One of the worst World Cup's ever?

kippy · 19-06-2010 09:41PM

Tis hard to enjoy a world cup when you've no real emotional attachment to it.
It really does make a big difference when we're not in it.
There have been a few decent games but in general in these kinda tournaments the group games can be pants. The law of averages states that.
Think of the average Premier League season, outside of games in which the team you support are involved you dont actually watch that many full matches and the general percentages of "entertaining" matches in the league is relatively low, on a percentage level about the same as this WC.

Its also fairly difficult to call this one of the worst WC's every without having watched all of the previous ones, I doubt theres anyone here who has done that, especially in the early days when channels only covered a few matches outside of their own countries.
Perhaps we are bombarded too much with live soccer - we've become bored unless something outside of the ordinary happens.

Drag00n79 · 19-06-2010 09:58PM

jayteecork wrote: »

Look at "Hero the offical film of the 1986 World Cup" the tournament was full of them - Maradona, Platini, Rumminege, Elkjaer, Rudi Voeller, etc.

Brilliant film

dartbhoy · 19-06-2010 09:58PM

The start last week produced poor and disappointing games but the standard is improving,Slovenia v USA was a cracker yesterday and Cameroon v Denmark tonight was probably the best game of the tournament so far. The worst World Cup ever held was in 2002 in my opinion.

SM01 · 19-06-2010 09:59PM

As per a few other comments on here I found the first round of games dreadfully dreary stuff to watch then the Brazil V N. Korea game seemed to kick-start the competition and there's been a good improvement in the games. Denmark and Cameroon just there was quality.

Maybe it's just me being influenced by the media focus on the ball but I've never seen so many shots fly so high over the bar.

Mr.Nice Guy · 19-06-2010 10:03PM

Cameroon/Denmark was more like it.

PogMoThoin · 19-06-2010 10:11PM

There's definitely an issue with the ball. I've never seen so many professional players just power the ball over the bar. Its affecting the goal scoring

darkman2 · 19-06-2010 10:22PM

jayteecork wrote: »

There's certainly no characters anymore as well.

Actually I disagree - Maradonna is the most entertaining person in the World Cup by a mile.

ziggy · 19-06-2010 10:32PM

This post has been deleted.

Overature · 19-06-2010 10:34PM

im loving it, i like seeing most of the top teams do crap so that others can step up and do well

namloc1980 · 19-06-2010 10:39PM

PogMoThoin wrote: »

There's definitely an issue with the ball. I've never seen so many professional players just power the ball over the bar. Its affecting the goal scoring

+1. Most of the players are finding it almost impossible to keep the ball down, when it's struck it just keeps rising and rising. They were saying on BBC earlier that because all the panels are bonded together there is very little air resistance to help the ball dip etc.

falan · 19-06-2010 10:57PM

darkman2 wrote: »

Actually I disagree - Maradonna is the most entertaining person in the World Cup by a mile.

A world cup wouldn't be a world cup without maradonna making the headlines in one way or another. Also great to watch on the sidelines. I thought it was funny when he said that "pele should go back to the museum"...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5292403/ce/us/argentina-coach-diego-maradona-tells-pele-go-back-museum&cc=5739?ver=global

Mr Alan · 19-06-2010 10:59PM

there is a horrible tendency wit modern football fans for them to think everything is 'the worst ever' or 'the best ever'. Stupid tabloid sensationalism has become so much part of the game that people have forgotten there is any sort of middle ground.

SlickRic · 19-06-2010 11:12PM

obviously nobody remembers 1990.

yes, we were emotionally invested in it.

but bar Cameroon hatcheting the entire Argie team in the first game, i barely remember a game in the tournament.

now that was a bad World Cup.

Mr Alan · 19-06-2010 11:14PM

i'm actually really enjoying it so far, some cracking games already with lots more to come.

SlickRic · 19-06-2010 11:17PM

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'm actually really enjoying it so far, some cracking games already with lots more to come.

the second round of games in particular have barely had a bad game, bar today's Holland v Japan, and England v Algeria.

kippy · 19-06-2010 11:19PM

The ****ing ball thing is starting to get "old" now.
http://www.soccer-fans-info.com/history-of-soccer-balls.html
Theres always complaints about them.

You know what, if it wasnt for the greed of adidadas/nike or whoever make the balls for these events, standard balls would have been in use since the mid 90's.

Shanotheslayer · 19-06-2010 11:20PM

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'm actually really enjoying it so far, some cracking games already with lots more to come.

Agree.

Tbh, people saying the games are sh!te etc. The first round as most of the pundits have said was to ''not lose your first game''.

So teams were very solid on the defence, and rightly fúcking so. If I was the Switzerland manager and my first game was againts spain, I would make sure my back 4 were solid and tight and too try catch Spain on the break.They did exactly that.

Other games of course, had great defence, and the people not noticing this it strikes me as they wont goal fests. Of course goal fests are great, but considering the pressure on some of these lads and keeping the back row tight and organized, impressive to me tbh.

bonerm · 19-06-2010 11:33PM

I still think 1998 was the worst World Cup I've seen (from 1990-2010). A lot of one sided games (Arg 5-0 Jam, Hol 5-0 Sko , Spa 6-1 Bul), rubbish football (Scotland , Norway etc) and under performing favourites (England. Spain , Germany , Brazil ... who might as well have picked their ladies team for the final). It all added up to a cocktail of shíte.

