Official Football Thread

Eddies Wingman said:
And Koller was surely not a class act when he went down in extra time after being pushed by the Turkish goalkeeper. Didier Drogba is proud of you, Mr. Koller! Still, the keeper acted like an idiot and the red card was correct.
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I thought pushes like that were just yellow cards. Anything in the face is a red.

Eddies Wingman said:
And what a dramatic finish to the game. How often does Petr Cech do things like that? I think it seemed like the Czech team was gaining control towards the end, and then Cech took the role of Santa Claus and handed Turkey 2-2.

One can ask, what do the Turks do to the opposing goalkeepers? In the qualifiers, they had the 4-1 win against Greece followed by the 2-2 draw with Norway, where five (!) of the goals were due to crappy goalkeeping. And now this. Black magic?
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The English commentator on ITV really annoyed me in the first half, referring to Cech as "the best keeper in the world", as a fact. Personally I think Buffon is better, and 'best' anything is subjective. So anyway, I was quite happy when Cech messed up. And I was happy that there were going to be penalties. Denied!
 
national acrobat said:
If you were watching Switzerland-Portugal, you were WATCHING THE WRONG GAME!! What an amazing end to a football match!
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Don't worry mate, I watched Turkey-Cz Rep. but I zapped 3 or 4 times and saw that moment plus the 2-0 (penalty).

What an end indeed! Man, I surely would have liked to see that fieldplayer try to stop some penalties!  :D

Well Zare and Genghis: (In the Netherlands we say) "Make your chest wet" (Meaning: "You better prepare yourself") for Turkey!  ;)

A fierce team fighting 'til the last minute.
 
Yeah, I think commentators should be careful with those "best in the world" things. Not only are they disputed, they also change.

And as for the push on Koller - if the ref considers it violent conduct it is a red card anyway. The fact that I think pushing another player is not violence and should only give a yellow card, does not change that. I think the red cards should be saved for hitting, elbowing, kicking or headbutting other players. That is, real violence. Pushing someone is not sportsmanlike and should be punished, but sending people off for it is harsh.
 
I was supporting Turkey all the way. Too bad they're going home after quarterfinals  :D

d)  50. Nottingham (ENG)  11.06.1996.  Turkey - Croatia                    0:1        ECh
    This last match is the only match that was for anything of value, it seems.  I believe it was a qualifying game for World Cup '98.
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Qualifying game for WC98 between Turkey and Croatia played in England? Nope mate...that's Euro '96, the one where we got knocked out by lucky Germans in quarterfinals (2-1). If i recall right, Turkey, Portugal, and Denmark were in our group. We won against Denmark with a high score, won against Turkey, and were safe for quarters so we got a b-team out against portugese and lost 3-0, me thinks.

In any case, Turks won't be much of a problem. In essence, their game consists of high passes from either left or right wings (but more from right), they don't have much of a midfielder line (and that's out best part), they are fiercy and up to combat but we just need to keep the pace, then our supremacy in technical quality and tactics will preveal.

Besides, Mehmet Aurelio and Volkan Demirel won't be playing.

Tonight with Poles, prepare for a curious match. Complete b-team will be playing. Only two (three, if you count the goalkeeper) of our first-teamers will play.
 
I have not seen the Koller incident, but if it was comparable to the Zweinsteiger one. Only a red card is sufficient. Behaviour like that should not be accepted.

Youngsters are watching the games oo and will think it is ok if it goes unpunished or "just" a yellow card.


Speaking of yellow. What do you all think of the dropping of the received yellow cards after the group games?

I think it is wrong. Many yellow cards are given after a "useful" foul to prevent the other team from getting too dangerous near your goal. Those players that already had received a card in a previous match, might be more careful (hence making the game more atractive) because it could cost them the (semi)final. Now they all get a clean sheet and can "spoil" a beuatiful attack again.

I do realize that keeping the cards can mean that important players will miss the final due to 2 yellow cards. The example that comes to mind is the (lost) semi final of England where Gaza got a yellow card and would miss the final if they made it. He was crying on the pitch but kept playing like a beast (positive).
 
