Quality wise this World Cup is cack

there are more action in championship than in this world cup...

Everyone was praising the competition early on because there were more goals than usual but, i agree, it's been poor.

i think it has been great

it has been great

what are you watcing ??????????

watching

Must be a wind up thread surely?

These games even the 0-0 have been the best games of any tournaments ever.

Agree 100%. To say this is the best world cup ever is to be 180 degrees wrong. Absolute sh1te throughout.

Brazil are a very average side,

On average the average side is better than 1/2 the brazilian WC teams...

This pile of sh1te wishes they were average

The Priest
01 Jul 14 23:41
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Must be a wind up thread surely?

These games even the 0-0 have been the best games of any tournaments ever.

brazil look a decent side to me , once they get the two strikers to put their boots on the right feet

Charlton are you telling me that the Germany / Algeria and the game tonight were worse than the majority of the Premier League Leagues we will watch this coming season on SUPER SUNDAY !!

The games this World cup have been exciting in the main, one reason has been the fact the teams who were expected to stomp all over the 'minnows' have had a rude awakening and not one team has tried to play for a draw and penalties , nearly every game has seen both teams give everything , if that means you want to put stupid smiley faces then good luck to you and the 'Brilliant' games we will watch in a couple of months should have you salivating and wetting yourself. Me? you can stick the Premier League where the Sun don't shine.

The Priest
02 Jul 14 00:05
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Charlton are you telling me that the Germany / Algeria and the game tonight were worse than the majority of the Premier League Leagues we will watch this coming season on SUPER SUNDAY !!

The games this World cup have been exciting in the main, one reason has been the fact the teams who were expected to stomp all over the 'minnows' have had a rude awakening and not one team has tried to play for a draw and penalties , nearly every game has seen both teams give everything , if that means you want to put stupid smiley faces then good luck to you and the 'Brilliant' games we will watch in a couple of months should have you salivating and wetting yourself. Me? you can stick the Premier League where the Sun don't shine.

you on the sauce? You're the 1st to bring up club football. This WC has been a pile of sh1te quality wise. It may be more exciting for some but that is simply a function of how much money they have bet relative to their total wealth. When a late goal wins you 6 months salary, no doubt it's the most exciting thing ever. Please don't confuse that with "quality". The overall quality on show is way below average for a wc tournament.

I agree the quality has been lacking.  Teams unable to string more than a couple of passes together, players consistently failing to beat the first man when taking a corner and so many free-kicks sent sailing over the bar.  However I would say that it has been far more exciting because most games have been open and not many teams are just "parking the bus", unlike previous tournaments.  On balance I would much rather watch this than most of the Premier League and Champions League games I've seen this season, despite the general lack of quality.  Having said that I think whoever wins this year's World Cup would get absolutely slaughtered by the Spanish team that won in 2010.

how do you judge quality ?

if you want the days of maradona going back to 1986 gong around 4 or 5 defenders that isn't going to happen. even supposedly weaker countries are well drilled, organised,   fit to stop this.

Don't agree with all those saying there's no quality.  It's true there is no outstanding team but the overall standard is pretty good.  Look at the performances of Algeria, Costa Rica and even Australia who I thought played well in defeat.  One of the reasons some top countries haven't looked brilliant is because these other sides have been decent.

A quick look down the list of top scorers shows there is real quality at this tournament.  Some technically brilliant goals, thrilling games and incredible fitness which has kept the tempo high.

Recent World Cup winners haven't been great sides - Italy 2006, Brazil 2002 and France in 1998 were not great sides historically.  Going back further I do think we romanticise about how good football was.  The passing years dim memories of the utter garbage many teams served up.

It's been pretty good.  Vast improvement on 2010 which was absolutely abysmal.

Berto is correct about how we look at old world cups though.  We forget that they used to mess around at the back passing back to keeper who would pick it up!

berto77     03 Jul 14 08:11 
Don't agree with all those saying there's no quality.  It's true there is no outstanding team but the overall standard is pretty good.  Look at the performances of Algeria, Costa Rica and even Australia who I thought played well in defeat.  One of the reasons some top countries haven't looked brilliant is because these other sides have been decent.

