Group A
Germany 1-0 Austria
Very much a David versus Goliath clash, I was desperately hoping for a David victory even though I was convinced this would never happen. The Austrians have performed much better at this tournament than anyone expected and can be proud to have a draw and two one goal losses to their name even if they couldn't repeat the miracle of Cordoba in this crucial fixture. Austria have been an inventive side lacking in scoring ability but players like Korkmaz and Ivanschitz caught the eye. This game was notable for the spat between both managers Low and Hickersberger in which they were both sent to the stands. Michael Ballack had the winning of the game with an absolute thunderbolt of a long range free kick with the Germans proving more intent on defending than attacking.
Croatia 1-0 Poland
Croatia had already just about guaranteed themselves top spot and cemented this with a comfortable victory over the disappointing Poles. After topping their qualifying group one might have expected a little better from them this tournament. Their only goal was against Austria and even this could be disputed for offside. This game had a nice story in that the winning goalscorer Klasnic had undergone a kidney transplant last year. Poland had needed to win by 2+ goals and Austria to lose to Germany in order to progress, this combination of events never going to happen.
Group B
Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic
Going into the match with exactly the same points and goals scored and goals against this was a straight out fight for second spot in the group and a place in the quarter-finals. For the first time ever there was a potential for a group match to end in a penalty shoot-out where this match to finish a draw, thanks to the intricacies of FIFA laws for the tournament. The Czechs would have seemed to be out of reach after a Koller header and a Plasil shot both found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. However in the 75th minute a nice finish from Turan gave them hope. In the 87th minute Cech, one of the world's best keepers, contrived to drop the ball in a catastrophic moment that allowed Nihat to provide the equaliser. Moments later he stunned everyone with a driving shot from outside the box rattling off the crossbar and into the goal. Turkey had looked willing to attack in this game and played some nice football, however it was harsh on the Czechs who overall would have deserved a victory had they won. It was quite a remarkable comeback - Turkey have now managed two last minute victories in a row and found a quarter-final date with Croatia.
Switzerland 2-0 Portugal.
Portugal rested most of their team having already guaranteed themselves top spot, and Switzerland were able to end their participation in Euro 2008 on a high. Star player Hakin Yakin scored both goals but Switzerland will still be disappointed overall as they deserved at least a point in both of their first 2 games but ended up with nothing. Kuhn departs the National side much revered and loved by his players, and fair enough, I love you too Kobi!!!
Group C
Netherlands 2-0 Romania
Going into this match Romania knew a victory would guarantee them progression into the final eight. However they rarely threatened in what was quite frankly a dreadful performance. The players literally froze when they needed to stand up and be counted. Having finished top of their qualifying group ahead of the Dutch and having recorded victories over them, it wasn't as if they should have been scared. The Dutch may have been on fire in their opening fixtures but they were guaranteed top spot and were resting a few of their players. Passes consistently went astray and they hardly created any shooting opportunities apart from the odd half chance falling to Mutu and Codrea. Even as it became clear that they needed victory with Italy leading in the other game they were still far too cautious in the second half, ultimately paying the price as Huntelaar slipped in a goal and Van Persie smashed in from close range. Even losing 2-0 they could still have gone through if the Italy France game was a draw however with the Italians also two up this wasn't going to happen, and the Romanians seemed content to let the match drift to its conclusion. Romania will rue Mutu's penalty miss against Italy, however overall I was highly disappointed that a team who could offer so much offered so little in at least 2 of their 3 group games.
Italy 2-0 France
Group C appeared to be heading to a mouth watering finish however the 2 final group games played simultaneously did not live up to expectation and with about 20 minutes remaining both games seemed to be heading to their inevitable conclusions of Italy snatching second place. This game was not helped as Ribery was stretchered off in the early stages and Abidal brought down Luca Toni in the box on 25 minutes conceding a penalty and receiving a red card for his troubles. From this point on Italy were rampant and Toni wasteful with chance after chance. Henry had one good chance as he ended up pulling his trademark short across goal and just outside the post. The second goal when it did come was fortuitous as Henry deflected in De Rossi's free kick with his boot. Coupet made a great save from a Grosso free kick and Buffon made a great save from Benzema's curling effort. With Romania's loss to the Netherland's Italy had booked themselves a quarter-final date with Spain. However with the fantastic midfield pair of Pirlo and Zambrotta both suspended they will definitely have their work cut out!
Group D
Russia 2-0 Sweden.
With Sweden requiring only a draw from this fixture to progress it was inexplicable how poorly they played as Russia dominated the game, finally showing what a good team they are. It was no coincidence that this coincided with the return from suspension of their star player Arshavin who had a fantastic game in midfield spraying passes around. He and Pavlyuchenko were the goal scorers, both finishing off wonderful sweeping moves as the Russians moved the ball around with flair, speed and accuracy in what was a delight to behold. Sweden barely threatened until the last quarter when, realising their tournament was in danger of being over, tried to lay siege to the Russian goal. This however merely opened up more counter attacking opportunities for the Russians who could have quite easily added another 2 or 3 goals to their tally.
Spain 2-1 Greece
With the Spanish guaranteed top spot this was the Spanish second string, many of the players eager to impress and fight themselves into the first team for their quarter-final clash with Italy. Many, apart from perhaps Fabregas and Alonso did not take this opportunity. Greece in fact took the lead as the only team from Euro 2008 who had yet failed to score got themselves on the scoresheet with Charisteas heading home from Karagounis' free kick. Nikopolidis in the Greek goal, playing his last international was almost embarassed as Alonso attempted to score from inside his area as he has previously managed to do, however this floated just wide. De la Red and Guiza scored the goals which allowed Spain to claim a come from behind victory and keep up their 100% record thus far in the tournament.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Second Round of Group Games
Group A
Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic
Portugal were red hot, showing why they have been afforded the favourites tag by a number of critics. However they had to be on form to beat a Czech side who improved massively from their dour showing in the first game. It was an entertaining match and Portugal deserved their victory. Scolari was named as Chelsea manager after the match and will no doubt herald in yet another Chelsea revolution in a situation which has almost become farcical.
Turkey 2-1 Switzerland
Very hard luck on the Swiss. Switzerland were in my opinion the better of the two sides and were worth their 1-0 half-time lead with the awesome Yakin finishing off a nice move. Senturk's equaliser was a classic header but Turkey should already have been 2-0 down as Yakin missed a glorious chance from a similar spot to where he scored. Turan broke Swiss hearts with a lucky deflected goal. The Swiss had finished two games with 0 points to show, and yet having deserved far more in both games. I was quite bitter about this! And why does Kuhn never give Yakin a full ninety minutes? That annoys me too. Turkey will go head to head with the Czechs to claim second spot, a draw would yield penalties.
Group B
Croatia 2-1 Germany
In stark contrast to both team's opening games Croatia were excellent, creative and highly dangerous whilst Germany were a shadow of themselves. Germany still created a number of chances but they were wasteful, did not appear composed in defence, and generally did not impress. Srna was composed to open the scoring and their second was a little fortuitous but they were worth their win. Podolski's consolation goal proved yet again his brilliant finishing but frustration was evident as Schweinsteiger was sent off for a push in the latter stages. I'm not sure why Schweinsteiger is not a starter, especially after remembering his brilliant displays in WC06. David Odonkor was brought on as a sub for his pace but ended up doing more than his fair share of defending. My only criticism of Croatia is their inclination to sit back on a lead rather than really stamp their foot down.
Poland 1-1 Austria.
Austria started the game in bulldozing fashion creating chance after chance in a display of fast, skilful and penetrative football. All that was lacking was a finish as chance after chance went begging. Harnik missed great chances as the likes of him and Korkmaz blew the Polish defending apart. But it's in the final shot that they're lacking most and hence what should have been at least a 3-o lead remained goal-less. After such profligacy it was inevitable that the opening goal would be for the Poles, albeit one that perhaps should have been disallowed. It did after all appear offside. After the goal the Austrians never again found such rhythm. However in the final minute they were awarded a penalty causing the Polish PM to admit that he "wanted to kill". Vastic put it away becoming the oldest player to score in the Euros (38) and gave the Austrians a much deserved point. The Austrians are the team who have most touched my heart this comp. They will be looking to claim their most important win over the Germans to potentially reach the knock-out stage ahead of one of the favourites. It will be David against Goliath, come on David!!
