French now favorites in World Cup?
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I'd prefer them or the Russians. Definitely not the Belgians!
shareFrance vs England final
shareYou KNOW this?
Sounds like the best and worst of Canada coming together.
I think I know which one you meant as the worst. Thankfully the English-French divide in Canada seems to be over. No one talks about separatism anymore. I wouldn't mind Belgium beating France however.
shareI would!
shareAll is quiet on the beach. Very nice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpWzW_2ab-Q
Yeah, where are all those Germans???!!!
shareI think a France and England finale would be tops!
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Oh? What exactly is your problem with the Belgians, LDG?
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They're a nasty bunch. They're our neighbours and speak the same language, so I should know.
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So there's a whole Netherlands - Belgium gang war going on eh LDG? Who are the Sharks, and who are the Jets?
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Obviously, we are the cool ones!π
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So are you the Sharks or the Jets?
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The Puerto Ricans just expected another country to give them money for sitting on their lazy asses, right? Typically Belgian!
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So I guess in this street gang war, you're saying that you're the Jets.
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I can never remember which is which. We're definitely the better dancers, though.
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The Sharks were the PRs. The Jets were the Americans.
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Okay, I guess we're Americans then!
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Yeah, then you're the Jets! Cool beans!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twbuT1V5mFE
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Mother Russia
sharea crap country
shareWhy so nasty, Mitch? Russia has a very rich culture and history.
shareRun by a bunch of gangsters. I don't think its culture and history are that rich.
shareAs opposed to Canada???
shareWe free people (like the Dutch) we don't imprison them.
shareWe do imprison people, Mitch.
sharecriminals sure
shareHow do you know the Russians don't imprison criminals?
Also, there's more to Russia than just its political leaders. I guess you also take a huge dump on Italy?
Didn't the Russians shoot down a Dutch airliner a few years ago ?? You are forgiving I will grant you that.
Italy has moved beyond its fascist past.
Not the Russians, Mitch. Ukranian seperatists supported by Russia. But I don't know what to think about that. There's just as much a chance the Ukranians did it. Every party has their own motive for pointing the finger at the other.
I think it's absolutely awful those people died, but the plane should not have flown there.
Italy has not moved beyond its corruption. That doesn't take away from its rich history and culture, though.
Your own government holds Russia responsible. You sound like croft. Russia has never been a democracy or anything close to it.
shareThey say Russia shares responsibility. But my government says a lot of things. Most of it is bullshit.
That's a childish thing to say, Mitch. Should I call you a Soros troll bot? Or how about calling Canada a crap country because your prime minister thinks it's okay to sexually assault women? I won't apologize for having an independent and critical mind.
Comparing Trudeau to Putin or Canada to Russia just doesn't hold up. You believe the Russians more so than your own government. It maybe time to leave.
shareWow, just wow.π You know, maybe I'll go to Hungary, I rather like their president.
Mitch, I never said I believe the Russians more, I said that I don't know who to believe. Too much politics involved. My government is nothing but a mouthpiece of the EU.
And too much politics involved in this discussion. My point was actually that it's possible to look beyond politics and appreciate a country for more than that. It's not necessary to diss a country just because another poster would like to see them win the World Cup.
By the way, CΓ©line Dion is enough reason to call Canada a crap country!
You seem to have no problem dissing Belgium or Germany.
shareWell, when I "dissed Germany" I was actually dissing Canada (Canadian comedians, to be more precise).
Dissing Belgians is a part of being Dutch. Nothing to do with politics. Besides, Belgian culture has absolutely nothing to offer.
Enlighten me about Belgium. They seem like an innocuous country to me but I don't know a great deal about it. This is a serious question.
shareWell, they're actually a breeding ground for terrorists, so not that innocuous. But they also like to talk crap about us and want us to pay for everything. And what could be more arrogant than constantly praising your own modesty? I'd love to get along better with a country that has the same language and culture, but they don't seem very willing because of some inferiority complex. It seems that every time I come across a Belgian tourist they give an attitude once they discover I'm Dutch.
Don't turn me into some bad guy. Just ask any Belgian, they wouldn't support us either. In fact, they wanted us to lose the finale against Spain in 2010.
PTI LDG, but Canada is a GREAT country! Russia is the Crap country! And what do you have against Celine Dion, or are you jesting again?
