England were supporting the Italians in the hope they could achieve qualification in their third game. Sturridge was sending messages of support to Pirlo and the rest via twitter…while the Daily Mail issued an article before the game between Italyand Costa Rica about how to behave when supporting Italy in World Cups, underlining the importance of pizza, watching lots of R.Baggio clips on Youtube and to abuse the ref as much as possible. Gary Lineker was also wearing an Italy polo shirt in the studio apparently…. bless him.
After the Italians defeat by Costa Rica (a defeat which may even cost them elimination from the tournament) the English started packing to return home after completing one of the worst ever campaigns in a World Cup in their 40 years of qualifying for it. This has not happened since 1962.
The english press approached this all with its normal routine default attitude.
They are trying every drama they can to show how to enjoy these eliminations. Just like the guy who has been rejected by the hot girl at the bar but acts above it…as if he dont care – only in their hearts and minds does he/they know how much suffering exists.
At this point we shouldnt ignore or forget how many bestselling books in the country have been written trying to explain and analyse England’s failures in world cups.
Obviously…the reasons vary from ‘penalty curse’ to more serious reasons but none of these books touch on the one single truth –England gets eliminated from tournaments because they don’t have a good enough squad.-Since whichever squad they bring will rely on two or three (maximum) of themost seriously over-hyped players in world football. Players who are hyped up by the powerful UK media that are without international experience, afraid, settled in their cocoons, who by and large full fill bit-part player roles in their clubs where the main guys pulling the strings are foreigners.
The English never had a GREAT world cup squad. Never. What they did have though was an identity ( hey jack…lol) . However this identity has been lost ever since the introduction of the Premier League.
Production of English players has gone down the drain with realistically only a foreigner (Wenger) doing the most to help England produce decent footballers who can pass , run, are comfortable on the ball , know what to do and when.
The few english players that are genuinely good are paid excessive millions way beyond their actual value/worth and also get over the top -exposed in media. This over the top-exposure clouds peoples judgement on their ability. A goal from Rooney in a derby suddenly becomes huge news and shown over 130 countries, while a goal from Reus in a German derby might go unnoticed. That should not mean that the former is a better footballer than the latter.
The premiership is the richest league and most organised and profitable league in the world. A league that generates billions is no guarantee that it will have a great national team too. If the sheiks tomorrow go crazy and bring to Qatar all the greatest players on earth they will also have a super rich league but their national squad will still be a bad one. The english might think that since they can buy the best players and have the best league product they can do the same with the national team. That is not the case. International football requires work, sacrifice, lots of sweat, and individual and collective ambition. The only thing the premier league offers are over-hyped overpaid millionaires for the national squad. nothing else.
Off course all this happens due to some cultural traits also…like living in their bubble/microcosm , always thinking of being more important than they are.
In the recent past the F.A very optimistically handed the keys to the national squad to McLaren after Errikson ( who took them to three consecutive quarter finals). A Manger the English media referred to as “McLown“. The F.A thought that a less dogmatic coach than the Swede was what was needed for the players to make the difference. Off course they were wrong. For Euro2008 they didn’t even qualify. Unable to beat teams like Croatia, Israel and Russia . Due to the fact that they don’t know who they are anymore( in a football sense at least). They followed the opposite extreme of selecting big names and paying for a world class manager : Fabio Capello.The best and the best managed to create a salad that went to S.Africa in 2010 and was humiliated by Germany with 4 goals!
Their ability to drive national coaches crazy is unparalleled in football history. Hodgson is no genius, I give you that, but he did built a tough and solid Switzerland around Chapuisat before Hitzfeld took over and also built teams with tough defences in Inter, Fulham etc.. Alas even this lover of catenaccio couldn’t resist the pressure of the media and presented a team in Brasil with a joke defence and a midfield unable to support the strikers/forwards.
It is this dumb practice coupled with standard gung-ho naivety ( a draw with Uruguay would still keep them in the chase, while they were charging forward in numbers to win the game in ‘glory’..) that has eliminated them form the World Cup.
In the crucial game of the group the difference was made by Luis Suarez…an international superstar and world class player…not just an EPL superstar….there is a huge difference.
Regular readers will have no problem guessing who wrote today’s piece.
Positively Arsenal 
Layksite
I cannot see Aurier ahead of Jenkinson, for sure…..
