Do Either Poland or Greece Want To Win?
This has not been the greatest game of football and I would suspect, if Russia or the Czech republic get their act together, they’ll get some points from this pair.
After all, all we’ve had here is two sendings off, a missed penalty, another which should have been given , one goal each and very little else.
There’s just four minutes left, so on current form, I suspect it’ll be one goal each at the end.
A Dutch View on the Racism in Krakow
I found this on the Radio Nederland web site.
There were loud protests by disappointed Krakow football fans at the start of Holland’s training session on Wednesday afternoon. They voiced their frustration at the fact that Krakow was passed up by UEFA three years ago when it chose four Polish cities to host the 2012 European Championship.
The fans had put up a large banner with a no-entry sign painted on the tournament emblem. After about 15 minutes, security staff intervened, putting a stop to the whistles and chanting. The slogans reportedly included racist abuse, prompting the Dutch to continue their training to the other side of the pitch.
It was the only Holland training session at the Wisla Krakow stadium open to the public. Tickets were free and the stands were filled in no time. Hard-core fans flocked to the stadium’s west end and immediately made their presence felt.
Frustration
There’s still deep resentment in Krakow over the fact that the city failed to be chosen as one of the four Polish cities to host the prestigious Euro 2012 matches. Many can’t understand why Poland’s former capital and the county’s most popular tourist destination was ignored by UEFA.
Most suspect political reasons. They point to the traditional rivalry between the current capital Warsaw and the countries “most beautiful” city. Or they blame Krakow politicians for a weak bid and a strong “anti-football” lobby, supported by a large section of the population who are fed up with football-related violence and fear the worst when large numbers of foreign fans descend on the city.
Poland promotion
Krakow is known for its violent confrontations between the firms of Cracovia and Wisla Krakow, who’re locked in a long-running brutal war. National and local authorities are doing all they can to suppress hooliganism and racism during the Euros. They see the event as a great opportunity to promote their country. They are proud that as many as 13 out of the 16 Euro 2012 finalists are putting up their base camps in Poland, and not in co-host Ukraine. Three of these squads – Holland, England and Italy – have opted for Krakow as their home base.
I think it shows that UEFA didn’t really organise the competition properly. Just imagine if we organised a big football tournament and didn’t play a match in Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester.
The Racism Has Started
Why did the old farts in charge of UEFA take the tournament to Poland and the Ukraine, when they knew it might happen?
This incident involving the Dutch is actually in Poland.
I don’t think that the Dutch govenment will take this lying down.
The Netherlands are playing their first match against Denmark tomorrow.
I wonder what the odds are that we don’t through the first round without racist trouble.
And Now Defoe Has To Go Home!
Luck doesn’t seem to be going Roy Hodgson and England’s way! And now Jermaine Defoe has had to return home because of the death of his father. A report is here.
Let’s hope England will find strength in adversity.
Cardiff City To Change Colours
It would appear that the new Malaysian owners of Cardiff City are going to change the teams colours from blue to red, as reported here.
To my mind Cardiff City are one of those teams that don’t play in distinctive or unusual colours like Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City or QPR, so in some ways to change from one common colour to another is very strange.
Does it show that the new owners don’t understand football at all? If so, Cardiff City are on a steep slope to oblivion. Especially, as changing colours will alienate a large percentage of the fans. Are they going to buy new shirts? I doubt it!
Time will tell on this, but I think it’s a bit of a disaster.
And Now We Lose Cahill
What was it Napoleon said about generals? Something like?
“I have plenty of clever generals, give me a lucky one.”
I can’t find the exact quote, but you get the drift.
Roy Hodgson may be a good manager for England. But he is not blessed with good luck.
Especially now he’s lost Gary Cahill to a double fracture of the jaw.
He is now being criticised for not bringing in Rio Ferdinand or Micah Richards, but adding Martin Kelly.
Only time will tell if he’s right. But at the moment I think he is.
I don’t think I’d like either John Terry or Rio Ferdinand in my team and I think it’s one and not both. And he’s already chosen Terry. So for centre backs it’s Terry plus Jagielka or Joleon Lescott.
