andy Wrote:At least with the Beeb you can hit the fabled red button and listen to the 5 Live commentary featuring, ideally, the legendary Alan Green ranting at the moon.
Well said.
I cannot suffer Jonathan Pearce for another breathless, squealing minute :mad: Alan Green-lite, his 'passion' always sounds contrived (although I am aware his credentials as a die-hard Bristol City fan are in order).
Speaking of Greenie, did you hear his commentary (with Chris Waddle) on the Australia/ Croatia match? Our Al almost exploded as the Thing from Tring committed World Cup Hari Kari, but Waddle stole the show.
'He'll be on Play Your Cards Right next week' quipped the twinkle-toed Geordie.
I think Le Saux heard he wouldn't be going to Germany for the duration and spat the dummy. Just now I'd drive him there myself if I could bring Pearce and Wrighty back with me. (It's OK, I've got an i-Pod).
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:[SIZE="1"]Actually I've never been able to work a video recorder.
I attended VCR Wankers Annonymous - 'My name's Sweder, and I don't know how to use a video recorder'.
It was cathartic but I remain in the dark [/SIZE]
Mid Life Crisis Man Wrote:That's what the kids are for, dummy.
They're also the reason I don't get time to watch recorded programmes . . .
[SIZE="1"](old git grumble mumble kids-should-be-seen-and-not-heard rhubarb rhubarb . . .)[/SIZE]
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:They're also the reason I don't get time to watch recorded programmes . . . (old git grumble mumble kids-should-be-seen-and-not-heard rhubarb rhubarb . . .)
Jeepers Sweder, if you'd used the insurance money from SP's Garmin to buy another telly like I told you, you wouldn't have this problem.
It's a simple transaction: "Here you go [insert kid's name here], your very own TV - the only condition is that you programme the VCR for me when I tell you."
So what DID you do with the insurance windfall?
P.S. To keep this on topic, Germany to beat Sweden 3-1.
I was round chez Sweder last w/e for a barbie and the top shelf was full then. Still' I'll allow it as there is some footy tournament on.
Oh, and Wimbledon too for the next two weeks.
Speaking of footie, I'm gonna miss England trouncing Ecuador tomorrow as I'm off to see Elton John. Hmmm....wonder if I can persuade him to have a telly on the stage.
Sweder Wrote:I invested it at Ladbrokes, MLCMan.
Germany Sweden 2 - 2 after extra time.
Germany to win on penalties.
Obviously this was my first thought.
Then it occured to me that Larsson would probably have a 'mare and put a spot kick into row Z, and seeing how this is the home nation the ref will allow himself to be talked into sending off a Swede in the first half
My post should have read:
Sweder Wrote:I invested it at Ladbrokes, MLCMan.
Germany Sweden 2 - 0.
Germany to win.
Must borrow Andy's TARDIS and change that bet . . .
On the new arrival, I've reserved the bottom shelf exclusively for Guinness draught.
The upper shelf is for summer wines (Zinfandels and Chablis) and guest beers.
This week's guest beer, Belgium's finest: Abbaye de Abdij van Leffe Blonde
(slurp)
Germany/ Argentina . . . the match of the tournament is all but on the wallchart . . .
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:This week's guest beer, Belgium's finest: Abbaye de Abdij van Leffe Blonde (slurp). . .
I had the Leffe blonde just recently in Adelaide's Belgian Beer Cafe (it's not all Foster's and VB over here I'm pleased to say), and yep, not a bad beer-of-the-week. My favourite Belgian would still be the blue Chimay though. Heart-breaker material
Never mind beer of the week . . . I've just witnessed the goal of the year.
The strike that Broke a Million Mexican Hearts lit up this World Cup in a match that already had me on the edge of my seat.
Torn between two temporary lovers - I have a number of Argentineans in my fantasy team, yet the thought of the favourites falling to one of the poorest (fiscally speaking) nations in the tournament was just too sweet - I sweated, fretted, ducked and dived in the privacy of my living room as if this were England.
Except that the technical ability on show was a step above anything we've produced so far. That's not to say our lumbering, bludgeoning style cannot overcome touch and guile (it has in the past) but watching a game 'objectively' one can appreciate that the football world outside our beloved Premiership is a rich and enthralling one.
