Wow.... Someone who is clued up about how MON wasn't really good at my club. People seem to think just because we don't finish 6th and now look like relegation contenders means MON was a good manager. No... In fact he was a terrible manager when he was given funds that should have been enough for a Champions League spot and yet still managed to be out done by Moyes who worked on a shoestring. Twice. The owner pulled the plug and then he left because he knew it'll only get worse.

People may say bringing Krul on was just a lucky call by Van Gaal but it's one someone like David Moyes wouldn't have taken

Krul was bigger so blocked more of the goal.

Apparently most of Costa Rica's pens against Greece went to the left hand side and Krul is left handed that's why the change was made. Maybe bollocks but I like it

A manager that knows he is walking into a new job no matter what happens this world cup.

I don't know, what's the equivalent of The Netherlands drawing 0-0 with Costa Rica at club level ? Probably the same as United being held to a goalless draw by a mid-table Championship side. It's hardly a sign of tactical genius.

Yes I listened to that too.

They compared England's reaction times from whistle to kicking the penalty, to Usain Bolt's reaction time from the pistol being fired to him leaving the blocks. It was not that far apart.

Jens Lehmann once conceded a penalty and was then subbed for doing so and never got the chance to face the penalty!

I fancied the Dutch before to win the tournament, but after not being able to score against Costa Rica for 120 mins, I think that at the moment they are playing the least well of the remaining four.

No, it was obviously pre-planned. Van Gaal has shown his pragmatic side this tournament -- only reason why Holland have been effective.

He isn't a "tactical genius", nor some naive bumpkin. I hope the media don't profess him as the former; point stands if he is such a genius why couldn't he devise a way to beat the weakest side left in the competition in 90 minutes, with superior players?

Maybe my imagination but I remember Batty and Ince doing that when they missed. Batty seemed very rushed.

I'd be excited if I were a Man United fan. Van Gaal ticks all the boxes - tactically astute, great record, known for good football, a reputation for taking no sh*t from prima donna players, good with young players and mentally as hard as nails.

It makes me wonder if Moyes was a deliberate stopgap, with the United Board knowing that Van Gaal would be tied up for a season. After all we now know that Mourinho was desperate for the job and was gutted not to get it. It would have been terrible for an anti-football merchant like Mourinho to take over at a club known for its attacking tradition, so even though I'm not a United fan by any means I wish Van Gaal well

Oh don't get me wrong they have been very lucky in every game since the Spain one.

Costa Rica were no mugs in this tournament. Very disciplined and hard to break down. It didn't help that RVP was having a terrible game.

Anyway - stop Messi and you stop Argentina. Job for De Jong and one other, I think Holland will win.

Yeah, i must have missed them praising Chewy Suarez when he was diving all over the place for us last season.

.....or even worse Carragher in 2006 who didn't even wait for the referee to blow his whistle and inevitably missed when he was made to do it properly...that was just plain unprofessional.

Funnily enough Batty not taking enough time to compose himself is one of the examples quoted.

Carragher couldn't wait to take that pen. Not knocking him as at least he stepped up but a confident player surely wouldn't have taken a pen before the whistle was blown.

Can't we even have a World Cup thread about a game between The Netherlands and Costa Rica without someone posting that tired load of old bollocks ?

I speak the truth. Touched a nerve have I?

I guess you're one of those fawning "Special One" hero-worshippers who believes that parking nine men behind the ball and winning due to a howling mistake by the opposition is a sign of tactical genius. "Blue" must signify a Chelsea fan.

Would have been hard on Netherlands if they lost this game. They pressed a lot against a defensively astute Costa Rica.

I wonder if other sides will take note of the tactics used to suppress Robben. It was for me the least influential I had seen of him in this tournament.

Louis Van Gaal the man who saved holland from being kicked out of the world cup. Genius.

In their defence though they hit the woodwork several times in 90 minutes and CR defended brilliantly.

Yes, I'm a Chelsea fan..well spotted. But I'm also not so prejudiced that I can't recognise someone who has reached the top of their profession. Mourinho is one of the finest managers currently operating in the game, his record speaks for itself.
It's the term "anti-football" that perhaps touched a nerve, along with the usual "parking the bus" nonsense that is so loved by the tabloids and ignorant phone-in programmes.