The 2006 World Cup

[boz-e]

so we've qualified - finally, after 32 years away

the draw comes out on the 9th of December

the discussion continues...

[MadOogles]

does it?

[nickko]

I'll be there.

Go Australia!

Brazil should axe it.

[phelon]

Brazil Argentina final oh my

[chinstoker]

yeah I'll be there too

Brazil are my tip to win the whole thing

Ukraine to be my "dark horse" tip to reach the semi finals.

Also expect good things from the Czechs

[buffed]

the home side always does well, and i'm tipping germany will win

[SamJam]

im planning on being there, but i only have like 2k saved at the moment. how much scobes are people taking over?? ill probably just head over to the UK to work afterwards.

[Anselm]

The Czechs are paying something stupid like $22 to win. Thats a good bet.

EDIT: Vale Socceroos World Cup Qualifier Thread

[chinstoker]

the home side always does well, and i'm tipping germany will win

yeah, usually is a big advantage, although it didn't help the USA much in 1994, Mexico in 1986 or Spain in 1982......

Germany will do OK, will probably make the semis... can't see them winning it though

[chinstoker]

The Czechs are paying something stupid like $22 to win. Thats a good bet.

EDIT: Vale Socceroos World Cup Qualifier Thread

* rushes off to the TAB to put $5 on the Czechs as a future bet *

[nickko]

I assume most of the odds will come out after the draw. I'd be thinking of slapping a few on Australia to make the knockout/quarters, could get a nice return.

I think I might trust a mate of mine though. He picked Senegal to beat France in the last Cup, and also won a shitload by calling Australia to beat Uruguay in a shootout!

[Anselm]

My gf's friend one something like $700 on Senegal cause she heard on jjj that morning that the previous holder has lost the first game the alst few word cups. She doesn't know a thing about football but wacked on a 50 and away she went

[topitov]

Those are great odds for a super Czech team...I expect them to at least make SF.

[Anselm]

Its $22 in Australia and $28 at Ladbrokes in the UK

[cruisysloth]

Brazil to win. It's a sure thing, You'll get $5-7 for it now and it'll be the easiest money you ever make.

Argentina, Germany, France, all look good on paper. Can't see them winning though.

Brazil or France (through Henry brilliance) for my money.

France at $12 is attractive!!

[chinstoker]

France?? Lucky to qualify against the likes of Ireland, Switzerland and Israel. Although Brazil struggled to qualify last time and won it in the end.....

depending on the draw, the semi-finalists to be Brazil, Germany, Czech Republic and Ukraine..... maybe with Argentina up there

$20 on Brazil and $5 on the Czechs......

[bricktop712]

On paper, yeah, Brazil should samba through the opposition. But I dunno, it feels like France '98 over again for mine, where those Brasilians were clear-cut favourites as they are now.

So, they'll get to the final again and then lose to France, again.

[topitov]

depending on the draw, the semi-finalists to be Brazil, Germany, Czech Republic and Ukraine..... maybe with Argentina up there



Chinstoker u stole my last 4! :p

I agree with those...ill also throw in Sweden and Croatia for SF chance.
Ghana have a great team,could be the African Surprise.
Mexico and USA could 'damage' some European reputations.

[nickko]

Brazil to win. It's a sure thing, You'll get $5-7 for it now and it'll be the easiest money you ever make.

$3.50 on sportstab.

Brazil are so much more a team nowadays, as a pose to the 11 individuals that played '98, for example. Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, Ronaldo, Robinho...this is as good as their 1970 team.

[chinstoker]

Chinstoker u stole my last 4! :p

I agree with those...ill also throw in Sweden and Croatia for SF chance.
Ghana have a great team,could be the African Surprise.
Mexico and USA could 'damage' some European reputations.

my god, boy do great minds think alike ;)

surprising this is Ghana's first WC....... they have been great at youth level for years. Croatia are another good team, Sweden have been impressive and have a good WC pedigree.

Serbia-Montenegro may surprise also.

But I still stick to that top 4, depending on the draw.

[cruisysloth]

On paper, yeah, Brazil should samba through the opposition. But I dunno, it feels like France '98 over again for mine, where those Brasilians were clear-cut favourites as they are now.

So, they'll get to the final again and then lose to France, again.

Brazil only lost that because Ronaldo was injured. Threw the entire team out

For this world cup if I had $10 to spend there'd only be two bets, $9 on Brazil and $1 on France. Can't see any other team winning it. My darkies are Germany, home side always polls well and the Czechs, very very good and well organised side.

If you wanna make a few bob put some on Serbia & Montenegro getting to the group stages. They were fucken impressive in their group qualifying stages, topping their group infront of Spain!

[bricktop712]

I'd like to see the Spanish do well for once. Always loaded with star-studded quality but are invariably crushed by the weight of expectations. There's an argument for dropping out-of-form Raul, but like that's ever gonna happen..

Brazil only lost that because Ronaldo was injured. Threw the entire team outTrue. And I'm predicting the same type of drama will unfold again..

[soulshine]

I’d never bet on who is gonna win the WC. Anything can happen. Better to bet on players scoring goals.

[adrian morton]

After Englands thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina I see England making the semis easy.
Brazil look too good and I think it's time they copped a hiding.
Rooney has the skill to match anyone in the world and will no doubt be one of the star players of Germany 2006.

[chuckstar]

All shapes up for a cracker of a World Cup!

I am also planning on heading over, only hard part is gettin tickets..... anyone lucky enough to already have them?????????

[chinstoker]

After Englands thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina I see England making the semis easy.


:lol:

that was a friendly. what about the losses to Denmark 4-1 (also a friendly) or Northern Ireland 1-0 (qualifier)? Wouldn't read too much into that performance against the Argies.

And to say a team will make "the semis easy" is a big call for any team bar Brazil.

And what is this fascination with France people have? They really aren't that good a team anymore.

Saying that, what's the bet it's now an England v France final just to show me up.... :P

[chinstoker]

fuck the FIFA rankings are a joke.....

latest rankings here:

http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statistics/index/0,2548,111537,00.html?articleid=111537

some teams that failed to qualify for the WC have actually improved their ranking....

Australia up 5 to 49th.... we will be the 5th lowest ranked team (on these rankings) at the WC

Ghana, Togo, Angola and Trinidad & Tobago are below us.

[Lambretta]

Back in the mid 90's I entered a World Cup competition at work. Everyone put in 20 quid and drew names out of a hat.

My boss was so pissed off when he picked Bulgaria, but they ended making the semi's and he doubled his money.

I picked Brazil (the eventual winners) and won two hundred and fourty quid.

:D

I'd love to do something like that again.

[redambition]

brasil, baby. i have my flag up and ready for the grand final celebrations :p

that said, it would be lovely to see australia and poland do well.

[grover]

It was a week ago today and i still get goose bumps when i watch the game.

I'll be there in Germany with friends, can't farken wait. Bring it on.

[YellowDiesel]

Hope Australia does well of coarse, but without a doubt I would pick Brazil to win, something will have to go seriously wrong for them not too. Just saw Ronaldinhio training in a clip the other day, I swear he's from another planet, where everyone has super powers.

[YellowDiesel]

Anyone else notice Brazil has almost 50 more points then the next ranked team on the fifa rankings?

[adrian morton]

Brasil own football just like the americans own gridiron.

Case closed

[chinstoker]

yeah, those points take into account history, last few world cups etc etc..... so the big guns like Brazil are hard to overtake

re Ronaldinho: just before he moved to Barcelona, Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid said he wouldn't sign him because "he was too ugly to wear a Real shirt"

:lol:

stupid Real fuckstain, too busy worrying about selling shirts than the football.... and it's been a couple of years since Real has won shit now..... goes to show huh..... and Barca beat Real 3-0 in Madrid the other day....... but at least Real looked pretty. By the way, Ronaldinho scored 2 of those goals..... poetic justice.

FORZA BARCA!

interesting article about the game and the wider social and political significance of the Real - Barca rivalry here:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=349747&root=europe&cc=3436

[topitov]

Hope Australia does well of coarse, but without a doubt I would pick Brazil to win, something will have to go seriously wrong for them not too. Just saw Ronaldinhio training in a clip the other day, I swear he's from another planet, where everyone has super powers.
:lol: possibly

Did u see that flick/turn vs Bremen today?OMG freak!

[chinstoker]

Brasil own football just like the americans own gridiron.

Case closed

yeah, but no one but America plays gridiron :p

[ViRiPiDES]

On paper Brazil should be the favorites by a mile. They have 5 of the best attacking players in the world and have arguably the top 2 playmakers in Ronaldinho and Kaka. If they have a weak spot it'd be their defence but even so they have the likes Cafu, Cicinho,Lucio, Luisao, Alex, Roberto Carlos etc. Whats more they have 2 very good defensive mids in Emerson and Ze Roberto (I think he plays in this position for the national team). and have Dida between the sticks. Yeah and don't forget they have guys like Juninho and Fred coming off the bench.

