h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh well - we've had one of these... 'twas an European Cup, not a World Cup, but three quick lost games is not too much fun. But as you said, we were there...

Glad it is a lot better this time around

You know what they say - you can never write off the Germans. In fact, Peter Schmeichel was saying that knowing them they could go all the way. Considering some of his ancestry, he should know.

thing is, oz will have two world class players moving into their best years: kewell and viduka. plus emerton and a couple of others. id like to see how far theyd get actually...

imagine what theyd be like if vieri had stayed with them...

Well, there we are, two of the pre-tournament favourites go crashing out in the pre-lims.

And Denmark it is...

Yep - looking forward to that...

I normally don't bet on anything - but I do imagine the winnings would have been considerable if I'd put money on France & Argentina leaving after the first round.

Just tells you that there are no easy games left in this world...

The following bits of trivia were garnered from the FIFA web site:

Whenever France & Denmark have played in a major championship the winner of that game has gone on to win the tournament.............

So history suggests Denmark to win the World Cup

But also:

Only one side, Brazil, have ever won the tournament on a different continent from their own.

Anyway well done England & Ireland for getting through to the knockout stages.

The France-Denmark theory has been aired here as well. I like it!

I'm now especially glad we've got Sven as a coach. England has no bad blood with Denmark, and we'd tend to underestimate them. Denmark have their own style of play, which they stick to no matter what - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but whatever happens, they're not to be dismissed lightly as someone like Keegan might. But Sven, being Swedish, will be tactically aware and fired up (well, you know) for this big grudge match against his southern neighbours...

we are going to be owned by the finns.

i just want to see some weeping argentinan footballers now...

What a nightmare! I got Denmark in the office sweepstake.

Oh well, money before patriotism!

i was running the house sweepstake here...i got argentina...they thought id fixed it

>we are going to be owned by the finns.< Explain please!

Just thought I'd be the first to mention the Dano-English king - we'll probably be hearing a lot about him in the next 4 days.

did i mean danemark? yes i did. we are gonna be owned by *them*

Return to the good old days Jack - did you mean William the Conqueror or anyone like that? Wouldn't dream of mentioning him.... I think...

I'm originally from Hastings!

call me thick but arent our current bunch of tax spongers - sorry Royals of German and Greek descent?

So if anyone owns us (ignoring of course all the stuff owned by Japanese, US, French ang German corporations) surely its the Germans!

have on occasion turned in performances of more passion (and more goals) than today's sorry apology for an England team. It didn't help that they were playing against the ref as well, but surely they ought to have been able to get ONE past Nigeria !

Aw come on - be proud of the fact that your team got through to the next stage.

They turned in a professional if uninspired performance today and achieved what they had to to get through. Remember that the conditions were very difficult high temperature and humidity and with another game in 2 days time there was no point in doing themselves in when what they needed was a draw.

I know it wasn't pretty but sometimes the result is more important than the performance and this was one of those occassions.

Im proud of what they have achieved and I am a Scot.

Wow, never thought I'd hear that from a Scot, thanks

Yeah right.
Ross.

Well done England. Now lets beat those super-average Danes .

Also - Anyone seen who has scored for Slovenia today?