World Cup 2014 Brasil

I think Adrian Chiles is great. Matt Smith is OK but no substitute for Adrian.

I just can't stand ITV coverage of football full stop.
The only matches I watch on ITV are England games.
The rest of the World Cup I watch live or in highlights packages on the BBC.

Another bad offside decision. How long before they have to use "offside technology"?

Bosnia out due to awful offside decision and other linesman not seeing a clear foul by Nigerian player which led to winning goal

(22-06-2014 00:56 )mikedafc Wrote:  Bosnia out due to awful offside decision and other linesman not seeing a clear foul by Nigerian player which led to winning goal

Yep I completely agree on both counts.
The two key decisions in the game were both incorrect and directly impacted the match.
Had Dzeko's goal stood then it would have been Nigeria chasing the game with Bosnia getting men behind the ball and everything that would have happened after that goal would have inherently been different.
As it was Nigeria were given a goal that should have been disallowed and they had the opportunity to get men behind the ball and play on the counter.
The Nigerian timewasting was appalling too in that 2nd half.
How on earth only 3 mins of stoppage time was added I don't know.
The substitutions took at least 3 mins and no time was added for anything else.
Bosnia have every right to feel aggrieved imo.

Having read the various views and perspectives on this thread about England's early exit, it was interesting to read Patrick Vieira's very lucid take on it in this morning's Sunday Times. Among the several factors he cites are the following:

1. Intensity of Premier League and lack of winter break [Players arrive at the World Cup physically and mentally exhausted]

2. Lack of age-appropriate coaching and consequent failure to evolve a playing culture and philosophy at national level. By the time they are 17, 18, 19 English players are no less fit or talented than their international counterparts, but are clearly lacking in tactical nous. This is something he sees first hand in his capacity as head of player development at Man City. It also helps to explain why England played very well in Brazil when they had the ball, but were diabolical when they didn't.

3. Failure to take seriously the youth-level international tournaments. "This wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world." He compared it to his experience in France, where he played with Pires, Henry, Petit and others at under-17 and under-21 tournaments and they all came into the senior squad like a battle-hardened unit.

4. Lack of leadership and communication in defense (i.e. the "John Terry factor").

5. Need for stability and targets. I.e. keep Hodgson, work with the nucleus he's created and target a specific tournament for success, rather than lurching wildly from tournament to tournament.

6. A media that is more calm, analytical and balanced and doesn't cripple the team with hyperbolic expectation before the tournament and vitriolic criticism afterward.


It was nice to see it laid out so clearly and comprehensively in a simple 1,000-word column. It suggests to me that it can't be reduced to this explanation or that one -- it all has to be addressed.

Wholeheartedly agree with Viera's article and your comments. He makes some very good points about the youth system and especially with regard to the media. The way they manipulate their readers/viewers and create hysteria is quite frankly alarming and that's not just in sport.
Keep reporting how shit a person is and people start to believe what they read rather than what they see with their own eyes. Let's face it score a fair share of goals, create loads of assists and run yourself ragged over several years and your decent, but have two average games together and you become public enemy number one as the media whip up a witch hunt.

haha good on dani alves calling Shearer Moronic for his criticism of Fred

Are we witnessing a capitulation of S. Korea? Bet the North Koreans are laughing!!

Cracking match, Portugal were within a minute of going home and I was off looking for a funny picture of Ronaldo to post and then they had to go and score. Now the whole group is open again.