One of the worst World Cup's ever?

Ardent

Enjoying the World Cup so far. Inevitably, there have been a few muck games - a bit like the Champions League at times - but some of the games have been a pleasant surprise, for example the Cameroon/Denmark game tonight.

Also enjoying Richie Sadlier's excellent punditry in the wrap-up programme each night.

digme

It's great since Wednesday.

fryup

worst world cup?? don't think so.......give it a chance still 3 weeks left

when its finished then come back and tell us how u feel

ElaElaElano

It's been alright so far I'd say, but poor in comparison with 2006. I can still vividly remember some of the games- Germany 4-2 Costa Rica, where every goal was a screamer, or Argentina beating Serbia 6-0, including that goal with 30 consecutive passes or something, Rosicky singlehandedly tearing America to pieces, the real Ronaldo's last outing as a top player when Brazil whalloped Japan 4-1.

I just can't imagine looking back four years now from now and remembering any of the games so far as classics. As others have said, Argentina have been impressive, so too Germany in their first game, but nothing outstanding.

I'm really looking forward to Brazil vs Ivory Coast, have a feeling it'll be a cracker.

Lando Griffin

So far great for unpredictable results, first round usual bag of nerves from teams, second sound teams have to play for survival, third sound alot of teams knocked out some playing the draw and more back to the wall stuff. Knock out stages should have a few craking games.

K-9

86 was great, but that's the first one I remember so rose coloured glasses there. 1990 was terrible, the worst in my memory.

If you think this is bad, the old system of 24 teams and 16 going through, made for teams just passing the ball back to the goalkeeper. Back passes were allowed then.

Far too early to tell.

The Sparrow

I thought it was a bit rubbish until Maicon scored for Brazil agains N. Korea. After that it has got much better. Lots of upsets and drama and even a couple of comebacks. Even a bad game like England v Algeria was engaging just to see how bad England could be.

I agree that there has been a lack of quality goals and amazing play but I blame the ball. I was a bit sick of hearing about the ball but I just watched MOTD and Craig Johnston explained how it is basically an expensive beach ball and how the manufacturing process has made it fly through the air and streamlined it too much.

By the way, Craig Johnston played for Liverpool and he also invented the Adidas Predator football boot so he should know what he is talking about.

He called it a disgrace and I tend to agree.

Het-Field

bonerm wrote: »

I still think 1998 was the worst World Cup I've seen (from 1990-2010). A lot of one sided games (Arg 5-0 Jam, Hol 5-0 Sko , Spa 6-1 Bul), rubbish football (Scotland , Norway etc) and under performing favourites (England. Spain , Germany , Brazil ... who might as well have picked their ladies team for the final). It all added up to a cocktail of shíte.

Thats quite unfair. In 1998 there were a plethora of teams which really came to the fore. An Unfancied Croatia team turned on the style, the Netherlands team was hitting the high-notes, while Brazil performed admirably until the debacle in the Final. The French really showed strength, and smaller teams like Morocco and South Africa which returned home with some credible results. If i remember correctly there were very few 0-0 draws in the early rounds, while the 0-0 draws in the latter rounds (France v Italy) were humdingers.

There were better players at that tournament then there are at this current one. Suker, Salas, Owen, Shearer, Zidane, Ronaldo, Dunga, Rivaldo, Dechamps, Bergkamp, Batistuta, Ortega, Vieri, Baggio, Chilavert, Valderamma, Asprilla, Raul, Hernandex (flamboyant Mexican), both Laudrups, Klinnsmann, Hagi, Kluivert, Polster all spring to mind. It was a whose who of 1990s football. I dont believe the same applies in this world cup. No doubting the quality that the likes of Messi bring to the world stage, the same sort of player is just not in the modern world cup.

However, I have enjoyed this tournament as a neutral. The US game was superb, and I was really impressed by the resiliance of an unfancied team to cut a defecit of two goals. Equally, many team which would be construed as canon fodder have put up a good fight. I hope it continues this way, and it will make the 3 round of games a do or die exercise !

jayteecork

darkman2 wrote: »

Actually I disagree - Maradonna is the most entertaining person in the World Cup by a mile.

On the pitch rather.
They're mostly overpaid primadonnas these days.

postalservice

The Craig Johnston Interview is here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8750020.stm

Mr.Nice Guy

Yeah I saw the show earlier and I reckon he's spot on. Many pros, ex-pros and managers have criticised it and there has to be something to their complaints. As the old saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Finical

Bloody adidas nike etc always doing new crap to get even more money. Just keep the ball the same perhaps a change of colour or whatever. Not a bloody beachballl!!!

K-9

Boot designer Craig Johnston slams ball



Says it all, really!

rossie1977

namloc1980 wrote: »

Let's face it....the first round of group games were pretty crap. But it has taken off now and hopefully we'll get some exciting knockout games.

exciting penalty shoot-outs yeah

lets face it, the wc is well marketed the 4 years its built up, the reality when it does come around is a bunch of tired players at the end of the long hard season often producing nowhere near the full potential

ffs the last good wc final was 1986, every final since has been awful, in fact 86 was the last good wc full-stop though the american one was brilliantly presented, the football just didn't match up

rossie1977

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Yeah I saw the show earlier and I reckon he's spot on. Many pros, ex-pros and managers have criticised it and there has to be something to their complaints. As the old saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it.

it wouldn't be a world cup without everyone blaming the ball as usual, its happened every wc i have watched

Yakult

It didnt start great but thats to be expected, teams arent sure what to expect when they get on the pitch but the more game they get the better they get, in most cases lol.

