World Cup 2010

[Voodoo Billy]

If we'd gotten past them then Argentina would have done us over. I'd be very surprised if Germany get past them.

Let's hope not, I've got £5 on Argentina at 13/2 to go all the way.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

A wise choice. My money would be a Argentina v Netherlands final, although should Spain meet Argentina in the semis, who knows.

[Kounelaki]

The head of the FFF (French FA), Jean-Pierre Escalettes, has announced that he will be resigning.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

Lucky you. At least I guess the French national team can move on from here. Seems our lot won't be going anywhere. Fabio Capello has said he plans to stay in place up to the 2012 Euros, although the English FA is considering what to do over the next two weeks.

[fat cherry]

and didn't the FA give him a nice shiny new contract just before the tournament started. I'm sure it said somewhere it'll cost about 12million to sack him. Makes you wonder where they got their brains from. Perhaps they'll sack the whole lot of them.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

Yeah it's supposed to £12 million. Nuts. Get a top notch manager in on a £6 million salary and he plays the old fashioned 4-4-2 against a German side now known for fast play and counter attacks. England go 3-1 down and you substitute the only forward that has scored with Heskey.

Time for an overhaul me thinks. Lampard, James, Terry, Heskey out, do a Peter Taylor (as was done after the debacle of Euro 2000) and try an experimental younger team with a more modern formation bringing a few U-21s in. See how some of these youngsters take on stepping up to senior level given that they are the only ones who have managed to get to a tournament final. Sadly, it won't happen.

[fat cherry]

By sheer coincidence I am just reading Dave Simpsons book about the Fall (the Fallen) where he's trying to track down everyone whose been inthe Fall. Now I dont know how true the 'facts' of this (being a passing and occasional footy watcher) are but this is a bit of Mark E Smith footy wisdom:

See, Ramsay, people never liked him for it, but e'd always have the full backs from the second division. Gordon Banks Stoke City were bottom of the first division. They conceded more goals that world cup season than anybody else, but it works.
Yu want a goalie who gets bloody shot at every week. You dont want the Arsenal goalie or whatever in any national team, bcause he's never got anything to do. He might pull off the occasional beautiful save, but he's never going to be any good against a bunch of Poles who are going to get shot if they dont score.

made me chuckle anyway

[Kounelaki]

Kim Jong-il Blamed for N. Korea's Foolish World Cup Tactics

After the complete rout of North Korea by Portugal on Monday in their second match of the World Cup, some observers have seized on the opportunity to blame North Korean leader Kim Jong-il personally.

The license was provided by a claim by the team's coach Kim Jong-hun that the dictator "gives regular tactical advice during matches using mobile phones that are not visible to the naked eye." The coach added the fantasy device was invented by Kim Jong-il himself.

"Given the way the North Korean regime works, a football coach can't just mention Kim Jong-il's name and talk about him as he likes," a South Korean official said. "The invisible-mobile-phone part may be silly, but it's probably true that Kim Jong-il's orders are delivered to the coach."

A source who knows Kim Jong-hun's playing style very well said that the match against Portugal was not played in a way the North Korean coach wanted and that he must have been pressured from someone outside. "Kim Jong-hun, who is composed and laid-back, adheres to defense-oriented tactics since he was formerly a defender, but North Korea played an unreasonable offense-oriented tactics at the time when the gap was widening," the source said.

It appears that North Korea had high hopes of the game, which it broadcast live for the first time in its history. Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University, said, "The North Korean leadership seems to have wanted to consolidate its hold and look for ways to turn the tables through a victory in the World Cup as it is struggling both economically and diplomatically." Another government official said, "The brave display of discipline against Brazil on June 16 raised the bar for the North Korean team and instilled extravagant hopes in people."

The atmosphere in the North is said to be subdued after the rout. Kim Sung-min, who heads radio channel Free North Korea Radio, said, "We contacted North Koreans, and they said that they feel let down and upset. There are people who said they were so upset that they drank themselves senseless and that they can never forgive the players."

englishnews@chosun.com

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

I have it on good authority that invisible mobile phones are much better than invisible players who participate in poor tournament showings by their national team only to dramatically reappear one month later when they turn out for their clubs for pre-season matches.

[black francis]

Those North Korean players are gonna end up in prison camps or something. Best go for political asylum fellas.

[Kounelaki]

What's going to happen to the Japanese player who missed his penalty?

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

Sadly, the use of Seppuku for dishonoured Japanese football players has long gone. These days it's a flight home to Japan, Moscow, Germany or Italy (depending where your club side is) for some supermarket packed sushi, another blonde hair rinse and a night with a couple of hot Japanese groupie girls.

[Voodoo Billy]

Sadly, the use of Seppuku for dishonoured Japanese football players have long gone. These days it's a flight home to Japan, Moscow, Germany or Italy (depending where your club side is) for some supermarket packed sushi, another blonde hair rinse and a night with a couple of hot Japanese groupie girls.

Sound like fun, where can I go to miss one of these penalties you speak of?

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

Do you pray for the Japanese national side? If not, no gloupie girls for you.

[Voodoo Billy]

Do you pray for the Japanese national side? If not, no gloupie girls for you.

I have spent the last 24 hours on my knees in the mere anticipation of my prize.