And they think it's all over! I wish it were.

[mistletoe]

Not very good so far. The Dutch are acting like Wimbledon: no skill; plenty of shocking fouls and poor attacking football. Alan Green is not impressed and neither am I. The game has been cynical and poor. No football involved at all. Poor Howard Webb has had to book virtually all the Dutch team and some Spaniards, but the Dutch havemade no attempt to use skill. I hope Spain win now on this showing.

This is a sound indictment of this World Cup which is the worst I can remember - and I go back to 1966. The negativity from the majority of teams has been very disappointing. Big names, both teams and individuals, simply did not turn up. I can remember nothing much of any game except the Paraguay penalty shootout v Japan, Ghana v. Uruguay and Argentina v. Germany. The following teams might as well not have bothered turning up:
Italy
France
England.

Going away with heads held high:
Ghana
Paraguay
Uruguay
Argentina
Germany
Japan
USA
New Zealand

Flattered to deceive:
Brazil
Portugal

Where were they?
Kaka
Messi
Ronaldo
Rooney
Torres

Good show:
Teves
Muller
Ozil
Sneijder (except for a cynical foul in the Final)

What was good?

The African people.
The stadia
The fact there has been no trouble or hooliganism reported
The little boys who have come out with the teams. Some of them were tiny and gorgeous
Some of the National Anthems
Chris Waddle's rant after England lost to the Germans.

What wasn't?
Vuvuzelas. They ruined all the national sounds for different teams - never heard the Dutch band or the Brazilian samba or singing. Every game sounded the same.
The football. Maybe two goals have been scored from free kicks in 64 games.

Whoever wins this Final it will not have been a memorable tournament, but they will still be World Champions.
Alan Green has moaned and whinged about every game he has been at

Comments

World Cup 2010

[villagirl75.livejournal.com]

Great comments - totally agree. Particularly your comments about the lack of atmosphere. I was expecting to hear traditional African singing in addition to Brazilian Samba and the other variations of singing and chanting. Instead we just get those awful plastic horns. I've rushed back from a school trip in Wales to watch the final and it's bloody awful! So bad I've been surfing the net for the whole of the second half. My indifference to football is so bad that I didn't even realise most teams had started pre-season training last week! What's going on???

Re: World Cup 2010

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

We have signed two players Cristian Riveros from Paraguay who scored a great goal, some Egyptian bloke and possibly an Argentinian who did not get in their team. Darren Bent got time off to recover from not being at the World Cup. Well out of it I say. The whole thing has been pants.

I was reallly looking forward to it as well: I could watch every game; it was on at a sensible time and there were the best players there. What a let down. I too did not watch the second half or the extra time. Drivel. This has set football back a decade, mostly in this country.

[breidablik.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Just yes.

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

I forgot to say my real hero of the whole affair has been Paul the octopus. He played a great game every time!

[firefish.livejournal.com]

If only there was a like option for comments on LJ. I agree re the octopus. He managed to predict all the correct outcomes after the group stages, didn't he? Even though I haven't been following the tournament as closely as I could have been, I like reading your comments and views on it. You make some good points - especially the bit about teams who can leave with heads held high etc.

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

He got all of the Germany results right, even the defeat by Serbia. Branching out to get the Final right involving two other teams suggests it was more than just luck. Spooky.