Reply to: Oh well, £53.75 up

[wendigo100]

Well, would you like to be shown up as a cynical cheat, in front of millions of people...? Empty victory. Sure, they live a little bit longer in the game, but there's more to life than that.

I must admit I've been pleased to see the crowd reactions to the sides that have cheated... Holland were booed every time one of them so much as touched the ball...

Cynical cheating is part of every top-level football match.

There are always at least fifty examples per game of it - diving, holding, shirt-pulling, illegal time-wasting, feigning injury and, if we are lucky, violent conduct.

That's not to say that I agree with it - video replays are the only way to curtail it - but while it goes on I'd be a mug not to as well. I know that the other fellow is trying to do the same thing, so I wouldn't think it an empty victory.

[vetran]

Up the Finns

Just got back from Helsinki, food superb, women beautiful and hospitality great!

Imagine I learned to throw a double bladed Axe on corporate outing, just image the HSE boys in the UK hearing that!

[mcquiggd]

P.s Im backing Ukraine.... gulp!

[mcquiggd]

I'd actually say Mexico v Argentina was perhaps the most 'gripping' so far...

Hopefully Ukraine v Switzerland will be less of a card-fest than the Portugal match so we can actually see some football

[Alf W]

Portugal v Holland was the game of the tournament so far for me. I haven't been as entertained by a game of football like that for many years.

I know it was for all the wrong reasons but that was unmissable.

[mcquiggd]

Well, would you like to be shown up as a cynical cheat, in front of millions of people...? Empty victory. Sure, they live a little bit longer in the game, but there's more to life than that.

I must admit I've been pleased to see the crowd reactions to the sides that have cheated... Holland were booed every time one of them so much as touched the ball...

[wendigo100]

The former, I would say...

Interesting. I'd take the latter every time.

[mcquiggd]

The former, I would say... I'll still have that bottle of Brunello tonight though

[wendigo100]

Arse. 94th minute. The cheating Eytie fell over an Aussie who was already on the ground and got a penalty.

Who would you rather be right now - the plucky Aussies who played so well, or the cheating Italians who are in the quarter finals?

[mcquiggd]

Arse. 94th minute. The cheating Eytie fell over an Aussie who was already on the ground and got a penalty.

[mcquiggd]

I've now got £30 on Australia - got 9-1 odds. Fingers crossed

[DaveB]

And dont forget the Swedes, they may be out of the football but they're still bloody Vikings!
(With apologies to Mitch Benn, sung in a bad Swedish accent)

We come from the lands of the snow and ice
And gods of war and thunder;
With a swing of an oar, we would reach your shore
And pillage, rob and plunder.
We were ravishers of women, and capturers of kings,
But now we're friends, we make amends,
We fill your homes with lots of groovy things.

Ikea!
We'll get your houses looking sleek and modern, that's for sure.
Ikea!
We're conquering the world with our self-assembly flat-packed furniture.

You can maximise your living space and brighten up your walls,
Or just have a cup of coffee, and perhaps some nice meat balls,
And if you haven't killed each other by the time you get to pay,
Perhaps you'd like to know who made us what we are today.
Our boss is Ingvar Kamprad, he takes his vodka straight,
He's been our fearless leader since nineteen fifty-eight.
Now he has over sixty billion dollars in his grip,
He makes Bill Gates look second-rate -
Ja, screw him, and his stupid paperclip!

Ikea!
Our CEO is a legendary Viking entrepreneur.
Ikea!
We're conquering the world with our self-assembly flat-packed furniture.
Ikea!

[AlfredJPruffock]

The lights darkend as the talk turned to Finland ...


Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
It's the country for me.

You're so near to Russia,
So far from Japan,
Quite a long way from Cairo,
Lots of miles from Vietnam.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Eating breakfast or dinner,
Or snack lunch in the hall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.
You're so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland has it all.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Dont write off Finland yet either.

[wendigo100]

People's opinions swing according to the last match. Weren't the Argies the flavour of last week?