# 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677 "2010-06-10T17:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 46
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/901 "2010-06-19T13:30:13Z")
Holland is good enough a second time and continues to get a lucky break. Man of the match: the referee Hector Walter Baldassi. This is how you govern a World Cup game: calmly, with good judgment and with enough restrain to only step forward when the game needed it. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/902 "2010-06-19T13:34:26Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I suspect I’m being whooshed, nevertheless; the mathematical principle you’re citing is inapplicable in this case. Yes, I was kidding around. Sorry. > [@](#): > > Or you could read and re-read blogs such as Zonal Marking or The Shin Guardian. Think I first heard about those two sites here, and if so, thanks everyone very much. They’re excellent for discussing soccer tactics and have really improved my enjoyment of this World Cup. But thanks to you, I learned of two interesting sites to visit! ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/903 "2010-06-19T13:41:03Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Stephen Gerrard, post-game: “Algeria made it tough for us. _It was their World Cup final._” > (paraphrasing) > > Gah, the delusional arrogance of the England players. Yes, I’m sure it was the Algerian’s dream to take on mighty, all-conquering England :rolleyes:. I noticed this hateful remark at the time and am glad that some papers and websites have picked up on it. I guess part of England’s problem is that the players believe the hype. They set out, both mentally and tactically, like they’re expecting to thrash “weaker” sides. If they played in a manner more appropriate to the fairly good middleweight team that they are, they would do a lot better. > > Compare to Brazil, against North Korea. They knew they were better, but they were respectful of the NK defensive approach and didn’t panic. Instead they kept playing and eventually got a breakthrough. England would have been blasting panicky balls towards Heskey after about 30 minutes. It seems to me that we play better against the excellent sides, so yes, complacency and arrogance have got to be factors. ---
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/904 "2010-06-19T13:42:19Z")
restrain **t** , not restrain. Why do I always see these mistakes too late? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/905 "2010-06-19T13:58:37Z")
The Socceroos are about to get a stuffing. Are you tuned in, guys? ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/906 "2010-06-19T14:10:21Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > The Socceroos are about to get a stuffing. Are you tuned in, guys? What makes you say that? I think it will be pretty even. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/907 "2010-06-19T14:16:37Z")
I thought they looked strong and lively against Serbia, but Australia have them on the back foot at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/908 "2010-06-19T14:19:48Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Dempsey’s elbow wasn’t intentional by any stretch of the imagination. It was reckless, no doubt, and I would have no objection to a yellow card. A red card for that, however, is pure insanity and would have been just as bad of a call as the stolen goal. He jumps, with his elbow high and hits his oponent in the face –\>red card, no ambiguity, red card :rolleyes: > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > The Socceroos are about to get a stuffing. Are you tuned in, guys? I’m happy to say you might be proven wrong on this one. I don’t particularly car for any of these 4 countries, but an Australian win would set up a great batch of final games (all teams with 3 points). ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/909 "2010-06-19T14:27:17Z")
You was saying? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/910 "2010-06-19T14:52:51Z")
I think this is going to go down as the World Cup of Goalkeeping Howlers. Just what exactly was the Ghana 'keeper trying to do on the Australian goal? It looked like he was in perfect position to catch the free kick on the bounce, but instead he tried to underhand-punch the ball to someone. He did, but it was a Socceroo instead of a Black Star teammate. If the game ends 1-1 he’ll have some hard questions to answer. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/911 "2010-06-19T14:55:21Z")
> [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > He whatever you guys say - and I also failed to see what was wrong with the goal - you should have been down to 10 men after 10 seconds. Dempsey clearly elbowed Ljubjankic and any intentional elbow is straight red. Would like to see you guys come back from 2 behind while playing 90 minutes with 10 men. > > Just saying that the ref got more than a ouple of things worng for both sides - in league footbal Dempsey would be suspended for this, but i doubt they’ll do it in the world cup. Too bad it clearly wasn’t intentional. Not even close. Want intentional? Look at Derossi in '06. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/912 "2010-06-19T14:59:12Z")
BBC have reported that Anelka is likely to be sent home from the French team - apparently for tearing strips off the coach at half-time in the Mexico game. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the French camp over the last week or so - bet there have been some real explosions. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/913 "2010-06-19T15:02:59Z")
