World Cup Moaning Thread

Today is a good reason for the WC to not get bigger. A poor Russia team beat Saudi Arabia far too easily.

How will FIFA manage to make the Qatari team credible? Going to be hard to manage that

Agree wholeheartedly. With the exception of 2002 on their own soil (with some friendly refereeing) the Asian teams have done nothing in World Cups to suggest that they warrant additional representation. Yet they're getting it because of FIFA's greed.

I actually think that the 32 team tournament is absolutely perfect.
Four team groups are a great structure, and two progressing out of four into a four round knockout tournament is simple and elegant.
All confederations get fair and significant representation (other than Oceania.....but what are you going to do, let New Zealand play automatically every four years? Well yes, that's what they're going to do). Europe gets the most because we've the most competitive teams.

It's FIFA idiocy of the highest order to mess with it.
 
OK, in an attempt to get Sarge psyched up, let's turn this from a moaning into a predictions thread
(because I have been planning which games to watch.....including getting up at 6am on Saturday for France/Australia.....and have my wallchart at the ready!)

Group A (Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay)
Yeash....the worst of the groups by far. If Salah's not himself, there's probably three of the worst teams in the tournament right here. Uruguay will walk it; Russia will probably finish second virtue of some friendly refereeing decisions

Group B (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Iran)
Hmmm.....not much better. Morocco & Iran will be tight and organised but offensively challenged. Not many goals here, but Spain win group comfortably and Portugal do just enough.

Group C (France, Australia, Denmark, Peru)
More like it! France are a good side, and should win it but expect a battle royale between the other three for second place, and plenty of goals. Peru takes it.

Group D (Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria)
Now we're talking! Argentina face three competent teams, and I reckon they'll be found wanting. Croatia with the upset, with Argentina just scraping through in second on goal difference

Group E (Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica)
Not the best. Comfortable for Brazil, with the other three sides evenly matched, but not that special. It says here that Serbia fight their way through

Group F (Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea)
Das Gruppe of Death for the Germans! They're German so they'll still win it, but not easily with lots of good, close games here. I've no idea if Mexico are any good this year, but tradition dictates that they'll be decent before going out in the Last 16.

Group G (Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England)
Not a tight one for the neutral. Two comfortable wins each for the European sides, before they draw the group decider but the Belgians take the group on goal difference (after absolutely clobbering Panama to open)

Group H (Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan)
The shuffle them up and deal group. No idea what order they'll finish, but there's usually a good African team in the World Cup, so I'm fancying it's Senegal. James Rodriguez then just comes out on top of Lewandowski for second.

Last Sixteen
Uruguay beat Portugal on penalties after bore draw
Spain clobber Russia (who are content to have just made it that far)
France squeak past Argentina in a five goal thriller
Peru shock Croatia in extra time
Brazil routine vs. Mexico
Germany likewise vs. Serbia
Belgium look outstanding in thumping Colombia
England put us through the ringer, but wind up beating Senegal in extra time

Quarters
France beat Uruguay on pens
Belgium bottle it and get thrashed by Brazil
Peru shock the world again by winning a smash and grab against Spain
England shock the world even more by taking the Germans to pens.....and then beating them

Semis
Brazil get better of France in World Cup classic
Harry Kane brace against tournament's biggest surprise team, Peru, sends England into wonderland!

Third place playoff
Nobody cares

Final
Back to earth as Brazil thump England in final; Southgate still gets knighted, we then wait another 28 years to be relevant again......


Where’s the final being played, Fantasy Island?

France to win for me.
 
Agree wholeheartedly. With the exception of 2002 on their own soil (with some friendly refereeing) the Asian teams have done nothing in World Cups to suggest that they warrant additional representation. Yet they're getting it because of FIFA's greed.

I actually think that the 32 team tournament is absolutely perfect.
Four team groups are a great structure, and two progressing out of four into a four round knockout tournament is simple and elegant.
All confederations get fair and significant representation (other than Oceania.....but what are you going to do, let New Zealand play automatically every four years? Well yes, that's what they're going to do). Europe gets the most because we've the most competitive teams.

It's FIFA idiocy of the highest order to mess with it.

FIFA's stupidity?...is that where EFL's Shaun Harvey & FA's Greg Clarke gets their inspiration to make laughable changes..... or perhaps FIFA get their inspiration for seriously ridiculous ideas being introduced to the format of the World Cup Finals from Harvey & Clarke , aka the thicky twins,
idiotic changing of cup/ trophy (etc) competitions?:unsure::unsure::unsure:
 
Agree wholeheartedly. With the exception of 2002 on their own soil (with some friendly refereeing) the Asian teams have done nothing in World Cups to suggest that they warrant additional representation. Yet they're getting it because of FIFA's greed.

I actually think that the 32 team tournament is absolutely perfect.
Four team groups are a great structure, and two progressing out of four into a four round knockout tournament is simple and elegant.
All confederations get fair and significant representation (other than Oceania.....but what are you going to do, let New Zealand play automatically every four years? Well yes, that's what they're going to do). Europe gets the most because we've the most competitive teams.

It's FIFA idiocy of the highest order to mess with it.
I do wonder if FIFA will kill the golden goose by making it bigger. Will games be well attended? Probably not. Will punters want to watch games that are comparable to a Championship level game at best? Unlikely.

