Brilliant. Not that any of this will shame Neymar into being less of a jackass. But it's still funny.
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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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Brilliant. Not that any of this will shame Neymar into being less of a jackass. But it's still funny.
Lifetime suspension for all doping, if it was an intent. Armstrong should have 2 lifetimes suspensions.
It’s way better for people who need to use doping, to find what they actually are good at, without cheating. So lifetime suspension is not only a punishment, but a help to get those people on their right path, I think.
I have some compassion for those that of mistake got some banned stuff in them.
Ehh, never liked watched cycling as an own sport just because of the insane doping. No fun.
But I like to watch triathlon where cycling is one part, the 'resting' part
In that sport, it's the real deal, the raw and tough guys and girls.
Think they like all sports had doping, but not widespread.
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Oh, yes, Lance Armstrong; and yes, the admiration and respect for his comeback from cancer.
Ugh.
His conduct has made it hard for any similar story of grit and fortitude - in such a comeback - to be treated with respect and compassion.
He did indeed harm the cause for which his charity was founded and for that, I hold him in utter contempt.
I know, right? Because any average person using those super magic hormones can be a world class rider! I mean, use it and instantly have superhuman endurance, strength, riding skills and course strategy. It’s a completely effortless sport.
Unlike the gracious gamesmanship of feigning injuries to draw a penalty or to preserve a match position through deception.
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Have you ever seen the film ‘Stop at Nothing’? Well worth a watch if not and truly shocking.
And they're still at it...
From Radamel Falcao quoted in the Guardian:
Personally, I don't understand why a coach is allowed stay anyway near the pitch after deliberately walking towards an opposition player who's leaving the field and butting him with his shoulder. (Then smirking with his manager). Do these morons not realise there's cameras everywhere?
From Radamel Falcao quoted in the Guardian:
"The referee disturbed us a lot, in the 50-50 plays, he always made the calls in favour of England,” Falcao said. “This situation was undermining us. He didn’t act with the same criteria for both teams. When in doubt, he always went to the England side. It’s shameful that this happens in the round of 16 of a World Cup"
“I found it peculiar that they put an American referee in this instance,” he said. “To tell you the truth, the process leaves a lot of doubts. He only spoke English, some bias was certain.”
“I found it peculiar that they put an American referee in this instance,” he said. “To tell you the truth, the process leaves a lot of doubts. He only spoke English, some bias was certain.”
Personally, I don't understand why a coach is allowed stay anyway near the pitch after deliberately walking towards an opposition player who's leaving the field and butting him with his shoulder. (Then smirking with his manager). Do these morons not realise there's cameras everywhere?
One counterpoint to Falcao's criticism about the ref speaking only English - I understand why he might be sore after the match, but English is the only language referees are required to be proficient in to be selected for the World Cup - that is a FIFA rule. If the Colombia match had been reffed by an Uzbek or Egyptian or Japanese ref, chances are they would all be communicating in English anyway.
Does Colombia really think they get anything out of this? They just look like a bunch of whiners. They were not the better team, and they should have lost in 90’ and been down a man. Talk about favored call.
Crowding the ref - yellow card.
Calling for VAR - yellow card.
Faking injury - red card.
That would get us back to the beautiful game.
Calling for VAR - yellow card.
Faking injury - red card.
That would get us back to the beautiful game.
A quick review of England's past fortunes at world cups, for comparison. Here are the teams they have beaten in world cups since 1986:
1970: Romania, Czechoslovakia
1982: France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait
1986: Poland, Paraguay
1990: Egypt, Belgium, Cameroon
1998: Tunisia, Colombia,
2002: Argentina, Denmark
2006: Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador
2010: Slovenia
2014: [None]
2018: Tunisia, Panama, Colombia (pens)
So for this period, England in 2018 have already equaled the most wins (three) for the squad at a world cup. Also, with the exceptions of the group stage wins over France in 1982 and Argentina in 2002, none of these squads has beaten a really top-end team - and never in a knockout match.
In short, England are roughly already at par for an England WC performance at this point in terms of the number and quality of opponents beaten. If they beat Sweden they will have won four games - the most wins for England in a world cup since 1966. It seems all the fears about Southgate taking a young, 'inexperienced' squad to the WC were unfounded - in terms of winning matches they've done as well as any squad since 1966, more or less.
