[Keeping It Simple]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

this morning in the news:

Spain and Italy win major concessions from Germany at debt summit

i can't help but wonder!

Football has always been fixed.

[the ikara cult]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I really want someone to produce a Balotelli action figure that looks like that.

Yes

[demonrail666]

More Mario love

 

[!@#$%!]

hot damn, spain is finally firing on all cylinders today!

[demonrail666]

Whatever the final result, Spain's playing in the first half has been ridiculous.

[!@#$%!]

so sorry for italy losing first chiellini then thiago motta within minutes of each one starting to play-- that was just too much

if anything i'm glad germany didn't make it because they didn't have a chance in hell to win against this spain that played today.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

hot damn, spain is finally firing on all cylinders today!

Motta's injury in the second half pretty much killed it as a contest but, all said, Spain were brilliant tonight.

[!@#$%!]

yeah the whole game collapsed after motta left but damn damn damn

they didn't fuck around in front of the goal this time, and that made all the difference.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

if anything i'm glad germany didn't make it because they didn't have a chance in hell to win against this spain that played today.

Yeah, I've been a bit critical of Spain in the other games but tonight they were on another level. The Spain I really wanted them to be. Amazing. Some of their play in the first half was just on another level completely. Football porn. They were brilliant in the second half too but against 10 men it's inevitably cheapened a bit, which is a shame. I didn't think Italy were bad but Spain managed to contain Pirlo far better than anyone else seemed to, and Ramos completely dominated Balotelli, so apart from a couple of chances that was it for them really.

[h8kurdt]

Well that ended up being depressing to watch. Italy were just absolutely shagged, and I don't say that to take anything away from Spain who were just brilliant tonight (Alba's sprint for his goal was just incredible ZZZOOOOMMM!!!!). BUT if either Germany or Italy had played them at full capacity then it would've been a much closer game. In the end it doesn't matter.

Also! I think tonight showed why so many people say Spain are boring to watch. Cos they make it look so bloody easy.
But I'd rather watch a team like Spain than any team who focuses on counter-attacking and 'oofs it up the field to a coupla springing strikers.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Yeah, I've been a bit critical of Spain in the other games but tonight they were on another level. The Spain I really wanted them to be. Amazing. Some of their play in the first half was just on another level completely. Football porn. They were brilliant in the second half too but against 10 men it's inevitably cheapened a bit, which is a shame. I didn't think Italy were bad but Spain managed to contain Pirlo far better than anyone else seemed to, and Ramos completely dominated Balotelli, so apart from a couple of chances that was it for them really.

I agree. Their game against Portugal was hardly inspired playing. All that matters is that went on top form when it mattered the most.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

Well that ended up being depressing to watch. Italy were just absolutely shagged, and I don't say that to take anything away from Spain who were just brilliant tonight (Alba's sprint for his goal was just incredible ZZZOOOOMMM!!!!). BUT if either Germany or Italy had played them at full capacity then it would've been a much closer game. In the end it doesn't matter.

The 4-0 was maybe a bit ott but nothing I saw from any of the other teams made me think they could compete with how Spain played tonight, even if we only base that on the first 45 minutes. I still think Germany, on their night, offered the strongest threat but again, I never saw them play at Spain's level tonight in any of their games.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

The 4-0 was maybe a bit ott but nothing I saw from any of the other teams made me think they could compete with how Spain played tonight, even if we only base that on the first 45 minutes. I still think Germany, on their night, offered the strongest threat but again, I never saw them play at Spain's level tonight in any of their games.

yeah, germany no way could match what i saw today, this was stuff from another planet, absolutely brilliant. before the game i was slightly in favor of italy, but after the game started i had to bow to spain's greatness. this was AWESOME.

however, thinking ahead-- the average age of the german team was 24 1/2, so we'll see how they develop for 2014-- maybe not enough to catch up, and spain has good young players as well, but i'm looking forward to see what happens.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

yeah, germany no way could match what i saw today, this was stuff from another planet, absolutely brilliant. before the game i was slightly in favor of italy, but after the game started i had to bow to spain's greatness. this was AWESOME.

I felt the same. People will bring up the Motta thing, how tired Italy would've been, Di Natale's miss but I just watched the highlights again and Spain were in total control there. Brilliant. I'm most pleased because I really wanted Xavi to have at least one really good game in the tournament and I thought he was amazing tonight. He seemed to be the one with the most influence on neutralising Pirlo and his pass for Jordi Alba's goal was just pure class. But Spain all round were just a level ahead, I thought.

however, thinking ahead-- the average age of the german team was 24 1/2, so we'll see how they develop for 2014-- maybe not enough to catch up, and spain has good young players as well, but i'm looking forward to see what happens.

