WORLD CUP

[Davey Boy 2.0]

nice, KevO. my sister was in S.Korea the last WC and got to go to the consolation finals, S.Korea v Turkey(?). IIRC, Turkey won the game but the crowd was very appreciative of their boys' efforts anyway- talk aboot overachieving (thanks in no small part to Guus Hiddink)

Anyway here's John Nic's view on the WC thus far ('hard to argue with him I'd say).

[DevO]

For that game in 2002, they say 1 million people gathered in the City Hall area!

I almost headed down to City Hall last night to watch the game vs. Togo but instead I opted to stay in my own area.. It was f'n insane everywhere nonetheless! I watched the game outdoors at the Korea University campus (right by my house) with about 800-900 students. People were going crazy, as Korea took the game 2-1. I proceeded to take soju shots well into the wee hours. Korea's next game starts at 4am on Saturday AM - ouch.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

nice, i hope you stay up for it, KevO

we want a full report, preferably a drunken one, sometime on Sunday (or Saturday if that works for you)!

keep up the good work

[DevO]

I will do my best! Actually I'll be out of town for the Friday night game but the next one (against Switzerland) I'm definitely going to be at City Hall, and I'm definitely going to be drunk on the soju.

This just in!

My friend Craig was down at City Hall last night and he just posted these two video clips on YouTube. Looks pretty f'n crazy.

[Guest Low Roller]

Editted by Booche

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

Argh! I just watched Poland lose to Germany in stoppage time... Kurwa!

Nice vids KevO.

from Booche:

I felt that one for ya buddy. To be honest, I was cheering on the Germs because I had them to win in a pool.

Edited June 14, 2006 by Low Roller
Be careful doing that stuff Roller

[Davey Boy 2.0]

From the Globe and Mail:

RICARDO STERNBERG When Brazil won its first World Cup -- in Sweden in 1958 -- I was living in Rio and was a few months shy of being 10. At one level, my memory of that cup is of a radio and of its yellowed dial. In our house in Brazil there was no TV and only that one very important radio.

I was the only one interested in sports in my family and, as far as I remember, I listened to the 1958 games by myself. The delusion of the fanatic fan is that his or her attention is crucial to the team. Never mind that the team was in Sweden and I was in Rio. Were my attention to waver, were I to miss the broadcast of one of the games, defeat was certain.

There had not been great expectations of victory and I do not recall the feverish climate that now takes over Rio at every World Cup, especially on days when Brazil plays. In my room, I listened and I stared at that radio. I stared as if by staring hard enough I could see the pitch in Sweden. (And thought I did.) I have only vague memories of the games leading to the final, but of the final itself I have a sharp memory of the very light in that back room on that day. Sweden scored very early in the game and I came close to tears. The street wisdom was that if the Swedes scored first they would lock into a defensive position and Brazil would surely lose. But minutes later, Vava, on a cross from Garrincha, evened the score.

At this goal and all the others that followed I would run out of my room into the street, where others had also abandoned their radios to scream in solidarity, "Gol! Gol! Gol!" before running back to our solitary listening.

The first time I played Trivial Pursuit I was given the question "Who is Edson Arantes do Nascimento?" Easy question for any Brazilian: the great Pele. The Black Pearl. The King. Pele was only 17 and went to Sweden as a reserve. He would score a total of six goals, the most for a Brazilian player in that cup but less than half scored by the top scorer, the Frenchman, Fontaine, with 13 goals.

Pele was, no doubt, the great revelation of the cup but by no means the only star in the team. The majestic Didi, the wily Vava and the defenders Bellini and Nilton Santos come to mind. (Bellini's name would later that year be given to a utility post placed too close to the train rails. When the perennially overcrowded trains going to and from the suburbs with people hanging on the outside would pass by "Bellini," one or two passengers would be left on the ground).

And then there was the brilliant Mane Garrincha. Garrincha, who had deformed legs, the left one bent inwards, the other slightly shorter and curved outwards, was a soccer genius. His handicap (ha!) totally confused his opponents. A superb dribbler, he was also master of the tactical cross. It is said that the team psychologist, who assigned him a very low IQ, had also thought him too immature to play. As evidence he had pointed to a pre-cup game in Italy, when Garrincha had dribbled through the entire defence and then, faced with an empty goal, waited until a new defender appeared, dribbled past him and only then scored the goal.

Brazil never lost a game when Garrincha and Pele played together.

From then on there would be a Garrincha versus Pele argument. (Beatles or Rolling Stones?) Pele has had a long, successful career both on and off the field. Beset by alcoholism, Garrincha would die in penury at the age of 49. But before his downward spiral into addiction, it was Garrincha who led the team to victory when Pele got hurt and sat out most of the 1962 World Cup.

With Vava's first goal, the 1958 final was tied. Garrincha and Vava would play the exact pas de deux again and Brazil went ahead 2-1. Then Pele scored. Then Zagalo scored. The Swedes scored with some 10 minutes left in the second half. And then, icing on the cake, Pele scored in the last minute of play. At the end of the game, all the neighbours poured into the street: The Jules Rimet trophy was ours.

