Category: Football
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Maybe one of the problems with the English commentary on the FIFA World Cup is that the commentators feel under an obligation to offer us "insight" and opinions rather than sticking to describing what they can see. After a few minutes of the Brazil vs. Ghana game, our man offered the insight that referees had…
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The commentator on one of the recent World Cup games was enthusing about the efficiency of the German rail network. I think the commentator was John Helm, but Cable TV never tell us who is commentating so I may be doing him an injustice. What I’m trying to figure out is how he managed to…
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One of the more puzzling sights of the World Cup so far (apart from watching England, which is another matter) was the Japanese fan shown on TV celebrating after their team’s draw with Croatia. Why celebrate? It wasn’t exactly a good result – to qualify, Japan now need to beat Brazil, which is tough enough,…
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England have never won their opening two games in the World Cup. Or at least that’s what the commentator kept telling us during last night’s game. Well, they have now. Of course there is the small matter of two poor performances, but it’s the points that count, right? Well, maybe. I am wondering why I…
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During the 1998 World Cup there was blanket coverage on the terrestrial channels in Hong Kong, with several games shown live on all four channels. ATV World had the BBC commentary, and TVB had the international commentary, whilst there was Cantonese on Home & Jade. I never understood quite why they needed to do that…
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Simon Jordan’s excellent fortnightly column in The Observer offers a fan/owner’s view of some of the things that are wrong with modern football. This week it’s spoilt players: The wider issue, though, is addressing the source of the problem: the over-protection of players through weak management and nannying. Last April a Fulham player liaison officer…
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When English teams are successful in international competitions I usually have rather mixed feelings. I can’t help feeling a little patriotic pride that an English team has won (even if the coach and players are actually foreigners), but I also feel some resentment towards the big clubs with the money and the fair weather fans.…
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Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football This is a frustrating book. Unfortunately Tom Bower’s previous experience as an investigative journalist isn’t enough to overcome his lack of knowledge about professional football. He has built his reputation writing about a series of famous people, and has usually managed to uncover information that…
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What’s going on? The Easter programme used to be a key part of the football season, with two matches in four days giving teams an opportunity to boost their chances at the top or bottom of the table. Even better, it also used to be a time for local derbies. First the spoilsport police managed…
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This is a rather heartening story, I think. You may be aware that just over two years ago Wimbledon Football Club was bought by some businessman or other and moved to Milton Keynes (70 miles away). They now play in front of tiny crowds in a hockey stadium and are near to the bottom of…
Ordinary Gweilo 