Starting with the World Cup in 2010, the idea of the blog is to hopefully help those who, whilst not being that interested in football, still want to keep abreast of what is going on. This way they won't feel such an outsider, when the said event is the only thing that everyone else is talking about. The blog is intended to be humourous and not very politically correct. Enjoy
Hi readers, disaster has struck, the final post was almost ready, when it got accidentally overwritten and deleted. I have no time to redo it. I don't want either team to win, and as a good friend of mine says, they could all drop down dead. but I plump for France as 1) they are not that special but have that winning mentality and 2) I am not in the Messi cult and could not careless if he does not win it.
Back in in eighteen months for the Euros
The day starts with the intriguing battle between the Magellan boys from Portugal and the Atlas Lions from Morocco. As we like to do in this blog, we are going to look at this game from a wider perspective before we get to the football.
On Monday, Morocco stunned the watching world with an astonishing victory in a penalty shootout over one half of the Iberian Peninsula, and therefore they are now to face the other country from that area.
It should be remembered that from the early eight century until late in the fifteenth century, the forebears of the nation now called Morocco, ruled over the majority of what is now Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese kicked the moors out in the middle of the thirteenth century and Espana fimally did so two hundred years later.
In Islamic ideology, land that was once under Islamic rule and that has been lost is only in a temporary state of non Islamic control. There are many of the more zealous types who would love to get one over the Portuguese as they did over the not very popular Spaniards,
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| How one of the Moroccan team visualized the victory |
Far credit to the Moroccans though, they gave their all and more, some of them could hardly walk at the end. It was a brave performance against a toothless Spanish side, and they should enjoy all the glory that they have been basking in over the past few days.
However, it will be a totally different kettle of Sardines against the high scoring, free flowing Portuguese. They like to cover every blade of grass in the search for new ways to score in the best traditions of that nation as they used to search the seven seas for new lands to conquer and exploit or explore depending on how you see it.
Portugal absolutely buried the Swiss mountaineers alive with an avalanche of goals and even a trusty old St Bernard dog, with his keg of brandy would not have been able to resuscitate the stricken Swiss players, although obviously that would not be allowed here with the ban on alcohol consumption in public.
Two to watch
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| Goncalo Ramos, Hot Property |
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| Hakimi, nerves of steel against Spain |
As the old saying goes, lightning does not strike twice, and Portugal will be waiting for EnGerLand or Les Bleus.
What is it about meetings between EnGerLand and Les Bleus that gets the pulses racing so much? It is obviously more than football as the first listed game between them took place in 1923. It is in fact nearly a thousand years of intertwined history dating back to the Norman conquest of EnGerLand in 1066.
It must be stressed that the Normans were not French, they were of course Vikings who had conquered and then settled in the area that became known as Normandy, The French did not like them very much and after the conquest, the mutual dislike spread across La Manche as the froggies call the English Channel.
People have heard of the 100 years' war, butt a state of simmering tensions between the inhabitants of those nations has been in effect as I said for nearly 1000 years. Crecy, Poitiers, Blenheim, Quebec, Wandiwash, Salamanca, Trafalgar and of course Agincourt to name but a few of the many battles between the two nations all over the globe where superior French forces were soundly defeated due to a mixture of French arrogance and complacency and bloody minded doggedness on display from the English.
The English call the French the frogs, the French call the English le Rosbif, pretty harmless stuff. When the EEC was first created, President de Gaulle did not want the UK included. The English think the French fickle and feckless, the French think the English unimaginative and emotionless. You get the point.
So, to the game, Les Bleus are definitely the favourites, they are the reigning champions and in Mbappe, they have one of the fastest and most lethal players in the world. They are of course not a one man team and are blessed with a variety of attacking talent, but they are suspect in defence. Against Poland in their last game, the Poles really should have taken the lead before Mbappe got going.
The fact that EnGerLand are the underdogs will suit them just fine. The froggies have not yet been tested and they may be found wanting due to those character flaws I mentioned above. This EnGerLand team is also very talented going forward and slightly suspect at the back so it will be a much closer contest than some people are expecting.
