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The French “bomb-de-temps”!
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Call me old-fashioned, but I honestly believe that players representing their team, never mind their country, should show more professionalism with regards to their Manager and their supporters. Alright, it’s feasible that the French Management Team may have continued doing something to allow things to boil over in such a way, but the events of the last 48 hours should not have been allowed to happen in any sport – or business, or life, for that matter.
If an Everton player behaved the way that Anelka did in South Africa (no matter which International country he played for), or if an Everton player led or joined in the events culminating from that farce, what would your reaction be to him?
Personally, I would want rid of him – tantrums and childish behaviour like that can only destroy any team strengths you may have – as proven with this whole ridiculous episode.
Yet another negative for this World Cup, and I am relieved that we had no players involved.
Gerry Quinn, Posted 22/06/2010 at 17:15:51
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Did you see Domenach refusing to shake the South African coach's hand? Shameful...
I just wish we (England) could be secure enough of our own position to really enjoy the French farce. As it is I'm terrified of a third poor performance and failure to qualify from the easiest group we've ever been drawn in for anything.
Then the hand-ball fiasco.
Now this.
Oh well. Anyone know if Van Nistelroy is retiring? He'd be a big hit in the NYC area for a year or two. Lots of Central/Eastern Europeans there.
The man who lives up to the nickname, 'Le Sulk'?
Don't be too 'holier than thou', Ciaran — it can happen in the best of families... Keane and McCarthy.
In the end, coaches come and go and the players remain.
So coaches have to, up to a point, keep the players on side both on and off the field. It's a fine line, Hare and Hounds.
It couldn't happen to a better bunch. They are the international equivalent of the RS... LMB... La Merde Bleu
Now, though, Domenech is absolved of all blame and the French public and the whole world will blame only the players for his failure.
Derek T (17) – the difference between the French implosion and the Irish Keane-McCarthy affair? Keane et al didn't handball their way into the World Cup... they didn't cheat a country out of the world's biggest affair. They just simply ate one another.
The French are a shambles and a laughing stock. Exactly what they deserve.
1) Given that they had qualified in such controversial circumstances, you would have thought that they would have shown some sense of contrition and been on their best behaviour. Had the France v Ireland match gone to a penalty shoot-out and the French won, at least we would have gone out of the competition by the rules.
The actions of Henry embarrassed many French supporters. To be fair to them many of the "voices of protest" at Henry's actions came from French fans and former players. It is a great pity that they did not go into this competition with a determination to restore their image.
I can understand the feelings towards the manager, how he managed to retain his job after a very poor Euro 2008 is a mystery to me and to many I am sure. However, the players have done themselves no favours by their attitude. After all, they knew that a new manager is being appointed, so surely they could have put aside their feelings against Domenech and "played for the shirt"
2) I remember in 1998 when France won the World Cup, they were one of the most popular winners of the competition. Over the years French teams had become noted for their flair and attacking approach. They had been one of the most entertaining teams to watch. When they were eliminated from a competition or didn't qualify for a World Cup Finals there was always a sense of regret amongst neutrals. What a contrast there is now at this World Cup.I think there are very few people who will regret the demise of this French team and I think that this speaks volumes for how far French football has fallen and has lost the respect of the Footballing World. England's problems are not as grave of those of the French — I think that it will take them many years to restore their reputation. Laurent Blanc certainly has a lot of work to do when he takes over.
Henry's double handball and elated Gallas jumping about everywhere stunk of complete "known" cheating and classlessness. There is something not right with the French from the very top. Sarkozy gets involved, the Sports Minister says repercussions will happen after the team get home, the General Secretary of the FFF resigns and goes back to France WHILST the team are STILL in the World Cup. The FFF, not only effectively sack Domenech before the tournament but even announce his replacement in Laurent Blanc. Anelka with the hump because he is not playing again and calls Domenech a "Son of a Whore". Evra the French Captain fighting with the fitness coach in front of the cameras... Jesus.
And John Terry is vilified for stating the bloody obvious that the current England XI are not up to it. 2 draws and 1 goal. No shit sherlock!!!
And this is nothing like when Keane and Charlton had their spat. Keane wasn't just criticizing Charlton but the entire Eire set-up. Poor training grounds & equipment and the time of day the training took place. Also he found the drinking culture that SAF had banished at club level still encouraged by Big Jack as a bonding exercise. It was only when McCarthy said something to Roy Keane that Roy bit back with "And you think your Captain Fan-fucking-tastic then do you? Fuck off. I've had enough. I'm going home!!"
Anyway. Going back to the French. Some posters have suggested this as a demise of French football. I disagree. This French side has run it's course. This will now be a rebuilding process for them with some talented youngsters coming through with some aging "stars" being "forced" into retirement. The likes of Gallas, Henry, Anelka, Abidal, Squillaci & maybe Malouda, this is their legacy.
England 3-0 win. Rooney with 2 and Stevie G with the other. Come On England!!!
