The NCAP Soccerball Thread

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D

Deleted member 49

Guest
You are right, to a degree, that population size is not an absolute barrier to World Cup success.

But the World Cup has changed hugely in the 72 years since Uruguay last won in Brazil in 1950 and in the 1930 finals in Uruguay there were only 13 teams playing, by invitation, with only four European teams and no England.

The modern World Cup is a vastly different tournament and smaller nations have struggled since then.

This is not to say that Wales has not been a pretty mediocre team over the years, with just the occasional bit of success, but hopefully this might start to improve as the game gets a higher profile and rugby in Wales continues its slow decline. I think the days of using the excuse that rugby is our national sport are long gone with shrinking crowds at club rugby matches, an awful regional system, and, from what I see, many more football matches than rugby on our parks pitches.
I was trying to be nice ....stick to rugby 😁
 

matticus

Guru
No different to any other for me. Do you think theres been any more or less acting/foul play ?

I'd say it's been broadly similar - see my comments about the Brazil incident a fair few years ago, and that Uruguay have always had a reputation for dirty play. In the loooooong run, acting is worse this century than before - but that seems inevitable now that the threshold for a foul/card is lower than in the '50s; it's more effective to get the ref on your side, than to try kicking an opponent back.
 

jowwy

Can't spell, Can't Punctuate....Who care's, Sue Me
Wales population about 3.2million. Uruguay population about 3.4million and have won world cup twice.
Which proves the point size doesn't matter 😁

with a professional football league since 1900 you mean.....and last won it 1950. and only won it 1930 as an invited group of 13 countries, to which only 4 were European

But how big is the population of the last country to knock out England in the world cup and how many times had they won it???? let me remind you, it was croatia 3.9m population and the answer is ZERO
 

jowwy

Can't spell, Can't Punctuate....Who care's, Sue Me
You are right, to a degree, that population size is not an absolute barrier to World Cup success.

But the World Cup has changed hugely in the 72 years since Uruguay last won in Brazil in 1950 and in the 1930 finals in Uruguay there were only 13 teams playing, by invitation, with only four European teams and no England.

The modern World Cup is a vastly different tournament and smaller nations have struggled since then.

This is not to say that Wales has not been a pretty mediocre team over the years, with just the occasional bit of success, but hopefully this might start to improve as the game gets a higher profile and rugby in Wales continues its slow decline. I think the days of using the excuse that rugby is our national sport are long gone with shrinking crowds at club rugby matches, an awful regional system, and, from what I see, many more football matches than rugby on our parks pitches.

come on rusty, we won the grand slam in 2019 and won the 6 nations in 2020 with the triple crown....won more grand slams than england in the last 20yrs.

again with a much, much smaller pool of players

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D

Deleted member 49

Guest
I'd say it's been broadly similar - see my comments about the Brazil incident a fair few years ago, and that Uruguay have always had a reputation for dirty play. In the loooooong run, acting is worse this century than before - but that seems inevitable now that the threshold for a foul/card is lower than in the '50s; it's more effective to get the ref on your side, than to try kicking an opponent back.
Agree about the "acting" I can't stand the holding in the box from set pieces/corners etc.Does my head in that it's become accepted !
 
D

Deleted member 49

Guest
with a professional football league since 1900 you mean.....and last won it 1950. and only won it 1930 as an invited group of 13 countries, to which only 4 were European

But how big is the population of the last country to knock out England in the world cup and how many times had they won it???? let me remind you, it was croatia 3.9m population and the answer is ZERO
Ouch....nobody likes a sore LOSER mate
 

AuroraSaab

Legendary Member
I don't watch much football but having seen a bit of the tournament I'm amazed at how much players get in the face of, and generally challenge, the ref, compared with Rugby League anyway.
 

bobzmyunkle

Well-Known Member
And the bloody commentators praising players for 'drawing/winning' fouls. Sorry should say something positive - at least Maguire wasn't England's best player last night.
 
OP
OP
AndyRM

AndyRM

Elder Goth
I don't think it's much worse than the last 3-4 (remember Brazil - Ronaldhino? - holding his face by the corner flag??), just IMO. Sad to see though :sad: (and before the usual comments fly in, English players have had their moments too!)

What really saddens me is the crowds of players trying to intimidate the ref. It's probably also no worse than usual, but I'm really starting to notice it in Qatar- I thought there was an inititiative to stamp this out?? Chapeau to the refs though, they seem totally unswayed by this petulant behaviour.

It was Rivaldo.
 

matticus

Guru
I don't watch much football but having seen a bit of the tournament I'm amazed at how much players get in the face of, and generally challenge, the ref, compared with Rugby League anyway.

Exactly (OK, i'm comparing with Union, sorry but I've never watched a whole League game!). Definitely something the round ball game could learn from the egg-chasers.
 
D

Deleted member 28

Guest
But how big is the population of the last country to knock out England in the world cup and how many times had they won it???? let me remind you, it was croatia 3.9m population and the answer is ZERO

And this proves what exactly?

We all take our turn in slagging off someone else's team and I'm as guilty as the rest but what are we all trying to say here?

England have more people to choose from than Wales and have been playing longer professionally so it doesn't matter how poor Wales are it's unfair to say they are sh*t?

England have only won it once and never won anything else so does that make them better or shitterer than Wales?

Lots of World cup countries have a smaller population than England so on that calculation we can only ever be classed as good and deserved winners until we either reduce our population or win it lots more times?

Where does that leave the USA/China/India as they have loads of people to choose from but don't ever win anything (football related)?

I'm intrigued.
 
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