The World Cup Thread

[alehouseboys]

I'm sure we're all feeling buzzed for Maya, decent squad player for us, always 100% commitment.

Yoshida and Oriol Romeu, two classy fellas to have played at this club in recent years.

[The Cat]

2 hours ago, Dark Munster said:

Born in Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother, he was raised from the age of seven in England. Musiala represented both Germany and England at youth level, and eventually pledged his allegiance to the Germany national team for future games in February 2021.

Shame he chose Germany over England, but I can't blame him. Unlike Haaland, he definitely chose the country that's much more likely to win something (although not this year!)

They moved to Southampton because his mum was doing an Erasmus degree at the Uni.

He was only here for a short time. Joined City Central from where Saints then picked him up. Within 6 months Chelsea came along, offered him a place and stuck him in a private school.

[Weston Super Saint]

11 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

The Lino didn’t flag and in the absence of any conclusive evidence to the contrary the goal stands. I don’t know why Souness was bleating on about it. 
 

Why should it have to de definitive one way or the other? At some point there will be a few centimetres of uncertainty where nobody could say for sure whether it was in or out.

Apparently the lino did flag, albeit belatedly, so it's safe to assume that the VAR check did decide definitively that it didn't go out, hence why the decision was overturned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63829718

Quote

The goal was initially ruled out by the assistant referee after a long pause, then the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened and ultimately Japan's lead would stand - and they would go on to win.

 

[skintsaint]

2 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Apparently the lino did flag, albeit belatedly, so it's safe to assume that the VAR check did decide definitively that it didn't go out, hence why the decision was overturned.

Lino's just flag now for anything that could be close. Easier for VAR to bail them out.

[Weston Super Saint]

3 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Lino's just flag now for anything that could be close. Easier for VAR to bail them out.

I assume it's like cricket - the onfield 'soft signal' needs to be overturned with evidence or it stands?

[Charlie Wayman]

2 hours ago, alehouseboys said:

I'm sure we're all feeling buzzed for Maya, decent squad player for us, always 100% commitment.

Yoshida and Oriol Romeu, two classy fellas to have played at this club in recent years.

Sorry Maya but you are far too old for our club profile so we can't offer you a new contract but good luck for any future you might have...

Sorry Oriol but you are far too old for our club profile so we can't offer you a new contract but good luck for any future you might have...

 

Glad we have such great people in charge of team recruitment…. 

[Wurzel]

Only just seen yesterday's highlights. WTF was Lukaku on?  He made Che & ArmA look world class 🤣

[Dellman]

2 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Sorry Maya but you are far too old for our club profile so we can't offer you a new contract but good luck for any future you might have...

Sorry Oriol but you are far too old for our club profile so we can't offer you a new contract but good luck for any future you might have...

 

Glad we have such great people in charge of team recruitment…. 

Maya was rubbished on this site week after week. bit late to start appreciating him now 

[Turkish]

25 minutes ago, Dellman said:

Maya was rubbished on this site week after week. bit late to start appreciating him now 

great guy but a very average player. Probably on a par with Lyanco.

[East Kent Saint]

Football is not the sort of game where we are expected to get a set square out to check if the edge of the ball is 2mm over a whitewash line painted on grass so by definition not well defined . 
 

Yoshida had a good game , we were not saying let’s resign him .

[East Kent Saint]

So FIFA still cannot show the image that VAR used to make the call , dodgy or what , pass the Rolex someone ….

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, East Kent Saint said:

So FIFA still cannot show the image that VAR used to make the call , dodgy or what , pass the Rolex someone ….

You just haven't looked very hard.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/germany-out-why-japans-controversial-goal-stood-after-long-var-delay-vmt8klhz2 (paywall)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/02/why-japan-second-var-goal-against-spain-was-allowed-to-stand-world-cup-ball-line

 

Why are you so keen to assume that it's a stitch up?

[saint1977]

Grudge last group game between Uruguay and Ghana after Dracula’s late handball in 2010 QF and Gyan missed the penalty. If I was the Ghanaian coach, never mind armbands, garlic necklaces would be the order of the day to keep Suarez at bay from nibbling the back 4 - literally,

Edited 2 December, 2022 by saint1977

[trousers]

Hmm... Player was going down before keeper touched him...? #ghauru

Edit: crap penalty saved anyway

Edited 2 December, 2022 by trousers

[Turkish]

Brilliant from Salisu 

[hans gruber]

4 minutes ago, trousers said:

Hmm... Player was going down before keeper touched him...? #ghauru

Edit: crap penalty saved anyway

Deservedly so…. Bullshit penalty decision. Amazing save by Salisu too.

lol but comical defending for the goal…..

