A winning start for the Tahs!
All reports suggest it was an outstanding performance from club rugby's favourite son, Mat Rogers. One game down, only three more to go before his season ending injury wrecks our chances of winning the title.
While the match was being played on Friday evening in Sydney, I was at work on Friday morning in London; so I didn't get the opportunity to see it. I did however follow the occasional updates posted on the NSW Rugby website and thus knew the outcome when the match was over.
A very close friend of mine, who is a passionate rugby fun, does not want to know the score. He hopes, although he does not know for sure, that a pub somewhere in London will be showing a replay of the game, around Wednesday next week. He has requested that all his friends, many of whom are also passionate rugby and Waratah fans, do not tell him the score. He already has a voice message on his phone from a friend of ours back in Sydney, and will be getting his girlfriend to screen the message in case it contains any reference to the result.
I can understand where he's coming from, watching a game of sport is far more exciting when one doesn't know the outcome. It's perfectly reasonable to miss watching a game on a Saturday afternoon, and request not to be notified of the result so one can watch the replay in the evening. Surely though, asking your mates to wait almost 6 days without mentioning the match is a bit much? This is the first game of the Super12 season we're talking about here. Rugby is a big part of our social circle, asking us not to talk about rugby is almost like asking us to not talk at all.
Essentially this is all a big burden for me to shoulder It is not necessarily about temptation and wanting to reveal the result, but it will be a conscious effort not to slip into what would otherwise be a regular conversation.
Although I think he's a bit bonkers, I'm happy to play along. I cannot however, guarantee this will still be the case when the season is 12 weeks old!
Ok well after writing all that down, I just thought I'd email the text of the posting to my mate just so he could read my comments about him before I posted them. What I forgot when I did this was that I revealed the outcome at the beginning of the post. Stupid me. So now after having written that whole spiel and saying I wasn't going to tell him the score, I just did.
Funny though, if he hadn't been so adamant that he didn't want to know the score for 6 days, I would never have written this post, and never revealed the result.
I do feel bad though. Sorry Buddy
Friday, February 25, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Soap Opera
For English teams, last night’s Champions League matches were characterised by two common events, a Roy Carroll howler, and Anders Frisk playing for the television cameras.
A side that is trying to win the European Cup, cannot afford to have a goalkeeper prone to such errors. The defence must take some of the blame, Seedorf should not have been allowed to shoot, but it is a shot that should have been saved, and not fumbled into the path of Crespo. Again, the defence should have reacted quicker to clear the ball, but the shot was hit straight at Carroll and he should have caught it. Petr Cech would have caught it, Iker Casillas would have…… Peter Schmeichel would have.
Manchester United were knocked out of the competition last year by eventual winners Porto, when, in the last few minutes of the game, Tim Howard parried a relatively simple shot into the path of Francisco Costinha, who gave them the goal they needed to advance. Man U are by no means out of it, it is not often that a team goes to the San Siro and gets against such miserly defence, but if any team can then it’s Man U.
Perhaps it is unfair to heap so much blame on goalkeepers. Perhaps we should blame the strikers for not converting their chances, it’s not entirely fair; a mistake by a striker doesn’t generally appear on the score sheet, whereas a goalkeeper’s mistake does. However, all great teams are built on a strong presence in goal.
I do not think that the current Man U team is inferior in quality to the side that won the treble in 1999, and dominated the premiership in the 90s. The big difference however, is in goal. Man U would never have been so successful in the past if Roy Carroll was minding the nets instead of Peter Schmeichel; and they would be a far more successful side currently, with a goalkeeper of Schmeichel’s quality. It is as simple as that! There are quality goalkeepers out there, and Manchester United are not a poor club!
Roy Carroll has twice refused a renewal of his contract at Old Trafford now, I wonder which clubs will want to sign him instead. Perhaps he should consider not wearing the number 13 on his back!
Chelsea were unlucky to have had Didier Drogba sent off last night. Both challenges that brought him yellow cards were rather innocuous, and both may not have brought cautions from a different referee. For the second caution, Drogba instinctively went for a 50-50 ball with the goalkeeper, he made contact with the ball only and, if anything, Valdez clattered into Drogba when he realised he didn’t have the ball. Anders Frisk produced a yellow card, which then became red. Goalkeepers are a protected species.
Most will say that Drogba was unfairly punished, and I agree, especially since that diving little shit Deco wasn’t booked in the first half for one of the most blatant acts of simulation you’ll ever see. But after picking up his first caution after 15 minutes, he always looked like picking up another one, especially with Anders Frisk blowing the whistle.
For a long time I have always had a great deal of sympathy for referees; I was a referee myself once upon a time. It is a thankless task, nobody is ever happy with a referee’s performance. At all levels, referees give up their Saturday afternoons so we can play, only to be abused by players, parents, and fans alike. We must always remember that without referees, there would be no football. There are many credible refs who love the game and want to put in as much as they have gotten out of it.
