World Cup - Day 2 - Vindersnooze
First of all, I'm writing this whilst thousands of people have descended on my street for the West End Festival kick-off. Jazz bands, Scottish Folk groups, and a healthy heaping of Steel Drums are performing on stages whilst a parade goes by. Its kind of great, and is generally one of my favourite times of the year. Granted, I don't join in for more than about 20 minutes, when I get tired of all the people, but I appreciate a cultural carnival atmosphere, even if it is filtered through the upper middle class' obsession with showing how wonderfully diverse their tastes are. "G12...its all in the postcode" is written across t-shirts they are selling (I'm surprised it took them ten years to finally get official merchandise), and I kind of wish I had one. I love being G12.
So anyway, yesterday's football.
I woke up at about 12:40, with the England game kicking off at 2. I stumbled out of bed, feeling quite alright for once. I had a cup of Jasmine Tea, something I picked up the night before for no real reason other than its slightly healthier than normal tea, though that could be because I drink it straight instead of adding milk and two sugars as I do with Tetley's. I've been having to download Big Brother as I'm away watching the football when its on, and its proving to be a real time sucker. Wake up. Watch Big Brother. Shower. Run to the shop for some food. Then football. All in the space of an hour and 20 minutes, which is pretty quick for me. It was to be a long day, with a match at 2, 5, then 8, which clashed with Winchester. I ran down to Heart Buchanan, a posh deli that actually has reasonably priced sandwiches that use real, quality ingredients. I picked up a Brie and Bacon sandwich, went to off-license and grabbed some beers, then ran up to Nal's where everyone was gathering to watch England v Paraguay. There were about 9 of us in Nal's fantastic room, which serves as both a bedroom and a living room. 20+ foot ceilings and massive bay windows overlooking the private garden across the street. Windows open, sun shining (it was actually hot), and a day which promised some excellent football. Unfortunately, England wouldn't deliver.
England v Paraguay
I suppose the important is that we won, but its annoying it was done is such a lazy, ramshackle manner. The matches only goal came 4 minutes in, when Beckham fired a pretty spectacular free kick into the box, which bounced off the head of a Paraguay veteran and into the goal. I think it was more of a slight deflection than a proper own goal, but that is how they awarded it in the end. The rest of the first half was dominated by England, who played well, but not brilliantly. The towering and awkward 6'7" Peter Crouch continues to prove himself down front, and Michael Owen showed some good hustle. Something happened after the half, however. Paraguay raised their game, and England dropped their. Owen Hargreaves came on in mid-field, and Michael Owen went off and was replaced by Stewart Downing. The formation shifted from a 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1, leaving poor Crouch to fend for himself down front, and often to no avail. Paraguay had some chances, though a combination of decent defending and poor finishing kept the side goalless. The highlight of the match came from the commentator, seeing Paul Robinson (all decked out in the yellow goal keeper outfit) running and jumping to block a shot, "It was like a giant banana reacting." Bless the Beeb. So England came away with a 1-0 victory and 3 points, but also a lot of questions about how far they can go playing as they did.
The hour in between matches was spent on the stoop in front of the house, in the sun, reading the Guardian. I can't really convey to you how much I love the West End. The following match was on ITV, which means adverts. Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the English FA, and they have had some pretty commercials in the past. This time around they have two American commentators, doing the classic "we're American and don't know anything about soccer" routine. "Apparently, other countries play in the World Cup!" (hands a paper to his co-host) "You mean we have to learn all these countries?" That kind of thing.
Sweden v Trinidad and Tobago
Now here was an interesting one. T&T are the smallest country ever to make it to the World Cup (It should be clarified that these are actually called the World Cup Finals, though I'm just saying World Cup). They have a slew of, bizarrely enough, second division Scottish League players in their squad, plus Dwight Yorke and a white guy who plays for Port Vale. Sweden have never really reached the heights they are capable of, as I've seen them play very strong if slightly ordinary footbal. They are surely the biggest threat next to England in their group. A pundit on Simon Mayo's radio show said that not only would T&T lose all their matches, they wouldn't score a single goal. They are the kind of team people say are "just happy to be there" and are inevitably called "plucky". This match, however, is a testament to how exciting football can be, even if it was a 0-0 draw. Sweden had T&T running around the pitch for the entire first half, clearly dominating, though they didn't manage to convert any of their chances. Hislop, the T&T keeper, was amazing. Thirty seconds into the second half saw the first red card of the World Cup, given to Avery John for a reckless tackle (even though he did get the ball). It looked dire as they went down to ten men, but dammit if they didn't give the Swedes a hell of a game. Their defending was particularly excellent, and the manager made a huge gamble by actually putting on another forward. It paid off, as Sweden weren't allowed to spend huge amounts of time in the T&T box. A mixture of fantastic defending and bit of luck held the Swedes back, and it was amazing that the best chance of the game actually went to T&T, when a superb strike from a seemingly impossible angle slammed into the woodwork. The Swedes were devastated, but the Trinidad fans were absolutely ecstatic.