[saint1977]

2 minutes ago, hans gruber said:

Deservedly so…. Bullshit penalty decision. Amazing save by Salisu too.

lol but comical defending for the goal…..

Culmination of two years of appalling coaching there. We’ve seen plenty of similar defensive keystone cops clusterfucks from Saints overall during that time. Let’s hope Nathan and crew have a bit more a clue.

[AlexLaw76]

Lovely goal there

[niceandfriendly]

I would happily watch Suarez thrown to the lions. Is it bad to say that?

[Charlie Wayman]

4 hours ago, Dellman said:

Maya was rubbished on this site week after week. bit late to start appreciating him now 

Not by me 'though, loved the guy and had his shirt!

Always advocated that he should have been kept here forever in some role or other. Superb and highly principled leader and a grade A decent bloke.

[Turkish]

where is Peter Walton when you need him?

[sydney_saint]

I would love to see the conversion stats for stuttered runs up when taking a penalty. It seems whenever I am watching a shoot out or a missed penalty, the miss the majority of the time is with some dumb run up. Of course, you still get the odd burly centre back who runs up and just whacks it into the carpark. 

Edited 2 December, 2022 by sydney_saint

[Turkish]

2 minutes ago, sydney_saint said:

I would love to see the conversion stats for stuttered runs up when taking a penalty. It seems whenever I am watching a shoot out or a missed penalty, the miss the majority of the time is with some dumb run up. Of course, you still get the odd burly centre back who runs up and just whacks it into the carpark. 

have no idea what the point of those silly pens is. Im sure over half the time they get saved and he play looks like a proper whopper. Maybe when you're 3 or 4-0 up but in a big game with a lot at stake make your mind up and smash it in one corner. 

[AlexLaw76]

Not seen enough Salisu long throws!

[John Boy Saint]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

great guy but a very average player. Probably on a par with Lyanco.

Harsh - Maya is a million miles away on the mental scale from Lyanco 😁

If you watched Maya in the ground his reading of the game was exceptional, his failing was being Japanese and grained with the work ethic their culture instills from a very early age. He could see danger in the box with us, but defensive partners weren’t on the same page, so his defensive errors came about mostly through being caught between the danger his partner hadn’t seen and the danger he was covering. Best example was V Norwich in the cup - Norwich scored a last minute equaliser to take the game to a replay. Everyone on here got stuck into Maya - when in reality the then mercurial and untouchable VVD had gone missing on the edge of the box ambling - Maya could see the ball was about to be launched into the box, but obviously had no idea who the target was and got caught in no man’s land, hoping vainly to cover VVD’s player and his own it was a lottery ticket ball in and like most of us the numbers didn’t come up for him. 
As you can no doubt tell, I think he was far better than he was given credit for. 
 

I liked the night Andy Carroll hit him whilst in the air heading the ball away ref did bugger all about it - the 4th time Maya motioned to jump and head the ball My Little Donkey went to hit hit him again, Maya stopped and side stepped, Carroll went down in a heap -broken - needed to be subbed. 😁

[S-Clarke]

The last round of these groups have been great entertainment.

[Sheaf Saint]

39 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

The last round of these groups have been great entertainment.

The last few minutes of this Ghana v Uruguay game has been insane. Never seen such intense end to end action at the WC even in a knockout round.

Edited 2 December, 2022 by Sheaf Saint

[Lord Duckhunter]

3 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

The last few minutes of this Ghana v Uruguay game has been insane. Never seen such intense end to end actionable at the WC even in a knockout round.

How the fuck was that not a penalty?

[whelk]

Got back from work early and caught last 10 mins of Ghana match. Great stuff.

looked a pen on Cavani and can’t believe didn’t review

[cloggy saint]

Just now, Lord Duckhunter said:

How the fuck was that not a penalty?

Who cares, fuck Uruguay.

[whelk]

VAR has been shit. Worked well at Euros but not reviewing Cavani pen is a joke. Even if review and keep with decision but looks corrupt when they dont

[Lord Duckhunter]

Uruguayan manager doing a Sir Alf there. Needed a goal & their goal threats are sat on the bench ready for the next game. 