The last time the two met in a world cup was back in 1982, before French football underwent a massive change with the influx of players whose heritage lies in the French colonies which transformed Les Bleus into the potent force they are today.
Two to watch
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| Bellingham, Teenage Wunderkid |
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| Rabiot, a very Gallic profile |
Once more into the breech, dear friends, once more. Imitate the action of the tiger, stiffen the sinews, Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit to his full height. On, on you noblest English, Follow your spirit, and upon the charge. cry God for Harry (Kane)! EnGerLand and saint Gearge (Gareth)!
to paraphrase the great bard in Henry V Act III
It will not be easy, the match will be to and fro, but I have to go for an EnGerLand victory.
We will be back on Tuesday to preview the first semi final
Firstly, I must apologize for not having been able to keep up with getting out the blog. Having broken my right shoulder last week, it is a struggle to concentrate let alone type with only my weaker left hand available.
The round of sixteen was full of the sort of theatre that only a world cup can provide, and of the teams who were in that stage only one who were expected to make it to the last eight, Espana, failed to do so. Some of the football was exhilarating and there was drama a plenty as two games went to penalty shootouts.
The two teams that entertained the most will be on display against the teams that were able to hold their nerve in the penalty shootouts. To be honest, both the Blue Samurai of Japan and the toreadors of Viva Espana were so shockingly bad that the men from Kings landing in Croatia, and the Atlas Lions of Morrocco had it easy.
First up, we will see the dancing boys from the Copa Cabana against the very resilient Croatians. I say resilient, because over the past two world cups, all the knockout games that Croatia have been involved in have gone to extra time, and they have won three penalty shoot outs and beaten EnGerLand two goals to one. Croatia should be renamed after the band Chumbawamba, who sang "I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never going to keep me down."
Brazil was my pick before the tournament started to lift the trophy and I have not seen anything to make me doubt that choice.
Brazil is famous for carnival and the Samba, and it was on full display as they destroyed South Korea with the type of ruthless efficiency one would expect from the Spanish inquisition. They celebrated every goal with a little jig, with even their taciturn coach joining in after the third goal, which was to be fair, a piece of choreography worthy of the Bolshoi ballet and deserving of a little dance.
There were plenty of killjoys amongst the television pundits who thought it was disrespectful to the plucky South Koreans to thus celebrate, but they did not seem to mind.
Brazil and Croatia have met in two previous world cups, in 2006 and 2014, with the Brazilians winning on both occasions, although if you want an omen, in both cases, Brazil failed to go on and win the trophy.
I cannot see any other conclusion than Brazil advancing to the semi finals
Two to look out for
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| Livakovic will be tested |
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| Vinicius Jr coolness personified |
The second quarter final features a rematch of the highly contentious final of 1978 between Don't cry for me Argentina and the Oranjeboom from the Netherlands. Here's how the game played out, enjoy it before I continue
In its own way, the world cup in Argentina was as controversial as the one in Qatar is today, the difference being that the cold war was at its height and the ruling military junta which had seized power in 1976 had the full backing of the United States. In a world devoid of internet and social media and therefore far less woke, people did not really care about human rights abuses in a far off country. (I often wonder how much they really care today unless it is a Cause Celebre.) It is thought that around thirty thousand people just disappeared while the Junta was in power, and it was against this backdrop that the tournament took place.
The Argentinian path to final was not without hiccups and the accusations of cheating were rife and as you saw from the video, the final was not a smooth affair and was played in a fervent atmosphere.
As an English football fan, I always want the Argies to lose, as with most things connected to football, it is completely irrational. the few Argentinians I know are lovely people but show me those blue and white striped shirts and I see a red mist.
It started back to the world cup of 1966 where the then Argentinian number 10, Rattin was sent off against EnGerLand by the German referee because he did not like the way Rattin looked at him, as we know EnGerLand went on to win the trophy, but that was just the beginning of the enmity. Enough has been said about the hand of god, but to put that in a historical context, that was only four years after the Falklands war when Argentina as a country was demonized in the English press.