Group C
Italy 1-1 Romania
Whilst I criticised Romania in their first game for lacking invention and appearing happy for a draw the same criticism could not be levelled at them this time. They played a really good game as did Italy, in what was a great game. 1-1 was a fair result. Both teams had chances in an entertaining game. Toni had a goal wrongly ruled for offside, and Buffon saved from a Mutu penalty, leaving Mutu absolutely distraught. Lobont pulled off a couple of fantastic saves in the Romanian goal. It must also be noted that Zambrotta was squarely at fault for the Romanian goal.
Holland 4-1 France
The Dutch have now put both World Cup finalists to the sword in consecutive games. Another fantastic display including a remarkable finish from Robben, smashing it in from an acute angle, and a great long-range effort from Sneijder. Henry uncharacteristically missed the perfect opportunity for a lob sending it over the bar. Great counter-attacking from the Dutch, hopefully they haven't peaked too early. A repeat of the World Cup Final in the last round of games will see elimination for at least one of Italy or France, few would have expected that prior to the tournament starting. Romania are the only one of the three to have it in their own hands - a win would take them through.
Group D
Spain 2-1 Sweden
A closely fought game with Villa's clinical winner proving the difference between the sides. Ibrahimovic scored another nice goal but was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution and the Swedish tendency to sit back in the second period proved frustrating for the Spanish. Wilhelmsson suffered an injury that will force him out of the Euro's which is a big blow as he provides telling crosses. The Spanish were not as devastating in this game but still did enough, and this was perhaps indicative of playing a workmanlike and effective side in the Swedes.
Russia 1-0 Greece
Goalkeeper Nikopolidis made the inexplicable decision to come sprinting off his line at the most inappropriate time handing Russia an easy opportunity to take the lead. Russia were clearly the better team and Greece were unable to repeat their European heroics of 2004 as they joined Switzerland as the only teams after the second round of group stage matches to be eliminated. Russia set up a showdown with Sweden in which a draw or win will hand Sweden runner-up spot behind Spain, a Russian win would allow them to advance.
A lot of permutations are possible in the last round of group matches. It's all very exciting. The largest set of permutations, perhaps not surprisingly, appear in group C.
Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic
Portugal were red hot, showing why they have been afforded the favourites tag by a number of critics. However they had to be on form to beat a Czech side who improved massively from their dour showing in the first game. It was an entertaining match and Portugal deserved their victory. Scolari was named as Chelsea manager after the match and will no doubt herald in yet another Chelsea revolution in a situation which has almost become farcical.
Turkey 2-1 Switzerland
Very hard luck on the Swiss. Switzerland were in my opinion the better of the two sides and were worth their 1-0 half-time lead with the awesome Yakin finishing off a nice move. Senturk's equaliser was a classic header but Turkey should already have been 2-0 down as Yakin missed a glorious chance from a similar spot to where he scored. Turan broke Swiss hearts with a lucky deflected goal. The Swiss had finished two games with 0 points to show, and yet having deserved far more in both games. I was quite bitter about this! And why does Kuhn never give Yakin a full ninety minutes? That annoys me too. Turkey will go head to head with the Czechs to claim second spot, a draw would yield penalties.
Group B
Croatia 2-1 Germany
In stark contrast to both team's opening games Croatia were excellent, creative and highly dangerous whilst Germany were a shadow of themselves. Germany still created a number of chances but they were wasteful, did not appear composed in defence, and generally did not impress. Srna was composed to open the scoring and their second was a little fortuitous but they were worth their win. Podolski's consolation goal proved yet again his brilliant finishing but frustration was evident as Schweinsteiger was sent off for a push in the latter stages. I'm not sure why Schweinsteiger is not a starter, especially after remembering his brilliant displays in WC06. David Odonkor was brought on as a sub for his pace but ended up doing more than his fair share of defending. My only criticism of Croatia is their inclination to sit back on a lead rather than really stamp their foot down.
Poland 1-1 Austria.
Austria started the game in bulldozing fashion creating chance after chance in a display of fast, skilful and penetrative football. All that was lacking was a finish as chance after chance went begging. Harnik missed great chances as the likes of him and Korkmaz blew the Polish defending apart. But it's in the final shot that they're lacking most and hence what should have been at least a 3-o lead remained goal-less. After such profligacy it was inevitable that the opening goal would be for the Poles, albeit one that perhaps should have been disallowed. It did after all appear offside. After the goal the Austrians never again found such rhythm. However in the final minute they were awarded a penalty causing the Polish PM to admit that he "wanted to kill". Vastic put it away becoming the oldest player to score in the Euros (38) and gave the Austrians a much deserved point. The Austrians are the team who have most touched my heart this comp. They will be looking to claim their most important win over the Germans to potentially reach the knock-out stage ahead of one of the favourites. It will be David against Goliath, come on David!!
Group C
Italy 1-1 Romania
Whilst I criticised Romania in their first game for lacking invention and appearing happy for a draw the same criticism could not be levelled at them this time. They played a really good game as did Italy, in what was a great game. 1-1 was a fair result. Both teams had chances in an entertaining game. Toni had a goal wrongly ruled for offside, and Buffon saved from a Mutu penalty, leaving Mutu absolutely distraught. Lobont pulled off a couple of fantastic saves in the Romanian goal. It must also be noted that Zambrotta was squarely at fault for the Romanian goal.
Holland 4-1 France
The Dutch have now put both World Cup finalists to the sword in consecutive games. Another fantastic display including a remarkable finish from Robben, smashing it in from an acute angle, and a great long-range effort from Sneijder. Henry uncharacteristically missed the perfect opportunity for a lob sending it over the bar. Great counter-attacking from the Dutch, hopefully they haven't peaked too early. A repeat of the World Cup Final in the last round of games will see elimination for at least one of Italy or France, few would have expected that prior to the tournament starting. Romania are the only one of the three to have it in their own hands - a win would take them through.
Group D
Spain 2-1 Sweden
A closely fought game with Villa's clinical winner proving the difference between the sides. Ibrahimovic scored another nice goal but was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution and the Swedish tendency to sit back in the second period proved frustrating for the Spanish. Wilhelmsson suffered an injury that will force him out of the Euro's which is a big blow as he provides telling crosses. The Spanish were not as devastating in this game but still did enough, and this was perhaps indicative of playing a workmanlike and effective side in the Swedes.
Russia 1-0 Greece
Goalkeeper Nikopolidis made the inexplicable decision to come sprinting off his line at the most inappropriate time handing Russia an easy opportunity to take the lead. Russia were clearly the better team and Greece were unable to repeat their European heroics of 2004 as they joined Switzerland as the only teams after the second round of group stage matches to be eliminated. Russia set up a showdown with Sweden in which a draw or win will hand Sweden runner-up spot behind Spain, a Russian win would allow them to advance.
A lot of permutations are possible in the last round of group matches. It's all very exciting. The largest set of permutations, perhaps not surprisingly, appear in group C.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
First Round of Group Games
Summary of First Round of Pool Play
Group A
Czech Republic 1-0 Switzerland
Switzerland were the better side, the Czech Reupublic were very lucky. The Swiss created many chances that they just couldn't finish. Frei had a couple of chances before the talismanic influential skipper was injured and had to come off. Subsequently he has been ruled out of the tournament which should prove to be a knock-out blow to them. Yakin put a free header wide and the Swiss generally played with enthusiasm and inventiveness. The Czechs took the lead against the run of play as Sverkos scored with a clinical finish. And the Swiss still pressed: Barnetta having a good shot blocked by Cech and Vonlanthen hitting the follow up onto the crossbar. Really disappointing start to the tournament, as Swiss manager Kobi Kuhn said: "football is not about justice". Frei's injury was heart-wrenching and the result was undeserved and gut wrenching. And this merely to add to Kuhn's trauma of his wife being ill in hospital...
Portugal 2-0 Turkey
Very comfortable win for the talented Portugese side. It could so easily have been more. Ronaldo showed his class, the Portugese hit the woodwork on more than one occasion and whilst Turkey were willing participants in a vibrant match, they never managed to demonstrate a cutting edge. Emre has since been ruled out of the next match with the Swiss due to injury and thus both teams key men will be missing.
Group B
Croatia 1-0 Austria
Croatia can also count themselves lucky as the unheralded Austrian side picked to do so badly at Euro 2008 showed a lot of pluck and would have been worthy recipients of a point against a Croatian side who largely disappointed. Croatia had to hold on in the second half and never quite lived up to their billing as a potential tournament winner. But they got the points!
