World Cup 2006

[yianni]

Bollocks, you cunts don't understand what I'm saying. Yes Italy were the better team BUT you cannot tell me that they definately would have won with all 11 men on the park. Yes it was highly probable but never a certain fact.

As for qualification, I have been saying all along the play-offs we have had have been absolute shit and finally we are in a confederation that actually has a proper qualifying system. Now if we don't make it we have absolutely no excuses. And any cunt who says we have (in the past or currently with Asia) had it easier than America to qualify, has no fucking idea about football whatsoever. They have the EASIEST route EVER.

[Downunder]

[RoXer]

Hahahaha. Thats got to be fake right?

[treen007]

there goes my final prediction. I guess this means England has a chance. come on England!

[Joey Slugs]

Is all you fucking Aussies ever do is bitch? Fuck me. You lost. Get the fuck over it. You are worse than the French in '02. It's like a huge fucking scandal when things don't go your way.

The United States got fucked by bad calls in two games, and do you still hear us fucking complaining? No. Two bad calls against us... AND WE WERE A SHITTY TEAM. I can't even imagine the scene if you all lost to the "Yanks" and not the Italians in the fashion.

Jesus.

And we're the "sore losing assholes" of the world. Wow.

[RoXer]

I would say the referring in Aus's group is more questionable than the U.S.'s

[Joey Slugs]

Originally Posted by Joey RoXer I would say the referring in Aus's group is more questionable than the U.S.'s

Oh come on. Has anyone watched the fucking replays of the foul that set up the Italy win? Grosso played it smart. He saw a chance to make something happen after Neill dropped and impeded his path. Simple as that.

Not one person here would bitch if it was the other way around... no matter what team it was. If your team benefited from it... then fucking fair play.

But since it was the "dirty Italians" it's a fucking worldwide nightmare.

The Aussies should just be happy with how far they got. First time in 32 years and they made the round of 16. Be thankful for that.

[Kid Robb]

Originally Posted by Joey Slugs Not one person here would bitch if it was the other way around... no matter what team it was. If your team benefited from it... then fucking fair play.

Big difference - Australians don't dive.

Breciano might have added a few rolls when the Italian bloke got sent off, but he at least took the contact.

When you look at Australian sport as a whole its played hard but played fair. In Rugby or Aussie Rules that's fine because that's the nature of the sport. In soccer it became an issue when the Japanese staff publicised it heavily before the first match.

If an Australian player took a dive to win a penalty that got us through the media here would be all over it about how it was unsportsmanlike and all that. That's how the Australian media is and that's how Australians are in general. The only thing brought up would be that it would be a makeup for all the calls that went against us in the group games.

In any case, like others said, if you cop a bad call in one game, fair enough, you eat it. Four games in a row? Dodgy. The French press said it best, we should look forward to 2010 because we'll get the payback for this one, just like Italy has got there's for losing to South Korea in 02.

FIFA has said it wasn't a penalty and was a wrong call. What more do you fucking want than that?

[yianni]

Originally Posted by Joey Slugs Is all you fucking Aussies ever do is bitch? Fuck me. You lost. Get the fuck over it. You are worse than the French in '02. It's like a huge fucking scandal when things don't go your way. The United States got fucked by bad calls in two games, and do you still hear us fucking complaining? No. Two bad calls against us... AND WE WERE A SHITTY TEAM. I can't even imagine the scene if you all lost to the "Yanks" and not the Italians in the fashion. Jesus. And we're the "sore losing assholes" of the world. Wow.

Fuck off, you cunts don't complain cos none of you give a fuck about the game. You got fucked in 2 games? Well we got fucked in 4. 2 bad calls against the USgAy? Try fucken like 50 for us. And we wouldn't cause an uproar if we lost to the Yanks cos we WOULDN'T lose cos we're not that shit. And Bruce Arena is a fuckwit arrogant loudmouth twat like 95% of wankers that come from Yankville

I'm over the loss but I'm not over the shitty fucking refereeing and that cunt who did the game is copping it if he ever steps foot down here.

