The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Thread

[The Archregimancy]

This better be a 'shop.

Consensus is that this is a fake, yes, as there's been no independent confirmation from betting agencies.

However, it has been independently confirmed that an individual in New Zealand did place a NZ$ 2 bet on Germany winning 7-1, thereby winning NZ$ 500.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 94504.html

[Forsher]

This better be a 'shop.

Consensus is that this is a fake, yes, as there's been no independent confirmation from betting agencies.

However, it has been independently confirmed that an individual in New Zealand did place a NZ$ 2 bet on Germany winning 7-1, thereby winning NZ$ 500.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 94504.html

I will be disappointed if his name isn't Paul. Whatever the name that punter is going to be kicking theirself for not placing more money on it. $500 is handy but not really that much... a smallish laptop during a sale for instance.

[Emilio Aguinaldo]

Now, if I were Brazilian, I would support Germany in a Germany/Argentina final.

Would you really want Argentina to be the ones who defeated the team that defeated you?

Brazil lost with 7-1 in a World Cup, in a semifinal, on at home. Were humiliated with a huge global audience. Lost a record number of final, lost record goalscorer, are in tears. Worse than it is?

Hungary congratulating another country for entering the world cup for the first time with a 10-1 would be worse...

[Nazis in Space]

<3 dutch media

[KoloToure]

Interesting point I've seen made on Twitter - Low is getting nowhere near the same amount of attention from the English media that van Gaal got, despite this being the more exemplary performance of the two.

[The Blaatschapen]

Interesting point I've seen made on Twitter - Low is getting nowhere near the same amount of attention from the English media that van Gaal got, despite this being the more exemplary performance of the two.

1.Van Gaal is doing the unexpected. Not many English media gave the Dutch much chance before the tournament.

2. Van Gaal will coach a major English club next season.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

So, I went outside to go get some stuff to cook. Decided to buy a newspaper named Lance, a rather relevant sports newspaper. Its' cover is all-white, bar the date, logo, price and the following text on the lower part of the cover.

"Indignation, revolt, pain, frustration, irritation, shame, sorrow, disappointment ...
Say what you feel and make yourself this cover!"

So I guess the game on Saturday isn't really much of a fun afternoon.
I don't know if I'm going to watch the remaining games or not... I've been really late on the schedule and even though this has been a hell of a Cup, I don't know if I want to see the mourning of the commentators and I don't want to watch a mute match.

[Nazis in Space]

Interesting point I've seen made on Twitter - Low is getting nowhere near the same amount of attention from the English media that van Gaal got, despite this being the more exemplary performance of the two.

Löw's starting eleven contains nine players who've seen a CL final at least once (Ten if starting with Götze instead of Klose). Half of them have seen it more than once (To a maximum of three times), and won it once. Van Gaal has two who saw a CL final & won it.

There's no way around the fact that Löw's squad is vastly, vastly more experienced when it comes to top level football - without being overaged, that is.

Consequently - and assuming that both make it to the final -, it's fair to say that van Gaal's success has been achieved with a squad that is, on paper, nowhere near the same level.

With the squad Löw has available - and despite the injuries of Reus, Gündogan, Badstuber, Bender before the tournament, which killed off three more CL finalists, at least one of whom was a certain starter. Could've been three, depending on circumstances -, in all honesty... Anything less than the title would be a disappointment. You don't throw almost literally an entire starting eleven worth of (multiple) CL finalists/ winners at the world cup and expect them to do anything but win - literally every other coach with the exception of del Bosque would literally cum in public if offered such an opportunity.

[The Archregimancy]

Brazil lost with 7-1 in a World Cup, in a semifinal, on at home. Were humiliated with a huge global audience. Lost a record number of final, lost record goalscorer, are in tears. Worse than it is?

Hungary congratulating another country for entering the world cup for the first time with a 10-1 would be worse...

1982 wasn't El Salvador's first appearance in a World Cup.

They'd previously qualified in 1970.

[KoloToure]

Interesting point I've seen made on Twitter - Low is getting nowhere near the same amount of attention from the English media that van Gaal got, despite this being the more exemplary performance of the two.

Löw's starting eleven contains nine players who've seen a CL final at least once (Ten if starting with Götze instead of Klose). Half of them have seen it more than once (To a maximum of three times), and won it once. Van Gaal has two who saw a CL final & won it.

There's no way around the fact that Löw's squad is vastly, vastly more experienced when it comes to top level football - without being overaged, that is.

Consequently - and assuming that both make it to the final -, it's fair to say that van Gaal's success has been achieved with a squad that is, on paper, nowhere near the same level.

Sorry, sorry, was a horribly and hastily constructed post and one that missed the point of what I was trying to convey. One I can't be bothered to rearrange either, so point conceded by default, the two sweetest words in the English language.

