[DannyBoy]

What did Rooney say when he was walking off the pitch at full time? he looked pissed! plus the amount of ITV commercials is worse than the Super Bowl.

[Johnny 1989]

What did Rooney say when he was walking off the pitch at full time? he looked pissed! plus the amount of ITV commercials is worse than the Super Bowl.

Probably something like:

* wank, toss, shit, bollocks, * useless!

Honestly David James was about the only decent one on the pitch and that was only because he didn't let a ball in.

Defoe & Joe Cole to start next time please, Bent & Wallcott must be shaking their heads.

[chrysostom]

He said something like :

"Always nice to be booed by your home fans - they're our own fans!"

[DannyBoy]

He said something like :

"Always nice to be booed by your home fans - they're our own fans!"

Can kind of understand why their booing paying all that money to get out there and they lose...but you still got to support them. Ive lost count the amount of Ireland away games ive been at and they have lost.

[Johnny 1989]

He said something like :

"Always nice to be booed by your home fans - they're our own fans!"

Can kind of understand why their booing paying all that money to get out there and they lose...but you still got to support them. Ive lost count the amount of Ireland away games ive been at and they have lost.

Thing is though as I said above I wouldn't mind if he had scored a couple but they had still lost. Heskey, Lampard also haven't scored anything but they're at least attempting to score, even if they're on target. I can't think of any impact that Rooney has made at all.

See it's the curse of The Sun newspaper again, all that E.A.S.Y. bollocks on the front of the paper a few months back, knew this would happen once they done that.

I'll definitely still cheer them on & will be pleased if they qualify, but I'm not holding my breath at all.

[SAV1OUR]

Booing is for Big Brother or Panto. Nothing positive can come of it really. Everyones entitled to do it though. I just think booing shows a lack of respect and makes a bad situation worse, even if you have paid silly money to be there. Imagine them being booed on Wednesday when they're crap again and are on their way home. Can't bear it.

Quarter-finals and home lads - Lets leave this tournament with some dignity!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyou ... tml#224165

[chrysostom]

Vuvuzela > Booing

[Yudster]

I know its not how it came over, but I thought Rooney's comment was less a dig at the fans than a dig at the system the team is being asked to adopt which, in part, is what's stifling his game in particular (although he isn't the only one obviously). He seemed totally conscious of the fact that he had had a shit game, and the fans had come all that way to watch and he hadn't been able to deliver. He's not a happy camper right now.

[Bonanzoid]

France were horrendous. They're a bunch of jumped-up, selfish, cash-driven arseholes who couldn't give a damn about playing for the national team. And Nicolas Anelka? Prat, simple as.

As for England, poor doesn't begin to cover it. They reminded me of Liverpool last season - no creativity, ideas or belief. They looked disillusioned at best. However, Capello must shoulder some of the blame. He refuses to name his squad more than 2 hours before kick-off so who knows what must be going through the players head then. Even more criminal is his unfathomable stubbornness at refusing to differ from the 4-4-2 formation. Anyone with half a brain can see Gerrard is a different player out on the left, he needs to play behind Rooney in a 4-5-1 formation.

The teams that have impressed me so far are the Americas - Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Mexico and to a degree the U.S.A. Their disallowed goal against Slovenia was utterly criminal.

Also, credit to New Zealand. Terrific result.

[foot-loose]

I know its not how it came over, but I thought Rooney's comment was less a dig at the fans than a dig at the system the team is being asked to adopt which, in part, is what's stifling his game in particular (although he isn't the only one obviously). He seemed totally conscious of the fact that he had had a shit game, and the fans had come all that way to watch and he hadn't been able to deliver. He's not a happy camper right now.

Kick the wee round thing into the big netty thing.

Get paid millions.

Done.



Even I know that's how it's done!

[chrysostom]

France were horrendous. They're a bunch of jumped-up, selfish, cash-driven arseholes who couldn't give a damn about playing for the national team. And Nicolas Anelka? Prat, simple as.

I ferociously oppose this.

