Official 2010 World Cup Qualifying Thread

[Whisper]

I didn't think it was a sending off. Yes he got caught with the elbow, but that was more to do with the fact that Cole jumped into a guy who was attacking the ball at speed. Kovac really couldn't jump without his arm up, it was just unfortunate. Referees seem intent on everything being either a foul or dive. Sometimes players really do just fall over, or collide with no fault to either party.

That said, Simunic should have gone so whatever.

I'm also glad to open the papers today and see praise for Heskey. He was outstanding last night and too often he is, and doesn't get the credit for it. What Capello needs to do now, is keep the same team in the next game and not bring back the likes of Gerrard, just because he's Steven Gerrard.

[Liam]

The thing with Heskey is that, for all the grief we give him, during a time when people have questioned the heart and pride that people wear the England shirt with, that has never been in doubt for Heskey. He always gives 110% every England game you see him play, even if his performances aren't always five star.

[alldaws1]

I'm also glad to open the papers today and see praise for Heskey. He was outstanding last night and too often he is, and doesn't get the credit for it. What Capello needs to do now, is keep the same team in the next game and not bring back the likes of Gerrard, just because he's Steven Gerrard.

You would keep Frank Lampard in the team ahead of Steven Gerrard?

[Summers]

Shearer led with his elbow for years. I hope you all called for red cards then.

[Liam]

Shearer led with his elbow for years. I hope you all called for red cards then.

But when there has been specific rule change, or rule explanation stating that leading with the elbow has to be taken out of the game pretty recently, its not exactly the same is it.

I see no problem with going up with your arms out, but there is a difference between leading with your arms and elbows, and even though I'm not overly fussed about going up for a ball with the elbows either, if FIFA don't want that in the game anymore, than by law he had to go.

As I stated earlier, even if the ref cocked that one up, Simunic more than made up for it in my eyes.

[lanky316]

Shearer led with his elbow for years. I hope you all called for red cards then.

They were probably defending him the game he was dismissed for it...

[alldaws1]

Yeah, rather than celebrate England's good performance and great win, let's all moan about how Croatia were screwed by an erroneous sending off. Forget the four goals, forget that their goal shouldn't have stood, forget that we should have had a penalty and forget that Frank Lampard's goal was wrongly ruled out too. Croatia FTW!

[King Ellis]

Yeah, rather than celebrate England's good performance and great win, let's all moan about how Croatia were screwed by an erroneous sending off. Forget the four goals, forget that their goal shouldn't have stood, forget that we should have had a penalty and forget that Frank Lampard's goal was wrongly ruled out too. Croatia FTW!

We're English, we're not supposed to celebrate winning, we're not supposed to expect to win. We're supposed to pessimistic bastards.

[lanky316]

Penalty? Please tell me you're not referring to Heskeys appeal (By a Setanta commentator only) in the first half? Other then that the great performance happened after the game was killed. Take the glasses off, we were playing well, no better. It's easier to storm over a pissed off side with 10 men.

[Summers]

Yeah, rather than celebrate England's good performance and great win, let's all moan about how Croatia were screwed by an erroneous sending off. Forget the four goals, forget that their goal shouldn't have stood, forget that we should have had a penalty and forget that Frank Lampard's goal was wrongly ruled out too. Croatia FTW!

I already said the well dones and that I was pleased with the win. But anyway, fine.

Their goal should have stood, glad it did.

A penalty? Eh, maybe. But afterall, they had a player sent off wrongly.

Heskey pushed someone over in the build up to Fwank's goal, no? So, not wrong.

[therockbox]

Their goal should have stood, glad it did.

John Terry got kicked in the head, and he wasn't ducking. Nowadays that's a foul, regardless of whether you agree with the rules or not.

A penalty? Eh, maybe. But afterall, they had a player sent off wrongly.

1 - Simunic should have been sent off but wasn't, and 2 - it was a sending off. Leading with arm raised is one thing but pointing your elbow near someone's temple is another.

Heskey pushed someone over in the build up to Fwank's goal, no? So, not wrong.

No he didn't, Simunic (who should have been off at this point anyway) 'fell over'.

On another note, how old does Walcott look in this pic?

[alldaws1]

Penalty? Please tell me you're not referring to Heskeys appeal (By a Setanta commentator only) in the first half? Other then that the great performance happened after the game was killed. Take the glasses off, we were playing well, no better. It's easier to storm over a pissed off side with 10 men.