[yianni]

Downunder I died when I saw that headline - ahahahhaha gold

[The Miz]

USgAy! USgAy! USgAy!

[Dave Youell]

OK here's my take as an impartial spectator.

It's well documented that the Italains play very defensivly and tend to go on the counter and win a high amount of penatlies, it's therefore the responsibilty of the Aussie ciach to make sure the players don't make any rash challenges in the box, as the Italians will try to get the penalty.

Rightly or wrongly that is how the Italians play, yes it's a dirty tactic, but there's nothing in place right now to stop it. So the the defender shouldn't of gone to ground so fast as the Italian was bound to take that chance, as would 'most' other teams.

And as far as Oz and USA go, both you guys have had waaay more sucess in world tournements and events that England, so don't start moaning to us about losing, football is only OZ's 5th favourite sport and the USA have god knows how many sports and event that surpass football. Football in England is basically a way of life for many many people and we haven't had anything close to a sucess in my generation, it's been 40 years since we've had any kind of world sucess, so if you're bitching about being knocked out of a world cup that you've only qualified once for in 30 years, how do you think we feel?

[toxic rooster]

The difference is, England has a talent pool capable of winning the World Cup, yet fall comically short every time due to their inept selections, manager and tactics.

Australia hasn't made it in 32 years because we didn't have our act together, simple as that. The game here has suffered years of neglect because our administrators didn't have a clue what they were doing. Fuck, even a year ago we still had bloody Farina as coach, and were scheduling pointless friendlies in Venezuela in the middle of Europe's club season.

Now look at us; we're in Asia, got to the last 16 in the world, a class manager (well, we did) and people know who we are now. The late Johnny Warren predicted the way forward for us was Asia years ago, it's only now that we've finally been successful in getting there. Christ, when the last lot was in charge they didn't even allow Australians to go scout the South American teams we might have played. We even went over to Montevideo with a 1-0 lead and Farina was saying we had to score. How things have changed.

That is why everyone here is so glad we made it to the Round of 16. Don't think for a second that because we're unhappy about the bullshit way we went out, that we're not immensely proud of everything the boys have done in Germany.

I can see how much we appear like cry-babies to everyone right now. Fact is, there isn't a team on Earth who'd be happy with the crap we've put up with in the last 3 weeks. Joey Slugs, I find it rich that you think we're only bitching because we lost. If it was the only bad call we'd had against us, then you may possibly have a case.

Try stepping in Australia's shoes for a second; we've endured 32 years of pain, heartache, diabolical administrations and sporadic bollockings from FIFA to get to Germany this month. Despite all this, we've finally had a team worthy of advancing from their group, and taking Italy to the 93rd minute.

And what do we get for our trouble? Four games on the world's biggest stage ruined by poor officiating. That's where our beef is, with the officials at the Cup. There's 2 separate issues here:

1. We've finally got a team worthy of being on the world stage, and we're proud of every last one of them. Including Kalac.

2. It's taken 32 years to get to the 4 games we've had in the last 3 weeks, and 4/4 have been ruined by the referee. That Totti penalty was the closest I've ever been to crying over a football match.

You foreigners seem to be misconstruing our beef with the ref as meaning we're not proud of our boys. They'll be coming home for a tickertape parade, and I'd be surprised if the Melbourne and/or Sydney's CBDs weren't completely shut down by them.

[yianni]

Straya has done the true supporters of the world game here proud, not the fuckwits who nobody has any time for. I have said it I dunno close to 5000 times and Kid Robb has heard me say it - all this time the problem has been QUALIFYING for the Cup. Once we're there we were always capable of causing some damage and pulling off awol results. I have been saying this for the best part of 6, 7 years now and I was right. Also what I predicted came true: Beat Japan, lose to Brasil, draw with Croatia with the Croatia game deciding which country progressed to the second round. For me like I said a few pages back all I wanted was for the lads to beat what the blokes in '74 did and that was achieved after the Japan game.