[Mixedkebab]

Suarez is like some evil 9 year old nipper

The way those Uruguay players were all screaming at the ref at the end there were some proper wankers amongst them 

[niceandfriendly]

Seeing Suarez in tears just made me fall in love with football again. There is a god after all. Beautiful. 

[JRM]

Salisu and ABK knocked out just in time to join up with the Saints training camp, Jones will be pleased with that 

[Lighthouse]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer rat-faced w*nker.

[cloggy saint]

Just now, Lighthouse said:

Couldn’t happen to a nicer rat-faced w*nker.

You're gonna have to narrow that down ....

 

[cloggy saint]

Surprising that possibly only one team will progress to the next round having won all 3 group games.

[Mixedkebab]

Apparently Pochettino tried to sign Son of S Korea for Saints. Not heard that one before.

[East Kent Saint]

1 hour ago, whelk said:

Got back from work early and caught last 10 mins of Ghana match. Great stuff.

looked a pen on Cavani and can’t believe didn’t review

They were owed payback for Suarez “save” from previous WC , plus his celebration when the penalty was saved/missed . FIFA obvs stepped in !

[S-Clarke]

8 minutes ago, Mixedkebab said:

Apparently Pochettino tried to sign Son of S Korea for Saints. Not heard that one before.

I remember him saying that when he was at Spurs, something a long the lines ''Why didn't you come to me when I wanted you before???'' - sounds like he turned us down in the hope of something better, which did happen.

[S-Clarke]

1 hour ago, Sheaf Saint said:

The last few minutes of this Ghana v Uruguay game has been insane. Never seen such intense end to end action at the WC even in a knockout round.

It was great entertainment. 100% a pen though, but feels a bit karma-esque after Suarezs antics the last time those two met in the WC.

[East Kent Saint]

3 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

You just haven't looked very hard.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/germany-out-why-japans-controversial-goal-stood-after-long-var-delay-vmt8klhz2 (paywall)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/02/why-japan-second-var-goal-against-spain-was-allowed-to-stand-world-cup-ball-line

 

Why are you so keen to assume that it's a stitch up?

Not so much a stitch up but if 99.9 % of the ball was out then it’s out in this context allowing for accuracy of white lines imo . I would have thought it would be given out in most matches. This is the madness of var really , not settling argument just moving the point of contention . 

[John Boy Saint]

Blue touch paper has been lit in the Serbia v Switzerland game, Shaqiri opened the scoring Mitrovic replied with a superb header. 

[CityRanger]

Tadic with a brilliant ball for Mitro, he couldn’t miss.

[sadoldgit]

54 minutes ago, East Kent Saint said:

Not so much a stitch up but if 99.9 % of the ball was out then it’s out in this context allowing for accuracy of white lines imo . I would have thought it would be given out in most matches. This is the madness of var really , not settling argument just moving the point of contention . 

Surely though if the ball isn’t 100% over the white line at that point it isn’t out of play? It’s the same with Hawkeye in tennis. It doesn’t matter what % of the ball is on or over the line, even if it is 0.1% it is in. That is the point of VAR isn’t it? To give the officials a better view of situations where it is difficult to judge it accurately in real time. In this instance technology has meant that a perfectly good goal stands. I speak as someone who was convinced it was out of play originally until I saw the various angles later.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, East Kent Saint said:

Not so much a stitch up but if 99.9 % of the ball was out then it’s out in this context allowing for accuracy of white lines imo . I would have thought it would be given out in most matches. This is the madness of var really , not settling argument just moving the point of contention . 

Nope. ‘The whole of the ball over the whole of the line.”

[saintant]

Proper game of football this. None of the tedious tip, tap and passing sideways and backwards, possession for possession's sake. Both sides going full throtle, get the ball forward, pass and move, create chances. This is how football should be played.

[M271]

Other news Bellis first half hat trick for Saints u21s at st Mary’s tonight in their cup match. Saints 4 Colchester 1 at half time.

5 1 just after half time Pearce

6 1

7 1!!

Edited 2 December, 2022 by M271

[LVSaint]

He's a bit of a twat, but I like when Shaquiri scores against former Yugoslavic nations. He behaved quite well when he scored as well considering the Serbian anti-Kosovo flag shenanigans, that look to have been designed solely to piss Xhaka and Shaquiri off...well, it worked.