Games with World Cup Footie Themes

Ever been stuck at you computer for hours on end playing that stupid bejewelled game - where here's a footie version, just in time for the world cup.

Liverpool 2 - TNT 0

Not sure what to say about this game that hasn't already been said below. Only two goals against a team that should have been well beat. Ultimately the record will show:

• England
  Played: 2
  Won: 2
  Conceeded: 0

But the truth is that we were dire and anyone watching the game will no longer feel that England have any right to call themselves one of the favourites. Hopefully Sweden will draw again and England will, almost undeservedly, claim top stop in the group. More likely Paraguay will go one step further than TNT and beat Sweden meaning England will need at least a draw against the Scandinavians to secure the top slot (i.e. no resting of key players and no experimenting.)

Brazil v England

It's just before the England v Brazil match. Ronaldinho goes into the Brazilian changing room to find all his team-mates looking a bit glum.

"What's up?" he asks."Well, we're having trouble getting motivated for this game. We know it's important but it's only England. They're sh*te and we can't be bothered."

Ronaldinho looks at them and says "Well, I reckon I can beat them by myself-you lads go down the pub."

So Ronaldinho goes out to play England by himself and the rest of the Brazilian team go off for a few jars. After a few pints they wonder how the game is going, so they get the landlord to put the teletext on. A big cheer goes up as the screen reads "Brazil 1 - England 0 (Ronaldinho 10 minutes)".

He is beating England all by himself!

A few pints later and the game is forgotten until someone remembers "It must be full time now, let's see how he got on." They put the teletext on. "Result from the Stadium 'Brazil 1 (Ronaldinho 10 minutes) - England 1 (Lampard 89 minutes)." They can't believe it; he has single-handedly got a draw against England!!

They rush back to the Stadium to congratulate Ronaldinho. They find him in the dressing room, still in his gear, sitting with his head in his hands. He refuses to look at them. "I've let you down, I've let you down."

"Don't be daft, you got a draw against England, all by yourself. And they only scored at the very, very end!" "No, no, I have, I've let you down ... I got sent off after 12 minutes"

England v Trinidad & Tobago - Half-Time

England have dominated much of the first half of this game, with Carragher getting a lot of the ball, more than abily standing in for the crocked Neville. However, 62% of possession and 13 shots on target have still now enabled England to score a goal. There have been some terrible misses, like Crouch's on 44 minutes when he volley's well wide instead of taking control of the ball and placing his shot.

TNT end the half by giving England a scare by going close to openning the scoring. Thankfully, John Terry was on hand to clear from the goal-line.

Better stuff still in hope for from England, who may choose to introduce Rooney at little sooner than expected.

An ominous statistic is that England have failed to score in the second half of their last eight World Cup games!

Second Half:

• 56 mins: Another yellow card Trinidad (that's 5 now), you've got to wonder if this really the right kind of game that you want to bring Rooney back into.
  
  
• 58 mins: Well the Swede's run out of ideas and has given into pressure by replacing Owen (who just missed a guilt-edged header) with Shrek.
  
  More perplexing though is that Jamie Carragher has been replaced by Aaron Lennon - I guess the Swede does have ideas...just bad ones!
  
  
• 64 mins: Lampard becomes the first Englishman to enter the book, recieving a yellow for a tackle from behind on Sancho.
  
  
• 70 mins: Another shot, this time by Beckham, which takes England's tally to 17, with their possession increasing to 65%. Still they have nothing to show for it and have just twenty minutes left (plus stoppage-time) to avoid a humilliating result.
  
  
• 75 mins: Sven makes his final substitution taking off Joe Cole and replacing him with Steward Downing.
  
  
• 80 mins: Ten minutes left and Sven is really being caught out for what he is - we'll be well shot of him after this World Cup - just die coaching decisions.
  
  
• 81 mins: Shouts of "Ole!" from the crowd as the ball is being played around with great one-touch football....by TNT!
  
  Do we have to wait until after we are out to fire a coach!?
  
