The Round Ball Game

[EdgeleyRob]

Rooney just needs to be loved,and played through the sodding middle.

The other Neville has his hands full teaching the English back four how to defend set pieces and crosses.

[Beef Oven!]

Rooney just needs to be loved,and played through the sodding middle.

Rooney is world-class, no question. But, as you say, he MUST be played in the right position. It beggars belief.

Jazbo is right about Cole, though. Beggars belief #2.

[jayne lee wilson]

Beef fancies himself as a lookalike for Il Grande Regista.... or

[SCENE SWITCHES BACK TO PUB; GLASSES CLINKING, HUBBUB OF VOICES...]
... yes, but if you play Rooney in the middle who would you switch wide? And no-one's yet mentioned how assured and penetrating Ross Barkley looked in a Rooney-ish role when he came on. And anyway, what exactly DO you do with three worldclass No.10s on the pitch?

[antongould]

What would you do Jayne

[Radio64]

Gah! we could have at least got a draw .. sad-face ..

Italians are so bl**dey big-headed about football .. it's the only thing that unites the nation. Of course I'm getting well and truly riled at work this morning and it isn't even nine o'clock yet.

Change of "icon" (not an inappropriate term) noted Beef ... Pirlo more or less national hero already. Mind you, prefer him to Bal*t*lli . .the hero of the equivalent of 'chavs' ..

[johncorrigan]

Given that refs have been getting a hard time, I'd like to celebrate as fine a decision of 'play-on' by the ref as I've ever seen that led to the Swiss winning goal in the last minute of their game v Ecuador - mind you the officials earlier in the half did rule a fair Swiss 'goal' offside...OK nobody's perfect!

Great goal by Messi last night in a fairly poor game - Bosnia were pretty good...they could progress!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The goal line technology worked impressively well in the France/Honduras game.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Jose agrees with Eine A


Fergie would drop or sell Rooney - his misery always becomes the story and bigger than the team ... boots thrown and sacked eh?
[actually bigger than the manager seemed to irritate Fergs the most]

[jayne lee wilson]

What would you do Jayne

I'd be very tempted to put Ross Barkley in from the start - he's naturally two-footed, looked very good against Italy and apart from his attacking flair would give us better cover on the left. If you must include Rooney - OK start him in the middle, but behind Sturridge (surely!), and with instructions to switch fluidly with Sterling left/centre.
But given Rooney's poor record in finals since 2004 (in good company with Messi - partial redemption last night), he may even be more effective as a sub. striker if we need a goal. Having said that, the opposition will all know Rooney (and his relative immobility) well, and Rickie Lambert may be a better surprise package - supersub! Has anyone seen more of Uruguay than I have? How do they set up?

[EdgeleyRob]

I'd be very tempted to put Ross Barkley in from the start - he's naturally two-footed, looked very good against Italy and apart from his attacking flair would give us better cover on the left. If you must include Rooney - OK start him in the middle, but behind Sturridge (surely!), and with instructions to switch fluidly with Sterling left/centre.
But given Rooney's poor record in finals since 2004 (in good company with Messi - partial redemption last night), he may even be more effective as a sub. striker if we need a goal. Having said that, the opposition will all know Rooney (and his relative immobility) well, and Rickie Lambert may be a better surprise package - supersub! Has anyone seen more of Uruguay than I have? How do they set up?

Most certainly Jayne.
I would keep the boy RB chomping at the bit and unleash him with around 20 mins to go.
Uruguay's tactics I assume are all based around Suarez,although I haven't seen a great deal of them they are usually a cautious counter attacking team.
They are very suspect at the back judging by the Costa Rica game,oh and they are easily wound up.

[Don Petter]

A very strange phenomenon in the current Belgium-Algeria match.

There's an extra shadow with no player attached. It moves around with the play and presumably must belong to a member of the undead, but which side are they assisting?

[EdgeleyRob]

A very strange phenomenon in the current Belgium-Algeria match.

There's an extra shadow with no player attached. It moves around with the play and presumably must belong to a member of the undead, but which side are they assisting?

It's a shadow just crying out to be chased.

[antongould]

The number of people that you need to gather together before there is a 50% chance that at least two of those people have the same birthday is 23 (really I have a friend who did sums at Oxford).

There are 23 players in each World Cup squad.

In exactly 16 of those squads, two or more players have the same birthday.

Isn’t that nice?

[johncorrigan]

The number of people that you need to gather together before there is a 50% chance that at least two of those people have the same birthday is 23 (really I have a friend who did sums at Oxford).

There are 23 players in each World Cup squad.

In exactly 16 of those squads, two or more players have the same birthday.

Isn’t that nice?

Thanks anton...great stat that!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Brazil v Mexico was an inspiration for the others ...especially Argentina and Germany .... great tournament so far