Having said that though my tip is Spain, haha.
I know they always seem to dissapoint at the major tournaments but I believe 2006 could be their year (If Raul recovers in time). They have a midfield to rival Brazil in class and depth (including 3 of the best wingers in the game) . And the backline of Ramos/Salgado-Puyol-Helguera/Perea-Del Horno looks very solid. Not to mention theuy have 2 great keepers in Casillas and Canizares. Only week spot would be their forwards but I'd liek to see Raul and Moro pair up again.

And my other 2 semi-finalist would be:-

Germany - home nation and have a tendency to grind out results when it matters. Very solid team but lacks a world-class forward which could prove the deciding factor against the big nations.

Ukraine - I just have a feeling that Sheva and Co can spring a few surprises.

[innA]

Brazil, England, Netherlands and Sweden are my tips for the semi finals.

Those FIFA rankings are so warped - who would rather play England (9) or Portugal (10) or Italy (12) instead of Mexico (7) or USA (8) :lol:

[innA]

Brazil, England, Netherlands and Sweden are my tips for the semi finals.

Those FIFA rankings are so warped - who would rather play England [9] or Portugal [10] or Italy [12] instead of Mexico [7] or USA [8] :lol:

Serbia and Montenegro went down 5 places to 47, yet they qualified for the World Cup unbeaten, only conceding 1 goal from 10 games? :?

[mrtimotae]

Brasil own football just like the americans own gridiron.

Case closedI hate c unts that know nothing about football apart from brazil are good

[gravy]

USA for the win.

[soulshine]

Rooney shrek better watch his temper. I can see him being the bad boy of WC 2006. So much talent, yet so much hate. He'll end up in jail with an asshole as wide as a wizards sleave.
I'm shouting for sweden cause their women shave. More bald otters pockets please :thumb:

jasus i was drunk last night. sorry

[maas]

I'll be backpacking around europe next year so I'll definitely be in germania for the cup, but am waiting for the draw on december 9 before making the final arrangements.

only thing I'm certain of is being in berlin a few days before the opening match takes place. after that I'll try and follow the aussies around.

i see brasil having a major breakdown at the semi final stage. sure they have the stars, but not everyone will get a start, and those left on the bench may cause some shit. plus no south american country has ever won the cup in europe.

my semi pics - brasil, holland, czech (but only with nedved playing), and australia (I'm an optimist).

[SamJam]

Final: Brazil and Holland
Semi Finalists: England and Argentina
Quarters: Ghana, Germany, Spain, Mexico
Final 16: Ukraine, Australia, Italy, Sweden

[chinstoker]

plus no south american country has ever won the cup in europe.


incorrect, Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 in the final of the 1958 WC, held in Sweden.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_World_Cup_1958

[Dirty_Sanchez]

After Englands thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina I see England making the semis easy.
Brazil look too good and I think it's time they copped a hiding.
Rooney has the skill to match anyone in the world and will no doubt be one of the star players of Germany 2006.


U IDIOT

[Spitchen]

I was gonna go to Germany but then thought that being in Aussie pubs with a shitload of up for it Aussies cheering the team on with a big screen and good Aussie beer was gonna be something special and cheap. So i'm staying put and am gonna lap up the local atmosphere instead. ;)

[Anselm]

Final: Brazil and Holland
Semi Finalists: England and Argentina
Quarters: Ghana, Germany, Spain, Mexico
Final 16: Ukraine, Australia, Italy, Sweden
Thats very tough on the Czechs

But I would LOVE to see a Brazil v Holland Final.

[nickko]

. And the backline of Ramos/Salgado-Puyol-Helguera/Perea-Del Horno looks very solid.

Ramos is an absolute shitkicker, it is almost embarrassing trying to watch him play for Real. Puyol and Helguera are both solid, but prone to mistakes and Del Horno, whilst going forward looks dangerous, is a very average defender, often panicking on the ball. Not the best defence in my opinion.

[SamJam]

Thats very tough on the Czechs

But I would LOVE to see a Brazil v Holland Final.
yeah i forgot about them, can probably interchange them with the swedes..but i think they are a tad over-rated.

[soulshine]

Holland are quite an old team.

Love watching them play though. Colourful supporters

[hipswinger]

would love to see us get into the second round, we just need to score more goals if we have any chance. And then meet England.

[JustinSane]

Hey guys was just wondering if anyone knows if penalty goals in regulation time and penalty goals in a shootout get counted towards the golden boot award?
And if so does the goal talley get counted all the way to the finals and including the 3rd place playoff match?

And finally.....
whos gonna win the award?!

[cruisysloth]

Penalty's in a shootout dont count towards a persons goal tally.

Penaltys in regulation time or extra time will.

[boz-e]

justin - shootout goals dont count for the golden boot but penalties in regulation time do

and who's gonna win? not recoba :lol:

[Anselm]

Milan Baros:p

But seriously, its a hard one. If England play as well as everyone seems to think they will, then little Mikey Owen will be a chance. Also perhaps somelike Cisse for France?

[soulshine]

Henry (2 goals on the weekend just back from injury), Ronaldo or Rooney are the obvious standouts.

[Anselm]

Henry (2 goals on the weekend just back from injury), Ronaldo or Rooney are the obvious standouts.
I reckon Rooney will be cerating more than he scores. He's the only really skilful, creative player they've got

[nickko]

Sheva could be up there if Ukraine make it past the group stage. He scored four this morning for Milan...

I don't think a Brazilian will get it, as there are simply too many goal-scorers in their side.

[soulshine]

Owen hadnt scored in ages till the Argie game. I dont rate him. Too weak

You're right about Brazilian striking power, but that could have been said in Korea and he still got golden boot

[bricktop712]

Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Henry as my favourites.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an outside chance.

[jackster]

England v Australia final

After a thrilling 6-6 draw after extra time

England win 119-118 on penalties in a shoot out lasting 3 days.

Nurse....my medication please...:lol:

[YellowDiesel]

If Brazil get to play the type of football they like to: Conceding a few but winning by more, I think Ronaldo would get it. If France stay in for long enough Henry would be in for a chance, I dont like Rooneys chances, but then again I dont like Rooney.

If Brazil ended up making the finals, who do you think would make the best opposition for an entertaining, tense game?

And where can I find all the odds on this?

[soulshine]

England V Brazil would be a great final. Controversy seems to follow England whenever they play, always penos, always red cards. Both attacking sides. Rooney will have a spaz at brazilian dives and slap the ref. Becham will get split ends and go for imediate hair transplant surgery. Calamity James will throw the ball into the back of his own net and then world war 3 will start :P

Last WC final was pretty boring with germany. imo

[SamJam]

If Brazil ended up making the finals, who do you think would make the best opposition for an entertaining, tense game?

Brazil V Netherlands

[Gee Frizz]

If Brasil win it this time they will break what has become something of a hoodoo... They have not won in a WC held anywhere in Europe since well... I can't be bothered looking past 1966!

It is far too early to start making predictions but a final involving Brasil, Germany or England I think is most likely.

I can't wait to see the draw!

[topitov]

People might already know this but to those that dont here u go...

Since 58 theres been a unique pattern determining World Cup winners...its like a cycle.

58 Brazil
62 Brazil
66 England(hosts)
70 Brazil
74 Germany
78 Argentina
82 Italy
86 Argentina
90 Germany
94 Brazil
98 France(hosts)
2002 Brazil
2006 ??

Italy are central to this cycle....going either way in history it follows the same pattern.

From 82 going in reverse its...
Italy,Argentina,Germany,Brazil,Hosts,Brazil,Brazil
From 82 going forward its...
Italy,Argentina,Germany,Brazil,Hosts,Brazil,2006?
Its Identical.

To finish this cycle it will be Brazil.

But then i think Germany are at home and they will break this cycle,but on the other hand i think that this Brazilian team is so good that they will complete the 'puzzle'.

[SamJam]

well spotted.

Destiny 06 in more ways then one huh?

[cruisysloth]

Whoever said Spain is kidding themselves. They're just like Holland, one of the best teams on paper that just can never put it together.

Spain has made it to the semi-finals just once in their World Cup history!!Fourth place in Brazil in 1950 is their best ever placing if you can believe that!! Talk about underachievers!

[chinstoker]

exactly Cruisysloth.... at least the Dutch have made a few finals and semi-finals.....

[cruisysloth]

Baros I think won't be a favourite for the golden boot with the bookies but by memory won golden boot at the euro championships. Would definately put a lazy $5 or $10 on him.

Scheva, Henry, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho - All depending on how far their teams get.

What might work against the brazilians is that they might steal goals of each other. Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Adriano all goal scorers.

I think the team everyone is forgetting is Argentina. They tied for 1st place with Brazil in Sth. America in qualifying. Fucken solid team. They've got some attacking players in Crespo, Riquelme, Aimar, Saviola and then a solid solid defence with Zanetti, Ayala, Sorin, Hienze (if fit?). Dangerous team.