In the 1998 world cup there was the Simeone v Beckham incident. Beckham had to go but the way the Argies surrounded the referee typifies the way the masters of the dark arts play the game. I could put a video of Rattin being sent off and it would look very similar.
As I wrote in the first group preview, The Orangemen are the nearly men of world cup football, having lost all three finals they have played in. The last time the two sides met in a world cup was in the 2014 semifinal, the game ended in a scoreless draw, and the gauchos won on penalties.
As you may have gathered, I am all Orange for this game, but I fear a similar outcome. Perhaps the precedent of when they last met in the quarterfinals back in 1998 will be followed with the clog wearers coming out on top. That game will be remembered for a sublime piece of finishing which you can enjoy below.
Two to watch
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| de Paul. Messi's bodyguard |
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| Dumfries Dutch X factor |
As I wrote, I hope I am wrong, but a mouthwatering semifinal awaits whatever.
Tomorrow, we will preview Portugal against Morrocco and the big one EnGerLand v Les Bleus.
Today's Hors D'oeuvres serves up the clash between Les Bleus of Franc and the last remaining Eastern European team of Poland. This will be followed by a main course consisting of EnGerLand and Senegal.
An interesting thing that France and Poland have in common is that geographically they are the countries that sit to the East and the West of Ze Shermans, and this has caused them to live in fear for over two thousand years because of the rather rapacious nature of their neighbours. So, while the rest of the world rejoiced in the manner of Ze Shermans amazing exit, on Thursday night, there was an extra level of enjoyment and satisfaction felt in France and Poland.
Another interesting tidbit is the fact that the bright lights of gay paree were often the desired choice for Polish emigrees, who went on to find world renown in their adopted homeland, the composer Frederic Chopin and the physicist Marie Curie to name but two. All this shows that there is no real enmity between these two nations.
They have only met once before in the context of the world cup, when they played in the meaningless third place final back in Italia 82, a game in which the Poles ran out winners by three goals to two.
The French keeper had a bit of a mare.
The Polish have not been very good so far, to the extent that they nearly only qualified for this game because they had accrued fewer yellow cards than the Sancho Panzas of Mexico.
The Poles are a very grey team reflecting the weather of the country they come from, dour and miserable. They have one world class player in Lewandowski and are almost solely reliable on his ability to score. I think they will look to soak up the French pressure and try and catch them on the break.
The froggies on the other hand have lived up to expectations, they thrashed the Aussies and eased past Denmark, against Tunisia having already qualified, they fielded a very weakened team and surprisingly lost but it was really meaningless.
I expect Les Bleus, to roll forward like the columns of Napoleon's Imperial guard as they did at Austerlitz with Mbappe down one wing and Dembele down the other gliding along like a liberal splash of French polish, they should be able to outflank the stubborn Poles and then crush their center,so that they will move on to the Quarter finals.
Two to watch:
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| Cash will have his hands full |
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| Dembele will keep Cash busy |
Here we go, here we go, here we go, unfortunately it is happening again across the length and breadth of EnGerLand and anywhere in the world where there is a gathering of EnGerLand supporters, the fantasizing has begun as to whether football is coming home as the song goes.
There were five teams that were unbeaten in the group stages, and EnGerLand had the best record of the three who had two wins and a draw. They were the highest scorers along with Spain finding the net nine times and had the best goal difference of all the teams in the first round, having conceded only twice and one of those was due to a ridiculous penalty decision given in garbage time.
All these are contributing factors to the groundswell of optimism, which will only make the disappointment when it inevitably comes all the more difficult to stomach. However, that feeling of being let down will not hit today in my opinion.
Remarkably, the two sides have never faced each other in any form of football, so there is no history to look back on, so as football fans need some form of past rivalry to get them going, the fact that Senegal is a Francophone country will have to suffice for the English fans.