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Since there was no push, no contact other than Samaras knocking himself over and slamming his foot into the ground by himself theatrically, there can be no penalty as there was no foul other than attempting to deceive the referee.
As far as Aurier, he defended superbly until the 92nd minute when he energetically pressed the last Greek defender centrally on the ball which was out of position and was slow to get back into his spot though his colleagues were marking each Greek player. He might have done a better job than them though, so we can fault him for allowing the situation to develop perhaps that the ref atrociously screwed up. If you think Jenks is better and would start, that is fine–we should still get Aurier or another good RB so that they can battle and improve one another just as Monreal and Gibbs do. That has worked out very well on the left. Gives us quality and depth. And we’ll see whom AW prefers to start.
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LG. there was contact he caught his foot causing him to kick the ground.
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Greeks being cynical?
It’s almost like they invented the word.
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I am happy, however, for all my Greek neighbours in the Danforth neighbourhood of Toronto, where I have lived in the past. I am going to try to watch the game v. Costa Rica there–terrific atmosphere, the streets will be filled and every shop will have a TV and the cafés will have huge outdoor screens. I give Greece a decent chance to get through–very winnable. Especially if Samaras gets away with another one!
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I am surprised the referee in the Greece Ivory Coast is described as a buffoon
Having watched the penalty decision three times in slo mo I think there was a slight contact, and after that Samaras appeared to stumble
His stumble may have been accidental or deliberate
It did not seem to have any direct link to what appeared to be a slight contact
It’s cheating – it took me a couple of looks to see it but yes – Samaras cheated
So if you prefer to blame the “buffoon” of the referee good luck to you
Personally I would prefer Samaras banned for cheating and Greece banned
But that’s just foolishness because no one is allowed to rely on video evidence
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Not on any angle I’ve seen, George. I’ve seen three, all clear that the defender did not trip him. He dove sweeter than Greg Louganis. Caught himself and then tumbled. Brilliant hoax.
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I know Anicoll, it was harsh to call him a buffoon. I take it back. But he was duped.
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And that was my main point, after all.
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And ForeverH
I would be most disappointed if you left the arena
Your contributions are of the best quality and it would be a miss
I appreciate your irritation with Hunter – he is often a stupid arse
To put yourself out of here on the basis of Hunter being an arse does seem a bit of a shame though
Filter it out, filter it out
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He was duped Lg and he won’t be the last in the WC
We shall see if the Italy v Uruguay referee claims he saw the bitey incident and therefore no further action required !
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You are right there, Coll. Not the first either, tbf.
I was thinking the same. What if the ref is so embarrassed by missing it and ignoring Chiellini’s complaints after all the furor that he claims he saw it but thought it was incidental contact?!
For those who think it was a deserved penalty, please see my explanations exonerating Suarez above. They may persuade you. (Banned smiley!)
Isn’t Hunter a Greece fan? He must be in heaven! His favourite day of the WC so far. Greece through on a clever dive and Suarez through while proving what a tough competitor he is!! Congrats!
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george, jenko is a prospect, so is bellerin. do we need another prospect? a bad one at that.
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You might be right layksite. We should try for an established CL ready RB. Pleas ename one. We don’t need a prospect; we need a replacement for Sagna.
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LSG
my main interest in greece vs civ match was aurier. i followed him all through the game even when he was not with the ball. i dont condemn players easily especially when its a player linked to us. i didnt see how he defended superbly throughout the entire game. he was more or less a winger and spent most of the game chasing after the players he was suppose to defend against after they must have gained a yard or two due to him straying away from his position.
jenkinson must be wondering if this is the guy most fans expected to him to understudy. i can confidently say it here that jenkinson is ahead of him both as a prospect and development.
as for the penalty, th referee was correct. samaras was triped by the defender as he was about to shoot.
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I second everything Layksite wrote…..
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i said it a few days ago here that if we cant get a better player than jenko, we better keep our money and spend it somewhere else. i have no problem in promoting jenkinson and using bellerin as his understudy. but that would mean we wont be as strong as we were last season. but it would benefit us on the long run as jenko is a true gunner.
