The world's sloooooooooowwwwwwwessssssttttttttt football match awaits!
Spain
Germany
Netherlands
Italy
England
France
Ireland
One of the other teams
The world's sloooooooooowwwwwwwessssssttttttttt football match awaits!
"Excuse me Miss, do you like pineapple?"
If you look at the full replay, the initial ball was off-sides, so perhaps it's a wash in the end. Still, I don't get why there isn't goal line technology.
Ukraine played well but just don't have the quality finishers.
England actually is reminding me a bit of Italy from World Cup 2006, get a goal and then defend for your life. I thought, once again, Gerrard and Parker were very good in midfield and Rooney, while rusty, looked lively and should improve.
I think Walcott has to start the next match, because he really opens up the game when he's on and that will present Italy all sorts of problems. Plus, it will speed up the game.
As for France.... boy, they looked so disjointed today. Sweden got some great goals and full credit to them for coming to play despite being eliminated already. I think Spain will be licking their chops to get at the French defense frankly.
Quarterfinal Predictions!
Portugal over Czech Republic
Spain over France
Germany over Greece
England over Italy
No penalties this round. Definitely penalties in semis, could definitely see Germany-England going that route especially if it gets that far.
Very entertaining tournament thus far!
Take care all.
had a nap and woke up at half time... didn't miss much.
It's coming home!!!!
Bring on Italy. Then erm... Germany... then Spain...
Actually, yeah we're smurfed.
smurfing hell UEFA. You finally cave in to pressure and agree to a compromise in which you put goal line judges on the goal line, only to be proven that not even they can get the decisions right. Really soured the game for me. Ukraine deserved something from that match and as the host nation to be put out of a tournament like that is soul destroying. What was really annoying though was Clive Tyldesley's reaction: "Well, you win some, lose some in football". I guaran-smurfing-tee that if it went the other way, the media would be up in arms, burning effegies of Michel Platini. I don't even care if it was offside anyway, that was an absolute farce of the highest order.
I mean, I'm glad England got through and all, but the cognitive dissonance in The Sun/Mail tomorrow is going to be huge. Nobody seems to give a trout now we've been on the lucky side of it, and just call it 'karma'. Bollocks.
As for actual game matters, England still can't keep the ball but it was a fairly workmanlike performance. When they managed to string more than a few passes together and drag the opposition around they looked threatening. Back line still pretty shaky, especially on the break, as both Terry and Lescott like to go up for corners/free kicks. Scott Parker wearing it on the face twice was glorious. Steven Gerrard really excelling under the captaincy. And dare I say it, Andy Carroll looks a better player for England than he does for Liverpool (SPOILER)not that it would be difficult ho ho ho.
there was a picture here
Totally agree with you, Manus, about the reaction to what should have been a goal. While it being offside certainly softens it a little for me, it really irritated me the way they were like "oh well, we deserve it after the World Cup"...erm I'm sorry but were Ukraine even playing in that World Cup game? How is it okay for it to happen to Ukraine but NOT okay for it to happen to England? Ugh...ITV football blows all round anyway.
Otherwise a pretty solid performance from England (by England standards mind you). And I disagree about Theo playing from the start, I find he makes far more of an impact when he comes on as a sub. With 30 minutes to spare, bringing on someone with the speed of Walcott can do some real damage to tired out players. Chamberlain on the other hand I think is worth another look
England need to sharpen up if they want to beat Italy on Sunday. It annoys me how we look at games thinking how good it is we don't have to play Spain because we "cant beat them". That's utter bull, we can beat any team I'f we'd stop thinking so fecking negative. I think that's Why Gerrard looked a bit pee'd at the end of the full time interview, the attitude that we HAVE to fear other countries is silly.
Twitter: @Scottyboy081292
With regards to the near goal, I don't know why people are so angry, tbh the whistle should have been called for off side so it makes no difference, 2 bad decisions in a row if you ask me.
Also this:
pmsl.
Yeah to be fair he was offside. So suddenly Sepp Blatter and UEFA think we ought to allow goals based on the ball going over or on the line but we shouldn't disallow them for being offside in that case? It makes me tick that England has been banging on about the need for Goal Line Technology since the world cup of 2010 and only now when a European mainland country (and host country) at a international tournament gets a disallowed goal does Sepp Blatter actually say "It's become a necessity"
I just wish they'd have goalline technology so the whole tedious debate would stop surfacing.
Time for some more terrible predictions:
Portugal to beat Czech Republic
Germany to beat Greece
France to beat Spain (yes, I've gone mad)
Italy to beat England
"Excuse me Miss, do you like pineapple?"
Yeah but then if you have goalline technology, an unfair goal would've stood because it was offside. So you need offside technology. Then what about handballs? Regular fouls? WHERE DOES IT END, STEWART? WHERE DOES IT END?
in the future footy tournaments will be played entirely on a ps3 with fifa 2012
first of all, xbox 360 son.
second of all, the smurfing refereeing on there is infinitely worse than it is IRL.
aw frig that's true
this one time the game went on for ten seconds before the refs called offside
and initially i was like 'how cute! they're adding real life issues into the play!'
and then i realized
wait
you better be able to turn this off
Offside is the only foul that's ever called in FIFA. With other fouls, it's always 'advantage', followed by Andy Gray talking about how great it is that the referee is letting the game flow/how he gropes women in nightclubs.
there was a picture here