Germany 2-0 Poland
Germany looked dangerous throughout and played a generally good game with Frings operating well down the wing and Podolski scoring a double. His second was a smashed volley highlighting his class. Boruc in goal for the Poles proved solid as usual, helping to keep the score down. The Germans showed why they are one of the favourites for Euro 2008
Group C
France 0-0 Romania
Whilst many have argued that Romania played well, contained France, and showed themselves to be a useful side I was personally disappointed. I felt they never attacked with much gumption and were too prone to giving the ball away. I admit I was expecting big things from the Romanians who proved in qualifying how good they are, instead they came across as a team willing to simply soak up French pressure and hold on for a draw...one hopes they show more attacking flair in later games. France did OK without Henry and Vieira but ultimately lacked spark, Benzema never really showing quite what he was capable of. Hence the match was a much more drab affair than was surely expected.
Netherlands 3-0 Italy
The Dutch were scintillating on the counter attack. The Italians missed Cannavaro, especially as Materazzi had a poor game. Zambrotta was useful for the Italians, and Pirlo showed off his beautiful passing skills as usual (I absolutely love watching his sweeping crossfield passes that fall so accurately at his team-mates feet) but the Italians had little else to write home about. Holland were pretty electric on the break, and this without the injured Arjen Robben. The first goal appeared offside although later as UEFA clarified the offside rules, was apparently not. The second was sumptuous, crossfield ball from Van Bronckhurst, delightfully flicked on by Kuyt and beautifully finished by Sneijder and the third was a straightforward header which killed off the tie. Prior to the third goal going in Van Der Sar pulled off a couple of stunning saves, none more so than the tremendous save from a Pirlo free kick that looked destined for the goal. Great to see the Dutch humble the Italians as I'll never forget the Euro 2000 semi-final when Holland were clearly deserving, missed two penalties in the game, and were ultimately eliminated.
Group D
Spain 4-1 Russia
Spain were sublime, and looked like scoring all day long. Villa notched the tournament's first hat-trick and Fabregas scored his first international goal (with a scrappy effort resulting from some shoddy defending). Russia were a little lax in defence but looked like a good hard-working team overall, and indeed both hit the post and scored what proved to be a deserved consolation. Strangely the tournament's seventh game was the first one in which both teams scored!
Sweden 2-0 Greece
Greece were disappointing and their defensive tactics that worked wonders at Euro 2004 were undone by a scintillating Ibrahimovic strike. If you haven't seen it just watch it, it's potentially the goal of the tournament. The second goal was very scrappy but a 2-0 victory was a fair result. Unfortunately Wilhelmsson suffered a leg injury which will rule him out for at least the next game. The next two games in this group (Spain - Sweden and Russia - Greece) will be crucial as both victors play each other as do both victors, thereby providing the opportunity for one team to guarantee a quarter-final spot and another to be completely eliminated. Such a situation also has the potential to develop in Group A's next two matches.
Group A
Czech Republic 1-0 Switzerland
Switzerland were the better side, the Czech Reupublic were very lucky. The Swiss created many chances that they just couldn't finish. Frei had a couple of chances before the talismanic influential skipper was injured and had to come off. Subsequently he has been ruled out of the tournament which should prove to be a knock-out blow to them. Yakin put a free header wide and the Swiss generally played with enthusiasm and inventiveness. The Czechs took the lead against the run of play as Sverkos scored with a clinical finish. And the Swiss still pressed: Barnetta having a good shot blocked by Cech and Vonlanthen hitting the follow up onto the crossbar. Really disappointing start to the tournament, as Swiss manager Kobi Kuhn said: "football is not about justice". Frei's injury was heart-wrenching and the result was undeserved and gut wrenching. And this merely to add to Kuhn's trauma of his wife being ill in hospital...
Portugal 2-0 Turkey
Very comfortable win for the talented Portugese side. It could so easily have been more. Ronaldo showed his class, the Portugese hit the woodwork on more than one occasion and whilst Turkey were willing participants in a vibrant match, they never managed to demonstrate a cutting edge. Emre has since been ruled out of the next match with the Swiss due to injury and thus both teams key men will be missing.
Group B
Croatia 1-0 Austria
Croatia can also count themselves lucky as the unheralded Austrian side picked to do so badly at Euro 2008 showed a lot of pluck and would have been worthy recipients of a point against a Croatian side who largely disappointed. Croatia had to hold on in the second half and never quite lived up to their billing as a potential tournament winner. But they got the points!
Germany 2-0 Poland
Germany looked dangerous throughout and played a generally good game with Frings operating well down the wing and Podolski scoring a double. His second was a smashed volley highlighting his class. Boruc in goal for the Poles proved solid as usual, helping to keep the score down. The Germans showed why they are one of the favourites for Euro 2008
Group C
France 0-0 Romania
Whilst many have argued that Romania played well, contained France, and showed themselves to be a useful side I was personally disappointed. I felt they never attacked with much gumption and were too prone to giving the ball away. I admit I was expecting big things from the Romanians who proved in qualifying how good they are, instead they came across as a team willing to simply soak up French pressure and hold on for a draw...one hopes they show more attacking flair in later games. France did OK without Henry and Vieira but ultimately lacked spark, Benzema never really showing quite what he was capable of. Hence the match was a much more drab affair than was surely expected.
Netherlands 3-0 Italy
The Dutch were scintillating on the counter attack. The Italians missed Cannavaro, especially as Materazzi had a poor game. Zambrotta was useful for the Italians, and Pirlo showed off his beautiful passing skills as usual (I absolutely love watching his sweeping crossfield passes that fall so accurately at his team-mates feet) but the Italians had little else to write home about. Holland were pretty electric on the break, and this without the injured Arjen Robben. The first goal appeared offside although later as UEFA clarified the offside rules, was apparently not. The second was sumptuous, crossfield ball from Van Bronckhurst, delightfully flicked on by Kuyt and beautifully finished by Sneijder and the third was a straightforward header which killed off the tie. Prior to the third goal going in Van Der Sar pulled off a couple of stunning saves, none more so than the tremendous save from a Pirlo free kick that looked destined for the goal. Great to see the Dutch humble the Italians as I'll never forget the Euro 2000 semi-final when Holland were clearly deserving, missed two penalties in the game, and were ultimately eliminated.
Group D
Spain 4-1 Russia
Spain were sublime, and looked like scoring all day long. Villa notched the tournament's first hat-trick and Fabregas scored his first international goal (with a scrappy effort resulting from some shoddy defending). Russia were a little lax in defence but looked like a good hard-working team overall, and indeed both hit the post and scored what proved to be a deserved consolation. Strangely the tournament's seventh game was the first one in which both teams scored!
Sweden 2-0 Greece
Greece were disappointing and their defensive tactics that worked wonders at Euro 2004 were undone by a scintillating Ibrahimovic strike. If you haven't seen it just watch it, it's potentially the goal of the tournament. The second goal was very scrappy but a 2-0 victory was a fair result. Unfortunately Wilhelmsson suffered a leg injury which will rule him out for at least the next game. The next two games in this group (Spain - Sweden and Russia - Greece) will be crucial as both victors play each other as do both victors, thereby providing the opportunity for one team to guarantee a quarter-final spot and another to be completely eliminated. Such a situation also has the potential to develop in Group A's next two matches.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
One reason I love big tournaments like Euro 2008
Apart from the passion big tournaments incite for the legions of fans following their team, and the excitement of the neutrals to see a stimulating feast of world class football amongst a backdrop of tension and emotion it is a chance to see in action a number of players who you knew very little about or never new existed.
From my own position as one who loves football, I unfortunately am unable to follow the lesser European leagues such as the Dutch and French leagues - 2 excellent leagues but apart from the few minutes I get to see of these teams in the Champions League, I am devoid of watching domestic games from these places as well as from Germany, Greece, Switzerland (lack of TV access to these countries leagues in New Zealand a big problem etc etc etc). And even the big leagues of Spain and Italy I don't watch too much of. Watching a European Championship acquaints you with a lot more players, who they play for, how they play and all those other pieces of interesting information. It is fascinating to watch international football especially in such a passionate tournament.
P.S. Reviews from the first round of games in the four groups coming soon!!
From my own position as one who loves football, I unfortunately am unable to follow the lesser European leagues such as the Dutch and French leagues - 2 excellent leagues but apart from the few minutes I get to see of these teams in the Champions League, I am devoid of watching domestic games from these places as well as from Germany, Greece, Switzerland (lack of TV access to these countries leagues in New Zealand a big problem etc etc etc). And even the big leagues of Spain and Italy I don't watch too much of. Watching a European Championship acquaints you with a lot more players, who they play for, how they play and all those other pieces of interesting information. It is fascinating to watch international football especially in such a passionate tournament.
