Czech Republic's Vladimir Smicer: "It's a tough group. The chances are even for everyone to go through. You can't say that us or Italy are the favorites."
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Nick Against the World (93 Viewers)
- Thread starter IncuboRossonero
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Erik said:
Group of death? Wanna trade?
And to top that off; *if* we were to progress, it's likely we would meet Portugal who knocked us out of Euro2004
And to top that off; *if* we were to progress, it's likely we would meet Portugal who knocked us out of Euro2004
but, it seems that you guys always get thrown under the bus lately...I thought of you when I saw the grouping, Erik
A bit off the topic....
but here's my joke of the day-
Wal-Mart Diagnosis
One day, in line at a company cafeteria, Joe said to Mike behind him,
"My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I better see a doctor."
"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replied.
"There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine
sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about
it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars... a lot cheaper than a
doctor."
So Joe put a urine sample in a small jar and took it to Wal-Mart. He
deposited ten dollars, and the computer lit up and asked for the urine
sample. He poured the sample into the slot and waited.
Ten seconds later, the computer printed out the following message:
You have tennis elbow. Soak it in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It
will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart.
That afternoon, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe
began wondering if the computer could be fooled. When he got home,
he mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from
his wife and daughter and his own sperm sample for good measure,
and hurried to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results.
He deposited ten dollars, poured in his concoction, and awaited the
results. The computer lit up, and ten seconds later printed the following:
1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener kit. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant, twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart
but here's my joke of the day-
Wal-Mart Diagnosis
One day, in line at a company cafeteria, Joe said to Mike behind him,
"My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I better see a doctor."
"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replied.
"There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine
sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about
it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars... a lot cheaper than a
doctor."
So Joe put a urine sample in a small jar and took it to Wal-Mart. He
deposited ten dollars, and the computer lit up and asked for the urine
sample. He poured the sample into the slot and waited.
Ten seconds later, the computer printed out the following message:
You have tennis elbow. Soak it in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It
will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart.
That afternoon, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe
began wondering if the computer could be fooled. When he got home,
he mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from
his wife and daughter and his own sperm sample for good measure,
and hurried to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results.
He deposited ten dollars, poured in his concoction, and awaited the
results. The computer lit up, and ten seconds later printed the following:
1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener kit. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant, twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart
Smicer: 'It's 50-50 for everyone'
"I think it's a very tough group, because all four teams have a good chance of qualifying for the next round," said the Bordeaux midfielder.
"We know about Italy, but Ghana is one of the best teams in Africa and the US improve every year. I have to see more games and then I'll know more about our chances, but I think it's a very tough group and the chances are 50-50 for everybody."
He added: "But it's normal, we're playing at the World Cup so it's normal that you are in a difficult group."
After an opening game against the United States, the Czechs face Ghana before a potentially all-important last-game clash with Italy in Hamburg.
But Smicer said colliding with the group's other superpower in the third game - rather than the first - was to his team's advantage by giving them a chance to gain a foothold in the competition.
"I think it's good we're playing Italy in the last game. The first game is very important, I think it's very, very important," said Smicer.
'NEDVED MAKES US STRONGER'
"It doesn't matter if you're playing the favourite or the worst team in the group, but it's important to start the tournament well.
"So we'll be focussing mainly on the first game and then we will see after that. The first game is the most important."
And with Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved bringing himself out of international retirement to inspire his side in the play-off win over Norway to achieve a place in Germany, Smicer says the team has its heartbeat back.
"Of course he's a very important player for us. He's a big character, the confidence he gives us and we feel stronger with him," he said of Nedved, who quit the Czech team after Euro 2004.
"It was very important he came back against Norway. He must be very happy playing against Italy, so we can use his experience. And we've got [Tomas] Ujfalusi and [Marek] Jankulovski playing in Italian football and that can only help us."
BRAZIL LURKING
But Smicer recognised that - with the Group E runner-up playing the winner of Group F, containing defending champions and overwhelming favourites Brazil - the showdown with Italy could be decisive for the fate of the two countries.
"It's not a good draw for us from this point of view as we could play Brazil," admitted Smicer. "Maybe it could be very important playing Italy in the last game as we could be playing for first place in the group.
"At the moment, it looks like even second place is not good enough. It looks like only first place is going to be important. So from this point of view, this draw is even harder now."
"I think it's a very tough group, because all four teams have a good chance of qualifying for the next round," said the Bordeaux midfielder.
"We know about Italy, but Ghana is one of the best teams in Africa and the US improve every year. I have to see more games and then I'll know more about our chances, but I think it's a very tough group and the chances are 50-50 for everybody."
He added: "But it's normal, we're playing at the World Cup so it's normal that you are in a difficult group."
After an opening game against the United States, the Czechs face Ghana before a potentially all-important last-game clash with Italy in Hamburg.
But Smicer said colliding with the group's other superpower in the third game - rather than the first - was to his team's advantage by giving them a chance to gain a foothold in the competition.
"I think it's good we're playing Italy in the last game. The first game is very important, I think it's very, very important," said Smicer.
'NEDVED MAKES US STRONGER'
"It doesn't matter if you're playing the favourite or the worst team in the group, but it's important to start the tournament well.
"So we'll be focussing mainly on the first game and then we will see after that. The first game is the most important."
And with Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved bringing himself out of international retirement to inspire his side in the play-off win over Norway to achieve a place in Germany, Smicer says the team has its heartbeat back.
"Of course he's a very important player for us. He's a big character, the confidence he gives us and we feel stronger with him," he said of Nedved, who quit the Czech team after Euro 2004.
"It was very important he came back against Norway. He must be very happy playing against Italy, so we can use his experience. And we've got [Tomas] Ujfalusi and [Marek] Jankulovski playing in Italian football and that can only help us."
BRAZIL LURKING
But Smicer recognised that - with the Group E runner-up playing the winner of Group F, containing defending champions and overwhelming favourites Brazil - the showdown with Italy could be decisive for the fate of the two countries.
"It's not a good draw for us from this point of view as we could play Brazil," admitted Smicer. "Maybe it could be very important playing Italy in the last game as we could be playing for first place in the group.
"At the moment, it looks like even second place is not good enough. It looks like only first place is going to be important. So from this point of view, this draw is even harder now."
I actually think its a pretty flat draw... theres no real group of death... Though some of the major teams have a slightly harder start, All the groups are fairly straight forward with 2 real favourites each...
Of course there is room for a slip up.. you allways get at least one.. but probably the flattest draw in many a competition...
Though of course its well set up to see all the decent sides in the last 16 and as such what should be a really entertaining tournament with no easy matches from the very first knockout round...
Of course there is room for a slip up.. you allways get at least one.. but probably the flattest draw in many a competition...
Though of course its well set up to see all the decent sides in the last 16 and as such what should be a really entertaining tournament with no easy matches from the very first knockout round...
Seven said:
Holland are sooo screwed 
.
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BTW, what is with this pathetic obsession with Holland in the Flemish media? I had to check some stuff for a report and there's this complete focus on our national team all throughout. All we do is share a language, that's it ffs. Get off, will yer?