A quick look down the list of top scorers shows there is real quality at this tournament.  Some technically brilliant goals, thrilling games and incredible fitness which has kept the tempo high.

Recent World Cup winners haven't been great sides - Italy 2006, Brazil 2002 and France in 1998 were not great sides historically.  Going back further I do think we romanticise about how good football was.  The passing years dim memories of the utter garbage many teams served up.


good post
one reason why the games have on the whole been intriguing is due 2 the fact there are no outstanding teams & 'lesser' teams have become less tactically naive meaning the 'better' sides have found it more difficult to impose themselves.i've enjoyed it & am looking forward to its denouement.

been superb entertainment with several unexpectedly good showings from Costa Rica vs Uruguay, Algeria vs Germany was great, USA competing hard despite lacking quality, great goals from the likes of Rodriguez...

so it's just the OP

been suprerb, now doubt a lot are talking from their betting arris.

Quality and entertainment aren't necessarily the same thing.

Still, best World Cup viewing for several tournaments. Been some great moments of individual quality, and some well-organised teams, especially some of the so-called underdogs, but I don't think there's an oustanding quality side out there - or if they are, they've been hiding it in sporadic moments.

its not finnish !

Jul 3, 2014 -- 11:27PM, donny osmond wrote:

its not finnish !

There were people queuing up to say it was the best World Cup ever after about two days!

http://community.betfair.com/football/go/thread/view/94070/30285365/this-is-the-best-world-cup-ever?post_id=539943259#539943259#flvWelcomeHeader

ffs 'quality' is an entirely subjective measure

and who decides what the definition of 'quality' is anyway?

it got off to a very open start, which got us all hooked

probably would have been hooked anyway, but it made games unmissable


reality has kicked in as teams dont want to throw it away

some people define quality in where a team annihilate the opposition, like la liga.

despite the lack of goals, both ALG vs GER and BEL vs USA were wide open with lots of chances and both teams competing hard

no need to confound lack of goals with a lack of either quality or commitment

many of the goals in the earlier stages were due to either piss poor defending (England) or plain old chucking the game (Cameroon)

best World Cup for a long time

This World Cup has been for the most part very good indeed. Echelons better than 2010.

We've seen what I call the Atletico Madrid effect in-play too. You can take 11 sub-standard footballers but so long as they are fit and willing to 100% effort into the game they can mix with the big boys. This is why we haven't seen so many trouncings.

....and teams like Costa Rico do so well.

berto77
03 Jul 14 08:11
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Don't agree with all those saying there's no quality.  It's true there is no outstanding team but the overall standard is pretty good.  Look at the performances of Algeria, Costa Rica and even Australia who I thought played well in defeat.  One of the reasons some top countries haven't looked brilliant is because these other sides have been decent.

the dumbest statement of the world cup...

The extension is that Borg played his best Tennis in the first round matches that nobody watched cos he played badly in the final cos McEnroe was so good he made Borg play badly

HIHM for berto please

good post
one reason why the games have on the whole been intriguing is due 2 the fact there are no outstanding teams & 'lesser' teams have become less tactically naive meaning the 'better' sides have found it more difficult to impose themselves.i've enjoyed it & am looking forward to its denouement.



hihm for the bull

utter gash

France have been pathetic and Germany have been so comfortable doing sweet f a since they scored

morpteh mackem
03 Jul 14 06:39
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how do you judge quality ?

if you want the days of maradona going back to 1986 gong around 4 or 5 defenders that isn't going to happen. even supposedly weaker countries are well drilled, organised,   fit to stop this.

Are you saying England and Belgium 1986 are worse than Costa Rica 2014?

epic 

Agree entirely with the original poster. Probably the  most overrated World Cup there has ever been. Yes, there were plenty of goals in the early qualifying games, but hardly any of them were that memorable and special individual performances were few and far between.

Into the knockout stages and it has been one ordinary team against another slightly less ordinary team. The goals have dried up. I can't remember a more dire standard.

A few years down the line and the only thing most people will remember is the Rodriguez goal.

