football

[Strider]

15 hours ago, LedZeppfan1977 said:

Why do you have to be so damn negative Sean!  Geez.   Besides, the WC gives us a good excuse to drink beer 🍺 in the morning 

Watch EPL. Watch World Cup. Now tell me honestly, which football is higher quality?

That's all I'm saying.

[LedZeppfan1977]

24 minutes ago, Strider said:

Watch EPL. Watch World Cup. Now tell me honestly, which football is higher quality?

That's all I'm saying.

WORLD CUP.   And Angels suck my balls. Two parlays i took those pricks on.  Light ones thank the Lord.  

[LedZeppfan1977]

This is LAME.    Every 4 years we have this tremendous event and no contest here?  I am picking England.  And my second choice is Mexico.  There

 

PS, if England can beat Costa Rica by two goals or more I can win $200 today

Edited June 7, 2018 by LedZeppfan1977

[Sathington Willoughby]

On 5/28/2018 at 2:16 PM, Strider said:

Watch EPL. Watch World Cup. Now tell me honestly, which football is higher quality?

That's all I'm saying.

World Cup. Are you forgetting WC features players from the Bundesliga, La Liga, etc? WC is awesome, my favorite sporting event, you can really feel that everyone in the world is watching and invested.

On 5/28/2018 at 2:41 PM, LedZeppfan1977 said:

WORLD CUP. 

[JTM]

3 hours ago, LedZeppfan1977 said:

This is LAME.    Every 4 years we have this tremendous event and no contest here?  I am picking England.  And my second choice is Mexico.  There

 

PS, if England can beat Costa Rica by two goals or more I can win $200 today

Winner, winner, winner, nice one Rick...

[LedZed66]

19 hours ago, Sathington Willoughby said:

World Cup. Are you forgetting WC features players from the Bundesliga, La Liga, etc? WC is awesome, my favorite sporting event, you can really feel that everyone in the world is watching and invested.

This!

[LedZed66]

My World Cup picks:

 

Winner: France

Team to watch out for: Belgium

My heart beats for: Iceland and Germany

No idea how to rate: Brazil

Looking forward to: great new players to discover and who'll be the sleepers & surprises

[Sathington Willoughby]

I suppose I'll take Germany, they kicked ass last time.

[ForEvermore]

I always root for England when the US is out, but, having lived in England for the last two World Cups, some of the "quiet desperation" (as Pink Floyd properly called it on "Time") has seeped in. For those living there (and are old enough to have first-hand knowledge), has this reticence existed from 1970 onward, or is the memory of 1990 the main culprit? (Or is it something else?)

If/when England get knocked out, I hope Belgium or Argentina win it.

[LedZeppfan1977]

19 hours ago, ForEvermore said:

I always root for England when the US is out, but, having lived in England for the last two World Cups, some of the "quiet desperation" (as Pink Floyd properly called it on "Time") has seeped in. For those living there (and are old enough to have first-hand knowledge), has this reticence existed from 1970 onward, or is the memory of 1990 the main culprit? (Or is it something else?)

If/when England get knocked out, I hope Belgium or Argentina win it.

Argentina are so overated.  They are not winning shit.  I am dumbfounded by this Denmark over Mexico score.  Unreal.  I want to know if Mexico rested their regulars before the start of their big game vs Germany? It was tied until almost the 80 minute mark and Denmark scored twice, firmly planing that game up my ass.  First game I have lost in a while.  The friendly's have gone well, as if they are playing for real.   Not this game.  I refuse to believe Denmark are better than Mexico.  The USA is up on France right now 1-0 as I type.  So I am wondering if starters are being rested?

[ForEvermore]

My hope for Argentina is purely sentimental - I'd like Messi, Aguero and the other current stars to be able to win it. I was really disappointed for them when they didn't win 4 years ago - this is the current crop's last chance. (All kudos to Germany for being able to beat them in Brazil.)

The US played well against France - too bad they'll only be watching very soon now...

Don't take the friendlies too seriously - the teams that are going to the WC aren't going to have the same fire in those games as they will in the proper competition. Those matches are really more important for those who aren't going.

 

[Remi]

USA was close to winning  

Now road to Russia, versus Australia/Peru/Denmark.   This will be not difficult... i hope. 

 

[Walter]

On 6/7/2018 at 1:51 PM, LedZeppfan1977 said:

This is LAME.    Every 4 years we have this tremendous event and no contest here?  

Start one Rick. Less than 5 days to go....

