Sport Today

>Look at it this way....if it wasnt for entertainment, football would be
>like water polo or field hockey. The game is so big because it gives
>the fans something special.
>If that something is gone, the game is destroyed.
>Today's debacle wont change the face of the game, but it does remind us
>how meaningless all the creative and exciting aspects of the sport can
>be if you can just win by putting 10 men in your penalty box and hoping
>for luck on the other end.

>Ian

>The goal is to win. Isn't it?

>Italy doesn't play the most attractive soccer but they've been more
>successful than many countries who do. They played their style and won
>today they're in the final.

>The final on Sunday should be a competitive affair.

>> Today showed everything that is wrong with football.
>> To be fair, Italy won 100% fairly, and were forced to defend after
>> being down to 10 men.
>> But...Even if they played with 11 the strategy would have been the
>> same, defend with 9 men and hope for a goal on a counter attack.

>> The game lost big today, with a team that had 70% of the possesion and
>> something like 15 shots for and 3 against, going out on a round of
>> russian roulette.

>> Sent via Deja.com http://SportToday.org/
>> Before you buy.

> >Look at it this way....if it wasnt for entertainment, football would
be
> >like water polo or field hockey. The game is so big because it gives
> >the fans something special.
> >If that something is gone, the game is destroyed.
> >Today's debacle wont change the face of the game, but it does remind
us
> >how meaningless all the creative and exciting aspects of the sport
can
> >be if you can just win by putting 10 men in your penalty box and
hoping
> >for luck on the other end.

> That shows your ignorance. If it was as easy as that, you would see
> talentless teams employing this "simpleton's" description of the
tactic used
> today. But since
> it isn't easily reproduced, that doesn't happen.

> You are absolutley right, nevertheless that does not mean it is good
for
> the sport, if they can not sell tickets next time (actually they
> strugled in Belgium this time) then the likes of Italy will be
> playing their great ultradefensive ***being watched by a reluctant
> audince formed by the players families and the stupid FIFA notables,
> that are doing nothing to make more dificult for ultradefensive
> teams to progress in tournaments.

> On Thu, 29 Jun 2000 21:03:39 GMT, Mrv said:
> >The goal is to win and get to the final.  It doesn't have to be
pretty.
> >Offense sells tickets but Defense wins titles.

> >> Today showed everything that is wrong with football.
> >> To be fair, Italy won 100% fairly, and were forced to defend after
> >> being down to 10 men.
> >> But...Even if they played with 11 the strategy would have been the
> >> same, defend with 9 men and hope for a goal on a counter attack.

> >> The game lost big today, with a team that had 70% of the possesion
and
> >> something like 15 shots for and 3 against, going out on a round of
> >> russian roulette.

> >> Sent via Deja.com http://SportToday.org/
> >> Before you buy.

> They won the tiebraker, fair enough, good for them, but they didi not play
> to win.

> > Yes, but they didi not win, the game was a draw.

> > They won the tiebraker, fair enough, good for them, but they didi
not play
> > to win.
> If Italy can play like ***and win a tiebreaker, then it's the
problem with
> the sport itself, but not a problem with Italy's strategy. Italy
certainly
> has
> a much better chance to advance thru' this strategy instead of
playing a
> wide open game with Holland, especially when they are down to 10 men.
> If they had played a wide open game, they could easily have lost 3-0.

> Enlarge the goal by 100%, and the sport averages 15 goals per match,
then
> Italy certainly can't employ this "destroy and win the tiebreaker"
strategy.
> No
> matter what they do, they cannot employ a strategy to aim for a 7-7
draw and
> hope for the best in penalties.

> So it's soccer itself that allows this "did not play to win" mindset.
And
> this is
> not the first time that teams employ this strategy and succeed. So
blame the
> sport, don't blame Italy.

> --

> Ed Lor

> >> The goal is to win and get to the final.  It doesn't have to be
> >> pretty. Offense sells tickets but Defense wins titles.

> >Not necessarily.
> >In the last 50 years, Italy won one WC and no European Cup,

> No shit huh? Last time I checked 1968 was less than 50 years ago.

> >which is the
> >same mark as England and France and way below the mark achieved by
> >more offensive-minded countries such as Brazil, Argentina or Germany.

>  In terms of WC records in that period Italy is right up there,
finishing
> with One WC win, Two second place finished, One forth, One Third, and
on
> 5th. Not too bad if you ask me. Much better than most others! Head to
head,
> Italy is better than all three of those countries in that same time

>1. Negative tactics