Raymond Domenech is the worst international manager i have experienced. His 4-3-3 formation seems to be his favoured way of playing, even though the players he has do not fit into it.

Henry is a wide forward, as are Malouda and Ribery. Instead of employing these obvious choices in the roles, he opts for Anelka and Govou pushing Malouda and Ribery Inside (wingers have no idea how to engineer space in the middle of the park), Henry doesn't even get a look in, and Govou has been past it for years.

Players like Benzema and Nasri were left at home, when they are better than a lot of what is in the squad currently - and ABOU DIABY?!

As an Arsenal fan, i've seen him play a lot and he is nowhere near international quality. Yes, he bossed the midfield against Uruguay - but to little avail. He is the French equivalent of Lee Cattermole.

Domenech is terrible. Just purely terrible. Clearly he shows little respect to his squad (evidenced by Anelka and Malouda both lashing out at him) - and Anelka's outburst shows that not only does he care about the country's fortunes, but he is also willing to stick to his guns.

The French players should refuse to play until Blanc is their manager, because Domenech is nothing short of an abomination, reminiscent of Brian Clough's portrayal in the Damned United - as he is dragging the team down the drain, whilst he looks to further his unique style as form of his reputation.

The blame lies with the French FA for not sacking him after the Euros.

[English Bob]

I'm trying to enjoy the World Cup games, but every match I watch just reminds me why I stopped caring about professional football in the first place.

Theatrics.

There is SO much bloody diving in football today its obscene! I used to follow football religiously as a kid, knew all the best players, collected the stickers, blah blah blah. Now I hate watching matches, as players seem to be TAUGHT to be sneaky, devious and fall over at the drop of a hat clutching at their legs!

The best football match I saw recently was the Soccer Aid match, with celebrities and football legends playing. Noone dived in that match, as it was for fun and for charity. It showed me what football could be like.

/endrant

Tim Minchin just summed up my feelings on twitter, saying: "This beautiful game is spoiled by constant faking of pathetic, wet * cheats. Bring on video refs + red cards for drama queens. Grr."

[Johnny 1989]

France were horrendous. They're a bunch of jumped-up, selfish, cash-driven arseholes who couldn't give a damn about playing for the national team. And Nicolas Anelka? Prat, simple as.

I ferociously oppose this.

Raymond Domenech is the worst international manager i have experienced. His 4-3-3 formation seems to be his favoured way of playing, even though the players he has do not fit into it.

Henry is a wide forward, as are Malouda and Ribery. Instead of employing these obvious choices in the roles, he opts for Anelka and Govou pushing Malouda and Ribery Inside (wingers have no idea how to engineer space in the middle of the park), Henry doesn't even get a look in, and Govou has been past it for years.

Players like Benzema and Nasri were left at home, when they are better than a lot of what is in the squad currently - and ABOU DIABY?!

As an Arsenal fan, i've seen him play a lot and he is nowhere near international quality. Yes, he bossed the midfield against Uruguay - but to little avail. He is the French equivalent of Lee Cattermole.

Domenech is terrible. Just purely terrible. Clearly he shows little respect to his squad (evidenced by Anelka and Malouda both lashing out at him) - and Anelka's outburst shows that not only does he care about the country's fortunes, but he is also willing to stick to his guns.

The French players should refuse to play until Blanc is their manager, because Domenech is nothing short of an abomination, reminiscent of Brian Clough's portrayal in the Damned United - as he is dragging the team down the drain, whilst he looks to further his unique style as form of his reputation.

The blame lies with the French FA for not sacking him after the Euros.

I'm with Chrys on this, the French Manager is a twat, he won't play a particular player because they're a Leo or Sagittarius for flying * sake, what a Wanker.

As Bonanzoid's comment about Capello taking some of the blame, to be fair I don't really blame him at all. This was a team who did exceptionally well under him in qualifying yet are playing like crap in this competition. Capello, Maclaren, Eriksson, Kegan & Hoddle have all failed in winning the World Cup/Euro Cup, Venables was the last manager who got England to the Semi's, and even then he had the likes of Gazza, Sheringham, Shearer, McManaman, Adams, Seaman, etc. Terry at least want's to actually play for his country, same with James, don't know about half of the rest though.

