Netherlands thumping Spain 5-1 seems like a season ago. We’ve had 24 different World Cup-match days since then, during which time most of us have watched close to a season’s worth of football. The dethroning of Spain, in such dramatic fashion, was an early portent of what we were in store for. Brazil’s humiliation at the hands of Germany provided one of the most memorable football events of our times.
While everyone seems to have nominated the competition as the best ever, the football has been of variable quality. Lots of strong football countries failed to show, including Spain, Italy and England. Africa promised early on, then fell. Russia gave no indication they were on-schedule to give the performance of a lifetime when they host the tournament in four years.
Brazil reached the semi-finals but this will surely be known as one of the worst Brazilian teams ever. Argentina have reached their first final in 24 years ago, but I can’t figure out how they made it. Performances against Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium and then Netherlands never convinced we were watching eventual winners. The best they have achieved, so far, is a single goal victory.
Belgium’s golden generation were a mere shadow of their less-fancied Dutch neighbours, who under-promised and over-delivered, again. Germany are the team who deserve to take the trophy, and although Lionel Messi finds himself in a World Cup Final this evening, on the basis of what we’ve seen over the last four weeks, he’s no Diego Maradona.
Enjoy the final, the real stuff starts in two days.
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Germany 2-0
yes
Colebrook well beat!!
Beyonce
So close, well done Johnthefishfarmer
Argentina 3 Germany 2
Mon the Germans!
Doc @ 15:53
Next time you see him could you remind him I’ve not had a land-line for over a year.
Thanks for your kind thoughts though.
Two days today!
Hard lines Eddie.
Kirkmichael as in Perthshire? If so you’re just up the road!
Mon the Hoops
WeeFratheTim, thoughts are with you at this sad time.
Ah well never mind,
I booked next years holiday to Vegas on Friday,
yesterdays tip paid the deposit,if todays had won it would have paid the rest
and the spending money,a good weekend anyway
Weefratim
Sincere condolences on the loss of your mum.
Try to remember the good times.
HH
Yip 2.0 Germany loks a good bet, don’t expect the Argies to attack that much!
Kojo
Whit is The Best Strategy tae Employ when Playing in the European League…?
Accordin’ tae Kojo’s Big Compendium o’ Awe things Fitba.. Page 2.. Chap. 1.
it states:
“Whilst playing AWAY, fae Hame…in the European League… it is alwiz best tae .. Play a very Tight DEFENSIVE game, n..hit yer Opponents oan the Break.”
So…In Ma Opinion…Ah see No Need tae Go agin This Strategy..
Even, if the European Opponent is a Third Class Entity…such as the Icemen.
We must Not go agin This Un Common Sense Approach ,which has bin endorsed by Kojo.
Ah wull be Surprised if Ronny Dee..diz Not agree..n.. goes fur a Wide open Attacking Strategy by the Celts.
Yes, Virginia.. Celtic, must go Carefully, into the Unknown.
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
‘Africa promised early on, then fell.”
Paul67, one of the things guaranteed to annoy people in the various countries of Africa is to refer to the continent as one country.
I have neither emotional or financial investment in tonight’s game.
I suspect the Germans will prove too strong, unless as Paul suggests Messi has a blinder.
Quite happy with either team winning tbh
Then we can get back to REAL fitba!
HH
PAUL67
A timely intervention,bud.
Accurate too!
!!Bada Bing!!
15:50 on
13 July, 2014
VP -Puerto Santiago near Los Gigantes
———————————————–
Went Los Gigantes for lunch (whilst in Tenerife before any smart erses reply)
need to be fit to get aboot there.
Hope you and family have great holiday.hh
HOOPLE
I think he referred to it as a continent.
Every team from there was a let-down,far below what we expected.
As were those from Asia.
Hoping to be in the irish fiddler tonight watching the game.
any cqners around I am the wee fat guy with a wife mother in law and two lassies wae me.
drinking blue lagoons.
how portonian.
oceanbar csc.
Indeed the vocabulary used in the Orange Order’s Institution clearly sets this tone..
Q. What art thou?
A. One of the elect.
Q. Of what house?
A. The house of Israel.
Q. Of what tribe?
A. The tribe of Levi.
(Indeed the Israeli flag can sometimes be seen flying in loyalist areas alongside the Ulster flag)
Israeli flags and KKK flags flying together……..
What a confused lot of Neanderthals……….nearly as dead as their old football team.
Won’t be long now….
Paul67
And on the basis of what people saw, Pele wasn’t Pele at the ’66 World Cup, and Maradona wasn’t Maradona at the ’82 World Cup. It’s ridiculous to judge him against the magnificent Maradona on the last 6 games he’s played, while less than 100% fit remember. He’s still the reason Argentina are in the final.
His performances over the past 6 years in both the CL and la Liga, backed up by phenomenal goal-scoring stats, entitle him to be regarded as the equal of both Maradona and Pele.
I hope he can convince the doubters tonight.
In tenerife obviously.
Doh.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
I got them bent with all the kneeling as an Altar Boy……….
Johnthefishfarmer, Helensburgh mate
I’m now closer to 70 than 60 and my 1st WC was Sweden 1958. The 2014 Brazil team is the worst that I’ve seen since West Germany 1974 when a wee Raploch bhoy missed a sitter which would have given Scotland 3 points and the chance of not only qualifying from the group but actually winning it.
A couple of poor managerial decisions including the sentimental playing of Denis Law and the wee Fawkirk bawbag leaving the wee mhan out of the team altogether cost the country dearly.
The excuse of the boating incident is just that, an excuse. Why wasn’t jardine who admitted to pushing the boat out, or Hutchison and Law who were there also not left out.
A couple of days after this incident the wee mhan starred in a 2-0 victory over england.
prestonpans bhoys
Too far to commute from Playa Blanca I’m afraid. One of these days, we will catch up again for beers.
St Stivs-enjoy your hols mate, but blue lagoons, surely not!? What would they say back home?
HH
CRC
Thanks to everyone who sent me their best wishes on my 3/4 of a century birthday.
Good to see such a strong showing in the Scottish Open by the Scottish players.
Argentina have made the final because they are a very good team. Not as easy on the eye as Germany or Columbia, not as devastating on the break as Holland or Chile, but they are a team that has strength in every area of the field.
Forget the lazy media one man team nonesense. They have a top class centre half in Garay, great full backs who can defend in Zabaleta and Rojo, the best holding midfielder in the tournament in Mascherano, and a supporting cast up front that includes Di Maria, Higuain, Aguaro and Lavezzi.
Messi is the icing on the cake and despite being told he hasn’t been at his best he is still the most dangerous, effective player at the tournament. His goals/assists have all been relevant to the outcome of all of Argentina games, and he has contributed in every game (the semi was his worst but he scored a pen and set up one of the few chances Argentina had).
Don’t care who wins tonight, my pre tourney bet of an Argentina v Germany final is already own, just hoping for a great game.
Did u no bother answering yet phone coz its your birthday?
weefra, very sad news, may she rest in peace, you have spoken wonderfully of her here in the past and you will have many happy memories to treasure
Raploch is in Stirling, not Fawkirk (sic)
Only a fool would predict the winner of this World Cup Final. ………. After extra time and penalties, it will be N orth Korea.
ryecatcher
Over here in the States there is a group called The Shriners, they do a lot of good for badly burned children, they have Lodges all over the country and one here near where I live. I had a lot of them as my customers and mostly all, if not all, were Jewish
To be a Shriner you must first be a Mason…………
Happy Birthday to the old sea dog. 75 years is good going. May you have many more.