There are also many referees who are complete arseholes. These are the men who seem to end up officiating at the top level.
It takes a particular type of person to become a referee at the top level. Are these the type of people that we want refereeing the games that mean so much to so many people? It is similar to government; it takes a certain type of person to become a politician, however, these are not necessarily the type of people we want running the country.
Most referees are failed footballers. If they were any good at football, they would be playing the game instead of officiating it. Most referees are also short, ugly, and bald. When you consider how much money, how much passion, and how much emotion is vested in football matches, it is frightening to think how much power these short, ugly, bald, failures actually have.
The best referees are the ones that nobody ever talks about, the exception perhaps being Pierluigi Collina. The fans are there to watch the players, not the ref, but the refs just cant handle that; they grew up dreaming of playing in front of thousands of cheering fans, and they want some of the spotlight too!
They revel in the power they have to change the course of a match, the power they have over millions of dollars worth of talent; they envy that talent and all that it brings. The players earn more in a week than these refs do in a year, the players are idolised and championed, the players have little respect for the referee. The referee wishes he was a player, but he feels he has the next best thing, power over them. They are out there in front of thousands of cheering fans, just like they dreamed of, and they want to be on television too.
I’m sure the referees are not consciously thinking these kind of things when they brand a controversial red card, or rule out a goal that should have stood. All these emotions are exist in the subconscious, are a part of the referee’s personality, and are what shapes his decisions on the field.
Anders Frisk is one of these refs; he blows his whistle too loud, is far too flamboyant, and pulls his shorts too far up his arse. I think he wears his shorts this way in order to cause enough pain to his rectum, so as to put him in the right mood to officiate the way he does.
In the earlier stages of the Champions League, at half time in a match at Roma, a spectator threw a coin from the stands, which hit Frisk right between the eyes, and gave him a decent cut. Nobody should condone this kind of behaviour from fans (he was caught and has now been signed by the England cricket team) but when referees like Frisk are concerned, we can sometimes empathise.
Who wants a job where they are constantly subject to constant abuse, harassment and death threats? These people do, they are small in number, but play a huge part in making football the soap opera it is. Forget about Eastenders, this is one soap opera that just keeps people coming back for more.
A side that is trying to win the European Cup, cannot afford to have a goalkeeper prone to such errors. The defence must take some of the blame, Seedorf should not have been allowed to shoot, but it is a shot that should have been saved, and not fumbled into the path of Crespo. Again, the defence should have reacted quicker to clear the ball, but the shot was hit straight at Carroll and he should have caught it. Petr Cech would have caught it, Iker Casillas would have…… Peter Schmeichel would have.
Manchester United were knocked out of the competition last year by eventual winners Porto, when, in the last few minutes of the game, Tim Howard parried a relatively simple shot into the path of Francisco Costinha, who gave them the goal they needed to advance. Man U are by no means out of it, it is not often that a team goes to the San Siro and gets against such miserly defence, but if any team can then it’s Man U.
Perhaps it is unfair to heap so much blame on goalkeepers. Perhaps we should blame the strikers for not converting their chances, it’s not entirely fair; a mistake by a striker doesn’t generally appear on the score sheet, whereas a goalkeeper’s mistake does. However, all great teams are built on a strong presence in goal.
I do not think that the current Man U team is inferior in quality to the side that won the treble in 1999, and dominated the premiership in the 90s. The big difference however, is in goal. Man U would never have been so successful in the past if Roy Carroll was minding the nets instead of Peter Schmeichel; and they would be a far more successful side currently, with a goalkeeper of Schmeichel’s quality. It is as simple as that! There are quality goalkeepers out there, and Manchester United are not a poor club!
Roy Carroll has twice refused a renewal of his contract at Old Trafford now, I wonder which clubs will want to sign him instead. Perhaps he should consider not wearing the number 13 on his back!
Chelsea were unlucky to have had Didier Drogba sent off last night. Both challenges that brought him yellow cards were rather innocuous, and both may not have brought cautions from a different referee. For the second caution, Drogba instinctively went for a 50-50 ball with the goalkeeper, he made contact with the ball only and, if anything, Valdez clattered into Drogba when he realised he didn’t have the ball. Anders Frisk produced a yellow card, which then became red. Goalkeepers are a protected species.
Most will say that Drogba was unfairly punished, and I agree, especially since that diving little shit Deco wasn’t booked in the first half for one of the most blatant acts of simulation you’ll ever see. But after picking up his first caution after 15 minutes, he always looked like picking up another one, especially with Anders Frisk blowing the whistle.
