What a huge yawn the tournament has been so far! A festival of football? No, more a tedious and pointless drone, like those hideous vuvezelas! Thus far, only the Germans have turned on the style and they were playing against such a poor Australian team that anything less than a 3-0 victory would have been embarrassing, especially after Cahill was sent off. Slovakia got their just deserts today, as did England at the weekend. If you sit on a single goal lead, you don't deserve to win!
Contrast this World Cup with the last Euros. There were goals galore in the Euros with teams intent on outscoring each other to win games. But at this World Cup, it has all been about stopping the opposition from playing, all about avoiding defeat. The vuvezela players have got exactly what they deserve: monotonous, tedious, boring football.
Why is this happening? Well there are too many rubbish teams taking part. It is frankly absurd that Australia and New Zealand are here, whilst Russia and Croatia are at home. The World Cup should be about pitting the best nations against each other, not an ethnic balance. Let the lesser nations play for the right to take on Russia in a playoff final by all means, but don't let them sit at the top table by default, qualifying because they are the best of a weak bunch in their part of the world.
The vuvezela must also be playing a part. If the players can't hear the fans, how can they ride the wave of passionate support that normally drives teams on? The decision of FIFA not to ban the blasted things is pathetic. If this is South African "culture", then God help South Africa. The world is being given the impression that the average South African is little better than a cave man!
We have been embarrassed by our fans in the past - mindless Neanderthal thugs - but we have never "celebrated" them and revelled in their "cultural significance". Somebody should be brave enough to say that these things are a bloody nuisance and are making South Africans look primitive and stupid! Yes the World Cup is in South Africa but South Africa is not the World Cup. I want to hear the Brazilians, the Dutch, the Germans, the Ghanaians and yes, the English fans. The World Cup is about mixing cultures, not one "culture" drowning out everybody else. Of course, nobody is going to be brave enough to say this because this is Africa, and it is politically incorrect to criticise anything African.
At the moment FIFA and South Africa are getting what they deserve. The droning vuvezela World Cup is a huge turn off.
yep this world cup has been very boring. i just cant be bothered to watch most of the games. i mean who wants to watch slovakia v new zealand. not me. but hopefully it will get better when its the last 16 knockout. thats when all the big teams will be playing each other. but if england get knocked out. then i loose all interest in the world cup anyway. ps please hurry back premier league i miss you.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree!!
ReplyDeleteI think that more of this has to do with the ball than most people are willing to give credit for. I have never watched so many consecutive international matches with such poor set pieces, crossing and long passing. The ball just seems to be sailing much further than it would normally.
ReplyDeleteSo why didn't the Germans have any problems with it? Every Woorld Cup it is the same - the ball is crap! No the ball isn't, the atmosphere is crap because of the vuvezelas and the tactics are crap too. Ronaldo's shot seemed to fly trough the air without any undue problems. I bet Brazil make the ball do what they want it to do too. A bad workman blames his tools remember.
ReplyDeleteRight you are HF. Must be the most boring World Cup ever! I am not sure why, but I guess that it is some comfort that almost all the teams, including England and most surely Greece, are playing bad football so far. Let's hope things change in the second round of games. It surely can't get any worse. I never thought that the Germans would be the ones to entertain us. Even Brazil that I have watched so far for about ten minutes seem be heavy and slow. Maybe I should watch a movie!
ReplyDeleteI'll say it without hesitation: if the vuvezela is an integral part of South African culture then whither SA culture. Christ it makes the bagpipes sound positively tuneful. I've actually heard one played on its own and it sounds quite mournful and beautiful even. But a stadium of this one note symphony is just excruciating. Far from adding to the atmosphere of the tournament it just drowns the atmosphere out. So every game feels lifeless.
ReplyDeleteThis is wee Rab's first world cup and the football is no great advertisement for game. Wee Rab had an idea though after we watched another scoreless game.
Dad, he said, why don't they make the goal posts wider?
Now once I would have thought this was heresy but at this stage of a shockingly poor world cup it's a notion I'd happily entertain.
What a load of rubbish - World does not mean Europe. The whole aim of the tournament is to promote football for all.
ReplyDeleteThese tournaments are always a yawn in the early stages because it is more important not to lose than win - rule change should be made to outlaw a draw in the group stages - have extra time and penalties so each game gets a result.
Russia occupies more of Asia than it does Europe. I don't care where on the globe the country represents, it's a question of talent. Mind you, at half time, I'm eating my words about North Korea. Are Brazil any cop? Don't look it at the moment!