David Luiz is now as short as 5/1 for player of the tournament after scoring a free kick and looking even more manic after he scored. Rodriguez is second favourite and he hasn't even got past the quarter final.

If David Luiz, a one dimensional, thuggish, total-football wanabee, is the best player at this tournament I think we can simply say to the jury, "we rest our case".

As well as being low on quality, low on technical skill, lacking any outstanding teams and any outstanding displays by individual players maybe barring Colombia's James this world cup has been the worst for officiating of any major tournament that I can remember.

That referee yesterday in the Brazil Colombia game was no good at all. Why he didn't give bookings for some of those challenges I don't know and then the challenges just got worse and worse. On one occasion the Brazil wall broke early and was literally on top of the ball before Colombia could take the free kick and he did nothing.

Yesterday's refereeing was atrocious.  I agree the quality of the quarter finals has been disappointing.  No one has raised their game yet.

France were Attrocious Yesterday ,Brazil were there for the Taking ,have hardly  impressed at all,home support and ref on side  ,Colombia were great to watch,
Germany Standard ,Holland fk knows very in an out ,Argentina getting it done so far ..

another low grade QF

Yep

what about messis pass though?

Do you mean the pass to their goalkeeper at the end? Even in a very average team Messi looks a shadow of what he used to be.

Messi's pass through to Di Maria (who then predictably proceeded to get it onto his left and blast it straight off Kompany) was absolutely different class - probably the best moment of the match

World Cup getting worse by the match after a promising start

I wouldn't say the world cup has been 'cack', i thought the group stage games were the best i can remember in my lifetime. But i don't think there's any denying that apart from a couple of the 2nd round games, the entire knock out phase has been pretty poor. The 3 sides into the semi's so far haven't had to play well at all to get there.

The 3 sides into the semi's so far haven't had to play well at all to get there.


yet you're arguing it has been cack quality wise - surely that's contradictory

It started well but just keeps getting worse as it goes on. It's yet another poor World Cup with no outstanding teams or individuals. There's been some okay performances but nothing of any real note. I'll be glad when it's over. The EPL and CL cant come quick enough.

Belgium an France performance in Qtrs unreal absolutely Dreadful

One thing the World Cup is good for is reminding us all how good the EPL is. Our teams play with passion and aggression and speed and flair. These International sides are dire to watch by comparison.

the top club sides would beat any national side(recognising of course that some of the players in the club sides would be in the sides they were playing...making it hypothetical)
they play more with each other(no double entendres) so gel 2 gether better
no contest

p_r_e_m_i_e_r__f_a_n_t_a_s_y 05 Jul 14 19:10 
yet you're arguing it has been cack quality wise - surely that's contradictory



How am i?

My first sentence was "I wouldn't say the world cup has been 'cack', i thought the group stage games were the best i can remember in my lifetime".

We are still getting confused between quality and excitement.  I think all 4 quarter finals have been absolutely dire in terms of quality but they have all been exciting because they have all gone to the last minute or penalties.

watch the brazil 70 team then reflect

Pundits scraping the barrel now.

Started talking about how good the goalkeepers are now. Did the panel have a little 'team meeting' before Hansen was falling about with the excitement of the penalty shoot out?

And that clip of Messi. Yes, it was lovely control with his arm. Can't they see that the little genius is now just little?

it has been sh!t lately

always makes me laugh when people talk about the world cup as the ultimate stage of football achievement, it might have been once but not for at least 2 decades, the players are basically the same in a wc as they are in the champions league but not one of the final 4 teams in this wc would win a champions league

Rider is probably right for this year's World Cup.  I reckon Real Madrid would beat any of the semi finalists quite easily.  I don't think that would apply to the Spain team who won in 2010 though.

spain have been a poor mans barcelona, the best players go to the biggest clubs, the concentration of talent logically goes up, not to add the fact they train together more and have their sports scientists aiming them at peak fitness times that suit the clubs who pay them

Most players are just athletes these days, there is a lack of footballing ability. However, they can run all day long in straight lines.

I read a post recently where someone mentioned the "Atletico Madrid effect".  You get a team of average players together who are very well organised by their coach and very fit physically.  I fear that is the way football is going.