Anyway Asian Cup qualifiers to look forward to in a few months as well as Greece's Euro 2008 qualifiers the football just never ever stops.

[The Mackem]

Spain fall short again, every tournament without fail they look like they will do something. Just goes to show that you just have to do enough in the group stages because total dominance doesn't count for much in the knockouts.

Hard lines Australia. It looked like a very convincing penalty at the time and I think, personally, it just edges a penalty for me on reflection because of the stupidity of going to ground in the last minute. To be honest, if there wasn't an outcry about going out of the World Cup, it just wouldn't be football. Just watch the reaction of each knocked out team from here on in.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Originally Posted by Wee Gooner Against Japan, the ref missed a clear foul on Schwarzer which led to Japan's goal. We scored 3 late goals so that didn't end up costing us.

Bullshit, Schwarzer initiated the contact and fucked up, that was not a foul.

[yianni]

I'm still 50-50 on that decision to allow the Japanese goal vs Australia. However the ref was a fuckhead in other parts of the game.

[toxic rooster]

Doesn't matter. I've said it before, I'll say it again, attackers have no rights when it comes to keeper challenges. Just by being there, it's a foul 9 times out of 10. In my career, I've given up that foul at least 20 times.

The ref even admitted he was wrong, and apologised to Schwarzer afterwards.

[CSL]

Fuck that. Goalkeepers are over-protected.

[yianni]

Gooner the reason why the ref admitted he made a mistake was because he heard rumours that I was on my way to Germany armed with nothing other than the knife my old man and grandpa use to cut the lamb (while its still cooking on the spit at Easter and Christmas). He shat his fucking dacks and tried to save himself. Lucky I couldn't be arsed going over there cos I'd rather waste my cash on grog

[Joey Slugs]

Now I pray that Totti, Buffon, Connavaro, & the rest win this whole thing....

[Joey Slugs]

Originally Posted by yianni Fuck off, you cunts don't complain cos none of you give a fuck about the game.

Trust me, there are plenty of soccer fans here and the number grows larger every year. It's the number one youth sport in America.

[Shaved Monkey]

Originally Posted by Wee Gooner If you're gonna support Italy over Australia, fuck off and go live there Troy out.

I dunno man, I support Italy and I live in Canada. But then again, I don't think any one pulls for the Canadian football team.

[OssMan]

Originally Posted by Joey Slugs Trust me, there are plenty of soccer fans here and the number grows larger every year. It's the number one youth sport in America.

Yeah I played soccer when I was like 10 and I don't give a crap about the USA team, I'd say most sports fans care about soccer around world cup time but they just root for whatever heritage they are

[Rob Ban Fan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Monday Morning Bullshit, Schwarzer initiated the contact and fucked up, that was not a foul.

Yeah, i'll give you the other decisions but i'm still not having that one.

Schwarzer is a massive cunt, if he called for it and ran out at full force he would've flattened the striker, defender and anyone else in the way and claimed the ball.

To me it looked like he was caught in two minds about what to do, got stuck in an area where he couldn't claim the ball and it was going to dip over his head so stood there hoping he'd get the foul. He was hardly impeided by the striker and it would've been bollocks if it was disallowed.

Gooner, you're right that most of the time the keeper gets decisions like that but they're almost always wrong and as has been said, keepers get far too much protection.

If the ball is loose then strikers have as much right to go for it as the keeper does, so long as he goes for it fairly. Far too often keepers try to claim the ball, jump into a striker, lose it and get saved by the ref giving them a foul.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Mr. Monday Morning Bullshit, Schwarzer initiated the contact and fucked up, that was not a foul.

If he was fouled then the Australian defenders fouled the Jap first so it's a penalty. Either way the Aussies got what they deserved there.