[The Nihilistic view]

Interesting point I've seen made on Twitter - Low is getting nowhere near the same amount of attention from the English media that van Gaal got, despite this being the more exemplary performance of the two.

1.Van Gaal is doing the unexpected. Not many English media gave the Dutch much chance before the tournament.

2. Van Gaal will coach a major English club next season.

I would say reason 2 is by far the main one. He is almost never in our media but as soon as he was linked with United he has been in the news constantly some weeks on a daily basis.

[Yellow Yellow Red]

"He [van Persie] has a stomach problem, an intestinal problem. I don't know [if he will play],'' Van Gaal told his prematch news conference. "I will decide [on Wednesday].

It's Wednesday now - any news on whether RvP is recovered enough to play? I can't imagine how disappointed players must be to miss matches at this stage of the World Cup (or any stage, really) through non-sport related health problems.

[Patistan]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 94504.html

This might be off interest

Also Arch Update the poll

[Risottia]

You know, it only just struck me that Italy are one of those teams that favours playing in a colour not on their flag

I always hoped Italy would change its away colours to something bolder, like, dunno, a Garibaldi-style red jersey.
By the way, red originally was also used in international car races for Italian cars (that's why Ferrari and Alfa-Romeo used red), just like white or silver for German ones, green for Britain and blue for France.

...Silver Ferns (netball, from the iconic image so still counts),

I actually had to wiki netball. Never heard of it before.

[Farfadillis]

But as a multilingual person, perhaps you can explain this to me: Italy are the "Gli Azzurri" and France are the "Les Bleus". Aren't those both the same colour?

Azzurro (Italy) and celeste (Uruguay, AFAIK Argentina) are both specific shades of bleu (France).

Bizarre, I know.

For the record, Argentina's La Albiceleste and Uruguay's La Celeste. Albiceleste means white and sky-blue. Celeste means sky-blue-

[Agritum]

You know, it only just struck me that Italy are one of those teams that favours playing in a colour not on their flag

I always hoped Italy would change its away colours to something bolder, like, dunno, a Garibaldi-style red jersey.
By the way, red originally was also used in international car races for Italian cars (that's why Ferrari and Alfa-Romeo used red), just like white or silver for German ones, green for Britain and blue for France.

...Silver Ferns (netball, from the iconic image so still counts),

I actually had to wiki netball. Never heard of it before.

Rosso Ferrari Italy would be quite cool. That, and a Juventus-style jersey but with the tricolour

[Risottia]

Rosso Ferrari Italy would be quite cool. That, and a Juventus-style jersey but with the tricolour

The Juve-tricolour would look a bit like a pyjamas... I'd thought of a kit consisting of a solid red jersey, white shorts and green socks.

[Nazis in Space]

Rosso Ferrari Italy would be quite cool. That, and a Juventus-style jersey but with the tricolour :p

The Juve-tricolour would look a bit like a pyjamas... I'd thought of a kit consisting of a solid red jersey, white shorts and green socks.

White skirt and green stockings.

[Risottia]

The Juve-tricolour would look a bit like a pyjamas... I'd thought of a kit consisting of a solid red jersey, white shorts and green socks.

White skirt and green stockings.

Mhh... things are getting interesting.
White miniskirt, green thigh-high stockings showing the zettai ryouiki. Make the red jersey ultra-frilly, and we'll have Italy Magical Schoolgirl Soccer Team! Fighting the Evil Teams with Love and Pizza! We'll be unstoppable!
Uh...
Well... at least, there's no way we'd play worse that we did in the last two WC.

[The Archregimancy]

Also Arch Update the poll

You must have missed this bit:

I've enabled "change my vote", so this will be the last update.

All you have to do is change your vote.

[Infected Mushroom]

Brazil...

Why...WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent the entire morning in the mountain of western France, drinking and trying to forget what I witnessed on TV. Brazil... You disappoint me.

Can no one defeat these Germans?

[Herrebrugh]

Trams here have a cute orange flag on top of them

[Auremena]

Argentina seems to be abandoning the 5-3-2 and going back to the 4-3-3. Against the Dutch 5-3-2, let's see how it works.
I'm afraid Demichelis and Garay aren't going to be able to handle Robben and van Persie together.

[Mefpan]

Can no one defeat these Germans?

I'm sure Germany can be defeated. All it'll take is for everyone to vote the Russian team back in for a shirtless winter finale in the outskirts of Volgograd.

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Argentina seems to be abandoning the 5-3-2 and going back to the 4-3-3. Against the Dutch 5-3-2, let's see how it works.
I'm afraid Demichelis and Garay aren't going to be able to handle Robben and van Persie together.

Heard someone on the radio say that, too.

Good.