Watching the quarter finals was like being trapped in a lift with Alan Shearer, Mick Fitzgerald and Adrian Chiles for 48 hours.

high_lander 06 Jul 14 18:32 
Most players are just athletes these days, there is a lack of footballing ability. However, they can run all day long in straight lines.




We should start to see Kenya emerging as a force in world football then

MC Roller     06 Jul 14 19:05 
Watching the quarter finals was like being trapped in a lift with Alan Shearer, Mick Fitzgerald and Adrian Chiles for 48 hours.

weren't the best q/fs ur ever likely 2 see
but surely can't be as bad as that apocalyptic scenario u've alluded to

The problem is the players are super fit nowadays and super efficient. They cover more ground than ever before. This leaves less room on the pitch. Meg a player and run around him and you'll bump into a defender. Try a trick and you'll get mugged and caught on the counter. It becomes live a PES game.

Make the pitches bigger maybe.

Could be a case for banning the world cup. Qualification is a joke when you have so many mismatches with the likes of San Marino, Andorra always getting battered by a cricket score. The main tournament has been absolutely dire for the past 2 occasions in particular. The 2014 World Cup has been like watching Stoke City play Hull non stop for a month.

The 2022 World Cup is being held in Qatar, that will be the worst of all time. Imagine playing football in average daytime temperatures of 50C. It's only being held in there as a result of bribery.

Does anyone care one iota about the World Cup now? Lost all interest, boring as batsh1t, will keep watching but couldn't care less. Agree with the above poster - CL can't come quick enough, pinnacle of football by a country mile.

I totally agree with op quality wise been v disappointing,France and Belgium in QFs gutless,highlights for me were Klinsmann's USA team for their do or die attitude,and the Colombians playing with a smile on their face and loads of skill finally mugged by FIFA,referee and a cynical Brasil team who i hope get dumped by the Germans.

biscuit your statement is correct if only African sides had more discipline, and ehmm how can I put this, that we could be sure they were *coughs* trying their best in every game.

More seriously though, if African sides were more tactical, in other words as boring as the rest of the world, they would do much better.

Lack of tactical know how, lack of discipline along with the other thing are what holds them back.

Lets get this straight
the champs league isnt much better
seeing as only 3 or 4 teams can win it in anyone given season
teams at this level are closely matched
it figures most games are going to be tight tactical affairs
Your favourites like chrissy, leo and neymar are going to be up against equals. Not playing for their big name UCL teams beating up on guys who are paid a fraction of their wages if theyre paid at all
If you can't get with this then youre in the wrong game.

Champions League is mainly utter dirge and totally pointless until sometime around March.

Jul 7, 2014 -- 9:47PM, thelatarps wrote:

Lets get this straightthe champs league isnt much betterseeing as only 3 or 4 teams can win it in anyone given seasonteams at this level are closely matchedit figures most games are going to be tight tactical affairsYour favourites like chrissy, leo and neymar are going to be up against equals. Not playing for their big name UCL teams beating up on guys who are paid a fraction of their wages if theyre paid at allIf you can't get with this then youre in the wrong game.

totally disagree champions league final between the two Madrid sides excellent Ronaldo had a great tournament.

It's these games that make us look forward to World Cup,but have to say after a great start QFs have been piss poor imo. don't expect semis and final to be any better.

Player of WC James Rodrigues kicked upside down in Brasil game.

laughable standard

cack wasn't strong enough, this world cup is a pile of wank

Biscuit1979     06 Jul 14 19:34 
high_lander 06 Jul 14 18:32 
Most players are just athletes these days, there is a lack of footballing ability. However, they can run all day long in straight lines.




We should start to see Kenya emerging as a force in world football then

money (Or too much of it ) has killed the game

i couldn't watch it for fun ,and can't blame kids who seem less interested in  the game .

tends to only be watched these days by supporters who are tribalistic ,or gamblers 

i prefer to listen by radio ,or have music in the background

far cry growing up and watching the 1982 world cup 

Coachbuster     09 Jul 14 23:19  tends to only be watched these days by supporters who are tribalistic ,or gamblers 

i'd say that's a well judged observation

Fell asleep during the final