I decided to skip Doctor Who, opting to watch it later on demand at Nal's at some point. I ran home and prepared my cd's for the Winchester, and then we rushed down to the Woodside to drop off our stuff and check on everyone. We then headed upstairs to the pool room to watch the next match on a tiny screen. I should say that I fixed the aspect ratio on their television, which brought about a response of incredible indifference. I'm just not appreciated in some circles.
Argentina v Cote de Ivore (Ivory Coast)
I couldn't really root for Argentina, because they're Argentina. However, the Ivory Coast boasted Dider Drogba, the scum of the Premiership and a Chelsea FC player to boot. I opted to be more neutral than usual, and just watch the match. I missed the first twenty minutes, but saw both Argentina goals. It was probably the best football played in the tournament so far, both sides moving forward excellently and creating chances. Argentina just lucked out with one rather sloppy goal and another decent one, but the playing all around was excellent. The second half saw the Ivory Coast in superb form, though they just couldn't get it past the keeper. I left at 80 minutes, but watched the Drogba's consolation goal on the highlights later on, and it has to be said it was probably the best goal of the game. So Argentina won 2-1.
Drinking game additions for the day:
Every time, during an England game, that a commentator mentions 1966, have a drink.
Every time the camera turns to the audience and picks out a beautiful Swedish blonde in a bikini and face paint, have a drink and wish you were in Sweden.
Every time someone describes African and South American teams as "great attacking, but weak on defense", have a drink.
Every time a smaller team is described as "plucky", take a drink. Two drinks if they're from the Carribean islands.
Every time Maradona is picked out of the crowd by a cameraman in an Argentina match, put your drink down and remind yourself what might happen if you keep playing drinking games.
Serbia and Montanegro v Netherlands, Mexico v Iran, and Portugal v Angola up next.
So anyway, yesterday's football.
I woke up at about 12:40, with the England game kicking off at 2. I stumbled out of bed, feeling quite alright for once. I had a cup of Jasmine Tea, something I picked up the night before for no real reason other than its slightly healthier than normal tea, though that could be because I drink it straight instead of adding milk and two sugars as I do with Tetley's. I've been having to download Big Brother as I'm away watching the football when its on, and its proving to be a real time sucker. Wake up. Watch Big Brother. Shower. Run to the shop for some food. Then football. All in the space of an hour and 20 minutes, which is pretty quick for me. It was to be a long day, with a match at 2, 5, then 8, which clashed with Winchester. I ran down to Heart Buchanan, a posh deli that actually has reasonably priced sandwiches that use real, quality ingredients. I picked up a Brie and Bacon sandwich, went to off-license and grabbed some beers, then ran up to Nal's where everyone was gathering to watch England v Paraguay. There were about 9 of us in Nal's fantastic room, which serves as both a bedroom and a living room. 20+ foot ceilings and massive bay windows overlooking the private garden across the street. Windows open, sun shining (it was actually hot), and a day which promised some excellent football. Unfortunately, England wouldn't deliver.
England v Paraguay
I suppose the important is that we won, but its annoying it was done is such a lazy, ramshackle manner. The matches only goal came 4 minutes in, when Beckham fired a pretty spectacular free kick into the box, which bounced off the head of a Paraguay veteran and into the goal. I think it was more of a slight deflection than a proper own goal, but that is how they awarded it in the end. The rest of the first half was dominated by England, who played well, but not brilliantly. The towering and awkward 6'7" Peter Crouch continues to prove himself down front, and Michael Owen showed some good hustle. Something happened after the half, however. Paraguay raised their game, and England dropped their. Owen Hargreaves came on in mid-field, and Michael Owen went off and was replaced by Stewart Downing. The formation shifted from a 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1, leaving poor Crouch to fend for himself down front, and often to no avail. Paraguay had some chances, though a combination of decent defending and poor finishing kept the side goalless. The highlight of the match came from the commentator, seeing Paul Robinson (all decked out in the yellow goal keeper outfit) running and jumping to block a shot, "It was like a giant banana reacting." Bless the Beeb. So England came away with a 1-0 victory and 3 points, but also a lot of questions about how far they can go playing as they did.