P.S. Reviews from the first round of games in the four groups coming soon!!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Preview of Euro 2008!
Qualifying Campaigns... ... ...and then there were 16!
After many months of intensive qualifying campaigns for all European Nations the 16 teams were confirmed a couple of months ago. The disappointing aspect for me was that none of the 5 teams I classify as the Home Nations made it. England faltered at the last against Croatia, Scotland after such a wonderful qualifying campaign against the likes of France, Italy and Ukraine just missed out (perhaps the most gut wrenching), Wales were average, Republic of Ireland whom I love were disappointing and Northern Ireland also had a fantastic campaign including that wonderful Healy hat-trick against Spain but despite probably their best qualifying campaign ever also ended up missing out. However we have to move on from all that, I'm still excited by Euro 2008, the European Championships are the second best sporting event in the world in my opinion so I can't wait to watch the games and follow the action! Whereas the lack of Leeds United from the Premiership makes me lose excitement for the prem, the absence of the Home Nations has not dulled any of my fervent lip wetting for Euro 2008!
Introduction to 2008
For anyone who has been living in a cave of recent times, Euro 2008 is being co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria, considered as the also-rans of the tournament based on their lowly world rankings (Austria at 91 and Switzerland at 44 - the only two outside the top 30). However for me Switzerland conjures up images of beautiful snowy mountains for skiing and Austria makes me thing of old-fashioned, gorgeous architecture and My Fair Lady! Both will be passionate friendly hosts and will hopefully raise their game due to a home advantage. There are four groups of four, and from each group two teams will advance to quarter finals, and then we'll have the semis followed by the final!! Here is a brief preview for each group. I don't like to make predictions but as anyone who reads will expect some predicting, I might as well have a bit of a try. Sometimes it might even be based on hope rather than expectation! And no doubt my guesses for Group C will be almost random...how does one even begin to consider the group of death?
Group A
Czech Republic are always expected to do well in recent times and were stunning in qualifying. They have a strong squad even though they are missing the influential Rosicky through injury and couldn't lure Nedved out of retirement. Cech is immense in goal. The Czechs can be very inconsistent: breathtaking one day, disappointing the next.
Prediction: Runner up
Portugal: A great squad, and Christiano Ronaldo - possibly the world's best player at the moment. Were nervy at times in qualifying but manager Luis Felipe Scolari is very good in big tournaments. Lots of talent. Can they harness this to complete Euro success for the first time?
Prediction: Group Winner
Switzerland: As home nation they might surprise a few people. Frei is their key man. They have a very solid defence and are a technically proficient young side including Arsenal defenders Senderos and Djourou.
Prediction: Third
Turkey: Unfortunately not quite the class of World Cup 02. Their one surviving star from that team is keeper Rustu Recber and he may have to settle for 2nd choice. Did not set the world on fire in qualifying and are unlikely to in Euro 2008 either.
Prediction: Last
Group B
Austria: Ranked 92nd in the world they are considered the worst team at the tournament by far. The son of a famous Austrian footballer was even involved in a petition to get them to voluntarily resign from the tournament from fear of embarassment. However with home support behind them and a bit of luck, who knows.
Prediction: Last
Croatia: An exciting and dangerous team. Even considering the serious injury to main striker Eduardo they are a force to be reckoned with combining team work and a lot of skill. Their is prodigious talent and a good togetherness about this side and can really fancy their chances, especially if the prodigiously talented Modric can shine.
Prediction: Group Winner
Germany: Unusually for the Germans they now play an exciting brand of football and will look to the cut and thrust of Ballack for inspiration and Klose for the goals. Germany always tend to be there or thereabouts in tournaments and as a result are expected to be a force.
Prediction: Runner up
Poland: Stormed their tricky qualifying group and are well blessed in goal with Boruc, Poland may have a better chance than at first glance. Bit lacking in creativity however.
Prediction: Third
Group C (An INSANE group of death)
France: Sometimes take a while to warm up at major tournaments which may prove their downfall in a group of this calibre. They are stacked with fine quality players but having lost to Scotland home and away in qualifying teams will have spotted their fallibility. Nevertheless they are a proven international force with a fine squad.
Prediction: Group Winner
Italy: World Cup winner but without their rock and captain Cannavaro through injury may struggle. However they have a very impressive squad with the creative force of Pirlo complementing bulldog Gattuso in midfield. With Buffon in goal and Luca Toni up front they have an excellent backbone to the side.
Prediction: Last
Netherlands: Usually an exciting team who's defenders can attack they currently have a more conventional style. Unusually they have very good defensive stats. Holland may miss Babel up front but they ooze quality in many areas of the team. Can be quite mercurial at times as well.
Prediction: Third
Romania: Had a fantastic qualifying campaign. Whilst many might say they look out of depth in their group compared with their illustrious opponents underestimate them at your peril. Much will depend on the performances of key man Mutu.
Prediction: Second
Group D
Greece: Unlikely to repeat their feats of 2004 they do have a hard working side, performed very well in qualifying, and retain Otto Rehhagel as manager from 04
Prediction: Last
Spain: As usual Spain have a very talented squad, but can the perennial underachievers of world football perform to the high standards expected of them, or will they flop again? With players like Casillas, Fabregas, Torres and Villa maybe for once it will be the former.
Prediction: Group Winner
Sweden: With the supremely confident striking talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and with Larsson again coming out of retirement there are definitely goals in this side. Especially with the quick Wilhelmsson and Ljunberg to set up from the wings. However Ibrahimovic has yet to fire at a major tournament despite his wonderful abilities. Is 2008 his year?
Prediction: Third
Russia: When Guus Hiddink is the manager, also rans can get much further than expected. Even though Pogrebnyak is a major injury doubt and star man Arshavin is suspended for their first two games Hiddink certainly knows how to get the best out of his players.
Prediction: 2nd
Well there ya go, Euro 2008 on on on!
After many months of intensive qualifying campaigns for all European Nations the 16 teams were confirmed a couple of months ago. The disappointing aspect for me was that none of the 5 teams I classify as the Home Nations made it. England faltered at the last against Croatia, Scotland after such a wonderful qualifying campaign against the likes of France, Italy and Ukraine just missed out (perhaps the most gut wrenching), Wales were average, Republic of Ireland whom I love were disappointing and Northern Ireland also had a fantastic campaign including that wonderful Healy hat-trick against Spain but despite probably their best qualifying campaign ever also ended up missing out. However we have to move on from all that, I'm still excited by Euro 2008, the European Championships are the second best sporting event in the world in my opinion so I can't wait to watch the games and follow the action! Whereas the lack of Leeds United from the Premiership makes me lose excitement for the prem, the absence of the Home Nations has not dulled any of my fervent lip wetting for Euro 2008!
Introduction to 2008
For anyone who has been living in a cave of recent times, Euro 2008 is being co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria, considered as the also-rans of the tournament based on their lowly world rankings (Austria at 91 and Switzerland at 44 - the only two outside the top 30). However for me Switzerland conjures up images of beautiful snowy mountains for skiing and Austria makes me thing of old-fashioned, gorgeous architecture and My Fair Lady! Both will be passionate friendly hosts and will hopefully raise their game due to a home advantage. There are four groups of four, and from each group two teams will advance to quarter finals, and then we'll have the semis followed by the final!! Here is a brief preview for each group. I don't like to make predictions but as anyone who reads will expect some predicting, I might as well have a bit of a try. Sometimes it might even be based on hope rather than expectation! And no doubt my guesses for Group C will be almost random...how does one even begin to consider the group of death?
Group A
Czech Republic are always expected to do well in recent times and were stunning in qualifying. They have a strong squad even though they are missing the influential Rosicky through injury and couldn't lure Nedved out of retirement. Cech is immense in goal. The Czechs can be very inconsistent: breathtaking one day, disappointing the next.
Prediction: Runner up
Portugal: A great squad, and Christiano Ronaldo - possibly the world's best player at the moment. Were nervy at times in qualifying but manager Luis Felipe Scolari is very good in big tournaments. Lots of talent. Can they harness this to complete Euro success for the first time?
Prediction: Group Winner
Switzerland: As home nation they might surprise a few people. Frei is their key man. They have a very solid defence and are a technically proficient young side including Arsenal defenders Senderos and Djourou.
