I did some checking up on the last matches of the Bafana bafana and yeah the results were not really to write home about. With a few 1-0 wins and some losses. Their biggest win in the last 5 or 6 matches was against the "mighty" equatorial Guinea with 4-0. And you have a former Ajax Amsterdam player in your ranks with Steven Pienaar. He was always quite a good player he now plays for Everton and you have a player who was in the team that became champion of Holland this year... Parker who plays with FC twente. Most of the RSA players seem to play in RSA

Yesterday the Dutch team played the trainingsmatch against Ghana and after 92 minutes the score was settled on 4-1 for Holland. Nice match to watch and Coach van Marwijk seems to have everything on the track for the coming WC. Also van Marwijk now has an official Dutch record for being the first Dutch coach to reach 18 matches in line without being beaten once. Man I'm looking forward to the EC... It seems we finally have a team that knows how to play together.

I just hope that "own goal" keeps up his stunning performance for england during the finals!!!

Andy

LOL yeah 3 goals made by Japan and England won.
For us that is a bit of good news... Japan is in our poule... Hopefully the ghost of owngoal will stick it's head up during that game as well

And congrats to the socceroos for winning 1-0 from Denmark

I saw that as well when Perreira (sp?) announced his final 23 yesterday (or the day before?). Really strange decisions. McCarthy is probably Bafana's strongest striker, yet he's been dropped. Yes, Benny's loyalty is sometimes questionable, and his ego is out of control - but even in his over weight state, Benny on a bad day is better than any other striker they have. The problem with going with a virtually all local squad is that local S/African football is so far below the international level it's not even comparable to the English 3rd division. These guys just don't have the experience or exposure to that level of football. On the plus side, though, I suppose those few locals that do manage to get tickets (and the masses that watch on TV) will be able to recognise the local players for the 4 games they play.

Hello,

I too am looking forward to the FIFA World Cup.

At first I am glad to see all main football countries at once finally.

Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay (yes!), Italy, England, France (pfui Henry!), Spain, Netherlands and us.

Look back - it is long ago that these countries have been competing at the same tournament.


So, who will make it?

The usual suspects only.


My three top favourites:

Brazil, strong, can only be beaten by itself like in 2006.

Argentina, nearly the same strengh and a coach with underestimated skills - Maradona does a very good job.

Spain - top notch and since Raul was dropped, they could find the peace within the team.


These teams should reach the quarter finals at least:

Italy - tough but too old.

England - actually a strong team with much qualities except mental strenght and a lousy keeper.

Netherlands - very good, beautiful to watch, hard to play against but less effective - they prefer to die in beauty like Brazil did in the 80s.

France - simply got with Domenech a bad coach who will make his team fail earlier

Our team renders the usual qualities: Tactical discipline, physical strenght, fighting power and a mechanical play.

But this time our Elf is much too young and has not got enough experience.


The most overestimated teams:

Serbia and Portugal - as often.

Personally I can't stand Diego Maradona - I think he's just a huge (or little) w*&^ker. But I can't deny his talent with a football (or a handball ).

I read in the paper last night that he rates his 2010 squad as better than the 1986 team which won the cup. I'll be interested to see how they do - if this is all talk or fact.

Since we have competed against Argentina in March in Dortmund, I am believing in them and Maradona.

We have lost, but the way Argentina played and fought was impressive - very disciplined, hard-running and the usual technical sophistication.

And Messi was not aboard...


"I read in the paper last night that he rates his 2010 squad as better than the 1986 team which won the cup."

Maybe, if they make it to avoid conceding goals during routine set-plays like in 1986.

"What I always like with soccer is the fact that here in Holland suddenly everything turns orange."

Indeed.

I don't know with Argentina really. With Maradona it is always a lot of bravoure but not much in the area of results. I still say that a good player does not automatically make a good coach.

Maradona's comparison of the team of 86 with the 2010 team is like comparing Apples with Volkswagen beetles. So much has changed in Soccer in those 24 years. Trainingschedules and methods have been improved. Players are a lot younger nowadays then what played in the 80's, Technologies with shoes and innovations with the balls and such have made such a difference. Automatically a team of players nowadays would be much better then 24 years back. I have spoken a lot with proffesional soccerplayers in the last couple of years Dutch Champion 80/81 and they admit that the game changed a lot since the 80's and that it became much much faster and more technical.