For a long time I have always had a great deal of sympathy for referees; I was a referee myself once upon a time. It is a thankless task, nobody is ever happy with a referee’s performance. At all levels, referees give up their Saturday afternoons so we can play, only to be abused by players, parents, and fans alike. We must always remember that without referees, there would be no football. There are many credible refs who love the game and want to put in as much as they have gotten out of it.
There are also many referees who are complete arseholes. These are the men who seem to end up officiating at the top level.
It takes a particular type of person to become a referee at the top level. Are these the type of people that we want refereeing the games that mean so much to so many people? It is similar to government; it takes a certain type of person to become a politician, however, these are not necessarily the type of people we want running the country.
Most referees are failed footballers. If they were any good at football, they would be playing the game instead of officiating it. Most referees are also short, ugly, and bald. When you consider how much money, how much passion, and how much emotion is vested in football matches, it is frightening to think how much power these short, ugly, bald, failures actually have.
The best referees are the ones that nobody ever talks about, the exception perhaps being Pierluigi Collina. The fans are there to watch the players, not the ref, but the refs just cant handle that; they grew up dreaming of playing in front of thousands of cheering fans, and they want some of the spotlight too!
They revel in the power they have to change the course of a match, the power they have over millions of dollars worth of talent; they envy that talent and all that it brings. The players earn more in a week than these refs do in a year, the players are idolised and championed, the players have little respect for the referee. The referee wishes he was a player, but he feels he has the next best thing, power over them. They are out there in front of thousands of cheering fans, just like they dreamed of, and they want to be on television too.
I’m sure the referees are not consciously thinking these kind of things when they brand a controversial red card, or rule out a goal that should have stood. All these emotions are exist in the subconscious, are a part of the referee’s personality, and are what shapes his decisions on the field.
Anders Frisk is one of these refs; he blows his whistle too loud, is far too flamboyant, and pulls his shorts too far up his arse. I think he wears his shorts this way in order to cause enough pain to his rectum, so as to put him in the right mood to officiate the way he does.
In the earlier stages of the Champions League, at half time in a match at Roma, a spectator threw a coin from the stands, which hit Frisk right between the eyes, and gave him a decent cut. Nobody should condone this kind of behaviour from fans (he was caught and has now been signed by the England cricket team) but when referees like Frisk are concerned, we can sometimes empathise.
Who wants a job where they are constantly subject to constant abuse, harassment and death threats? These people do, they are small in number, but play a huge part in making football the soap opera it is. Forget about Eastenders, this is one soap opera that just keeps people coming back for more.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Hump Day
Tie update: Only one of them was ruined and I didn't really like that one anyway. The others were well salvaged with a few minor stains on the back of them so.......... I still think I'll make a trip to TM Lewin
Champions League last night, Arsenal have been compared to Only Fools and Horses; you know what's going to happen, but you watch anyway, and laugh.
Champions League tonight!!! Should I be surprised that more London pubs are showing the Man U game as opposed to the Chelsea game? I suppose not, there are probably more Man U fans in London than Chelsea fans (damn I hate Man U)
Anyway, Barcelona v Chelsea is definitely the pick of the competition, the league leaders in Spain and England, the people's club vs the person's club. My tip: Barca 2 : 1 Chelsea.
In the other match: Man U 1 : 1 AC Milan
Thank god the Champions league is back on, the premiership was getting dead boring there for a while.
A great article as a follow up from my Mr Grumpy post.
Wednesday's over, it's all downhill from here.
Champions League last night, Arsenal have been compared to Only Fools and Horses; you know what's going to happen, but you watch anyway, and laugh.
Champions League tonight!!! Should I be surprised that more London pubs are showing the Man U game as opposed to the Chelsea game? I suppose not, there are probably more Man U fans in London than Chelsea fans (damn I hate Man U)
Anyway, Barcelona v Chelsea is definitely the pick of the competition, the league leaders in Spain and England, the people's club vs the person's club. My tip: Barca 2 : 1 Chelsea.
In the other match: Man U 1 : 1 AC Milan
Thank god the Champions league is back on, the premiership was getting dead boring there for a while.
A great article as a follow up from my Mr Grumpy post.
Wednesday's over, it's all downhill from here.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
London Snow
We got some proper snow in London last night for the first time this season. Enough to settle on the grass overnight, and enough to make the pavements icy enough to slide to the train station instead of walking.
I always find snow in London has two effects:
1) It makes everyone just a little bit cheerier, at least at first. Let's face it, snow is fun, pretty, it makes the cold bearable and it's a hell of a lot better than rain. The usual grumpy population of London seem to be just a little bit more willing to let the corners of their mouths turn up into what might be contrued as a smile. The snow though could last here for a couple of weeks and I'm sure by that time peoples attitudes will have changed.