I agree, I think this Spain is drawing to an end and it's more than possible that Germany will eclipse them pretty soon. Xavi may well have played his last tournament for Spain which would obviously be an enormous blow. And even putting him aside, its hard to see them replicating the almost freakish amount of talent in this current side. Looking forward to the World Cup, Germany would still have to be one of, if not the, favourites.

[demonrail666]

Great post-match analysis from Zonalmarking.net.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/07/...-2012-tactics/

I also liked their line on the whole 'boring' thing:

"Spain earned a slightly unfair tag of being ‘boring’ before tonight, but there was a large element of frustration in those allegations – people wanted Spain doing more; passing more rapidly, penetrating more readily. A lot of the negativity was actually rooted in optimism – that Spain were capable of more than pure tiki-taka. They proved tonight that they were – this was as impressive a performance as you’ll ever see in an international final."

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

and now Spain has brought the Phil Jackson era to international soccer with the Threepete. Will the beautiful game ever be the same? Will folks get caught up in that consecutive "rings" or nothing attitude which has so contemptuously ruined the NBA? I hope not..

By the way, Jackson has 13 rings. Unbelievable. People think Jordan and Kobe/Shaq are great, and they are, true, but the real secret was Phil, period. Lebron couldn't get his first ring either until he went to a team not necessarily with the right players, but with the right coaching staff. It is not coincidence that Lebron didn't get his first championship until he played under the second best coach in the modern era if not all time, Coach Pat Riley. After all, he may not have the 13 like Phil, but having a double set of brass knuckles in championship rings for every finger is an accomplishment too

 

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

and now Spain has brought the Phil Jackson era to international soccer with the Threepete. Will the beautiful game ever be the same? Will folks get caught up in that consecutive "rings" or nothing attitude which has so contemptuously ruined the NBA? I hope not..

By the way, Jackson has 13 rings. Unbelievable. People think Jordan and Kobe/Shaq are great, and they are, true, but the real secret was Phil, period. Lebron couldn't get his first ring either until he went to a team not necessarily with the right players, but with the right coaching staff. It is not coincidence that Lebron didn't get his first championship until he played under the second best coach in the modern era if not all time, Coach Pat Riley. After all, he may not have the 13 like Phil, but having a double set of brass knuckles in championship rings for every finger is an accomplishment too

 

phil who? rings? that man looks like a narcotraficante with all that jewelry. what the fuck does this all mean?

 

also: you still havent answered the question i asked you 2 pages back about this cabrón james you keep bringing up.

srsly.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

my ninja, either (a) you've lived under a rock for the past 23 years [if you honestly don't know wtf Phil Jackson is and if so then (b) surely you can google shit for yourself instead of trolling around here

and the dude in the pic is Coach Riley, he just got his 8th ring with the Miami Heat, albeit this time not as a player or a coach, but a GM..

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

Portugal took a dive ala Lebron 2010 and 2011

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

(b) surely you can google shit for yourself instead of trolling around here

lebron james dive

which one is like portugal???

seriously man, i don't get a single one of your metaphors. please explain!

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

(a) you've lived under a rock for the past 23 years

that goes without saying!

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

taking a dive is what the brits call match fixing. it is when a player throws a game and intentionally loses. Lebron James is a ridiculously talented NBA player who had an explosive career during the regular season, and yet until this year seemed to have wilted in the clutch moments of crucial big games deep in the play-offs. I believe the brother took a dive because I believe in the conspiracy that the NBA is fixed. In regards to Portugal then the Euro 2012 Semis, I can't say exactly who took the dive or how or when, but my gut feeling watching their meh performance when I know they could have played at a higher level suggested to me a dive, that the match was fixed for Spain.

Oh yeah, and Phil Jackson is a legendary NBA coach who dominated the league in the 1990s and 2000s, winning 3 consecutive championships coaching Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls TWICE and then winning 3 consecutive championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaq's Los Angeles Lakers and then again getting 2 consecutive championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Combining that with the two he got as a player in the 1970s for the New York Knicks and Jackson has THIRTEEN championships.

I connected this to Spain because I understand they are the first international soccer team to win three consecutive international championships, with the Euro 2008 World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.. That is what in NBA is called a "Three-peat", a term coined by Pat Riley when he as coaching Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s but Coach Riley didn't get a 3peat, but Phil Jackson did, three times!!

I thought he had the first ever, but it turns out I was way off!!