  
• 83 mins: GOAL! (England 1 - TNT 0) Crouch saves Sven's hide by netting off a cross from Captain Beckham. That strike doubles the amount of goals scored in the whole of Group B!
  
  The goal will go someway to releiving the fans, but don't expect them to be happy after 90+ minutes!
  
  
• 90+1 mins: GOAL! (England 2 - TNT 0) Gerrrard joins his Liverpool team mate on the scoring sheet with a fantastic left-footed shot into the upper-left corner giveing Shaka Hislop no chance!
  
  
• FULL-TIME: That's full-time and England have made it into the next round by the skins of their teeth. the 2-0 goal-line is barely respectable with both goals coming in the last 7 minutes. Still at least they suceed where Sweden failed.
  

FIFA World Cup - Germany 2006 Highlights

Highlights of some the first group games in this years FIFA World Cup finals:

Ablett to Cross Back Over Stanley Park?

The Liverpool Echo's Chris Bascombe reports:

Gary Ablett has emerged as a shock new candidate for the vacant Liverpool reserve manager post.

The former Anfield and Goodison defender, who's spent recent years working with the Everton Academy and reserve sides, is among several top names being considered for a switch across Stanley Park.

Numerous high profile candidates have arisen in recent weeks, including several former players such as Gary McAllister and Mauricio Pellegrino (please no!).

Manager Rafa Benitez has limited his quest for a coach to candidates with an understanding of the traditions of the club, which is why, as an ex-Red working in the region, Ablett's name is currently under review.

Should Liverpool press ahead with an official approach for Ablett, it would be the second time in his career he's made such a move between the Merseyside giants, having also swopped loyalties during his playing career.

A regular in Kenny Dalglish's title winning team of 1988 and 1990, Ablett was sold to Everton by Graeme Souness in 1992.

After a distinguished playing career, which also included a stint at Birmingham City and a spell playing in the United States, Ablett moved into coaching and has been a key member of David Moyes' back-room team.

Ablett certainly has the coaching talent required to make the step-up, and would seem particularly well suited to a job which is now more about developing young talent than dealing with high profile names on the fringe of the first team.

Ablett also recently completed the distinguished UEFA 'A' coaching licence, having first joined the Goodison set-up in 2002.

Whoever gets the job will take on part of the role left by Paco Herrera, who has now officially left the club.

The scouting role vacated by Herrera has now been filled by former Valencia coach Eduardo Macia, who has now arrived on Merseyside to begin his duties.

I've only one point to add to this: surely Pellegrino is not an option, how does he fit into the who is a "candidate with an understanding of the traditions of the club" - he was barely at the club and hardly played.

Surely if this is the way to go look towards The Kaiser. Rather than let Hamann leave for Bolton, let him stay on as a player/coach. I can really see Hamann becoming a decent coach and think he would be great doing that at Liverpool, perhaps taking over from Rafa when The Magician decides to move on/retire.

Folwer: Credit the England Players not the Coach

Robbie Folwer believes that if England go on to win the World Cup it will in spite of Sven Gn Erikson's coaching, not because of it.

Fowler told the Liverpool Echo:

You can't escape the feeling that something isn't right and that must come down to the manager. I've nothing personal against Eriksson - despite playing under him for a few years, I barely know him - these are just concerns I know many fans have.

I would love nothing more than to see England triumph in Berlin on July 9 yet can we rely on Eriksson to make the right decisions at the right times when the competition enters the knockout stages?"

Fowler was also bemused by some of the tactical decisions made by Eriksson during the Paraguay match.

Michael Owen might have had better games than he had in Frankfurt but, even still, the decision to substitute him was a curious one. Michael is a world-class player and a world-class finisher who is always likely to get you a goal out of nothing.

He has just had 17 weeks off with a broken foot and is fighting his way back to fitness and needs all the minutes on the pitch he can get. Why, then, drag him off when England were in control and retreat into a defensive shell?