2) Everything stops working. This also happens in the summer if it gets too hot. Britain is not a country built for exteme temperatures (although what is classed as extreme here is not necessarily the case in other places.) Britain works best in mediocre weather, not too hot and not too cold, which is great. Although for a week or two each year, it gets too hot or too cold and then everything stops working.
This same sense of mediocrity can also be applied to Britain's sporting teams, consistently average with everyone feeling relatively comfortable about that. Occasionally though, as with England's 2003 Rugby team, things do move beyond mediocrity, and they perform very very well. Once this has happened, in keeping with the consequences of extremes in the weather; everything stops working.
I always find snow in London has two effects:
1) It makes everyone just a little bit cheerier, at least at first. Let's face it, snow is fun, pretty, it makes the cold bearable and it's a hell of a lot better than rain. The usual grumpy population of London seem to be just a little bit more willing to let the corners of their mouths turn up into what might be contrued as a smile. The snow though could last here for a couple of weeks and I'm sure by that time peoples attitudes will have changed.
2) Everything stops working. This also happens in the summer if it gets too hot. Britain is not a country built for exteme temperatures (although what is classed as extreme here is not necessarily the case in other places.) Britain works best in mediocre weather, not too hot and not too cold, which is great. Although for a week or two each year, it gets too hot or too cold and then everything stops working.
This same sense of mediocrity can also be applied to Britain's sporting teams, consistently average with everyone feeling relatively comfortable about that. Occasionally though, as with England's 2003 Rugby team, things do move beyond mediocrity, and they perform very very well. Once this has happened, in keeping with the consequences of extremes in the weather; everything stops working.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Mr Grumpy
Ok so I admit that this is what I look like most mornings, but Monday mornings in particular, and this Monday morning more so.
My first task this morning was to take my ties to the dry cleaners. Yesterday the various laws of thermo-dynamics, gravity and stupidity conspired against me, all in the form of a full Grande cup of Americano coffee. The aforementioned item had just been re-heated in the microwave, thus weakening the stability of the paper cup. My grip on the cup, which would have otherwise been sufficient to safely transport the vessel, turned out to be inadequate. The culmination then of various laws of physics as well as our old friend Sod’s law, caused the cup to slip, my fingers to burn, and the entire contents to spill into the top drawer of my bedside dresser, which had been opened, but not closed, only a few minutes previously.
Shit… no wait… Fuck!
So anyway, this particular draw contains mostly important things: Passports, Birth and Citizenship certificates, letters, work, etc. Fortunately for these documents, the majority of the liquid was soaked up by the collection of rather expensive ties that I own, and wear to work on a daily basis. Some cleanup of my paper work was required, and it reminded me of those school history projects we once had to do, when we spilled coffee over the papers to make it look like it was an old manuscript (that had been found in the basement of a Starbucks.)
So to the dry cleaners this morning I went. The guy near my local tube station wanted to charge me £3.50 per tie, which I consider nothing less that extortion. Fortunately, the place near my office charges a slightly more reasonable £2.49. Makes me think though about the rules of bargaining, when you start off with a completely ridiculous offer, and then put forward the one you actually want as a ‘compromise.’
So watch this space, I have resigned to the fact that half of them will probably be ruined, and a trip to TM Lewin may be required in the next few days, and knowing me I will probably end up buying some more shirts while I’m there.
If this all happened in America, I’m pretty confident I could sue Starbucks for failing to put a warning on their cups; stating that their structural integrity could be adversely affected, if warmed in the microwave.
£1.70 for another cup of coffee
£19.92 dry cleaning costs
£200 replacement ties
Legal costs
£1,500,000 for emotional distress and punitive damages.
I was going to write about what else makes a Monday morning even more unbearable, ie; having to commute to work on the London Underground. I really do find this a distressing experience at times. I have however said to myself I will try and hold off for as long as possible before launching into a tirade of vitriol on the subject. I have recovered from this morning’s journey and so I feel I can wait a little longer. Again though, watch this space.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Derby matches
Ok so this was just going to be a comment about a previous posting but it may as well be a new posting altogether.
Further to the whole foreign football thing, there is a big Lancashire derby this weekend in the FA cup with Burnley and Blackburn facing each other. Traditionally these two clubs have not gotten on well with each other and so the atmosphere is expected to be heated.
I often wonder how people who support clubs that are only 8 miles away from each other, can despise each other with such vitriol, when there are so many other people in the world to hate. Surely it would make sense for such close neighbours to band together and perhaps hate supporters from clubs in say, Bulgaria.
In any case it will no doubt be the fans who provide the atmosphere for this weekend's match, but with the topic of foreign players being talked about these days, how many of the teams' players feel the intensity of a derby game like the fans do? With Burnley being a Championship side anyway and this having a majority of British players anyway, it may not be the best example; but do Arsenal's entirely foreign team care that much about their local derby against Spurs when they come around?
