[Lorric]

well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.

I'm not.  Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.

I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.

I hate divers.

[Scotty]

Germany-USA in a bit more than 10 minutes.

Get hype.

[Lorric]

On Suarez, it doesn't seem right to me to ban him from Liverpool. He was on Uruguay's watch, not Liverpool's. That's basically killed Liverpool's title challenge before the season even starts. They should have gone with the 24 match ban from playing for Uruguay imo. That would have cut him out of the Copa America and defending Uruguay's title, and probably the historic Copa America Centenario in 2016.

Instead, Suarez will probably play in those and Liverpool will suffer.

[karajorma]

Indeed. A lifetime ban from playing for Uruguay would have made him regret the move. As things are, it won't really affect him that much and could work out very well for him in the end.


Although hopefully other clubs will be reconsidering whether they want such a loose cannon on their team.

[Flipside]

They ought to give out anti-awards like the Razzies, so maybe hand out a wooden Oscar for the 'least convincing dive', a rattle trophy for 'longest game hold-up for arguing with the Ref' etc.

[Lorric]

This isn't a punishment for Suarez. It's a vacation. If the World Cup meant anything to Suarez, he wouldn't have done what he did. He did what he came to do, and that's take revenge on England.

He'll get to play in those tournaments for Uruguay, and when he comes back, he'll get to do what he's always wanted to do, and that's play in the Champions League. This has probably killed Liverpool's title challenge before the season even starts, but that doesn't matter to Suarez. He just needs Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League. So he gets to put his feet up for 4 months, and this ban has no impact on him personally.

[karajorma]

Pity the ban didn't say that Liverpool don't have to pay Suarez while he's banned. Then they could simply bench him and not give a **** if he's banned.

[Ghostavo]

Don't player's contracts have clauses for that?

[karajorma]

Possibly. Although I now that I think about it, I suspect the issue isn't really his pay so much as the fact that they can't afford to replace him unless they sell him, which is exactly what he wants.

They ought to give out anti-awards like the Razzies, so maybe hand out a wooden Oscar for the 'least convincing dive', a rattle trophy for 'longest game hold-up for arguing with the Ref' etc.

And a statue of Aunty Entity for the player with the dumbest, headbuttingest sending off.

[The E]

So, US : Germany went 0:1. Good show, chaps, good show.

[karajorma]

Well the US are still through. Portugal simply couldn't make up the goal difference from the drubbing they took from Germany.

[Lorric]

United States are a better footballing nation than England now. You can't argue with it. Respect.

[Rodo]

Good matches, kudos for USA.
Watching the faces Ronaldo makes as he misses shots during the match: priceless.

Don't sweat about Suarez future guys, he's pretty much screwed.
No respectable team will want him, he will probably end up his days playing for a mediocre team or a decent one that has not enough money to buy good players but still can use Suarez's skills regardless of the fame that precedes him.

[Klaustrophobia]

well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.

I'm not.  Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.

I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.

I hate divers.

i still hate it.  what i meant was grudging acceptance that it's never going away.  it's either that or not be able to watch without raging.

[Lorric]

well, and the diving, but i'm slowly coming to look past that.

I'm not.  Players who dive are a disgrace to the game.

I didn't notice he said that, I'm surprised it's possible to do it.

I hate divers.

i still hate it.  what i meant was grudging acceptance that it's never going away.  it's either that or not be able to watch without raging.

Ah, I understand what you mean now.

[Mongoose]

Heh, whether I'd intended to watch it or not, I wound up sleeping right through it anyway.  I guess backing your way into the next round is far preferable to not getting there at all.

[Lorric]

Heh, whether I'd intended to watch it or not, I wound up sleeping right through it anyway.  I guess backing your way into the next round is far preferable to not getting there at all.

You didn't miss much. See the stats:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?num=30&site=webhp&source=hp&q=united+states+germany+stats&oq=united+states+germany+stats&gs_l=hp.3...313804.318151.0.318382.29.22.0.7.7.0.378.2049.18j1j1j1.21.0....0...1c.1.48.hp..4.25.1383.0.SWxT5_9yfrw

[Scotty]

Didn't miss much?

Did we watch the same game?

[Lorric]

Didn't miss much?

Did we watch the same game?

I thought it was drab. Of course, you're going to be on the edge of your seat because it's your team.

US were happy to put bodies between Germany and the goal to get through, and Germany were happy to coast through as group winners. I put more attention on the other game than this one.

[Scotty]

Maybe that's why we've got such different interpretations of it.  Watching the game start to finish it was a very good game, with good offense on both sides.  Germany controlled the midfield, but US drives that got into Germany territory were generally well executed and the US defense was spectacular.