[chinstoker]

yeah I tipped Argentina as my 'substitute' semi-final team...... depending on the draw.

Guess I got burned with them last time... tipped em to win and they didn't make it past the groups :lol:

[topitov]

Baros I think won't be a favourite for the golden boot with the bookies but by memory won golden boot at the euro championships. Would definately put a lazy $5 or $10 on him.



Nice selection...

Another outsider could be the joker kezman...if Serbia get a good run he will score all their goals.

[chinstoker]

hey topitov, quick aside..... do you stand with the Cove at SFC matches?

[midian]

Brazil or France (through Henry brilliance) for my money.


Sorry mate but "Henry brilliance"? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. He chokes on every big stage, but then people forget because he looks good against a team in the bottom half of the Premier League table the next week.

Spain are always the bridesmaids, never the bride. Under Aragones they have held themselves together, but I can't see them winning this world cup. The same goes for England, they look great on paper but their left wing and central midfield are major issues. They don't have an out-and-out left winger with proven international experience, and anyone who wants to argue that Lampard and Gerrard can play anywhere near their full capacity next to eachother must have their hand on it.

Holland are another good squad on paper, but their constant downfall is infighting in the squad. Dutch players are renkown for their egos and once that starts to flare up (like it does almost every competition) then they drag themselves down.

Germany? I don't know. On paper they are decent, though strike power seems to be a bit of an issue. Home ground advantage should carry them towards the quarters or semis, but I don't know if they'll go any further.

I think the Czechs and Ukraine are final 16 teams, I'd tip Ukraine to go further than the Czechs.

My money will be on a South American win, but I'm going against the Brazil grain and I'm saying Argentina. They have an excellent squad, Riquelme is really starting to emerge as one of the world's best midfielders and I think they have the all-round potential to win the cup.

My suprise packet of the competition: Ghana.

As for us, I'm hoping we make the round of 16. People seem to get too ahead of themselves and say that we're capable of the quarters/semis/final/winning the whole thing. I think making the round of 16 will prove we're here on the international stage, and be a massive achievement for a squad of our depth.

[topitov]

Chinstoker - No,im usually somewhere between Bay31-35...Reason being,im always dragging about 6-7 friends along and they would rather have a better view of the game.

We all love the atmosphere provided by The Cove,keep it up :thumb:

[cruisysloth]

I can't see Australia making it past group stage

Most groups have 2 good teams and two average teams. We'll be in one of those groups 'of death' that have 3 good teams and one average team (us). So we have to beat two good teams like portugal, holland, england etc. to get the 2nd spot in a group and go through. Just can't see it happening as we don't score enough goals

[cruisysloth]

Sorry mate but "Henry brilliance"? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. He chokes on every big stage, but then people forget because he looks good against a team in the bottom half of the Premier League table the next week.

Did you even follow the qualfying games? He single handedly got France through basically. He'll shine at this World Cup if he gets the support from the team. The whole team was a disgrace in korea/japan



I think the Czechs and Ukraine are final 16 teams, I'd tip Ukraine to go further than the Czechs.
I can't agree with you on this one. Czechs are a QUALITY team and made it to semi-finals in Euro's and probably should've made it to the finals. Can't see Ukraine going further than czechs unless they get a lot lot easier run in the group stages than czechs. Koller & Baros will cause some havoc

[nickko]

Koller's retired, no?

[midian]

Did you even follow the qualfying games? He single handedly got France through basically. He'll shine at this World Cup if he gets the support from the team. The whole team was a disgrace in korea/japan

You're 100% right there, but lets see what happens when he's on the REAL big stage. Qualifying is one thing, like the group stages of the champions league, but the amount of times he's gone missing when the pressure is really on outweighs everything else IMO. I'd like to see him play to his full potential on the big stage, so here's hoping he does, however previous history seems to go against him having a capability of doing so.


I can't agree with you on this one. Czechs are a QUALITY team and made it to semi-finals in Euro's and probably should've made it to the finals. Can't see Ukraine going further than czechs unless they get a lot lot easier run in the group stages than czechs. Koller & Baros will cause some havoc

Baros has been in terrible form since the Euro's though. He's another Dennis Rommedahl in my books - a decent player at country level but seems nowhere as good at club level.

Of course this is all hypothetical at moment anyway, injuries coming up to the comp will really make or break the squads.

[disgruntledgoat]

Poland v. Germany Final. If Germany loses, Blitzkrieging the bitches.

[bricktop712]

Hmmm, none here seem to rate the Italians - perhaps because of their inconsistency during the qualifying stage. But they're pretty damn solid right across the pitch, especially defensively of course, however the Italians also boast a couple of players that are capable of turning a game through sheer individual brilliance - namely, Andrea Pirlo whom I rate on par with many of the world's top players.

[paulV]

Fuck me Holland make it through and everyone thinks they are going to win. They're good but they'll be lucky to make the top 16 IMO.

They just got their ass served to them by the Italians, who people are writing off straight away and fuck knows why .. I say they'll be in the final four. Under Lippi they're a new team, he's brought Juve to the national team. 15 games undefeated, lots and lots of depth. Maldini and Nesta at the back, Pirlo and gatusso in the middle and with strikers like Toni and Gilardino on fire they look good.

[cruisysloth]

Koller's retired, no?

Hell no.

He was 2nd top scorer in ALL europe in qualifying with 9 goals, 2nd only to Paulete of portugal

[nickko]

There you go, forgot about him. If Portugal get a run going, Pauleta will be right up there. He averages about a goal a game for the national team.

[hipswinger]

Baros I think won't be a favourite for the golden boot with the bookies but by memory won golden boot at the euro championships. Would definately put a lazy $5 or $10 on him.

.
I hate Baros, soon as he gets the ball his head is down with blinkers on straightlining it for goal...

[cruisysloth]

I hate Baros, soon as he gets the ball his head is down with blinkers on straightlining it for goal...

He's a goal scoring machine. Can't believe he's been frozen out at liverpool

[bricktop712]

Maldini and Nesta at the backEh, the great Maldini is back??

[maas]

italy will do well until either cannavaro or nesta gets suspended, and then materazzi will come in and lose the game for them.

as for england i cant see them doing it until sven either grows some balls and makes some difficult decisions or or the FA sack him.

I'd like to see england adapt a 3-5-2 formation and line up like this -
robinson in goal.
terry, ferdinand, campbell at the back.
ashley cole and beckham on the wings.
gerrard and lampard in the centre with maybe scott parker in the holding role.
rooney and owen up front.

[Gee Frizz]

I haven't really been following the Italian team much, but I always used to think when Italian football was on the telly that Lippi should be in charge of their national team. I have a strong feeling they'll be in the final four.

If money was passed under the table for Germany's right to host the WC, I strongly believe that they won't win the Final. The good hosts don't always win their respective sporting events too.

[innA]

i think England have a great team.. except for the forwards - Rooney is unbelievably great, but is better when he is setting up the goals, and Owen can be good/great - but they really need someone else up the front that can score goals. if Owen or Rooney get injured they won't make it too far.

[chuckstar]

France are puss........ they will struggle to advance through to the 2nd stage

Czechs will progress nicely, but its hit n miss in the semi's........

England will struggle through the group stage, but you never know in sudden death they may surprise everyone and actually go all the way (you can always hope)

Germany are favourable

Brazil I'm sick of them being at the top for to long........ But have to be the Favourites

[JustinSane]

There you go, forgot about him. If Portugal get a run going, Pauleta will be right up there. He averages about a goal a game for the national team.

Was it Pauleta that cracked that screamer in the last Euro Semi to keep em alive in the game after Figo got subbed? Or was that Rui Costa?

Regardless of who it was I rekon these guys are class and maybe a real real dark horse, kinda like the Tigers this year! Everyone forgot they were in the comp till they pretty much made the semis (unless you were a tigers fan, or had the most god dam annoying mate that was a tigers fan)

[Anselm]

He's a goal scoring machine. Can't believe he's been frozen out at liverpool
He's at Aston Villa now.

Trust me, having watched Baros a lot, the kid is tripe. Gets the ball, starts sprinting head down, ignoring other players. So frustrating. I'll admit he's a reasonable finisher, but unless you have a midfield like the Czechs did at Euro, feeding his perfect service, he's a waste of space.

[nickko]

Was it Pauleta that cracked that screamer in the last Euro Semi to keep em alive in the game after Figo got subbed? Or was that Rui Costa?

Regardless of who it was I rekon these guys are class and maybe a real real dark horse, kinda like the Tigers this year! Everyone forgot they were in the comp till they pretty much made the semis (unless you were a tigers fan, or had the most god dam annoying mate that was a tigers fan)

It was Rui Costa.

Portugal qualified best out of all the European teams, and made the final of the European Championships. They deserve to be amongst the favourites in my opinion.

[topitov]

Was it Pauleta that cracked that screamer in the last Euro Semi to keep em alive in the game after Figo got subbed? Or was that Rui Costa?



In the semi final the screamer was by Maniche.
In the qf vs England it was Rui Costa who saved them late in the game.