ReplyDeleteMaking extra time and pens at the end of every group game would make the lesser teams even more boring to watch, as they know they have a far better chance of winning on penalties than they do winning the normal game
ReplyDeletegreat blog btw, everyone seems to slate u, but I always have a quick look an either agree, or laugh at your sarcasm, it's a shame most don't get it lol
jack
Cheers Jack.
ReplyDeleteBloody ball! North Korea was robbed! If that was meant, that was amazing!
ReplyDeleteITV flashed up a 'possession stat' of 60/40% in favour of Brazil just before half time?! Que a foda!?
ReplyDeleteWhich game is the ITV statto watching?! It's 98/2 for pity's sake! The boring robotic North Koreans have set up as 1-5-5 in their own half....and as such, the game is dross!
OK, it's up to the Brazilians to get through, but it ain't easy even for them and it ain't a great spectacle!
I hate to say it, but the referee seems 'sympathetic' towards the NK's plight and is giving them everything! I just hope the floodgates open in the second half and the NK's get an explosive pounding...figuratively speaking of course!
1-0 at last! Here we go!!
HF,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anony 19:17 that it is mostly to do with the ball. Yes, the world cup balls have been poor in the past but this one takes the biscuit. Proof? Well, in the past only goal keepers were complaining but even outfield player are complaining this time. Adidas is a very good brand and they do make some nice stuff but they have really cocked up his time and what a stage to do it on. They turned the ball making process into too much of a science. They must understand that humans are not perfect so the nearer they try to get the ball to perfection, the more it will lose its familiarity with the human. We (our proprioceptive senses) won't be able to deal with it.
In game situations, the ball is difficult to manipulate and create woven passages of play which progress in to chances or goals. It is simply not conducive to what football is (passing moving etc). It is too light, and has a strange bounce and run to it. One example we saw today when Drogba had a chance nearer the end of the game where he came onto the ball in the area and the ball just ran away from him and he ended up stretching and pulling it wide across goal. Odds on a keeper lobbing a keeper from a goal kick before the end of the tournament? :)
The players will get better with it as time goes on but the level of football will still be below what they are capable of. It is almost as if players have to be too careful with their touch which causes valuable milliseconds to be lost and flowing play to be broken up. Sometimes players even have to take two touches to control it before they can do something. Also take note of the number of times you see players shielding. This is a direct result of not being able to adequately control the ball in the first place because it is too light. A number of shots are also being scuffed.
Completely agree that the vuvuzelas are a joke and should be banned. There is no footballing atmosphere at the games what so ever. What better instrument is there than the human voice anyway? South African culture? This is a non-argument as they are not seen or heard at cricket matches and cricket is far bigger in SA than football.
But cricket, like rugby, is largely a white man's sport in SA Stani.
ReplyDeletethe proper rant will come later(when I get to my computer ) for now I'll just bring up 2 points the vuvuzela is an expression of exurberance and is wonderful in the stadium I'd rather listen to it than 90% of that racist shit chanted from European terraces amazon report a 1000% increase in sales if vuvuzelas 22000 sold per minute in sainsburys and best you get used to it cos next season they'll be very popular
ReplyDeleteThe germans haven't had a problem with the ball because they've used it all season
World cup in Africa involving the world with more FANS than all recent cups if you and the British press don't like it watch coronation street Viva Bafana Bafana Viva Africa Viva vuvezela Viva
The peoples game for the people not just self righteous greedy selfish Europeans
What are you saying HF? White man can't vuvuzela? :)
ReplyDeleteI think its just a commercial thing, one of those fads that will soon disappear but the money making hoes have to get their share first. I feel for the people at the stadiums that don't like it. It's irritating just watching on tv but imagine in the ground. My mum first thought it was mosquitoes flying around! Bless her.
Being a south african, I can tell you that the order of sport here goes football, rugby then cricket. And the vuvezelas can make an atmosphere much better but can also destroy it. It is all about moderation. To write something off without experiencing it is just naive.
ReplyDeletetheir is not 1 good team in the world cup. if england pull their socks up. then i think we have a great chance of winning the world cup.
ReplyDeleteStani, I am saying that the white middle class have a different culture from the black working class, and indeed the black middle and upper class in South Africa.
ReplyDeleteDeane, I am experiencing them unfortunately. Please explain what purpose they serve. If they were played only at corners or to celebrate a goal, fine, but they just drone at the same volume constantly. It is killing the atmosphere and ruining the World Cup.
