You expect me to beleive that

excuses excuses

Come on guys, i'm runnin' away with it.

1 (1) grizfoot (21315) -------- 190487 [+457.80%]

2 (2) Svenbarlow (34132)---- 113322 [+350.98%]

3 (3) nellit01 (33186) --------- 124623 [+160.71%]

4 (5) shivni87 (24937) --------- 34001 [+75.53%] UP

5 (4) rovers1987 (33395) ----- 63163 [+55.07%] DOWN

6 (6) Lathund (47217) --------- 37293 [+37.18%]

Australia were very lucky in my eyes. Was never a penalty shameful dive, you could say Lucas gave him the excuse do it but there's no excuse for that sort of playing acting.

Yeah the Swiss/Ukraine match was the worst i've seen so far.

Lets hope for some better stuff tommorrow.

I go back to the top. Although there seems little movement in the market at the moment, since there's only 12 teams left i suppose.

I'm sure Alan Hansen is paid to talk up Michael Carrich. He never says a bad word about him and praises him whenever possible.

Barlow steaming away ahead. On the good side we are all in + % and got divi payment on Tuesday to come, so postions could change around.

From Here

The question is: What will Sven do next?

Instead i'll answer, What I would do next

But I think England's problem lies at right-back. However much I (and most you) utterly hate Gary Neville, he is without doubt the best right-back in the country and the team looks unbalanced without him. But due to his injury Sven has dafted in Carragher at right-back. Don't get me wrong Carragher is a top player (world-class) in his postion. But his postion is centre-back, not right-back. He can play there but he offers little or no attacking threat from the postion what so ever. In effect he's also causing the isolation of Beckham, probably the one player who needs to be in the game most.

So here's my quite wacky solution to the problem. England should play Steven Gerrard at right-back. You might be thininkg what the heck (or sometihng along those lines). But let me explain. Playing Gerrard at right-back would allow him arguably to get foward more than he does when he's in a centre-midfield role and he has to stay back as the 'holding midfielder'. So my plan almost brazilian like is to have Ashley Cole & Gerrard running up and down the wings and attacking as much as possible. They both have the stanmia and pace to do that job and could well give England the extra edge they've been messing.

So this is how my idea would look when defending and attacking:

Attacking

------------------------- Robinson -------------------------

-------------------- Rio --------- Terry --------------------

----------------------- Hargreaves -------------------------

-- Gerrard -------------- Becks --------------- A.Cole ----

------------ Lampard ------------ J.Cole -------------------

------------------------ Rooney -----------------------------

---------------------------- Crouch -------------------------

Defending

------------------------- Robinson ---------------------------

--- Gerrard--------- Rio --------- Terry --------A.Cole-----

------------------------ Hargreaves --------------------------

----Becks ----- Lampard ---------- Rooney------- J..Cole --

---------------------------- Crouch ---------------------------

But will this happen. I very much doubt it.

My idea is much better. Just switch Rio with Carragher and replace Hargeaves with Carrick if you prefer. And there you have it.

You know it makes sense Sven!

The question is: What will Sven do next?

Instead i'll answer, What I would do next

But I think England's problem lies at right-back. However much I (and most you) utterly hate Gary Neville, he is without doubt the best right-back in the country and the team looks unbalanced without him. But due to his injury Sven has dafted in Carragher at right-back. Don't get me wrong Carragher is a top player (world-class) in his postion. But his postion is centre-back, not right-back. He can play there but he offers little or no attacking threat from the postion what so ever. In effect he's also causing the isolation of Beckham, probably the one player who needs to be in the game most.

So here's my quite wacky solution to the problem. England should play Steven Gerrard at right-back. You might be thininkg what the heck (or sometihng along those lines). But let me explain. Playing Gerrard at right-back would allow him arguably to get foward more than he does when he's in a centre-midfield role and he has to stay back as the 'holding midfielder'. So my plan almost brazilian like is to have Ashley Cole & Gerrard running up and down the wings and attacking as much as possible. They both have the stanmia and pace to do that job and could well give England the extra edge they've been messing.

