Speaker: KICK IT! Quartered
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So... who's going to win the Ghana v. Uruguay quarter? Don't leave us hanging, man!
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Ghana. Because I have decided to dislike Uruguay, and Paraguay, in fact all the guays. God hates Guays.
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in fact all the guays. God hates Guays.
Oo, flashback
a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the Axis of Countries Whose Names End in "Guay," accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.
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God hates Guays.
Isn't there an Onion piece on football declaring itself to be 'guay'?
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Yes. Read it a couple of weeks ago.
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Oo, flashback
Every time someone mentions Para or Uruguay I always mentally add "and Chadguay"
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In the other games Uruguay take on Ghana in an 'old World Cup' meets 'new World Cup' sort of way
Isn't Uruguay both? 'old World Cup' and 'New World cup', you might say.
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Isn't Uruguay both? 'old World Cup' and 'New World cup', you might say.
Well I guess, especially if they get through to the semi's or final. It's a strange history that Uruguay are now locked into, 2 World Cup wins suggests a football powerhouse but they've been little more than minnows in the last 25 years.
My heart says Ghana though, players like Muntari are legends in African football and it would be great to see him get a final.
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players like Muntari are legends in African football
Really? I had no idea. I can think of other players on the team who deserve the tag a lot more than him based on ability.
Although this year he did have a little legendary moment for his club. He came on as a substitute for a game at Catania in the second half. Within 30 seconds, he chopped an opposition forward from behind outside the box and got booked. For the subsequent free kick, he was part of the wall, which was set up inside the area. The bail sailed high above him and for some reason he palmed it down, volleyball stile. So he was sent off, Catania got a penalty - which they scored - and undermanned Inter went on to concede two more goals and lose the game 3-1. The whole thing lasted 90 seconds and that's including the time it took to set up the wall and take the free kick. Almost cost Inter the scudetto.
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Really? I had no idea. I can think of other players on the team who deserve the tag a lot more than him based on ability.
Legend might have been over-egging it a bit but he's hugely popular amongst the fans in Ghana. One of the top goal scorers for them he's played in the Premier league and Serie A and of course the Champions League, including a spot in the final. Admittedly his form wasn't the best in 2009/10 and he has had a spat with the Ghana coach but I don't think any of that matters to the fans.
There was a nice documentary a couple of weeks ago on the Documentary Channel about Ghanain kids trying to score European football contracts and he featured quite heavily and there's no doubting his popularity.
There's also Essien, Appiah and even good old John Paintsil from Fulham, of course. Such a shame Essien has missed out on playing at this World Cup.
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I'm in the Ghana camp. Right up until they meet Holland in the semi (Brazil who?) ... I then fancy Holland to go on and win the thing overall. If only for the sense of nostalgia I got when looking at the Dutch starting XI for the 2nd round match. Shirt numbers 1-11 without exception - a rarity in these days of squad numbers. A central striker wearing the 9, wide-men 7 and 11 ... ah, great stuff. Then there's the considerable financial windfall involved if that happens (work sweep, sly bet at TAB at the outset of tourney etc). Go you oranjes .. or something.
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... I then fancy Holland to go on and win the thing overall. If only for the sense of nostalgia I got when looking at the Dutch starting XI for the 2nd round match. Shirt numbers 1-11 without exception - a rarity in these days of squad numbers. A central striker wearing the 9, wide-men 7 and 11 ... ah, great stuff.
Snap. Me and my son thought the same thing. It felt good. Hell and damnation to squad numbers!
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Yes, but! Squad numbers have been around for ages in the world cup. It's part of what distinguished the world cup from club leagues. Rossi wore 20 in 1982, even though he was the designated centre-forward since well before the tournament started.
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Fair call Giovanni. How the Italians could have done with a Rossi this time around. Why am I thinking there was some controversy relating to Rossi in the wake of that '82 win? Am I imagining that?
(Though the Dutch rather ruined the feelgood with their first sub being the 21 when it should have been the 12. Damn the coach for not playing the game. Anoraks-r-us.)
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Why am I thinking there was some controversy relating to Rossi in the wake of that '82 win? Am I imagining that?
He was suspended for two years from all football due to a match-fixing scandal, but that was in fact before the cup. He had just finished his suspension when Bearzot called him into the squad, to the surprise of many.
Ac Milan had been relegated as a consequence of that same scandal. After the 2006 victory, a number of domestic clubs were found to be embroiled in a referee-tampering conspiracy, and Juventus was demoted to Serie B. So you see major league-busting scandals are really what we need in order to win a Cup. Either that, or Fascism.
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Yes, but! Squad numbers have been around for ages in the world cup.
Doesn't make it alright though. If Bobby Moore had trucked out in a '31' shirt there's no way England would have won in '66. I'm surprised England haven't actually realised this yet?
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Thanks Giovanni ... now I recall. btw, it may have happened 2 years before the '82 WC but the news didn't get here until after the WC was over.
@ Peter - England won it in '66? I was raised to believe it was the Irons. I'm shattered.
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I don't think anybody has ever worn a 31 at a World Cup. Don't they go from 1 to 23?
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@ Peter - England won it in '66? I was raised to believe it was the Irons. I'm shattered.
We try to be modest.
@Giovanni See, 23, that's even worse. -
I love the squad numbers, it confused me to see starters with numbers higher than 11. And while there is a case for having the squad number it's just not very strong. England came so close with a shirt that had an actual collar too.
As for the Netherlands, who else wants to see a German/Netherlands final? I DO!
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@ Peter
modesty achieved (on an annual basis!).
@ Haydn
I could live with that. A repeat of the '74 Final. All we'll need is a Muller winner. Saying that, a repeat of the '78 Final is also a mouth watering prospect.
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This just in Suarez, as I said before, is a complete fuckwit
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Sorry, he did what he had to do. Sacrificed himself, too, he's going to miss the game of his life through suspension. Although of course you could argue there would have been no such game had he not switched codes at that particular moment. Nonetheless: he did exactly what he was supposed to do. There is nothing cynical about it. You're on the line, it's the last minute, your goalkeeper is down, it's up to you to keep that ball out. Nobody who understands football would accuse him of dishonesty.
That was fucking heartbreaking though.
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