And Koller was surely not a class act when he went down in extra time after being pushed by the Turkish goalkeeper. Didier Drogba is proud of you, Mr. Koller! Still, the keeper acted like an idiot and the red card was correct.
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Hmm...there are common situations (especially in high-tension derbies) when two players start pushing each other. If it ends on just couple of pushes, both of them get a yellow and that's it. Well, Demirel didn't push extra hard, but Koller, two meters and 100 kg, fell down like WTC. They both should've got yellow cards, Demirel for pushing and Koller for acting.

What do you all think of the dropping of the received yellow cards after the group games?
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No dropping. You said the reasons yourself.
 
I agree on the dropping of yellow cards. If a player has got one yellow card and gets his second in the semi - well, tough luck.

On the other hand, I think that in general, yellow cards should only be valid with regard to suspensions for a limited number of matches. A defender or defensive midfielder is likely to pick up some yellow cards just due to bad luck during a season (slightly mistimed tackles catching the man, not the ball) and I don't think it's fair that a player picking up, say, two cards early in the season and then picking up two more in April should be suspended for that. Just to throw in some numbers - what about giving 1 match suspension whenever a player has picked up 3 yellow cards in the last 10 matches or 5 in the last 15 or something?

For a short tournament like the European Championships, the story is different, though - the maximum number of matches a player participates in, is 6. Of course, you can have bad luck and pick up 2 cards for slightly mistimed tackles in just 2-3 games and then I still think suspension is harsh. However, even the dirty players who are playing on the edge continuously are likely to pick up just a couple of cards in 3 games. So in order to actually punish those, we need to accept that players who are generally fair but have done a small mistake are also punished.

And if we generally assume that players who pick up multiple yellow cards are actually unfair (which is the reason for suspending players for yellow cards), why should we then let them play the ultimate match - the final? No, let the yellow cards stand. Maybe we could consider raising the limit to three yellow cards, but I really think two is enough for such a short tournament.
 
Zare said:
Tonight with Poles, prepare for a curious match. Complete b-team will be playing. Only two (three, if you count the goalkeeper) of our first-teamers will play.
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3?

Seriously, then I expect that the Poles will beat the Croatians tonight.

@Zare I wouldn't be too confident about Turkey, if I were you. They have some highly technical players as well. Just a little friendly warning for your sake. ;)
 
Please let Turkey and Germany lose their next matches. I'd like to have a good night's sleep again.
 
@Eddies Wingman, i read in the papers that UEFA is going to "erase" yellow-cards for the finals. As i understood, if you get one in the quarters, and if you get one in the semis, you're still able to play in the finals. That doesn't go one step back - somebody carrying yellow card from group matches, gets one in the quarters, still won't play in the semis.

I think that's fair...players that enter second leg clean can play in the finals, even if they pick yellows in the first two games of the second leg.

@Forostar, sorry i gave wrong info. It's not three, it's two  :D Goalkeeper is also being replaced. Apparently, since losing to Poland side can happen with the b-team playing, Bilic doesn't want our main goalkeeper to experience the psychological effect of lost game. Only Rakitic (left wing), and Pranjic (left back) will remain from the first team...all others, from the bench. Therefore, every single team member of ours will play in this championship.

Regarding Poland...if we weren't through yet, if the a-team played, they would expect heavy loss. In this case, with b-team, things are highly uncertain. Don't think that we don't want to beat them, because we're first in the group regardless of anything. We were first in the qualifying group too, the Wembley game didn't mean anything, we went there and kicked England's ass. Besides...according to transfermarkt, our b-team weights more cash than Poland's a-team.

Regarding Turks. They're good, and they fight for 90 minutes. They have some splendid individuals, Nihat is my personal favourite. However, Croatia has enough quality to be considered as one of top 5 favourites of the championship. So if we can't beat Turkey, i don't know why the hell are we even playing here.

