Brazil v Holland

[Baines]

I did.

They'll win the next WC automatically. It's boring when the same teams win things the whole time.
Variety > Repetition

That's what I always say.

[handbags_harris]

Mind you I shall be hoping for a Holland v Spain final with Holland triumphing.

Holland v Germany final for me, with the Dutch winning. The closest thing you can get to war between two western European nations on a football pitch. When I lived in Germany I played for a team called Schwarz-Weiss Elmpt in a regional German league (played twice against the youth team of one Uwe Hartenberger's old side, Bayer Uerdingen ), all the parents and kids looked upon England as a rival but not the one to hate. The one to hate was, and always will be, the Netherlands.

[Sarah Star]

The one to hate was, and always will be, the Netherlands.

Why?

[PEARCEY]

The one to hate was, and always will be, the Netherlands.

Why?

I don't think the Dutch took too kindly to being occupied by the Nazis in WW2

[Sarah Star]

Unlike everyone else?

[PEARCEY]

Unlike everyone else?

I think the English press are very forgiving

[Archie's penalty]

It's also apparently due to the 1974 Dutch 'total football' side. After they scored a penalty in the first minute Holland toyed with the Germans in a 'we're totally better than you' way. The Germans won in the end.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Even the one goal that Brazil got was the result of some gift defending --I mean, a pass from the centre circle to a man forward inside the D, and one touch past the 'keeper and into goal?!?

Brazil did of course play some gorgeous football in spurts, but they were always vulnerable at the back to harassment from Dutch players in advanced positions --I was squawking about it during the first quarter of the match-- which if nothing else reduces rather significantly the number of Brazilian raids launched from the back over the course of 90 minutes

Defend from the front, etc

[FiNeRaIn]

ITV commentator At least we have an English speaking nation in the last 8
You could not make it up.

[Row Z Royal]

Ghana?

[handbags_harris]

Unlike everyone else?

I don't remember learning at school that Britain (and therefore read England) was occupied by the Germans

[Sarah Star]

I was thinking of every other country that was occupied by Germany ie France, Austria, Poland etc myself.

[handbags_harris]

Well they don't like them either. My ex-bos was half-Polish and I know the Poles hate them, and they've got the added extra of having Poles defect to Germany in Podolski, Klose, and one other recent one who's name escapes me. The Austrians hate them as well, and the French aren't fond of them either. But the mutual hatred lies between the Dutch and Germans, firstly because of the Nazi occupation, but it all started kicking off in 1974 as someone else mentioned. I don't suppose the Rijkaard/Voller flobgate episode helped matters either.

[Sarah Star]

Just wondered why it was particularly the Dutch. I shall be sure to remember this if I ever meet a Dutch - or Deutsch - man.

[Kitsondinho]

Also don't forget that the Dutch won their only major trophy (Euro 88) in Germany, after beating Germany in a very tasty semi-final......

[Sarah Star]

They do seem to remember these things for a long while before forgiving... bit like us and the "hand of god" I suppose.

[handbags_harris]

They do seem to remember these things for a long while before forgiving... bit like us and the "hand of god" I suppose.

Has any Englishman forgiven the Argies, or one particular fat coke-sniffing ephedrine fuelled Argy, for that? I don't know any who have...

[Sarah Star]

Hasn't been long enough yet. We need something big to wipe out the memory... like winning the World Cup.

[handbags_harris]

We could always nuke the whole country (whilst at the same time ensuring that the small band of 25000 Welsh-Argentines in the region of Chubut in southern Patagonia are entirely protected from nuclear destruction and subsequent fallout).

[Sarah Star]

Would give us a feeling of guilt so bad, we'd feel obliged to let any survivors win everything afterwards.