World cup - looking forward?

[paddler]

Well, I've just watched Spain v Portugal and seen an amazing football match.
Ronaldo is magic!

Cracking game! +1 for Ronaldo even if he is a vain poser. Woe betide England if they play either team.

Dave

[Mick F]

Talking of Rubik Cubes (didn't we have a recent thread about them?) - well I'm still baffled over this totally evil dodecahedron-shaped variant sitting on our coffee table, known in the trade as the Megaminx:
IMG_0407 Megaminx.jpg
As you can probably see, I've got the top two layers, and a bit of the third, solved. I reckon this is as far as I'll get....

Not something to battle away at 24/7 - even if you're totally bored with the footie. One soon throws the vile thing down in disgust. How anyone with a shred of compassion can have dreamt up this form of torture....

Sympathy from me?

No!
Chuck it out of the window.

[thelawnet]

Here in Indonesia they are bloody hopeless at playing football but love watching it on TV. Considering they have almost 1000x the population of Iceland the extent of their ineptitude is quite impressive.

[661-Pete]

Here in Indonesia they are bloody hopeless at playing football but love watching it on TV. Considering they have almost 1000x the population of Iceland the extent of their ineptitude is quite impressive.

That may well be true, but it's rather a shame. One of the more encouraging things one does notice about the demographics in the WC, is that the less-developed, third-world countries are showing their mettle in the sport - a very different situation from, say, 50 years ago when it was entirely dominated by the Europe/Latin America axis. Certainly nothing can be 'taken for granted' any more*.

I looked up in Wiki, and it transpires that Indonesia (or more accurately, their former designation of 'Dutch East Indies') did appear in the WC, just once, in 1938, when they lost 6-0 to Hungary. This is one more than India, the largest country never to have appeared in the WC final stages: they qualified once in 1950, but withdrew when FIFA wouldn't let them play barefoot.

Enough of this brief excursion into the dubious world of 'football statistics' and 'football-pub-quiz-mania', which I have set foot in with some reluctance. Now back to that Megaminx.....

*I mean. 'taken for granted', as Italy did North Korea back in 1966 (look it up!).

[Cyril Haearn]

Might one be accused of cynicism for asserting that money is the overwhelming reason for the whole circus?

Mind, I think it is much better if countries play sports against each other rather than going to war

[thelawnet]

Here in Indonesia they are bloody hopeless at playing football but love watching it on TV. Considering they have almost 1000x the population of Iceland the extent of their ineptitude is quite impressive.

That may well be true, but it's rather a shame. One of the more encouraging things one does notice about the demographics in the WC, is that the less-developed, third-world countries are showing their mettle in the sport - a very different situation from, say, 50 years ago when it was entirely dominated by the Europe/Latin America axis. Certainly nothing can be 'taken for granted' any more*.

Hmm, I'm not too sure about that.

Here's the ordered list of countries by odds of winning the thing.

* Brazil, Germany, Spain, France
* Belgium, Argentina, England, Portugal
* Uruguay, Croatia, Colombia, Russia
* Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia
* Senegal, Mexico, Iceland, Peru

Senegal have 200-1 odds.

The World Cup promotes different federations beyond their inherent strength. For example, the African federation has Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia in the current WC. All of which are no-hopers.

The North American federation offers Costa Rica, Mexico & Panama, none of which are any cop.

The Asian federation has S Korea, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia (!). All again useless.

The Oceania federation has NO teams at the WC.

UEFA has 14 teams but clearly could have more, with Holland & Italy absent.

South America has only 10 teams in a round-robin system with five of ten teams quaifying in a round-robin format that makes it hard for the better teams to get knocked out, compared to UEFA where for example France, Sweden and Holland were in the same qualifying group with only one qualifying, and one being immediately knocked out.

Anyway, it's quite clear that there's still an overwhelming domination of S America & Europe, and things haven't changed so much in the last quarter-century, since Cameroon reached the QF in 1990.

[thelawnet]

I think there is a sort of noble savage idea of developing countries running around in the dirt and going on to be world-beating football teams.

It isn't reality though - money & coaching bring results, not population and enthusiasm.

[reohn2]

Might one be accused of cynicism for asserting that money is the overwhelming reason for the whole circus?

Of course it is,the same can be said for all pro sport.If it weren't for the money it wouldn't be a profession.
I'll be the first to say the money pro footballers at the top of the game are being paid is obscene and that the sport suffers at "grass roots" level because of it.
And from a legal POV the two top players in the world Messi and Ronaldo are currently in the courts for multimillion euro tax evasion,but that doesn't mean they aren't masters of a game that attracts billions of spectators every day around the world and that their skills are truly amazing to witness.

I stopped watching the game at one point due to the conduct of players on the field but things seem to have been got under control again from a refereeing POV.

One thing I do like watching is the woman's game at international level,it's very athletic and skilful.

Mind, I think it is much better if countries play sports against each other rather than going to war

Quite right,if all conflicts could be solved by sport the world would be a better place perhaps.

[Paulatic]

Mexico... well played, sorry Germany

[reohn2]

Mexico... well played, sorry Germany

There's nothing nicer than seeing an underdog take down a giant!
It's good for the tournament

[mikeonabike]

Mexico... well played, sorry Germany

There's nothing nicer than seeing an underdog take down a giant!
It's good for the tournament

Fingers x'd we won't be saying that tomorrow evening

[Mick F]

Why?
What happens tomorrow evening?
SWMBO is out a meeting, and I'll be on here for a while.

Will I miss something?

BTW, did I say that we don't have a telly?

[Cyril Haearn]

Mexico... well played, sorry Germany

There's nothing nicer than seeing an underdog take down a giant!
It's good for the tournament

We have a word for it
Schadenfreude

[661-Pete]

Here's the ordered list of countries by odds of winning the thing.

* Brazil, Germany, Spain, France
* Belgium, Argentina, England, Portugal
* Uruguay, Croatia, Colombia, Russia
* Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia
* Senegal, Mexico, Iceland, Peru

Indeed. I've just been reading the news stories about Argentina, as expected, soundly thrashing Iceland, Germany cruising home to an easy win over Mexico, and now Brazil comfortably putting paid to any Swiss dreams....

No - wait!

Have I been visiting the wrong news site, by any chance?

[thelawnet]

Here's the ordered list of countries by odds of winning the thing.

* Brazil, Germany, Spain, France
* Belgium, Argentina, England, Portugal
* Uruguay, Croatia, Colombia, Russia
* Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia
* Senegal, Mexico, Iceland, Peru

Indeed. I've just been reading the news stories about Argentina, as expected, soundly thrashing Iceland, Germany cruising home to an easy win over Mexico, and now Brazil comfortably putting paid to any Swiss dreams....

No - wait!

Have I been visiting the wrong news site, by any chance?

Not sure if any of these count as 'less-developed, third-world countries' TBH.