Job Discussion Forums

[richard ame]

Hi Everyone

Just decided to take the totally unusual step and talk about something completely unrelated to teaching . Namely football .
Last nights to be exact,a day that will burn in peoples brains for a week at least . After a promising start against the host country`s team they just sat back and let them run all over the place.Before the end of normal time the other side had nearly 30 shots at the English goal,our lot only managed half that number ,but,we did most of the fouling . Anyway we lost ,thanks to ,well old DB didn`t help much did he? Trying to knock a seagull down ,missed big time .
The question on my lips is when was the last time we lwon in a penalty shoot out ,have we ever ????
Sorry about this, normal nonsense will be resumes asap . I hate the silly game anyway its for big girls with tatoos and strange hair accessories .

[dmb]

I have to admit I'm still smiling. None of my English friends are talking to me though

[Mike_2003]

Don't know if it is the last time, I'm not that big a fan, but I remember in the same stage of the tournament in '96 we knocked the Spanish out on penalties.

It must be hard on you Scots to have your whole definition of happiness based upon the achievements and failures of another nation!

[dmb]

[ghost]

In penalty shootouts, during the past decade, the favourite teams (on paper) have usually lost....often with their `star player` missing....(Beckam, Baggio....).

The Euro. is wide open....but the Czechs look very good, particularly with their awsome combo. of Medved and Baros....the latter leading the scoring tables with 5 goals.

If Rooney had not become injured in that key match, the English might still be there, but it is all academic now.

The Greeks will have a hard time in the Semi Finals, but have already done incredibly well to reach that stage, and one can imagine that the Turks are following the travails of the Greeks with much interest. It would have been fascinating to see a Greece versus Turkey game...but unfortunately the Turks were not qualified (they lost to Lithuania in the qualifiers during the year...).

Predictions: Czech Republic versus Portugal in the final....The Czechs are the stronger team, but are known to be somewhat fragile when they have the `favourite tag` put on them. Portugal (if they reach the final) have a great opportunity to make history, but have lacked the consistency of the Czechs in this tournament. The Portuguese coach (actually a Brazilian) will have to find an intelligent game plan to win.

The Dutch are good, but not as good as their teams in the past, and they were lucky to win against Sweden in the shootouts. Davids has been disappointing in this tournament, having a tendency to run back too much and not forward. Seedorf is the man for the ``orange`` but he needs the cooperation of Davids....who has yet to show..

Greece have nothing to lose at this stage of the game, and although they have no ``stars`` they play solid football, and are in the best shape ever, thanks to the training of their German coach. The Greeks can run for the full 90 minutes, and they play good team ball. But realistically, their chances of reaching the final are slim.

[Mike_2003]

Didn't Turkey lose to Latvia?

[ghost]

Yes - correction - Latvia was the country the Turks lost to. The match was away in Latvia, and the conditions were rainy, cold, muddy pitch...and the Turks could not handle the conditions there....

One more thing about football (soccer) these days...the types of rankings in the past when you had 4-5 strong countries dominating the world is a thing of the past. Now - with better training systems and knowledge, and porous borders, there is a great levelling off of the countries and the talents...meaning that on any given day any team in the top 20 rankings in FIFA has a chance to beat the number one team in FIFA rankings.

This is good in the sense that you have surprises in tournaments.

The Brazilians, however, when they are `on song` still appear to have the edge on the world stage. They have such a vast pool of talent to choose from. And with literally millions of youngsters wishing to emulate the Carioca stars, it does not look like the Brazil domination will end any time soon.....the fact that a huge number of Brazilians live in abject poverty is also a factor which helps, paradoxically, the Brazilians to find an unlimited pool of talent. The impoverished youth see football (soccer) as a way out (much as the African American youth in the U.S.A. see basketball as a way to go forward).

France were very disappointing in the Tournament, and one might reflect that the players are too individualistic in their approach and do not know how to play as a team. Interesting to note, also, that once France starts losing a match, the French supporters are no longer heard in the stadium. With England, at least, this is never the case. The English have the loudest and most fanatical fan base in the world....

[vre]

"But realistically, their chances of reaching the final are slim."

Hmmm eat your words I should think, Ghost.

Portugal V Greece?

I want Greece to win but have a sad feeling that Portugal may just wing it.

[vre]

Greece wins