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Never mind, I know better than to antagonize a CΓ©line fan!
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I'm not really a fan, but she's a good singer.
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Uhm, sure, if you say so...
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She sings a heck of a lot better than I do.
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She sings the Russian national anthem very well.
shareGot a video? I actually quite like Russia's national anthem. It's better than "O Canada".
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Perhaps, but Russia is still a crap country!
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Now who's being feisty today?!
If I were a Russian
member of this site who didn't even vote for Putin, I should just be happy with that kind of talk? There was no reason for Mitch to make this political.
Does Holland even have a national anthem ??
shareEven Belgium has one...
shareyes they do - sounds like a funeral march
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1VZG7S1oek
No, it's one of the best in the world.
You could try and reply to me directly, you know.
DAAMMNN! The Dutch National Anthem DOES sound like a funeral march. What's up with that, LDG?
No offense, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near the best in the world.
BTW, the best imho, is "The Star Spangled Banner"! Now THAT is a National Anthem with power and majesty!
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DAAMMNN! The Dutch National Anthem DOES sound like a funeral march.
What's up with that National Anthem, LDG??
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She does? I looked on YouTube, and could not find that.
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Amen, hownos! Lots of folks rotting in the Gulag!
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Yes it is!
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Russia (and FIFA) would look really bad on International eyes if they win the World Cup. I'm not suggesting that they should not win, but speculations will surely be rampant.
shareIf the Russians will win fairly,there won't be any speculations
shareThing is, in football it's really hard to say something is fair or unfair. The ref has very powerful role in any match. It's just part of the game.
Russian team's football prowess does not have high reputation either. It's like if Korea or Japan won the World Cup in Korea/Japan, or South Africa won the World Cup in South Africa. They surely would fuel speculations too, whether true or not.
However, France was also won the World Cup in France. Fortunately, they backed up that win with really successful careers of France players AFTER the World Cup, like Zidane, Dessailly, Barthez, etc. so the speculations waned.
Russians players, if they won this World Cup, have to prove themselves to be deserving the win afterwards.
Totally agreed
shareDoes anyone remember Greece winning the European Cup? Fake as hell, but no one asked any questions.
shareBut it was held in Portugal in which the host country, Portugal itself, LOST.
shareBut the point is that Greek football sucked and still sucks, and NO ONE was asking questions. I'm not sure why it's more suspicious if the host country wins. Fifa still organizes the whole thing, so it's ALWAYS suspicious.
And remember, South Korea was able to reach the semi-finals in 2002. Absolutely ridiculous, but everyone seemed to think it was cute.
Well, I don't know why. I'm just saying if Russia, reputation wise a not very strong football team, as the host country win the World Cup held in Russia there will be speculations.
As it would also be if Korea or Japan actually won the World Cup in Korea/Japan. But they only got the 3rd place so nobody ain't saying nothing. I, too, think it was cute.
It wasn't cute at all! Their Dutch coach wasn't even able to help the Dutch national team qualify for the European Championship. How can he take South Korea to the semi-final?! Completely fake. If Russia pays enough money to Fifa, they will win. Armstrong kept winning even though people were asking questions. The only reason people will be suspicious is because of the political climate.
shareIt was cute. Who are you to decide something is cute or not?
There is also motive to consider. Greece winning Euro has no motive. Why would Greece pays FIFA loads of money to win a cup held in Portugal? So random.
Portugal has more reasons to bribe FIFA, but they lost! Why would there be some accusations? Thus, there was none.
Korean winnings in 2002 might be (or might be not) rigged. But they are not important enough because they did not even win the cup. Nobody cares about some random losers in the end.
Why do you even watch the World Cup if you think everything is rigged anyway?
I could ask you the same. Who are you to say it's cute? Corruption is NOT cute.
Winning the cup is all about prestige and money, so that's why. You think the maFifA is going to leave things up to coincidence? It's also obvious Greece bought the 2004 Olympics, by the way, and it caused them to go bankrupt.
Nobody thought South Korea were a bunch of losers, it brought them a lot of positive attention.
I actually don't watch pro sports anymore exactly because of the corruption.
Oh come on, LDG! Sour grapes, and poor sportsmanship?? Are you reading the words you are typing???