You're right, I forgot it was completely legal to hold on to somebody and pull them to the ground in your own penalty area. And actually I'm not wearing glasses. I didn't say it was the best performance in history but it was a solid performance in a tough place to play against a decent side. That's more than England have done in quite a while. And so what if they were down to 10 men? Good sides take advantage of that, it's their fault they had a player sent off. You'd be complaining if we'd only won by just the one goal in that situation and you complain anyway despite us winning by three. There really is no pleasing some people.

[lanky316]

You mean illegal to pull someone down on top of you right? There's a reason nobody bothered appealing for it. If Heskey can't appeal after going down it's not even close.

No it's a huge fuck ups fault they were down to 10 and it killed the game. There is no denying that. We went from a good well balanced match to one which became complete shite. I watch international football for good games, not crap like that became.

[Farmer Reil]

Lanky, we all know you're in mourning because Spurs' season has been murdered already, but come the fuck on man. You keep accusing everyone who doesn't agree with you of rose-tinted glasses, when you're clearly wearing a fucking blindfold. I suppose at least it's good to know that there's always somebody you can turn to when you want the wind taken out of your sails.

And as far as your "the game was ruined by the sending off, it was a nice evenly balanced game until then" argument goes, I have to question which game you were watching. Obviously the sending off changed the game, all red cards do, but there's no way you can honestly say it was 'evenly balanced' and the sending off 'ruined the game'. Sure, the scoreline was closer, but it was hardly 'edge of your seat' stuff. It was Chelsea vs. Villa type stuff; the only way we'd have lost at that point would've been due to a series of huge fuckups. Not that we weren't able to provide them with James in goal, but even so, it was our game to lose.

Next time I'm playing five a side footie, I'll elbow someone in the side of the head and wrestle a huge black guy to the ground inside the box and see what happens But just to be completely impartial, I'll also fall over and clutch my head in 'agony' when someone runs past me after sticking their foot in the air five yards from my head.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Farmer Reil

[estebanmon]

Brazil trounce Chile 3-0 and then go on to draw with Bolivia in Rio. Typical.

At least Bravo blocked Ronaldinho's penalty and on the next match we obliterated Colombia 4-0.

Should teach Bielsa that a holding midfielder does in fact play better in the midfield than in the defence.

[Summers]

Lanky, we all know you're in mourning because Spurs' season has been murdered already, but come the fuck on man. You keep accusing everyone who doesn't agree with you of rose-tinted glasses, when you're clearly wearing a fucking blindfold. I suppose at least it's good to know that there's always somebody you can turn to when you want the wind taken out of your sails.

And as far as your "the game was ruined by the sending off, it was a nice evenly balanced game until then" argument goes, I have to question which game you were watching. Obviously the sending off changed the game, all red cards do, but there's no way you can honestly say it was 'evenly balanced' and the sending off 'ruined the game'. Sure, the scoreline was closer, but it was hardly 'edge of your seat' stuff. It was Chelsea vs. Villa type stuff; the only way we'd have lost at that point would've been due to a series of huge fuckups. Not that we weren't able to provide them with James in goal, but even so, it was our game to lose.

Next time I'm playing five a side footie, I'll elbow someone in the side of the head and wrestle a huge black guy to the ground inside the box and see what happens But just to be completely impartial, I'll also fall over and clutch my head in 'agony' when someone runs past me after sticking their foot in the air five yards from my head.

We took 4 points off them last season, in exciting balanced games. So.. eh?

[The Third Dukes]

I'll put this here rather than its own thread, since qualifiers start up again soon anyway.

Beckham should call time on England career

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Oct 9, 3:42 am EDT

David Beckham should do himself, England and the Los Angeles Galaxy a big favor this weekend by calling time on the extended farewell tour that has become his international career.

Saturday’s 2010 World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan at London’s Wembley Stadium would be the perfect opportunity for Beckham to say goodbye after 106 national team appearances and allow all parties to move on.

His England story has become increasingly about numbers and milestones more than genuine production.

First, there was the will-he-or-won’t-he saga surrounding his 100th England cap, which he finally achieved against France in March. Once that came and went, thoughts turned to 108, the number of appearances made by England’s most capped outfield player and World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore. Even 125, the all-time England record held by goalkeeper Peter Shilton, has been mentioned as a possible target.

Yet all each little historical landmark served to achieve was to mask the fact that Beckham’s work with England is done.

England is growing in confidence under Fabio Capello, with the hesitancy and uncertainty that marked Steve McClaren’s doomed reign having been comprehensively swept away. In the transitional phase, Beckham still offered some value, as a steady and familiar character to be relied upon for maximum effort and commitment. But with young sensation Theo Walcott continuing to emerge as a genuine potential world superstar, the right-hand side of midfield is in safe hands.