as for better right back than aurier? i have already named one. and there are lot more. coleman is available, uchida, piszek …
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Wow some comments have been quite out of order. So aggressive and personal. I guess if I tried to point at logical inconsistencies I shall be labeled rascist as well…
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the ‘mouth one’ wanted to sign drogba last season but ended up signing eto’o. but after watching both players in this tournament, i realise why he is the ‘failing one’
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Fine, layksite, then I hope we get one of those you mention if they are better. I watched only Aurier throughout the game as well because I hadn’t closely observed his defending. cIV requires him to play very far forward, much as we have asked our fullbacks to do because we don’t always have width otherwise, and he can do so because he has the pace to get back. I saw tiime after time he stymied the Greek players on his side by getting in front of them and shepherding the ball for a goal kick. Several times he pressed high up and took the ball away. Other times he positioned himself well to cut off the attack. A few times he came centrally to help his centre back. I saw two occasions where he won the ball well aerially. He was a constant outlet for his keeper. I can’t account for your view other than to say you have allowed the 92nd minute to overdetermine your impression of his defending. That was the only time I saw him genuinely out of position fir no good reason. An attacking fullback needs to be able to rely on occasion for his central midfielders to cover a quick counter. That is a normal part of team defending and is not a fault or lapse of the fullback necessarily. And Aurier’s extraordinary pace allowed him to go far forward and still get back to shepherd the ball out for goal kicks over and over again. I remember the commentator praising his defense at least three times.
I like Jenkinson as well. I do agree with you that we will be weaker if he starts than we were last season with Sagna, which is why my preference would have been to offer Sagna more money and a third year earlier in the fall to show faith in him and entice him to sign. In the end it is cheaper to keep Sagna than to purchase a new player with the added problem of disruption to defensive conte unity and solidity, which was a strong point of ours last season, I would have liked us to keep. But Sagna has pursued other lucrative options. So now we should be spending what we can afford to equal or better our situation at RB. If you don’t rate Aurier, you named several you think are better. Was it a mistake to get Monreal? It had been a strength to have that depth and I am thrilled that Gibbs has out competed a Spanish international. The competition has done him a world of good. I would like to see the same at RB for Arsenal.
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So on your recommendation alone, layksite, I am going to join you in advocating for Coleman, Uchida, or Pisczek. I look forward to hearing your detailed account of their qualities and why each of them provides a better option than Aurier. I am happy to learn about players I haven’t watched a much–I root for the African teams so I have seen all 3 of CiV’s matches and was impressed by Aurier. But that certainly doesn’t make him the best option. I suspect that Coleman has achieved such a reputation that has made him lauded far above Sagna last season principally because he has 7 goals from RB, but I am sure you will explain very convincingly why he is an excellent defender. I know even less about the other two, but would certainly like to know more. It would be great to get the best RB we can, because as you pointed out, we don’t need trainees. I agree completely.
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dupsffokcuf
June 24, 2014 at 8:20 pm
heh what do you mean ? what is it this time?.. the boy has problems ..i think this is well established ages ago…like the animals that see food and attack, he sees goal and goes for the kill and takes no prisoners…..his purpose is noble – wants to score goals and win and gives everything for the team- its his methods that stink…say like tywin
as for the comment on bossing defenders surely you are aware that strikers and defenders play with eachothers minds. but he crosses the line.despicable anti-sporting behaviour. perhaps in his efforts to show that he will not be bullied and that if there is an inch he will go for it, he snaps and becomes this animal i described above and in previous post. then again when that aggression is chanelled correctly you see extraordinary goals. i dont see what caused such confusion/upset….was it the ” would have him at arsenal” part ?
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lsg ….actually its been quite good thanks..cant complain…i was sure it would end in disappointment when they tmissed a couple chances to make it 2-0 and at 1-1 i thought that was it…. we thank the ivorian defender for that clumsy thing he did…lucky but i think we were the better team…we didnt steal it like the pirate ship in lisbon,….sad to see pirlo and gigi go though….but enjoyed watching gary alan danny and robbie and their hysteria on the animal…..yep aurier didnt look too good in this game, but havent seen other games ..
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I like the prospect of Serge Aurier and Carl Jenkinson fighting it out to see who is the starting RB for Arsenal. They’re both young, have tons of raw talent and they have it all to prove next season. If we actually buy him, I’ll leave it to Wenger to be the judge. He’s not half bad at picking RBs for Arsenal, is he?
Cote d’Ivoire threw away almost sure qualification. I feel bad for Kolo and Gervais.