One element of these knock-out stages is less welcome - the influence/ pressure on referees to favour the 'big' teams. Heinze should have gone for his assault on Fonseca at the end of the first half. Worse for me was the sight of the hosts begging the official to dismiss Lucic for a second bookable offence which, frankly, was nothing of the sort. Did I dream it or did one ref dish out a yellow very early on in this tournament for this unsporting behaviour? FIFA must issue clear instructions to book any player acting like a mini-cab driver at an airport arrivals lounge. Such low-life activity ranks alongside racism and gobbing on opponents in my book and has no place in the game.
The tension builds in homes across the land as Ecuador approaches.
Already the talk is of 35 degree heat and a brand new England formation; it’s enough to make your toenails curl up and die. I (we?) expect England to prevail, yet Inger-land followers know the script so well; think Cameroon in 1990. Can anyone remember the feeling before that game? Just how many would the mighty Lineker score? My stomach tightens (use your imagination!) at the memory of Roger Millar and his men in green leading our boys a merry dance that night. We won, but nerves were shred like Enron balance sheets.
One last thought before I retire to my bunker, chilled Guinness under one arm, loo roll and Vicodin under the other; after yesterday’s matches in the (swallow) ‘Round of 16’ (sorry) it has suddenly become a smidgeon less vital that England progress. Call the Yeoman of the Guard! Unlock The Tower!
But I hope you know what I mean; this is a feast of football set before us.
And, to quote one of the sponsors, I’m Lovin’ it.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:[SIZE="1"]Actually I've never been able to work a video recorder.
I attended VCR Wankers Annonymous - 'My name's Sweder, and I don't know how to use a video recorder'.
It was cathartic but I remain in the dark [/SIZE]
Confessional: I can't do it either. Mercifully, M shines in this area.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Sweder Wrote:think Cameroon in 1990. Can anyone remember the feeling before that game? Just how many would the mighty Lineker score? My stomach tightens (use your imagination!) at the memory of Roger Millar and his men in green leading our boys a merry dance that night. We won, but nerves were shred like Enron balance sheets.
A match which, of course, we watched again in its entirety in Almeria this year when the 3 of us (inc SP) were just setting out on our 14 hour, post-half marathon rehydration programme. Fascinating how you can watch a game again and sort of half forget that you know how it's going to turn out.
I'm fortunate enough to have been invited round to a high-definition-TV-owning mate's this afternoon. Never seen it before. Main worry is what to take alcohol-wise. I've been told to bring whatever I think I will drink, which is always a cue for an embarrassing prediction of one's own drinking requirements. I rather fancy taking a few bottles of Pilsner Urquell if I can find some round here.
Sigh. I hope that the next time we meet we'll be in the next round of the cup, though I have a terrible feeling that much emotion and much beer may have been spilt between then and now.
Good luck boys. Let's hope we all get back to base unscathed.
Prediction: A tough 1-0 for England.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
andy Wrote:Murdoch.
Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I know, I know . . . I feel exactly the same . . .
yet I love movies and sport?
What's a boy to do . . .
NEWSFLASH: New guest beer!
I was saving this (predictably) for England/ Germany but this looks increasingly less likely.
Not just because I'm worried about England but I'm not sure the hosts will get past Argentina on Friday.
Anywho, this afternoon I shall be celebrating/ drowning my sorrows with . . .
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
andy Wrote:Good luck boys. Let's hope we all get back to base unscathed.
Prediction: A tough 1-0 for England.
Close enough; I'd hardly call it tough - unless of course you had to watch it.
Great to see the Roonster not only last 90+ minutes but also terrorise the opposition defence, albethey of a fairly poor standard.
But will the real Frank Lampard please stand up?
He looked like Frank Skinner out there today.
Job done.
I fear Portugal may sneek it tonight, though it would be much more fun on here should the Cloggies prevail.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
My wife detected an oddly familiar chant coming from the Portugese fans tonight. We jotted it all down as best we could and ran the words through Babel Fish.
It came out Are You Watching Graham Poll?
Astonishing stuff.