Prediction: Third
Turkey: Unfortunately not quite the class of World Cup 02. Their one surviving star from that team is keeper Rustu Recber and he may have to settle for 2nd choice. Did not set the world on fire in qualifying and are unlikely to in Euro 2008 either.
Prediction: Last
Group B
Austria: Ranked 92nd in the world they are considered the worst team at the tournament by far. The son of a famous Austrian footballer was even involved in a petition to get them to voluntarily resign from the tournament from fear of embarassment. However with home support behind them and a bit of luck, who knows.
Prediction: Last
Croatia: An exciting and dangerous team. Even considering the serious injury to main striker Eduardo they are a force to be reckoned with combining team work and a lot of skill. Their is prodigious talent and a good togetherness about this side and can really fancy their chances, especially if the prodigiously talented Modric can shine.
Prediction: Group Winner
Germany: Unusually for the Germans they now play an exciting brand of football and will look to the cut and thrust of Ballack for inspiration and Klose for the goals. Germany always tend to be there or thereabouts in tournaments and as a result are expected to be a force.
Prediction: Runner up
Poland: Stormed their tricky qualifying group and are well blessed in goal with Boruc, Poland may have a better chance than at first glance. Bit lacking in creativity however.
Prediction: Third
Group C (An INSANE group of death)
France: Sometimes take a while to warm up at major tournaments which may prove their downfall in a group of this calibre. They are stacked with fine quality players but having lost to Scotland home and away in qualifying teams will have spotted their fallibility. Nevertheless they are a proven international force with a fine squad.
Prediction: Group Winner
Italy: World Cup winner but without their rock and captain Cannavaro through injury may struggle. However they have a very impressive squad with the creative force of Pirlo complementing bulldog Gattuso in midfield. With Buffon in goal and Luca Toni up front they have an excellent backbone to the side.
Prediction: Last
Netherlands: Usually an exciting team who's defenders can attack they currently have a more conventional style. Unusually they have very good defensive stats. Holland may miss Babel up front but they ooze quality in many areas of the team. Can be quite mercurial at times as well.
Prediction: Third
Romania: Had a fantastic qualifying campaign. Whilst many might say they look out of depth in their group compared with their illustrious opponents underestimate them at your peril. Much will depend on the performances of key man Mutu.
Prediction: Second
Group D
Greece: Unlikely to repeat their feats of 2004 they do have a hard working side, performed very well in qualifying, and retain Otto Rehhagel as manager from 04
Prediction: Last
Spain: As usual Spain have a very talented squad, but can the perennial underachievers of world football perform to the high standards expected of them, or will they flop again? With players like Casillas, Fabregas, Torres and Villa maybe for once it will be the former.
Prediction: Group Winner
Sweden: With the supremely confident striking talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and with Larsson again coming out of retirement there are definitely goals in this side. Especially with the quick Wilhelmsson and Ljunberg to set up from the wings. However Ibrahimovic has yet to fire at a major tournament despite his wonderful abilities. Is 2008 his year?
Prediction: Third
Russia: When Guus Hiddink is the manager, also rans can get much further than expected. Even though Pogrebnyak is a major injury doubt and star man Arshavin is suspended for their first two games Hiddink certainly knows how to get the best out of his players.
Prediction: 2nd
Well there ya go, Euro 2008 on on on!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Resurrection of my Blog!
As it is only a couple of sleeps or so until Euro 2008 begins, and this blog was initially started to analyse every moment in the 2006 world cup, it is fitting that after a year away from the blogosphere, I re-start now. Now, so that like for the 06 World Cup, I can freely express my views on the tournament: the teams, the moments, the controversies. Whether or not anyone ever reads my blog again I shall enjoy the process of writing it, and that is indeed all that matters.
There have been a million and one things I should have been blogging about since my last blog post just over a year ago. A lot has happened in politics, make that a huge amount worth putting my tuppence worth of thoughts on paper for. I have had holidays away that I should have reviewed. A number of things have happened in my life that are worth commenting on, and thus linking back to the themes of humanity. A lotta lotta stuff I should have blogged on, and I haven't.
Reading my second to last post on this blog it's pretty ironic. I was expressing my bitter disappointment and sadness over Leeds relegation from the Championship. Who could possibly have imagined that a year on and there would be something I would consider in some ways even worse to cry about regarding my beloved Leeds. I shall leave Leeds United until later, as I shall in the not too distant future write a season review as I have not commented on Leeds on this blog since that relegation.
So anyone and everyone (or indeed no-one) William Fussey is back (he hopes!). And after starting this post he wonders why he was ever away at all. Somehow my posts dried up and I never really thought about starting them back up again, especially as I started using my bebo blog a little. And then as Euro 2008 neared I suddenly remembered this blog! This, methinks, is the appropriate place for my blogging. So sit back, relax and enjoy once more. As once again I hope this to be the place for my many opinions on sport, politics and my philosophies on life :) It will be hard to fit this in over the Euro's in between watching games in the early morning, going to work and doing tutoring in the evening. Not to mention fitting in a social life as well. However sleep is over-rated so I'll do the best I can :p
There have been a million and one things I should have been blogging about since my last blog post just over a year ago. A lot has happened in politics, make that a huge amount worth putting my tuppence worth of thoughts on paper for. I have had holidays away that I should have reviewed. A number of things have happened in my life that are worth commenting on, and thus linking back to the themes of humanity. A lotta lotta stuff I should have blogged on, and I haven't.
Reading my second to last post on this blog it's pretty ironic. I was expressing my bitter disappointment and sadness over Leeds relegation from the Championship. Who could possibly have imagined that a year on and there would be something I would consider in some ways even worse to cry about regarding my beloved Leeds. I shall leave Leeds United until later, as I shall in the not too distant future write a season review as I have not commented on Leeds on this blog since that relegation.
So anyone and everyone (or indeed no-one) William Fussey is back (he hopes!). And after starting this post he wonders why he was ever away at all. Somehow my posts dried up and I never really thought about starting them back up again, especially as I started using my bebo blog a little. And then as Euro 2008 neared I suddenly remembered this blog! This, methinks, is the appropriate place for my blogging. So sit back, relax and enjoy once more. As once again I hope this to be the place for my many opinions on sport, politics and my philosophies on life :) It will be hard to fit this in over the Euro's in between watching games in the early morning, going to work and doing tutoring in the evening. Not to mention fitting in a social life as well. However sleep is over-rated so I'll do the best I can :p
Friday, May 18, 2007
Facebook is a wonderful thing.
Facebook is awesome! It's a website which allows you to connect to sooooo many people. Over the last month or so since I've joined I've got back in contact with so many people I lost contact with when I moved from England to New Zealand. So many friends I'd made up to the age of 12 are now just a computer click away. And they are all perfectly recognisable, I guess people's facial features dont really change that much.
It's a great website, and there's plenty of Kiwis on there too... so get connecting!
It's a great website, and there's plenty of Kiwis on there too... so get connecting!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Relegation
Sorry I haven't posted for a little while but my bitterness has meant that I haven't felt like it.
On Sunday 29th April I went on the internet - heart in my mouth as usual - to check out the Championship scores. As soon as I discovered that we'd drawn after a last minute Ipswich equaliser, and Hull had beaten Cardiff, I knew this meant we had been relegated. The first time in our 88 year history we had been sent down to play in the third tier of English Football.
I started to cry. Tears ran freely down my face. It's not the first time I've cried sitting on a computer at Uni, I'm surprised no-one has caught me yet haha!
People don't really understand how bad I feel. I spend over an hour practically every day reading about Leeds on the sites, message boards etc, sometimes up to 3+ hours (yes I am a saddo). Since my whole life is practically subsumed with hope and worry for Leeds, since I exert so much of my energies on my favourite team, the fact that everything has come to this...is so goddamn terrible.
I just sat there crying.
Since then I have felt anger, and I have felt flat. Just plain old dejected. A bit like the 2006 playoff final except worse.
The cycle of tears, anger and flatness is one I've become used to in 2007. It's not a nice cycle let me assure you.
I've kind of lost my interest in sport after the news. What with the Black Caps losing their semi-final as well.
I've just got to hope that sometime in the next 10 years we can get somewhere close to our previous glory.
I am Leeds United and I'm proud of it. Marching on Together. We Will be back.
On Sunday 29th April I went on the internet - heart in my mouth as usual - to check out the Championship scores. As soon as I discovered that we'd drawn after a last minute Ipswich equaliser, and Hull had beaten Cardiff, I knew this meant we had been relegated. The first time in our 88 year history we had been sent down to play in the third tier of English Football.