Although they are the current champions of Africa, you may remember that I did not predict that they would make it this far due to the absence through injury of their star striker. However, they are still a very capable, strong and fit side, and they have excellent players in defence and in goal so they must not be taken lightly,
Two to watch:
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| Foden, looked sharp against Wales |
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| Mendy will need to be on his toes |
As we saw yesterday, there were no surprises and The Orangemen and Don't cry for me Argentina, both eased through. I foresee the same pattern today and we shall have to wait until tomorrow and Monday to maybe see an upset or two.
The knockout stage of the last sixteen starts tomorrow, with clashes between sides where the favorites on paper should waltz through to the quarter finals. They are also between teams who have very little history of any sort between them, let alone previous football history.
First up are the Oranjeboom of the Netherlands against the Bud Light boys of the good ol' US of A. The Yanks, buoyed by their heroic win over the Islamic republic of Iran and all that meant, will be no pushovers.
The two sides have never faced each other in a competitive match before. The last time they played was in a friendly international in 2015, which the USA won by four goals to three. The Orangemen still have some players who featured in that game, including Blind and Depay to name but two out of the five. The Yanks only have one which is not a surprise given that they are the youngest squad in the tournament.
In my opinion, the future of the USMNT is bright, as I wrote they have the youngest squad in the tournament which bodes well for them in four years' time when they will be one of the host nations. The popularity of the game is growing across the nation, especially with the younger generation with the proliferation of coverage of English football on TV. Ownership of teams by Hollywood stars and NFL owners is also on the up both abroad and domestically. Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney at non-league Wrexham and Matthew McConaughey at Ausin in Texas to name just a few.
Even though older Americans still do not take "soccer" seriously, not liking the number of drawn games, and the play acting of players, when they are sometimes barely touched (have to agree, that is a disgrace) therefore not considering the game manly compared to gridiron. They obviously have not watched much rugby or Aussie rules, both fiercely competitive contact sports, where the only protection seen is a mouthguard and a jockstrap.
Anyway, back to the game, reaching the knockout stages was the goal for the US, anything else will be a bonus, therefore they have nothing to lose and can afford to play a little more expansively. Tyler Adams the US captain exemplifies the spirit of this team, the defensive midfielder who plays for Leeds United is a human dynamo who never stops moving. One thing is for sure, they will outrun the Dutch.
The Orangemen, as we have alluded to earlier in the tournament, tend to be rather mercurial and have everything to lose and while I would love for an upset to happen, they should have too much nous for the raw Americans to deal with.
Two to watch out for:
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| Adams, young to be a Captain . |
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| Gakpo, a prolific striker |
Without wanting to detract from their achievement which should be lauded for what it is, the Sheep dippers basically blagged their way into this stage. They managed to mug off Tunisia, which has to be said in retrospect was a pretty impressive result given that the Tunisians then beat a France B team. The Aussies then had the good fortune to face the Danish Vikings who were so unbelievably poor, that they managed to nick another one- nil victory to finish second in the group.
However, the true level of the Aussies should be measured by their four one defeat by Les Bleus and now that they are due to play against the gauchos from the pampas, I am sad to say that their wonderful odyssey will come to a painful end.
The two teams faced each other in the play offs to see who would qualify for the 1994 finals. Obviously, there are no players left from those games, but the current Australian manager Graham Arnold, a stereotypical old school Aussie, hard as nails and brooking no nonsense played in defence in those games. there is also a connection for the Argies, Alexis Mac Alister who plays in midfield is the son of Carlos who played for Argentina back then.
Despite the plethora of upsets, that we have had so far, and despite that delusional Aussie fans who have had too many tinnies, will point to the fact that the Saudis beat the Argies, it is sadly not going to happen again. I hope that I am completely wrong, but I do not think so.
Two to watch:
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| Alvarez, is sharp in the box |
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| Duke will be looking for another sucker punch. |
On Sunday, we will feature, Les Bleus against the Polaks and EnGerLand against Senegal.
