So Joe Cole leaves Chelsea and joins Liverpool for a no doubt whopping signing-on fee plus a comparable weekly wage and probably the promise of greater playing time. Since bursting onto the scene with West Ham nearly 10 years ago as the next big thing, Cole has flattered to deceive. Whilst obviously talented, Chelsea never really found a regular place for a player who really needs a team built around him rather than trying to fit him into an irregular… Read more
Nothing renders the barroom bore more relevant than a real grievance or slight to the group he represents but if we are to move forward as a nation, species or race then sometimes you have to suck things up if they are for the greater good. Similarly if events happen that you don’t much care for or agree with then it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of civilization. If gays want to get married, what’s it to you? You’re not been forced into a homosexual tryst… Read more
Whilst tinged with regret and remorse, the USA has nothing to be ashamed about when reflecting on its performance at the 2010 World Cup, unlike it’s more feted and illustrious group-mates from over the pond. They battled hard as a unit, stuck to the coaches gameplans and with a bit of luck, could well have gone further. I will leave the post-mortems to far more qualified writers on this site but I do have one idea that refuses to go away concerning… Read more
Like an attractive older auntie who’s had too much yaegermeister at Thanksgiving, Group H is beginning to show a bit too much leg for everybody’s comfort. Firstly, the Rojas are still rocking at the top of the group as they came through their test against the suddenly serious Swiss. The 1-0 scoreline probably flatters the mountain men but the main talking point was the controversial sending off of Valon Behrami for a non-existent elbow on Arturo Vidal…. Read more
The Rojas have arrived in Group H and as I exclusively predicted, took off like a rocket, even if the scoreline didn’t reflect their superiority against the game but limited Hondurans. Jean Beausejour (who sounds like he’d appear if you say his name three times) scored for Chile with a tap-in on 34 minutes and they squandered plenty of other opportunities to extend their lead and dominance. Their 3-3-1-3 formation cutting through the Hondurans at will who… Read more
Bill Buckner was an all-star first baseman for five Major League Baseball teams including the LA Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. He was the National League Batting Champion in 1981 and achieved over 2700 career hits in his 20 year career. All of this indicates a competent, reliable All-Star if not a million-dollar superstar that the game is built around today. None of these facts or stats is thought of when Bill Buckner’s name crops up in conversation. In… Read more
The first World Cup I can remember watching in earnest was Spain in 1982. I was nine years old and was given my first World Cup wall chart from my dad. This was an incredible device in itself and I got many hours of fun before the tournament recreating my own tournaments with dice and later softening me up for a spell in a Dungeons and Dragons recovery unit several years later – you don’t know pleasure until you’ve held a 20 sided dice – but I… Read more
Every World Cup throws up an eponymous ‘Group of Death’ and while Group H is certainly not that group, it is not without its share of intrigue. Spain are the obvious attraction of the group – the reigning European Champions who swept into the competition on the back of eight consecutive group wins, finishing eight points clear of their nearest challengers, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Before this, they were on an all conquering run of 15 straight victories… Read more
This is the 18th in a weekly series of World Cup history lessons brought to you by our very own “Professor” Guy Bailey. He is not actually a professor; the only professor on staff is Jamie Clary. Well, sort of. The 2006 World Cup The 2006 World Cup was held in a united Germany for the first time (1974 was held in West Germany) after the beat off competition from Morocco, England and South Africa for the honour. The shockwaves were felt particularly in South… Read more
Like nasal hair, seemingly incomprehensible candy bar prices and bafflement at acronyms; another part of growing older is seemingly antipathy towards sporting stars – particularly footballers. When I were a lad (queue Dvorak’s New World Symphony – used in a British bread commercial and as musical shorthand for anything, grim, northern or nostalgic since) Footballers were a curious mix of demi-god and neighbour – they were the champions of a community… Read more
This is the 17th in a weekly series of World Cup history lessons brought to you by our very own “Professor” Guy Bailey. He is not actually a professor; the only professor on staff is Jamie Clary. Well, sort of. The 2002 World Cup The 2002 World Cup was the first to be hosted jointly between two countries – South Korea and Japan. Japan could probably have hosted the tournament by itself but FIFA politics being what it is decided to straddle the… Read more
Waiting for the World Cup to approach is similar to the countdown to Christmas. Certain TV programs appear in the schedules, certain songs start appearing on the radio, certain housing estates that look like fresh meat would be at a premium spend seemingly thousands of pounds on gaudy, outlandish decorations, the cost of running them will dwarf the amount spent on presents no matter how many children they have. One thing is lacking in the build-up over here… Read more
This is the 16th in a weekly series of World Cup history lessons brought to you by our very own “Professor” Guy Bailey. He is not actually a professor; the only professor on staff is Jamie Clary. Well, sort of. The 1998 World Cup The 16th World Cup was held in France between June and July 1998. The tournament format was changed again to incorporate an extra eight teams from around the world, which necessitated two extra groups in the First Round stage but… Read more
Saudi Arabia’s stay was only temporary as Germany beat them 3-2 in the first of the knock-out matches to proceed; Spain overcoming a disappointing Swiss 3-0 in the next game. Saudi Arabia’s fairytale came to an end at the hands of Sweden 3-1, and a Hagi-inspired Romania dumped Argentina in the out pile 3-2 in one of the tournaments better matches. Holland ended British and Irish interest 2-0 and Brazil overcame a dogged and proud America 1-0 with a late… Read more