I started to cry. Tears ran freely down my face. It's not the first time I've cried sitting on a computer at Uni, I'm surprised no-one has caught me yet haha!
People don't really understand how bad I feel. I spend over an hour practically every day reading about Leeds on the sites, message boards etc, sometimes up to 3+ hours (yes I am a saddo). Since my whole life is practically subsumed with hope and worry for Leeds, since I exert so much of my energies on my favourite team, the fact that everything has come to this...is so goddamn terrible.
I just sat there crying.
Since then I have felt anger, and I have felt flat. Just plain old dejected. A bit like the 2006 playoff final except worse.
The cycle of tears, anger and flatness is one I've become used to in 2007. It's not a nice cycle let me assure you.
I've kind of lost my interest in sport after the news. What with the Black Caps losing their semi-final as well.
I've just got to hope that sometime in the next 10 years we can get somewhere close to our previous glory.
I am Leeds United and I'm proud of it. Marching on Together. We Will be back.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
One Square of loo paper.
Hmmm, Sheryl Crow has just advanced a theory on how to do our bit against global warming...
Impose a one square of toilet paper per person limitation! Or 2-3 in messy situations haha!
Well I agree that some people can be excessive in their use of toilet paper, but how is she going to impose the restriction on people? Employ people to hand out one square to each person who enters a public toilet? There's no way it can be done, and it will have zero effect on global warming even if it is achieved.
Her comments are ridiculous in the extreme!
Impose a one square of toilet paper per person limitation! Or 2-3 in messy situations haha!
Well I agree that some people can be excessive in their use of toilet paper, but how is she going to impose the restriction on people? Employ people to hand out one square to each person who enters a public toilet? There's no way it can be done, and it will have zero effect on global warming even if it is achieved.
Her comments are ridiculous in the extreme!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Am I about to scale the peak of bitterness?
What a SHITTY SHITTY Saturday night. Awful. Bitter and awful. Anger and despair.
Yes, its Leeds I'm talking about again.
Yes, its Leeds I'm talking about again.
A highly controversial sending off for Alan Thompson on 38 minutes stuffed up any chance we had of winning. Wise then sacrificed Blake for the defensive Foxe - and defending became the order of the day. We defended magnificently until the bitter 84th minute and Bradley Wright Phillips broke thousands of collective hearts across the globe.
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It wouldn't have been quite so bad had all the other results not been so goddamn shitty and awful for Leeds. A 90th minute equaliser from Hull against Stoke, and a last minute winner for Leicester against Preston made it a dark, dark day for Leeds Utd.
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.
Yet again with 10 minutes to go, results were going our way only for the true agony of last minute goals to come our way again. Following those last few minutes live on the Internet truly made me want to smash every computer and tv across the country.
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.
2 games left, and it is still possible to survive. I rate it at about 15%. We need the marriage of Harry Houdini and Lazarus to achieve that goal. We could conceivably get relegated this weekend. If Hull beat Cardiff and we fail to beat Ipswich - then we are gone. If we win, and Hull don't then we grab back the initiative. Unfortunately now Barnsley and Leicester are 5 points ahead of us. The only chance we have of overtaking one of them is to win this weekend and put us two or three points behind one of these teams (given the fact they will be playing each other) going into the last game.
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If this weekend sees wins for Leeds, Leicester and Cardiff, then, and only then, will I get some belief back.
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This weeks home match is the biggest in our 87 year history. And should we not be relegated in this game then the last match against Derby will take over this position.
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Bitterness, depths of despair...surely someone somewhere can shine a light at the end of the tunnel???
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The money is irrelevant.
As some of you may know I have $120 riding on Leeds Utd. A $100 bet with Liam that we will survive relegation (made ages ago when we were both rather intoxicated!) and a $20 bet with Andrew Falloon that we will not finish last.
Barring a miracle Andrew's $20 will be mine. The $100 is still very much in the balance.
But I am sick to death of people speaking to me about Leeds bid to survive relegation in terms of "maybe you won't have to lose $100", "you won't want to lose $100". Let me make it very clear to those who don't already know:
The money is irrelevant! Of course I'd rather not pay up but quite frankly that is the last of my considerations. I want Leeds to stay up because I am simply obsessed with my wonderful team. Because I am a fanatic, hardcore Leeds supporter who feels every goal we concede as a stab in the heart. Leeds have never been below the second tier of English football, to do so would be immensely bitter. Since I have cried at relegation from the Premiership, and losing the Championship playoff final last season...since Leeds United means so much to me...it's NOT ABOUT THE BLOODY MONEY!
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In fact - I would pay my bitterest enemy $1000 if it was the only way Leeds could guarantee survival. One Leeds fan on a message board said "I would put my arse up for rent in Armley Jail if it meant survival". LOL.
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Logically I shouldn't care whether a group of blokes are better at kicking a football around on a patch of grass than another group of blokes. The sad reality is...I care too much.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Oh dear. Scum and Chelscum are monopolising.
Unfortunately the FA cup final will be between Manchester United and Chelsea. Blackburn came ever so close in their replay with Chelsea last night, but ultimately a late extra-time winner from Ballack prevented it. This despite Blackburn having about 3 times more shots. But Chelsea sneak themselves to a winner...again.
The Champions League final also has the potential to feature the same two teams. I really hope Liverpool can spoil that party.
And of course the Premiership is a two horse race between those two sides.
Will I watch the FA cup final? No. I will break the tradition of a lifetime. Why would I want to watch two teams I hate, full of many players I hate, battle it out for this prestigious piece of silverware? As a Leeds fan I've traditionally hated Man Utd. And of course ever since the age of negative 14 I have hated Chelsea - when they cheated their way to a victory in the 1970 FA cup final replay against Leeds. My hatred of Chelsea has really been solidified though since they started splashing the cash. The splashing of cash in itself is not that bad, its the how. I always cite this example but spending a ridiculous amount of money on one team's best player and then rarely playing them is the epitome of their largesse. 25 Million pounds for Shaun Wright Phillips only to put him on the bench at best. It's just not acceptable to me. At least Man Utd always have a core of young talent coming through, groomed by an excellent youth system. Plus Chris Waddle makes a very good point when he attacks Chelsea's brand of football - particularly considering the money they have at their disposal.
Anyway it's not good for football to have two teams dominate so much.
In fact football is in tatters at the moment due to too much money being around in the Premiership, this is only going to get worse rather than better - especially with some of the deals in the pipeline. It's disillusioning, and hence I'm not watching as much premiership action these days. There are too many foreign investors throughout the leagues as well.
Anyway...Scum and Chelscum...Grrr!
3 games left and I'm shitting bricks.
A 1-0 win for us over Burnley last weekend...and it's clear that the relegation fight will go right to the wire. If we go down on goal difference, or by 1-2 points it will be terrible. To have got so close and yet still be relegated will be bitterness personified. It will leave me wondering about all the what ifs...what if we hadn't conceded that last minute goal against Colchester...what if we'd managed to convert one of our many 1 goal losses into a draw...etc.
The table as it stands:
QPR 49
Leicester 47
Barnsley 47
Hull 45
-------------------
Leeds 45
Southend 42
Luton 37
Leicester have one game in hand (this will be played shortly - lets hope they don't manage to do what the likes of Barnsley and Southend have - beat Birmingham!)
Anyway - it's ever so close...so many permutations. We have a tough last 3 games starting with Southampton away this weekend. This will be followed by being at home to Ipswich and away to Derby. Tough, tough games. Some of the other teams have damn hard run-ins as well though.
I'm shitting bricks.
The table as it stands:
QPR 49
Leicester 47
Barnsley 47
Hull 45
-------------------
Leeds 45
Southend 42
Luton 37
Leicester have one game in hand (this will be played shortly - lets hope they don't manage to do what the likes of Barnsley and Southend have - beat Birmingham!)
Anyway - it's ever so close...so many permutations. We have a tough last 3 games starting with Southampton away this weekend. This will be followed by being at home to Ipswich and away to Derby. Tough, tough games. Some of the other teams have damn hard run-ins as well though.
I'm shitting bricks.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Liberty and Society Conference.
Well I'm back from an interesting weekend in Sydney. Got to hear some fascinating speakers, meet some great people, and generally have a good time. This included eating a lot of good food (those who know me won't be surprised to realise that I ate a helluva lot - constantly piling my plate high and going back for more) and drinking plenty of red wine! All on the house of course :) Yes. I am a glutton!
