[Archived] So Are You Involved In The World Cup?

[Flopsy]

if we dont get out of it there will be trouble.

[cn174]

Well the game we've got is Mexico v Portugal, which we're quite happy with

[Rover4ever]

Ridiculously easy group for Germany. Mexico and Portugal will be having it easy as wel..

Argentina & italy will have it really tough, i wouldnt be surprised to see either of them fall at the first hurdle.

France, Spain, England & Brazil have well balanced groups

[Florida Rover]

I don't believe the U.S. have been done any favors with the draw of Italy and Czech.As well, the Ghana contingent represents to me a bit of a mystery other than Essien .I think it rests alot on how the U.S. does in the opener against the Czechs for progression to the next round.

Florida Rover

Edited December 9, 2005 by Florida Rover

[American]

Oh well, A week or 2 in Germany, then out to Italy and Czech...

At least I'll be able to stay at the company apartment in Lux for the first 2 matches!

[BRFCHolland]

Tough draw here, but look forward to meet Emerton and Neill during their trainingssesions in Eindhoven. The Socceroos will also play a friendly against Holland, Robben probably getting injured after meeting Football Legend Neill.

[Sydney Rovers]

Group F

Brazil

Croatia

Japan

Australia

They haven't made it easy for Australia have they?

[Sydney Rovers]

Tough draw here, but look forward to meet Emerton and Neill during their trainingssesions in Eindhoven. The Socceroos will also play a friendly against Holland, Robben probably getting injured after meeting Football Legend Neill.

365992[/snapback]

Do you know when this game is on?

[1864roverite]

England comfortable draw, yes we aint beat sweden since 68 but next year, 2006, is the year England clean sweep the group.

Definate semi finalists

probable finalists

likely winners

should get my full itinery in the next 4/5 weeks

[Aussie_Rover]

Group F

Brazil

Croatia

Japan

Australia

They haven't made it easy for Australia have they?

365993[/snapback]

Brazil will win the group but any of the other 3 teams can get 2nd. It might come down to who can pinch a point off Brazil.

[BRFCHolland]

Do you know when this game is on?

365994[/snapback]

No, it still has to be scheduled. It was agreed between both countries to play a friendly, unless both teams would have been in the same group.

Match will probably be played in Eindhoven (20 miles from here)

[Rovermatt]

England comfortable draw, yes we aint beat sweden since 68 but next year, 2006, is the year England clean sweep the group.

Definate semi finalists

probable finalists

likely winners

should get my full itinery in the next 4/5 weeks

365996[/snapback]

The rest shouldn't even turn up should they? Fools.

[Paul]

England first out

365973[/snapback]

Is that a prediction?

[andy82]

I'll take that, although i don't think i have ever even seen Costa Rica play before - see you in the later rounds Rovermatt! Tough luck Italy

[dave birch]

There isn't a real "group of death" this time is there. All the seeds have got reasonable groups and should go through.

Edited December 9, 2005 by dave birch

[Blueboy Downunder]

i agree dave. there aren't any real groups of death but there are gonna be some cracking games. this is looking like a really good world cup. i am happy enough with our group, although we should win it and go through as winners to play poland in second phase, sweden will once again be a tough game.

[Alex Rover]

There isn't a real "group of death" this time is there. All the seeds have got reasonable groups and should go through.

366003[/snapback]

True but I wouldn't like to be in this group.

GROUP C

Argentina

Ivory Coast

Serbia & Montenegro

Holland

[dave birch]

CR, I would expect the Argies and dutch to do that easily. ?

[Alex Rover]

The rest shouldn't even turn up should they? Fools.

366000[/snapback]

Yes as usual the anti-English don't allow us any optimism. We may fall on our knees but we have a team that has the potential to win. At least least give that credit.

[emerton]

brazil

neill marking ronaldinho, adriano, ronaldo, kaka............

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

If England don't qualify from their relatively easy group against Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden and Paraguay, then Sven-Goran Eriksson should be sent to the Tower of London.

It's as good a draw as England could have hoped for, although I know we haven't beaten Sweden since 1968.

Eriksson said after the draw: "On paper we are favourites to win the group but you never know. I said before the draw that if we could avoid Holland and Australia then we would be happy."