Loss to Portugal, Netherlands or Spain would be forgiven. Loss to Turkey...not.
 
Perun said:
Please let Turkey and Germany lose their next matches. I'd like to have a good night's sleep again.
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onefootin.jpg
 
Zare said:
We were first in the qualifying group too, the Wembley game didn't mean anything, we went there and kicked England's ass.
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But after Wembley, Croatia failed to impress. Apart from one match vs the Germans who were a pale shade from the Mannschaft in the match vs Poland. Still, you could say that also Poland played not so well as during their qualification season.

Whatever will happen, it'll surely be an interesting and exciting evening, at least in my house. ;)
 
Zare said:
@Eddies Wingman, i read in the papers that UEFA is going to "erase" yellow-cards for the finals. As i understood, if you get one in the quarters, and if you get one in the semis, you're still able to play in the finals. That doesn't go one step back - somebody carrying yellow card from group matches, gets one in the quarters, still won't play in the semis.

I think that's fair...players that enter second leg clean can play in the finals, even if they pick yellows in the first two games of the second leg.
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I know about this, but unlike you I don't think it is fair. With the rules as they are now, you need to get a red card in the semis to be suspended for the final. I don't see how getting two yellow cards in the group stage (one match suspension) is any worse than yellow in the quarterfinal and then in the semi-final.

With the current rules they could as well change it to the following: Any player who collects a yellow card in two consecutive matches, is automatically suspended for the next game, no matter when in the tournament. I don't see how it is fair that you can miss the semis by suspension, but not the final. Is a yellow card offense any better in the semis than in the quarters? I thought the idea of suspending players for yellow cards was to promote fair play.
 
It was certainly an exciting football weekend, with Spain deservedly winning against an obviously weaker Sweden. Good job we didn't loose by all that much.

Oh, and about Austria against Poland. I nearly cried because for a change, Austria was playing some good football and of course all that was missing were the goals. It should have been 3-0 and I was worried the Poles would win without merit when they scored. Good job Vastic equalized. Cap off to Austria for a great fight.

Whats tonight? Croatia against Poland? Croatia to win. German against Austria, well, obviously, Germany to win.
 
No easy ride for Romania, insists van Basten

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — Dutch coach Marco van Basten insisted on Sunday his side may have reached the Euro 2008 quarter-finals, but they will not be taking their foot off the pedal against Romania in Berne on Tuesday.

"Every match is important to us and the fact there will be some changes in the team does not alter anything," said van Basten on the Dutch Football Association's website.

Van Basten - attempting to add a European crown as a coach to the one he won as a player in 1988 - says he will rest some of his key players ahead of their quarter-final match in Basel next Saturday but does not envisage any lowering of the Dutch team's impressive standards.

Blackburn Rovers defender Andre Ooijer and Hamburg midfielder Nigel de Jong are likely to sit out the Romania game as one more yellow card would rule either of them out of the quarter-final.

The Dutch coach said Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben, who scored against France from the bench, is "raring to go and eager" to start against the Romania.

According to a source close to the Dutch team, van Basten is likely to rest up to five of the starting line-up which beat 2006 World Cup finalists France 4-1 on Friday.

Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is set to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy up front.

While Arsenal's Robin van Persie and Eindhoven's Ibrahim Afellay could replace midfielders Real Madrid's Wesley Sneijder and Hamburg's Rafael Van der Vaart in the starting line-up.

Romania have to beat the Netherlands to be sure of qualifying for the quarter-finals and finish second in Group C to the Dutch.

In Tuesday's other final Group C game, France and Italy will slug it out with the winner hoping the Dutch do them a favour by beating the Romanians.
 
Great game by Croatia.  Bilic said that there is no b-side and any of the boys could play; it is a team effort.  Croats showed it!  When I think about the dry spell between 2000-2006, the worst part of the team were not the players but the coaching.  We have not had a quality coach since Blazevic.  The more I watch, the more I'm convinced with Bilic's coaching.
 
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