auf wiedersehen, Sven.. a 2006 World Cup blog
Friday
seconds out ..
so the last sixteen, or round two, awaits .. and what will it bring ? bring on the Germans i say !
all these doubters who claim we don't want to play Germany, in my opinion it's often a call from those who only take an interest in football (especially international football) once every four years or so.. then i say this; the Germans aren't very good !! they've hardly set the standard so far (okay neither have England .. but there is more to come) they spent the whole match trying their best not to score against Poland and Costa Rica were swept aside by Ecuador, who i fear would be a potential banana skin in the next round - we'd be massive favorites again, it'd be like the two games we've just seen.. but a game against Germany, in Germany and we'd have a game on our hands, the players might start to show some desire .. lets us know we're in a World Cup ! against Germany i think we'd raise our game, show how we can play .. and wouldn't it just be sweet to knock them out as hosts .. just as long as it didn't go to penalties !
all these doubters who claim we don't want to play Germany, in my opinion it's often a call from those who only take an interest in football (especially international football) once every four years or so.. then i say this; the Germans aren't very good !! they've hardly set the standard so far (okay neither have England .. but there is more to come) they spent the whole match trying their best not to score against Poland and Costa Rica were swept aside by Ecuador, who i fear would be a potential banana skin in the next round - we'd be massive favorites again, it'd be like the two games we've just seen.. but a game against Germany, in Germany and we'd have a game on our hands, the players might start to show some desire .. lets us know we're in a World Cup ! against Germany i think we'd raise our game, show how we can play .. and wouldn't it just be sweet to knock them out as hosts .. just as long as it didn't go to penalties !
Sunday
blame it on the weather man ?
after Joke Hole's comments on the heat yesterday in Franfurt it got me thinking are England at a natural disadvantage by the World Cup being played in summer ? would Brazil dominate affairs, as they invarioubly do, if the Greatest Show on Earth was held in January/Feburary ? how about a 'Winter World Cup' ?!
of course, nest time around the World Cup will be in South Africa during there winter time, in more tepid conditions, which could suit England, and other Northern European sides, down to the ground .. and surely it's time we gave those Aussie's a chance to stage the event .. and i'm sure Iceland could do a sterling job .. ;-)
of course, nest time around the World Cup will be in South Africa during there winter time, in more tepid conditions, which could suit England, and other Northern European sides, down to the ground .. and surely it's time we gave those Aussie's a chance to stage the event .. and i'm sure Iceland could do a sterling job .. ;-)
back room England boys
Saturday
slowly .. but surely ?
so a tired, and rather laboured, start to the Wordl Cup for England .. it looked like the heat played a part, and England usually start tournaments at a walking pace so lets take the three points (especially after a draw in the Sweden/T&T game !) and push on from here. Argentina, after the first two days, have set the standard, with the Ivorians also looking quite tasty .. but i think, no i'm sure there's more to come from England and a certain 'big man' getting ready to enter the fray .. i'm not sure how the players feel but after days, the adrenalin and excitement have taken their toll .. i'm spent !!! but roll on Thursday, a win over the Soca Warriors and we can start looking at the second round..
Wednesday
RoboKop
Monday
tartan eyed monster ?
courtesy of our 'friends' north of the border :
1 -Within 1 minute of kick off in the opening match (Germany v Costa
Rica), the commentator must mention England.
2 - Regardless of what two teams are contesting the final, England
have to be mentioned within the first minute.
3 - The commentator shall refer to the Falkland Isles in passing at
some point in the match if England play Argentina.
4 - Whenever a hat trick is scored, comparisons with Geoff Hurst will
be made within seconds of the third goal hitting the net.
5 - Should England wear their red jerseys, then '1966' should be
mentioned approximately 20 times.
6 - 1966 will be mentioned approximately 10 times a match, or only on
4 or 5 occasions for matches not involving England.
7 - Prior to the captain of the winning team lifting the trophy, the
commentator will mention Bobby Moore. And 1966.
8 - When Germany are playing, they must be referred to as being
arrogant by the commentator on at least 14 occasions. This must refer
to their style, their passing, their haircuts and their general
footballing ability.
9 - Should England play Germany, mentions of Winston Churchill,
Dambusters, The Luftwaffe and Adolf Hitler will be compulsory. And
1966.
10 - All Scottish members of our commentary team must continue to
refer to England as "we" and "us".
11 - We must ensure that nationalistic stereotypes are adhered to. Of
course, the Germans are arrogant. The Spanish are bottlers, The Ivory
Coast are fast but bad at defending, The Angolans are disorganised,
The Argentinians are cheats and the French are only good because
their best players play in England.
12 - For matches not involving England, we must only discuss the
players that are playing in England. (eg Holland v Argentina should
be referred to as Van Nistelroy v Crespo).
13 - The mythical "bulldog spirit" phrase should be used as often as
possible.
14 - Each match involving England should begin with the
phrase "England Expects."
15 - Should any player be involved in an injury that involves the
loss of teeth, then references to Nobby Stiles and 1966 are
compulsory.
