Just seen Van Gaal's comments on the 3rd/4th place play-off game... please log in to view this image I've got some sympathy with him, is there any real interest in the third/fourth place game? Couldn't we just have a points system to decide the third/fourth places?
I disagree. Some of the best games have been the third place play off. 2010- Germany 3-2 Uruguay 2006- Germany 3-1 Portugal 2002- Turkey 3-2 South Korea Should they abandon the Bronze medal game at the Olympics?
It's different with the Olympics because the bronze medal has to be awarded to someone, third place is unnecessary in the World Cup, it should be winner and loser.
Well, "Our" media are still letting us know quite frequently that we won the bronze medal game in 1994... I reckon it's a bigger "happening" for the smaller football nations
It's usually a good game because they tend to play the fringe players who haven't featured with something to prove!
Agree Febbos. Look at who has won, Turkey, Croatia, Sweden and Poland. Hardly footballing super powers. I'm sure it means a lot in them countries to say they came third in the World Cup.
What does he mean " After they have played so well" they were crap, terrified to attack, played four times as many back passes than forward. Deserved to lose.
Aye I know. Just would have been nice for the fringe England players to get your memo. I hope they play Terence Kongolo. He's a good larker is Terry.
It's an absolute utter waste of ****ing time and makes no sense. Why do we need a team to come third and fourth? What about the quarter-final losers. They don't play off to see who finishes fifth to eighth. And the teams who never made it past the group stage. Who finished seventeenth? Or twenty-third? It's knockout football. Placement doesn't come into it. I never watch these travesties of football matches, even when England appeared in one, and I won't be wasting my Saturday night watching one this weekend.
Disagree with him . But, they only went through to semi due to the diving bastard that is Robben , so wouldn't be in third/fourth play-off . Cant remember him diving last night hence they never won.
1958 Germany 3-6 France ...Juste Fontaine scored 4 that day to bring his total up to 13 for that tournament...in 6 games....unlikely to ever be beaten in a single tournament. Was a great game...not just exhibition game standard. The final was a gem too Brazil 5-2 Sweden.
I didn't know that in the 74 and 78 World Cups there were no semi finals. Stage 1. 4 groups of 4 teams with the top two from each progressing. Stage 2. 2 groups of 4 with the top team going directly into the final. How mad is that?
I quite like the 3rd/4th place play-off. OK, it's fairly pointless but it's still an extra game of footy to watch. Often more open and entertaining than the final itself. I say this based purely on my memories of 1990 however, where England v Italy was infinitely better than the Germany v Argentina final despite ****e refereeing and Schillaci robbing us. Now that I think about it I can't really remember any others although I'm sure Bulgaria were in it in '94 - and it must have been better than the 1994 final which was dire. South Korea v Turkey in 2002 now springs to mind - can't remember the result though.