In the middle of all the nonsense the Dutch side reneged on one of the unwritten laws of the game, retaining posession after a stop in play for an injury. There is some doubt as to what should have happened; Portugal were attacking just outside the box when the ref blew up for an injury at the other end. The referee added fuel to the flames by appearing to be entirely in the dark as to what should happen. The mood between the sides darkened as swiftly and surely as thunderheads gathering over a mid-west plain.
The result in my living room was the indifferent wife and the distracted daughter took up arms in the name of Portugal. I'm not sure why; they seemed to think the White shirts were nastier than the Red shirts.
Hell hath no fury and all that . . .
I confess to being wholly unsporting as the card carnage unfolded.
I shamelessly suggested the best outcome would be a last-minute equaliser, 30 minutes of extra time during which another player could be sent off on each side (preferably Robben and Maniche) and the match be settled by a prolonged penalty shoot-out.
I've no doubt that a Portugal missing Deco, Costinho and probably Christiano Ronaldo will still be more than a match for an England side suffering collective amnesia. There can be no other explanation for players who competed in and/ or won the Premiership, Champions League and the FA Cup playing like a herd of clump-footed donkeys. It's churlish to whine about a poor English performance I suppose - ask the Orange fans if they'd rather have seen flair or a win tonight.
And we get to see the match-up we all wanted; the manager we could have had against the one we're going to get. Or already have, perhaps. Fascinating to oberve the England bench as the subs - Peter Crouch and, er, Wayne Bridge - warmed up, McLaren sketching out the tactics and explaining them to the deeply furrowed brow of Mr Burns.
Mudança? Que mudança é aquela então?
Best of luck to the Sheileroos tomorrow.
That dream final is still on
Stop press:
England v Ecuador FIFA man of the match?
John Terry
Thank goodness Wimbledon starts tomorrow . . .
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
The England game was as disappointing in its execution as it was pleasing in its eventual outcome. Whilst not exactly proving a dominating influence, Carrick at least played much better than in his last excursion before the World Cup. Although a rational man might argue that he could hardly have played worse than on that occasion, it did seem until this week that Sven had decided never to play him again. But then perhaps Sven had not expected all of his other options to have failed as manifestly as they did during the group stages.
The one particularly worrying aspect of Carrick's performance as holding midfielder, though, was that he was only nearly as good in the role as Hargreaves, who in contrast seemed to play a stinker as he struggled in the new position of wing-back.
On the more positive side, clearly Lennon has the potential to be the discovery of the tournament, always provided that Sven does ever decide to give him a run-out extending longer than the current 10 minute cameos.
As for Lampard - well, surely he must now either score with with his first well-struck and on-target shot of the tournament in the first 45 minutes against Portugal, or finally depart the scene for ever in order to allow the infinitely superior Gerrard the opportunity to play in his rightful England role. I favour the latter outcome, since we can't carry passengers through too many more rounds and we need the kind of inspiration which Saint Stevie really could provide, if at last given the free rein for his country which his talent so richly deserves.
Following the tense nail-biting and desperate underachievement of the afternoon, I must say what a real relief and pleasure it was to watch a real blood-guts-and-hatred encounter in the Netherlands-Portugal game. This was animosity of the highest order, reminiscent in its way of watching Leeds vs Arsenal on a muddy winter's day c. 1974.
Much like a Norman Hunter of old, one of the participants in particular really caught my eye for the blunt audacity of his deceit and the sheer professionalism with which he was determined to dispatch any player who threatened to bring any whiff of flair or talent to the encounter. Midway through the second half, as his temper began to rise, it became increasingly clear to me that he would soon have to be removed from the contest for the safety of the other players and to avoid bringing the game into an even more ignoble state of disrepute.
The only shame then, sadly, was that so far even Sepp Blatter has yet to invent a way of sending a referee off the field. But I'll bet he's working on it now ...
Well OK, so it wasn't really a penalty, but in the end, Australia didn't take their chances up forward, and probably deserved to lose. After all, if you get Italy down to ten men, you really have to make the most of it, and they didn't.
At least we can settle down and start concentrating on the upcoming Ashes series. Gotta get those back before thinking about anything else.
And if it ever stops raining over there, maybe some tennis, too?
[/SIZE]
Still' I'll allow it as there is some footy tournament on.
