World Cup Competition!

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Hello Edugeekers!

 

As I'm sure the vast majority of you are aware... it all kicks off tomorrow! So to get the ball rolling I present you with Silicon Alley's World Cup Competition! I'm afraid this is limited to the UK-livers amongst us to make it nice and easy to get the prizes out and will be England focused.

 

What we are looking for is the scores for the first (and perhaps only) three England group games starting with:

 

England v Italy: Saturday 14th June 11pm

 

If you would like to enter, please email me (for ease of recording the guesses) your score predictions to [email protected] including your Edugeek screen-name, name, job title and place of work! You may also include some entertaining football puns, if we get enough of these I may be tempted to add an additional "Punniest Pun of World Cup 2014" prize to the mix. Emails received after 1pm on Saturday 14th June will not be accepted.

 

There will be a prize given to whoever guesses the correct score. If there are multiple correct guesses, a name will be pulled from a football boot!

 

The prize for each match will be an ASUS MemoPad ME173 and there will be a special, bonus prize given to anyone who manages to correctly score a hat-trick (predict all three matches)!

 

To begin with we are only accepting guesses for the first England game against Italy, we will post here when we open score predictions for the next match against Uruguay.

 

Just one guess per individual/institution, please! Trying to trick me with multiple guesses will result in a red card.

 

Any questions? Please don't hesitate to ask!

 

Many thanks,

 

Sam of the Silicon Alley.

Edited June 11, 2014 by SiliconAlley_Sam

[featured_spectre]

Entered by email!

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Thank you @nephilim!

 

Also just to let you all know that we will be running a separate but almost identical competition for our existing and prospective customers. If you get an email from us tomorrow about it, you can enter both if you wish!

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Prize for the hat-trick has been confirmed as a Samsung Ativ Tab 3! I am jealous. Very tempted to get one for myself.

 

Could you also please make it VERY clear when you email me your score predictions in terms of which team gets which score. I am football literate/not a numpty, just making sure that my behind is covered and there can be no situations as follows:

 

"I said 7-1 and I was right!"

"Yes but you (stupidly) said 7-1 England not 7-1 Brazil."

"I didn't specify actually!"

 

So if you could pretend you're talking to an idiot, that would be fantastic!

[fiza]

Email sent

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Oooo rush of entries there.

 

Thanks everyone and best of luck!

[CHR1S]

Entered thanks

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Thank you, keep 'em coming guys!

[featured_spectre]

Whats been the most outragious score you've seen so far?

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Nothing outrageous as of yet.

 

Best pun/joke to date though courtesy of @JamesBanks7:

 

[News Report] In an effort to win this years world cup England's manager Roy Hodgson has stated all his players will now play with a Brazilian style; in other reports sales of razors have mysteriously soared in the weeks leading up to the world cup...

 

Still chuckling to myself!

Edited June 12, 2014 by SiliconAlley_Sam

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Two jokes that filled the office with chuckles from @nephilim

 

The England team visited an orphanage in Rio today. “It’s heartbreaking to see their sad faces with no hope” said Pablo, age 6.

 

Steven Gerrard reveals that England are preparing for world cup penalty shootouts by practising shaking their heads while looking dejected

[featured_spectre]

Glad I could assist...more will come later.

[CHR1S]

Pfft and my Mystic Octopus didn't even get a mention

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Pfft and my Mystic Octopus didn't even get a mention

 

I thought we were keeping that on the down low so you weren't flooded with people wanting betting advice.

[CHR1S]

I thought we were keeping that on the down low so you weren't flooded with people wanting betting advice.

 

I will put him to work for £1 a time

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

I will put him to work for £1 a time

 

So long as you're feeding him well!

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Anyone with some outlandish predictions? Go on, be brave!

[featured_spectre]

By Outlandish I am sure she means England winning!

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

Haha, alright Mr. Stream of (Admittedly Chuckle Inducing) Anti-England jokes! Favourite last two:Oxo are bringing out a new cube with white foil and a red cross on it. It crumbles under pressure and will be called laughing stock.David Blaine is reportedly furious after England crashed out of the World Cup - his record of doing absolutely nothing in a box for 42 days was broken by Wayne Rooney.

