ITALY - EASY GROUP BUT HARD DRAW

[COLOSSUS]

Back on topic, as for Italys draw all i can say is KISSED ON THE DI.CK BY A FAIRY.....AGAIN Seriously, good luck to them, thats a great draw, but i just dont see how such easy group games will prepare them for the tough ones they are most likely to face in the knockout stages. Either way, its a guaranteed top place in the group stages for Italy!!!

[El Pibe D'Oro]

in football i've always gone for Italia on the international level, as Australia never really competed in many tournaments when i was growing up. Hard to just start following Australia in 2006 after following Italia since World Cup 94 (earliest tourney i remember as a kid)

Still don't understand that to be honest, considering you were born in Australia.

My support for Scotland is secondary to Australia, always will be.

But it seems your support for your 2 European clubs are bigger than that of your Australian club as your sigs suggest right??? Listen, i would never debate with you who you support more and i expect the same of you, however just for the record, ill support both Australia and Greece in the World Cup and would be ecstatic if either won the tournament, but when it coms to what i am, the answer is simple. Im a Greek who lives in Australia regardless of where i was born because i was born in Australia and it didnt stop people like you calling me a "W.OG", amazing how all of a sudden you want me to be Australian Im quiet comfortable with what and who i am, and im also quiet comfortable where Australia fits into my life as i am comfortable with whom you are and with where Australia fits into your life, therefor there is absolutely no reason why i should criticise what you think as there is absolutely no reason why you should criticise me or anybody else for that matter

This is one of the greatest posts of all time and my sentiments exactly.

[ForzaChievo]

But it seems your support for your 2 European clubs are bigger than that of your Australian club as your sigs suggest right??? Listen, i would never debate with you who you support more and i expect the same of you, however just for the record, ill support both Australia and Greece in the World Cup and would be ecstatic if either won the tournament, but when it coms to what i am, the answer is simple. Im a Greek who lives in Australia regardless of where i was born because i was born in Australia and it didnt stop people like you calling me a "W.OG", amazing how all of a sudden you want me to be Australian Im quiet comfortable with what and who i am, and im also quiet comfortable where Australia fits into my life as i am comfortable with whom you are and with where Australia fits into your life, therefor there is absolutely no reason why i should criticise what you think as there is absolutely no reason why you should criticise me or anybody else for that matter

This post, is one major generalisation.

[goal!!!]

oh cry cry ... italy get easy groups, what a load of crap ! i take it when engalnd got easy draws where they didnt have to play any tough teams the still didnt make it.

its a draw its not like they rig it - every seeded team is placed and then drawn from a ball as too which group, any team can be drawn : )

so stop winning brazil had an easy one a few years back so it all works out in the wash. basically any team if they are good enough will make it and then its up to the team / coach to pull in a miracle

[Stevie G Anfield Legend]

I dont recall Italy's group being easy in 06 ? This group on the other hand....

[Eduardo Caroccio]

Italys group isnt the hardest but at the end of the day if your making the world cup you must be decent. World football has slowly been alot more competitive and on any day a smaller nation can beat a bigger nation, obviously the bigger teams are always going to be favourites but anything can happen. If Italy dont make it no doubt it will be a dissapointing effort but stranger things have happened.

[Costanza Philosophy]

its a draw its not like they rig it - every seeded team is placed and then drawn from a ball as too which group

Contradiction in itself. Having different teams deliberately put in different bowls is a form of rigging (ie so that certain teams cannot meet each other). If you want a completely unrigged draw all thirty two balls would have gone in one bowl and drawn from that.

[COLOSSUS]

its a draw its not like they rig it - every seeded team is placed and then drawn from a ball as too which group

Contradiction in itself. Having different teams deliberately put in different bowls is a form of rigging (ie so that certain teams cannot meet each other). If you want a completely unrigged draw all thirty two balls would have gone in one bowl and drawn from that.

What a load of bollocks. So there should be seeds. The World Cup would be laughable and a joke if you got Italy, Brazil, Argentina and England in one group while haveing New Zealand, Honduras, South Africa & Algeria in another. Seedings are there because the teams that are consistently good are rewarded and thats the way it should be. Apart from Pot 1 which were seeded, the rest of the Pots were divided by Geographical location which in my opinion was another master stroke by FIFA. Who wants to see teams that were pitted against each other in the qualifying campaign again play each other in the group stages of the World Cup Finals??? Anyone??? Stop your complaining and accpet it like every other nation does. Could you imagine Rodger Federer and the Spaniard Nadal having to face each other in the first round of every major tennis tournament??? You wouldnt be seeing the true champions of the game progress and you certainly wouldnt be getting a fair indication of how good every player really is. At least with seedings, you get that

[Kitchimo]

Italy, Brazil, Spain on the same side of the draw. If England were ever going to make a World Cup Final, it would be 2010.

[Chelsea4thewin]

its going to take something special to knock spain off

[Costanza Philosophy]

Could you imagine Rodger Federer and the Spaniard Nadal having to face each other in the first round of every major tennis tournament??? You wouldnt be seeing the true champions of the game progress and you certainly wouldnt be getting a fair indication of how good every player really is. At least with seedings, you get that

Bollocks. The true champion should be able to beat his competition at any stage of the tournament.

[Ga Pala]

maybe go and watch some seinfeld and have a think about your daft comments

[Costanza Philosophy]

Who wants to see teams that were pitted against each other in the qualifying campaign again play each other in the group stages of the World Cup Finals???

That could quite easily have happened. I remember Norway playing Slovenia in Euro 2000 group matches despite qualifying from the same group. Had the runners up of the five European seeds qualified there was every possibility they could have been drawn in the same group.

As for your two hypothetical groups.... it's no different to manchester united being drawn to play Chelsea in an FA Cup tie whilst Scunthorpe get Burton Albion. It's luck of the draw.

[Costanza Philosophy]

Seedings are there because the teams that are consistently good are rewarded

Oh yeah, great world cup pedigree Spain.

[adriano10]

he's probably still bitter about Australia losing to us in round of 16. Australia are not an easy side to beat and they proved that in 2006. To say Ukraine were an easy side, is a joke as well, they had one of the best strikers in the world in their ranks at the time and were a good side!

You're not Australian? :?

in football i've always gone for Italia on the international level, as Australia never really competed in many tournaments when i was growing up. Hard to just start following Australia in 2006 after following Italia since World Cup 94 (earliest tourney i remember as a kid)

Now you're just telling people what I tell you I've told everyone who hammers me about this haha!