Olympic football

[Kitsondinho]

Brazil were very good last night.....but still look shaky at the back.....that is all.

[Hoop Blah]

We’ve wandered down a different path to many other nations, and the results show which path was right.

Spain or Brazil I guess?

Our results aren't too shabby of course, hence the high ranking of our national team.

In terms of things changing, a lot is being done, but it's a big cultural change for the whole of football, not just a few coaches here and there so it's no quick fix. Looking at our players coming through over the last few years I don't see them being technically behind these other countries.

I do see them being held back by fear, expectations and a lack of freedom to express themselves, but I don't think it's the big technique gap that's always being made out (apart from being behind the likes of Spain and Brazil of course, they're the very best in the world in quality and quantity).

[floyd__streete]

Isn't it extraordinary that we, the biggest footballing nation in the world, are technically inferior to Korea, Honduras, Senegal and for Gawd's sake, UAE.

Just astonishing.

Because the SKY money has provided us with a generation of self-important, money-motivated, complacent footballers supported by a mediocre coaching structure where people like Stuart Pearce get senior jobs due to the institutionalised buffoonery of the FA.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Still maintain it's more to do with our league valuing pace/brawn over technical ability.

"He's quick but he can't cross for shit" being a recurring theme throughout teams up and down the league.

Ussain Bolt for Man U?

[Kitsondinho]

At least you never say anything clueless......oh wait.....

[Niko]

Saliou Ciss says he "was not very pleased with Craig Bellamy's behaviour" and that this was the reason for him dishing out a very strong challenge on Craig Bellamy.

soruce
http://fotball.aftenposten.no/eliteserien/article245861.ece

Makes you wonder what kind of verbal pleasantries the charming welshman had delivered.

"the pig Liverpool star Craig Bellamy"

Love Google Translate

[Kitsondinho]

Poor Sepp Blatter booed by the largest ever Women's Olympic Football crowd as he hands out the silver medals! Hahahaha!!

[Gav]

I have a question.

Why does everybody capitalise SKY? Sky themselves stylise it as all lowercase "sky" in many instances, and I see it written in publications as "Sky", but on here, apparently, Sky is SKY and I just wondered why?

I have a point.

Ideal is behaving like an absolutely misogynistic w*anker.

I had something else to say.

I've completely forgotten what it was. Instead, I'll talk about how nice I find it that the gold medal became the great social equaliser. It put women's football on exactly the same level as men's, just for a minute, just for a tournament. Ultimately, it doesn't matter who would win it, be it Wiggins, Gunnel, Hoy, Ennis, Pincent, Shadow from Gladiators or the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith; they all count the same. B*llocks to perceived "quality", cos it's all relative. I enjoyed supporting the women in a tournament that mattered.

[Kitsondinho]

But he is always right.......

[Wax Jacket]

I have a question.

Why does everybody capitalise SKY? Sky themselves stylise it as all lowercase "sky" in many instances, and I see it written in publications as "Sky", but on here, apparently, Sky is SKY and I just wondered why?

I have a point.

Ideal is behaving like an absolutely misogynistic w*anker.

I had something else to say.

I've completely forgotten what it was. Instead, I'll talk about how nice I find it that the gold medal became the great social equaliser. It put women's football on exactly the same level as men's, just for a minute, just for a tournament. Ultimately, it doesn't matter who would win it, be it Wiggins, Gunnel, Hoy, Ennis, Pincent, Shadow from Gladiators or the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith; they all count the same. B*llocks to perceived "quality", cos it's all relative. I enjoyed supporting the women in a tournament that mattered.

they don't all count the same though

Robbie Grabarz did the square root of fcuk all for his bronze and K-A Payne slogged it out in a river for nothing.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

they don't all count the same though

Robbie Grabarz did the square root of fcuk all for his bronze and K-A Payne slogged it out in a river for nothing.

Since when would anyone assume that they're given out for effort?

[cmonurz]

Robbie Grabarz did the square root of fcuk all for his bronze.

What did I miss?

[who are ya?]

Been offered a ticket for the finaLOL tomorrow. No doubt I'll regret it as soon as the game kicks off when I'm surrounded by flag waving gimps doing Mexican waves.. Early exit on the cards

[sandman]

BraziLOL.

[Stuboo]

IMHO with that squad they should have walked this final, but the Brazilian players didn't play for the shirt, except for Hulk. And boy are the Brazilians mad about It (as you would be). To show their football players up even more, their female volleyball team played with desire and fight to win the gold. I feel sorry for Brazil though because their players let their fans down massively.

It's kind of reasuring to know that we aren't the only country with problematic prima donna footballers who don't play for their country.

[SLAMMED]

Can't believe he didn't finish that header at the end!

[Stuboo]

Can't believe he didn't finish that header at the end!

Yes, that was a great chance! It was a beautiful cross from Hulk.

Just seemed to me that they left it a bit late to give it a go and were like 11 brilliant individuals not playing as a team.

[Ian Royal]

If you turn up and start playing badly because of over confidence and get punished early on, it's very difficult to start playing well. You just get under more and more pressure to get things right. It makes you tense which stops you hitting things sweetly and you start making poor decisions trying to force things too much.

I think that generally players perform best when they're confident, relaxed and enjoying themselves. After 28 seconds, I don't think you could really say any of Brazil's players felt any of those things.

[Stuboo]

If you turn up and start playing badly because of over confidence and get punished early on, it's very difficult to start playing well. You just get under more and more pressure to get things right. It makes you tense which stops you hitting things sweetly and you start making poor decisions trying to force things too much.

I think that generally players perform best when they're confident, relaxed and enjoying themselves. After 28 seconds, I don't think you could really say any of Brazil's players felt any of those things.

Yes, you are definitelly right about Brazil's overconfidence at the beginning costing them and that this confidence was soon rattled with the goal, and also with the very good performance of Mexico. But top teams like Manchester United show more spine and fight to equalise when they go one down, and show more urgency. Brazil tried a bit but I didn't feel that they really wanted it. Seems to me the players know they will go back to their huge house, their model girlfriend and their money, and do don't give a f***.

Well done to Mexico though, they played well and deserved it. I'm just dissapointed because I like Brazil and feel the players let the fans down.

Brazil's manager is now almost certain to get the sack. At least they have two years to rebuild in time for 2014.

[Kitsondinho]

In the Q/F and S/F that I saw, Brazil were excellent going forward, but untidy and careless at the back. They let Honduras score with 10 men, with a shot that trickled in from outside the area. S.Korea gave them several frights too! Yesterday the Mexicans proved tougher to carve open than all of Brazil's previous opponents. Coupled with some awful Brazilian defending, the Mexicans deserved to win. Brazil just expected to turn up and win, as they had done in each of their previous ganes.....I would go as far as saying that Mexico were the first proper test Brazil faced and it showed.