Africa has the African Nations Cup. The World Cup is meant to be the BEST in the World, not a CROSS SECTION of the World.
2203, there is NO moderation! It is unending, constant drone!
ReplyDeleteAs for Sainsbury selling them, that just shows the moronic nature of many in our country. Look at them when they get off the planes from Spain!
No moderation? Obviously you haven't been to a game with them, because if you have you would instantly realise your mistake. I have come from the portugal cote d' voire game which was livened by the vuvezela because they were used correctly ie. they were enhanceing the atmosphere during boring sections of the game and creating a thunderous experiance during exciting play. This would only be experianced, like most things, live at the match, and not at home.
ReplyDeletethey are an outpouring of joy normally only blown at goals and skilful play there are a great number of people at these matches experiencing soccer and SA for the first time that don't know the correct etiquette also people are just so pleased to be enjoying something none of them expected to ever happen let alone happen in their lifetime everyone is dancing singing and trumpeting for JOY This is a very special event for millions of people who have nothing let them enjoy it however they want
ReplyDeleteYou are treated to world class football almost every saturday for most South Africans this will be a once in a lifetime experience and only 16years after the end ofapartheid frankly vuvuzelas are minor if they want to run round with their willys out let them do it and thank your lucky privilegedstars you were born where you were
Handsome sentiments Deane but they could enjoy the football just as much without the bloody things, no?
ReplyDeleteFrom Wkipedia
ReplyDeleteThis type of plastic horn or trumpet has been used in Mexican stadiums since the 1970s.[citation needed] Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. Well-known Kaizer Chiefs F.C. fan Freddie "Saddam" Maake claims to have invented the vuvuzela by adapting an aluminium version as early as 1965 from a bicycle horn after removing the black rubber to blow with his mouth. He later found it to be too short and joined a pipe to make it longer. Maake has photos of him in the 1970s and 1980s at local South African games and international games in 1992 and 1996 and at the 1998 World Cup in France, holding the aluminium vuvuzela. He says the instrument was banned as authorities ruled it a dangerous weapon, which prompted him to find a plastic company that could manufacture it.[17]
In 2001, South Africa-based company Masincedane Sport began to mass-produce a plastic version.[18][19] Neil van Schalkwyk, the co-owner of Masincedane Sport, won the SAB KickStart Award in 2001.[20]
Vuvuzelas have been said to be based on kudu horn instruments and thus rooted in African history, but this is disputed.[21][18] During the entire match, supporters blow vuvuzelas frantically in an attempt to "kill off" their opponents.[22][23]
And no they can't HF much like singing songs is part of the Britih game vuvus are part of the South African game and at this world cup are a unifying symbol across the races A rainbow nation with 11 official languages and 1 vuvuzela
In South Africa it means a lot more than noise
post this link HF and then let people consider whether the noise from vuvuzelas is such a hardship
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8740446.stm
Deane I understand your passion but consider this. South Africa are HOSTING the World Cup. If you are HOSTING a dinner party for vegetarean friends, do you serve up rare t bone steaks and invite them to enjoy the flavour of the blood in their mouths? If you do, will they regard you as good HOSTS?
ReplyDeleteSo, allow the vuvu at South African games but ban it from all other games would seem a sensible compromise. The other traditions have a place at the table too. The vuvu should not drown out the REST OF THE WORLD. I repeat, the WORLD CUP IS IN SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT THE WORLD CUP.
ok I'll try to leave the passion aside although I thought that was what footy was all about
ReplyDeleteThe vuvuzela is annoying to some people it's not offensive so banning something which some people find annoying is a little over the top (serving meat to a vegetarian,racist songs, offensive, Johhny Lyalls claret and blue army, annoying) broadcasters have the technology to mute the atmosphere at a game but choose not to because the sterile background is something we're not used to therefore it's accepted that background noise is part of the game in England that background noise is mostly swearing groaning and some very nasty singing Now this world cup is in South Africa ie South Africa's world cup as 2006 was Germany's 2002 Japan/Korea and so on they all had the flavour of the host country
I, like a lot of people find that having to sit at a football match has changed the experience so much that I choose not to go so often because my enjoyment has been curtailed by a totally unnessary blanket ban you can choose to mute the sound on your telly (I'm sure you don't need someone to tell you whats going on) but it does detract from watching the game on telly So my best advice is to embrace the vuvuzela stop thinking about how annoying it is the football will pick up once we get past these league games (bit like the champions league)you'll get used to the din, like living near a motorway your brain tunes it out.
