FIFA World Cup 2010

[Gate Troll]

Yes  'Door Orc' is a play on the word 'dork'. Good of you to notice.
I'm just saying, football may be popular in almost every country in the world, but I still find it deathly boring to watch.
Then again, I also think basketball, hockey and NASCAR racing are boring. The only sports I really watch are American football, Horse Racing and Golf.
So don't take anything I say personally.

[legolas3333]

@Wikkie American football is very strategic there are nearly an infinite amount of ways to line up saying that it is not as strategic as soccer is as ignorant as door orcs rant

@king sorry for using the word "soccer" it's just easier for me to distinguish when I'm saying two different words for different sports

[Cw0rk]

...about the good ol' Germans: I have to share the wise words of our Abuser of the Force, Gil-Estel:
1.) NEVER underestimate the Germans

I have to agree, we have learned that the hard way in 1945.

By the way, I don't understand why some Americans say that soccer is boring while their national sport is baseball. Maybe that American Football looks like a sport in which there is more action... but that's if you don't consider all the breaks between plays and all the commercials. I'd rather watch some players passing the ball in their area than having to look at commercials during 1/4 of the game.

But anyway, it's just a matter of taste.

[Fierce]

I think Spain will win this time. They have a very good team and finally their "curse" was broken 2 years ago when they won the European Championship. Spain vs Argentina in the final, that would be awesome  Italy is always dangerous so I tip they will finish third.

For support I like England since they still have some Spurs players after the final cut (when Capello axed Dawson and Huddlestone for his final 23 squad). Problem is the English always think they are the best team so they are a little bit to cocky since they "invented" the game. They are currently ranked 8th in the world. When Sweden didn't make it I have to support Denmark as well.

As for American Football I agree, the more you learn the game the more you appreciate it. It is a very tactial and fun game but to call the players "real men" is just ridiculous, with all the protection they wear  Compare them with elite rugby players...

[Gil-Estel]

Or Australian football, isn't that right MuadDib? Or other Aussies for that matter. Me thinks that real men play Australian Football .

I took a look at the schedule. First of all, bear in mind that every tournament I think we will win . At least I have some arguments I can bring to the table, other than North Korea, saying that they will be the surprise of the tournament. I also looked in my crystal sphere and these will be the quarter finals and up:

Quarterfinals

2nd july Johannesburg Soccer City (beautiful stadium btw)

France vs England, England will win

2nd July Port Elizabeth Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Holland vs Brasil, Holland will win

3rd July Capetown Green Point Stadium

Argentina vs Germany, Germany will win

3rd July Johannesburg Ellis Park

Italy vs Spain, Spain will win

Then we proceed to the semifinals

Semifinals

6th July, Capetown

England vs Holland, Holland will win

7th July, Durban Durdan Stadium

Spain vs Germany, Spain will win

Final of the worldcup 2010

11th July Johannesburg Soccer City

Holland vs Spain, Holland will win!!!!! W00T!

These analysis were made without any feeling of nationalism, it is based on cold hard interpretation of all the facts

[Fierce]

Holland vs Spain, Holland will win!!!!! W00T!

Hehe, actually Holland has a great team, especially now when it seems Robben can play . Van der  Vaart, Sneijder, van Bommel, de Jong - these guys are really good midfielders. Kuyt, Babel, Robben and Huntelaar are all amazing forwards. Van Persie is OK as a player I guess but I hate his whining and whimping in Arsenal. A real sissy.

But seriously, you should be a little worried over the defence. What's the name of your goalkeeper? Stekel...something, is he your first choice? And the defenders have passed their prime too, van Bronckhorst and Ooijer anyway - maybe they got their spots on old merits?

I think Sneijder and Robben have been outstanding this season and Holland always plays very entertaining games of attacking football so I hope you go far.

This analysis was totally objective without any bad feelings for the north London team known as ARSEnal 

[Gil-Estel]

Haha, Van Persie ok? Van Persie a sissiy? Dude, he is freakin' awesome. The best player of the PL . Well, as for England, it seems as if in England there are no goalkeepers at all! Stekelenburg, though unfamiliar with the great audience, he is a pretty neat keeper. Not a Van der Sar, nowhere near, but still a decent young goalkeeper. Central defence is Heitinga, who has had a good season with Everton and Mathijssen who is a certainty with HSV. I admit, they are not gold, but acceptable, more than enough. At the backs we have indeed Gio, he is old, but since we attack most of the time, he can be released of pressure, I mean, who plays with 3 strikers anyway and who has, besides us, a strong rightwinger? At the rightside we have Gregory van der Wiel, who is a exeptional talent. Both Barca and Arsenal are teams interested in signing him.

The point you made is a good one though. The defence is the weakest part of the team. It is eventhough acceptable and we have 2 very good defensive midfielders as you said: De Jong and Van Bommel. They can form a front against realy strong attackers, and aid the defence with it. And since we ought to play pressure football, that is to relief our defence a little.

Props though for your knowledge of dutch football, and dutch players. It is good to see that they make an impression in the world . As for english football, I do not know your players. Rayne Wooney? Frank Lamparse? John Terr-ible husband? It is from the top of my head, so I can be mistaken

[Fierce]

Well, you guys introduced the 4-3-3 system with offensive wingers and have played attacking football ever since. What do you play now? 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-3-1? Either way Holland always focus on attack which of course is great fun to watch.