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monreal was grought in as a replacement for santos who was gibbos understudy. yes monreal was an upgrade on santos and a spain internatonal.but i never for once accept that he was better than gibbs. as for as i’m concerned, gibbs is the best left back in england and one of the best in the world. his injuries have always been his weakness. you can search through all my post as regards gibbs, i have always argued he’s better than most leftbacks. it is also true that monreal has brought the best out of his through the competition for his position.
as for aurier, i will take your word for it as i respect your opinion a lot. but for your sake i hope we dont buy him because i’m going to hold you responsible if he fails to meet up to our standard as if you are wenger or gazidis.
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there is no better right back than sagna in premier league LSG. but coleman is next thing to sagna in my book. pizcek is a tested cl rightback who needs no intro. as for uchida, i have follow him since the start of last season when he was linked to us. he is first of all a defender, which i like so much. the other quality which some people said sagna lacks, he possesses in great measure. he crosses well and overlaps sensibly. not like dani alves.
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I didn’t say he was better. But he helped make Gibbs better.
Layksite, you completely misunderstand my position. I am happy to advocate for someone besides Aurier. If someone tells me about a player I don’t know and they have knowledge, I am glad to learn and just want the best for Arsenal. Can we not agree that the best or Arsenal is bringing in the best RB we can find and afford and have two good RB’s competing for the position? I’ve only seen Aurier play three times. I was impressed but that isn’t a huge sample. What I think is misguided is the notion that we shouldn’t be interested in more talented players in positions where we need to replace in order to give ourselves the best chance to field a winning team next season. We both know Jensk can play there but it will be massive pressure, that young players can be inconsistent, and we need to have depth. So let’s get the best RB we can. If you know better players than Aurier, I would like to learn about them. For example, for years I have learned a great deal from Gainsbourg’s assessments of players. He seems to watch a lot of South American football. Sometimes I might have a different opinion about players I have seen, but I’d try to make my case as well as take into account the impressions and arguments he might make. I learn more. In the end AW will be making a decision and we’ll support whomever he fields, but in the meantime it is fun and exciting to talk football and think about the best players who could help Arsenal.
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I agree with you on Sagna, which is why I was leery of all the praise for Coleman while they ignored Sagna’s terrific season for us. Thanks for your views on Uchida–who does he play for. I recall now that Pusczek plays for Dortmund–right? I haven’t watched him much but certainly he was pretty decent against us and their style of play might allow him to adapt well to ours.
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Hunter, as you can see above, I did not like how it ended and disagreed about it being a penalty, but I did think it was by far the best game Greece has played this WC. I am going to enjoy this next match with the Greek Toronto community. Enjoy!
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what do you mean?..the defender tripped/clipped samaras in the box while he is about to shoot..
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Sarcasm much?
For the record I’m an African so I support Africa and all the players. Even cheered for Obi Mikel in Nigeria colours. But even my poor analysis can see Aurier is more Eboue than Sagna. Maybe he will get better under Wenger, but have not seen a player that matches the hype.
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In others words, I agree with layksite’s analysis.
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but in the meantime it is fun and exciting to talk football and think about the best players who could help Arsenal.
unless it involves luis…..cant wait to read todays news and indignation of the uk press and how they will lead the way and try and get him kicked out of football…because biting for 5 secs is worse than elbowing and cutting off peoples careers with leg breaking tackles…the pashun!!! disappointed in chielini ..reminded me of evra. ..
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LSG
i like you so much and you are oneof my favourite posters here. thats why i dont want you to stick out your neck for aurier. i didnt know anything about the guy till he was being linked to us. but what i saw about him was not anything close to the hype. if you will ask me to sign any player from civ based on what i saw in their game, my pick will be yaya and gervinho.
uchida plays for schalke 04 in germany has champions league experience and will properbly boost our fan base in far east especially japan. but like i said he is a very good defender, pacy, inteligent and skilful. but no epl experience.
pizcek plays for dortmund. he is the best right back in germany bar lahm. has cl experience, mobile, skilfull and inteligent. he crosses well and above all defends well. but has no epl experience.
coleman like i said, i think he is next to sagna in the epl. defends well, mobile, tackles well, he crosses better than anyone in the league, has epl experience and arteta will like him (smiley). but no cl experience.
but i’m yet to see who will replace sagna in the air for us. absolutely no one.
but the bulk stops at wenger table anyways and i trust him to get it right and get us the best possible. ivanovic maybe.
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*buck*
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hunter
my take is that suares is trying to push his move to barca. but but that is not the reason, then suares needs help because he can clearly not help himself. you dont play football with your teeth. especially when you not provoked or abused.
but like fifa, i will like to see it again to make any conclusion.