Further to the whole foreign football thing, there is a big Lancashire derby this weekend in the FA cup with Burnley and Blackburn facing each other. Traditionally these two clubs have not gotten on well with each other and so the atmosphere is expected to be heated.
I often wonder how people who support clubs that are only 8 miles away from each other, can despise each other with such vitriol, when there are so many other people in the world to hate. Surely it would make sense for such close neighbours to band together and perhaps hate supporters from clubs in say, Bulgaria.
In any case it will no doubt be the fans who provide the atmosphere for this weekend's match, but with the topic of foreign players being talked about these days, how many of the teams' players feel the intensity of a derby game like the fans do? With Burnley being a Championship side anyway and this having a majority of British players anyway, it may not be the best example; but do Arsenal's entirely foreign team care that much about their local derby against Spurs when they come around?
Boring
It's only when one starts to try and write down things about one's life, does one realised how uninteresting it actually is.
It has been a terribly boring week at work with little to do, next week I'm sure will be busier. It's Friday afternoon and I've not got the motivation to have any opinions today.
It has been a terribly boring week at work with little to do, next week I'm sure will be busier. It's Friday afternoon and I've not got the motivation to have any opinions today.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Farcenal
Goodbye to the so-called ‘English’ Premiership. On Monday night, the defending champions; Arsenal, fielded a 16 man squad for their premiership clash with Crystal Palace, that did not contain a single British player. This is the first time this has ever happened in English league football.
Frankly this has been a long time coming, fewer and fewer British players are playing regular first team football in Premiership teams. It is no wonder the English national side is so poor; most of the players that play in the self acclaimed ‘most exciting league in the world,’ are not eligible for the England team! I personally think the Primera Liga in Spain is a competition of far more quality and interest than the premiership, but that is another argument.
I fully support UEFA’s decision to force clubs from all countries to list at least 4 home grown players in their 25 man squads by the 2006 – 2007 season. This rule applies only to UEFA competitions but hopefully we will also see it implemented domestically as well. Needless to say, Arsenal vice chairman, David Dein, has attacked these initiatives.It seems these days that the only thing English about most of the teams in the Premiership, are simply the fact that that is where they happen to play most of their games. Especially with the increased popularity of loan deals, and the fact that the Premiership is certainly the richest league around, essentially teams are staffed with hired guns and mercenaries, who are there for a pay cheque and have little desire for the club.
Frankly this has been a long time coming, fewer and fewer British players are playing regular first team football in Premiership teams. It is no wonder the English national side is so poor; most of the players that play in the self acclaimed ‘most exciting league in the world,’ are not eligible for the England team! I personally think the Primera Liga in Spain is a competition of far more quality and interest than the premiership, but that is another argument.
I fully support UEFA’s decision to force clubs from all countries to list at least 4 home grown players in their 25 man squads by the 2006 – 2007 season. This rule applies only to UEFA competitions but hopefully we will also see it implemented domestically as well. Needless to say, Arsenal vice chairman, David Dein, has attacked these initiatives.It seems these days that the only thing English about most of the teams in the Premiership, are simply the fact that that is where they happen to play most of their games. Especially with the increased popularity of loan deals, and the fact that the Premiership is certainly the richest league around, essentially teams are staffed with hired guns and mercenaries, who are there for a pay cheque and have little desire for the club.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Kicking Practice
Well what a disaster for England, how on earth they managed to lose to France yesterday is anyone’s guess. For the second week in a row, both France and England barely even showed up to play, and for the second week in a row, Les Bleus snatched victory in the last 10 minutes of the game, and Les world champions threw it away.
The fact that England missed 21 points worth of kicks (if you include Hodgson’s drop goal attempt) shouldn’t really be the issue. England should have buried France after taking a 17-6 half time lead, but their second half performance was abject. Even if Hodgson or Barkley had slotted one of their missed attempts, it would merely have masked what was once again, an amateur performance from a team without cohesion, confidence and leadership.
How Martin Johnson must have been squirming in his BBC chair on Sunday afternoon. An England side with him at the helm would surely not have fallen to pieces so spectacularly. Jason Robinson is a fine player and has many admirable leadership qualities, but it is extremely difficult to captain a side from fullback. England needed a Johnson or a Dallaglio to lead from the front, from the ruck and the maul, but none of the forwards put their hand up, and the rest of the team looked in disarray.
Aside from Johnson, England’s player skill level has not been considerably diminished since November 2003, it is clear however, that Martin Johnson’s leadership is sorely missed.
The issue for England now is confidence. England do not have the look of a confident side. After Olly Barkley’s try, we were shown footage of Andy Robinson cheering from the coach’s seat, although for only a couple of seconds. It then seemed as though he quickly realised what he was doing, as though it was something wrong, and then sat back down, straight faced and almost embarrassed of his actions. He was obviously feeling that he mustn’t cheer too loud too soon and that complacency in taking the lead was unwise in the extreme. He was correct, however this is not the behaviour we can expect to see from a coach who has confidence in his side’s ability to go on and score more tries. This lack of confidence filters down through the squad and it shows in the players on the pitch.
