Channel 4 has a collection of quotes from the Italian squad.
Michael Walker on how Germany wants to keep Jurgen Klinsmann all to themselves.
Jon Brodkin on the best defender on view at this World Cup – Fabio Cannavaro.
Stuart James on the player who will be playing in the World Cup Final for Italy but who could have played for England.
According to Jason Burt Jamaica is willing to pay Sven Goran Eriksson over $5M a year to coach the national team. E mail to Jamaica – just flush the money down the toilet and get it over and done with. Burt also claims that Jurgen Klinsmann has turned down a USSF approach.
Cannavaro is not only the best defender in this tournament, but the best in the world right now. I have been watching the WC since 1994 and honestly, this guy, particularly in the last match, was the best defender I have ever seen.
This guy is incredible: his individual play, organizational abilities, sense of responsibility and sharpness (remember that neat tackle against Germany attacking with only 2-3 Italians in the back), confidence and pace.
Will he win the next Golden Ball? I really really hope so.
You cracked me up wih this comment: "E mail to Jamaica – just flush the money down the toilet and get it over and done with."
I think that even Sven's apologists have to admit one fact now:
Theo Walcott was there because David Dein wanted him there. England had a HUGE striker crisis, and the lad never even got a sniff of the pitch because he's just not good enough at this point. The only people that were helped by Walcott's inclusion on the WC team are Arsenal.
I think England fans got ripped off.
Last edited by gatorkeith76 on July 5th at 9:52 PM.
Interesting to know Ribery is a convert to Islam. Seems like this is getting popular among footballers, the other converts include: Robin van Persie of the Netherlands, Nicolas Anelka of the former French national team and, as mentioned, Jacques Faty and Julien Faubert of France!
The Channel 4 set of quotes are actually misquotes translated by some jingoist xenophobic troglodite
that's not what they said
I understand that you probably don't speak Italian and you couldn't have known
However, now you know, you're contributing to the continuation of ill feelings among the nations of the world
I do not believe that is what you wanted to achieve
For example Nesta never said that Italy's contributions range from restaurants to fashion
what he said was:
Italians are far from being parasites, they have gone to the four corners of the globe and wherever they have gone they have always worked and found ways to get busy. Nations who say these things end up wanting to dress like us and eat like us.
Therefore, and this is my interpretation of what he said for I am not Nesta and I have my own way of speaking, we are the opposite of parasites and if they don't like us, how come they wanna be us?
Further clarification
All remember: we are what we eat
take away a person's clothes and you take away their dignity
I was laughing pretty hard today watching Blatter talk about moving to a two ref system. Earlier he was talking about allowing three yellows so after the group stages. Honestly, all I can do is laugh because this is madness. Hmmm...I wonder what Blatter's next idea is gonna be. It's like he causes the problem by making the refs call everything, then proceed to fix that problem with more stupid ideas.
I think it was a German journalist who said that Sepp Blatter has 50 ideas a day and 51 of them are bad. I just wish he would also keep them to himself.
This is off topic, but I am curious to why no one has really brought up the foul call in the box with no PK in the GER - ITA game. A foul was called on Italy for holding down on Podolski during a head ball duel. They were clearly in the box - but, after deliberation on the field an FK was gien outside of the box. I don't think that it warranted a call in the box, but it was called and then conveniently moved outside of the box. If the call is made the appropriate consequence should be carried out! What's you view on this?
PS I had to register with Microsoft to post this - so please put me on the air!!
The 2006 World Cup final could be a fair well game of epic proportions, for some of the greats of European football. This will be the last World Cup for Zidane, Thuram, Makalele, Viera, as well as Nesta (30), Cannavaro (32), Totti (29, retiring according to Lippi) and Del Piero (31). This fact alone makes this game a classic regardless of the score.
The fact these guys are retiring is a fact, but it doesn't make the game a classic in and of itself.