As for the Italy match, no fucking way it's a penalty. If you run into someone it's fucking obstruction. That simple. If that's a foul then when players are injured and lying on the pitch, you might as well run into them for a free kick.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Originally Posted by Kid Robb Big difference - Australians don't dive. Breciano might have added a few rolls when the Italian bloke got sent off, but he at least took the contact. When you look at Australian sport as a whole its played hard but played fair. In Rugby or Aussie Rules that's fine because that's the nature of the sport. In soccer it became an issue when the Japanese staff publicised it heavily before the first match. If an Australian player took a dive to win a penalty that got us through the media here would be all over it about how it was unsportsmanlike and all that. That's how the Australian media is and that's how Australians are in general. The only thing brought up would be that it would be a makeup for all the calls that went against us in the group games. In any case, like others said, if you cop a bad call in one game, fair enough, you eat it. Four games in a row? Dodgy. The French press said it best, we should look forward to 2010 because we'll get the payback for this one, just like Italy has got there's for losing to South Korea in 02. FIFA has said it wasn't a penalty and was a wrong call. What more do you fucking want than that?

Oh shut up. You're getting on my tits now. You have an easy route to the finals every fucking time, a couple of tough games against a mediocre South American or Asian team and you blew it constantly.

I'd give anything for Ireland's qualification to be solely down to that. It beats playing fucking France, Switzerland and Israel (or Portugal and Holland) all in the same group as well as trotting off to Eastern European hellholes to get knives thrown at our players. You had your chance and you blew it. A ten man Italy team and your players never looked like beating them because they just weren't good enough. They came up short.

Australian players all play in Europe and they know exactly how the game works. Plenty of them dive and plenty of them exaggerate contact to make sure they get free kicks.

Your goal to equalise against Croatia was offside. That's a game defining moment that went Australia's way.

What does FIFA know about football, as well?

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Originally Posted by Rob If he was fouled then the Australian defenders fouled the Jap first so it's a penalty. Either way the Aussies got what they deserved there. As for the Italy match, no fucking way it's a penalty. If you run into someone it's fucking obstruction. That simple. If that's a foul then when players are injured and lying on the pitch, you might as well run into them for a free kick.

It's not obstruction if you are tripped.

[BCWWF]

It's weird to not watch any soccer today, the first time in what, two weeks?

Anyway, I was all for Spain and had big expectations that they would finally do something, maybe even beat Brazil. But as the game went on, I quickly switched allegiance to France. I didn't want to see Zidane go out like that and now I hope they put up a good fight against Brazil.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I fancy them to beat Brazil.

Most of the Spain squad has at least 2 World Cups to come. Many of them won't be at their peak for 6 or 7 years. This might do them good in the long run because they didn't really look strong enough to win it at any point. They played nice football but their defending was always a little loose.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by El Capitano Gatisto It's not obstruction if you are tripped.

Your right. And he wasn't tripped so it's obstruction.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

He was tripped by Lucas Neill's outstretched body.

[yianni]

ECG I guess Kewell's offside goal against Croatia being allowed cancels out the 2 CLEAR handballs missed by the fuckwit Poll, which would have wrapped the game (and progression to the second round) up much earlier.

Also you have got to fucking be kidding me about our qualification. Yeah you try and have no internationals of any importance or difficulty for 3.5 years and then have to play against a South American team over 2 legs who has played over 18 internationals together and a match-hardened. Also having to travel over there and cop it from their fans. Some of the cunts in our squad probably played together for the first time in these play-offs over the years.

Now tell me how that is easier than America's bullshit qualifying system. They get in EVERY time and breeze it in. I'll give you the fact that Ireland have a difficult qualifying process but that's cos you're in Europe where every group has some level of difficulty. But at least you have half the games at home where you can try and press to get some points. And you can afford to drop points a few times and yet still qualify. Remember in 1997 Australia didn't lose a game in qualifying yet still didn't make it.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Well it does, since you got the result and went through. Poll's performance was poor all round, it's hardly an anti-Australian thing a seems to be claimed. You're exaggerating grossly the role refereeing played in Australia's campaign.

You're an average team with a manager that knows how to get a team fit and organised. The quality wasn't there. Time to accept it. You had a big helping hand from the ref with the red card but couldn't capitalise.