The world cup embraces the world remember every nation has had the opportunity to compete it's not all about the finals If smaller nations weren't ever able to be at the finals the game would whither in those countries and only the richer nations would compete look at the talent that Africa has lost to France for instance This whole Eurocentric ideal is wrong the money luring all the top talent then clubs complaining when losing players for pointless (to their bank balance) games
The game in Europe is the pinnacle but how do we expect the game to flourish if we denegrate and exclude other countries Jules Rimet's dream is dying Let's embrace his dream of a world cup lets embrace the differences in that world Let us stop going on holiday and demanding that we have bacon and egg for breakfast
More racist stuff fom HF. Learn about the bloody culture then have an opinion. Racist pig
ReplyDeleteIts just so typical of you HF with your negative views. Always complaining about something!! I really believe you enjoy it. The problem is HF you are dead wrong and always jump to soon with our mindless opinions. Next thing your going to say that it was the ball's fault and not green eh? Excuse's excuse's thats all we ever hear from you english cowards. Have you failed to notice that the vuzelezes are also glued to the english fans pie holes. Everyone is using them Hf not just the africans. I would rather listen to the vuzelezes than the foul language that comes from english leagues. Lets not discuss the constant drum beat in the south american world cups eh? Its only the first round of matches so get ready Hf to be pissed of and angry when more goals are scored! No more excuses from you english, not the world's fault your team are crap without flair, skill and devoid of any passion. I know for sure your going to blame the south africa's for that to.
ReplyDeleteI think as HF said above, if there is a purpose behind the noise then fair enough but it's just a constant drowning noise without rhyme or reason. The article Deane quoted implies that it is an attempt to kill off the opponents but then it should only be done at certain times e.g opposition corners or attacks etc. A constant noise is not good for anyone thus this 'killing off' has a collateral damage effect. In the end, if your own team is affected, then there is no real purpose to it. And to be honest with you, it is by definition, just noise pollution.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the problem lies in the fact that some of the people at the stadiums are not real fans of the game. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but they have less know-how and appreciation for what is taking place on the pitch. Neither are many of them South African. As a result, I don't think the South African tradition argument applies here and it is clear that the manner in which the vuvuzelas are being used has no association with the sensibilities of tradition.
You say ban it from non-african games. I think the fans who have traveled and spent hard earned cash to be at the games might disagree. You fail to mention HF that its not just the african's who use the vuvuzelas, many of your fellow englishman and other europeans have purchased them. No-one is forcing them to buy! You always blame the africans for this when you know that the english have enjoyed using the vuvuzelas. The pictures and video do not lie, so get of your soap box and stop complaining. I think you should focus on your crap national team which is devoid of any passion, skill and pride. Oh buts its the ball's fault and the vuvuzelas. For once just try and not be so friggin negative. I suppose you would probably complain about the constant drum beat at previous south american world cups. The world cup is special on only once every 4 years so enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteYou say ban it from non-african games. I think the fans who have traveled and spent hard earned cash to be at the games might disagree. You fail to mention HF that its not just the african's who use the vuvuzelas, many of your fellow englishman and other europeans have purchased them. No-one is forcing them to buy! You always blame the africans for this when you know that the english have enjoyed using the vuvuzelas. The pictures and video do not lie, so get of your soap box and stop complaining. I think you should focus on your crap national team which is devoid of any passion, skill and pride. Oh buts its the ball's fault and the vuvuzelas. For once just try and not be so friggin negative. I suppose you would probably complain about the constant drum beat at previous south american world cups. The world cup is special on only once every 4 years so enjoy it.
ReplyDelete1555 - the point is that this World Cup isn't special, it's boring!
ReplyDeleteIts boring cause your an old fart. Your attention span ain't what it used to be. Not the world cup's fault just its 2010 and your OLD!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so old I know the difference between you're and your!
ReplyDeleteStick to criticizing West Ham, that's all you are good for old man. The world cup is out of your league.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way to do it, separate you and are! Well doone!
ReplyDeleteThe Germans have been playing with the Adidas Jubilani-ball in the Bundesliga and test matches since February.
ReplyDeleteAdidas lost the World Cup 2006 against their biggest rival in their own country from the same home town Puma(Italy).
Robin van Persie told the dutch press that they only started training with the Jubilani after they arrived in S.-Africa.
To me that is totally naive and stupid if you want to win in the World Cup.
Hup Serbia! No 4th star for the Krauts!