If it wasn't thanks to Pim, the stats would of been worse for this yr :)


What do you think about the FourFourTwo article Ball 'Not to Blame for Lack of Goals'?
THE manufacturers of the World Cup ball, the Jabulani, are stunned at suggestions that it is responsible for the lack of goals scored so far in the tournament.

Have your say.

the ball cant win,

Defensive football is responsible for the lack of goals so far in the tournament. But that's not to say that the ball has been good, You can see that the players are struggling with long range shots and passes and overcompensating for its weight difference and curious aerodynamic nature.

Watching all the WC games, it's becoming obvious that the Jabulani has alot to answer for.. a very little amount of players are appearing confident on the ball, everyone is constantly misjudging the descent of the ball.

I also believe that the majority of cross's are going up and coming down at less acute angles than we and the players are used to - which is wiping off alot of the offensive speed and making it easier to defend.

There also seems to be more 'heavier' touches with the Jabulani running away more often we are used to seeing..

Supposedly the lightest ball yet - great fucking idea when you've got games at altitude!

Dunno where this "fact" comes from but I've seen it a lot.

The Jabulani is 440g - balls must be 410-450g with a 5g tolerance, so it's as close to the heaviest any ball can be within FIFA's rules.

It's just the aerodynamics of it that are causing the issues.

Shot from outside the box = death for someone in row Z, everytime...

it's a crap ball and everyone knows it except adidas. glad I didnt spend 200 dollars on this ball or whatever the price is for it.

Teams do seem a little more defensive but that does come across when we've seen a few teams draw. Argentina for example had plenty of chances to score so its not like teams aren't trying.

I saw Jamie Carragher sugggesting that the four-goal Germans had a big advantage because they've been using the German-made ball for longer than anyone. But the Jabalani has been on the shelves for months, hasn't it? So it's really just a case of preparation...

i dont think its the ball, i dont think the teams have been attacking as much as they could.

This is one of the poorest standards of WC I have seen so far. The games are all poor technically and even the good teams appear flat. The tempo of most games has been way behind what you usually see at this level.

Could it also be to do with the fact that the European seasons appear to be getting harder and harder each year on the players and by the time they get to the WC, they are just over it? Or is it the altitude of many games? Could be a combination of factors. Could also be the fact players have had enough of those damn horns. They are shocking to hear when trying to watch the game and add nothing to the games at all. You do not even hear cheering or any change in the atmosphere when a goal goes in. Its monotone all the way through. Really can not be easy for the players to concentrate and communicate.

The ball does appear a major issue, whether FIFA and Adidas would admit that though as a reason, I severely doubt it.

So true about Argentina. They should have won 6-0 or more. They totally outclassed the Nigerian team, some would say even more so than Germany did to Australia. Yet, Argentina could not score more goals and Germany did. Most of it all was luck and a great goalkeeping effrt by the Nigerian keeper, who was so lucky to get a finger or a leg to a few Messi shots:)

Jabalani Ball not to blame for lack of goals? Bullshit.

My bad, thanks for clearing that up Kevin.

The Chileans last night appeared to have no issues with the ball last night along with the Spanish