game there is a mad rush from the media to demand changes in the laws.

Suarez deliberately handled the ball in the box.  He was sent off, banned for the next game and Ghana were awarded a penalty.  Fair enough I say, those are the rules and the media and the two teams (and most of us) knew this before the game.  The controversy has only arisen because the penalty was in the last seconds of the game and Ghana subsequently missed the penalty and also because before the game the media had decided that the story was a Ghana win (for Africa)

For me, just as you cannot give a corner or throw in when the ball has not crossed the line neither should you award a goal when the ball has not crossed the line.  Most footballers at all levels of the game are cheats.  I dunno if you played the game much but did you ever appeal for a throw in or corner when you knew the ball had come off you??  Did you ever play on when you knew you had handled the ball or fouled an opponent??  Did you ever let the opponent's hanky ball player "know you were there" in the tackle??

The main thrust of many of the arguments for change are because they "do it in rugby" a completely different sport where (IMHO) the constant knee jerk tampering of the rules is making the game worse (source B Glendenning) and don't start us on the hand pass in GAA!

The concept of a penalty goal would be difficult to implement in soccer.  One of the appeals of soccer is its simplicity.  Consider these two scenarios.  A player is running through 12 yds out with the goalkeeper to beat, he is pulled back by a defender.  Currently red card and penalty would this be a penalty goal?  A player is 12 yds out and the goalkeeping is out of position and not in the goal and he is pulled back, penalty goal because it was an open goal or is it only goal line offences that would result in a penalty goal??

[imtommygunn]

As an aside - having a discussion at lunch time and someone reckoned the 3rd/4th place game doesn't count in the top scorer list... I argued that it does. Anyone confirm this?

[Doogie Browser]

As an aside - having a discussion at lunch time and someone reckoned the 3rd/4th place game doesn't count in the top scorer list... I argued that it does. Anyone confirm this?

it def does

[ONeill]

Flabbyarse injured in training.

What odds Van Persil breaks his body in half too tonight.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Flabbyarse injured in training.

What odds Van Persil breaks his body in half too tonight.

Dirty cheating Uruguayans...they must be expecting to play Spain in the final...or maybe they'd prefer to play Germany, it's hard to get round the deviousness of their warped South American minds!!

[paco]

Who all is missing for Holland tonight? I think De Jong is, he could be a big miss as he would have been the one most likely chosen to keep tabs on Forlan. Would love an upset tonight, Suarez back for the final and everything!

[imtommygunn]

Uruguay left back and striker missing.

Holland have DeJong and one other missing. Who's their right back? Might be him...

[paco]

Van de Wiel. Thought he was the other one, shouldn't be that big a miss but De Jong could be. Fingers crossed for an upset

[Main Street]

Uruguay left back and striker missing.

Uruguay are also missing Lodeiro, the red carded one, now on crutches and most probably their captain, Lugano, as well.

[charlie stubbs]

Van de Wiel. Thought he was the other one, shouldn't be that big a miss but De Jong could be. Fingers crossed for an upset

think hes been quite good?