And apparently Russia didn't fork over enough Rubles to FIFA, cause they lost.
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Sour grapes over what? I'm just being a realist.
That's what I already said, they didn't have enough dough.
"Sour grapes over what?" ?? Are you reading the words you're typing, LDG?
1. You called it "fake".
2. Then you accused FIFA of letting Russia win if they were paid enough.
3. Then you implied that the Cup was being determined by politics!
LDG, if that's not "sour grapes", I don't know what is.
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Sour grapes suggests I'm jealous over something. I'm simply a skeptic when it comes to pro sports.
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Sour grapes suggest that you are coming up with all kinds of reasons your team isn't in the Cup, other than the real reason: they're just not good enough. My country's team has the same problem. They're just not good enough, and I admit it.
And with all this Belgium Bashing you're doing, I think I may just root for them, LDG.
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When did I ever bring up the Dutch national team??? It's my view on pro sports in general. Don't make unfounded assumptions about me. I think it's terribly naive to think the maFifa would just leave things up to coincidence.
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You did mention the Dutch National Team above. And you sound like you're very cynical, LDG.
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That was just a comment on how not very competent the guy is. South Korea hadn't achieved anything until 2002. He would've needed YEARS to get them anywhere.
How can you not be cynical with guys like Lance Armstrong?
You implied that pro sports were fixed. In LA's case, that wasn't a case of fixing. That was doping, LDG.
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They knew for years and they let him get away it. In the end, he just made too many enemies.
Just like Froome now. Everyone knows what he's doing, but they're still protecting him.
So all pro sports are fixed?
Froome was cleared, LDG.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/jul/02/chris-froome-4-time-tour-de-france-winner-cleared/
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Yeah, not very believable. Your American champion Greg Lemond seems to believe he's a cheater.
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And you believe everything Mr. Lemond says, LDG?
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Well, I'm always skeptical. But after Armstrong, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He certainly isn't the only one saying this. Do you have a problem believing your fellow countryman?
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Sometimes, LDG.
Wow! The two TV shows were excellent! They showed how America won WW II!
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PS And he was caught, and stripped of his title. So the sport is not fixed.
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or when Iraq won the Asian cup right after the (never-ending) war about 10 yrs ago... I think it's less subtle - maybe 1 billion = 1 call (that could have gone either way)
shareGoodbye Russia
shareWhat?
sharethey lost
shareIt happens
shareNo worries, they'll beat Canada in hockey at the next Olympics!
sharePerhaps
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They're not going to win ANY way. They were just squashed by Croatia!
Yes, I said CROATIA! Russia with a population of 144 Million was just embarrassed by Croatia, a country with a population of 4.15 Million! If I were the Russian Team, I would leave the country immediately. The KGB is going to be looking for them.
And you owe me a Hot Fudge Sundae, Croft! Hee! Hee!
GO CROATIA!
PS Maybe Romania can whup Russia in the next World Cup. I'll be rooting for Romania!
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Fine,I need full name and adress and don't forget the zipp code
shareI would love for so many folks to be pissed off.
shareI think it'll be Belgium v England in the final next Sunday.
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That would be very cool! Since the US doesn't have a team in the Cup, one of our local sportscasters has adopted Belgium. Don't tell Stratego about this though. She's Dutch, and she hates the Belgians for some strange reason.
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If you knew the Belgians, you wouldn't like them either!
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I've been to Belgium and The Netherlands, and the people in both were delightful!
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You must've met Dutch people without realizing it!
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Right. Your arguments grow weaker and weaker, LDG.
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What's your argument? "I've been to Belgium only once and don't even speak the language."
Funny how I get abuse for not wanting Belgium to win the World Cup, but you two can call Russia and its citizens "crap", "the worst", etc.
When did you get abuse? We simply asked why you didn't like the Belgians. And we still don't know why.
It appears to be a personality clash.
But I do know the Russians. Please see my earlier reply, LDG.
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At least it's not simply because I don't like their political leaders.
You and Mitch need to reread your posts. I don't want Belgium to win. Deal with it, instead of bashing my country or mocking my views or accusing me of not knowing what I'm talking about.
I'm not bashing your country. You need to reread my posts. I'm just trying to figure out why you hate Belgians so much, and I'm coming up empty. And I stated my opinion about your national anthem. It's a funeral dirge.
