World Cup (football) 2014.

[Andrew Br]

There should be a thread, perhaps this could be it ?
If you don't like football you shouldn't contribute unless you have something constructive to say (constructive doesn't mean negative, just think it through).

To kick off (see what I did there ?), England's last warm-up game has been delayed because of the threat of electrical storms.
I've learned from the commentary that the England team, after the game, are flying down to Rio.
If I understood correctly it's 8 hours. That's 8 hours in a limited oxygen, low humidity atmosphere with limited opportunities to stretch and move around after running around for 90 minutes in a hot, humid stadium.
Who thought this was a good idea ?
Surely better to stay another night, light training in the morning and fly down tomorrow ?

[Deano]

I'm just waiting for the actual competitive games to start.

This England lot seem actually quite likeable! Can't see them going far (getting out of the group would be quite an achievement), but it'll be fun to watch.

I love the World Cup.

[Andrew Br]

I love it too* and yes, getting out of the group will be some achievement.

Winner ?
I think Argentina on the basis that the pressure on Brazil will be too much.
Spain as an outside bet, if I were to bet.

England to go out in the quarters having drawn against Italy and scraped through the other qualifiers.
Despite their exit, they'll have shown potential for Euro 2016 (at which I think they'll do well).
More predictions:
Glenn Johnson will never convince as a defender.
Wayne Rooney won't deliver**


*I enjoyed playing football more than I enjoy cycling.
** I'm an MU fan.

[Deano]

Belgium as a good outside bet? Worth a punt, I reckon, but no more than that.

I'll probably be organising a sweep at work.

I did this for the 2006 WC, when I worked somewhere else - to avoid accusations of fiddling it in my favour, I took the last team in the bag.

And quite a few people accused me of fiddling it in my favour. Seriously.

The team that was left to me?

(click to show/hide)

England. FFS. If I was going to fiddle it I'd have picked Brazil, North Korea, anyone but England!

The worst thing was, the jammy sods who'd picked the first and second teams were both Hartlepool fans.

[Wowbagger]

I quite enjoyed the Celebrity World Cup Pointless on this evening. Guests included Geoff Hurst, George Cohen, Peter Shilton, Steve Bull (of whom I had never heard), a commentator I didn't recognise, someone else and two representing women's football, who were consistently very good, and who won.

Apart from Paul Gascoigne Wayne Rooney I don't think I could name anyone in the current England team.

[Jaded]

Steve Bull does cartoons for the Guardian.

[Andrew Br]

That's borderline Wow; if I were the referee I'd be "having a word" despite it being your first offence.
If I can put it into a different context, I've absolutely no interest in chess so I don't contribute to any of the threads that you start.

[Basil]

The worst thing was, the jammy sods who'd picked the first and second teams were both Hartlepool fans.

Snigger.

Akcherly, even I watch WC footingball.
I'm quite liking 13/2 for a nil - nil for England - Italy.  Might chuck a fiver at that.

[Auntie Helen]

I'm in Germany - do I support England or Germany? I suspect Germany might do better.

[Wowbagger]

That's borderline Wow; if I were the referee I'd be "having a word" despite it being your first offence.
If I can put it into a different context, I've absolutely no interest in chess so I don't contribute to any of the threads that you start.

Ah, but regard it as a learning experience! It's going to be hard to avoid this stuff over the coming weeks. Where best to find out about it - some clichéd commentator or the erudite, and possibly smutty, pages of YACF?

I really enjoyed Ecuador's second goal in the warm-up match.

[Blazer]

Didn't Steve Bull have a prolific season for Wolves and get a few caps as a result?

I'm hoping to get a Sunday supplement thing today, still like having a bit of paper with everything on one side.

England will do well to get out of the group but no further than second round.

Argentina would be a good bet I reckon

[Clare]

That's borderline Wow; if I were the referee I'd be "having a word" despite it being your first offence.
If I can put it into a different context, I've absolutely no interest in chess so I don't contribute to any of the threads that you start.

Ah, but regard it as a learning experience! It's going to be hard to avoid this stuff over the coming weeks. Where best to find out about it - some clichéd commentator or the erudite, and possibly smutty, pages of YACF?

I really enjoyed Ecuador's second goal in the warm-up match.

Here's a video that might help your understanding Wow:

 http://youtu.be/uWm-23RSjfs

[Cudzoziemiec]

Didn't Steve Bull have a prolific season for Wolves and get a few caps as a result?

He played in the 1990 world cup.

[Blazer]

Wayne Rooney won't deliver

I'm not a Man U supporter although don't follow any particular team but agree Rooney won't deliver.  I think his temper still makes him more of a liability.  Not sure why he celebrated so enthusiastically after his 12 inch tap in on Wednesday.

[caerau]

The trouble with Rooney is that he's already been picked by The Sun therefore he is a football god and if he doesn't deliver it will be the manager's fault.


I agree he shouldn't be first choice on recent (and reasonable unrecent) form but it isn't us who will be picking the team.


Living in Wales it's going to be tough to watch the matches in a sociable manner as you get relegated to a quiet side-room in the pubs if they're showing it all which is a shame.
Conversely before I moved to Wales I was in Brum and all their pubs got infected by the 'no surrender to the IRA' mob    but the missus wants us to go there to watch it if England do progress.


