Comments on: Romance of the cup

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Tue, 06 Jul 2004 17:57:07 +0000

SHKOSE TO GAMHMENO DEN BORO DEN BORO NA PERIMENO!!

By: reuben

reuben — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 13:08:21 +0000

I hate to be a spoilsport, but anyone with the faintest training in science will know that this match — indeed the entire Euro 2004 — is statistically meaningless. Frankly, Rearguard, you couldn’t spoil it if you tried. Of course it’s statistically meaningless – but who prefers “statistical meaningfulness” to real life drama? Sure, luck and penalties play a huge role in football, but as others have noted here previously, most fans consider that a positive: it adds to the drama, and the sense of football as “a funny old game”. Or, as the Russians would have it, to the notion that “the ball is round” – which I take to mean “anything can happen”. (Not sure if this is a correct interpretation, though.) On a related note, there seem to be a lot of nationalities on this site. Anyone want to contribute their own (or another) nation’s favourite football cliches? One more note: The big football tournaments are very analogous to American baseball’s playoffs, in which the team that is best over 162 games often doesn’t win the World Series. Ask any Atlanta Braves fan about this one.

By: des von bladet

des von bladet — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 10:15:58 +0000

The commentators on UK Radio Foopball (“Five Live”) have been making ever such a fuss about the fact that no foreign coach has ever taken a national team to victory at the Euros or World Cup. I think the odds on that may have shortened a little.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 09:09:59 +0000

Not many! You could have got 40/1 on Greece before the start of the tournament. They’re down to twos now. If wishes were horses…

By: mc

mc — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 07:49:36 +0000

It’s just great. I love to see the big teams out. I’ve had enough of celebrity champions on Nike ads and Coke bottles and Pringles boxes. It’s become next to impossible for coaches to leave home players when they’ve got such huge advertising contracts, even if they’ve turned crap. No names, just saying, in general…

By: samuel selvan

samuel selvan — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 03:51:40 +0000

Cannot just be luck, could it. Portugal, France and now the Czech republic. When you consider the teams that made it to the champions league final, no one had predicted Monaco or Porto to make it. Seems to be more a case of steady play winning over unispired or cocky opponents. Remember Nedved was talking about possibly missing the final in case he got booked in the semis. He did not say “One match at a time”. Sure seems like he was cocky.

By: billyfrombelfast

billyfrombelfast — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 01:17:43 +0000

Whod’a thunk it? The gawd-knows-how-many flag wielding Greeks partying outside my apartment in Astoria, Queens for a start. If Greece wins the final, 30th Avenue subway station may just be levelled! :^)

By: billyfrombelfast

billyfrombelfast — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 01:14:37 +0000

By: Rearguard

Rearguard — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:19:36 +0000

As someone else pointed out in a previous thread, luck and incompetent officiating (this match was reasonably fair but why does FIFA resist introducing TV replays?) play far too important a role in football these days when 1-0 is a typical score. I hate to be a spoilsport, but anyone with the faintest training in science will know that this match—indeed the entire Euro 2004—is statistically meaningless. The most we can say is that the Greeks seem to be luckier than their opponents. Still, it’s fun to see them beat the favourites!

By: John Doe

John Doe — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:46:39 +0000

The winner always seems the ‘better’ team but in such a low-scoring sport many games are decided by luck.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:09:20 +0000

Certainly not the Grauniad’s preview of the tournament. Confident predictions of a first round knockout, if I remember rightly…

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:00:43 +0000

Certainly not the Grauniad’s preview of the tournament. Confident predictions of a first round knockout, if I remember rightly…

By: Harolynne Bobis

Harolynne Bobis — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 22:53:08 +0000

As an American living in Greece, and not much interested in soccer before this championship, I’m thrilled to find one of my favorite blogs mentioning this. There’s no one I can call and tell in the States. (When I lived in Seattle (1979-2003) it took until 1995 when the Mariners won the Conference for me to get into baseball. This has been a lot quicker!)

By: Randy Paul

Randy Paul — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 22:19:45 +0000

It’s amazing! I think that you have to give credit to the coaches for both teams. Scolari’s record is solid, having taken two teams to the Copa Libertadores Championship and Brazil to the World Cup. Rehhagel coached Kaiserslautern when they were relegated to the second division in 1996-1997. They won the second division, got promoted and won the Bundesliga Championship the next year.

By: Selina Chen

Selina Chen — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 22:18:58 +0000

most unexpected…shame really, after England, the Czechs probably have the most Liverpool players…