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Saurez is mad. Biting someone like that is no rational.
There is no justification unless he felt his life was in danger.
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Layksite. I can see anyone buying him now. He has pissed on his chips me thinks.
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George; This latest bite won’t put off any club. If Suarez was bang average then he would be hung out to dry, banned by his club and released forthwith. The fact he is worth a lot to LFC both on the pitch and off it means they will stand steadfastly behind him, while making sure they get the most money for him from any potential suitors.
If they put him on the market tomorrow, they’d still get £60m+ for him.
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*Unless the ban FIFA imposes (if they actually do that is) incorporates more than international fixtures.
I did find it rather amusing when Ian Wright said Suarez “has problems and needs help” This from the man who on the very same day stated in his tabloid column that any England player who refused to play for the national side should be made to ring the family of a dead service man/woman to explain their reasons.
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george
if liverpool decide to release him or terminates his contract, i can see many clubs who would gamble on him based on his talent alone. even at the detriment of their clubs image.
suares and balotelli are poisoned chalice
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Woah, you cannot seriously put Mario in the same secure rubber walled boat as Suarez.
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layksite
June 25, 2014 at 8:46 am
lol…i think you and like many others are a bit irrational on suarez but nevermind… i guess its a story that sells….we have seen a hell of a lot worse from various players down the years on the pitches… but what annoys me the most is cunts like scholes or savage who are equally that would cross the line in various ways/forms are leading the witch hunt .
keanne ended careers..schoels would lose it and go on leg breaking tackles, barton is still a footballer ….so sorry if i aint buying this whole shit about suarez…and lugano is correct on chielini and dont forget i support italy…
yesterday fuckoffspuds and foreverheady talked to me as if i have to think twice about my words and what i say…i thougth about that for a few minutes ..and they are wrong….
ok so he bites….would it be better if he smashed chielini’s face with an elbow? no…but it would be seen as more acceptable ….you see the hilarity of it now?
and i agree..baloteli is a clown..suarez means business….if fifa dare touch him i will lose faith in the game. leave luis alone..concentrate on how to pass more than three times and dont talk about superior footballers too much …….we have reached the stage where usa and greece go into the last 16 and the english still writting articles on suarez…have some dignity
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How does that old saying go again?
Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt
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…….we have reached the stage where usa and greece go into the last 16 and the english still writting articles on suarez…have some dignity
You are funny Hunter.
Have the US qualified? I thought they needed a point or something still?
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Wenger has rubbished the reports of interest in Balotelli, so we don’t need to worry about his personal demons, flaws eccentricitries etc…
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And dont worry about the english media. They have more than enough time on their hands now that England are out to write copious amounts on BOTH subjects; the state of English football and Suarez latest moment of madness.
To suggest it is somehow not newsworthy is pretty bonkers! They spent the second half of last season keeping their powder dry ans they time and again, completely ignored Suarez’s diving and cheating because Liverpool looked like finally winning the title. They were lapping that prospect up, with scousers coming out of the woodwork declaring how their time had come, finally… Now they have free rein to get their teeth into him again.
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and i dont understand why many of you are pointing the finger and essentially making me apologise for suarez admiration….. i also disagree with many of you and your opinions on footballers, systems, transfers etc but i never judge you because of it so… lets take it easy yeah….i love suarez you hate suarez…big fucking deal…if anyone in here wants to characterise because of that then dont cause if i do same you wont like it.
hey dex how are you today ? ..mexico and greece and costa rica in the last 16…england ? home and miserable and bitter witch hunting …. sack the manager ..you guys know what to do…
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Hunter has a good point about biting vs elbows or the various leg breaking tackles seen over the years. Not condoning Saurez or bites, but the hypocrisy is interesting. Post worthy even.
What’s the reaction to Saurez outside of the English speaking world? I have not checked but I found something interesting with the Blatter out campaign run by specifically the English speaking media outlets just prior to the world cup. Same day, same time. German, French and Spanish websites, no coverage. That was very interesting. I think maybe since a lot of us only read English media we see only one viewpoint. And we sometimes take that viewpoint as gospel.
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Dexter
June 25, 2014 at 9:50 am
well they are still better than you….if you play them they will school you unless you resort to …patriot acts and rallying cries and whatever else you get taught by pearce and co. … 🙂
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No Hunter, you dont get it! 🙂 I was asking a serious question! have they qualified…?
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