[Yudster]

The cheating that goes on in football these days is enough to put anyone off, English Bob is dead right. Its upsetting.

Mr Yudster was speculating the other night - we saw Arsene Wenger watching the French game, and he wondered if the reason Domenech is still being tolerated by the French football chiefs is that they are just marking time until Wenger is ready to leave Arsenal and take over? They must have realised that allowing him to take the team into this tournament is effectively writing it off, although I'm not sure they would have expected quite the outcome that has happened. And I tend to agree that, spoiled and lazy though I genuinely believe most of the French team to be (relative to many of the others that is...), the fact that they are in open rebellion against their appalling fool of a manager is to their credit.

I no longer think England will get out of their group. I never would have expected them to get much further anyway, but I have to say I fully expected them to be able to win the group. Again, Capello must take some of the responsibility for the breakdown in trust that seems to have happened - I don't doubt the committment of the players for one minute so there has to be something else going on. But part of that something else probably has to be a lack of quality. Apart from a small handful of teams - actually one team - we haven't seen a single team here which wouldn't struggle to win a match in the Champions League. How can anyone continue to believe that the overwhelming domination of non-English players in the English Premiership isn't damaging the development of the National team? Personally I'm not sure I care - if the trade off is that the Premiership continues to be the best league in the world and that English based clubs continue to do outstandingly well in European competition, I'll take that - but then I've never been particularly bothered about the National side. Others may well disagree.

[chrysostom]

How can anyone continue to believe that the overwhelming domination of non-English players in the English Premiership isn't damaging the development of the National team? Personally I'm not sure I care - if the trade off is that the Premiership continues to be the best league in the world and that English based clubs continue to do outstandingly well in European competition, I'll take that - but then I've never been particularly bothered about the National side. Others may well disagree.

I have to say, that being an Arsenal fan (which i know i always have to bring up) - the problem with English players in the premiership, is the premium price which clubs place on their heads.

Most English players start to break onto the scene, then a big club comes in for them - then the club that owns them asks for twice what they are worth, and the interest goes away.

These players eventually end up moving on after they suffer a bad season, to a club where they don't develop.

On the flip side, the big clubs that get the english players underuse them - bringing in more effective players.

Hopefully forcing in 8 home grown players into the 26 man squad of clubs will help the national game in the long term.

[Yudster]

So far I can't see anyone but Brazil winning. Or maybe Argentina. But you never know. Come on Uruguay!

[chrysostom]

Since 66:

66 England
70 Brazil
74 Germany
78 Argentina
82 Italy
86 Argentina
90 Germany
94 Brazil
98 France
02 Brazil
06 Italy

if patterns are anything to go by, it'll be a south american team

[Yudster]

Given that they are the only teams who have produced anything worth watching, I hope it is.

[Bonanzoid]

Keita, that cheating dickhead, epitomised what's wrong with the modern game last night. Utterly despicable. Feel so sorry for Kaka too for a completely unwarranted red card.

As for outright, I've got money on Brazil to win so I'm happy right now!

[Yudster]

Can't appeal a second yellow card sending off either apparently. I just hope the other bloke gets a retrospective punishment for his "simulation".

[Bonanzoid]

Apparently, and I don't condone this at all, Keita had over 1000 death threats not long after the match. I have a feeling the repercussions are going to be vast.

[chrysostom]

I think you've got the wrong keita - that was kaita (nigerian) who got sent off against greece.

[Bonanzoid]

Oh right, sorry. I was thinking 1000 death threats was quite a lot in a short period of time! Both those sending offs were jokes.

[chrysostom]

has anyone from the nike 'write the future' ad done well in this world cup?

off the top of my head, there's ronaldo, walcott, rooney, cannavaro and ronaldinho - 2 of which aren't there, the rest have done pretty awfully.

curse?

[Yudster]

Anyway.. Looks almost certain that Ivory Coast won't qualify. GOOD! Can't stand Drogba and the rest of his drama queens.