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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2010 12:53:09 GMT
It's nearly upon us so I thought I would start a separate thread.
I (like most people) am really looking forward to a month of high quality football. It's always a great tournament but my thoughts are always tinged with the longing of how amazing it would feel if we ever made it there ourselves.
I hope a few of the big boys have their hopes upset as we all know international football is hardly a level playing field. and it would also show that the smaller nations (such as Wales) can achieve their dreams. I would also like to see the hosts have a good run.
I have seen England key rings, England drinks holders and many other items for sale but no England cry bowls as yet which I hope will be in huge demand come the quarter finals.
Who will win? Hopefully Argentina with Diego parading himself through the streets of Buenos Aires in all his glory.
PS Wales to qualify in 2014 and 2018.
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Post by Tim P on Jun 7, 2010 16:17:04 GMT
as always, i will be supporting argentina. i have a feeling that in maradonna's undoubted madness, there is a mystical and unstoppable method.
i also hope to see a brilliant combination of flair and 'match intelligence' from the likes of holland and the ivory coast.
spain and brazil are, in more traditional terms, favourites. and rightly so.
the saes to go out in the second round or the 1/4s.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2010 17:59:03 GMT
Serbia for me.
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Post by llannerch on Jun 7, 2010 18:06:32 GMT
I root for no-one but Wales...and whoever I get in the office sweepie So...'Ymlaen Paraguay!'  |
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 7, 2010 18:52:31 GMT
I'll be paying particular attention to our forthcoming opponents, so I'm hoping for demoralising 1st round failures for England and Switzerland. England will probably reach the knockout stage easily enough, although it looks like another QF at most to me too.
Hope Messi takes the tournament by storm like Maradona in 86, and and el Diego leads them to glory just to shove it up the arses of the 'if only they had a proper manager' brigade. Brazil look a more solid bet though- awesome goalie and defence.
Brazil 2014 would be a amazing first world cup in ages for us to get to. And don't forget the Euros expands to 24 teams from 2016, so I'm quietly confident of a qualification at long last for something over the next decade or so. Even the next one looks a real possibility when you look at Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro's recent results. And (aging)England's recent performances.
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Post by llannerch on Jun 11, 2010 12:12:49 GMT
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Post by llannerch on Jun 11, 2010 12:13:16 GMT
Why? Just curious like... |
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Post by Tim P on Jun 11, 2010 16:50:09 GMT
i find that quote from the swansea uni doctor about 'only 10% want indepepndence' to be utterly, and deliberately, disingenuous. the upcoming referendum on more powers for the WAG will prove this. for me, it's a simple thing: no, i would never support england. would you expect a dutchman to support germany? having said this, i dont walk around, and i belive very few do, frothing at the mouth hoping for the saes to lose. i actually find it pathetic, and a bit sad, when i hear, and in fairness its not that often, a Welsh person say they will support england. it reeks of colonial uncle tom-ness. |
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Post by Tim P on Jun 11, 2010 17:12:01 GMT
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Post by saints19 on Jun 11, 2010 17:18:08 GMT
Well, I won't be supporting England, even though in football terms I'd be eligible to play for them due to my father. Nor, however, will I support whoever their opponents are on account of their playing against England. I have always considered myself Welsh first and British second in sporting terms. In other regards I am less clear about my national identity, and to be honest I'm not really so keen on our rugby team either because they always recieve totally unjustified hype from our biased sporting media.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2010 20:38:18 GMT
Why? Just curious like... Find it hard to put into words why to be honest, perhaps I feel that they were over zealously castigated following the Balkans War whilst the Croat Warlords who committed similar atrocities appear to have come out of the episode as "Croatia a bueatiful and friendly place" where as Serbia still appears to looked on as some sort of rabid dog. I feel sure somebody could have put it better but perhaps more will understand. |
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 11, 2010 21:24:23 GMT
Glad you are allowing us to use words like 'twat' to describe Abbandonato, Trendy, because thats exactly what I thought when I heard that comment too... COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LUDICROUS.
saints19-very good post. I too am more than qualified to play for England, but I don't support them - I am not anti England (although I am very anti- In-gur-land!!!) Its just that in Sporting terms I have always considered myself Welsh- Wales has been my football team since I was a kid- why should I support England? (ESPECIALLY as we have them in our next qualifying group)
However, I also find it difficult to get fully behind the Welsh rugby team, mainly for same reason as you... (watch the whole of that media Wales world cup thing for further evidence of this ridicolous bias)
Jav
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Post by ericyoung on Jun 12, 2010 0:53:17 GMT
U.S of A. If only to shut the "British" media up.
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Post by Tim P on Jun 12, 2010 11:16:17 GMT
Glad you are allowing us to use words like 'twat' to describe Abbandonato, Trendy, because thats exactly what I thought when I heard that comment too... COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LUDICROUS. Jav yeah, i think swearing is fine if it's in context. what was strange though was bananaman going on to say that he absolutely would not be following england. so, in that studio it was only one out of three who would. all in all, utter nonsense. |
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 13, 2010 9:00:52 GMT
even media Wales own website is running a poll at the moment and only about 30% say they're supporting England. Maybe Aban-donut-o should check out the Welsh public thinks on his own website before plucking ridiculous figures out of the air?!