[nickko]

How bad was the camera-work for that Maniche goal! They were still replaying the corner and then you just here Tyler scream, "Mannniccchhhe!!" Cracking goal.

[topitov]

yeah that was terrible...we missed one of the greatest goals ever scored,such a crucial stage of the game too.

[paulV]

Eh, the great Maldini is back??

Sorry Cannvaro... .wishful thinking. Fuck i wish he'd just come back for this World cup, so what if you're 37 you still kick ass

[hipswinger]

How bad was the camera-work for that Maniche goal! They were still replaying the corner and then you just here Tyler scream, "Mannniccchhhe!!" Cracking goal.
fuck I love Tyler !!!

[midian]

How bad was the camera-work for that Maniche goal! They were still replaying the corner and then you just here Tyler scream, "Mannniccchhhe!!" Cracking goal.

Was that the game where the sound was 1/2 a second in front of the picture? I can't remember which game it was, other that it was on SBS and it was bloody annoying!

[midian]

italy will do well until either cannavaro or nesta gets suspended, and then materazzi will come in and lose the game for them.

as for england i cant see them doing it until sven either grows some balls and makes some difficult decisions or or the FA sack him.

I'd like to see england adapt a 3-5-2 formation and line up like this -
robinson in goal.
terry, ferdinand, campbell at the back.
ashley cole and beckham on the wings.
gerrard and lampard in the centre with maybe scott parker in the holding role.
rooney and owen up front.

I'd play it like this if it was up to me:

Robinson
King Campbell Terry
Carrick (defensive midfield)
Lampard (central midfield)
Beckham, Keiran Richardson (wings)
Owen, Rooney

Bench:

Gerrard
Wright-Phillips
Defoe
David James
G Neville

[Anselm]

Was that the game where the sound was 1/2 a second in front of the picture? I can't remember which game it was, other that it was on SBS and it was bloody annoying!


That was teh champs league final this year. Completely ruined Alonso's missed penalty then goal, and Dudeks ridiculous double save from Scevchenko

[cruisysloth]

italy will do well until either cannavaro or nesta gets suspended, and then materazzi will come in and lose the game for them.

as for england i cant see them doing it until sven either grows some balls and makes some difficult decisions or or the FA sack him.

I'd like to see england adapt a 3-5-2 formation and line up like this -
robinson in goal.
terry, ferdinand, campbell at the back.
ashley cole and beckham on the wings.
gerrard and lampard in the centre with maybe scott parker in the holding role.
rooney and owen up front.

I like that formation as well. Except Ledley King in the holding role instead of Parker. He's allready been tried there and in one game was man of the match. Good passer of the ball and is obviously a good defender.


Sven is holding England back from being one of the BEST teams in the world.

[innA]

Robinson
Cole / Campbell / Terry / King
Gerrard
Lampard / Carrick / Beckham
Rooney
Owen

[ViRiPiDES]

Ramos is an absolute shitkicker, it is almost embarrassing trying to watch him play for Real. Puyol and Helguera are both solid, but prone to mistakes and Del Horno, whilst going forward looks dangerous, is a very average defender, often panicking on the ball. Not the best defence in my opinion.

Gotta disagree with you about Ramos. I think he has been a great acquisition for us (albeit a pricey one). Was probably the best defender along with Puyol in La Liga and, apart from the Classico, has been impressive in the games I have managed to watch. He is very much in the mould of Puyol who I regard as one of the best defenders in the world. I think almost everyone would agree that playing for Madrid is a huge test for any defender. With our style of play, even guys like Nesta would look far less assured.
I think the weakest of the back 4 would be Helguera actually. I'd put Ibanez there instead and use Helguera as another option in the centre of midfield with Albelda/Xabi/Baraja/Xavi.
Haven't watched many Chelsea games so can't really comment on Del Horno, but he always seem to have a blinder against us when he was with Bilbao.

[innA]

Helguera's defense against Barca in the Classico was some of the worst i've seen :meh:

[SpaceMonkey]

Well the oval ball codes certainly gave Football Australia a boost today with both the Wallabies and Kangaroos getting humiliated. Whod've thunk that the "wogball" team would be Australia's international football success this year?

[nickko]

Gotta disagree with you about Ramos. I think he has been a great acquisition for us (albeit a pricey one). Was probably the best defender along with Puyol in La Liga and, apart from the Classico, has been impressive in the games I have managed to watch. He is very much in the mould of Puyol who I regard as one of the best defenders in the world.

All things aside, he must have set some kind of record for sendings off in such a short space of time. Three now, innit?

[boz-e]

does everyone know that SBS have secured the rights to the world cup? hasnt been officially announced but everyone at sbs knows

all of them - it wont be like last time

sorry I've known for a few days I fogot to post about it

[bricktop712]

how extensive is the coverage?
three games every morning?
hmmm i'd pay good money for a dedicated world cup channel..

[horst]

does everyone know that SBS have secured the rights to the world cup? hasnt been officially announced but everyone at sbs knows

all of them - it wont be like last time

sorry I've known for a few days I fogot to post about it

I would have thought a commercial channel would have been very keen after australia reached the final obviously the dead of night match times didn't appeal to them
good

[boz-e]

yes total coverage - every game - and sbs will basically be a world cup channel, as it has been for the past few world cups

and yes commercial stations were very keen - this cost sbs a pretty penny

[hugoboss]

Not World Cup related but the seedings for the Asian Cup Qualifiers have been decided. From theworldgame.com:

The seedings for next year's Asian Cup qualifiers have been decided, and it's not good news for Australia.

As expected the Socceroos have been placed in the bottom pot and with some strong nations in the second grouping, reaching the finals of the region's premier national competition could be harder than expected.

Asian Cup Seedings

Pot 1
Japan
China
Iran
Bahrain
Uzbekistan
Jordan

Pot 2
Korea Republic
Iraq
Oman
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Qatar

Pot 3
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Syria
Lebanon
Singapore
Hong Kong

Pot 4
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Chinese Tapei
Pakistan or Bangladesh
India
AustraliaI'm assuming that one team from each pot is drawn to make up a group of 4, so the worst case scenario is that Australia is drawn in the same group as Japan & Korea. Apart from that scenario, I think Australia would still be a favourite to qualify, despite being in pot 4. Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand automatically qualify as joint hosts.

Qualifying starts sometime in February on a home and away basis. These games will be great preparation for the World Cup and will give Australia the chance to play in one of the worlds best tournaments. I can't wait, 2006 is shaping up to be a great year for Australian Football.

[nickko]

Top two teams go through from each group, yeh? It's gonna be a big ask considering the strength of the teams in the top two pots, and also that it's likely most of our top players won't be released by their clubs. Still, big money if we do make it.

[hugoboss]

Yeah, two teams from each group qualify for the finals.

[boz-e]

our group in the asian qualifiers looks like a cricket competition

eurosport (http://www.eurosport.com/home/pages/v4/l0/s22/e10046/sport_lng0_spo22_evt10046_sto798503.shtml) has yet another article on seeding for the world cup draw that doesnt say very much at all

[nickko]

USA coach has called us "weak" and "easy". I would now love to draw them as much as England.

Australia
USA
England
Iran

[cruisysloth]

My England XI:

Robinson

Campbell Terry Cole

King (defensive midfield)

Beckham Lampard Gerrard Cole

Owen Rooney

There's no chance Sven will play 3 at the back so look for

Robinson
Neville Cambell Ferdinand/Terry Cole
Beckham Lampard Gerrard Cole
Owen Rooney

I think Ledley King will be in the center of the park there somewhere as def midfielder after some really really good displays against Austria and I think ireland.

[cruisysloth]

The seedings for next year's Asian Cup qualifiers have been decided, and it's not good news for Australia.

As expected the Socceroos have been placed in the bottom pot and with some strong nations in the second grouping, reaching the finals of the region's premier national competition could be harder than expected.

Asian Cup Seedings

Pot 1
Japan
China
Iran
Bahrain
Uzbekistan
Jordan

Pot 2
Korea Republic
Iraq
Oman
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Qatar

Pot 3
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Syria
Lebanon
Singapore
Hong Kong

Pot 4
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Chinese Tapei
Pakistan or Bangladesh
India
Australia

Sorry but I don't care who we are against, I can't see there being 5 teams better than us in Asia.

As people have said though, the big thing is how the european clubs go sending our players back home for all the qualifiers.

[Dirty_Sanchez]

did any1 hear wat the coach of the american team said he called the soccceroos weak and beatable wat a fukin punk. and they think they can make the semi's haha

[cruisysloth]

America is dreaming. They had a fluke run in Korea by getting to the Qrt Finals via playing another over-ranked team in Mexico in the 2nd round. Mexico & USA's rankings are fucked up because they have the easiest qualifying in the world and hence dominate all their matches.

Australia would smoke USA if we played them.