It took me until this morning to realize that there would be a thread for this in the Game Room.:smack: I’ve been commenting on Facebook, to the bewildered amusement of my so-called friends. So far, I’ve been impressed with Chile, and with the Argentine team (mostly for managing to pull a functioning team out of Maradona’s ah, INTERESTING, coaching style). The Germans looked good against Australia, but not against Serbia, making me think that weren’t good so much as the Socceroos were really bad. England…I hear a rumor they have excellent attacking players on that team. Can anyone confirm? The US team are playing to their strength as a side - they go out there and never say die, fighting it out till the last whistle blows. Not brilliant, not always pretty, but always trying hard. Go USA! ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/914 "2010-06-19T15:04:27Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > The English rugby team are generally passionate when they play. This football team looked like they couldn’t give a fuck. [Exhibit A](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/english/8748378.stm) on the English rugby team. Well done, lads. Even the English cricket team has shown significantly more fire, although much of that fire is from the imported players. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/915 "2010-06-19T15:15:46Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Stephen Gerrard, post-game: “Algeria made it tough for us. _It was their World Cup final._” > (paraphrasing) > > Gah, the delusional arrogance of the England players. Yes, I’m sure it was the Algerian’s dream to take on mighty, all-conquering England :rolleyes:. I noticed this hateful remark at the time and am glad that some papers and websites have picked up on it. I guess part of England’s problem is that the players believe the hype. They set out, both mentally and tactically, like they’re expecting to thrash “weaker” sides. If they played in a manner more appropriate to the fairly good middleweight team that they are, they would do a lot better. No, it’s just one of those stupid football cliches that is commonly used. Algeria have only won one of their last 9 games, and (on paper at least) England would be the best team they’d expect to play in the finals. What Gerrard said after the game was OK, that we weren’t good enough and that the problem was a ‘lack of courage in the final 3rd’. I don’t think the problem is the England team over-rating themselves, that’s always been the problem with the _press_ in this country. I’m fairly sure that the problem is nerves and a complete loss of confidence, not overconfidence. We’ve just come off the back of our most solid qualifying campaign in my lifetime, where we did put in the performances against these sort of teams. All of a sudden, once the main event has started, we’ve completely gone to pieces. That would have been a poor performance for a Championship side. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/916 "2010-06-19T15:15:48Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > BBC have reported that Anelka is likely to be sent home from the French team But, but he’s always seemed like such an easy-going likeable chap! ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/917 "2010-06-19T15:17:19Z")
The Incredible Sulk — the perfect name for Anelka. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/918 "2010-06-19T15:37:49Z")
I wrote at South St. Seaport: “This is why Americans make fun of soccer”. > [@wintertime](#): > > Because you heard “groaning and whining in several languages”? > > Or because they were worn out? Well, yeah, football fans are rarely in a zen-like state during games and pretty wrecked when their teams play shitty, unlike the fans of American sports. > > Or because the game wasn’t any good? Well, good for you that every single game of baseball, basketball and American football is a nail-biter of highest quality. > > Seriously, what are you talking about? Whoa, dude, chill. Games like England/Algeria, with a seeming juggernaut of a powerful team where Football is a Way of Life (FIAWOL) facing a small but plucky nation in North Africa, are supposed to be nail-biting, aren’t they? I’d just watched my home team battle to a tie in a real nail-biter and everybody was expecting even more excitement from the English. Instead we got Missed Opportunity Theater for two hours. I don’t know where you are, but here the games are all shown during the day. People have to take off work or vacation time to go out and see them (although there’s way too many laid-off people like me around, too). No goals, no score, cries of frustration instead of triumph. And no, Americans aren’t stoic all the time, you should have seen the faces of the Yankees fans last night when we lost to the…the…(gulp) Mets 4-0. I don’t know where I ever said that, though. [Here’s some reaction](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/worldcup2010/2010/06/18/2010-06-18_us_stages_furious_rally_to_earn_22_draw.html) from a middlebrow American paper about yesterday’s US/Slovenia game. FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/919 "2010-06-19T15:39:57Z")
Adding: in America, for most poeple, F(ootball)IJAGDH. I’ll see if any of my fellow 80s kids gets that. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/920 "2010-06-19T15:45:56Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Too bad it clearly wasn’t intentional. Not even close. Maybe so, but you don’t know that, and neither does the ref, which is why the ref is not asked to judge a players intention but their behavior, which in this case was deserving of a red card as per the rule book. > [@wintertime](#): > > Holland is good enough a second time and continues to get a lucky break. Man of the match: the referee Hector Walter Baldassi. This is how you govern a World Cup game: calmly, with good judgment and with enough restrain to only step forward when the game needed it. Well done. Why do you say Holland got a lucky break? The goal was at least in part the keeper’s error, and the game was hardly a display of football passion, but the Netherlands were dominant throughout the large majority of it and certainly deserved to win. ETA: agreeing re: Baldassi, that was some mighty fine reffing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=47)