This past week it was revealed that the Rugby Football Union has a secret master plan; it aims to win the next two World Cups and six of the next eight Six Nations Championships. It seems they are getting a little ahead of themselves. In any of the Monday paper’s post match reviews, you will still find half a dozen references to the 2003 World Cup! Yesterday’s match had nothing at all to do with the World Cup, and nor will any of the matches that England play between now and 2007. This is now the 8th defeat in 13 matches since November 22 2003; England are not the same team that won that tournament. Perhaps the players have forgotten all about this and it is only the media who are so concerned with it; perhaps not. Whatever the case, it must be forgotten all about if England are to become a decent team again, let alone think about winning another one.
It seems as though the World Cup champagne has gone well and truly to England’s heads, and this is turning out to be a very long hangover indeed.
The fact that England missed 21 points worth of kicks (if you include Hodgson’s drop goal attempt) shouldn’t really be the issue. England should have buried France after taking a 17-6 half time lead, but their second half performance was abject. Even if Hodgson or Barkley had slotted one of their missed attempts, it would merely have masked what was once again, an amateur performance from a team without cohesion, confidence and leadership.
How Martin Johnson must have been squirming in his BBC chair on Sunday afternoon. An England side with him at the helm would surely not have fallen to pieces so spectacularly. Jason Robinson is a fine player and has many admirable leadership qualities, but it is extremely difficult to captain a side from fullback. England needed a Johnson or a Dallaglio to lead from the front, from the ruck and the maul, but none of the forwards put their hand up, and the rest of the team looked in disarray.
Aside from Johnson, England’s player skill level has not been considerably diminished since November 2003, it is clear however, that Martin Johnson’s leadership is sorely missed.
The issue for England now is confidence. England do not have the look of a confident side. After Olly Barkley’s try, we were shown footage of Andy Robinson cheering from the coach’s seat, although for only a couple of seconds. It then seemed as though he quickly realised what he was doing, as though it was something wrong, and then sat back down, straight faced and almost embarrassed of his actions. He was obviously feeling that he mustn’t cheer too loud too soon and that complacency in taking the lead was unwise in the extreme. He was correct, however this is not the behaviour we can expect to see from a coach who has confidence in his side’s ability to go on and score more tries. This lack of confidence filters down through the squad and it shows in the players on the pitch.
This past week it was revealed that the Rugby Football Union has a secret master plan; it aims to win the next two World Cups and six of the next eight Six Nations Championships. It seems they are getting a little ahead of themselves. In any of the Monday paper’s post match reviews, you will still find half a dozen references to the 2003 World Cup! Yesterday’s match had nothing at all to do with the World Cup, and nor will any of the matches that England play between now and 2007. This is now the 8th defeat in 13 matches since November 22 2003; England are not the same team that won that tournament. Perhaps the players have forgotten all about this and it is only the media who are so concerned with it; perhaps not. Whatever the case, it must be forgotten all about if England are to become a decent team again, let alone think about winning another one.
It seems as though the World Cup champagne has gone well and truly to England’s heads, and this is turning out to be a very long hangover indeed.
Target Practice
As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald today:
A lone gunman opened fire with an assault rifle inside a crowded American mall, wounding one person before running out of ammunition and being subdued by employees.
How does someone fire an assault rifle until they run out of ammunition, inside a crowded mall, and only wound one person???
It reminds me of those hollywood movies where the bad guys fire a volley of bullets at the good guy and dont hit him once.
A lone gunman opened fire with an assault rifle inside a crowded American mall, wounding one person before running out of ammunition and being subdued by employees.
How does someone fire an assault rifle until they run out of ammunition, inside a crowded mall, and only wound one person???
It reminds me of those hollywood movies where the bad guys fire a volley of bullets at the good guy and dont hit him once.
Kiwi FC
A fantastic performance from my team mates at Kiwi FC over the weekend, playing in the Wimbledon Trophy against Hyde Park Thursday. We braved the cold, wet and windy conditions at Wandsworth Park, with no substitutions and played with courage and determination. Our injured players put their team before themselves and played through the pain barrier, showing what it means to wear the blue and gold jersey. In an occasionally spiteful encouter, we came from 2-1 down towards the end of the second half, to win 3-2 in extra time. Our post match pints were certainly well deserved! I'm not sure about the others, but after 120 minutes of football, my legs are still pretty sore.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
You want me to pay how much?
So Friday night was quite a good night out, we stayed local and a few of us went to a tapas place and then on to a bar after that. Being a Friday night we were charged entry; £2 for ladies, £3 for guys.