Im gonna wait till the end whether to call it the worst WC or not.

The Sparrow

K-9 wrote: »

Boot designer Craig Johnston slams ball



Says it all, really!

FYP:)

Adidas Boot designer Craig Johnston slams Adidas ball

TheDoc

Very dissapointed so far.

To be expected, teams are cautious and anxious to not lose games and progress so its going to be a slow enough start.

I thought the puff and smoke about the ball beforehand was bull****, but I definitly see it being true. Crosses have been non existant with the ball flying into the sky, players are shooting from everywhere hoping for a 1 out of 10 ratio to hit on target. Long balls and diagonal balls are bouncing so far ahead of players and every free kick in the opposing half is turning into a terrible attempt on goal. It makes for rubbish viewing.

Big name players arnt performing as are the teams. Hopefully it can pick up for the latter stages.

The noise and atmosphere watching the games is atrocious. The whaling noise of a whale being raped is absolutely ear numing and non enjoyable what so ever.

The over zealous media barraging of national teams in their countries is also shocking to see, France today have refused to train, their head of Fa resigned and their team in disarray.

The English are going insane over their performances, as if their world cup record entitles them to be contenders Watching sky sports news this morning was cringe worthy, talk of Capello being sacked if they dont qualify.

Wayne Rooneys remarks were absolutely cut to shreds by the media and supporters groups, I was dissapointed to watch it on youtube today, thinking it was going to be extreme, but in reality he just told the truth and how he was feeling, regardless of whats going on unless something like whats going on in france, theres no excuse for booing your team, hes spot on.

Emile Heskey is getting a torrid time, granted I'd not have him there, with england rocking a 5man midfield with gerrard playing the advanced role from the centre along with lampard, hes been there probably best performing player thus far in terms of making an effort and creating some link up play.

Spain got cut to shreds as did portugal and italy in their respective media.

Rte punditry as usual has been dire and annoying to watch with ingame commentary being shocking. Mick McCarthy on BBc has been the highlight so far for me, and their overall coverage as a whole has been top class imo with some very insightful and intellegent pundits like modern game managers and players.

I have watched I think 4 full games, having to turn off the rest at half time they have been so poor, I just feel like I'm wasting time. I'll give brazil and ivory coast 45 minutes tonight, if its dribble ill save my hours to watch the latter stages.

The refereeing has been very poor. I dont enjoy watching alot of these tournaments because of the amount of referees that come from lower levels of football standards, and it becomes visible on the main stage. Soft fouls, ridiculous sending offs and penalites ( Italys penalty there was pretty shocking). The games are all stop start with no flow, referees blowing on everything, diving and playacting is as evident as ever, and the physical side of the game is truely dead if this tournament is anything to go by.

Poor football, bad atmosphere, over the top media crtique, terrible football, poor refereeing, its pretty bad alright.

I can only hope things get better.

df1985

Its been a strange world cup so far. the big guns not performing etc, if i was one of the middle of the road teams id be very hopeful at this stage of getting further than would have been expected on paper.could we been in for a suprise overall winner, or will the big guns scrape through the groups and wake up in the knockout stages?

transylman

df1985 wrote: »

Its been a strange world cup so far. the big guns not performing etc, if i was one of the middle of the road teams id be very hopeful at this stage of getting further than would have been expected on paper.could we been in for a suprise overall winner, or will the big guns scrape through the groups and wake up in the knockout stages?

Yeah, seems to be a bit of a repeat of world cup 2002 in that regard. Most of the big european teams performed poorly, allowing a number of small teams to get through to the knockout stages. Hopefully we wont get the strange refereeing decisions this time as well.

steelcityblues

Only one team definitely through and one team definitely out so far!

At least it makes the final day of groups very competitive!

Boskowski

Lads.
You're gettin ahead of yourselves. The world cup hasn't even begun yet. Group stage is just there to weed out the riff raff.

adox

How can it be one of the world cups ever when:

A. It's not even half way through the group stages yet

B. Unless you are well over eighty years of age you can't have a view.


I'm really enjoying it so far. Cagey start for a lot of the first round games but nothing new there. Since then there has been some cracking games.

This is the ninth world cup I have watched and it doesn't stand out as having a worse start than the other eight. If anything Italia 90 was dire in the group stages, but seemed great because we were involved.

curry-muff

I don't know what people are crying about, we're only two rounds in and theres been a few cracker matches in this second round of matches, its obviously gona take them a game or two to get used to the altitude in SA, mark my words its gona boom into action soon

JerryHandbag

USA 94 was the best one I remember, this one is not living up to that...yet. There were cracking games in most of the groups as well as the knockouts in that tournament.