The hour in between matches was spent on the stoop in front of the house, in the sun, reading the Guardian. I can't really convey to you how much I love the West End. The following match was on ITV, which means adverts. Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the English FA, and they have had some pretty commercials in the past. This time around they have two American commentators, doing the classic "we're American and don't know anything about soccer" routine. "Apparently, other countries play in the World Cup!" (hands a paper to his co-host) "You mean we have to learn all these countries?" That kind of thing.
Sweden v Trinidad and Tobago
Now here was an interesting one. T&T are the smallest country ever to make it to the World Cup (It should be clarified that these are actually called the World Cup Finals, though I'm just saying World Cup). They have a slew of, bizarrely enough, second division Scottish League players in their squad, plus Dwight Yorke and a white guy who plays for Port Vale. Sweden have never really reached the heights they are capable of, as I've seen them play very strong if slightly ordinary footbal. They are surely the biggest threat next to England in their group. A pundit on Simon Mayo's radio show said that not only would T&T lose all their matches, they wouldn't score a single goal. They are the kind of team people say are "just happy to be there" and are inevitably called "plucky". This match, however, is a testament to how exciting football can be, even if it was a 0-0 draw. Sweden had T&T running around the pitch for the entire first half, clearly dominating, though they didn't manage to convert any of their chances. Hislop, the T&T keeper, was amazing. Thirty seconds into the second half saw the first red card of the World Cup, given to Avery John for a reckless tackle (even though he did get the ball). It looked dire as they went down to ten men, but dammit if they didn't give the Swedes a hell of a game. Their defending was particularly excellent, and the manager made a huge gamble by actually putting on another forward. It paid off, as Sweden weren't allowed to spend huge amounts of time in the T&T box. A mixture of fantastic defending and bit of luck held the Swedes back, and it was amazing that the best chance of the game actually went to T&T, when a superb strike from a seemingly impossible angle slammed into the woodwork. The Swedes were devastated, but the Trinidad fans were absolutely ecstatic.
I decided to skip Doctor Who, opting to watch it later on demand at Nal's at some point. I ran home and prepared my cd's for the Winchester, and then we rushed down to the Woodside to drop off our stuff and check on everyone. We then headed upstairs to the pool room to watch the next match on a tiny screen. I should say that I fixed the aspect ratio on their television, which brought about a response of incredible indifference. I'm just not appreciated in some circles.
Argentina v Cote de Ivore (Ivory Coast)
I couldn't really root for Argentina, because they're Argentina. However, the Ivory Coast boasted Dider Drogba, the scum of the Premiership and a Chelsea FC player to boot. I opted to be more neutral than usual, and just watch the match. I missed the first twenty minutes, but saw both Argentina goals. It was probably the best football played in the tournament so far, both sides moving forward excellently and creating chances. Argentina just lucked out with one rather sloppy goal and another decent one, but the playing all around was excellent. The second half saw the Ivory Coast in superb form, though they just couldn't get it past the keeper. I left at 80 minutes, but watched the Drogba's consolation goal on the highlights later on, and it has to be said it was probably the best goal of the game. So Argentina won 2-1.
Drinking game additions for the day:
Every time, during an England game, that a commentator mentions 1966, have a drink.
Every time the camera turns to the audience and picks out a beautiful Swedish blonde in a bikini and face paint, have a drink and wish you were in Sweden.
Every time someone describes African and South American teams as "great attacking, but weak on defense", have a drink.
Every time a smaller team is described as "plucky", take a drink. Two drinks if they're from the Carribean islands.
Every time Maradona is picked out of the crowd by a cameraman in an Argentina match, put your drink down and remind yourself what might happen if you keep playing drinking games.
Serbia and Montanegro v Netherlands, Mexico v Iran, and Portugal v Angola up next.