Whose their best player? Brian McBride? Kasey Keller? :lol:

[Dirty_Sanchez]

beasley he plays for psv not a bad player

[Anselm]

The US dno't really have any stars but they play a lot together and work very well as a team. I wouldn't write them off completely, the only reason they lost to Germany in the QF was the referee.

Although not as bad as the italians v Korea....Man, I'm still bitter about that

[Astro-Boy]

I'm hoping to go over to Germany for the WC. Doubtful I'll be able to tickets for anything tho.

Unless I win powerball on NYE, in which case the milky bars are on me.

[maas]

the seeding is finally out.

Brazil, England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina, Italy and hosts Germany are the eight seeded teams.

[Dirty_Sanchez]

germany group a brazil group f means these 2 aint meeting till the final bo!

[Anselm]

I can't believe they haven't seeded the netherlands and have seeded France/England/Italy. Terrible

Anyways, its all or nothing stuff from here....You could concievably get in a group containing England, Switzerland and Trinidad.

Or you could get in a Group containing Brazil, Netherlands and the US.

[nickko]

I'm hoping for Mexico, Poland and Trinidad. As long as we can avoid Portugal, Netherlands and Czech Republic from the third pot, we'll have a decent chance.

England were seeded second. :lol:

For anyone that hasn't seen it, we play one seeded team, one unseeded Euro team from third pot, and one Asian or CONCACAF team from fourth pot:

Brazil, England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina, Italy and host Germany are the eight seeded teams.

The second pot will contain Australia, the five African finalists: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Angola and Togo, plus the two lower-ranked South American teams Ecuador and Paraguay.

The third pot will comprise eight European teams: Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

The fourth pot will comprise four Asian teams: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the three remaining from CONCACAF Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States.

Final pot: Serbia & Montenegro

[Anselm]

As long as we can avoid Portugal, Netherlands and Czech Republic from the third pot, we'll have a decent chance.
QFT

edit: Nikko, you also forgot Serbia and Montenegro who are in their own pot and will be put in with Brazil, Argentina or Mexico

[nickko]

^ ah yes, will correct.

For anyone interested, ESPN are airing an extended interview with Guus Hiddink on Thursday at 7.30pm. I've seen snippets and it sounded pretty interested. It's all to do with the Socceroos.

[Anselm]

And here is a little something to wet your appetities
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1483670761495213547&q=Ronaldinho

Add for Nike. starts slow but has possibly the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen towards the end

[boz-e]

that is just bullshit anslem

I hope that's done with computers, no one should be capable of that sort of thing, least of all someone that we might get drawn against in the group stage

[Anselm]

I don't think its computers.....Thats what makes it so scary.

I just pray he had to take a couple of takes

[Pinozi]

I think its real - OMG!!!!!

[nickko]

That's pretty impressive. :-D

[Portal]

It can't be real, surely?

[Spitchen]

Fuck me! That's ridiculous.

[bricktop712]

fukn wild - seen similar antics by romario a while back as well (but not THAT good!) - them brasilians with the zany skillz..

[Anselm]

Thats not just skills, not absolute precision. Until now, I would of thought that was impossible.

On closer inspection, I think its probably likely that the first one was real and the others were fake

[bricktop712]

well i dunno mate. i've got a heap of vidoes with crazy stuff on 'em - you should see some of beckham's free kick practice sessions, ronaldo's absurd trickery etc. and this is ronny we're speaking about here..

i guess this is a nike ad - but still, i don't think they'd use such blatant frabrication though..

[boz-e]

yeah nike would never lie to us

nothing on snopes but museumofhoaxes reckons its fake

[bricktop712]

how did they reach that conclusion?

[boz-e]

they watched it and assumed (like most others) that it was bullshit purely because no one should be able to do that

they seriously didnt go deeper or research it more than that - which is why snopes is better for this sort of thing, but alas they havent

snopes thing on the lebron james advert (http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/lebron.asp)

[cruisysloth]

That's not real.

It's just like the Lebron James ad where he is knocking in balls from the other end of the court.

[bricktop712]

yous are spoiling the ad's magic

[Anselm]

LeBron's ad is for Powerade, Ronnies for Nike

I still think at least one is real, but sceptical as to whether he could do it repeatedly

[soulshine]

got emailed this today. Ronaldinho's famous sidestep is in here. about 30 secs in
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=607923718473126509&q=soccer+moves

[cruisysloth]

got emailed this today. Ronaldinho's famous sidestep is in here. about 30 secs in
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=607923718473126509&q=soccer+moves

That's awesome, how good is Joe cole's behind the other leg cross, i was watching that game when he did it and by memory it was a perfect cross to Gudjohnson who headed it and just missed the goal. Gee it looked good.

I've seen Kewell do it for Liverpool as well.

[nickko]

Awesome clip soulshine. The one with Ronny juggling the ball over two defenders is gold - I've got it from another angle where you can see the crowd going nuts behind him. A couple of the tricks that C.Ronaldo does in there are insane.

[Astro-Boy]

got emailed this today. Ronaldinho's famous sidestep is in here. about 30 secs in
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=607923718473126509&q=soccer+moves
*fap fap fap*

[topitov]

I can't believe they haven't seeded the netherlands and have seeded France/England/Italy. Terrible


Holland didnt make 2002 remember,so its impossible to seed them.

[IEatPelicans]

im not too familiar with the way the draw is done...but can someone tell me the odds of australia being drawn with england????

[mrtimotae]

im not too familiar with the way the draw is done...but can someone tell me the odds of australia being drawn with england????
1 in 8

[topitov]

i think its actually 1 in 5...im sure they said we must have a European seed in our group.

[mrtimotae]

i thought they just couldnt have more that 2 europeans in a group. ive never heard anything about pot 2 needing to be grouped with a europen seed

[maas]

does anyone know if geographical reasons come into the equation ?

i ask this because we're in the same pool as ecuador and paraguay, and I dont think that they can be in the same group as brasil or argentina.

hence the aussies might be playing in the opening match (hope not).

[topitov]

Because we beat Uruguay we took the half spot away from Sth America,therefore they have us in the same pool as Ecuador and Paraguay...just for the draw Australia is the 5th Sth American team.

Therefore we cant play Argentina or Brazil in the group stage.I dont think we can play Mexico either.

Cant wait. :D

[IEatPelicans]

i hope we get england...

[Anselm]

We will be playing a European seed. After that its a lottery for the next 2. This is good cause the Europeans seeds are beatable. France has been playing well, Spain is Spain and England play a style suited to us.

[soulshine]

i hope we get england...

I dunno. England are probably the only team who know what to expect from Australia and will definatly not look at it as an easy win, therefore they will up their game.
I'd be hoping that you get a team that don't know too much about ye and will be a tad complacant. Therefore giving ye a chance to cause an upset. I couldnt see Australia getting out of a group that contained England and another strong side.

Would be much better to see Aus V England in the last 16 where anything can happen.

[Anselm]

I dunno. England are probably the only team who know what to expect from Australia and will definatly not look at it as an easy win, therefore they will up their game.
I'd be hoping that you get a team that don't know too much about ye and will be a tad complacant. Therefore giving ye a chance to cause an upset. I couldnt see Australia getting out of a group that contained England and another strong side.

Would be much better to see Aus V England in the last 16 where anything can happen.
Yeah but England play a style of game that will suit Australia. Australia is going to struggle against the super skilled, quick sides. England are honest and hard working without any insane stars. Australia would give themselves a much better chance against England as opposed to your Argentina's and Netherlands

[chinstoker]

Because we beat Uruguay we took the half spot away from Sth America,therefore they have us in the same pool as Ecuador and Paraguay...just for the draw Australia is the 5th Sth American team.

Therefore we cant play Argentina or Brazil in the group stage.I dont think we can play Mexico either.

Cant wait. :D

wrong, we are considered a representative of Oceania.

We can get any of the top 8 seeds. The pots seem to have been put together on mainly geographical grounds.

[soulshine]

England are honest and hard working without any insane stars.

oooh. Big call. Lampard, Gerard, Rooney.

[boz-e]

and that's not even mentioning beckham soulshine

I look forward to seeing them play well and get knocked out in the second or third stage this world cup agin

[PiNkUniCoRn]

World Cup tour snubs Australia
By Josh Massoud
December 8, 2005

FOOTBALL'S world governing body has snubbed Australia from its inaugural world tour with the World Cup trophy.
Starting from January next year, the 18-carat golden gong will herald Germany 2006 by visiting every football playing continent on Earth, except Australia.

Despite not even having qualified for the tournament, nations such as Tanzania and Singapore made the cut at Australia's expense.

Politicians and former Australia players yesterday blasted FIFA's snub and called upon its president Sepp Blatter to urgently reconsider his itinerary.

Football-crazy New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma, whose Sydney hosted the historic game against Uruguay that saw Australia through, called the program an "own goal".

"Sydney is Australia's only truly international city, and having qualified for the cup for the first time in 32 years, what better destination could there be for this inaugural tour?" Mr Iemma said.

FIFA's official World Cup site is lauding the tour as "an example of football breaking down the barriers".