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

So what did everyone think of the opening ceremony and the first match?

 

Was it a penalty? Should that Croatia goal have counted?

[featured_spectre]

Brazils card ranting was a joke, and it will likely carry on throughout the tournament which is a disgrace.

 

Croatia's goal should have counted but such is life, and no, it was never a penalty in my eyes.

[JB7]

what the media forgets is that a referee has a split second to make a judgment on whether he deems what he has just seen as an infringement or not, he does not have access to multiple camera angles like the TV companies do;

As per the laws of the game the referee was correct in giving the penalty as the Croatian defender definitely had both arms on the player possibly impeding his chance to get the ball to score, however the referee also has at his disposal his discretion so if he believes he saw simulation (A dive) he could have awarded a yellow card to Fred for his attempt at "Buying the decision"

This is one of those decisions where if it goes for your team you never talk about it again, if it goes against you then you spend too much time speculating what could have been and for everyone else in the middle you either remain impartial or take sides

Below are the 10 offences which when committed on the field of play are re-started with a direct free kick or if the offence takes place within the 18 yard box are re-started with a penalty

 

• 
  kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
  
• trips or attempts to trip an opponent
  
• jumps at an opponent
  
• charges an opponent
  
• strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
  
• pushes an opponent
  
• tackles an opponent
  
• A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following three offences:
  
• holds an opponent
  

 

• spits at an opponent
  
• handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
  

Read more at The website for the English football association, The FA Cup and The England football team - Football Rules & Governance | The FA

 

Yes I am a football referee so maybe this opinion could be seen as bias but I have based it solely on facts.

It's unfortunate that such a speculative decision occurred in the opening game however this is football, if you take away the human element of the game you have no game !!

[Garacesh]

what the media forgets is that a referee has a split second to make a judgment on whether he deems what he has just seen as an infringement or not, he does not have access to multiple camera angles like the TV companies do;

 

Yeah, but Video Ref 'undermines the Referee on the pitch', I believe the official shpiel was? Well if the ref on the pitch makes the right call, the video ref backs them up. If the ref makes the wrong call, the video ref reveals it's a mistake and corrects it (in which case, you're damn right the ref's decision should be undermined. Because it's wrong). Plus it would stop all these allegations of dodgy refs and payoffs.

 

As for the contest, I like free stuff, but I don't know anything about football. Or the world cup.

Rats.

[SiliconAlley_Sam]

As for the contest, I like free stuff, but I don't know anything about football. Or the world cup.

Rats.

 

Take a guess! Still hoping for some outlandish score predictions! 8-2 anyone?

 

As for the penalty... I appreciate that refs have a split second to make a decision etc. but literally everyone I've spoken to, whatever team they were supporting/had bets on didn't think that should have been a penalty. Do love a contentious decision now and then though (when it doesn't effect my team, of course ), keeps things interesting!

[JB7]

Yeah, but Video Ref 'undermines the Referee on the pitch', I believe the official shpiel was? Well if the ref on the pitch makes the right call, the video ref backs them up. If the ref makes the wrong call, the video ref reveals it's a mistake and corrects it (in which case, you're damn right the ref's decision should be undermined. Because it's wrong). Plus it would stop all these allegations of dodgy refs and payoffs.

As for the penalty... I appreciate that refs have a split second to make a decision etc. but literally everyone I've spoken to, whatever team they were supporting/had bets on didn't think that should have been a penalty. Do love a contentious decision now and then though (when it doesn't effect my team, of course ), keeps things interesting!

 

I agree with you both

Video referees should be used when we are talking about the pinnacle of the sport, the World Cup is THE competition that all players aspire to play in as they are representing their country in front of millions of sets of eyes so for them it is not only a chance to be proud for playing for their nation but an opportunity to catch the eye of potential new clubs.

it's like the champions league they pay the extra money to have 2 extra officials stood behind the goals with the magic-wand looking device in their hand to assist the referee, they could easily have a video room and place these 2 referees in to analyse such big decisions

 

As for the penalty I am agreement with you both, I would have never gave that decision based on the other elements surrounding the decision.

I always root for the underdog and it was a shame to see Croatia not pick up at least a point