International

so all you soccer fans and all you weekend warriors watching the cup,
who are really the best in the world? If the 2006 showed us anything
besides bad reffing, it should us that "in-form" players are the ones
that make a difference. So I challenge you to pick the best team out
there from all the players, and I'll pay to enter them into fantasy
league next year. Lets also pick the best team that didnt "show up".
As far as officiating goes, im sick of hearing non-futbol fans bag on
the beautiful game because of bad calls and diving. How can we change
the rules and keep the purity?

I propose that there should be a new rule imposed that allows refs to
call a foul in the box without a penalty. Think about it, the box gets
rough and on every set piece there is shirt pulling, screening the
keeper, and a thousand other fouls. Isnt there a difference between a
game ending PK and a minor but punishable foul? Its a hard job being a
ref, and this might make it easier.

SO:
Certainly there are physical fouls that go down in the box and hurt
skill players, we saw this a lot against ronaldo in 1998. But some of
these fouls are just "hard play" and would never have prevented a
guaranteed score (which a PK should be, all apologies to england).
If an offensive player is fouled in the box I think the ref should
have the discretion to call a PK OR spot up a kick just outside the
area with a wall. Lets face it, if you have juninho, del piero, pirlo,
or even beckham this is a good oppurtunity that wont automatically
change the game. So a tackle from behind on a breakaway or a goalie
tripping the lone striker will result in a deserved PK, but a push
from behind or incidental trip (like Carvalhos) would just give a
great chance to score from set play. This seems like the easiest way
to take refs out of the game and still play it pure and simple.

Best form in the cup (subs):

Zambrotta (Grosso), Cannavaro (Ayala), Terry
(Heinze), Sorin
Ribery (Robben), Zidane (Rosicky), Ze Roberto
(Gattuso), Maxi,
Klose, Crespo (Podolski)

All these players overachieved, except maybe Terry and Sorin b/c they
are always money.

So who didnt show up for the games?
Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Deco, Joe Cole, Xavi, Van Nistelroy, Trezeguet
(not that he had a chance)

Send your opinions BEFORE the final, cause thats when they matter. I
say Italy 2-1 as Gennaro breaks Riberys leg on a tackle and the
classiest forward, del piero, scores on a left footed set play (he
takes em with either foot!)

Over rated players :- rooney & lampard

WHO WILL WIN THE FINAL ?

Hello,

I'm very impressed by all these technical well-advised comments and, since I'm no football expert, I will just give my advice as an "étiquette" observer: Zidane is on his farewell tour and, as the kind man all the great players say he is, he felt his duty to say goodbye to his closest football colleagues: So, he had to ask his team-mates to beat Togo on his own birthday for he wanted to say goodbye to his friend Raul, then beat Spain to be able to greet Ronaldo, Brazil to last meet Figo, and Portugal to shake hands with Del Piero: Finally he must beat Italy to kiss goodbye the beauty he has fancied so long: Ms Coupe-du-Monde herself !

BOULE DE CRISTAL

Come on mate, how the hell can you say ronaldinho is over rated. Best player in the world, and nobody is even close to his class. You either only watch the big tournaments or have a grudge. You aren't an arsenal supporter are ya? People like this like to compare cole to him. Cole is good but FFS!!

Scolari- sorry mate i disagree. Everyone fades away in some games, a lot of people are basing his skill on the world cup where he played in a different position. I dont think he disappears against big opposition. He is the main man every time barca play chelsea, but then again it is an english team so eventually they will start shitting themselves and start retreating, allowing people like him to show off.

Rooney is the most underrated player there is. Only in England do people thing he is a genious. In the rest of the world we just think he is ordinary.

Sameoldarsenalawayscheating,

So are you saying Ronaldhino is or isn't over rated? Because I was saying he isn't over rated!

England need to stop saying 'this is our year' because it piles unnecessery pressure
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They have been saying it for last 40 years and haven't won anything. You'd think they would have learned from first couple of times.

What other top class football player in this day and age play with a smile on his face and love the sport? Ronaldiniho. He's a perfect role model for kids wanting to play football! He gets to the boundries of football and then takes them further!

Sorry Target.

Won't post on the "european board", bit too sanctimonious for my liking. This ain't great but there's a false democracy going on over there (see Power Law Curves).

If you post a lot on the ex-606ers you're a "legend" regardless of whether it has any quality to it. Bit like Frank Lampard's shooting.