Sven said he was looking forward to playing against Sweden at the World Cup. "Sooner or later we have to beat them. It won't be easy. They are well organised and have two good strikers in Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic."

With five of the best attacking players in the world - Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Robinho, Adriano and Kaka - Brazil are obviously going to be the team to beat. Not all of them may be able to play at the same time though, and Brazil need to ensure that their defence is tight.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira claimed that Germany pose the biggest threat to his country's chances of lifting the World Cup. While some pundits (Alan Hansen included) believe that Germany don't have enough world class players to succeed next year, Parreira says that he fears the Germans the most on their home territory.

FIFA showing us how to turn a simple thing into a long dragged out affair

An estimated 350 million people worldwide were watching tonight's draw and it was an embarrassing farce, Graeme.

Because of FIFA's meddling (They didn't want 3 European teams in one group) - what should have been a relatively simple draw for 350 million people across the world to follow became a ludicrously complicated spectacle.

What is so terrible or shameful about having 3 European teams in one group?

FIFA though had to ensure that the "geography" was right. The African teams had to be spread out nicely so that football can be seen as a "global" event.

As I've said before, the World Cup qualification process itself seems to be fundamentally flawed and biased in favour of weak African and Asian teams at the expense of European nations.

To take ten teams for example - Togo, Ghana, Tunisia, Angola, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Iran, Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia. Those ten team should have been reduced in half for the World Cup IMO.

Five of those teams would have been enough. They don't have a cat in hell's chance of winning the World Cup - although I know Ivory Coast have got a couple of decent players, as have Ghana - with that thuggish hatchet man Essien in midfield. (I fully agreed with the comments of Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan today when he said that Essien deserves to be banned for ten weeks for that disgraceful challenge in midweek.)

It's unfair in my view that some decent European sides like Greece (Euro 2004 Champs) and Denmark (who beat England 4-1 this year) both miss out after they were placed in tough qualification groups. Whereas the likes of Togo and Angola both get to play in the tournament. Denmark, for example, are ranked 13th in the world and Angola ranked 62nd in the world.

Is the World Cup about having the 32 best teams on show or is it about a politically correct "global" event where we have to ensure a sufficiently high "quota" of African and Asian teams?

After making sure the number of European teams in Germany next year have been unjustly curtailed, FIFA then went on to ensure tonight that we didn't have more than two European teams in each group.

The resulting draw seen tonight by 350 million people was a farce to watch when it didn't need to be.

[cn174]

  brazil

neill marking ronaldinho, adriano, ronaldo, kaka............

366009[/snapback]

Yea but Emerton should skin Roberto Carlos alive;)

[Rovermatt]

It's unfair in my view that some decent European sides like Greece (Euro 2004 Champs) and Denmark (who beat England 4-1 this year) both miss out after they were placed in tough qualification groups. Whereas the likes of Togo and Angola both get to play in the tournament. Denmark, for example, are ranked 13th in the world and Angola ranked 62nd in the world.

Is the World Cup about having the 32 best teams on show or is it about a politically correct "global" event where we have to ensure a sufficiently high "quota" of African and Asian teams?

After making sure the number of European teams in Germany next year have been unjustly curtailed, FIFA then went on to ensure tonight that we didn't have more than two European teams in each group.

The resulting draw seen tonight by 350 million people was a farce to watch when it didn't need to be.

366012[/snapback]

Absolute nonsense. For God's sake Smithy not everything you disagree with is down to political correctness. This is the World Cup. It would be a farce if there was no representation from Africa, Asia, or the Caribbean. I seem to remember Senegal and South Korea doing quite well at the previous tournament.

The European Championships cater for the European teams. Latvia and Greece went to Portugal without a hint of pedigree. Should they have been exempt because they hadn't a hope of winning it?

As it turned out the Greeks did pretty good.

[Rovermatt]

Yes as usual the anti-English don't allow us any optimism.  We may fall on our knees but we have a team that has the potential to win.  At least least give that credit.

366008[/snapback]

Hardly optimism. Nor was my post 'anti-English' in any way.

[percy]

  brazil

neill marking ronaldinho, adriano, ronaldo, kaka............

366009[/snapback]

Aye, I don't fancy Brazil's chances, not with the form Lucas has been in recently.

"Lucas Neill's A Football Genius !!"