The new England has a fresh look, one which depends on pace and dynamism. Such qualities are encapsulated perfectly by Walcott, the fearless Arsenal wunderkind.

From Capello’s point of view, there is no harm in keeping Beckham around. The veteran is friends with Walcott, and Beckham has impressed many with the way he has helped the 19-year-old settle into the squad. Yet there can be no long-term value in carrying a player on those factors alone, especially as Walcott is becoming more and more assured within the national team setup.

That brings us to the topic of whether Beckham still warrants selection on form alone. The answer, sadly, is now a definite “no.”

At the start of the Major League Soccer season, he was in fine shape, helping the Galaxy make a 6-4-2 start and winning the league’s player of the week award in Week 2. Recently though, he is a reflection of the malaise that gripped the club after the opening weeks of the campaign and never let go.

For a player of his credentials and ability, Beckham has been poor and ineffective during the long and miserable run which saw the Galaxy win only one game since June. Frustration has been etched upon his face in several games, even in the team’s sole recent victory against D.C. United when he constantly clashed with officials.

Beckham’s ill temper earned him a suspension for collecting five yellow cards, meaning he will miss the trip to Houston on October 18 and will play just once more for the Galaxy this season in their final meaningless home game against the Colorado Rapids.

The Galaxy organization is mired in catastrophe and, if for no other reason than his astronomical pay packet, he owes the club his full attention in its hour of need.

Beckham has been a worker, a fighter and a team player his entire career, and the abject humiliation being suffered by MLS’s most famous club is severely damaging his legacy. At this rate, he will be leaving American soccer in three years time with precious little imprint except for some shirts sold and some extra backsides in seats.

It would take more than an ever-present Beckham to lift the Galaxy from 14th and last place in the entire league next season, but by putting the club first he would deliver a powerful signal of intent.

The dynamics of world soccer dictate that players should not have to choose between club and country. But the reality is somewhat different to the principle, especially in MLS, which does not recognize international dates and carries on regardless.

No player should be criticized for showing patriotic loyalty, yet the gravity of this situation is such that it demands his focus.

Beckham looks very much like a player who does not want to be in Los Angeles. That is not necessarily a knock on him. There are around 20 other players at the club about whom the same could be said. Yet none of them make a guaranteed salary of more than $6 million, plus tens of millions more in endorsements.

The Galaxy’s failure is a disaster on the scale of which we have rarely seen in sports: the highest-paid team with the highest profile and the highest expectations floundering to an inexplicable level of ineptitude.

The team is not just bad. They’re not just missing out on championships and narrowly failing to squeeze into the playoffs. They are the worst team in the league by a distance and, apart from expansion teams, one of the worst sides MLS has ever seen.

The San Jose Earthquakes – with a fraction of L.A.’s budget, the head coach that the Galaxy discarded (Frank Yallop), some solid but unspectacular players and a 32-year-old import in Darren Huckerby – have drastically outperformed L.A. for several months.

The Galaxy need some hunger and passion and they need leadership from the front. They need Beckham to stand up and be counted and to carry players along in his slipstream.

Next season will be vital to the credibility of the organization and it needs a fresh Beckham to begin the campaign.

This weekend would be the right time for him to bid an emotional farewell to his beloved England fans, at the home of English football, following what will surely be a comprehensive victory.

When Beckham arrived in the United States, he insisted he was here to achieve bigger things for the sport of soccer and for his new team. If those were more than empty words and he is serious about leaving behind a legacy of success rather than embarrassment, now is the time to prove it.

Thoughts?

[Scott McFly]

If Beckham wants to continue to be available for selection (and I believe he's said he'll be available for England as long as he's playing professional football), then it's down to the England boss to decide whether to pick him or not. If he's deemed not to be good enough then he won't be picked, simple as. Regardless of how well LA Galaxy are doing, I think Beckham still can do a job for England, whether that be behind the scenes or even as a backup to Theo Walcott if his regular starts continue. Beckham obviously loves playing and doing his best for his country and I see no reason why he should be forced into retirement because people think he's not up to the task. There's only one person who gets to decide that and it's Fabio Capello.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Canada faces a must-win against Honduras tomorrow.

The good news is that we can beat Honduras.

The bad news is that we've played far below our heads all tournament.

[Clawson]

And our coach is a stupid cock.

Jimmy Brennan for player/manager.