1970: Romania, Czechoslovakia
1982: France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait
1986: Poland, Paraguay
1990: Egypt, Belgium, Cameroon
1998: Tunisia, Colombia,
2002: Argentina, Denmark
2006: Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador
2010: Slovenia
2014: [None]
2018: Tunisia, Panama, Colombia (pens)
So for this period, England in 2018 have already equaled the most wins (three) for the squad at a world cup. Also, with the exceptions of the group stage wins over France in 1982 and Argentina in 2002, none of these squads has beaten a really top-end team - and never in a knockout match.
In short, England are roughly already at par for an England WC performance at this point in terms of the number and quality of opponents beaten. If they beat Sweden they will have won four games - the most wins for England in a world cup since 1966. It seems all the fears about Southgate taking a young, 'inexperienced' squad to the WC were unfounded - in terms of winning matches they've done as well as any squad since 1966, more or less.
Don't let the shadow of '66 loom too large over the present squad, or they will never write their own history.
Love the photo though.
Ah; you couldn't resist a homage to World Cup West Ham heroes?
But a merited homage, all the same.
To be fair, a lot of punters, British and foreign, have said over the years that that is what the manager ought to do instead of 'solving the conundrum' of trying to build a team around Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney etc. If your success depends around the inclusion of one or other star player then you are going nowhere when he marked out of sight and the role of the rest of the team is to play second fiddle to him.
This goes for Sweden, too, doing better without Ibrahimovic.
Very good point. We see how that worked out for Argentina and Portugal this year. Building around just one player never works.
I think that this could be an interesting lesson to take form this World Cup; namely, that constructing a team around a star player may well work (and work well) when one is trying to qualify for the tournament, but can rapidly become a liability during the actual tournament, especially in the knock-out stages.
This is a lesson that I think the current English team has digested pretty thoroughly.
This is a lesson that I think the current English team has digested pretty thoroughly.
Yep, we see teams left with stars on it, but they are not alone. A group of players that work together is so much more important than one great player.
It is not just that they "are not alone" it is that they are encouraged to expect that the whole team revolves around them, that the rest of the team are supporting actors, and this deprives the others of agency, autonomy and - sometimes - confidence; worst of all, it means that the full talents of the rest of the team are rarely developed as team, if the sole task of the team is to serve as a supporting act for the star.
Again, that attitude may well serve to enable you t qualify for the tournament - that is when we see stars left their national teams, sometimes; but it will rarely survive the knock-out stages of the competition because that is when you need a team able to play for one and all, not simply as the chorus for a star.
To my mind, it is significant that all of the teams that orbited around one "star" have been eliminated, and I also think that Gareth Southgate has gone out of his way to ensure that no one player is encouraged to think of himself as "a star" in this England team, not even his confident and accomplished captain, Harry Kane.
Totally agree. The only team left with a world class super star is Brazil with Neymar, and I don’t think he is the most important player for them. Honestly, I think they could have gotten to the QF without him. Does he help, of course, but they are so talented beyond him.
The theme for me of this World Cup, has been playing as a unit. Those teams that are playing well together, those are the ones succeeding. Look at Japan. It’s was never about an individual star. It was the team that made it happen. That’s the only reason I have Belgium as the best team still. I just think they have the best players playing together. Sure they had their struggles against Japan, but I just think Japan was better than most though.
The worst part for me about Lance Armstrong was the television commercial he did where he lovingly put his hand on his wife's pregnant belly in soft focus. Within a year or so, he had broken up with her and shacked up with Sheryl Crow. Soooooo classy.
To this day when I see a rude recreational cyclist all Spandex-ed to the gills, I reflexively call them "Lance".
Wait - are you guys talking about winning the wc already?!
Seems like the last big team you actually beat was 16 years ago..and we're still waiting
No, I'm certainly not.
It is a fairly impressive achievement to reach the quarter-finals (and try to dampen expectations at the same time); privately, Southgate will have been vindicated - I'd imagine that this was the target he had set himself.
If they reach the semi-finals, it will be a real bonus and Southgate can count it an excellent World Cup.
Personally, I would be very surprised if England go further, though I would like to see it happen.
And even for a superstar-level player, Kane seems pretty humble and well-grounded, and has the skill set and willingness to keep his teammates involved. He's not just a poacher out there.
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