The Football.....

[PaulB]

Have to say I can't remember ever having seen any tournament better refereed than this one.

This match being a cracking example. A fair bit of....robust might be the word...tackling going on, but the referee's making a real effort to let the players play and the game flow. Tho' nothing genuinely nasty or dangerous is overlooked. Both the powers that be (who have clearly briefed them accordingly) and the individual referees (who have heard the word, and acted on it) deserve a lot of credit for the way the whole thing's shaping up.

Oh, and respect to Algeria while I'm at it. Usually takes Russians to rattle the hun like that.

Agreed but the linesmen* are too flag-happy. They're giving too many offsides. The rule states the attacking player should be given the benefit of the doubt but if the linesman does that, they don't get to wave their flag and aren't noticed. It's only human nature to want the world to know that you are there but I think they get excited at the prospects of being seen to be involved and it's become very common to see an attacking player level with the last man and it's the defender who gets the advantage when flag-happy Phil waves away.

Football is all about goals and goal-mouth action, no-one watches football to see more of the linesman, unless his mam's in the crowd.




* I refuse to call them the PC term, they run the line and so are LINESmen.

 

[MarkF]

I think they've been pretty good, remember that any part of the (goal scoring) body can be offside, for instance, Giroud could appear well onside, but his nose ensuring he was offside. Most wrong calls have been very, very tight, though the 2 Mexican "goals" and Nigeria's "goal" last night were guesses and good examples for showing benefit of the doubt to the attacker.

 

[AndyRM]

Unless it's been changed for this tournament, the offside rule says nothing about giving the attacker the 'benefit of the doubt'.

As for goals, there have been 150 so far, more than the last two tournaments and the goals per game average is the highest it's been since 1982. With ten matches to go we might see the record of 171 broken.

Games today should be good. Argentina don't have a great defence and seem over reliant on Messi. Belgium haven't quite clicked and the US are a tough, well organised side.

 

[Danny]

Yeah, the best teams both won today although in both cases, it was a close thing and both Nigeria and Algeria looked very good at times and the results could have gone the other way if chances had been taken and it wouldn't have been unfair.

Hopefully both Nigeria and Algeria will take the positives out of their games and come back even stronger in 2018. It would be good to see an African nation win the World Cup - particularly in Russia.

 

[SteCenturion]

Cameroon National team investigated for match fixing in World Cup 2014.

Talk Sport are running a story on this today.

Apparently their Ethics committee are investigating 7 bad apples & it centres around their match v Croatia, but could involve others.

Pundit on Talk Sport said "7 bad apples = a bad barrel" - quite correct.

 

[SteCenturion]

Also on Talk Sport, I just heard there has been a u-turn from Suarez.

Just about to look it up as I had to switch off & start work.

 

[User482]

Strachan is a brilliant analyst and a very perceptive one, comes across as a man who fully understands the mentality of the players. Although used as an anchorman Gary Lineker is another whose views are always worth listening to.

As for Shearer and Townsend...

He's almost hit that too well, to be fair.

 

[SteCenturion]

Apologies to those who already know this, I have just found out.

Suarez has apologised to Chiellini via twitter & promised not to bite anyone again (not exactly).

It has been suggested that this is an attempt to get his ban reduced & smooth a way to join Barca.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Right, I'm half-Swiss and that was my half!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Right, I'm half-Swiss and that was my half!

I'm half-bored.

 

[swee'pea99]

Having missed all but the last five mins due to work I ain't half glad I did.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm half-bored.

That's because you were watching Argentina.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

This game has been excruciating. Argentina should have put it to bed several times. No-one can finish. It seems destined for penalties...

 

[Kins]

Most boring game of the world cup so far , gets a goal.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The knockout stages are never as likely to be as exciting as the group games. Teams now realise how much they have to lose and there is no second chance. Thank God Argentina won, we need some big sides in there to stop the Krauts walking off with it.

Nothing against Germans, but they do get on your tits.