Our street had prepared for victory by making a very large hot-air lantern out of green and yellow silk paper. We gathered and cut the score (5-2) in gold numbers, gluing them to a little cardboard plaque that hung from the bottom of the lantern. The lantern was lit, wobbled as it filled up with warm air and then slowly began to rise, carrying the golden score away from our street to the stars.

Some time in the future, I probably will not remember any of this, will not recognize my kids, will forget who I am. But thanks to a song that celebrated that first championship, I think I will still remember the 11 players who represented Brazil that afternoon; their names in my head like some beautiful mantra: "Gilmar, De Sordi, Bellini, Zito, Orlando, Nilton Santos, Garrincha, Didi, Vava, Pele e Zagalo." Ricardo Sternberg lives in Toronto

[Guest Low Roller]

What's the schedule for games in Canada? I watch them live on BBC and basically react immediately post-game.

[Booche]

Games are live but they are replaying one per day in the evening. Keep in mind some people are at work and tape the games they want to watch when they get home.

[Guest Low Roller]

I almost had a heart attack near the end of the Poland/Germany game. It's worth watching the second half of that game.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Dudek would have saved that

[Guest Low Roller]

Can't take anything away from Boruc who made some UNREAL saves in the 2nd half.

[M.O.B.E]

Costa Rica and Ecuador is on now, then we watch England get beat by the Trickydadians.

[Guest Low Roller]

If Ecuador wins today then Poland is mathematically eliminated. It's only a matter of time now.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

From Mediawatch, footy365:

Dirty Harry's World Cup Wisdom

Theo Walcott might as well pack up his bags and go home now.

Such is the verdict of managerial legend Harry Redknapp - a man whose name was oddly missing from the FA's shortlist for the England job. Good old 'Arry was, of course, the man who gave Theo Walcott his debut at Southampton. But he certainly wouldn't have picked him for England.

"Eriksson has made a fundamental error by selecting Walcott," proclaims Redknapp in the Daily Mirror. "From what I hear even the Arsenal players are not sure how good Walcott is."

Leaving aside just who in the England squad might possibly have anything to say to Harry Redknapp other than 'no, I don't want to join Portsmouth', Mediawatch does have to admit that, unlike most of us, 'Arry has at least seen YTW play. And his view on the youngster's selection?

"I certainly think he's not up to it. At Saints I watched him in FA Youth Cup ties against Ipswich and Wolves and each time he drifted out to the flanks he was marked out of the game.

"He could not impose himself even at that level. Through the middle he had pace, he was a much better player, but he drifts in and out.

"I think Eriksson has taken a massive gamble in selecting only four strikers and, because he's not good enough, Walcott won't figure at all."

Fair enough. As we said, Harry has seen him play more than most of us. But you have to wonder whether the Harry Redknapp talking to the Daily Mirror was the same Harry Redknapp who was talking to The Sun on May 10, when he said of Walcott:

"He has so much ability and his pace is frightening. He is quicker than anyone else I have seen.

"Seriously, the boy glides over the park. If he walked across a puddle, he wouldn't make a splash.

"He can run with the ball at tremendous speed and that can really hurt defenses. Give him a bit of space and he will kill you. Yes, Theo is inexperienced but he is a great player to chuck on from the bench.

"He may still be a kid but he won't be daunted by mixing with the likes of Beckham and Gerrard. He is a confident lad. This could be a tactical masterstroke from Sven."

Theer are two possible explanations here. Number one is that this is shameless bandwagon-jumping, with Harry taking the Mirror's cash to have a pop at Sven. Number two is that there are two Harry Redknapps.

For the sake of the world, Mediawatch hopes it's the first.

And The 'Stupidest Comment Of The World Cup So Far' Award Goes To...

Jimmy Armfield, commentating for Radio Five Live on the Tunisia v Saudi Arabia game:

"This World Cup has got a very international feel to it."

That'll be the 'World' Cup then.

[ollie]

Games are live but they are replaying one per day in the evening. Keep in mind some people are at work and tape the games they want to watch when they get home.

Then don't click on the bloody WORLD CUP thread until the game is over!

[phorbesie]

Link for streaming WC games

[M.O.B.E]

this is the shit...soca dancing at halftime!!!

useless wankers that england lot

[ollie]

Terry is a fucking god for that save!!

C'mon England!!!

[Booche]

I hate you Oliver Putzenheimer.

Yeah, that first half wasnt nothing to write home about. England have to pull up their socks if they want to do any damage at this World Cup.

ROONEY ROONEY ROONEY!!!!!!

[ollie]

ENGLAND!!

[Diggzz]

I was happy to see the Roon...screamer by Stevie G!!!

Even though Crouchatron scored with his head he is useless in the air, missed 3 or 4 sitters....

Edited June 15, 2006 by Guest

[Tissue Man]

Liverpool 2 TNT 0

how many goals would stevie g. had if he was in lumplards role?

[M.O.B.E]

lucky mutherfuckers...what would Stevie G do without time added on?? you cant count on that to win games.

[ollie]

lucky mutherfuckers...what would Stevie G do without time added on?? you cant count on that to win games.

What would he do? Walk off the pitch savouring a 1-nil victory maybe.

[M.O.B.E]

a lucky one goal victory.

come on Saudi Arabia!