First Game At The World Cup

[navypie]

I thought the Ref was really good yesterday. Let's hope that t**t we had to endure at Chaventry was taking notes.

[Notts78]

You could say the same of the FA Cup but people seem to enjoy the prospect of an upset.

I understand that. How is it fair that teams like Scotland and Northern Ireland (I could name a host of European and South American sides) will struggle to qualify because they are competing against the Elite in each qualifying group, yet teams like Saudi Arabia, Iran and to a lesser degree Japan and Australia play very very moderate teams to qualify.
In terms of the FA Cup, none league sides earn the right to compete with the preliminary rounds where they take on teams who will be marginally better or worse than them, if they make the 1st round they play teams who In theory should beat them, it’s only the 3rd round where they have a small chance at an Elite team. The World Cup by comparison is not this... beat a few **** sides, qualify, make a bundle of money and play Brazil/Spain/Germany etc..

[ReadWarbler]

The Canada /USA/Mexico World cup is a joke, only Mexico have football as their national sport. We'll have three host nations who qualify automatically and two will be crap.

So which one will be in the opening game as host ? Will all 3 be seeded in the group stage meaning possibly 3 easy groups ?
so many questions in this strange choice, but i guess money talks

[upthemaggies]

The Canada /USA/Mexico World cup is a joke, only Mexico have football as their national sport. We'll have three host nations who qualify automatically and two will be crap.

USA - who don't even call it football - gets to host the World cup twice in 32 years, England - the home of football - doesn't get to host it in 60 years and counting.

[Bushwacka]

USA - who don't even call it football - gets to host the World cup twice in 32 years, England - the home of football - doesn't get to host it in 60 years and counting.

USA have won more games, scored more goals (twice as many) and have advanced further (one tournament) than England at the last 2 tournaments. (EDIT, NOT that that means they should host it again, that's simply FIFA trying to promote it so they can get their grubby mitts on more money)

To everyone moaning, a World Cup without crap Asian/Central American teams would be dull and wouldn't really be a World Cup. It's been like that since I was a kid.

Plenty of places for Europe. The Italians and Dutch had every chance to qualify and have only themselves to blame for neither of them getting past Sweden. Italy drew at home with Macedonia, who are lower ranked than the Saudis.

[Bohinen]

USA have won more games, scored more goals (twice as many) and have advanced further (one tournament) than England at the last 2 tournaments. (EDIT, NOT that that means they should host it again, that's simply FIFA trying to promote it so they can get their grubby mitts on more money)

To everyone moaning, a World Cup without crap Asian/Central American teams would be dull and wouldn't really be a World Cup. It's been like that since I was a kid.

Plenty of places for Europe. The Italians and Dutch had every chance to qualify and have only themselves to blame for neither of them getting past Sweden. Italy drew at home with Macedonia, who are lower ranked than the Saudis.

If Iceland can qualify from Europe, no-one can moan. As for the location, I would rather just Canada had it, whether they have an interest or not, because I like the country and the people and having one country gives the tournament more character. Europe wasn't considered for this one anyway because they are having one now, in case no-one had noticed.

Which brings me onto. Spain 3 Portugal 3. Not too bad, was it? I once used to argue that Rooney was better than Ronaldo when they were both at Man United. It seems a ridiculous argument now.

[tarquinbeech]

"I would rather just Canada had it, whether they have an interest or not, because I like the country and the people"......so judging by this pearl of wisdom from Bohinen, Tarkers votes for the Falklands Islands next World Cup .....don't worry about the infrastructure or the lack of crowds....I like the Falklanders....they deserve to have the World Cup

[drillerpie]

Which brings me onto. Spain 3 Portugal 3. Not too bad, was it? I once used to argue that Rooney was better than Ronaldo when they were both at Man United. It seems a ridiculous argument now.

It does now but Rooney had the potential, just didn't have the lifestyle or hunger to be great rather than very good.

[Bohinen]

It does now but Rooney had the potential, just didn't have the lifestyle or hunger to be great rather than very good.

Yes, but I actually saw them in the flesh against Villarreal back in 2005 and I denied what I saw with my own eyes. Van Nistelrooy, Rooney and Ronaldo all played. RVN was greedy and wanted to score all the goals himself, Ronaldo was supposed to cross to him every time he got the ball. Meanwhile, Rooney was trying his usual repertoire of long range shots and chips, but Ronaldo just stuck to his task on the left wing and the ball seemed glued to his feet. He never lost it once. It ended 0-0 and United were knocked out in the group stage but even at that stage, Ronaldo was obviously a better prospect than Rooney, I just bought into the English media hype.

Tarkers, my wisdom is I would rather watch a match in a beautiful country like Canada than a filthy hell hole where murders are commonplace like Mexico, who have had more than their share of WCs anyway.