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.
771 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- »
Beatbhoy
Good shout,that Bayern side were great.it is a great tally of medals he won the old nations cup un 1972 too I think.but rhen as
now they had great players muller, hoeness, vogts , netzer , breitner etc.
HH
Doc – read your passport
The United Kingdom is simply Great Britain and Northern Ireland
doc
00:35 on 14 July, 2014
Remind awe naw about the crate will ya?
Tnx
Celtic 4/11 to win, no value there.
That team Cliftonville play on Tuesday are 5/6.
They defeated Lyon 4-2 in a friendly game recently.
Jinky runs at Ayr today, priced up @ 7/2.Got to be worth a few shillings of anyone’s money.
HH.
beatbhoy
00:36 on 14 July, 2014
Just World Champions floats my gloat
English football hits new low – Best League In The World champions pumped 2-0 by Dundee.
WC, headers on passports are not legal entities.
I will check though, but not tonight.Not saying that isn’t the header, just the legal entity we live in is the UK, not GB.
Perhaps I am an ungrateful subject!
Nah.
Maggie, I will.
Well done, he will claim a moral victory though, but it was over 90 mins!
Sandman
I could not stomach the serial diver Mueller as player of the tournament. His dive off the ball tonight was shocking and should have been highlighted.
Also cannot accept your defence of Neuer. The keeper is, perhaps, entitled to raise his knee high to protect himself going into a melee of players who might try to challenge and hurt him. Higuain had his back turned and was not going to injure the keeper. Neuer was also at the very edge of his box. Any defender, clearing as he did, would have been harshly penalised.
Hi, An Tearmann,
I am as well as Anno Domini allows &, all things considered, could not ask for more.
I will be in Tir Chonaill for a few days in about 3 weeks time & will try to get over to Doon Well if I can convince my chauffesse to humour me.
Hope you are well & getting plenty of miles pounded.
Good Luck.
Margaret McGill
Comparatively young team too, so could well be the first to successfully defend the WC since Brazil ’58 and ’62.
16 roads
Never a truer word spoken in my opinion
Diego Maradona is the greatest footballer of all time.
Got into fitba in the 80s
Played
Watched
Supported
Loved
Never loved so much
86
Maradona
Made me love
Even more
Nothing comes close
Hail Hail
Mean in World Cup terms
Nothing comes close to Celtic obviously
Hail Hail
I think Shweigy fae Germany is the best fitba player in the world the noo.Amazing fitba player.
Travellerbhoy
In ’86, in the QF v England, Maradona’s famous 2nd goal, followed by his 2 goals in the SF v Belgium, must be the three best goals scored consecutively in the WC by any player.
On pretty poor playing surfaces, too, especially the QF.
Kilbowie kelt
Great place to visit now, all car parked and pathed walk way to mass rock as well as up to Doon rock itself.
HH
S.F.T.B.
n.b. Mass atrocities.
Not including the Lusitania.
1914–1918: World War I[edit]
World War I was the first major international conflict to take place following the codification of war crimes at the Hague Convention of 1907, including derived war crimes, such as the use of poisons as weapons, as well as crimes against humanity, and derivative crimes against humanity, such as torture, and genocide.
Armed conflict Perpetrator
World War I Imperial Germany
Incident Type of crime Persons responsible Notes
Rape of Belgium War crimes, crimes against humanity (mass murder of civilians and destruction of property) No prosecutions In defiance of the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, the German occupiers engaged in mass atrocities against the civilian population of Belgium and looting and destruction of civilian property, in order to flush out the Belgian guerrilla fighters, or francs-tireurs, in the first two months of the war, after the German invasion of Belgium on August 1914.[4] In addition, since Belgium was officially neutral after hostilities in Europe broke out and Germany invaded the country without explicit warning, this act was in breach of the treaty of 1839 and the 1907 Hague Convention on Opening of Hostilities.[5]
Howedes and Neuer should both have received red cards in the game.
Howedes for a brutal challenge on a fella’s knee which could have ended his career and Neuer for a totally reckless challenge.
Officials were awful.
delaneys dunky
01:07 on 14 July, 2014
I think Shweigy fae Germany is the best fitba player in the world the noo.Amazing fitba player.
…………
Not in Liam Henderson’s class..;-)
ACGR
if your lurking there is a radio scotland documentary at 1.30pm bout Carnoustie and its locals.might interest you.
HH
Good night Celtic people
Be safe
HH
I think Argentinian tackling is brutal and injury inflicting a la mode of Uruguay. They always bring the 2nd leg through to get the man in case they miss the ball. They’re great at it. Kramer got crippled by a cynical block. Macheramo should have got a 2nd yellow. As for their continuous punching and elbowing ask Schweinsteiger
Big nasty Germans?
Turn it up will ya?
Mags,
The two challenges I am on about were straight red cards.
Traveller bhoy.hope lifes good
Remember your one of us mhate
HH
TCR
Liam Henderson’s fenian army!
tricoloured ribbon
01:25 on 14 July, 2014
Naw they wurny
Come to think of it I am glad that tournament is over,
Now let’s see what Celtic are made of against this pub outfit fae Iceland.
Mags,
Aye two straight reds so there ;-)
DD ,
Are you no working in the morn chief?
beatbhoy
I was 16
4 year earlier
I was taken into care
Permantly
Never had a clue
Although
I cheered nareys
Goal against Brazil
By. 86
I had played
For the school
And Sunday league
For the best team in Dundee
Fair Muir
Supported the hoops
Watched for free all Dundee and United games
Including European
Courtesy of a free pass
But World Cup 86
Was really my first
Where I was engrossed
And didn’t miss a game
Maradona blew me away
I had heard of pele
Seen clips
But that was mind blowing
Only thing that came close
Was the Maestro
In his pomp
Hail Hail
Just catching up.
macjay1 for neil lennon
23:04 on 13 July, 2014
To steal liberally from Jeremy Hardy… a brit is a member of the occupying forces of northern ireland. Celtic are a football club;)
Travellerbhoy
Hail Hail bro.
Your truth may bring them down.
Fully behind you.
The truth shall out!
TCR
Aye, good shout bro.
GNGB
The Brits were tagged Brits in a derogatory sense.
Now the halfwits describe themselves as such as in the Brit Awards etc.
Clowns.
an tearmann
Cheers bhud
I’m doing good
Hope you are also
A travellerers life changes so quickly
8 days ago
I hadn’t spoke to the love of my life for 2 years
Now I’m sick talking to her
I blame this site
: )
Severe shortage of tunes tnite.
All links welcome
H.H.
Evening/morning all.
Really enjoyed the game despite the lack of goals until extra time.
I thought the Germans had the greater possession but the Argentinians probably had the better of the chances.
Genuinely felt for Messi who in my opinion singlehandedly dragged his side to the final but ultimately ran out of steam, stamina and fitness at the final hurdle.
Not my favourite chap but also felt for Mascherano who I thought was absolutely outstanding in his last two games.
http://youtu.be/FTQbiNvZqaY
Love this,heard a wee band singing it in Derry tonight
delaneys dunky
Never stop fighting
The Westminster house of cards will fall
Then the floodgates open
The truth
IS THE TRUTH