Well spain had a nipt escape there against South Korea with a 1-0 victory. probably the coach of the Furia Roja was experimenting but also the close call against Saudi Arabia 3-2 did not really impress. Hope they have it more on track on the tournament itself.

Mexico however did impress with winning from Italy... The score of 2-1 is a good result for MX when you play against a team that fills it's goal with players.

Germany also did not impress against Bosnia Herzegovina. Sure they won with 3-1 but not thanks to brilliant play. Acyually thanks to 2 penalties. Again I hope for Germany that they can get their stuff together for the WC.

It is really interesting to ollow all these matches. Looking forward to all the changes that are being made and what effect they will have on the torunament itself

Ah yes the Orange tank. That was indeed a funny thing. I believe with the WC in Germany somebody was halted at the Dutch/German border in an Orange M20. Streets, people, bars, cars, you name it... it all turns orange for as long as Holland plays in the WC... How is this celebrated in other countries?

2 days to go... Woohoooo

Man I'm looking forward to this. I hope more people are going to watch the games.

Funny to see here in holland how the streets are slowly turning orange again.

Yeah Robert I'm geed up for this; more excited than usual...
Will have to change my circadian rhythm to see the early games though!
Go Australia
Go Holland
Go Englermany

COME ON ALL WHITES!!! Can't wait, never been this excited about football before lol

I think the whole country will be watching the French games waiting for them to lose... ABF: anyone but France!

But most people think that without then cheating :-)

Andy

Well at 1600 local time here in Holland. South Africa will do the kickoff of the tournament against Mexico Good luck to the both of you... And of course also good luck for Uruguay and France who have to play later in the evening.

I had hoped South Africa could defend their lead but they got a bit clumsy. All in all Mexico did offer us a more convincing performance though.

ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND,

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!

You will never guess who I am supporting.

England . USA

Match 5

12-06-2010

20:30 (1130 PST)

stadium: Rustenburg

¡ESTADOS UNIDOS! États-Unis! Vereinigte Staaten! Stany Zjednoczone! 미국 USA! Amerika Birleşik Devletleri! アメリカ合衆国

WE TIE! USA!&:) USA!&:) USA!
Ah! Life is good!
Rick

Rick

It's called a draw!!!

Fair play to your boys, but what an awful goalkeeping show by Rob Green!!

Andy

Dempsey’s shot had quite a spin on it

My bad.
Saw the goal replay. That was a clunker bid by your goalkeeper
Rick

Before either American or England fans start a) Hugging themselves with glee or b) Getting all optimistic over the future...

Neither one of those teams were at anything like the level that will win an amateur competition - never mind the World Cup.

Frankly, USA deserved (very marginally) to win (that says little about them) and England is looking to be without imagination, a lot of force but little actual talent.

Before people start burning Green in effigy, a thought. What 'World-Class' side finds it difficult to put together three 'Keepers with guarantee and what happened to all the money which was supposedly invested in football development?

Personally, it was a poor performance from BOTH sides.

Oh, and for the USA fans, an offside being signalled ISN'T a reason to start cheering and delirium from the terraces...

Somewhat strangely, no-one has actually mentioned Spain much yet.

My prediction is that Spain will probably be in the first four. Their previous WC record has been poor. However, in the last few years there has been an enormous change.

Firstly, the youth program in various clubs has now come to fruition. This is particularly true in F.C. Barcelona. Xavi, Puyol, Iniesta, Busquets, Valdes, Fabregas and Piqué were all formed within the junior sections - as was Messi..

Football development? One of the problems of Capello, when he trained Real Madrid, he supervised the destruction of the investment in development.

After Spain won the Euro Championship (arguably a VERY difficult competion) the process continued. Barcelona continue to win titles using home-grown players. Last year SIX titles with the majority coming from their youth academy. These same players are the basis of the national side. How many world sides can point to that?

Argentina (even after yesterday), Brazil, Spain and Germany, are, IMO, the only serious contenders - many of the rest are simply a sideshow.

Hooray, we won... against air.