Now, I don’t have a problem with this kind of entry fee, I understand bars/clubs want ladies through their doors, because let’s face it, a good party has loads of gorgeous girls there. Also, men in general aren’t really too concerned about this kind of discrimination. Essentially though, that is what we’re talking about here: discrimination.
Generally, men do get a better deal than women though. Statistics still show that comparatively, men are paid more than women for doing the same work, so why shouldn’t it be cheaper for ladies to get entry into a bar? But let’s for a moment imagine it costs £2 for white people and £3 for black people, could you imagine the outrage it would cause? It is no different to discriminate against someone based on their race as it is based on their sex.
The whole thing really isn’t a problem at all, but small things like this should be noted when considering equality in modern society.
For the record, the place was packed out with blokes anyway.
Now, I don’t have a problem with this kind of entry fee, I understand bars/clubs want ladies through their doors, because let’s face it, a good party has loads of gorgeous girls there. Also, men in general aren’t really too concerned about this kind of discrimination. Essentially though, that is what we’re talking about here: discrimination.
Generally, men do get a better deal than women though. Statistics still show that comparatively, men are paid more than women for doing the same work, so why shouldn’t it be cheaper for ladies to get entry into a bar? But let’s for a moment imagine it costs £2 for white people and £3 for black people, could you imagine the outrage it would cause? It is no different to discriminate against someone based on their race as it is based on their sex.
The whole thing really isn’t a problem at all, but small things like this should be noted when considering equality in modern society.
For the record, the place was packed out with blokes anyway.
Friday, February 11, 2005
A team in decline?
On the eve of England's six nations match against France at Twickenham, stand in England captain Jason Robinson has refuted suggestions that his team are in decline:
"We are certainly not on the decline. You lose one game and it doesn't make you a bad team."
Indeed he is correct; losing one game does not make you a bad team. However, England have not just lost one game, they have lost 7 from their last 10 tests. This is hardly the kind of form that one can expect from a team who call themselves World Champions.
Sure, Robinson is only trying to be optimistic ahead of the weekend's match, we would hardly expect him to come out and say, yeah we're no good any more and they'll probably give us a hiding. The reality is however, that England have been in decline for the past 14 months.
Escaping this decline is not beyond them, but they must first stop talking about the world cup.
It seems to me though that there always seems to be a sense of complacency in English sport. England felt that once they had won the world cup, the job was done, they were the best and that was that. However, when you are on top, everyone else will work just that little bit harder to bring you down. It is difficult to win, but it is even more difficult to stay winning. That is the test of a true champion side.
"We are certainly not on the decline. You lose one game and it doesn't make you a bad team."
Indeed he is correct; losing one game does not make you a bad team. However, England have not just lost one game, they have lost 7 from their last 10 tests. This is hardly the kind of form that one can expect from a team who call themselves World Champions.
Sure, Robinson is only trying to be optimistic ahead of the weekend's match, we would hardly expect him to come out and say, yeah we're no good any more and they'll probably give us a hiding. The reality is however, that England have been in decline for the past 14 months.
Escaping this decline is not beyond them, but they must first stop talking about the world cup.
It seems to me though that there always seems to be a sense of complacency in English sport. England felt that once they had won the world cup, the job was done, they were the best and that was that. However, when you are on top, everyone else will work just that little bit harder to bring you down. It is difficult to win, but it is even more difficult to stay winning. That is the test of a true champion side.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
You're not coming in!
Tony Blair’s new changes to immigration is a political master stroke. Earlier this week the Home Secretary; Charles Clarke, outlined a new immigration policy based on a points system like in Australia. Highly skilled workers will have a better chance of immigrating than non skilled, and there will be an overall quota of immigrants allowed in each year.
In the run up to the general election, immigration has become an important issue for middle England. Many Daily Mail readers believe it to be a problem and Britain’s current laws are too lax. The Tories have criticised New Labour for their handling of immigration and they are not the only ones; The BNP, UKip and Robert Kilroy-Silk’s new party ‘Veritas’ are all trying to make noise with a ‘tougher on immigration ‘ mantra.
Recent polls suggest that immigration is an important political issue for many Britons, it is an issue that would be pertinent to the election and it is an issue that would probably have worked against the Government. Indeed the Tories looked like they were gearing up to use this issue as one of their main campaign policies.
The Prime Minister has now addressed a matter that appeared to be a major issue for a large number of voters; in doing so, he has removed it from the election agenda. The Tories must now come up with some other way to expose the Government’s deficiencies if they hope to win back any seats later this year.
In the run up to the general election, immigration has become an important issue for middle England. Many Daily Mail readers believe it to be a problem and Britain’s current laws are too lax. The Tories have criticised New Labour for their handling of immigration and they are not the only ones; The BNP, UKip and Robert Kilroy-Silk’s new party ‘Veritas’ are all trying to make noise with a ‘tougher on immigration ‘ mantra.