And who is Mitch?
And isn't it past your bedtime, LDG?
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You're wrong, it's a beautiful anthem. See how I don't feel the need to bash your anthem, just because I disagree with you?
I explained why I dislike the Belgians, but you just refuse to believe me. They're jerks, particularly to us Dutch.
Okay fine. Whatever.
And I never said the Belgians were the most wonderful people in the world. I just said I liked them (and the Dutch). But if you insist on comparing them to the obnoxious Ruskies, they ARE wonderful by comparison.
Isn't it past your bedtime, LDG?
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The Belgians are worse than the Russians don't forget.
shareYou love mocking me, don't you?
And yes, as a people they actually are.
Nope! Please see my response to Hownos.
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I think I know better than you.
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If you're still comparing the Belgians to the Russians, no you don't. The Russians are the worst people that I've ever encountered in all the 29 countries I've visited, including Russia and Ukraine. They're especially
obnoxious in their own crap country.
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Never had a bad experience with a Russian. I go the Belgium at least once a year, there's always a jerk.
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Then you obviously have not encountered many Russians, LDG.
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I know I've met WAY more Belgians than you, though.
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But I've encountered WAY more Russians than you, LDG.
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So you don't know for sure either if they're worse than Belgians, hmm???
Well, at least the Russians are a real people and not made up like the Belgians.
Yes I do actually. I've never encountered a nasty Belgian, but I've encountered dozens if not hundreds of obnoxious Ruskies.
BTW, gotta take a break and watch some TV.
Why don't you get some sleep, LDG?
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And I could say:
Yes I do actually. I've never encountered a nasty Russian, but I've encountered dozens if not hundreds of obnoxious Belgian Waffles.
Maybe the conclusion is that they're both not the most pleasant people in the world? (Even though your friend Trump seems to like those Russians!)
Funny. BTW I LOVE Belgian Waffles.
No, my conclusion is still that the Belgians are nice folks, and the Russkies are obnoxious pigs. And how much time have you spent in Russia? I spent three
weeks there, so I know what I'm talking about.
And no, President Trump does not like Russia. That is a nonsensical Leftist Lie. The bastards on the Left are very skilled at lying. They do it all the time.
And they have become what they CLAIM they are against: Fascists, Racists and Terrorists. The American Left is the largest HATE Group in the world!
As the great Dr. Michael Savage says, "Liberalism is a mental disease."
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Funny. BTW I LOVE Belgian Waffles.
No, my conclusion is still that the Belgians are nice folks, and the Russkies are obnoxious pigs. And how much time have you spent in Russia? I spent three
weeks there, so I know what I'm talking about.
And no, President Trump does not like Russia. That is a nonsensical Leftist Lie. The bastards on the Left are very skilled at lying. They do it all the time.
And they have become what they CLAIM they are against: Fascists, Racists and Terrorists. The American Left is the largest HATE Group in the world!
As the great Dr. Michael Savage says, "Liberalism is a mental disease."
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Belgians are rude and obnoxious to your LDG and you call them nice. How
disrespectful.
All I said was I never met a nasty Belgian, LDG. Apparently you and they have a personality clash. Sorry if you feel like you're being disrespected, cause you're not.
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It's not a personality clash. I mean, the Portuguese are very mediterranean and I'm okay with them. Like I told Mitch, I would like for us to get along better. No, it's about them being total jerks to us and only wanting our money. Don't feel sorry for them, they desperately wanted us to lose the finale against Spain in 2010.
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In the LDG's mind.
The Belgians are much better than the Russians imho. Russia is a crap country, and they
make the world's worst tourists: loud, rude and pushy. And I know because I've visited
29 countries, including Russia and Ukraine, and the Russians were always obnoxious!
I've been to Belgium, and I found the people to be delightful!
PS The Dutch were delightful also. But the Russians are the WORST!
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We call Russians rude and crude. They don't seem to integrate very well and some refuse to learn English after being here for years. They are also notorious for being involved in fraud.
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You're being way too polite in your description, How! They're arrogant, rude, crude, lewd, loud,
pushy and obnoxious! They're the most obnoxious people I've ever encountered in 30 years of traveling
to 29 countries. They also have a vicious, ruthless and obnoxious Mafia!
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