Personally I'm of Scottish extraction so don't really give all that much of a toss how England do, I prefer to watch it as a celebration of football - it's watching the great teams and the unexpectedly good teams that get me going.  Being a Liverpool fan though I do like to watch the club players do well.

[Blazer]

Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Spain too obvious for the semi's?

[bobb]

Seeing as everybody from armchair football experts to the media are saying how shit England are and how they'll go out at the group stage, I fully expect them to win 

Having watched a lot of the clips on the BBC site, I have realised that world cups were far better in the 70s and 80s. The players had cool hair. Some of them even had moustaches. They wore proper shorts, their jerseys were simple but stylish and they strolled around with their socks around their ankles before scoring memorable goals.

The interest and expectations of this world cup (from an England pov) are so low, that I'm hoping it might just surprise everyone. Probably be shit though. Can't see Rooney growing a moustache for a start....

[Basil]

Living in Wales it's going to be tough to watch the matches in a sociable manner as you get relegated to a quiet side-room in the pubs if they're showing it all which is a shame.
Conversely before I moved to Wales I was in Brum and all their pubs got infected by the 'no surrender to the IRA' mob    but the missus wants us to go there to watch it if England do progress.


Personally I'm of Scottish extraction so don't really give all that much of a toss how England do, I prefer to watch it as a celebration of football - it's watching the great teams and the unexpectedly good teams that get me going.

Blimey!  Are you me?

[caerau]

Dunno, but I did spend a period of time drinking at the Country Gal in Selly Oak at one point which rather adds to the spookiness. 

[Von Broad]

Winner ?
I think Argentina on the basis that the pressure on Brazil will be too much.
Spain as an outside bet, if I were to bet.

I don't normally bet, but I might throw a few quid at it this time.

As for outsiders, you can pick Uruguay up for about 28-1 [as are Portugal and England!] and Colombia for 40-1. Might go each way on them.
Interestingly Belgium are the next favorite outside of the big four [Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain] coming in at around 20-1.

I got a it carried away was looking at some stats this morning about how many times the current top four seeds have been in the final since the competition began in 1930.

Of those 19 World Cups that have been played in that time, 16 have featured at least one of the current top 4 seeds.
And of the 38 teams that have played in those 19 games, 20 of those teams have been one of the current top 4.
And if you take the current top 8 seeds for 2014, no other team has ever won the WC since 1930 - it would be the top 7, but I included the 8th seeded team too ]

Also interesting to see that on each of the 7 occasions the competition has been held anywhere in the Americas [including the USA] it's been won by a South American team every time.

All of which means absolutely nothing 

[pcolbeck]

England aren’t usually crap just not as good as the hype from the press makes them out to be before every tournament. They consistently make it to the quarter finals which isn’t bad. You also need a bit of luck which the two England teams in recent history that had a reasonable chance of winning the World Cup didn’t have.

The 1986 team were knocked out in the quarter finals by M aradonna's hand of god goal.

The 1998 team were knocked out after a young David Beckham was sent off. That squad was really good,SHearer,Beckham, Scholes,etc

[Von Broad]

England aren’t usually crap just not as good as the hype from the press makes them out to be before every tournament. They consistently make it to the quarter finals which isn’t bad. You also need a bit of luck which the two England teams in recent history that had a reasonable chance of winning the World Cup didn’t have.

The 1986 team were knocked out in the quarter finals by M aradonna's hand of god goal.

The 1998 team were knocked out after a young David Beckham was sent off. That squad was really good,SHearer,Beckham, Scholes,etc

Don't forget 1990. Being a bit sad I watched the BBC live stream of the 1990 semi final again yesterday afternoon, including the whole pundit preamble. Thoroughly enjoyable. They played really well and a young-looking Gazza was brilliant. Amusing to hear John Motson saying things like, 'England have never been in a penalty shoot-out in a major competition before]. Is that so, John? lol

[clarion]

England seem solid, if not spectacular, this time, and seem to be more of a team than the assemblage of individual talents they've sometimes seemed in the past.  I hope they don't read or watch any of the UK coverage, because there will be unreasonable expectations on them.

I think England have a fair chance of getting as far as the semi- finals, and maybe even achieving third place.

[Blazer]

Any stato work out there showing England performance depending on which channel broadcasts the game?

BBC has v Italy then it's ITV for Uruguay and Costa Rica.  Personal preference for BBC coverage but ideal would be Adrian Chiles as front man.

[SteveC]

Living in Wales it's going to be tough to watch the matches in a sociable manner as you get relegated to a quiet side-room in the pubs if they're showing it all which is a shame.

We were camping in Snowdonia during the 2006 competition. The campsite was owned by a pub so we spent most of the evenings in there. They did show the football in the main bar. Most of the locals preferred to speak Welsh. Watching the England Sweden game was an interesting experience. Most of the locals were grudgingly supporting England, but one in particular was making a point of supporting Sweden, cheering and shouting when ever they got a corner or a throw in for instance.  The five English people in the bar were keeping very quiet!