However, my attention is going to be elsewhere come Saturday as the greatest annual sporting event gets underway in Rotterdam. Plenty more to come on that over the next few days, but first I just had to throw my considerable influence behind the push for the FFA to appoint Craig Foster as the next Australian manager. Yes, I know he didn't really play at the highest level, has never coached anywhere and it would be terrible to lose him from the SBS team of experts, but (and most importantly after the Verbeek fiasco) you have to admit that he has the hair to take Australia at least as far as the quarter finals. I rest my case.
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fozz for Oz
Down to the last eight ... 75% hit rate on my group stage predictions ... still looking good for Argentina, but sadly not against Spain in the final as I thought. Could it be an all South American final? Quite likely ...
However, my attention is going to be elsewhere come Saturday as the greatest annual sporting event gets underway in Rotterdam. Plenty more to come on that over the next few days, but first I just had to throw my considerable influence behind the push for the FFA to appoint Craig Foster as the next Australian manager. Yes, I know he didn't really play at the highest level, has never coached anywhere and it would be terrible to lose him from the SBS team of experts, but (and most importantly after the Verbeek fiasco) you have to admit that he has the hair to take Australia at least as far as the quarter finals. I rest my case.
However, my attention is going to be elsewhere come Saturday as the greatest annual sporting event gets underway in Rotterdam. Plenty more to come on that over the next few days, but first I just had to throw my considerable influence behind the push for the FFA to appoint Craig Foster as the next Australian manager. Yes, I know he didn't really play at the highest level, has never coached anywhere and it would be terrible to lose him from the SBS team of experts, but (and most importantly after the Verbeek fiasco) you have to admit that he has the hair to take Australia at least as far as the quarter finals. I rest my case.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Here We Go
Just over one week in, time to look at the World Cup good, the bad and the predictions ...
Good: Slovenia's Charlie Brown shirts, England's failure to get it up on the big stage (twice), Ally McCoist sounding wise and knowledgable alongside the rabidly partisan Martin Tyler, SBS's coverage (it is worth emigrating just to avoid the awful BBC and ITV pundits), German red cards, German penalties being saved, France's blanket for their subs bench, Maradona in a suit and The Guardian's Lego match recreations.
Bad: getting North Korea in the work sweepstakes, the Coca-Cola and Macdonalds adverts every ad-break, Australia's away strip, Australia's home strip, trying to explain the concept of a draw to number one son, Maradona's suit, bad puns about Honda being Japan's engine, Harry Kewell's groin and all the bollocks about watching games in 3D.
Predictions: Still on track for the final (wish I had put money on Argentina).
Group A – France can still qualify, but it looks like Uruguay will accompany Mexico into the knockout stages.
Group B – Again, mathematically Nigeria can still qualify, but at this stage you have to think that it will be Argentina and South Korea.
Group C – I am sticking with England and the USA, but that won't stop me cheering on Slovenia on Wednesday morning.
Group D – Yup, still Germany and Ghana.
Group E – Cameroon and The Netherlands. Check.
Group F – Italy and Paraguay. Check.
Group G – I'd like to see Ivory Coast go through, but suspect that Brazil and Portugal will make it.
Group H – Chile and Switzerland? I just can't see it, I'm afraid. Chile and Spain as predicted.
And the 64 million dollar question: can Australia beat Ghana? I actually think they can. And will. I am still not convinced they can get any points from the Serbia match, but with everyone in the group apart from Australia on three points at the moment who knows what will happen.
Good: Slovenia's Charlie Brown shirts, England's failure to get it up on the big stage (twice), Ally McCoist sounding wise and knowledgable alongside the rabidly partisan Martin Tyler, SBS's coverage (it is worth emigrating just to avoid the awful BBC and ITV pundits), German red cards, German penalties being saved, France's blanket for their subs bench, Maradona in a suit and The Guardian's Lego match recreations.
Bad: getting North Korea in the work sweepstakes, the Coca-Cola and Macdonalds adverts every ad-break, Australia's away strip, Australia's home strip, trying to explain the concept of a draw to number one son, Maradona's suit, bad puns about Honda being Japan's engine, Harry Kewell's groin and all the bollocks about watching games in 3D.
Predictions: Still on track for the final (wish I had put money on Argentina).
Group A – France can still qualify, but it looks like Uruguay will accompany Mexico into the knockout stages.
Group B – Again, mathematically Nigeria can still qualify, but at this stage you have to think that it will be Argentina and South Korea.
Group C – I am sticking with England and the USA, but that won't stop me cheering on Slovenia on Wednesday morning.
Group D – Yup, still Germany and Ghana.
Group E – Cameroon and The Netherlands. Check.
Group F – Italy and Paraguay. Check.
Group G – I'd like to see Ivory Coast go through, but suspect that Brazil and Portugal will make it.
Group H – Chile and Switzerland? I just can't see it, I'm afraid. Chile and Spain as predicted.
And the 64 million dollar question: can Australia beat Ghana? I actually think they can. And will. I am still not convinced they can get any points from the Serbia match, but with everyone in the group apart from Australia on three points at the moment who knows what will happen.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
World Cup
For the first time in three years I missed taking a punt on the Giro d'Italia final standings, so to make up lets have some ill-informed predictions for the World Cup:
Group A - France and Mexico
Group B - Argentina and Nigeria
Group C - USA and England
Group D - Germany and Ghana
Group E - Cameroon and The Netherlands
Group F - Italy and Paraguay
Group G - Brazil and Portugal
Group H - Spain and Chile
Likely to be fewer upsets in the group stage this time round, but I still reckon that the USA can finish on top of group C and that's not just wishful thinking.
Unfortunately I can't see Australia getting through to the knockout stages this time – the team is lacking in goal-scoring ability and Verbeek is the sort of coach who is too obsessed about not losing to actually win games. I would be delighted to be proven wrong, especially as a second place in the group could set-up the succulent prospect of knocking out England to progress to the quarter finals. Not going to happen, but for another couple of weeks we can at least dream ...
And the final? I think we'll have Argentina v. Spain with the South Americans winning out 3 - 1. (Now where did I put that Argentina shirt from 1986?)
Group A - France and Mexico
Group B - Argentina and Nigeria
Group C - USA and England
Group D - Germany and Ghana
Group E - Cameroon and The Netherlands
Group F - Italy and Paraguay
Group G - Brazil and Portugal
Group H - Spain and Chile
Likely to be fewer upsets in the group stage this time round, but I still reckon that the USA can finish on top of group C and that's not just wishful thinking.
Unfortunately I can't see Australia getting through to the knockout stages this time – the team is lacking in goal-scoring ability and Verbeek is the sort of coach who is too obsessed about not losing to actually win games. I would be delighted to be proven wrong, especially as a second place in the group could set-up the succulent prospect of knocking out England to progress to the quarter finals. Not going to happen, but for another couple of weeks we can at least dream ...
And the final? I think we'll have Argentina v. Spain with the South Americans winning out 3 - 1. (Now where did I put that Argentina shirt from 1986?)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)