World Cup 2014 Brazil (Page 4 of 6)

Not Robben the scorer but he got the penalty. 2-1. The Dutch get out of jail..................

I felt Marquez definitely stands on Robbens foot, but he fell theatrically to make sure the ref saw it. The ref was clearly aware that an error had been made in the first half, and as you say, in that heat, it was probably a wise decision.

Given the heat, Holland's second half wake up and Van Gaal's tactical nous they deserved it in the end.

Reflecting on the matches I have seen so far I am even more convinced that players are for the most part stupid or tactically ignorant.

Marquez' foul on Robben, yes it can happen; the heat, tiredness, can lead to late or mistimed challenges. But my overiding impression from this WC is the tsunami of free kicks being conceded by teams in the last defensive third.

Mexico were guilty of numerous challenges from behind, attempting to win the ball through the players legs. It is insane. Or has the rule rule regarding tackles from behind been changed and I don't know?

It makes no sense to manhandle the player with the ball from behind. Shadow him, force him to pass or concede possession, but there is absolutely NO NEED to touch him in any way, especially if he is moving away from your goal in the opposite direction. We've seen referee's in every match so far at corner kicks have to intervene with some players before the kick is taken as they manhandle each other. The shirt pulling (a yellow card offence) at this WC is unprecendented. I keep thinking I have gone back 20 years!

Also, the 'playing on through advantage' rule, used at the ref's discretion is leaving some terrible fouls completely unpunished. Also the use of the flailing elbow is very prominent in this tournament. And whilst forwards may not 'make a back' for defenders to fall onto, since when have defenders thought it legal to jump into players on the pretext of attempting to head the ball?

An early meeting today forced me to retire from watching CR/Greece just as Extra time was beginning. I was convinced I would wake up to the news that Greece had won, purely as I could not see how CR could survive another half hour's football with only 10 men. The reason. The idiotic Duarte had been red carded on 66 minutes for persistent ridiculous foul play. Right decision by the ref. Idiotic decisions by the player.

During this match on the start of the second half the Greek Karengounis committed an appalling foul on the very edge of his own penalty box. It was milimetres from the line. He protested his innocence and escaped a yellow card. The same player kept a running dialogue of moaning to the ref, blocking the taking of free kicks, and committing foul after foul. He should have been red-carded as well, but was determined to run that risk, and he is their captain!

I can't understand managers not getting at their players and explaining that what they are doing is tactically naive. CR will have lost now 2/3 players for the next game through suspensions arising from this game. Most were stupid and unnecessary fouls.

Duarte's dismissal was a tactical foul. The ball was gone and he knew he couldn't make it. But the player he fouled was 40 yards from goal moving across the pitch and not towards the goal. He was on a yellow card already. So what could he be thinking of?

As I say, they seem mostly stupid to me. Robben may dive occasionally, which is unfortunate, but he is clearly tactically aware. One of the few it would seem............

We have had FIFA's 'Respect' policy for players and fans I think it is time for them to have a players 'Win it clean' programme. We can't have a game with no contact and we wouldn't want that either, but this idiotic foul play has to stop. Professional footballers should be better than that.

Thank god the Greeks have gone anyway.........One bus less.....................

Rant over............

I will readily admit to being a bit of a neophite when it comes to the WC, but I've logged loads of hours playing baseball, basketball and hockey, so I know a bit about competition.
As I've watched some of the WC this year, I've been really turned off by the theatrics that seem to occur every time a player gets bumped or even barely touched by an opposing player. Some of these are worthy of Academy Award nominations. I realize there are a number of reasons to feign injury, but it seems so prevalent that (for me) it is a big distraction from the actual game.

Has it always been like this or is this something that has developed over recent years?

I'd be surprised at this level in a corruption theory. All the corruption at the world cup is normally before the competition with FIFA executives.

In all sports there are certain 'gamesmanship' ploys. Football coverage is so good these days players don't, or haven't yet realised what cheats they appear in slo-mo. The referee needs help and FIFA need to review the officiating. For years now we have a fourth official but soccer now needs an NFL approach with a team of officials possibly as many as 8, with a separate team in both halves of the field. Use of replays, and possibly considering the 'sin bin' option.
Players need re-educating. The game is very fast now and minimal contact can cause game stopping injuries. As I commented in an earlier post players need to understand that making fouls and 'faking' them is a negative ploy for the team and the individual player.

Football is and can be a dramatically beautiful game. Algeria and Germany have delivered a complex, exhausting match tonight. Algeria have completely thrown Germany out of their normal game with an all out 'pressing' tactic. Germany have had to dig very deep to win it, eventually deservedly so, but they have been taken to the limit by a very brave Algeria.

Here you are Bill, an article that highlights your points

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28100892

We shouldn't get too over-zealous about this though. There are some real injuries incurred. In the France match yesterday a Nigeria player was badly caught and had to be carried off, status unknown. Feghouli of Algeria was sporting a comprehensively taped up head wound sustained against Russia. Schweinsteiger was chopped numerous times yesterday and withdrew in the end utterly battered.

The speed of the game at the moment means minimal contact can and does hurt and when a player is caught all he feels is the momentary impact of pain and is unaware how serious it may be, so some of that 'writhing time' is in the shock of the moment.

Speaking as someone who was carried from the pitch by an ambulance crew on a stretcher with a triple fracture of the right leg during a game I know what the pain feels like. I later was able to see it as probably just desserts for what I had meted out during 20 years of playing the game! That said some of my team mates on the day urged me to get up and 'run it off' as they hadn't considered the impact of the tackle anything out of the ordinary.

For the pro's 're-education' is necessary. There is no entrance exam to football, which is why there are so many idiots playing it. Maybe, every pro should be required to take the referee's exam and rack up some hours officiating matches. There needs to be an 'honor code' reintroduced into the game. It would be great to see players doing it for themselves and leading by example.

Maybe I write to Arjen Robben. Global profile and a confessed offender. Or would that be like asking Lance Armstrong to lead an 'ethics in cycling' campaign?

Sorry Mike - been reading rather than writing

Today (that's 2am and 6am tomorrow here) we get to see if the quarter finals will be populated by the complete set of group winners...

Fought like heck but a bit short. Young Yedlin looks to be a big star in the future. Tim Howard was unbelievable. Great match, Belgium was as good as I thought.
Rick

Yes, honor code! No offense meant, but in our major sports (especially ice hockey or NFL football) it is a badge of honor to walk or skate off the ice, no matter how much pain you're in...and not let the other team see they got the best of you.