World Cup 2010 draw (1 Viewer)

[Franco]

For as long as I can remember, the World Cup groups have been seeded. I don't see any reason not to seed them. It would be a complete break with convention, serving no particular purpose.
Keep the big teams apart and make the pretenders earn their places in the latter stages by beating powerful countries, rather than progressing by default with wins against other unproven teams. The World Cup is in some way supposed to find the best team around and you don't do that by having a bunch of good teams knock each other out early on.
But we're all against seeding as a symbol of corruption now, I see.

This is it. The Irish hate seeding now. FIFA invented it to keep us out of the World Cup (even though the play-offs last time out were seeded too but never mind that.)

I was to see Brazil-Spain play each other in the final, not in a dead rubber in the group stages.

 

[Jerry Twig]

It seems a bit hard for some people here to distinguish when seeding is merited (World Cup groups) and when it is not (world cup play offs when all the teams are second placed teams, added to the fact that it had not been established from the outset), all prejudices put aside.

 

[ratmonkey]

This is it. The Irish hate seeding now. FIFA invented it to keep us out of the World Cup (even though the play-offs last time out were seeded too but never mind that.)

I was to see Brazil-Spain play each other in the final, not in a dead rubber in the group stages.

Even if Brazil and Spain were in the same group, they could meet again in the final and not before then.

 

[Richie]

Group A:
South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Group B:
Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C:
England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D:
Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E:
Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F:
Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G:
Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H:
Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile


Group G is the obvious pick for the 'group of death'.. Groups E, D and B also looking tough. England can relax and put their feet up until the second round.
France got the weakest 1st seed, who would've thought?

 

[Janer]

Where seeding can make some very predictable groups.

England so so easy.
Italy even easier.
There's not even really a group of death where all 4 teams have a chance.

 

[Janer]

David Seaman in no 'tasche on Sky Sports now this very minute!

 

[Carlow Punks!]

My tow picks for 'Ireland's not in it' support were North Korea, and Ivory Coast...now their in the same group.

Fantasy Final would have to be N.Korea vs. USA, for the laugh...and that retro Cold-war sports feel

Group A:
South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Group B:
Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C:
England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D:
Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E:
Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F:
Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G:
Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H:
Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile


Group G is the obvious pick for the 'group of death'.. Group E also looking tough, D as well. England can relax and put their feet up until the second round. France got the weakest 1st seed, who would've thought?

 

[Janer]

Always the Dutch, always the Dutch for me.

 

[Richie]

Italy's group looks piss-easy.. The France group might be trickier than it first appears, Mexico and Uruguay could both put up a fight and South Africa will be playing above their natural level trying desperately to make the knockout stages.

 

[Carlow Punks!]

Always the Dutch, always the Dutch for me.

how comes? because o the the Gold?

 

[quackster]

The World Cup is in some way supposed to find the best team around and you don't do that by having a bunch of good teams knock each other out early on.
But we're all against seeding as a symbol of corruption now, I see.

I accept seeding at the outset of a competition but oppose FIFA deciding, say after the group stages next June, that they don't like the look of how the quarter final draw is shaping up and moving say Brazil and Spain so they can't meet until the final.

 

[Janer]

how comes? because o the the Gold?

Thats piss lol, I r Bulmerzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Ever since I seen them lose to West Germany in the '74 WC final, then thru to their loss in '78, total football, like my own beloved Arsenal.

 

[Cormcolash]

Seeding is a load of bollocks, and I've been saying it for at least the last two years.

This idea that the stronger teams playing each other makes for the best matches is fucking nonsense. Look at the last World Cup, Italy won the thing playing completely fucking shit football. France at least played some decent football when Zidane was running things before the final, but both teams were shit in the final and it was a boring match remembered for one hilarious moment only. Both Italy and France have a proven record in recent times of being fucking boring and shit in World Cups yet somehow winning games. Same goes for Germany and England (until they lose on penalties). There's 4 of the 'big teams' who are often fucking crap in competitions yet still manage to win things by being boring cunts. Greece is another good example of being boring wankers and still winning something. That final where they beat Portugal was one of the most boring matches in the history of football. Fucking Jimmy Jumps was the best thing about it like.
There's only about 4 'big' teams who generally actually play good football in these competitions, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and Holland.