Not saying any of England's players have proved their worth either. But........
Come of Gareth. Ribery's National Team cheated to get there.
That's the injustice.
So it's also an injustice that New Zealand, North Korea, Greece, etc, are there as well, is it?
Patronising drivel.
And as for the jibe about the Irish with the reference to Ribery, that doesn't impress me — Ribery is hardly a great role model is he? Both on and off the pitch, he has been an embarrassment — do you think that git is worth £40M? It's been 24 years and every time Maradonna is mentioned we get the reference to the "Hand of God" incident. Presumably it's ok for the English to moan but not the Irish ?
Had the French played as well as they can do and shown some dignity in their behaviour, I would have been pleased. But they have shown no sense of trying to restore their image — which was tarnished going into this tournament. I don't think anyone will be sorry to see them leave, the way they have behaved both on and off the pitch.
The handball incident got a goal for France — it didn't also chalk one off for Ireland at the same time. Ireland still needed to score to win the game so it was far from certain they were going though even without the handball.
A bit like the myth that Collina cost Everton a place in the Champions League... errr, no he didn't.
Without wanting to go over old ground, I know we didn't go out purely because of Henri's DOUBLE handball. That's not the point.
Your point compared Ribery to Liam Lawrence, and us being "plucky", which is quite frankly quite patronising. It infers that we are all heart and bravery without skill and ability, which is wrong. Lawrence scored some great goals recently, and is an ever-improving player in my book. Just because he's not as good as Ribery doesn't make it an injustice if he had got to the World Cup instead.
I bet you wish England would show a fraction of our pluckiness this afternoon.
As for England this afternoon — I couldn't give a shiny shite about them and would be delighted if Slovenia won.
Keane also had a run in with Charlton.... Our Roy eh!
Gareth, the French didn't get there on merit... irrespective of the quality of Liam Lawrence. point.
By the way... I'd rather have Liam Lawrence than Sidney Govou!
And if you're hearing 'plucky' a lot, that is again patronising tripe from the English media.
If it was Lehman, he would have saved it.
I bet friend €30 to win €100 for guessing right where the penalty would be placed — which corner; whether it would be in the top or the bottom of the corner and the speed of the ball. In order to win I had to have all 3 conditions right. My guess was: flat, casual penalty bottom corner, to the right of the keeper with average to slow pace...
Just the way he fucked up Fiorentina and Hull penalties... and I won.
Anyway I have a transcript of the Anelka row with Domenech....
NA: "Boss, am I allowed to call you a twat?"
RD: "No."
NA: "Boss, am I allowed to think you're a twat?"
RD: "You're allowed to think whatever you like."
NA: "Ok, boss, I think you're a twat."
One more... Am I the only Englishman willing Slovenia to score?
Any tournament with seeding is unfair.
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Yeah, right on man!
Who would you suggest? Mongolia? Vietnam?
Why shouldn't they get a chance to play on the world stage? Or should the World Cup only be contested between the football associations that have the most money?
Before you look down your nose with disdain at Vietnam, remember that there would have been a time when a fan of a "footballing" country would have spoken of the Ireland international team with the same tone. You got your chance, they should have theirs. If it's at the expense of Ireland, England or France, well, that's just the way the mop flops.
By the way, England were a little bit more composed today but really we were just a lighter shade of shit than the Algeria game and spending the last 10 minutes either chasing into the corners or panicking in the corners is a cynical way to play a sport.
It's extremely unlikely to happen. But, with seeding it will never happen.
Well I love a bet, but I`m staying right away from that one... couldn't split em.
Still enjoying that schadenthingy Brendan ?
Europe gets more places and playoffs purely down to the amount of countries there are. To take any places away from Europe would not be advisable from FIFA's stand point.
Africa gets 4 South America 4 Asia 3 plus a playoff. North America and central america gets 3 so where exactly should we give another place to to unbalance an already fair system?
Counting me winnings, just as I told you I would be the other night and I could be a while ... there's an awful lot of it.
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They do get a chance... it's called the qualifiers. And it's quite obvious that Asia and Oceania allow inferior teams into the competition. So your argument falls at that point.
For me the World Cup is about the best nations slogging it out over a few weeks... not some kind of international love-in.
The Irish were robbed in a qualiication from the hardest quaifying continent in the competition... to state that they didn't deserve to get into on the basis of their performances — and to then turn around and suggest letting in some inferior team from Asia instead — appears to me to be a quite obvious dissonance.
Either you believe teams should be there on merit or you don't. Make up your mind.
The manner of the victory was rather unconvincing though.
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1 Posted 22/06/2010 at 19:40:05
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The difference is that, at a club, if the manager "loses" the players, he would be sacked as soon as things went wrong. In international management, the suits are often unwilling to sack managers except after big tournaments, usually because it is hugely expensive to do so.
As for the behaviour of Anelka, I agree he had to go and should anyone at Everton ever come close to doing something similar to DM, I would want him out too.