16 - If in doubt, mention 1966.
17 - Praise all of the stunning new stadiums in Germany but emphasise
that they lack the presence of Wembley, the spiritual home of
football since 1966.
18 - Commentators should feel free to imitate the style of Kenneth
Wolstenholme, the hero of 1966.
19 - Should any team feature brothers playing together, then Jackie
and Bobby Charlton should be mentioned.
20 - When England bow out after the first stage, we must emphasise
that it is a massive blow to football and a serious loss to the World
Cup.
1 -Within 1 minute of kick off in the opening match (Germany v Costa
Rica), the commentator must mention England.
2 - Regardless of what two teams are contesting the final, England
have to be mentioned within the first minute.
3 - The commentator shall refer to the Falkland Isles in passing at
some point in the match if England play Argentina.
4 - Whenever a hat trick is scored, comparisons with Geoff Hurst will
be made within seconds of the third goal hitting the net.
5 - Should England wear their red jerseys, then '1966' should be
mentioned approximately 20 times.
6 - 1966 will be mentioned approximately 10 times a match, or only on
4 or 5 occasions for matches not involving England.
7 - Prior to the captain of the winning team lifting the trophy, the
commentator will mention Bobby Moore. And 1966.
8 - When Germany are playing, they must be referred to as being
arrogant by the commentator on at least 14 occasions. This must refer
to their style, their passing, their haircuts and their general
footballing ability.
9 - Should England play Germany, mentions of Winston Churchill,
Dambusters, The Luftwaffe and Adolf Hitler will be compulsory. And
1966.
10 - All Scottish members of our commentary team must continue to
refer to England as "we" and "us".
11 - We must ensure that nationalistic stereotypes are adhered to. Of
course, the Germans are arrogant. The Spanish are bottlers, The Ivory
Coast are fast but bad at defending, The Angolans are disorganised,
The Argentinians are cheats and the French are only good because
their best players play in England.
12 - For matches not involving England, we must only discuss the
players that are playing in England. (eg Holland v Argentina should
be referred to as Van Nistelroy v Crespo).
13 - The mythical "bulldog spirit" phrase should be used as often as
possible.
14 - Each match involving England should begin with the
phrase "England Expects."
15 - Should any player be involved in an injury that involves the
loss of teeth, then references to Nobby Stiles and 1966 are
compulsory.
16 - If in doubt, mention 1966.
17 - Praise all of the stunning new stadiums in Germany but emphasise
that they lack the presence of Wembley, the spiritual home of
football since 1966.
18 - Commentators should feel free to imitate the style of Kenneth
Wolstenholme, the hero of 1966.
19 - Should any team feature brothers playing together, then Jackie
and Bobby Charlton should be mentioned.
20 - When England bow out after the first stage, we must emphasise
that it is a massive blow to football and a serious loss to the World
Cup.
Friday
talking England
there's already plenty of snippets and stories to make you smile coming from the England camp in Faro .. my favourites so far include :
Nigel Adderley blogs about the media circus surrounding England in Portugal and Theo Walcott (#23) using an ATM (is he old enough for a cash card BOOMBOOM)
this sounds like must see TV
anyone else seen some good titbits ?
Nigel Adderley blogs about the media circus surrounding England in Portugal and Theo Walcott (#23) using an ATM (is he old enough for a cash card BOOMBOOM)
this sounds like must see TV
anyone else seen some good titbits ?
Theo .. Theo .. who the fook is Theo ?!
so a couple of weeks Theo Walcott was just a highly rated, potential future Arsenal and England star .. fast forward fourteen days he is front page news, and could be shouldering the hopes of a nation should our 'Plan A' fail to materialise..
when the boy Theo made his big money move to Arsenal in January i had a sneaky thought he could be England's 'surprise package' for the summer .. however, that was when i thought he would be making more than a few fleeting reserve apperences.. !
Wenger has faith in him (not enough to help him lose the Champions league final though..) and Sven, obviously, regards Wenger very highly .. so is Sven just a reckless Vegas gambler or could Theo help us past a QF flight home and become a current England and Arsenal reserves star ?
when the boy Theo made his big money move to Arsenal in January i had a sneaky thought he could be England's 'surprise package' for the summer .. however, that was when i thought he would be making more than a few fleeting reserve apperences.. !
Wenger has faith in him (not enough to help him lose the Champions league final though..) and Sven, obviously, regards Wenger very highly .. so is Sven just a reckless Vegas gambler or could Theo help us past a QF flight home and become a current England and Arsenal reserves star ?
Tuesday
World Cup round-up..
Golden balls for Goldenballs ? (hehe here's hoping anyway..)
LEGO Allianz Arena
..and there was one other thing, but it escapes me right now .. so you'll just have to wait !
LEGO Allianz Arena
..and there was one other thing, but it escapes me right now .. so you'll just have to wait !
Monday
HOPE ?
just another quickie (more soon .. i promise !) to point people to an interesting read in yesterday's Observer .. are the Boys from Brazil beatable ?
sounds good for the likes of England, Argentina, Italy etc..