Van Persie best in the PL? Hehe, right  ... I even rate Kuyt higher - he's always playing for the team and gives 100 % all the time. Van Persie is always complaining at the referee and he's teammates. What is he whining about? He's a (moderade) striker so of course the central defenders give him a hard time. The only one whining more than van Persie in the PL is his coach Wenger in Arsenal. As coach you should stand up for your team but if you complain after each loss it's just ridiculous. Bad looooser.

Wenger recently said one funny thing though: "I'll camp outside the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to get the first go on the players Real Madrid release this year". This was a comment on the release of Sneijder and Robben who were sold in August last year and faced each other in the CL final. Robben was really amazing in Bayern last season. His debut when he played the last 45 and slammed two goals against the German champions Wolfsburg made quite an impression. And Sneijder in Inter, wow.

I admit the English team have weak keepers. With a little luck Joe Hart will be something one day but David James is a real risk. Luckily I'm not English but I have supported Tottenham Hotspur for the most part of my life so I'll follow their players in the World Cup. England has several of them, buut there are also two in Kamerun, one in Honduras, one in Brazil etc. as well.

My totally objective analysis of van Persie is of course based on the team he's currently playing in . The rivalty between north London clubs Tottenham and Arsenal is paramount. I have a lot of bad things to say about Arsenal and the coach/players but I'll stop the rant here.

[Gil-Estel]

Tottenham is a great team for sure. I remember the days of David Ginola, which was a great player and performer as well. Rating Kuyt over V. Persie is madness, and luckily you say it is colorred by your dismay of Arsenal. I agree Wenger is a whiner, and he shouldn't be. He has much to be proud of and should be worried about his defense, rather than the referees.
Which country are you from and gains your support?

The formation we play is something like 4-2-3-1 indeed and I would fill it in like this

Line of defense

Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Matthijsen, Van Bronckhorst

Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel

Robben, Sneijder, Van der Vaart

Van Persie

[Fierce]

That is quite a line-up for Holland 

I'm from Sweden and I'm not to proud of what our national team did in the play-offs  . We had everything in our own hands until the end when a few crappy games spoiled the party. But we deserve no place in the World Cup as the player base looks right now.

We had our glory in the 1994 World Cup when we won bronze with a very good team. Since the latest play-offs we have a new coach who have changed the system completely and we've played a more Holland-like type of attacking football in our latest friendlies. Add to that the new exciting U21-players who just made their senior debut and we will be back in 2014.

So i support England for their Spurs players and of course our neighbors Denmark who will play Holland in the group stage. This time I'll just sit back in my sofa and enjoy good football regardless of the teams on the pitch

I think Spain will win the World Cup even though a European team has never won the World Cup when it's played outside Europe. I guess it's the first time for everything...

[Gil-Estel]

A Sweden. Ibracadraba doesn't want to play for sweden anymore. And 1994, with Brolin and Dahlin, isn't it? Henke Larsson....All great players.
It is indeed a great line-up and the good thing is that we don't get too much attention, because when pressure is up, like after the groupgames in '08, we tend to get nervous. Still I do believe we have a great chance in winning the event, but the road to the finals will be tough. Like I said, in the quarterfinal, if all goes well, we are likely to meet either Brasil or Portugal, both very good teams. But then again, if you want to win the worldchampionship, you must be able to win all games

[Fierce]

But then again, if you want to win the worldchampionship, you must be able to win all games

So true.

I think Ibrahimovic will come around soon enough but we have more exciting players on the rise. Ibra's temper is a little bit like van Persie's and he can be such a baby sometimes. At other times he's purely brilliant. We had three top class strikers in -94, Brolin and Dahlin as you mentioned, but also Kenneth Andersson (who scored a lovely lobb in the draw vs Brazil). I think they bagged 5-6 goals each. Larsson was just a sub at the time but I remember at least one goal he scored.

I'm listening to the Swedish sports radio channel right now and a few minutes ago the football expert commentator (and former star player Ralf Edström) released a bomb - he thinks Holland will win. He admits Holland is an outsider but he hailed quite a few of the players (even van Persie) and thinks you will go all the way.

Anyway, you two are the only ones I've heard so far who thinks Holland will win. It is a real possibility so I wish good luck to you both 

[Gil-Estel]

That expert commentator is a real expert I must say . But where is your hail for me knowing Dahlin and Brolin Ajax had a swedish player as well in the early 90s, Stefan Petterson. He was great along with Bergkamp which is the best player we have had since Cruyff (oh and I don't forget Van Basten here, I do think Bergkamp was a better footballplayer) But alas, you probably hate him, for he was a gunner

[Cw0rk]

Tottenham is a great team for sure. I remember the days of David Ginola, which was a great player and performer as well. Rating Kuyt over V. Persie is madness, and luckily you say it is colorred by your dismay of Arsenal. I agree Wenger is a whiner, and he shouldn't be. He has much to be proud of and should be worried about his defense, rather than the referees.
Which country are you from and gains your support?

The formation we play is something like 4-2-3-1 indeed and I would fill it in like this

Line of defense

Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Matthijsen, Van Bronckhorst

Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel

Robben, Sneijder, Van der Vaart

Van Persie

What? Kuyt isn't in the starting line-up?

[Gil-Estel]

Of course not! Why should we start him if we have Robben?