It's exciting for the countries that will qualify like NZ and such, but the World Cup is the best of the best. I get those countries want a piece of the WC pie, but it shouldn't come at the credibility of the tournament.
 
I'm raising this as a proxy moan. Mark Lawrenson on co-commentary. Trending on social media globally because of how poor he was today. Glad I didn't watch it.
 
I'm raising this as a proxy moan. Mark Lawrenson on co-commentary. Trending on social media globally because of how poor he was today. Glad I didn't watch it.

I have to admit I do enjoy him sometimes when he calls out the divers and injury feigners in his grumpy old man tones, however he increasingly showing himself to be out of touch, and adds less and less actual analytical knowledge each year.
 
I'm raising this as a proxy moan. Mark Lawrenson on co-commentary. Trending on social media globally because of how poor he was today. Glad I didn't watch it.

He's the Droopy of commentary... I'm very, very happy.

VKWcYLT.gif


A lot of people have been critical of female players providing analysis but I thought Alex Scott spoke well. Very clear and concise when explaining her opinion. It made a nice change from some of the guys, who often sound like they're just regurgitating footballing cliches. But tone down the smiley demeanour, Alex, nobody is that happy. ;)
 
Lawro hasn't been relevant for years, but somehow the BBC keep employing him. Just a miserable old man who, as had been said, is out of touch with the modern game. I don't know why he bothers going if it annoys him so much!
 
He's the Droopy of commentary... I'm very, very happy.

VKWcYLT.gif


A lot of people have been critical of female players providing analysis but I thought Alex Scott spoke well. Very clear and concise when explaining her opinion. It made a nice change from some of the guys, who often sound like they're just regurgitating footballing cliches. But tone down the smiley demeanour, Alex, nobody is that happy. ;)

Further to this, I'm really enjoying Ally McCoist doing co-commentary on ITV.

At the moment he's doing Scottish football on BT Sport, and I think he's still shopping himself about for managerial roles. But he's knowledgeable enough, giving cultural backgrounds of the cities holding the matches, and has some decent one liners. Brings me back to watching him on QoS alongside John Parrott in my youth!
 
Agreed. When a penalty wasn't given on 2 occasions for blatant wrestling off the ball on Kane, it proves that VAR is as much pot luck as just leaving the decisions without having VAR.
They've made massive fusses of various marginal penalties but the most obvious decision was seemingly barely reviewed. A VAR system should not have a pot luck element in the peak sports. What FIFA are saying is Griezmann's tumble over minor contact is a penalty, but rugby tackling isn't.

Tonight proved what FIFA were warned about re VAR, that it is not fit for purpose.
 
Only going from the commentary, but I thought I heard him say that VAR had triggered a signal to the ref that there was something he may want to review but that he decided he didn't need to (perhaps because he thought that they were referring to something else that he did see, not the Kane incident which he didnt).
I suspect that his reluctance to use VAR (when the incidents were so clear) may be the end of that particular refs tournament.....
 
So here's the thing.....my worry coming in to the tournament was that they were going to ruin the tournament by reviewing every single incident in either penalty box in microscopic detail - meaning every game was going to have twenty minutes of injury time, and the flow of every game was going to be completely ruined.

Instead, by my reckoning we've had exactly four uses of VAR in the first fourteen matches (meaning when the VAR room alerts the ref to something, and he goes to look at it):

Stonewall penalties for Sweden and Peru that the ref missed, and VAR picked up on.
A slap in the face by a Serbian that the referee looked at and (correctly) dismissed as your basic handbags and moved on.
The Griezmann incident that was marginal.

So two correct uses of the technology, one waste of time, and one debatable use that we could probably have done without.

I'd rather VAR wasn't used at all.....but given that they are using VAR, I'd rather it was used extremely sparingly - as it has been in this tournament - than on a multiple-times-a-game basis. So in that respect, I don't hate the way FIFA have clearly directed VAR to be used, even if we feel a bit hard done by in England.

And regardless, I don't think the ref today was going to give England anything, even if he did get a chance to watch it in slow motion replay......
 
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It comes down to the parameters FIFA have set and using them consistently. Many sports have gone through VAR growing pains, and the lessons of usage are there. FIFA have ignored them and on the biggest stage, made themselves look like idiots.

They should remove the VAR experiment until they can prove it's fit for purpose. From what I have seen, it's not ready for an U7 tournament.
 
I guess the shorter version of my point is.....if they're going to screw up the application of VAR (and it's FIFA, so it's inevitable they're gonna) then it's better they screw up by not using it enough (as they have done) than too much (which is what I feared).
 
Trouble is that most corners have grappling going on with both teams maybe it needs extra officials or do they let it become like ice hockey!
 
Trouble is that most corners have grappling going on with both teams maybe it needs extra officials or do they let it become like ice hockey!
They mentioned in commentary last night that officials were concentrating on grappling at corners in this WC. Which only makes it worse.

In theory, VAR is the extra official they need for this.
 
If match officials fail to see blatant holding at corners, maybe fifa should replace those match officials with ones who are aux fait with the rules of the game....and who have a1 vision. Fifa do have referee & his assistants assessors,don't they?

As for var... so far, its proved to be an expensive white elephant... if kane being thrown to the floor after being manhandled wasn't deemed worthy of flagging up fifas expensive toy needs binning
 
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