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
- ...
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- ...
- 30
- »
setting free the bears supports res. 12 & oscar knox
23:12 on 12 June, 2014
It is a bit strange how people see things differently in a game. My oldest bhoy thought Oscar was outstanding.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
The link at 22.55
———
Install and stop ad pop ups
You do need some help when you consider the Croatia midfield of tonight, will make up the Real Madrid and Barcelona midfield of next season.
I would have thought Sting would be over in Brazil with his ringed mouthed friend
Night Timdom
Netherlands v Spain tomorrow.
That’s a game I would like to see.
HH jamesgang
Brazil are basically shite
Preacepta
Forward me your details …..you can bet with my stash
Tonight ..Brazil 2-0 ..done in ten
Hulk first goal …didn’t touch the ball
And I missed Twisty’s tip…bollox
….pfayr supports weeoscar
If Platini wasn’t so conflicted over Quatar, EUFA should divorce from FIFA.
If all the FA’s weren’t conflicted, the Big Five European nations should break away from UEFA.
As it stands, only major resistance from Global sponsors will gave any effect.
Meanwhile, Some fragments of the Celtic support attack their own club, instead of actively campaigning against the SFA.
Can’t quite get my head round that scene, at all.
Of the the manger. Big day tomorrow, driving to Belfast then Dublin.
SFTB, ehm, perhaps that’s true, but he isn’t better than any keeper playing in Scotland.
Picking which game to judge him on is selective, what happened to, only as good as his last game, on that showing he is dire.
When the pressure was on, in the big game, he failed.
Maggie
Aye
But Hun shite …it can go a long way
the huddle
Is it safe???
Jamie Langfield is better than Stipe on tonight’s showing!
Praecepta, wish I had backed my score tonight, was on the money.
Maggie
I agree.
HH
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
———-
I remember him playing in a trial game, semi decent but still some dodgy moments. Ironically he was ok at shots from distance :o)
We decided not to offer him a deal. he then squealed to the press about not getting a deal.
Just waiting for a couple of confirmations, but reckon we have 58 World cup predictors battling it out. This is fantastic, so thank you to all the entries
Would like 2 more, so if you are game, then let me know
You will of course not score for tonight’s game, but hey lonnnnnnnng way to go!
HH
CRC
cqnpredictor@gmail.com
What’s the Betdaq odds on Brazil winning World Cup + Celtic being arsed oot of the CL?
Just asking you dobbin types ken
Doc
Do you need an assistant 2morro?
Thomthethim
How about CFC tackling the SFA ….don’t blame the support
PFAyr.
Haven’t had a drink,Keeping fit for a drink in Glasgow tomorrow.Did you take up on that offer from Naked Wines,£41 off a half case of wine.
Do you think because I said it was a penalty I was full of drink,They were playing football, it wouldn’t have been a penalty if they were playing your game, And it was a penalty, no arguement.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
Is it safe???
———
Perfectly safe, free and one of the most downloaded bits of software on the internet.
What browser are you using?
Firefox
https://adblockplus.org/en/firefox
Internet Explorer
https://adblockplus.org/en/internet-explorer
Eddie, I’m not in charge and am an invited guest, not my gig to invite.
Sorry.
Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots
23:31 on
I hope to join, just having a few issues with software, wont let me save and send
guest=pest
OT
A poor attempt at mirth old friend …enjoy your day tomorrow
oldtim67
23:32 on 12 June, 2014
It want a penalty
….pfayr supports weeoscar
23:23 on 12 June, 2014
OT
You on the Naked Wine again :-))
I love the wife on the Naked Wine, means I get peace to watch the fitba as she’s usually oot the game after 2 glasses.
ThenakedpiniotblushislovelyCSC
oldtim67
23:22 on 12 June, 2014
Agreed ….
Doc
23:24 on
12 June, 2014
MacJay, Oscar was way left of centre running at goal, the goalie was central, he should have been forward and left of where he was for the third.
He was also on his heels.
Poor keeping.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Just had another look.
Way left of centre?
Specsavers for you ,Doc. :-)
Poor keeping? Dead right.
Desperately hoping we keep big Fraser.Our reaching the group stages may well depend on that.
I know Doc, just jesting. I need to contact WC, thought I’d done a deal last week but never followed it up.
If there is any Latino country I hope wins it …. It’s Columbia …… If they show up!
oldtim67
23:32 on 12 June, 2014
PFAyr.
Haven’t had a drink,Keeping fit for a drink in Glasgow tomorrow.Did you take up on that offer from Naked Wines,£41 off a half case of wine.
Do you think because I said it was a penalty I was full of drink,They were playing football, it wouldn’t have been a penalty if they were playing your game, And it was a penalty, no arguement
:::::;;;
You have got real value for money for your vino if you think that was a penalty
PFAyr.
Are you not coming in for a few.
macjay1 for neil lennon
23:35 on 12 June, 2014
I heard that you misrepresented me 2 days ago
In some discussion about teachers
Is this true?
Doc
He has 112 caps for Croatia. He’s faced pressure before at Championships and was starting keeper in their 2002 and 2006 WC finals games. He had an off night or he’s past it at 35. I suspect the former.
Rocket Man
You’ve taken that too far. Langfield is not the best Scottish keeper either.
Billy Bhoy 05
I like Oscar. He wins a lot of balls through tackles and pass interceptions for both Chelsea and Brazil. Outstanding is too high a complement for tonight but he does a good Dave Narey impersonation.
Eddie, you have to get in there, great host.
MacJay, relative to the keepers position, he was, keeper should make his narrow side impassable, he didn’t get close.
SFTB’s, fair play, I’m glad we didn’t sign him though, are you?
FF or Dodgy keeper?
In the highly improbable event that Celtic were ever awarded a penalty like the Fred simulation, I’d have been deeply embarrassed.