World Cup 2010

[2pints-mate 0]

Not in the league in Argentina.

The only league it was played in was Germany.

 

Goalkeepers

 

Brazil goalkeeper, Cesar said:

 

It's terrible, horrible. It's like one of those balls you buy in the supermarket.

 

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon:

 

It is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an inadequate ball.

 

English goalkeeper David James:

 

The ball is dreadful. It's horrible, but it's horrible for everyone.

 

English Goalkeeper Joe Hart:

 

They're doing anything but staying in my gloves. It's hard work with them, but good fun. It makes the game exciting and I think that's what they are trying to do with it.

 

Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer:

 

Sometimes the ball has a genuine flight and other times it has a mind of its own so it has taken time to adjust and it will take us time still now.

 

USA Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann replied to the ballmaker Adidas saying:

 

Technology is not everything; scientists came up with the atom bomb, doesn't mean we should have invented it.

 

Serbia goalkeeper Stojkovic:

 

I have played with many different balls in my time—those that swerve a lot, change direction, fly awkwardly—but this one is definitely the worst of all.

 

South Africa goalkeeper Khune:

 

This ball gives goalkeepers nightmares: as a goalkeeper thinking about the way this ball moves keeps you from sleeping because you are thinking about tomorrow and how you are going to manage to play with this ball.

 

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas described the ball as "appalling".

 

[edit] Outfield Players

 

Italian striker Giampaolo Pazzini:

 

The new balls are a disaster. It's not only a problem for goalkeepers, but also for us strikers. When a cross comes in, you go to head the ball, but it moves half a meter and you end up just shaving it on contact.

 

Brazilian striker Robinho:

 

For sure the guy who designed this ball never played football. But there is nothing we can do, we have to play with it.

 

Argentina striker Lionel Messi stated:

 

The ball is very complicated for the goalkeepers and for us [strikers].

 

USA striker Clint Dempsey:

 

If you just hit it solid, you can get a good knuckle on the ball (...) you've just got to pay a little bit more, you know, attention when you pass the ball sometimes.

 

Brazil midfielder Julio Baptista:

 

There is no way to hide it, it's bad for the goalkeepers and it's bad for us. It's really bad. The players try to cross it and it goes to the opposite direction they intended it to go.

 

Germany centre back Per Mertesacker:

 

It seems to have been made more with strikers in mind than defenders or keepers, because it is so crazy and unpredictable.

 

Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz insists that the players will need more time to adjust to the new Adidas Jabulani ball saying:

 

Everyone is complaining about the ball, but players like to complain about everything. I think that we need time to learn the intricacies of the ball.

 

England striker Wayne Rooney said:

 

We’re starting to get used to it eventually,’ he said. ‘I can imagine it’s been a nightmare for goalkeepers but for forward players when you get your shot off it’s an advantage I feel. So I think we’re getting more used to it with every day that goes by.

 

Spanish player, Xavi Hernandez said:

 

Now is not the only goalie who just complain, outfield players were like that too. Disappointed taste of World Cup competition as important as having a vital element of the ball with an odd characteristic.

 

USA striker Landon Donovan:

 

I think as much as the goalies are frustrated by it, I think the players are, too, you’re seeing a lot of missed chances, a lot of crosses that are mis-timed or mis-played that would normally be goals, that are not going in.

 

Germany striker Mario Gomez:

 

Once you have learned to make proper contact with the ball, you can make it travel very fast.It’s a case of catching it right. You learn how to do that with practice. We are confident about scoring with this ball.

 

Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano:

 

All of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. It’s like it doesn’t want to be kicked. It’s incredible, it’s like someone is guiding it. You are going to kick it, and it moves out of the way. I think it’s supernatural; it’s very bad. I hope to adapt to it as soon as possible, but it’s going to be hard.

 

Denmarks Daniel Agger said:

 

It's frustrating...it makes us look like drunken sailors.

 

Coaches

England coach Fabio Capello:

 

I think it’s the worst ball we have played with at a World Cup. It’s impossible to control the ball for the keeper. For the players it’s not easy. I’ve seen that the ball arrives really fast and the players are having problems controlling it. For the keepers it is terrible because it is always moving.

 

Denmark coach Morten Olsen after their 1-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Australia said:

 

We played with an impossible ball and we need to get used to it.

Ivory Coast coach Sven Goran Erikssen:

 

You can see in matches and in shooting practise in training that the ball swerves. Goalkeepers are not happpy about it at all. It's late to do anything about it for this World Cup but it should be discussed by the authorities. Everyone should listen to the top keepers in the world, this doesn't do them any favours at all.

 

[2pints-mate 0]

Can S korea snatch another......

[2pints-mate 0]

Hmmm, so that's a no then!

4-1

[Thundercat 60]

FRANCE!!!!!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stemik 14]

Some better games last night.

France looking like they might be heading home soon. I wonder why the didn't play Henry?

Argies are looking strong and playing some neat football.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

USA had been using it as well, right? Pretty sure I read something about that.....

[RobBright 35]

Yep, they did.

[@tokyo 14]

It should be Ireland not France anyway shouldn't it?

[pie-eater 207]

Baibai France!

 

Haha. Aha. ha.

 

And in other news

 

[scouser 4]

Yes better last night, though that wasn't a difficult feat!

 

Argies played well looking strong.

 

Didn't see the France game but had a bit of a chuckle when I saw that result. They are rubbish.

 

About the ball. OK so 2 leagues tried it out. Is that really enough for the ball to be used in The World Cup?

[muikabochi 208]

Some people at work have told me that they hate football but are enjoying the World Cup.

 

 

That's just really strange, I don't get that.

 

I just wish I could avoid it more, doesn't interest me.

 

 

Must say though that I kind of respect the mad passion that football seems to stir up in so many people. Must be something there!

[grungy-gonads 54]

Gutted for France!

[thursday 1]

damn French Handball champions.

[thursday 1]

 

Have summat dat my son.

 

[lin 0]

Ouch.

[lin 0]

He must have thought no-one was looking..

[Yuki's Passion 1]

I think what I find more interesting about world cup is how aggressive the players have been. I only get J-league which is, from all the games Ive seen, nothing more than a technical game with lots of passing but hardly aggressive.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Yeah CB, thats one of the reasons that japan struggles when they play internationally. The refs in the J-league will often blow for a foul when there is body contact, but actually thats not a foul. So when the J-players come up against euopeans or south americans, where their natural style is physical, they expect free kicks and don't get em. They don't give it out either.

 

felt a tad sorry for the Koreans because I thought they played well, I like the Korean play, very direct and not scared to make it physical

[pie-eater 207]

Yeah I thought the Koreans played ok, didn't deserve that result number.

[pie-eater 207]

J league isnt a good standard to watch.

The few games I have seen, its...... like watching kids playing.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

yeah, very boring. Pass the ball back and forth across the the back 4. walking pace, no one really closes down or hassles for possession.

[thursday 1]

For all roundness, the Premier League is good to watch.

 

For diving and playing a wuss, Serie A is good at that.

 

For blood and guts on the field and in the terraces, the Argentine league has plenty.

 

For overpaid, under achievment, watch La Liga.

[thursday 1]

and for absolutely bent football, played only for blackmarket gambling, the China League.

[mitchpee 10]

Originally Posted By: thursday

and for absolutely bent football, played only for blackmarket gambling, the China League.

Haha almost as bad as Russian premiere league.

In Soviet Russia, you don't play football unless KGB knows you play football! (said in a hefty Russian accent)

[thursday 1]

Where's Soviet Russia? Is that near Red China?