In my opinion, the best matches come from a 'smaller' team giving a bigger team a fucking battle. Like Egypt v Italy in the Confederations cup last year. Cameroon v Argie Bargy in 1990. Iran v The Great Satan in 1998 (more for the comedy value really). Mexico v Argies last World Cup, with a miracle goal to win it. Probably the best match I've ever seen was Spain v Yugoslavia in 2000, and those two teams had won fuck all at the time.
These are the sort of games I want to see, open attacking football, even if only one side is attacking and the other is defending to the last man to try and conserve a lead. None of this fucking "Try and get past our defence then" bullshit you see when Italy and France end up playing each other again, or England draw Portugal in another quarter final.

I say, make the draw random, have some of the big teams having to play each other in the group stages. It will make for more open football and less teams like fucking Greece trying to defend their way to a trophy. And I most definitely include Trappitoni's system with Ireland in that, it is fucking grim football, that match in Paris is the only match where we actually deserved a win.

The seeding bollocks is ruining football, because all it does is further strengthen teams that are already stronger than those around them by giving them easier runs to competition finals, whilst simultaneously giving the smaller teams a fucking mountain to climb. At least Brazil will have to play some decent football from the off next year.

 

[coast to coast]

Where seeding can make some very predictable groups.

England so so easy.
Italy even easier.
There's not even really a group of death where all 4 teams have a chance.

There's several groups where all four teams have a chance of making it out. The only real shitehawks in the this draw are New Zealand, North Korea and arguably South Africa.

The real sickener of the whole thing (aside from France's participation) is that Switzerland will be in the second round again. They should be banned from World Cups.

 

[coast to coast]

Seeding is a load of bollocks, and I've been saying it for at least the last two years.

This idea that the stronger teams playing each other makes for the best matches is fucking nonsense. Look at the last World Cup, Italy won the thing playing completely fucking shit football. France at least played some decent football when Zidane was running things before the final, but both teams were shit in the final and it was a boring match remembered for one hilarious moment only. Both Italy and France have a proven record in recent times of being fucking boring and shit in World Cups yet somehow winning games. Same goes for Germany and England (until they lose on penalties). There's 4 of the 'big teams' who are often fucking crap in competitions yet still manage to win things by being boring cunts. Greece is another good example of being boring wankers and still winning something. That final where they beat Portugal was one of the most boring matches in the history of football. Fucking Jimmy Jumps was the best thing about it like.
There's only about 4 'big' teams who generally actually play good football in these competitions, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and Holland.

In my opinion, the best matches come from a 'smaller' team giving a bigger team a fucking battle. Like Egypt v Italy in the Confederations cup last year. Cameroon v Argie Bargy in 1990. Iran v The Great Satan in 1998 (more for the comedy value really). Mexico v Argies last World Cup, with a miracle goal to win it. Probably the best match I've ever seen was Spain v Yugoslavia in 2000, and those two teams had won fuck all at the time.
These are the sort of games I want to see, open attacking football, even if only one side is attacking and the other is defending to the last man to try and conserve a lead. None of this fucking "Try and get past our defence then" bullshit you see when Italy and France end up playing each other again, or England draw Portugal in another quarter final.

I say, make the draw random, have some of the big teams having to play each other in the group stages. It will make for more open football and less teams like fucking Greece trying to defend their way to a trophy. And I most definitely include Trappitoni's system with Ireland in that, it is fucking grim football, that match in Paris is the only match where we actually deserved a win.

The seeding bollocks is ruining football, because all it does is further strengthen teams that are already stronger than those around them by giving them easier runs to competition finals, whilst simultaneously giving the smaller teams a fucking mountain to climb. At least Brazil will have to play some decent football from the off next year.

The best match at the last World Cup by a country mile was the semi between two very seeded teams.

Seeding has fuck all to do with the quality of games. If Serbia want to turn up at this World Cup and show that their deadly qualifying campaign wasn't just a waster of time they can. Last time round they came in going on about their "Fab 4" defence never conceding and they went home without a point after giving up against Argentina.

Its about teams standing up for themselves and not being overawed by the occasion. Thats always going to be the case. Some teams will always have a mental block about beating a Brazil or an Italy on the big stage or winning on penalties to get a step beyond where they usually reach (England) or just dealing with being favourites themselves (Croatia) whereas some teams in recent history have thrown off these shackles - Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria, South Korea, Croatia, Turkey. Thats what its about. Not seeding. Its about mentality, belief.

 

[Jill Hives]

I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to the world cup despite not really being a sports person at all. I moved here a few months before the last one and the buzz in the air was slightly intoxicating. I started to pay attention because it was what a lot of people were talking about and I got hooked. I made a world cup chart that took up a wall in the apartment (I had two male housemates) and drew/coloured all the flags. Granted, I was unemployed so I had a lot of free time on my hands.