Last night a FIFA spokesman said "logistical problems" were responsible for the tour not including Australia.
But former Socceroos coach Rale Rasic, who led Australia to its only previous World Cup appearance in 1974, said it was another example of poor treatment from FIFA.

"Australia has been stabbed so many times this doesn't surprise me really," Rasic said.

"We've been stuck in Oceania and punished year after year. Now that punishment continues even when we make the World Cup."

The latest insult comes just a day after United States coach Bruce Arena called the Socceroos "weak" opposition for next year's tournament.

The closest destination on the trophy tour is Jakarta, just a six-hour flight from Sydney.

"For that distance, why would FIFA worry about economics?" Rasic said.

Australia fans are hoping for better treatment when another ballot for World Cup tickets starts next week.

Monday's third release comprises 300,000 tickets to pool matches, starting at $56 each.

With the Cup draw to be announced on Saturday (AEDT), fans will be able to target Socceroos matches on their applications.

But the chances of securing a ticket are slim. Allocations to each country are in the hands of FIFA and previous ballots have received 10 applications for each ticket.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17498376-23215,00.html

[Anselm]

oooh. Big call. Lampard, Gerard, Rooney.
I'll cop Rooney but you're missing my point with the other 2. Gerrard and Lampard are fantastic midfielders. But they're hard working, hard running box to box midfielders and they don't have the crazy skills and pace of a Kaka or Ronaldinho. Someone like grella will be more able to shut down Gerrard and Lampard than he would the others. You know what I mean?

And don't even get me started on Beckham. The best thing that could happen to England would be for him to go down and Sweep to play.

[soulshine]

Ah I see, you're talking flair. Those three have that too one their day. Lets not forget Lampard was in the running for FIFa world player in 2004. They dont give that out to work horses. But I understand what you mean.

[EuroEnt]

Does anyone know what time the draw will be done tomorrow?

[boz-e]

euroent - 6:15am saturday aussie east coast time - broadcast live on SBS

[EuroEnt]

thanks boz-e

[custaro]

ENGLAND manager Sven-Goran Eriksson doesn't fear Brazil or Argentina at next year's World Cup, but wants to avoid Australia in tomorrow's (AEDT) draw.

Though he believes a seeded England is better-equipped to face the world's elite in 2006 than it was in 2002, Eriksson is bracing himself for a tricky draw in Leipzig.

"Holland, Australia and the United States would be the worst for us," said the England boss.

"On paper, Holland are the best non-seeded team. Marco Van Basten is building a new team and has been very successful with it."

Looking at the other pots from which England's group rivals will emerge, Eriksson said: "The United States and Australia desperately want to beat England in a big tournament. That would be a big boost for their countries."

England's long-standing sporting rivalry with Australia has reached new heights in recent years, with victory in the Ashes and the 2003 rugby World Cup final triumph.

But Eriksson has unhappy memories of the last meeting on a football pitch. England losing 3-1 in a sharply-contested Upton Park friendly in 2003, which he now regrets having organised.

"It was far away from a friendly match," he said. "They desperately wanted to beat us and they did."

Unaware of the intensity of the old rivalry, he admitted: "I never knew. If I had known about it, I wouldn't have played Australia because it was not a friendly game at all."
:lol: XD

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17511520-23215,00.html

[nickko]

Admitting teams you are afraid to play in the lead up to a World Cup. Genius Sven. I wonder if he learnt that one in psych 101?

[Grandmaster]

Admitting teams you are afraid to play in the lead up to a World Cup. Genius Sven. I wonder if he learnt that one in psych 101?

haha yeah, sometimes u wonder what that guy is thinking. Glad we got Ice Cool Guus!

[paulV]

He's fucked, he's lost any edge he had. If he said that shit back in the Serie A he would have been out on his arse the next day. Like showing your hand in poker for fucks sake

[soulshine]

The only thing I get from that is that England will not be underestimating Australia again.

Still, I will be laughing my ass off shouid ye beat them in a WC

[cruisysloth]

God I hope we get USA & England

[cruisysloth]

Sven is the worst coach in the world. Seriously. he's a hack. I hate him.

I hate england but I hate even more so Sven holding them back from the side they could be

[Astro-Boy]

Is anyone here going to try to get tickets in the next round of ballots? (Monday 10am I think)

[soulshine]

Thats the worst result possible. Brazil, Croatia...jazus.

[ViRiPiDES]

Haha had a feeling that we might drawn with Brazil.
Just hope that we don't get Holland or Czech.

[ViRiPiDES]

Croatia

[ViRiPiDES]

C & E looks to be the toughest group
Argentina
Ivory Coast
Holland
S & M

Italy
Ghana
Czech
USA


B is strong as well
England
Paraguay
Sweden
T & B

G would be the softest group IMO
France
Switzerland
Togo
Korea

Our group is not easy but we have a realistic chance of finishing 2nd. Would be great to take on a full-strength Brazil to see where we really stand on the world-stage.
Brazil
Australia
Croatia
Japan

[boz-e]

:lol: brasil

I was so expecting the dutch as well - croatia will be intersting

japan

fuck what a hard group :lol:

and jeez england have the best group, they couldnt have asked for more

[and I'd thought the serb were in their own group in order to keep them away from the croats - good that its not the case]

[ViRiPiDES]

Well in any case I don't think there would be a better advertisement for football in the country than a match-up with Brazil in the WC.

[soulshine]

who will wear yellow?

[nickko]

You know Brazil is actually a decent team to draw. They're gonna win every game, so there's no chance of the other teams picking up points against them. I fancy our chances against Croatia and Japan.

Fucking walk in the park for Germany and England.

Suck shit USA. :lol:

[nickko]

So do we play Croatia or Brazil second?

[soulshine]

THeres no real group of death,

[grover]

jesus our group is so fuken hard :lol:

i can see us beating japan and maybe croatia, i just hope we dont get destroyed by brazil.

its now time to put in my application for tickets ;D

[grover]

So do we play Croatia or Brazil second?we play brazil second in munich

[eman]

Is Sven-Goran Eriksson from Sweden??

What an interesting draw.. I was so hoping for Korea to be in Australia's group!! But now I can comfortably cheer on both Australia and Korea in their respective groups without having to choose between the two countries.. I'm curious as to who I would've eventually chosen to cheer on though!!

(P.S. That was Heidi Klum right?? She was looking pretty darn hawt..)

[nickko]

For people looking at heading over, are you getting tickets through FIFA or FFA?

[mrtimotae]

well that couldnt have gone much worse....

4 pints should be enough to see us throu. As long as the game against brazil isnt a complete thrashing.

[grover]

nickko i was going to try both, my only propblem is i want to make sure im buying tickets next to all aussies.

[maas]

our group isnt too bad. if we got holland or the czechs then i would have been saying my prayers. and how volatile would it have been if serb / mont were in our group at the end, western sydney might have exploded !

agree with viripides about c & e being the most difficult. a & h seem to be weak, surely spain cant stuff it up.

as for tickets I'll get them anyway i can, but chances for the brasil game would be slim. if you buy through the FFA its likely to be in an allocated section. buying from FIFA means the guys next to you might be diehard croatian ultras :ninja:

[matty_m]

when are tickets available?

[SKYCRUISER]

we aint gotta chance against any of those teams....mite rockup just to sip the piss all arvo with tha lads..won't be hard to get tickets for those matches i'd think

[Punk in Drublic]

brazil :lol:

oh shit

[portaz]

against japan we mite have a chance... croatia, dont think so... i think we have to aim for a 0-0 draw... then hopefully it works out on agregate that we make 2nd!! we just gota score as many goals as we can... coz if we dont, itll b like italy last world cup...

pumped for it... federation sq is gona cop it this year!!!

[nickko]

Croatia aren't anything special these days. They qualified through a weak group and certainly don't have any star players in their squad. We've got every chance against both them and Japan. Guus will have a plan to frustrate Brazil as much as possible, so I'm fairly confident we can make it through to the next phase.

[IEatPelicans]

well that couldnt have gone much worse....

4 pints should be enough to see us throu. As long as the game against brazil isnt a complete thrashing.

ahh the true aussie way.

"goddammit fellas, if we can't beat these bastards with skill, we'll just have to do it with drink. i'd say four pints each and we can show these brazillian wankers who's not to be fucked with!"

[DJ-PornKing]

You know Brazil is actually a decent team to draw. They're gonna win every game, so there's no chance of the other teams picking up points against them. I fancy our chances against Croatia and Japan.Damn good point actually....if we can come away with a win and a draw from our other 2 games I reckon we could make it through....

And yea, USA are going home quickly I think...Lord knows how they got their world ranking

[karlsav]

Because they have done well in recent years?

[karlsav]

initially I was all "dam brazil" but thinking about it. Id rather play them in the group stages then have to meet up with them in the knockout rounds...

either way , its gonna be one hell of a game to watch.