Fowler also criticised Eriksson's deployment of club-mate Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool captain has been an inspiration for Liverpool forcing Liverpool to victories with his attacking style and scoring important goals. However, for England, Erikson has him playing a much more reserved role.

I can't understand why Eriksson doesn't allow Stevie to do for his country what he does so magnificently for Liverpool. Think of all the midfielders playing in the tournament and then try to name two or three better than Stevie. Almost impossible.

I just can't fathom why Eriksson continues to place so much defensive responsibility on him.

None of this stuff is really anything new, many fans feel Erikson lacks tactical knowledge and is not getting the best out of his England squad. Calling up Walcott was just one more perplexing decision by the Swede. The problem really lies, however, is when England look short they are just instucted/encouraged to revert back to a long-ball game that rearely works at the top level.

Erickson inherited one of the best squads England has ever had, I would think only Graham Taylor would be worse. Let's just hope that they players pick up things themselves and tackle the games the way they KNOW they should be handled.

SHC (World Cup Edition) :: Magdalena Wrobel (POL)

Poor old Poland, a humiliating loss in the first game to Ecuador made worse by a lose to neighbours and home nation Germany, add to the fact that they were holding their own until the 75 minute when they were forced to play out the final 15 minutes with only ten men. Cruelly the winning goal was scored in injury time, leaving the Poles all but out of this years World Cup (a win by Ecuador against Costa Rica tomorrow will confirm that).

Still console yourselves with being the homeland and birthplace of one of the most beautiful women in the world as I give you Magdalena Wrobel representing Poland in this years Super Hot Chick - World Cup Edition.

USA 0 - Czech Republic 3

• In the USA this game was as the battle between the second best team in the World (Czech Rep) and the fifth (USA) - thanks once again to our belovedly inacurate FIFA rankings!
• The rest of the world saw it as a game that the USA must try to at least draw to have any realistic chance of getting through a group that also includes the experienced Italians.

Ultimately the American's found themselves down by two goals by the end of the half (which would probably have left and Yankee new to the WC perplexed as to how two 'closely' matched teams could not at least be drawing). Even without goal scorer (and Euro '04 Golden Boot winner) Milan Baros (injured), the Czexh Republic have a squad worthy of challenging this year and goals by two of their stars the ever reliable Jan Koller after 5 minutes and another by the up-and-coming Tomas Rosicky ten minutes from half-time.

Joy for the Czechs undoubtly disappeared, however, when they saw their talisman stricker stretched off the field just before half time. One must think that the Czech will be hoping that if Koller isn't fit for their next game then Baros will be.

With Vratislav Lokvenc on for Koller there may have just been a little hope in the USA team who were having the lion's share of possession. However, the USA only having one shot on goal to the Czechs four it was inevitable that the Eurpoeans would add to their tally, and Rosicky scored his second on 76 minutes. At this point a draw was beyond all possibilities and damage control took over; goal difference could play a big part in this group if the USA manage a draw with the Italians, and 3-0 would be the biggest goal difference in the tournament thus far.

The US, however, fell flat and ended the game without a goal. On the other hand, the Czechs start the group well and will be pleased with a strong win, that will instill confidence and give them a great chance to top this group. Rosikcy joins the quartet of Bravo (MEX), Cahill (AUS), Klose (GER) and Paulo Wanchope (CRC) at the top of the forwards wable with his brace. Their only concern now, however, will be the extent of the injury to Koller and how many (if any) games he will miss.

Match Photos: 1 2 | Highlights Video | Virtual Replay

Match Reports:

• FIFA
• Sporting Life
• BBC

+10

I love this Ad, it's one of the best out there at the moment, there are some additions to it which I'll try to post later.


Here's the second one, I love how Jose gets on the professionals' cases when they mess up. The first vid, where he puts Defoe in goal, puts smiles on the players faces, but I love his save in the second vid. Only one question though, if you have Platini and Beckenbauer, why not the two greatest players that have lived: Pele and Dalglish!?