[LedZeppfan1977]

http://www.espn.com/soccer/table/_/league/fifa.world

Lets see if this works Walter.  Above are the groups.   OK, if you click above link you will see the groups.  We will try and predict who comes out of each group to advance to start.  Anyone that wants to participate.  Here goes my choices

Group A (difficult)  I guess I will reluctantly take Russia and Uruguay.  But I fear Egypt.

Group B  Spain and Portugal (easy)

Group C France and Denmark  

Group D  Argentina (so over rated) and Croatia ( though I would fear Iceland a bit)

Group E  Brazil and Switzerland  

Group F  Mexico and Germany

Group G  England and Belgium

Group H  Columbia and Poland

 

We will get a point for each correct and in the second round we will have another go

Edited June 10, 2018 by LedZeppfan1977

[Walter]

32 minutes ago, LedZeppfan1977 said:

http://www.espn.com/soccer/table/_/league/fifa.world

Lets see if this works Walter.  Above are the groups.   OK, if you click above link you will see the groups.  We will try and predict who comes out of each group to advance to start.  Anyone that wants to participate.  Here goes my choices

Group A (difficult)  I guess I will reluctantly take Russia and Uruguay.  But I fear Egypt.

Group B  Spain and Portugal (easy)

Group C France and Denmark  

Group D  Argentina (so over rated) and Croatia ( though I would fear Iceland a bit)

Group E  Brazil and Switzerland  

Group F  Mexico and Germany

Group G  England and Belgium

Group H  Columbia and Poland

 

We will get a point for each correct and in the second round we will have another go

Cool! Sounds good. I’ll drop my picks in later this week. Should we have a different thread for it so game chatter won’t get in the way? Appreciate you doing it.

[LedZeppfan1977]

40 minutes ago, Walter said:

Cool! Sounds good. I’ll drop my picks in later this week. Should we have a different thread for it so game chatter won’t get in the way? Appreciate you doing it.

A different thread is a good idea but there is not much action now so I will see how many are interested?  I was going to do it earlier but Chillumpuffer kept saying he would take care of it.  🤨

Edited June 10, 2018 by LedZeppfan1977

[LedZeppfan1977]

Hey JTM, you know I was going to go with Iceland and Croatia just like you did.  I just did not have the guts to eliminate Argentina in the first round.  But I did make a parlay bet and took Iceland against them straight up at odds of +800.  I can see it happening.  We agree on all the rest.  I can also see an upset with Mexico and Germany.

Oops.  Must correct myself.  I see you took Sweden to make it out with Germany.  I have Mexico.  I do not believe Sweden can beat Mexico. We shall see

Edited June 10, 2018 by LedZeppfan1977

[Walter]

Everyone come join the picks thread. This will be fun on a global level! Game on!

[JTM]

11 hours ago, LedZeppfan1977 said:

Hey JTM, you know I was going to go with Iceland and Croatia just like you did.  I just did not have the guts to eliminate Argentina in the first round.  But I did make a parlay bet and took Iceland against them straight up at odds of +800.  I can see it happening.  We agree on all the rest.  I can also see an upset with Mexico and Germany.

Oops.  Must correct myself.  I see you took Sweden to make it out with Germany.  I have Mexico.  I do not believe Sweden can beat Mexico. We shall see

I'm gambling Argentina get knocked out at the group stages. Part of me still cannot forgive Maradona and his cheat handball goal in the 86 finals even though admittedly Argentina did have a truly great team that year.

[LedZeppfan1977]

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23402874/world-cup-rank-espn-fc#!angeldimaria

 

Some player rankings

 

Dont forget to pick a champion under your round 1 picks folks.  Come on and get in.  That means you Strider and EBK and Paul and many others.  JTM, please go back and pick a champion under your round 1 picks!.  Oh, and Chilumpuffer.  Get in on this

Edited June 11, 2018 by LedZeppfan1977

[Strider]

On 5/28/2018 at 11:41 AM, LedZeppfan1977 said:

WORLD CUP. 

 

On 6/7/2018 at 2:40 PM, Sathington Willoughby said:

World Cup. Are you forgetting WC features players from the Bundesliga, La Liga, etc? WC is awesome, my favorite sporting event, you can really feel that everyone in the world is watching and invested.

No I am not forgetting. But the EPL has great players from all over the world, too.

My antipathy towards the World Cup stems from several things.

1. The politics and corruption of FIFA. Yes, Sepp Blatter is finally gone. But the stain and stench of his reign will linger on.