[pomwah]

very tough group, can't see really australia making the knockout stages

C and E are by far the hardest groups, whoever finishes second in italy's group faces brazil the next round, ouch

[karlsav]

just remember what happened last world cup. Anything can happen.

[boz-e]

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/12/10/klum.jpg

the ball for this cup looks pretty cool too - but really I just wanted to put up a pic of heidi klum

[Lambretta]

Because we beat Uruguay we took the half spot away from Sth America,therefore they have us in the same pool as Ecuador and Paraguay...just for the draw Australia is the 5th Sth American team.

Therefore we cant play Argentina or Brazil in the group stage.I dont think we can play Mexico either.

Cant wait. :D
Impecible logic......

oh hold on... DOH

[Lambretta]

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/12/10/klum.jpg

the ball for this cup looks pretty cool too - but really I just wanted to put up a pic of heidi klum
Any blonde with a ball or two in her hands would have done Boz, but good work on that one.

Definately a marks out of two that one :thumb:

[Lambretta]

And yea, USA are going home quickly I think...Lord knows how they got their world ranking
They got their World ranking by qualifying for some World Cups (this would be their 4th from memory, well third if you count that they hosted one so were automatics) by playing against half way decent opposition on a regular basis.

Something that has been denied to Australia for years.

[lairymarc]

:lol: brasil

I was so expecting the dutch as well - croatia will be intersting

japan

fuck what a hard group :lol:

and jeez england have the best group, they couldnt have asked for more

[and I'd thought the serb were in their own group in order to keep them away from the croats - good that its not the case]

Well happy with that draw for us, really tough draw for the aussies though, will be a good effort to get out of that group, do-able all the same though.
I hear there is talk of the Guus being lined up with the job at Old Trafford after Sir Ferg gets his ass booted out. Dont mind that either.
Hows Svens form talking up the aussies and blubbering on about how he didnt understand the rivalry etc.
Stick to footy Sven ffs. I had the worst day ever yesterday from all the boys jumpin on the "Sven thinks we are a chance" train. Makes being a pom 'ard work Sven so give it a rest.

Havent had my chance to call my winners etc due to a catastrophic failire of my pc (it shit itself, then i shit myself, then kicked it one too many times causing it to decide that it was going into some sort of cyber dementia for the rest of its days).

England, Brazil, Germany, Czech, unless the draw pulls them together before that point.
Look out for Holland and the Serbs, Argentina and France to go out in the group, at least we can hope.

[nickko]

the ball for this cup looks pretty cool too - but really I just wanted to put up a pic of heidi klum

I liked Les Murray's call after she kicked the ball:

"Well done Heidi, proving you're not just a pretty face."

[lairymarc]

They got their World ranking by qualifying for some World Cups (this would be their 4th from memory, well third if you count that they hosted one so were automatics) by playing against half way decent opposition on a regular basis.

Something that has been denied to Australia for years.

Mexicos ranking is high for the same reasons. The yanks can ram it, learn what the sports called first and then, maybe you will be taken seriously.

Soccer is a dirty word, dont let your children learn it!

[Grandmaster]

fuck that world cup draw was horrible, worse than the Eurovision song contest. Just do the fucking draw and fuck off!

[Imperial Tee]

I may be wrong but it looks a s though England may come up against the Argies in the quarter finals, again. Sven's men have a laughably easy run through their group and will probably meet Poland in the second round (I think those crafty Poles have the beating of Costa Rica & Ecuador in them).

If Australia get to the second round then I'll be happy, proud and amazed. If they get past the second round Italy/Czechs then I will shit myself in utter disbelief but will also be quite happy despite the fact I'm covered in shit.

If they win the World Cup I will bugger a badger in celebration.

[Lambretta]

If they win the World Cup I will bugger a badger in celebration.
I promised to do this if England lost to Northern Ireland, as if that was ever going to happen.

I got bitten to bits and the RSPCA weren't too pleased with me either.

The advice they gave me is that I should have stuck to hamsters and sheep like everyone else.

[boz-e]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-cup-2006/aussies-to-tee-up-england-friendly/2005/12/10/1134086840741.html

looks like you poms on here might get another chance to tell us that friendlies are meaningless

after that meaningless time we beat the meaninglessness out of you 3-1 in the last meaningless friendly

[lairymarc]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-cup-2006/aussies-to-tee-up-england-friendly/2005/12/10/1134086840741.html

looks like you poms on here might get another chance to tell us that friendlies are meaningless

after that meaningless time we beat the meaninglessness out of you 3-1 in the last meaningless friendly

Nice one, good chance for our boys to have some shooting practice, good chance for Schwarzer to get used to picking the ball up out of the net as well, so its all good for you also!
All joking aside I reckon this will be a great warm up for both teams, we know there is no other nation on the planet who gets more pumped up playing us than you lot, it will be a proper game this time and there will be no pissing on from me if we lose. Sven clearly rates this aussie side so ill expect him to have them ready to go, battle of the managers will be interesting on this one.
3-1 to us i'd predict however.
Argentina in the quaters would be sweet, the're our bitches these days ya know!

[MC Red Monkey]

Pretty shitty World Cup Draw if you ask me.

Group A shit
Group B Dwight Vs England & Sven Vs Sweden only cool things.
Group C Holland Vs Argentina should be good.
Group D pure shit.
Group E as above.
Group F Easily the best group, were anything can happen.
Group G Could cause an upset or 2.
Group H Only the 2 obvious teams will qualify (Spain & Ukraine)

Not really impressed with the draw, only problem now is to get tickets for Aussie games when im there.

[MC Red Monkey]

JUNE 12 Vs Japan (Kaiserslautern)
JUNE 18 Vs Brazil (Munich)
JUNE 22 Vs Croatia (Stuttgart)

One more days rest before we play Brazil
WE MUST BEAT JAPAN ! simple as that

even if we finish 2nd we are gonna get either the Italians or the Czechs, hmmmmmm

[ViRiPiDES]

initially I was all "dam brazil" but thinking about it. Id rather play them in the group stages then have to meet up with them in the knockout rounds...

either way , its gonna be one hell of a game to watch.

Good point, but lets hope Brazil don't field a 2nd string side against Japan in the last round. Mind you, their 2nd team could probably beat most nations as well.

Well my predictions for the groups are:

A: Germany, Ecuador (but Poland has a chance of coming 2nd)
B: England, Sweden (but Paraguay may spring a few surprises)
C: Holland, Argentina (this is probably the group of death and any team has a chance of going through)
D: Portugal, Mexico
E: Czech, Italy (another very tough group. I think the Czechs have a pretty good record against the Italians. Wouldn't be surpised if Ghana qualified instead of Italy though. They have a very strong midfield of Essien, Appiah and Muntari which could cause alot of problems. USA are no minnows either)
F: Brazil, Japan (as much as I'd like to see us progress, I think Japan might just pip us in the end. However we are definatley in with a chance of finishing 2nd)
G: France, Switzerland
H: Spain, Ukraine

Based on that, the match-ups for the round of 16 would be:
1. Germany v Sweden
2. Holland v Mexico
3. Ecuador v England
4. Portugal v Argentina (should be a classic)
5. Czech v Japan
6. France v Ukraine
7. Brazil v Italy (should be another great game with 2 teams of contrasting styles)
8. Spain v Switzerland

Looking further on, possible QF matchups are:
1. Germany v Holland
2. England v Portugal/Argentina
3. Czech v France/Ukraine
4. Brazil v Spain (I think the winner of this one will win the whole thing)

And the semis....
1. Germany/Holland v England/Portugal/Argentina
2. Czech/France/Ukraine v Brazil/Spain

So from that I'm picking a
Germany v Brazil/Spain final

[Astro-Boy]

after that meaningless time we beat the meaninglessness out of you 3-1 in the last meaningless friendly heh, that just made me think of

"You couldn't fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life with an electrified fooling machine!"

:P

[Aristotle]

fuck thats some big forecasting ........

I dont know what everyone sees in spain ...... they are crap! The couldnt beat serbia at home or in belgrade, and i know bosnia got some points out of them ..... bosnia for f...s sake .... spain is crap, and got a very good group, where obviously they will go thru (in 2nd place)

[Aristotle]

heh, that just made me think of

"You could fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life with an electrified fooling machine!"

:P

You 'couldnt' fool your mother .... lol

I love my simpsons

[midian]

I honestly think it's a great draw. People seem shit scared that we got Brasil, but in all honesty I think nomatter what seed we got it was going to be a tough game. Like was mentioned previously, the fact that we missed the Czechs and the Dutch on top of seeds is a real blessing in disguise.

Japan and Croatia are beatable. Brasil... Who knows, but look on the bright side - we get to play the World Champions in the World Cup. That alone is a massive fucking achievement.

Getting second place in group F will see us play the winnders of group E - likely to be either Italy or the Czechs. There's no easy run for us in this tournament but the fact is this tournament is for the best of the best and easy should not be an option, only quality.

Here we go!

[Gee Frizz]

I wouldn't be overly surprised to see England hiccup in at least one of those group games.