Friday Night: After navigating my way through the airport, a couple of train trips and a short walk I arrived at the Centre for Independent Studies in good time for the welcome dinner. This was my first chance to meet the people attending the conference. There were about 30-35 of us including 5 New Zealanders. I started consuming quite a lot of red wine which I continued to do throughout the dinner! The speaker at the dinner was Tanveer Ahmed - a fascinating speaker. He discussed issues related to muslim integration and of the forging of one's identity. He discussed ideas of the conflict between first, second and third generations of immigrants such as how the first generations often desires to cling to the traditions of the old world, attempting to limit their children's interaction with white Australians. He pointed to how their strong opinions leads to differing forms of extremism among the later generations. A lot of the speech reminded me of one of my favourite novels: "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith in which these issues are thoroughly explored through one of the novel's strands - the depiction of one muslim Bangladeshi's family having emigrated to England. (I know I've kind of gone off on an aside here but everyone should read this book - it's fantastic - I've read it twice and will no doubt do so a few more times in my life!) After the dinner some of us headed out to the Crow's Nest Hotel Bar not far away. I stayed an hour or so before retiring for bed.
Saturday morning saw Nick Southwood talk to us about the political philosophy of classical liberalism. It was a wonderful session: since I'd already looked at many of the issues in a first year philosophy paper it was easy to get a handle on. He's a big fan of John Stuart Mill - and used him to get to the crux of the issue a few times: the fundament of classical liberalism being the harm principle, that anything goes unless it causes harm to others. Quite self-explanatory really - although defining harm can be quite tricky. It was quite a wide ranging talk on the theories of the philosophy of liberalism and managed to encompass a fair amount - such as the ridiculousness of utilitarianism. In the second half of his session he talked about groups - whether liberalism would allow one to sign up to a group that forced one to endure or do certain things - providing there was an exit strategy. This provoked a very healthy discussion - especially when we were in our breakout groups. One group came up with the extreme example of forming a snuff club whereby a member would join on the monday, agreeing to be shot on the friday, and waiving the right to an exit strategy. Nick seemed to think that one couldn't consent to homicide. I asked him if this meant there was a limit to liberalism, and if so how one would decide where to draw the line. He couldn't answer. Anyway - the hypothetical philosophical puzzles was one of the highlights of the weekend! It reminded me that I did enjoy the 2 philosophy papers I have done (Stage 1 - Philosophy and the Good Life and Stage 2 - Bioethics) and maybe I should do some more!
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After a big lunch it was over to Jason Potts for the economics session. Having not done any economics at uni or school, and having only skimmed the readings for this topic, I was a little daunted by it. Jason certainly did end up using quite a lot of jargon I wasn't used to, and I will admit to being a little bored by his section. He did suggest something about everyone ignoring Keysian economics - or in other words about half of what they learn through the educational system. Jason is very strongly libertarian and is of the view that the market will solve everything. The market came across as Jason's God. He even extends this to the privatisation of education which was an idea that provoked a lot of debate. Many people, myself included, could not countenance such a radical change. In response to our comments regarding 'what about the poor?' he seemed to think that they could just take out huge loans on their 5 year old child's future educational needs. He certainly disagreed with some of us who thought a limited amount of paternalism in the education sector was justified. I certainly began to wonder about his sanity when he somehow got onto the idea that we could and should privatise pandas! That if you wanted to save the pandas you could just buy them. Hmmm Jason - what if some people wanted to make pandas extinct and they had the money to buy them. Would this make it right? Anyway, where and how does one buy a panda? There is certainly an argument for right wing economics having the potential to be good for conservation but this was just loony. And yes I do know it was just a silly non-serious example, but I still question his sanity! I found myself shaking my head at him a number of times for his "the market will solve everything" approach. I thing perhaps Wolfgang Kasper would have been a preferable lecturer for this section by what others have said.
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Saturday Evening saw a great dinner at a Thai restaurant and yet more red wine! It was great that throughout the weekend I got to constantly sit with different people at meal times, and in breakout groups, getting to meet a big percentage of everyone who was there. There were a lot of incredibly intelligent, interesting and vibrant young men and women. It was also good that the lecturers were available throughout the weekend giving those who wanted it, the opportunity to talk to them further. After the dinner many of us hit the pubs and clubs for a night of fun and frivolity...good times :) That is, apart from the fact that I ended up not being able to manage to meet up with a great friend from primary school in England (who I haven't seen since then), Thara Mogwe. We were both pretty disappointed that we were unsuccessful in this quest. I also ended up watching some of the NZ-South Africa cricket match - so as not to wake my room-mate I ended up jumping on a friend's bed for a while, I wonder if Jamie Simpson will delete the photo he took which reveals me in my boxer shorts!
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Sunday's lectures arrived after very little sleep, I found it extra difficult to jump out of bed, but still managed to sneak in ten minutes for another good ole traditional breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, tomato, pancakes etc. I shovelled it all down with plenty of orange juice like the glutton that I am! Unfortunately I did leave my shampoo at the hotel! Anyway - Sunday morning's lecture was delivered by Daryn Jensen and it was to do with the state of law. I say 'to do with' as my mind glazed over for good portions of it as I half nodded off a few times. It probably would have been interesting though! The second half of the session was good however as we went off into our breakout groups and analysed the State of Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 with relation to some real-life situations, and whether they could have been charged under the Act. This of course led to a discussion about how far liberalism should extend into law - whether or not hate speech legislation for example can be justified.
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The afternoon session (after another good lunch) was a real highlight. Peter Saunders discussed issues of the Welfare State and social policy. He provided a number of absorbing facts that highlighted the problems of welfare dependency in Australia (and New Zealand). There were some amazing statistics about how much the economy has grown, the country become richer, and yet significantly more is spent on welfare than ever before. He also pointed out things like how about half of the money we pay in tax comes straight back to us. He also introduced some interesting concepts I hadn't considered before - such as negative income tax. There are a number of problems in the huge amounts spent on welfare but the challenge is coming up with solutions. The question was even asked whether the welfare state could and should be dumped entirely (including any state funding of education, health etc) which naturally got a couple of positive responses from a few people; one of whom described this situation as "my idea of nirvana". Peter himself though is not really a classical liberal himself, merely right-wing, and hence has broadly similar views to myself on these issues. It was also mentioned about how cutting down the welfare state would get a public reaction about how the right-wing 'doesn't care' about the poor etc - when it is in fact right-wing policies that tend to benefit the poor. But this line of reasoning often comes up against the brick wall of public ignorance and prejudice.
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So - the end of the conference...I'd had a great weekend. I met a load of wonderful people, had some stimulating conversations, had some good meals, checked out a bit of the Sydney night-life, and all in all would highly recommend to anyone interested in politics, political philosophy, economic thinking etc. And it's not just for liberals...there were people there who are involved in the Australian Labor Party and the Greens, and it wasn't as if the whole forum was completely dominated by libertarians either. The conference solidified my thinking in many ways, extended it in others, and introduced me to some completely new ideas.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
My perspective on life.
I can't believe the way that some people view life's events, their philosophies on how life works itself out. It is so alien to the way I view the world.
The other day my friend Lisa said two things to me that a lot of people would agree with, and which I have always considered pretty ridiculous. 1) "I believe in karma" 2) "Everything in life happens for some reason". Let's look at both comments in turn.
