This World Cup thread is intriguing.

Cornflower brought up how soccer players go down and take a dive seemingly too often, Severin spends the entire competition in her "naughty" corner and Celivia posted information regarding people who find themselves religiously in the missionary position during the cup....Am I missing something?...lol

The Orange stains are doing quite well. As many athletes gain from training at altitude is their advantage that soccer players gain from training below sea level...lol

Lovely to see people give Australia credit for fighting for a noble draw against Ghana. Once again Australia has been robbed of any chance of victory but as soccer fans can switch from high expectations to such low ones, soccer still won on the day.

Now my family have been in Australia since 1855 so I guess I could call myself Aussie, but I am a mongrel half Sco-ish/half German Breed.

Now all the Sco-ish lads and lassies have told me Sco-land are rubbish at football (soccer), (probably because playing in dresses is rather breezy) but my German side are rather talented apparently.

So at some stage, (if Australia regretfully doesn't make it), I have a fall back position which may have me celebrating the end of the World Cup in pretend pride at how well my pretend team did.

My celebrations truly will be for the end of the World Cup...lol

I have picked up all this pretending from the pretend injuries I have had to endure.

OMG the medical staff even pretend to treat the pretend injuries as part of the Facade!

Are these pretend medicos with pretend medical qualifications also, or do they have backup real medicos in the unlikely case that someone actually may get injured?

"Hello, I was a pretend Dr for the pretend injuries suffered by the Italian Thespian team"

I'm surprised that they don't send out a hairdresser after someone heads the ball...lol

Severin supporting St Kilda is quite instructive...she knows nothing about sport...lol

South Africa have done well. Maybe at the end of all this I too will be saying "Thank God for the Hooters"

Condolences CJ and co. I imagine you've all dried your eyes by now.
The link below is to some scribbling on football by a very famous philosopher, from who's figurative cup I've sometimes drunk.
http://www.apexart.org/exhibitions/critchley.htm

Thanks Squeers - great little article :)

I'm not too devastated by the Socceroos' performance. They acquitted themselves respectably in the end. I didn't really expect much more from them, and now we can enjoy the rest of the series without the distraction of nationalistic fervour... well, at least of the Australian kind.

Mind you, didn't the Kiwis do well? Not to mention the Netherlands, who won their group convincingly - congrats to Celivia!

Opi2

>> Severin supporting St Kilda is quite instructive...she knows nothing about sport...lol >>

Hmmmm and you barrack for.... the Collywobbles? LOL No fair making comments when I don't know who you follow.

Commiserations to the Footballeroos - probably too many atheists on team.

Tried watching, someone was wounded when a fly landed on his nose, gave up.

I suppose I should do the "Australian" thing and support the Allwhites, LOL!

Go Oranje!

Oh Severin...you are almost psychic...lol

I grew up barracking for Collingwood, but also supported all clubs with a magpie as their motif, like Port Adelaide.

Can't stand Mick Malthouse or Nathan Buckley so my love for Collingwood waned considerably. Shock horror, I sometimes am pleased that the opposition beat Collingwood. I have even found myself barracking against them.

Having changed states 3 times I then supported Sydney when in NSW and Brisbane when in Queensland. I am thrilled that teams from all States have now won premierships.

I was thrilled when West Coast Eagles won the premiership the first time as it meant that AFL was truly becoming a National Competition. Even though the Melbournites were crushed it was the best thing for the game.

Was most disappointed for St Kilda's sake last year.

So I guess you could say that I love the game. I think it is the best football in the world.

But back to the world cup....How come you soccerballheads haven't commented on the fact that the medical staff pretend to treat pretend injuries?

Surely CJ, Celivia you've noticed that?

I too was sorry to see the footballeroos be eliminated.

What qualifications do you need to be a Soccer referee...Poor eyesight and an ineptitude to know the difference between acting and actual fouls?

Surely when the refs look back at some of their decisions they are embarrassed and ashamed OR are they impervious to their own mistakes?

Have another whingey/moany Italian when he pretended to be tripped/injured by the Aussie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr2oTmQ0GwM

That is burnt into my consciousness as the most pathetic thing I have seen in sport.

Sorry guys...soccer is a joke...and until you supporters demand the sport stop these poor attempts at thesbianism and demand referees actually apply the rules...It remains laughable!

If I hear the SBS crew use the term bewdiful game one more time I may have to use a bucket!

Now being part German...Can I just say...I hate that National Anthem as much as I hate the Aussie national anthem and so I am back to barracking for nobody...lol

Opi2

Har har har! St Kilda tends to be a favoured team of everyone except Collingwood supporters. And eveyone one else hates Collingwood - yup, I'm Victorian born and bred. Although I am happy about the game going national, I remain parochial in my allegiance. Although if Tassie had their own team in the national league.... now I'd like to see that.

We do not mention last years' Grand Final. At least it was Geelong and not a very undeserved Hawthorn.

I too have tried watching other codes, but once you get Aussie Rules there is no going back. While I lived in the USA, I followed basketball, as American Football was even more boring than cricket. As with Rugby I have zero tolerance for a game where the player tucks a ball under his arm runs like hell from one end of the stadium to the other, body rolls over a white line and calls that a goal! WTF? And don't get me started on all the stop-starting. I am told it is a game of strategy - well they have to have some excuse. Although I can think of better words than 'strategic'.