Occurrences of three-peats

There have been numerous instances of teams winning three or more consecutive championships in the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and Australian Football League most of which occurred prior to the advent of the term three-peat.
NBA Finals (National Basketball Association):
1952–54 Minneapolis Lakers
1959–66 Boston Celtics (eight-peat)
1991–93 Chicago Bulls
1996–98 Chicago Bulls
2000–02 Los Angeles Lakers
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
1967–1973 UCLA (seven-peat)
NFL champions (National Football League):
1929–31 Green Bay Packers
1965–67 Green Bay Packers
Stanley Cup (National Hockey League):
1947–49 Toronto Maple Leafs
1956–60 Montreal Canadiens (five-peat)
1962–64 Toronto Maple Leafs
1976–79 Montreal Canadiens (four-peat)
1980–83 New York Islanders (four-peat)
World Series (Major League Baseball)
1936–39 New York Yankees (four-peat)
1949–53 New York Yankees (five-peat)
1972–74 Oakland Athletics
1998–00 New York Yankees
Grey Cup (Canadian Football League):
1909–11 Toronto Varsity Blues
1922–24 Queen's University
1945–47 Toronto Argonauts
1954–56 Edmonton Eskimos
1978–82 Edmonton Eskimos (five-peat)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
1976–78 Cale Yarborough
2006–10 Jimmie Johnson (five-peat)
U.S. Open Cup
1965–67 Greek American Atlas
2009–11 Seattle Sounders FC
Football League First Division
1924–26 Huddersfield Town
1933–35 Arsenal
1982–84 Liverpool
Premier League
1999–2001 Manchester United
2007–09 Manchester United
La Liga
1961–65 Real Madrid (five-peat)
1967–69 Real Madrid
1978–80 Real Madrid
1986–90 Real Madrid (five-peat)
1991–94 Barcelona (four-peat)
2009–11 Barcelona
Italian Football Championship
1898–1900 Genoa
1902–04 Genoa
1911–13 Pro Vercelli
Serie A
1931–35 Juventus (five-peat)
1943, 1946–49 Torino (five-peat)
1992–94 Milan
2006–10 Internazionale (five-peat)
Fußball-Bundesliga
1972–74 Bayern Munich
1975–77 Borussia Mönchengladbach
1985–87 Bayern Munich
1999–2001 Bayern Munich
Ligue 1
1902–04 Roubaix
1967–70 Saint-Étienne (four-peat)
1974–76 Saint-Étienne
1989–92 Marseille (four-peat)
2002–08 Lyon (seven-peat)
Primeira Liga
1936–38 Benfica
1947–49 Sporting CP
1951–54 Sporting CP (four-peat)
1963–65 Benfica
1967–69 Benfica
1971–73 Benfica
1975–77 Benfica
1995–99 Porto (five-peat)
2006–09 Porto (four-peat)
Eredivisie
1897–99 RAP Amsterdam
1900–03 HVV (four-peat)
1911–13 Sparta
1966–68 Ajax
1986–89 PSV (four-peat)
1994–96 Ajax
2005–08 PSV (four-peat)
Belgian Pro League
1900–03 Racing de Bruxelles (four-peat)
1904–07 R Union Saint-Gilloise (four-peat)
1924–26 K Beerschot VAC
1933–35 R Union Saint-Gilloise SR
1949–51 RSC Anderlechtois
1954–56 RSC Anderlechtois
1964–68 RSC Anderlechtois (five-peat)
1969–71 R Standard Liege
1976–78 Club Brugge KV
1985–87 RSC Anderlechtois
1993–95 R.S.C. Anderlecht
Veikkausliiga
1998–2000 FC Haka
2009–11 HJK
Allsvenskan
1945–48 IFK Norrköping (four-peat)
1949–51 Malmö FF
1985–89 Malmö FF (five-peat)
1993–96 IFK Göteborg (four-peat)
Tippeligaen
1972–75 Viking (four-peat)
1992–2004 Rosenborg (thirteen-peat)
Danish Superliga
2009–11 F.C. Copenhagen
DDR-Oberliga
1976–78 SG Dynamo Dresden
1979–88 Berliner FC Dynamo (ten-peat)
Soviet Top League
1966–68 Dynamo Kyiv
Yugoslav First League
1933, 1935–36 BSK Beograd
1961–63 Partizan
1968–70 Crvena Zvezda
1990–92 Crvena Zvezda
Costa Rica, American Football 1st Div.
2010–12 Santa Ana Bulldogs
English rugby union
1991–94 Bath (four-peat)
1999–01 Leicester Tigers (four-peat)
2003–05 London Wasps
Victorian Football League/Australian Football League
1906–08 Carlton
1929–32 Collingwood (four-peat)
1939–41 Melbourne
1955–57 Melbourne
2001–03 Brisbane Lions
New South Wales Rugby Football League/Australian Rugby League/National Rugby League
1911–13 Eastern Suburbs
1915–17 Balmain
1925–29 South Sydney (five-peat)
1935–37 Eastern Suburbs
1953–55 South Sydney
1956–66 St. George (eleven-peat)
1981–83 Parramatta Eels
All-America Football Conference
1946–49 Cleveland Browns (four-peat)
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball
1996–1998 Tennessee
2002–2004 Connecticut
NCAA Division I Football
1934–1936 Minnesota
NCAA Division I Baseball
1970–1974 USC (five-peat)
Champ Car World Series auto racing
2004–2007 Sebastien Bourdais (four-peat)