RichTea · 19-06-2010 11:53PM

It's turned very good all of a sudden. Was quite disappointed with the first round of fixtures until Germany v Australia turned up and saved the day. The quality has been great for the last while now, actually much better than the last one and 2002.

CorkMan · 20-06-2010 12:01AM

Spain drumming Honduras 6-7 nil would go down well.

Ardent · 20-06-2010 12:22AM

Enjoying the World Cup so far. Inevitably, there have been a few muck games - a bit like the Champions League at times - but some of the games have been a pleasant surprise, for example the Cameroon/Denmark game tonight.

Also enjoying Richie Sadlier's excellent punditry in the wrap-up programme each night.

digme · 20-06-2010 12:32AM

It's great since Wednesday.

fryup · 20-06-2010 12:34AM

worst world cup?? don't think so.......give it a chance still 3 weeks left

when its finished then come back and tell us how u feel

ElaElaElano · 20-06-2010 12:37AM

It's been alright so far I'd say, but poor in comparison with 2006. I can still vividly remember some of the games- Germany 4-2 Costa Rica, where every goal was a screamer, or Argentina beating Serbia 6-0, including that goal with 30 consecutive passes or something, Rosicky singlehandedly tearing America to pieces, the real Ronaldo's last outing as a top player when Brazil whalloped Japan 4-1.

I just can't imagine looking back four years now from now and remembering any of the games so far as classics. As others have said, Argentina have been impressive, so too Germany in their first game, but nothing outstanding.

I'm really looking forward to Brazil vs Ivory Coast, have a feeling it'll be a cracker.

Lando Griffin · 20-06-2010 12:41AM

So far great for unpredictable results, first round usual bag of nerves from teams, second sound teams have to play for survival, third sound alot of teams knocked out some playing the draw and more back to the wall stuff. Knock out stages should have a few craking games.

K-9 · 20-06-2010 12:53AM

86 was great, but that's the first one I remember so rose coloured glasses there. 1990 was terrible, the worst in my memory.

If you think this is bad, the old system of 24 teams and 16 going through, made for teams just passing the ball back to the goalkeeper. Back passes were allowed then.

Far too early to tell.

The Sparrow · 20-06-2010 12:57AM

I thought it was a bit rubbish until Maicon scored for Brazil agains N. Korea. After that it has got much better. Lots of upsets and drama and even a couple of comebacks. Even a bad game like England v Algeria was engaging just to see how bad England could be.

I agree that there has been a lack of quality goals and amazing play but I blame the ball. I was a bit sick of hearing about the ball but I just watched MOTD and Craig Johnston explained how it is basically an expensive beach ball and how the manufacturing process has made it fly through the air and streamlined it too much.

By the way, Craig Johnston played for Liverpool and he also invented the Adidas Predator football boot so he should know what he is talking about.

He called it a disgrace and I tend to agree.

Het-Field · 20-06-2010 02:04AM

bonerm wrote: »

I still think 1998 was the worst World Cup I've seen (from 1990-2010). A lot of one sided games (Arg 5-0 Jam, Hol 5-0 Sko , Spa 6-1 Bul), rubbish football (Scotland , Norway etc) and under performing favourites (England. Spain , Germany , Brazil ... who might as well have picked their ladies team for the final). It all added up to a cocktail of shíte.

Thats quite unfair. In 1998 there were a plethora of teams which really came to the fore. An Unfancied Croatia team turned on the style, the Netherlands team was hitting the high-notes, while Brazil performed admirably until the debacle in the Final. The French really showed strength, and smaller teams like Morocco and South Africa which returned home with some credible results. If i remember correctly there were very few 0-0 draws in the early rounds, while the 0-0 draws in the latter rounds (France v Italy) were humdingers.

There were better players at that tournament then there are at this current one. Suker, Salas, Owen, Shearer, Zidane, Ronaldo, Dunga, Rivaldo, Dechamps, Bergkamp, Batistuta, Ortega, Vieri, Baggio, Chilavert, Valderamma, Asprilla, Raul, Hernandex (flamboyant Mexican), both Laudrups, Klinnsmann, Hagi, Kluivert, Polster all spring to mind. It was a whose who of 1990s football. I dont believe the same applies in this world cup. No doubting the quality that the likes of Messi bring to the world stage, the same sort of player is just not in the modern world cup.

However, I have enjoyed this tournament as a neutral. The US game was superb, and I was really impressed by the resiliance of an unfancied team to cut a defecit of two goals. Equally, many team which would be construed as canon fodder have put up a good fight. I hope it continues this way, and it will make the 3 round of games a do or die exercise !

jayteecork · 20-06-2010 02:07AM

darkman2 wrote: »

Actually I disagree - Maradonna is the most entertaining person in the World Cup by a mile.

On the pitch rather.
They're mostly overpaid primadonnas these days.

postalservice · 20-06-2010 02:18AM

The Craig Johnston Interview is here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8750020.stm

One of the worst World Cup's ever?

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