So this is how my idea would look when defending and attacking:

Attacking

------------------------- Robinson -------------------------

-------------------- Rio --------- Terry --------------------

----------------------- Hargreaves -------------------------

-- Gerrard -------------- Becks --------------- A.Cole ----

------------ Lampard ------------ J.Cole -------------------

------------------------ Rooney -----------------------------

---------------------------- Crouch -------------------------

Defending

------------------------- Robinson ---------------------------

--- Gerrard--------- Rio --------- Terry --------A.Cole-----

------------------------ Hargreaves --------------------------

----Becks ----- Lampard ---------- Rooney------- J..Cole --

---------------------------- Crouch ---------------------------

But will this happen. I very much doubt it.

There's been some smashing goals already. Frings' swerver on the opening day, Kaka's piledriver, Joe Cole's fantastic volley/lob and the Argentina '24 passes probably the best in world cup history' goal.

There's also been some fantastic matches to watch. Then there's underdogs like Ghana & Australia progressing through to the last 16.

And really it's only just startin' to get to the good bit, who said it was boring?

Lucas is having a great tournament.

I don't know if that's a good or bad thing for Rovers though

Game of the tournament so far i'd say.

Aussies probably deserve to go through.

Well Done!

What's with the keeper Kalac. I know Schwarzer can be dodgy at times but Kalac is in a world of his own in terms of dodgyness (he has a very nice Croatian name too)

And Graham Poll well what can i say, a typical performance

Books a player three times before sending him off.

Also feel sorry for Bert, bit of a harsh sending off. Thought he was having a decent game as well at right-back.

Think this one will be a close game. I'll go 2-1 to Portugal.

Shame I didn't have any money on it

Why not just who is on top at the end?

Yeah but they migh tonly have been top for that week.

I'm gonna go off total worth I think, that would seem the more logical way of working it out, if that's okay with everyone?

I don't think you can get 'overall' winners. It just as weekly winners.

I'll have to judge who's been at the top for the longest or something I suppose.

Got to feel sorry for the guy haven't you

Anyway that leaves us with Rooney (probably not capable of 90 minutes yet), Walcott (who he doesn't seem to want to play) & Crouch.

I knew he should have took 5 strikers.

4-5-1 here we come!

Joe Cole was amazing, best player of the pitch by a country mile. Also thought Owen Hargreaves had a decent game (shock horror!)

Your not anymore Barlow

I shoot to first thanks to a nice amount of divi, mainly from USA (thanks to McBride's bloody nose)

Here it is:

Think this one will be a close game. I'll go 2-1 to Portugal.

Thought Lucas & Emerton had good games. Australia were unlucky to lose in my opion.

Everyone stays same places as yesterday.

Wrighty mentioned 'whipping' to the pleasure of Gary at half time of the Argies game

Glückliche Deutsche

Despite England's win all was not well in my eyes. Something clearly needs to be done with the Lampard/Gerrard partnership in the middle. Both of their games are effected because they both have to worry about one of them staying back all the time. Towards the end of today's game both of them started to get foward and forgot about their defensive responsabilities this ultimate lead to England going on to win. But also left England short at the back and on another day the oppenents would have capitalised. Therefore I think we need to play with a anchor man in midifield.

It may be a bit late to start messing with fromations, but i'd give this a go.

---------------- Robbo -----------------

---------------------------------------

-------- Carra --- Terry ---- Rio --------

-- Becks ----------------------- A.Cole --

---------------- Carrick -----------------

------- Lamps --------- Gerrard ---------

---------------- Rooney ----------------

---------- Crouch ----------------------

And you could also use J.Cole off the bench as he could play any where in the midfield quartet.

Only one change in the league. I'm off the bottom at the expense of Eddie.