2. The incompetence of the referees. Because goal scoring is at a premium, the effect of a bad call is even more outsized than in other low-scoring sports such as hockey and baseball. I have seen more bad calls in World Cup matches than in all the Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Finals combined. It is maddening.

3. The sheer boredom of teams who "play not to lose" instead of "playing to win". Italy is the bane of World Cup and the root of this evil. Unfortunately, very few teams play like Germany, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Also, because of the nature of the WC draw you are not guaranteed a match of historic rivals like England vs. Germany or Argentina or Brazil vs. Argentina. Frequently, you get two countries with no history with each other at all.

Whereas every week in EPL there are blood-feuds with intensity.

I will still watch the World Cup this year, primarily because of the historic appearance of Iceland.

My World Cup allegiances break down as follows.

First, I root for the teams of my family roots...Ireland and Iceland. Ireland did not make it this time. 

Second, I root for Germany, the country I fell in love and bonded with during my years there in the Army.

Third, I cheer for any of the British Empire teams that make it...England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia.

If none of the above teams make it thru, then it comes down to either Brazil or the Netherlands if they are still alive.

Teams I HATE and will never cheer for, not even if you paid me: Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Russia.

[LedZed66]

Beside the great matches (and there will be great matches!) I love the cultural aspect of the World Cup. The WC unites and connetcs people from all over the world.

 

From my World Cup playlist:

The she-knight of "Ni!" from Iceland, fusion from Brazil and electro punk from South Korea. PEACE!

 

 

[LedZeppfan1977]

On 6/11/2018 at 2:48 PM, Strider said:

 

No I am not forgetting. But the EPL has great players from all over the world, too.

My antipathy towards the World Cup stems from several things.

1. The politics and corruption of FIFA. Yes, Sepp Blatter is finally gone. But the stain and stench of his reign will linger on.

2. The incompetence of the referees. Because goal scoring is at a premium, the effect of a bad call is even more outsized than in other low-scoring sports such as hockey and baseball. I have seen more bad calls in World Cup matches than in all the Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Finals combined. It is maddening.

3. The sheer boredom of teams who "play not to lose" instead of "playing to win". Italy is the bane of World Cup and the root of this evil. Unfortunately, very few teams play like Germany, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Also, because of the nature of the WC draw you are not guaranteed a match of historic rivals like England vs. Germany or Argentina or Brazil vs. Argentina. Frequently, you get two countries with no history with each other at all.

Whereas every week in EPL there are blood-feuds with intensity.

I will still watch the World Cup this year, primarily because of the historic appearance of Iceland.

My World Cup allegiances break down as follows.

First, I root for the teams of my family roots...Ireland and Iceland. Ireland did not make it this time. 

Second, I root for Germany, the country I fell in love and bonded with during my years there in the Army.

Third, I cheer for any of the British Empire teams that make it...England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia.

If none of the above teams make it thru, then it comes down to either Brazil or the Netherlands if they are still alive.

Teams I HATE and will never cheer for, not even if you paid me: Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Russia.

Well you might as well play the contest Sean.  Why not?   Its on another thread I created and we have 4 participants now.  Come on.  Take a shot.  Pick two teams to come out of each group and a champion.  After round one we pick again

[Zepfan2001]

World Cup? I cheer for England.

Then France or Denmark.

[LedZed66]

Kick off today and I'd like to share my World Cup "experience".

 

In 2006 Cologne hosted 5 World Cup matches. The atmosphere in town was  a-w-e-s-o-m-e. We have many big events here in Cologne, for Carnival 1 Million people crowding the streets. We know how to throw a party.

 

But nothing compares to these magical days during the World Cup. Everyone was so relaxed and happy and I think cordial sums it up very well. Only a few incidents with drunken males happened.

 

I remember the day when England played Sweden very well. I work nearby the street that leads to the football stadium where the wonderful Swedish fans were gathering. Had some nice small talk with some of them.

Back then I lived nearby the hotel the English team stayed in. On my way home from work I arrived near the hotel when the English team entered the bus to go to the match. From the distance I only recognized Peter Crouch. Around the bus hundreds of English hard core fans making big noice to cheer up their national team. It was mesmerising and a bit frightning. But I must say it was a fantastic experience.

The match ended in a 2:2 draw.

 

I didn't see any match live in the stadium. It was very difficult to get tickets. But we had a lot of great parties with friends at home and in pubs. Being a host is different. I wish all the fans and hosts in Russia a fantastic time. And congrats to Canada, Mexico and the United States to host 2026.