Recent polls suggest that immigration is an important political issue for many Britons, it is an issue that would be pertinent to the election and it is an issue that would probably have worked against the Government. Indeed the Tories looked like they were gearing up to use this issue as one of their main campaign policies.
The Prime Minister has now addressed a matter that appeared to be a major issue for a large number of voters; in doing so, he has removed it from the election agenda. The Tories must now come up with some other way to expose the Government’s deficiencies if they hope to win back any seats later this year.
Fundergroud
Anyone who has had to catch the Tube during peak hour, and had to pay an arm and a leg to do so, then listen to this song. Although better not turn it up too loud in the office.
http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground
Pure class.
http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground
Pure class.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Robinson make up your mind
I feel some sympathy for Mathew Tait after England's loss to Wales on Saturday. Although not because he can't spell his christian name properly; he's been dropped entirely from the 22 man squad all together. Not a good way to give a young footballer confidence.
Tait didn't have a bad game against Wales, as a teenager playing his debut in the cauldron that is Millennium Stadium, he did reasonably well. He suffered from some poor decisions by Dawson and Hodgson, but I think he probably played a better game than his center partner Jamie Noon.
In any case, Robinson is right to bring in Olly Barkley at number 12, England's game was much better when he came on in the second half and I am a big advocate of playing two pivots at 10 and 12. Tait though doesn't even get a look in on the bench, instead Henry Paul has been brought back into the 22. The last time we saw Paul in a white jersey was when he was pulled off 24 minutes into England's Twickenham loss at the hands of the mightly Wallabies.
Andy Robinson needs to make up his mind quickly about who is is going to play in his team, and then keep that team together until France 2007; otherwise, England wont have any chance at all of defending their crown! (not that that's a bad thing)
Tait didn't have a bad game against Wales, as a teenager playing his debut in the cauldron that is Millennium Stadium, he did reasonably well. He suffered from some poor decisions by Dawson and Hodgson, but I think he probably played a better game than his center partner Jamie Noon.
In any case, Robinson is right to bring in Olly Barkley at number 12, England's game was much better when he came on in the second half and I am a big advocate of playing two pivots at 10 and 12. Tait though doesn't even get a look in on the bench, instead Henry Paul has been brought back into the 22. The last time we saw Paul in a white jersey was when he was pulled off 24 minutes into England's Twickenham loss at the hands of the mightly Wallabies.
Andy Robinson needs to make up his mind quickly about who is is going to play in his team, and then keep that team together until France 2007; otherwise, England wont have any chance at all of defending their crown! (not that that's a bad thing)
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Western Altruism
Recently there was a concert held in Sydney to raise funds for the victims of the Boxing Day Tsunami. There have been many similar such events held around the world for the same purpose, obviously an effective way of raising money; people are more likely to part with their hard earned if they get something in return.
The crowd were all told by the artists that they were "doing a great thing, and should all feel really good about themselves."
Why?
They were paying money to be entertained. The fact that the proceeds were supposed to end up on the muddy shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand is essentially irrelevant. Why should we feel good about ourselves because 300,000 people have died?
The Tsunami has just provided the west with another way to feel good about ourselves. After the disaster it seemed as though all the wealthy countries in the world were scrambling to out-do each other in donations. People get the chance to have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, that they have made a difference and done their little bit, because they turned up to a rock concert!
Obviously the people affected by the Tsunami are now suffering terrible hardships and wealthy nations should provide assistance; but why are we not organising concerts and cricket matches for the poverty stricken people of Africa, who have nothing for a natural disaster to take away.
Why? Because there are no western tourists there.
For the west it has never been about how we can help the poor, but more about what levels of altruism we can attain without actually affecting our comfort levels. Ultimately, everything has to be about the west!
The crowd were all told by the artists that they were "doing a great thing, and should all feel really good about themselves."
Why?
They were paying money to be entertained. The fact that the proceeds were supposed to end up on the muddy shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand is essentially irrelevant. Why should we feel good about ourselves because 300,000 people have died?
The Tsunami has just provided the west with another way to feel good about ourselves. After the disaster it seemed as though all the wealthy countries in the world were scrambling to out-do each other in donations. People get the chance to have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, that they have made a difference and done their little bit, because they turned up to a rock concert!
Obviously the people affected by the Tsunami are now suffering terrible hardships and wealthy nations should provide assistance; but why are we not organising concerts and cricket matches for the poverty stricken people of Africa, who have nothing for a natural disaster to take away.
Why? Because there are no western tourists there.
For the west it has never been about how we can help the poor, but more about what levels of altruism we can attain without actually affecting our comfort levels. Ultimately, everything has to be about the west!
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