PT Barnum may have been right 150 years ago, but The Greatest Show on Earth these days gets underway this afternoon, despite the shameful corruption displayed by Fifa. By comparison, the Olympics is a sideshow. My first experience of the World Cup was watching Scotland play Zaire in 1974. For 20-odd years the tournament had participation value for Scotland, even if the joy of being there was short lived.
These days the joy is all about being a neutral football fan and soaking up the drama and brilliance from the game.
Statistically it is difficult to look past Brazil, who will benefit enormously from home advantage. European teams have never won the tournament in the Americans, where Brazil and Argentina have won every competition since Uruguay triumphed in the last time the tournament was held in Brazil 64 years ago.
Leo Time
Lionel Messi was, until recent times, the undisputed best player on the planet, but his position in the all-time greatest list is in considerable dispute. Ask an older Barcelona fan, who has watched Cruyff, Maradona Ronaldo and Messi all do their stuff at the Camp Nou, and they are likely to tell you Leo is by far the better player. His stats as a striker bear this out, but ask an Argentinean, and he’ll scarcely get a mention in the same breath as Diego. There is not even a debate that Messi is the greatest Argentine.
After giving a spectacular display of goal-scoring prowess in 1982, then 25-year-old Diego Maradona singlehandedly led Argentina to their second World Cup in 1986 and back to the final four years later. By Comparison, 26-year-old Messi has looked comparatively pedestrian in his two previous tournaments. He’ll be 30 by the time of the next tournament, which will be held in the completely different environment of Russia. If Messi is to be considered an all-time great, he needs to take Argentina to the final. If his career ends without an outstanding World Cup, he’ll slip somewhere between Eusabio and Cruyff in the list.
I’d like Belgium to win. Belgian clubs and FA go about their business correctly and brought a remarkable bounty of talent to Brazil. It’s always been easy to back Brazil but I’m still not over the Neymar thing. The guy is an abomination in the Brazil No. 10 shirt, a vastly over-rated charlatan. Anyone but Neymar, please.
Bertie Auld live chat, tomorrow, 1pm, on CQN. Be there.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
[calameo code=0003901719d82038831a9 lang=en page=126 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,110 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- ...
- 30
- »
Just got a photo of Croatia fans ,Independence for Scotland banner
Goodnight all, I leave you with my own take on the ‘modern’ world…..
The fires of Armageddon stoked by oil’s greed and selfish souls
The rain of innocence-destroying bolts of Satan’s lightning and Hades’ red hot coals
Sent from hell to burn and raze a thousand children’s smiles and play
From the promised lands that once we sought and now we try to blow away!
No more we strive to live and learn and with each day to take a stride
Towards the light from which we shield our mindless eyes and still we hide
Behind the veil of wilful hate and scorn the lessons history has taught
That pain and anguish meted out are not the products of higher thought!
As God, Iehovah, or Allah writhes as each of you claim that he stands
With you as genocide is wreaked and he stares at his guilty bloodied hands
And then he welcomes those that you have condemned as the devil’s kith and kin
For you to meet again one day when you depart then ask yourself, what did you win!
Hail hail and bonsoir
Estadio
Mr Maynard stoats at 12/1!!
Rocket man
Where do you get the Karlovacko? My favourite beer but cannot get it in UK.
mr maynard
thanks for info
had little bit on
hail hail
Ha,,,,,,a wee sangria or two in order methinks……..
2-0 to the hosts.
Much less of Chiles if possible :-)))
HH
Mr Maynard – gutted. Took it on Paddy Power at 7_1 Never mind lol
TnT
Thank you my friend.
Mr Maynard – never in doubt
Rocket Man
20:35 on
12 June, 2014
Who think Adrian is going to get lamped by someone in the studio?
————————————————-
Yip. And hopefully they’ll leave the lamp plugged in….
Twists n Turns.
Surprised how easy it won,you didn’t seem that confident when putting it up on the blog,but it won like the good thing it was. thanks for the tip,had a few quid on.
Bada bing
£50m bombscare
Onlymaoney
PP pays best odds…you’ll get 12/1
Hrvatski Jim – wish I could get it too! Have a virtual Karlo on me!
Twisty
Missed again …FFS
TnT love you x…..
Well done twists hope you got a nice wee lift
Had a small lift myself
TnT
Thanks Mhate – owe you a beer got it @14/1 when I saw your tip last night.
That’s the WCup kitty sorted. :-)
Oldtim
Taking a few hurdles out cos of the sun helped….he’s won on the flat!!
Mr Maynard……..
Twisty does it again, magnificent mo chara!
gebhoy
Tnt
Thanks betting money for the football sorted.
PFAyr.
Did you go for that offer from rude wines,£41 off a case of 6 wines.snapped it up.
My simple view on the World Cup ……..1. Support any team who have a Celtic player in the team.
2. If they’re knocked out , support any team wearing green.
3. If they’re knocked out support any team playing against a team in blue.
But confused at the moment cause Big Fraser plays for England.
Rocket Man
I made a presentation to Heineken at Leiden near Amsterdam which owns Karlovacko. On my last slide I put in a map with a “Chilled Beer Pipeline” from Karlovac to Glasgow and demanded that they build one but it did not work.
Didn’t get their business either.
ITV coverage embarrassingly bad
twists n turns
Nice one mate , 1st class info.
Thanks for that,defo owe you a couple of beers if our paths ever cross .
Burgh bhoy
Similar myself but add that any team with Huns or ex Huns should lose every game.
Jim – amazing beer! Shame about the pipeline though.
twists n turns.
Yes.I had a read at the form and noticed it had won a race on the flat, And taking out a lot of hurdles helped a lot .but it had plenty in hand.
English bias Tv coverage will win hundreds of thousands of YES votes :)
big thanks TnT.wee shandy the order of the day now.H.H.
My first time in Croatia and I went to the shop. I could only find Karlovacko and asked what other beers they had. The lady said “why do you need anything else?” lol
garygillespieshamstring
20:49 on 12 June, 2014
Burgh bhoy
Similar myself but add that any team with Huns or ex Huns should lose every game.
Indeed sir . Spot on
Nice one SOAL. Guinness for Nigeria?
Just as you all think it can’t get any worse
Townsend on the mike
Twists – correct, they have just paid out at 12/1. Ya dancer. Cheers for that. My first bet since Dawn Commander lol
How long after kick off until Clive Tyldesley mentions England and /or 1966???
OT
Missed that too