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Post by marsvolta on Jun 13, 2010 23:03:42 GMT
only housewifes and gloryhunters support england(maybe these are distorting the poll results)if they did a poll outside the liberty,cardiff city stadium,the racecourse and the millenium stadium on matchdays i think the result would be 90% not supporting england.
if anyone says to me that i should support england,i ask them who knocked wales out by qualifying from wales group,if they dont know then i dont bother continuing the conversation as i refuse to be told to support england by someone who doesnt even properly follow the wales results.
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 14, 2010 12:48:59 GMT
Yeah, I think you're right that amongst real Welsh football fans(ie- those who actually go to Wales games and support clubs based in Wales) there are very, very few who want England to do well. My guess is that the media Wales site attracts loads of gloryhunters/egg-fans/Man U supporting casuals etc .. but even amongst that lot only 30% say they are following England, so I don't know why the hell Aban-donut-o plucked 90% out of the air.
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Post by llannerch on Jun 14, 2010 20:42:40 GMT
My guess is that the media Wales site attracts loads of gloryhunters/egg-fans/Man U supporting casuals You really don't like rugby do you? ;D |
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 14, 2010 21:14:34 GMT
Ha! Nah, I don't mind it so much. I just get fed up with the bias and double standards in the Welsh media.
On a seperate note, I see that 50 posts has moved me up to Savage status!!!
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Post by saints19 on Jun 16, 2010 17:03:25 GMT
Anyone see the results yesterday? Brazil 2 North Korea 1 was a bit of a surprise, but I was more surprised by New Zealand 1 Slovakia 1. With respect to the All Whites, Slovakia will be very disappointed with that.
With Spain's defeat to Switzerland and the generally low-scoring nature of the first round of matches, it looks like we could be in for a tournament like Euro 2004, where a small, unfancied team upsets the applecart.
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Post by flynnfan on Jun 17, 2010 20:44:30 GMT
in a way, are you sort of glad we didn't actaully qualify for this one?! (hear me out please)
I've always said I would go if we ever qualify (I'd imagine there are loads of people on the board who've mde similar pledges to partners, friends etc) but to me the world cup should be played in hot conditons in the middle of summer! - i've thought this ever since the 1st WC i remember - Mexico 86. I'm sure South Africa is a lovely country but I'd rather not pay a small fotune to go there in the middle of winter and sit in the stadiums shivering. Brazil in 4 years is more like it!
Also, we'd be without out best player/playmaker. How heartbreaking would it have been to have qualified and then have that horrific injury to Rambo happen? Another very important player in Jack Collison would also have missed out.
Plus, we might peform the loudest and most rousing rendition of 'Men of Harlech' ever heard and it would still get drowned out by those bloody horns.
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Post by llannerch on Jun 17, 2010 21:31:43 GMT
Fair play to the producer who suggested Clarence Seedorf as a pundit for the French game tonight. If ever there is a player qualified to talk about disharmony in a national squad it's old Clazza.
He's walked out of more Dutch squads than Koumas walked into Welsh ones
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Post by saints19 on Jun 18, 2010 10:42:16 GMT
Indeed, those horns are worse than the Millenium Stadium dirge. Can't hear a thing over them.
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Post by saints19 on Jun 18, 2010 10:44:52 GMT
Trendy, on the top of my screen at the moment there is a banner with 'follow your football team' on the cross of St. George.
I am assuming you are not screening these Google ads.
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Post by Tim P on Jun 18, 2010 12:08:35 GMT
oh dear, no i wasnt aware of that. not sure there's anything i can do though.
llanerch - seedorf was excellent - as was hodgson. they showed shearer and lineker as the proper little englanders they are.
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Post by llannerch on Jun 18, 2010 12:09:56 GMT
I am assuming you are not screening these Google ads. Not from South Africa with the Barmy Army he can't.....  |
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Post by Tim P on Jun 18, 2010 12:15:32 GMT
;D
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Post by llannerch on Jun 18, 2010 12:20:40 GMT
llanerch - seedorf was excellent - as was hodgson. they showed shearer and lineker as the proper little englanders they are. Without doubt. Hodgson goes up in my estimation month by month. And Seedorf is probably the best 'token foreigner' the BBC has hired....but I bet he was a nuisance at world Cup and Euro camps  |
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Post by llannerch on Jun 18, 2010 12:21:45 GMT
TrendyRustenberg has a certain ring about it |
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Post by saints19 on Jun 18, 2010 12:34:43 GMT
in a way, are you sort of glad we didn't actaully qualify for this one?! (hear me out please) I've always said I would go if we ever qualify (I'd imagine there are loads of people on the board who've mde similar pledges to partners, friends etc) but to me the world cup should be played in hot conditons in the middle of summer! - i've thought this ever since the 1st WC i remember - Mexico 86. I'm sure South Africa is a lovely country but I'd rather not pay a small fotune to go there in the middle of winter and sit in the stadiums shivering. Brazil in 4 years is more like it! Also, we'd be without out best player/playmaker. How heartbreaking would it have been to have qualified and then have that horrific injury to Rambo happen? Another very important player in Jack Collison would also have missed out. Plus, we might peform the loudest and most rousing rendition of 'Men of Harlech' ever heard and it would still get drowned out by those bloody horns. Plus the football's been quite poor so far. Makes Toshack look attacking. All excellent reasons to feel good about having failed. ;D |
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