I think the USA's system is a load of shit too. The entire American system should probably be brought together in some way and the places spread out between North, Central and South America.

The Australian team being under prepared in the past is their own fault. I don't have any sympathy. Germany haven't played a competitive game in 2 years and they're doing ok in this World Cup. Poor you, having to travel to a hostile away game.

Even if Ireland manage to fight to second in a group we have to play-off against someone. Like Turkey. If you think going to South America is your bad, you should try seeing your team out there.

On the one hand I understand it's good for the game to have the USA and Australia there, even if they have a bye to qualify. On the other I know Ireland are a better side than both and I'd be quite happy to be in a qualifying group with either. I don't know why the Australians should be just allowed to play in a new qualifying system. Fuck it, I want us to qualify through Asia too.

[toxic rooster]

It absolutely mystifies me when people complain that our qualifying route is easy. You know what the argument ALWAYS IS?

"It's easier than getting through Europe".

Well guess what? So is everybody else's. Europe has the hardest qualification route in the world, so if you're going to compain that ours was easy, you should also be complaining that the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, South Korea and Japan also have an easy route.

Out of interest, a total of two of those teams are still in the tournament.

Oceania's qualification route is a lot of things; unfair, bullshit, disgraceful etc, but far from easy. Easy compared to Europe, but definitely not compared to the 17 other teams gracing this year's tournament. It's the only confederation where a group stage won't get you through; if Oceania had been granted a direct spot as promised, you may have a case.

So basically, while the rest of the world is playing similarly poor teams for direct spots, we're doing it to travel nearly the whole world round and play South Americans twice in 4 days.

You're to sit here and tell me that resting our whole chances of qualification on one playoff every 4 years (which happen to be our only meaningful games, as Oceania has no meaningful international competition, and nobody of note wants to play us) is easier than a group stage with 2 direct spots and a playoff spot, pitted against the likes of Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait? Or playing for 3 spots and a playoff against the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala and Panama?

Please. Easy indeed .

[yianni]

100% right Wee Gooner.

Thank fuck we're in Asia now ie a PROPER confederation with PROPER qualifying systems.

[BCWWF]

ECG makes a good point, especially in this World Cup, that the European competition is very strong and very deep. There is no denying it, seeing as though 6/8 and 10/16 of the final teams in the World Cup hail from Europe.

That being said, I think a lot of that is due in part to the World Cup being played in Europe and some unlucky qualifying stages. I know that 2002 was a pretty random World Cup, USA in the quarters, Korea and Turkey in the semis, but I do think that the playing field is evening out and that South Africa will be a lot more like Korea/Japan.

If you look at the way things worked out for some of the non-European teams, it has as much to do with bad luck as anything else. Mexico easily gets out of the group as expected, but then is paired against Argentina. That's an easy loss of one of the non-European teams. Then a team like Ivory Coast. Second in the African Cup of Nations but falls into the hardest group in the tournament. I won't say the USA, because they didn't play like a team that could have made the second round, but Ghana is the only underdog team to get through. I mean Ghana was supposed to be a threat, but they aren't supposed to beat the Czechs 2-0 and they weren't supposed to move on.

So Ghana is really the only team like that who caught a break in this World Cup. You can attribute that to various reasons, but I really think that it is bad luck more than anything that there is such a discrepency this year. On the international stage, I think that teams like Korea, Australia, Mexico and a handful of African teams can definately compete with some of the worlds finest. Note I didn't say they are the best in the World, but I would just be shocked if the next World Cup is so top-heavy with the European teams.

[Joey Slugs]

Where is the love guys?

Well.... Here's The Love!

[Rob Ban Fan]

I don't really wanna get into the debate about whether or not Australia's qualification is easy, but if the problem is you play 2 hard games in 4 years, why don't you just arrange some harder friendlies?

Most of your players are based in Europe so surely you could play some European teams in friendlies in Europe, I know you played a few at Craven Cottage but surely you could go to places like Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark and places like that for games against harder opposition.

[Y2C]

OMG Altakiri quit to save Timor.