**** a 3 match home and away series in those pools would be soooooo gun.pool 1
Aust.
Sri Lanka
WI
pool 2
India
England
NZ
pool 3
RSA
Pakinstan
Bang
Yeah, agreed. Winning it wouldn't make the winners the quote-unquote "best" team; the best team would still be the best team. Does anyone really think Italy are the best football team in the world?Just what we need, another set of games in an already massively over-crowded programme. tbh what's the point of it anyway? Either we already know who the best side is, or this sort of thing is meaningless because it can be thrown by too many variables. imho, anyway.
In a way, yes. Or at least, they were in 2006. IMO, teams that win when it matters are fundamentally better than teams that don't, so winning the world cup overrules all other criteria.Yeah, agreed. Winning it wouldn't make the winners the quote-unquote "best" team; the best team would still be the best team. Does anyone really think Italy are the best football team in the world?
Tour de France.Yeah, agreed. Winning it wouldn't make the winners the quote-unquote "best" team; the best team would still be the best team. Does anyone really think Italy are the best football team in the world?
Test cricket doesn't lend itself to neat little tournaments because of its length, which for me is its glory too. A five test series lives and breathes like no other sporting competition I know of.
How else could an Englishman see the World?Yeah, agreed. Winning it wouldn't make the winners the quote-unquote "best" team; the best team would still be the best team. Does anyone really think Italy are the best football team in the world?
I don't think I'm overly chauvinistic in my Englishness, certainly not when compared to some of my countrymen.How else could an Englishman see the World?
Was speculating on the ways Ængelunders deal with defeat, not questioning your manners my good Lord Brumberston. With regards to said World Cup, I only remember that the Neds played like ****e and that after the semifinal I couldn't wear my Italy shirt anymore. Also, when talking about 'worst world champs ever' do you mean by team strength or by World Cup performance?I don't think I'm overly chauvinistic in my Englishness, certainly not when compared to some of my countrymen.
I genuinely believe Italy were the worst world champions ever. Had the US not had a perfectly good goal disallowed they might even have gone out in the group stages. Their only vaguely meritorious result was beating Germany in the semis and that was only achieved with two goals at the arse-end of extra time.
Could be Matterizzi I think.Was speculating on the ways Ængelunders deal with defeat, not questioning your manners my good Lord Brumberston. With regards to said World Cup, I only remember that the Neds played like ****e and that after the semifinal I couldn't wear my Italy shirt anymore. Also, when talking about 'worst world champs ever' do you mean by team strength or by World Cup performance?
I don't think I'm overly chauvinistic in my Englishness, certainly not when compared to some of my countrymen.
I genuinely believe Italy were the worst world champions ever. Had the US not had a perfectly good goal disallowed they might even have gone out in the group stages. Their only vaguely meritorious result was beating Germany in the semis and that was only achieved with two goals at the arse-end of extra time.
Bit of both, really. It was no surprise Italia adopted their normal cowardly/defensive (delete according to taste) formation, but usually they have the odd player with something about him. Aside from their centre-half & captain tho, in 2006 their most effective players were Gattuso & Camoranesi, whose job is basically to stop others playing. Luca Toni had come in off a season when he'd scored bagfulls, but his first touch and chance/goal ratio were so woeful one wondered if domestc Italian football had suddenly thrown caution to the wind.Was speculating on the ways Ængelunders deal with defeat, not questioning your manners my good Lord Brumberston. With regards to said World Cup, I only remember that the Neds played like ****e and that after the semifinal I couldn't wear my Italy shirt anymore. Also, when talking about 'worst world champs ever' do you mean by team strength or by World Cup performance?
I'd have to rewatch those matches again in order to give you a qualified answer and I'm really not up to that in my current football apathy. From memory though, you're selling Pirlo and Gattuso too short.Bit of both, really. It was no surprise Italia adopted their normal cowardly/defensive (delete according to taste) formation, but usually they have the odd player with something about him. Aside from their centre-half & captain tho, in 2006 their most effective players were Gattuso & Camoranesi, whose job is basically to stop others playing. Luca Toni had come in off a season when he'd scored bagfulls, but his first touch and chance/goal ratio were so woeful one wondered if domestc Italian football had suddenly thrown caution to the wind.