Unfortunately, I broke my shoulder on Monday morning. The inconvenience of typing with just my left hand is one thing, the larger issue is I cannot concentrate well enough for the creative process to be effective. So, the blog will take a rst for a few days and I hope I feel up to continuing for the knockout stages
My apologies to all
In group A, the last two games are between, the hosts Qatar and the Orangemen from the lowlands of the Netherlands and a clash Between South America and Africa as Ecuador face off against Senegal. We will deal with the Qatar game first.
Qatar, have already been eliminated, making them the first host nation to manage this rather unwanted achievement in world cup history. Not only were they hapless but also hopelessly out of their depth at this level. At least they managed to score one goal to cheer the home fans.
As suggested in the preview of this group, the Orangemen have not shown any true flair, but that can actually be said about so many of the so called big European sides. However, as they already have four points and are facing the Qataris, their progression is almost certainly guaranteed.
The Orangemen will need to improve in all departments once they reach the knockout stages. They will need to look for inspiration from the little boy who kept his finger in the dike all night to stop a big flood. Ironically enough the Orange defence is marshalled by one Virgil van Dijk, so they will hope he can do the job of stopping up the gaps.
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| No holes in Van Dijk |
The clash between Senegal and Ecuador is going to be a very cagey affair. Ecuador only needs a draw to progress, while Senegal has to win. This is where I feel the absence of Sadio Mane, the Senegalese best player will be most felt. I am going to go with Ecuador for this reason which, without looking, is what i think I predicted in the first place.
In Group B, we have a similar situation, where one game does not mean very much and the other is mahoosive to use the vernacular.
The wounded dragons of Cymru are facing up against the knights of St George and as usual the dragon is going to come off second best. The other game is the clash between the good ol' boys of the great Satan, against the representatives of the Islamic republic of Iran, who would probably be preferred to be called just the republic of Iran, with all the civil unrest that is going on back home at the moment.
In the thanksgiving clash between EnGerLand and the good ol' US of A, EnGerLand were appalling, they probably deserved to lose, but they did not, and they will move into the knockout stages, where they will have to improve somewhat to advance further. The tabloids in the UK are slating the management and the team, but that is what sells newspapers and I do not think, the squad will pay much attention to that.
One could almost feel sorry for the Welsh, I like the Welsh, they are a proud but tragic people with a long history of disappointments in many fields. The countryside is beautiful, but there is not much to distract you up in the mountains or down in the valleys apart from the company of a sheep or getting together to sing, Male voice Welsh choirs are renowned throughout the world.
If you are ever visiting that part of the world during the first week in August and are a bit of a culture vulture, make sure you head on down to the national Eisteddfod to experience the essence of Welsh heritage.
Back to the football, and Wales do have one dubious honour, they are the only team to have had a player sent off so far, that well known intellect Wayne Hennessey. Mr. Hennessey is better known for claiming as a defence in court, that he did not know who Adolf Hitler was. This was after he was pictured giving the Nazi salute after a game, maybe he knew him by his birth name of Schiklgruber.
Anyway, to advance, the choirboys need to beat EnGerLand by four goals and despite all the shocks we have seen so far, that is just not going to happen.
To be honest, I am going to need a split screen tonight as I am duty bound to watch EnGerLand but have far more interest in the game between, the red, white and blue, and the red, white and green. It is a simple equation, the forces of good have to win to advance and send the forces of evil packing.
In the game between the dragons and the ayatollahs, the standard was dire until that sending off, shown above, which occurred in the eighty eighth minute. In the ten added minutes and with a player advantage, the revolutionary guard were able to use the human wave tactics they employed in the war against Iraq to overwhelm, the men from the coal face and destroy the Welsh dreams.
Uncle Sam's men have not lost yet, but they look rather toothless in front of goal, as I wrote above, they probably should have beaten EnGerLand but their final ball and finishing was woeful. I think they have to start Brenden Aaronson, their young starlet from Leeds United, He has been performing very well in the English Premier League and he would provide the spark that the Yanks have been missing. He likes to get on the ball and drive forward and his impish energy would really irritate the Iranians.
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| Aaronson in action for Leeds |