If they all play like a bunch of old men it will be remembered as another boring WC game regardless of who is in it.
England as individuals play each week, mostly in the EPL, and the guys are stars. Put them all together, give them a manager of sorts, and you don't get a team that stars.
I hope you are right and we see a classic, but I have my doubts.
Is Blatter mad? He thinks 2 refs are a good idea but when quizzed about the use of video evidence for suspect calls during a match he thought that was a bad idea ??
Mr Blatter how about this - one ref - same as we have now. And a panel of FIFA officials watching a TV monitor of the plays/calls that can intervene if the call is dubious.
How about a panel of German, Italian or Vietnamese refs who are currently under investigation. Surely they would be able to work together in a room with some technology and get the call right!?
At the end of the day this issue is like voting in America, it's not who votes, it's who COUNTS the votes. Putting a bunch of officials in a room just leads to more convoluted cheating - just like the SuperBowl in the USA.
What we need are standards of fairness that are administered properly, without the nepotism of Bladder and his network of cronies.
Fussball - sorry posting on the blog doesn't get you on Ticket to Germany. Sending an e mail to Ticket to Germany gets you on Ticket to Germany. Back to your point - yes Italy looks to have got a break on that onde. If there was a foul it certainly looked to have been in the penalty area.
Just a thought I had this morning - do you think that Sepp Blatter would secretly like to become just like Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation?
what do you mean that England play every day? are you taking the ####? you can't be serious.
you are so biased against any non-english teams it's laughable.
England were #### in this tournament, admit it and move on. who was more overrated brazil or england?
who had an easier draw than england?
England gets my vote for winning the 2006 WCW, WORLD CUP OF WHINGING.
Blatter is an elite, he smoozes with the globalists and is in charge of the major global opiate of the masses - our beloved football.
McMahon is a scammer who has made a billion out of the US blue collar worker by providing a more specific type of high, more akin to being over caffienated than opiated!?
I would guess that McMahon would aspire to be more like Blatter - there is an aire of legitimacy about Blatter which McMahon may crave!
I can see Blatter presenting at Davos or a Bilderberg meeting on how football can be used to further the globalization agenda, expose the world to XYZ corporation, etc. I doubt Vince would get a seat at that table just yet, unless the WWF evolves in to RollerBall!
Hey Gongatore, great name - where'd you come up with that? You must be a Godzilla fan or something.
Anyway, I pretty much agree with most of what you've said, and you may've misunderstood what I was saying.
Here is a translation for pidgeon English.
England played like #### as a national team, but they play well as individuals each week in their club teams. I doubt any one watching the WC who has watched the English Premier League on the Telly would disagree with that statement.
As for biases, yeah, I'm human too - made of flesh and blood even. However, I think I make a bit of an attempt to get beyond being just completely pro-English. My favorite teams of the tournament were Ghana, then Australia followed by Germany - because they all played open, attacking football.
What about you gongy? Who do you support and who was the best team of the tournament for you?
Cheers Rich
Last edited by richlancaster on July 6th at 2:58 PM.
it's a hybrid name of my missus and me. she being of chinese/irish/german/hungarian heritage and me of english/italian/irish/french heritage. typical american mutts. we had to register at the american kennel club.
so i got it re: english national side players and their weekly schedules but most of the top teams in this cup could say the same, right?
whom do i support? all of my heritage sides. I was in europe and the uk just before the cup started. the buildup was magnificent unlike here. family and mates in the uk were wildly optimistic about england to the point where they were completely dismissing everyone else and as you know being british the media was just absurd. i am just disappointed in England's performance and like you wanted so much more.
my fav sides? Ghana were a cracking team. How could anyone not marvel at the turnaround of Germany? Spain were terrific at times and Argentina were as well.
To me the Aussies played like an Aussie Rules team. Maybe that's because I used to live there and went to an Aussie Rules game and thought what a marvelous sport, it consists of an hour fumble!
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