I keep an eye on the premiership cheering for Arsenal (because of Rosicky) but I'm not too bothered by it. Maybe it's the war monger in me but I LOVE country against country competitions (love euro-vision too) and since my Czechs and Ireland didn't make the cut I'm becoming a Roligan. Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark! They have bog bodies and Lego land! Never in a million years did I ever think I would be reading, researching, watching or remotely excited about football. I'm even considering face painting.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to the world cup despite not really being a sports person at all. I moved here a few months before the last one and the buzz in the air was slightly intoxicating. I started to pay attention because it was what a lot of people were talking about and I got hooked. I made a world cup chart that took up a wall in the apartment (I had two male housemates) and drew/coloured all the flags. Granted, I was unemployed so I had a lot of free time on my hands.

I keep an eye on the premiership cheering for Arsenal (because of Rosicky) but I'm not too bothered by it. Maybe it's the war monger in me but I LOVE country against country competitions (love euro-vision too) and since my Czechs and Ireland didn't make the cut I'm becoming a Roligan. Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark! They have bog bodies and Lego land! Never in a million years did I ever think I would be reading, researching, watching or remotely excited about football. I'm even considering face painting.

come watch us play bohs in that case,its a guaranteed punch up every time

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Seeding is a load of bollocks, and I've been saying it for at least the last two years.

This idea that the stronger teams playing each other makes for the best matches is fucking nonsense. Look at the last World Cup, Italy won the thing playing completely fucking shit football. France at least played some decent football when Zidane was running things before the final, but both teams were shit in the final and it was a boring match remembered for one hilarious moment only. Both Italy and France have a proven record in recent times of being fucking boring and shit in World Cups yet somehow winning games. Same goes for Germany and England (until they lose on penalties). There's 4 of the 'big teams' who are often fucking crap in competitions yet still manage to win things by being boring cunts. Greece is another good example of being boring wankers and still winning something. That final where they beat Portugal was one of the most boring matches in the history of football. Fucking Jimmy Jumps was the best thing about it like.
There's only about 4 'big' teams who generally actually play good football in these competitions, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and Holland.

In my opinion, the best matches come from a 'smaller' team giving a bigger team a fucking battle. Like Egypt v Italy in the Confederations cup last year. Cameroon v Argie Bargy in 1990. Iran v The Great Satan in 1998 (more for the comedy value really). Mexico v Argies last World Cup, with a miracle goal to win it. Probably the best match I've ever seen was Spain v Yugoslavia in 2000, and those two teams had won fuck all at the time.
These are the sort of games I want to see, open attacking football, even if only one side is attacking and the other is defending to the last man to try and conserve a lead. None of this fucking "Try and get past our defence then" bullshit you see when Italy and France end up playing each other again, or England draw Portugal in another quarter final.

I say, make the draw random, have some of the big teams having to play each other in the group stages. It will make for more open football and less teams like fucking Greece trying to defend their way to a trophy. And I most definitely include Trappitoni's system with Ireland in that, it is fucking grim football, that match in Paris is the only match where we actually deserved a win.

The seeding bollocks is ruining football, because all it does is further strengthen teams that are already stronger than those around them by giving them easier runs to competition finals, whilst simultaneously giving the smaller teams a fucking mountain to climb. At least Brazil will have to play some decent football from the off next year.

Em, seeding guarantees that your beloved small teams face the big teams in the kind of games you mention.

Italy played absolutely glorious football against Germany in the 2006 semi-final, which was indisputably the best game of that tournament (Arg v Mex was a great first hour).

How can it be ruining football when it's always existed? That's like saying not being able to handle the ball is ruining football.

And Greece weren't a seeded team when they bored their way to Euro glory. So what's your point? What did their win have to do with seeding? Absolutely nothing.

 

[Richie]

Seeding also tries to ensure that everybody gets an approximately equal level of difficulty en route to the final.. Imagine how pissed we'd have been if we made it to the World Cup, then they suddenly announced that there was an open draw this time and we got Germany, Italy and Brazil in our group (obviously unlikely, but possible). You don't want some mediocre side fluking their way to glory just because they happened to get the luck of the draw the whole way through.

 

[I Bleed Black]

since my Czechs and Ireland didn't make the cut I'm becoming a Roligan. Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark! They have bog bodies and Lego land! .

But your country is at the WC!