[Coco with marshmallows]

Dear Leader demands your support:

poll for world cup winner.

It's the daily mail, so vote for North Korea just so we can (hopefully) see the headline:

"Daily Mail Readers want North Korea to win world cup"

[Use Of Weapons]

Cocoreturns, on 06 January 2010 - 11:00 PM, said:

Dear Leader demands your support:

poll for world cup winner.

It's the daily mail, so vote for North Korea just so we can (hopefully) see the headline:

"Daily Mail Readers want North Korea to win world cup"

It's the Daily Mail, though, so they'd turn it around to read:

"Asylum seeker conspiracy puts North Korea top of World Cup Poll"

[Tiste Simeon]

Well North Korea currently has 69% of the votes. I suspect someone on 4chan got hold of that one.

[Tapper]

Tiste Simeon, on 07 January 2010 - 05:27 PM, said:

Well North Korea currently has 69% of the votes. I suspect someone on 4chan got hold of that one.

not to mention that South Korea has 20% of its own

[Gothos]

Since we're out of this one after one of the most terryfing fuck-up second rounds in history (we were #1 in our qualifying group after the first round... go figure), I'll be able to be totally cool and not much fussed about this tournament again. Feels kinda cool. I don't even have any personal favourites this time either, so I'll just kick back and enjoy the show, focusing on the beauty of play instead of who'll win and who'll lose.
Also, cool that it's in our timezone again

[caladanbrood]

I actually enjoyed that a lot with the last euro champs, when England messed up and didn't qualify. It is actually much more fun when your nerves aren't being shredded

[HoosierDaddy]

England is going to walk through the U.S. Injuries have just decimated this team.

While the Top 11 are pretty good and can play with the best in the world on any day and hold their own, if not necessarily win more than 25% of the time, and players 12-14 are decent, the depth on this team is just horrific at striker and center defensive back. Our best striker (Davies, Sochaux or something like that), centerback (Onyewu AC Milan), and creative player (Dempsey Fulham) are all injured and might not play in the WC. For a team with this depth, that is devastating.

Oh well, at least my hopes are as high anymore.

Edit: We also have the worst left back of all time. Please god, start Spector at LB and Cherundolo at RB. Please, God. I'm begging.

This post has been edited by H.D.: 03 March 2010 - 09:39 PM

[alt146]

100 Days to go (well 99, but close enough)! I dont suppose any of you lot have decided to make the trip out here to watch the games live?

[Yellow]

caladanbrood, on 22 January 2010 - 09:14 PM, said:

I actually enjoyed that a lot with the last euro champs, when England messed up and didn't qualify. It is actually much more fun when your nerves aren't being shredded

Yup. 2008 was actually the first time I've watched a semi-final in yonks. We normally go out at the quarters and I can't bear to watch again until the final (sometimes not even then).

Having said that, I wouldn't want to miss out again. Sometimes the nerves are a good thing

[Tiste Simeon]

Only about 90 days then til every car has a little England flag hanging out of the window...

[MTS]

How did I miss this thread?

I like Group D, it should make for interesting football soccer. Germany will, I suspect, take out the group despite intense competition, with even odds between Serbia and us I think. Ghana will probably surprise me, since I don't know much about them, so yeah.

Ivory Coast, Brazil, Spain or perhaps Germany ftw.

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Tiste Simeon, on 04 March 2010 - 12:35 PM, said:

Only about 90 days then til every car has a little England flag hanging out of the window...

You filthy chav. I bet you drive around honking your horn after every narrowly-scraped England win.

[Tiste Simeon]

Thelomen Toblerone, on 04 March 2010 - 11:09 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 04 March 2010 - 12:35 PM, said:

Only about 90 days then til every car has a little England flag hanging out of the window...

You filthy chav. I bet you drive around honking your horn after every narrowly-scraped England win.

I didn't say I was going to do that, it just kind of happens... It's nice to see the country united for once... Start a war and half the country is uninterested, but get a football team into an international competition, and suddenly patriotism is all the rage again!

[Tiste Simeon]

http://news.bbc.co.u...all/8584868.stm

[Tsundoku]

Ahhhhh ... fuck.

------------------------------

http://www.news.com....9-1225852086309

World Cup soccer teams in terrorists' cross hairs

* By Jana Winter, Fox News
* From: NewsCore
* April 10, 2010 8:06AM

Al Quaeda has made fresh threats online that specifically target teams at June's FIFAWorld Cup in South Africa / AFP Source: AFP

* Al Quaeda makes World Cup threats
* Says the US vs England games is a perfect target
* South Africa beefs up security

AL Qaeda has put the American and British soccer teams directly in its cross hairs, circulating word online that the athletes are prime targets for an attack at the World Cup Games in South Africa in June, FOXNews.com reports.

The threats from al Qaeda target a range of teams competing at the World Cup, but the June 12 USA vs. England match, scheduled for live broadcast, is the terrorists’ top priority, according to threats published in an online Jihadist magazine.

“The game … is broadcast live. The stadium is full of a Crusader audience while the sound of a blast shocks the stands and turns the stadium on its head. God willing, there will [be] dozens and hundreds of casualties. 50 grams alone are sufficient for such an operation,” reads a post on the online magazine.

The South African Ministry of Police said it was aware of the threats, and the US State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security said it was providing support as the host country beefs up security in preparation for the tournament.

"Diplomatic Security's Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance has provided training to the South African Police Service in the run up to the 2010 World Cup," a Diplomatic Security official said in a statement to FoxNews.com.

The jihadist article said al Qaeda will focus on striking countries taking part in the “Zionist-Crusader campaign on Islam,” and it specifically mentioned the American, British, Nigerian, Slovenian, French, German and Italian teams as targets. The jihadist author, Ubada bin Al-Samit, said nothing could be done to prevent the attack.

South African Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said his force has been preparing for any potential threats since 2004.

-------------------------------------

Part of me isn't really surprised though, just disappointed. Yeah I know it's just sport, but can't the fuckers just leave a few things alone for everyone to enjoy?

[Aristai]

What do they have against the Slovenians?

[Yellow]

There's bound to be all sorts of threats from dickheads due to the publicity involved.

On a lighter note, I spent most of yesterday afternoon listening to Baddiel and Skinner's 2006 World Cup podcasts. Excellent stuff, can't wait for this year's podcast to start

[HoosierDaddy]

The US might give up 10 goals to England.

[caladanbrood]

Hopefully they'll all be own goals, otherwise England might be struggling...

[Tiste Simeon]

Anyone else here in the UK hearing stories of some people in England being done for putting up England flags in support of the World Cup? Apparently, putting up flags from windows and cars is now considered racist as you might be offending people who aren't English.

Now I am not one of these people who are so passionate about football that I am going to be wondering around town with not much else on then a flag draped around my shoulders or something like that, but come on! Now people aren't allowed to show their support to their own country in their own country????????

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU