Comments on: Pop World Cup 2010: Group D – Australia 1 Germany 1

By: Matt DC

Matt DC — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:35:49 +0000

Tightest game yet!

By: Garry

Garry — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:13:52 +0000

A bore draw. Both teams will need extra verve to progress.

By: weej

weej — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:17:48 +0000

A poor performance from the Australians here, and the Germans seem content to settle for a no-score draw until they get a couple of surprise goals in the second half.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:59:55 +0000

Last few hours of voting on this one – good turnout already here though.

By: CarsmileSteve

CarsmileSteve — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:00:59 +0000

who would have thought we see a day where the germans relied so heavily on english skill and creativity?! as pete rightly points out, all holloway road all the time this one.

shame the sax break fades out, but i think the germans have it…

By: Birdseed

Birdseed — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:56:07 +0000

Germany has always been accused of playing a boring game, but beneath often lurks both quality and quirkiness, as here. Whereas australia picks up what must be the most hateful formation of the past decades – late-90s french house – with its irritating and useless faux-funk sweeper crippling any buildup. Easy win for Germany!

By: Matt DC

Matt DC — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:17:07 +0000

The big teams do appear to be putting in fairly subdued early performances but here’s hoping they’ll pick up as the tournament progresses.

By: lex

lex — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:13:40 +0000

Oh Jesus Christ no, no, no.

I’ve come across Sneaky Sound System before. Blog-house as reimagined by the clientele of a Walkabout pub in Shepherds Bush. Nein danke.

But the GER track is just HORRIBLE. The voice, what the actual fuck. He sounds like an actual tramp and his song stinks accordingly.

AUS would win by default but I can’t bring myself to endorse Sneaky Sound System even by accident, so I’ll sit this one out.

Like the ENG/USA match, these are two teams I’d have thought had a ton of potential, so again it’s sad to see it going to waste.

By: Steve Mannion

Steve Mannion — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:36:14 +0000

I think the Aussies take this but it’s a narrow win in a game with only a few chances. I’m expecting big things from both sides in the remaining games and perhaps they’re saving better for later.

By: jeff w

jeff w — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:32:42 +0000

First of all, it’s so nice to see this game played out on the first truly quality pitch of the tournament (i.e. on my hi fi as opposed to my phone).

When the Aussie team was playing in the Pop Premiership, I picked them out as one of my favourites of that particular week and going back to the song three years later it still sounds fresh. On the other hand, it will take a good team to beat any graduate of the Joe Meek league. My thanks to Germany’s manager for making me listen to this outside of its usual context (viz The Alchemist of Pop – Home Made Hits and Rarities 1959-1966).

Conclusion? Erm, I’m still on the fence.

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:24:44 +0000

I took against Heinz in Telstar, the Joe Meek story, so take against him here too. And while, yes, he was born in Germany nearly everything else in the Germany entry is actually a Holloway Road entry instead.

The Aussie track is perfectly acceptable against the the Germans and an easy win for me.

By: koganbot

koganbot — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:40:51 +0000

The Aussies strangely have a captain who sounds as if she’s spent her formative years gamboling in the pale quirk fields of southern Sweden. One fears that a reasonably solid opposition would run right through her; fortunately for Australia, this is the year in Germany where the bulky have given way to the quaint. So, while quirk girl helms an enthusiastic bunch who can run circles around the German geriatrics, the latter have little more than faith in their style, which they lack the technical ability to execute.

By: Jonathan Bogart logged out

Jonathan Bogart logged out — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:51:46 +0000

The crowd reaction on this one is instructive! (Though of course the punters who roar the loudest aren’t always the ones who decide the match.)

Generally you want to watch a match like this several times over to get a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides, but here a single viewing was enough for me to make up my mind.

Germany’s pulling out one of the creakiest formations in the playbook, one with which both America and England have had success, though not in many decades. And although they put a typically Teutonic spin on it — the well-drilled repetition of the defensive side puts me in mind of more recent German teams, especially the great Czukay and Florian squads of the 70s — it is ultimately too limited and ineffectual a game against an Australian side that bulldozes them in both energy and imagination.

Which isn’t to say the Australian team doesn’t have its weaknesses; they’re too pleased with themselves by half, relying heavily on a star striker with more flair than stamina, and against a team less stolidly traditional than the Germans’ I could see them falling apart by the half. But this game is what’s being played, and Australia dominates the pitch in one of the biggest blowouts yet in the series.

By: Garry

Garry — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:19:29 +0000

Oh, and I should add ARIA nominations are not necessarily the best judge of quality. That said, TISM and Ed Kuepper both have well-deserved and unexpected gongs.

By: Garry

Garry — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:15:46 +0000

As an Australian, I’m a bit worried about the Poperoos chances overall, and think emulating the German’s tactics of fielding veterans should have been considered. That said, in this case, I feel the German’s rough and ready gameplay here may be undone by the Australian slickness.

By: Matt DC

Matt DC — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:09:31 +0000

This is an easy win for the Germans as far as I’m concerned. The Australia track is a bit ‘peppy excercise video soundtrack’ for my liking and in my opinion the Aussies should spend less time warming up and more time playing.

This isn’t the game I expected Germany to play but very enjoyable nonetheless.

By: Elephant Rob

Elephant Rob — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:27:38 +0000

Hmm. Either the refs have been bought off (they are called Sneaky after all) or I had too much to drink at half-time: somehow I voted for Australia before I even heard the tracks. Ah well, it’s probably my fault, even though I thought Germany played a very unexpected game.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:21:55 +0000

Well done ChrisB. That’s more like it. SSS are so farkin’ Sydney it’s almost painful, but this match is still over (3-0) by half-time.

By: mm

mm — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:07:04 +0000

Not the most engaging match for me. Think I might go for a prolonged toilet break and just look at the hallways of the stadium.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:25:56 +0000

No no it’s fine! I organised the League of Pop and I couldn’t even remember it being there, though I guess this explains why I knew the track! Accidental crossovers are fine – if anyone puts forward a track that’s already been at the PWC06 or Europop08 I’ll disallow it, but I’d let them know as early as I could so they could pick another.

By: ChrisB

ChrisB — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:23:10 +0000

I had no idea! I didn’t expect SSS to be completely unknown, but I couldn’t find anything that would indicate having them suit up would be less than fair play.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:56:18 +0000

#4 I’d forgotten that! Since Chris wasn’t involved in that at all it certainly shouldn’t be held against him.

By: Linkblogging For 19/02/10 « Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!

Linkblogging For 19/02/10 « Sci-Ence! Justice Leak! — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:39:14 +0000

[...] And I have an entry in the Pop World Cup. Vote Heinz! [...]

By: jeff w

jeff w — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:39:07 +0000

Two songs I already know!

“Pictures” has an Orgafun pedigree IIRC. Ah yes, here we go:
http://community.livejournal.com/poptimists/330161.html

By: Martin Skidmore

Martin Skidmore — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:23:40 +0000

Germany have a very old fashioned back line here – mimicking the classic ‘Louie Louie’ style. I’m afraid their ’60s throwbacks may defend doggedly, but the slightly more modern glittery flashiness of the Australians wins out for me, though they probably need to beef up for other ties ahead.