StevieC

so they'd be schit scared to make a mistake and the detenté would go on, and on and on and on...

opinions, opinions. you wanted them to win. personally out of the last 4 I wanted the Germans to triumph and that's a bizarre sensation if ever there was one.

nothing to stop another hour and half of stalemate and boredom there no matter how knackered they are.

I'm still in two minds as to whether it was a (soft) pen or not- what is undeniable, regardless of what I have obviously watched or not is that he made a complete meal of the situation, pansy assed diving gobschite that he is.

The oft mooted (I think Ripley advocated it in another thread) method of removing one player from each team every 5 minutes of extra time until there's four left (as a minimum- one team would have more players if an opposing player had been sent off- they play until someone scores- golden goal wins. It's easily legislated and controlled, tests the fitness of the players and tactical acumen of the coach and can reward both talented attack and dogged defence.

If nothing had happened they'd still have been the most unworthy winners of all time. Buffon, Cannavaro and Zambrotta aside not one of those players would be worth paying to watch. Pirlo has to be the most over-rated player since Lampard's ascendency to midfield demi-god last year.

and in going into him his conditioned relex caused him to throw his arms into the air, arch his back, squeal in anguish whilst his ever so slow momentum was enough for his legs to flip into the air behind him... He dived making the most of a god given opportunity from a clutz of a defender.

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There's a difference between saying Zidane is a victim (he's not, he's a prat for what he did and he knows it) and condemning the attitude and methods of the persistant cheat and pus filled boil on the game that is Marco Materazzi. The sort of things he does every game and gets away with might finally fall under some scrutiny. again a fair point- there's a line though and that f*cker crosses it and gets away with it too often. Bellamy/Newcastle being a case in point where UEFA punished Shearer retrospectively yet managed to miss what he did- an incident which totally changed the game- it gives him a licence to play the c*nt.

No argument there. Shame he hasn't been vilified more for it. Still doesn't excuse persistant filthy 'gamesmanship' and cowardly violence as perfected by Materazzi.

He dived (cheated) for a penalty in a game when the admittedly limited Aussies were a man to the good with superior fitness and with a fox like Hiddink behind them- they were cheated. I take Stevie's point about gamesmanship but so is outright intimidation and brutality- something that was rightly frowned upon and more or less eradicated from the game and the same should be done to deter the likes of Materazzi continually getting away with this sh*t (the pinch, the sly kicks, abuse). A legistical nightmare and a mollycoddling approach perhaps but retrospective fines and bans would be a start such as that received by Sinisa Mihaljovich for absuing Vieira. It's not something to be admired whatever his motivation, method or final result.

It might well be part and parcel of the game but so is diving at the moment. Were you speechless with admiration when Placcy deceived the ref into booking yet another player or a diving Italian cheating Australia out of the competition? Might as well bring back the days when you could kick a decent player schitless to take him out of the game if we're just going to daisy chain over that sort of cowardly nonsense. That said, I look forward to the day when Materazzi is screming with pain on the floor from a career ending and deliberatley inflicted compound fracture- then I'll be speechless with admiration for the f*cker that did it (hopefully someone with a T-shirt that reads 'ain't karma a bitch').

Should have kicked him in the c*nt.

He was hated long before this for being a despicable cheat and a complete f*cking pansy. He IS symptomatic of everything schnide and underhand in football and someone giving him a proper shoeing is long overdue.

It was on Jairzinho.

according to the Beeb, Lippi is quoted as saying the 4th and 5th officials (only the 5th is supposed to have a monitor) both had a look at the replay before the 4th offical got involved.

They're the most cynical, talentless and downright spiteful champions for a helluva long time. I've never before willed the Germans on but I so desperately wanted another cheat in Ballack to smack one past Buffon.

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It was Marco Materazzi, someone with a history of dirty play and a speacialist in cheating to get others sent off as he did to Bellamy at St. Jame's Park a while back. Wasn't he the one Shevchenko nutted? There's no excusing it, but the only thing I'm gutted about is that he didn't smash the cheating scumbag's cheekbones apart and invert his concord like nose permanantly rather than that lame effort.

Mossad agents who got lost trying to kidnap Eichmann?

Just had both repaired- will be back running in thee weeks apparently. which is nice. No hamstring involved though although ligament tears are graded 1-3 and it also depends on whether there is damage to the tendons too.

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