Australia vs. Brasil!!!!!!!!!! OMG that is going to be fascinating and fun to watch.

Have the matches/fixtures been drawn yet? Every WC I hope that England plays on my birthday... :D

[Astro-Boy]

Japan and Croatia are beatable. Brasil... Who knows, but look on the bright side - we get to play the World Champions in the World Cup. That alone is a massive fucking achievement.
qft.

[Astro-Boy]

who will wear yellow?
Canary Yellow? That's Australian Gold my friend, and don't you fucking forget it. Canary yellow indeed...
.

[Gee Frizz]

Brasil wears canary yellow don't they?

[IEatPelicans]

Australia vs. Brasil!!!!!!!!!! OMG that is going to be fascinating and fun to watch.
watch this whole country talk up a 1-0 defeat!

[Dirty_Sanchez]

Good point, but lets hope Brazil don't field a 2nd string side against Japan in the last round. Mind you, their 2nd team could probably beat most nations as well.

Well my predictions for the groups are:

A: Germany, Ecuador (but Poland has a chance of coming 2nd)
B: England, Sweden (but Paraguay may spring a few surprises)
C: Holland, Argentina (this is probably the group of death and any team has a chance of going through)
D: Portugal, Mexico
E: Czech, Italy (another very tough group. I think the Czechs have a pretty good record against the Italians. Wouldn't be surpised if Ghana qualified instead of Italy though. They have a very strong midfield of Essien, Appiah and Muntari which could cause alot of problems. USA are no minnows either)
F: Brazil, Japan (as much as I'd like to see us progress, I think Japan might just pip us in the end. However we are definatley in with a chance of finishing 2nd)
G: France, Switzerland
H: Spain, Ukraine

Based on that, the match-ups for the round of 16 would be:
1. Germany v Sweden
2. Holland v Mexico
3. Ecuador v England
4. Portugal v Argentina (should be a classic)
5. Czech v Japan
6. France v Ukraine
7. Brazil v Italy (should be another great game with 2 teams of contrasting styles)
8. Spain v Switzerland

Looking further on, possible QF matchups are:
1. Germany v Holland
2. England v Portugal/Argentina
3. Czech v France/Ukraine
4. Brazil v Spain (I think the winner of this one will win the whole thing)

And the semis....
1. Germany/Holland v England/Portugal/Argentina
2. Czech/France/Ukraine v Brazil/Spain

So from that I'm picking a
Germany v Brazil/Spain final

spain is going no where

[innA]

Aus v Brazil on my birthday in Munich! :-D

[polak1]

Pretty shitty World Cup Draw if you ask me.

Group A shit
Group B Dwight Vs England & Sven Vs Sweden only cool things.
Group C Holland Vs Argentina should be good.
Group D pure shit.
Group E as above.
Group F Easily the best group, were anything can happen.
Group G Could cause an upset or 2.
Group H Only the 2 obvious teams will qualify (Spain & Ukraine)

Not really impressed with the draw, only problem now is to get tickets for Aussie games when im there.

you are seriously a fucking retard.
how old are you?? 12?

go and throw yourself off the highest bridge you can find for these highly intelligent comments.

[boz-e]

I was just checking the nytimes website, seeiing the yanks take on the draw (confused) and found this thing on the actual times the games are being played - here the

Monday 12 June
Kaisterslauten, 9 am
Australia v. Japan

Sunday June 18
Munich, 9 am
Brazil v. Australia

Thursday, June 22
Stuttgart, 3pm
Croatia v. Australia

not sure if the times given are local german time or new your time - but if they're local it'll make watching the japan and brazil games a hell of a lot easier, 10hrs diference in june I think it is

[edit - aparently it was in the paper today that the japan and croatia games are 5am and the brazil game 11pm our time]

[DIDDY]

Sven Goran Ericksson must count his lucky stars. The guy has the most talented squad since the likes of the Charltons, Moore in the 60's. SGE is what is holding back England. Sure, they will cruise past the first stage (apart from Sweden who will give them a run for their money) but they will get knocked out not long after.

Seriously happy about Australia's group. There are no easy groups (apart from Portugal & Ukraine's group). Being on their toes all the time will keep them focussed. Japan are a quick team with a few good technical players (Nakata, Shinji Ono and Nakamura) but they will be outmuscled by Australia. I do fear the Aussies against Japan may get caught out by the japs, very pacy outfit they are under Zico.

Croatia, can't get a better match in regards to our Croat migrants. A good showing against a hot/cold team may ward off any more traitors like Simunic from jumping ship, and be proud to play for their country of birth. We can beat them, but I wouldn't say Croatia would be entirely confident of beating us also.

Brazil. Gee, what can you say. Frightening attack, and skills that will make our defence shit themselves. I'd hope for a draw out of this, if we can hold the ball and break their play, I'm sure we can get a result. Free kicks unlike Uruguay are going to be deadly. When you have someone like Juninho (who I believe is the best free kick taker and has been for the last year or so) Ronnie and Kaka pulling the strings in the middle and a pick of Ronaldo, Adriano and Robinho.. it's going to be tough. Emerson is like France/Chelsea's Makalele, but even more robust, so the backline for Brazil is a lot more able to defend as well..

Most exciting groups?? C,E & F.

No easy passages all the way through (even Brazil may not do it in a canter) and each team will be under pressure to deliver a result.

Hoping the Saudi's don't get hammered this time too, was not a good result to see on the largest platform despite the goals.

Most interesting group would be Group A. Germany/Poland should be good and I think the Costa Rica/Ecuador game should have some colour too.

[cruisysloth]

USA has got no chance of getting out of their group with Italy n Czech Republic

[innA]

Boz - i think they are changing many of the World Cup kick off times.. as people (mainly tv stations) complained that they werent in 'prime' time enough for the European audience.

this will probably make more games later.. therefore even worse for Aussie viewing - unless its pushed back enough to be like 6am.

[grover]

Aus v Brazil on my birthday in Munich! :-D The first game is on Kerry's birthday, it looks like we're going to have lots to celebrate over there ;)

[boz-e]

yeah especially seeing as japan and the east coast of australia are only two hours apart at that time of year, it makes no sense to play the games in the early hours of the morning here

wait and see I spose

[lairymarc]

I was just checking the nytimes website, seeiing the yanks take on the draw (confused) and found this thing on the actual times the games are being played - here the

Monday 12 June
Kaisterslauten, 9 am
Australia v. Japan

Sunday June 18
Munich, 9 am
Brazil v. Australia

Thursday, June 22
Stuttgart, 3pm
Croatia v. Australia

not sure if the times given are local german time or new your time - but if they're local it'll make watching the japan and brazil games a hell of a lot easier, 10hrs diference in june I think it is

[edit - aparently it was in the paper today that the japan and croatia games are 5am and the brazil game 11pm our time]

I think its 8 hrs difference, its 9 to the uk during winter here and Germany is an hour closer. Lots of late nights and early mornings all round, the pubs will be happy.
I presume SBS will be covering all games as they did during the last one?

[Aristotle]

Aus v Brazil on my birthday in Munich! :-D

OMG its on MY Bday too!!!!!!!!! :-0 :tripping:

[Gee Frizz]

England vs. Sweden on 20/6!!!! Effectively this'll be 2 days after my birthday but that's ok.

There's always next time (if we qualify.)

On a slightly different note how can I go about restoring the colour of the gold star on my England home shirt (the current one?) I'm quite annoyed about this and I won't be shelling out over $100 for a new one.

[ozcar]

So Australia will wear white for the Brasil game?

Cannot see the Champs being asked to ditch their canary yellow.

[Gee Frizz]

That would be 12 midnight if it was UK time, I don't know if Germany would be any different. Hit up Google as there might be a time zone conversion tool thingy.

[Astro-Boy]

That would be 12 midnight if it was UK time, I don't know if Germany would be any different. Hit up Google as there might be a time zone conversion tool thingy.
Yeah, I stopped being such a n00blar and googled, after getting abused for asking #itm.

As far as I can figure out, it would be 10pm, but because we're in daylight savings it makes it 11pm EST. Which is awesome for me.

[soulshine]

an entire month of world class football. Bring - it - on!

[innA]

So Australia will wear white for the Brasil game?

Cannot see the Champs being asked to ditch their canary yellow.


maybe we would wear all green.. and brazil would be in the yellow and blue

[SamJam]

Obviously its not the easiest group that we've been drawn, but if were good enough we will get through. I thought there were a couple of weak groups there, maybe im just thinking that due to the lack of knowledge i have of the African teams. It was a shame Ghana drew such a hard group because i thought they were the best chance in Africa.

The world cup draw was very cheesy, but Heidi on the box at that hour definately woke me up!

[Anselm]

I'm glad we copped Brazil. You don't want to go to the world cup, play chumps and maybe bow out anyway. Sure the group is hard, but we avoided having Portugal, Netherlands and Czechs as our unseeded European teams, which were the real groups of death.

I also couldn't be happier that the US copped Italy and the Czechs.