France, aka ArsenalManutdChelsea, managed to get through to the next stage without Cissé or Zizou. Some of their players have such soppy names. One of them is called Lilian, for heaven’s sake. And almost all of them play in England. A few years ago there was a friendly match between England and France played at Wembley. Most of the French team arrived by taxi.
I'm on my soap box again about creeping globalisation, but it’s even
permeated football now. The manager of the Japanese team, who is from Brazil, was caught out on camera singing along with the Brazilian national anthem. And excuse me, but one of the Japanese squad looked suspiciously non-Japanese. I suspect we’re sliding towards the Zola Budd syndrome in football. I think we should be told. I was even more astonished to see the French Prime Minister moonlighting as manager of the Argentinian squad. Mind you, the way things are in Paris right now, it might be just as well to have another string to his bow.
Is it no coincidence, surely, that Brussels should choose this particular moment to release a new 160-page report about EU’s attempt to stick its nose into the regulation of football, a process kicked off (so to speak) by the “infamous” Bosman Rule of 1995. No, ladies, this is not a variation on the offside rule. It’s all down to the Belgians again. I haven’t got time to explain it now, I’ve got legs to wax and a soufflé in the oven, but it’s all in Wikipedia. Suffice it to say that once the Eurocrats get possession of the ball, in future World Cups we could end up with just one team for the whole of Europe. (Now there’s something to keep you gentlemen busy: name your European dream-team. No, there are no prizes, it’s just to keep you quiet for half an hour.) Just imagine an EU-regulated football squad: poor teamwork, language difficulties, time-wasting, posturing, diving, cheating, ignoring of yellow cards, backhanders, inflated salaries … quite unheard of in the present game.
I'm on my soap box again about creeping globalisation, but it’s even
permeated football now. The manager of the Japanese team, who is from Brazil, was caught out on camera singing along with the Brazilian national anthem. And excuse me, but one of the Japanese squad looked suspiciously non-Japanese. I suspect we’re sliding towards the Zola Budd syndrome in football. I think we should be told. I was even more astonished to see the French Prime Minister moonlighting as manager of the Argentinian squad. Mind you, the way things are in Paris right now, it might be just as well to have another string to his bow.Is it no coincidence, surely, that Brussels should choose this particular moment to release a new 160-page report about EU’s attempt to stick its nose into the regulation of football, a process kicked off (so to speak) by the “infamous” Bosman Rule of 1995. No, ladies, this is not a variation on the offside rule. It’s all down to the Belgians again. I haven’t got time to explain it now, I’ve got legs to wax and a soufflé in the oven, but it’s all in Wikipedia. Suffice it to say that once the Eurocrats get possession of the ball, in future World Cups we could end up with just one team for the whole of Europe. (Now there’s something to keep you gentlemen busy: name your European dream-team. No, there are no prizes, it’s just to keep you quiet for half an hour.) Just imagine an EU-regulated football squad: poor teamwork, language difficulties, time-wasting, posturing, diving, cheating, ignoring of yellow cards, backhanders, inflated salaries … quite unheard of in the present game.
15 comments:
the goalie would either be barthez or the swedish one.
rooney should be one of the strikers.
the spoken language would be english.
Q told me that a few years ago, chelsea was compiled uniquely by furruners. english football must have been dire in those days.
That was precisely because of the Bosman Rule, which deemed that a team didn't have to have ANY home grown players, overruling UEFA. I agree about Barthez, although if Turkey have joined the EU by then, their goalie from the last WC was damn good. Sol Campbell in the back four please! And EVERYBODY takes their shirts off at the end. No make that the beginning.
Hi, i came to check out your blog & see who you are. :)
I happen to have a sister living in Holland. such a small coutry, you might know her?? ha ha
This is the first year I've watched Soccer or what you call football. Because of blogging & realizing the US is about the only country in the world that doesn't really get into it.
It's fun to watch & the men...!!!!
Hello, can we have Mr Va-Va Voom? OK, so he's French but his english is pretty good, adorable accent. Cute dimples... Has a sense of humour! Oh, and he's pretty nifty with a football.
Pires is good too, but this is getting a bit too much like the French team that actually won the W Cup (must remember not to be lazy and abbreviate), what with Barthez in goal. But, why Barthez ladies?
Anyway, rugby. The shorts are shorter.
Welcome, ladies. OK, so far we've got:
Barthez
Rooney Henry
X X X X
Campbell X X X
Gotta have Becks after today, no?
Why Barthez? Cos all the other good goalies in European football are Australian or American.
Where have all the blokes disappeared to anyway? Usually they can't resist a footie challenge.
All too busy actually watching matches and talking amongst themselves probably. Sorry for being such a girl!
What about getting Lineker back, if he stopped eating the crisps?
I did a blokey thing and went to watch the England-Ecuador match in a bar this afternoon. It was full of blokes. Not one of them spoke to me. It was like I shouldn't really have been there. As someone in Eastenders said this week: Women are from Venus, men are from Dagenham. Pffftt!!
I'd like to make a substitution: Ricardo of Portugal instead of Barthez. Sorry Zed. But he has got hair.
sol is past his prime, my dear, he was crap against sweden. replace him either by ashley cole or ferdinand. (cor, did you see ferdinand's six-pack yesterday ? i couldn't get enough of it, especially as they kept focussing on rooney and his fat body.)
What do you mean Sol's past it? I was going to put in Jack and Bobby Charlton too!
Hang on... how can you reject Barthez on the grounds that he's bald, but then enlist a couple of blokes with combovers?
I also was wondering how come De Villepin got that gig.
I demand the German goalie captain from a couple of world cups back, Kahn, as a goalie. Fwooooargh. And as the referee, that Skeletor fellow. So stern. Ooooh, yes, teacher.
Sorry, I'm allowed to start showering again today, so I'll go and have a cold one, shall I?
I can see you're feeling a bit better, Aunty! Nothing like 22 hunks running around to perk a girl up. Bon retablissement as we say in Ecuador.
i want roboref as the ref. and that's my final word as to who is the ref.
marianne, dear, your standards are dropping. Oliver Kahn ?
pitié ....
Girls, girls .... I've got the perfect goalkeeper for you - forget Kahn, forget Barthez, this guy can stop anything. He'll need to get Belgian nationality and maybe have his strip custom made, but trust me, this guy is HOT!
http://japingape.blogspot.com/
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