The *Official* 2006 FIFA World Cup Thread

How dare he? The German people were criticsizing him for months (Beckenbauer always hinted that he should be replaced) honestly I think he did the right thing ^^

 

Klinnsman is not going back to Germany...I had not heard that.

Anyword where he is going.

I for one hope he ends up in the USA...I just wonder how our people would view a foreign born coach. Being that soccer is less that huge over here I could see the press jumping all over that issue even though it is not that big of a deal.

 

From Reuters:

---

[i][b]Wednesday, 12 July, 2006:[/b][/i]

-- In shock move, the English FA have replaced incoming England Manager, Steve McLaren, with the appointment of Jurgen Klinsman.

-- McLaren is quoted as saying: "I am devastated."[hr][/blockquote]












We can but dream. :p


-JR :)

 

Yeah Lippi quit too.

LOL @ the Germans acting like they were supportive off him.

 

at the press conference they appointed his assistant löw as the new national coach. (not as cute, if you ask me)

and elsewhere i heard that he will just really take a break and stay in the US. apparently all the commuting was stressful.

if he does coach the american team, i think that's completely our loss.

it's true we weren't being nice with him, but we repaid him thrice over in the last couple of weeks. there is a tendency in football here to think that everything new isn't going to work so he had it tough, i'm sure. (and judging from a quote collection i read this morning about the times before the WC there was a lot of unfair criticism levelled at him)

and still! he has no right to leave a team he himself built. they might end up headless chicken.

 

Zidane apologizes

 

So basicly, everybody is still guessing what Materazzi said

Damn, I wanna know.

 

All Zidane would say was that Materazzi repeatedly insulted him and his family, and that the Italian's remarks were "very personal and concerned my mother and sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them."

 

Who really cares what he said. get over it.

 

I agree! Whatever Materazzi said Zidane acted like a disgrace to everything football is and stands for. Zidane used to be my hero, but now I despise him. But anyway, we are rid of him now and this case is closed IMO.
I'm gonna celebrate Italy being the best in the world like they deserves.


Too bad Lippi leaves Italy

But, anyway, Italy are World Champions which I have been waiting for since 1994! These are happy days!

 

Yeah i must admit, i have warmed to the idea. Atleast its not the Portugese or Brazilians again.

 

Is Materazzi your new hero?

 

DIE! 2006 World Cup Thread. DIE!

Hammes nails into coffin.

 

Nope. Materazzi is not my new hero. He should not have insulted Zidane, but that does not change the fact that Zidane overreacted by physically attacking him. Totally unacceptable. Zidane must also take responsibility for his own actions, not trying to put the blame on Materazzi.

 

He has taken responsibility for his own actions. But he didn't headbutt him for no reason. Materazzi provoked him. According to Zidane it had to do with his mother (who apparently had entered hospital that day or shortly prior) and his sister. If Zidane is already concerned about his mother's health, obviously Materazzi's comment might push him over the edge (and I think it makes his actions a bit more understandable). Not that it makes Zidane right to do what he did, but it provides a reason.

 

Matzawhateverhisname is deserved what he got!

Long live Zizou one of the greatest players ever!!

 

Unfortunately he didn't get what he deserved...a losers medal.

 

He is not a loser he is one of the games all time greats and will be remembered as such.

No matter how he reacted to that filthy **** comments the world still loves him because everyone knows that Itailans are cheating *****!

 

Zidane is still a legend in my books and Italy fully deserve to win the WC; they were the best team in the competition overall. congrats to them. congrats to Zidane for being the best player in the tournament and Klose for the golden boot.

not the greatest WC i've seen but a thoroughly enjoyable one nonetheless. a great talking point here, at the office, at home and at the pub. too bad for England but they played a ****ty tournament. hopefully in 4 years an experienced Rooney and a few of the old heads can lead the next crop of youngsters to glory.

anyway, this is my last post in this thread. see you all in the other one for future football discussion.

 

I was referring to Materazzi.

 

I think Zidane was perfectly justified in knocking Materazzi out. That's just my opinion.

 

Oh, I was hoping that the officials hadn't seen anything. It's not right to assault someone, but some people have it coming. Materazzi is one. The guy Cantona kung-fu kicked was another.

 

You despite him just because of that?

Its not exactly like he is a stranger to being sent off either...sometimes his passion gets the better of him.

Also...Portugese again? They've never won it. They've never even reached a final except for Euro2004

 

Sorry I've been away, business trip with no internet access.

Actually, the overall German population was always very supportive of him, it was the press and the football estabishment (especiially Bayern München, who have tremendous influence over the media) that were always critical.

I was totally bummed this morning when I read he was leaving. He did a tremendous job, and really breathed life into a dying program. I had hoped he would stay because of the sense of unity and dedication he had instilled among the younger players especially, which is sure to suffer even with Löw as his succeessor. But I'm not surprised. He knew how quickly things could turn. And hewas never going to move his family from California. He loves it there, he#s completely anonymous. And even as a player, he always liked to move on, from Stuttgart to Milan, Mlan to Tottenham, then Monaco, Bayern, etc.

In the end, a big lol@Beckenbauer and all the other experts. Klinsmann will always be a legend in Germany and loved for what he accomplished this summer. Beckenbauer will always be respected, even worshipped, but never loved the way Klinsmann now is. Hopefully Löw will be able to maintain the positive atmosphere within the team. It was Klinsmann positive, optimistic attitude (essentially his American-ness) that was such a key to the team's success. >Those traits are not easily found in Germany.

As for Zizou, sorry solo77, no one here is excusing Materazzi for what he said, but teh head butt was utterly ridiculous. He4 let his teammates and his country down. The Golden Ball is a joke, mianly shows that the voters all had early flights to catch after the final and sent their votes in early. When push comes to shove, he played a lackluster first round, a very good second half vs Spain, a great match against Brazil (that still only yielded 1 goal, lol@Henry and boy), and solid but not spectacular performances vs. Portugal and Italy.

For my money, Cannervaro was head and shoulders above the rest, was excellent is every match. And it's only appropriate that the GB go to a defensive player this time aruond, the defenses dominated this World Cup. Overall on the pitch it was a very disappointing tournaments, no really great games. Even the German-Italy semifinal, exciting as it was, produced few scoring chances.

 

zizou speaks! and says the insults were regarding his mother and sister....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=373814&cc=3436

it seems this thread is coming to a close....man i cant believe my 3 weeks in germany went by so quickly! seems just like yesterday that timmy smashed in those 2 late goals against japan to open our world cup account....

7 games in 3 weeks, unforgettable. and also, germany did a brilliant job hosting it. seriously, they had everyhting right, accomodation, volunteers, logistics, they did an outstanding job. the train service is fantastic, linking up every major host city. well done on an outstanding effort, it definetly wont be the last time i visit germany