Comment #1: Karma: The general principle of karma is that people are rewarded or punished later in life for their previous actions or conduct. This may be seen immediately or it may be delayed. In colloquial terms it is the idea that "what goes around comes around". (In Hinduism and Buddhism the idea is
that the reward or punishment occurs in the next incarnation. I'm not even going to consider that. I'm sure reincarnation could be fun but that idea to me is also fatally flawed). Anyway, I just can't conceive of how karma might occur. A religious person might suggest that God is watching everyone's every move and rewards them or punishes them later in life for their actions. But isn't the whole principle of God that he rewards or punishes upon death by sending people to heaven, hell or in some people's conceptions, purgatory? And isn't he supposed to not interfere with life? - he gave everyone free will remember. Perhaps then karma is an inherent principle of the universe without the intervention of any supernatural Being. Perhaps it is as fundamental as Newton's 3 laws of physics?? Or perhaps not. The trouble is that anything can be interpreted in terms of Karma, when in fact what happens in life is merely random. Merely the totality of science. Does science decide who gets a heart attack by assessing the fact that it is time they had some bad karma, or is it perhaps a result of that person eating too much cholesterol throughout their life? Just as an aside - I'd like to see someone explain this news article in terms of karma! And speaking of karma - does that mean that all Leeds Utd fans are sinners and the last 5 years or so is their punishment??? And why is it that as Billy Joel sings "only the good die young" - which anecdotally for me has a ring of truth.
that the reward or punishment occurs in the next incarnation. I'm not even going to consider that. I'm sure reincarnation could be fun but that idea to me is also fatally flawed). Anyway, I just can't conceive of how karma might occur. A religious person might suggest that God is watching everyone's every move and rewards them or punishes them later in life for their actions. But isn't the whole principle of God that he rewards or punishes upon death by sending people to heaven, hell or in some people's conceptions, purgatory? And isn't he supposed to not interfere with life? - he gave everyone free will remember. Perhaps then karma is an inherent principle of the universe without the intervention of any supernatural Being. Perhaps it is as fundamental as Newton's 3 laws of physics?? Or perhaps not. The trouble is that anything can be interpreted in terms of Karma, when in fact what happens in life is merely random. Merely the totality of science. Does science decide who gets a heart attack by assessing the fact that it is time they had some bad karma, or is it perhaps a result of that person eating too much cholesterol throughout their life? Just as an aside - I'd like to see someone explain this news article in terms of karma! And speaking of karma - does that mean that all Leeds Utd fans are sinners and the last 5 years or so is their punishment??? And why is it that as Billy Joel sings "only the good die young" - which anecdotally for me has a ring of truth.2) Hmmm, everything happens for some reason? What reason could there be for someone having two friends die of suicide in the same year, a friend dying of cancer, your child becoming disabled etc? Some might say that it is a test for the person, a means of making you stronger. But what of the actual person who has directly suffered: did they deserve this? For what reason have they experienced these woes? The answer of course to all this is that nothing happens for a reason - things just happen randomly, as a result of decision making, or science or whatever. I just can't get my head around people thinking like this.
Then there is my ex-girlfriend who contends that "if something is going to happen it's going to happen". In other words she thinks that had she not met her ex-boyfriend who she was engaged to when she did, she would have met him at some other time. She also thinks that if she hadn't met me when she did, she would have done at some point. In other words it's the idea that if something is meant to be it's meant to be. Of course her examples are possible. But these people may for example have met under completely different scenarios yielding completely different results. Or quite easily they may never have met at all. In my opinion everything is random. There is lucky random, and unlucky random - for example asking someone for a job a week before they fill a vacancy, or a week after. Hmmm, does unlucky random = karma for having done something bad? lol.
I also heard some interesting view from my friend Kate. She thinks that heaven is a place where all the good souls come together. My question: is there actually such a thing as souls? Souls are supposedly the inner essence of each living being, to her they are immaterial substances although some consider them to have a material component. People say that our soul determines our decisions. I say it is simply the totality of our genetics and our environment. I've never seen any proof of a soul. It seems to me a very wooly concept.
She also put to me the question: if our lives are pointless, and there is no God, why don't you just kill yourself now? My simple answer is that I enjoy life. Once I die that is it - nothing ever to experience again...why not enjoy myself while I'm here. I want to enjoy the taste of an Indian curry, I want to indulge in a Chiraz on the palette, I want to enjoy the experience each time Leeds United win, I want to enjoy my relationships with my family and friends, and I want to continue enjoying the pleasures of sex. In short there are a lot of things to enjoy about life. Despite the fact that I don't enjoy growing older. That I want to bottle up each good memory - such as finally getting to kiss my first love Rebecca Shaw when I was about 10 (in a game of kiss catch!) - and revisit it whenever I feel like it. I can't do that, but I can continue to try and enjoy the future. Despite many tearful or bitter moments I wouldn't want to end my experience of - and association with - life. Not for anything.
For many people I think, all these ideas I've discussed, are a crux for them. Some way of explaining life, so that they don't get depressed. This isn't their conscious perspective - this is their subconscious speaking. It's nice to believe in these ideas. Believe me, I'd like to share them. If I could imagine the people who have died in my life, up in heaven...if I could believe that every bad or good action were rewarded appropriately...if I could believe that everything happens for some reason, or that what is meant to be will be...it would certainly help me to feel better about this random universe we live in. But my mind is too grounded in the principle that "science is everything". And how could science possibly explain karma? Perhaps karma helps the human race evolve?
I'm not completely close-minded to any of these concepts. But I am very sceptical. Can anyone out there put forward any good arguments for me to alter any of my views???? Please comment if there are any arguments out there which are potentially persuasive!
I may have a very cynical view of life. I may not believe in god, I may not believe in the concept of souls, or the presence of karma. My view may well be that science explains everything, and everything is random. But that just means I have to make the most of our short time in the mortal realm!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Agony of Last Minute goals.
Going into the last 10 minutes of the Championship's Easter Monday fixtures Leeds were looking in pretty reasonable shape to make a good fist of survival. We were up 1-0 over Colchester, Southend were losing 2-1 to Preston and Luton were beating QPR 2-1.
How the last ten minutes changed everything.
Colchester, Southend and QPR all scored twice.
An 82 minute equaliser and a last minute strike by on fire striker Jamie Cureton condemned Leeds to a loss - putting an end to our 5 game unbeaten streak. Southend scored 2 goals in the last 3 minutes to grab themselves a victory. And QPR also managed to change their losing situation into a winning one.
With 10 minutes to play the scores would have had Leeds six points ahead of Southend. Now we are level. It would have had us 1 point behind QPR. Now we are 7.
Barnsley's shock victory over Birmingham puts us back into the relegation zone. We had managed to be out of it for the first time since November. But it only lasted two days. At least Hull also lost.
Current Table:
QPR 49
Leicester 47
Hull 44
Barnsley 44
--------------------
Leeds 42
Southend 42
Luton 37
And our captain - hardworking Jonny Douglas got himself sent off after the final whistle, expressing his frustration at the ref's incompetence with foul and abusive language. So he won't be able to play again this season.
The wheels are well and truly falling off.
Saturday sees us face an in form Burnley side at home. It also sees a huge game between Barnsley and Southend. And Hull have got Colchester. Its a mammoth set of fixtures. It has the potential to completely wreck our season.
I am a nervous wreck. My head is in tatters. My heart is thumping in my chest.
There will be nothing more bitter than relegation into League 1.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Leeds hanging in there.
I spose I better update my blog, I just haven't been in the blogging frame of mind lately - too much stuff spiralling round my head!
However last weekend was great as far as Leeds Utd were concerned. A brilliant 2-1 win over high flying Preston including an 89th minute winner from man of the moment David Healy. And the only other team in the bottom six to win was Hull - and even that could be a godsend considering it was Southend they thrashed 4-0.
But it's a false hope I think...I can still smell relegation. Bitter.
Today QPR have also beaten Preston: 1-0. Bitter! And Burnley beat Plymouth 4-0. Bitter!
So dammit I still think we're stuffed. But I live in hope!
6 games to go starting with a mammoth match against Plymouth this weekend. Can we do it???
I bloody hope so!
Burnley 45
Hull 44
QPR 43
Barnsley 41
--------------
Southend 39
Leeds 39
Luton 37
However last weekend was great as far as Leeds Utd were concerned. A brilliant 2-1 win over high flying Preston including an 89th minute winner from man of the moment David Healy. And the only other team in the bottom six to win was Hull - and even that could be a godsend considering it was Southend they thrashed 4-0.
But it's a false hope I think...I can still smell relegation. Bitter.
Today QPR have also beaten Preston: 1-0. Bitter! And Burnley beat Plymouth 4-0. Bitter!
So dammit I still think we're stuffed. But I live in hope!
6 games to go starting with a mammoth match against Plymouth this weekend. Can we do it???
I bloody hope so!
Burnley 45
Hull 44
QPR 43
Barnsley 41
--------------
Southend 39
Leeds 39
Luton 37
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Gordon Brown the mucky bugger. lol
If you like to see clips of politicians that they don't want you to see then check out this clip from youtube. It really shows his human side. After all - everyone likes to pick their nose don't they!
Malinga the Slinger
After watching the Irish I caught the tail-end of South Africa and Sri Lanka's Super 8 match. South Africa appeared as if they were coasting to victory till Malinga struck. 4 wickets in 4 balls! His hat-trick delivery dismissed Kallis who had already made 80 odd. Then with 9 wickets down South Africa, needing 2 runs to win, faced about 10 dot balls till Robin Peterson edged a boundary to attain what should have been a comfortable victory. Still - what a performance from Malinga. And what a finish to a match!
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