He may not have the best team in terms of playing skills, but has he chosen players, who might step up to plate and perform. Terry definitely has something to prove, what with the criminal case of racial abuse and missing the Champions League final. Jagielka might just like to win something.
So although, Roy’s luck may have deserted him, ~I think he’s using his brain to create a team with its own built-in ambition.
The defence doesn’t seem to leak goals and the attack seems to be able to score enough to win the game.
The crucial match is the game against France. I think, that both teams with half a dozen black players each and very few of their fans there to support them, could get a lot of abuse from the locals who turn up. I hope not, but if it does has England got the strength to weather the storm. I would hope so!
It’s Backs to the Wall Lads!
England at Euro-2012 are starting to look like the last time we fought a war in the Ukraine. And I mean after the Charge of the Light Brigade. At least though the medical services are very much better.
I was listening to Sportsweek on Radio 5 Live and John Barnes, who probably knows more about suffering racism than most, was advising the players to concentrate on the football if the chants got bad in the Ukraine, like they might do. He advised against what Mario Balotelli had said he would do and walk off. He said “Let the referee and UEFA decide.” It might be difficult, but there are some strong characters in the England team. Remember too, in the first match against France, both teams will have quite a few black players and all of the players probably know each other well and will all stick together, if it turns ugly.
One-Nil to Ing-Er-Land
I’m just listening to the 606 phone in on BBC Radio 5. Everybody is being so negative.
I’ll admit that Roy has a problem, but it isn’t of his making. How many people would relish being dropped into the scenario he found himself, just a few weeks before a major tournament. Only a complete masochist! Or a Leo pig!
I remember 1966, when I was just 18. Were we optimistic? Of course not! We were looking forward to a good summer of football as the World Cup was going to be held in England.
We’re looking forward to a big summer of sport with the Olympics. And judging by the way the torch has been received in the last two weeks the country is getting fired up. If the players we’re sending to Euro 2012 aren’t getting turned on by that, they shouldn’t be going. They’ve also got three Chelsea players and Steven Gerrard, who’ve tasted European glory in the Champions League.
Going back to 1966, if you look at the side that won the World Cup, some were virtually unknown before the tournament. Jimmy Greaves was expected to be the man to score all the goals and Jimmy Armfield was supposed to be the right back. So is Rooney setting himself up for the Greaves role? We need some players to step up and be counted. I’ll put my money on Phil Jagielka, John Terry and Theo Walcott.
They’re still being negative on the phone-in.
The only positive thing I’ve heard is someone saying, he’d take a one-nil win in every game.
Staffordshire’s Finest
Yesterday BBC Radio 5 Live had a big day out at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium. Apparently, the warm up comedian was Heening Wehn, who describes himself as the German Comedy Ambassador to Great Britain. Then there was an edition of Fighting Talk.
One of the first questions was about who was Staffordshire’s finest sportsman.
The panel went on to choose the obvious, Stanley Matthews, the football legend.
But the greatest sportsman from the county only got a passing reference.
Sydney Barnes was an amazing cricketer, who many pundits reckon was the greatest bowler ever. This is John Arlott’s view of his bowling.
He bowled right arm fast-medium but also had what Arlott called “the accuracy, spin and resource of a slow bowler”. Barnes’ high delivery provided him with a lift off the pitch that forced even the best batsmen to play him at an awkward height. He was clever at concealing his pace and could produce deliveries that were both appreciably faster and slower than his usual fast-medium pace; and could bowl an effective yorker.
In other words, he could bowl just about anything. Even the Australian, Richie Benaud, included him in his greatest cricket team of all time.
Like Matthews he was still playing at an advanced age. I saw a documentary about Barnes in the 1960s and at the age of around 90, he was still working for the local council. He must have been a remarkable man.
Beware the Leo Pig
Roy Hodgson is just seven days older than I am. So that makes us both Leo pigs. For more on this explosive mix of Chinese and European signs read this.
I know it’s all a load of old rubbish, but it seems to give them luck and end up in the right place at the right time.
We also all stick together. So here’s wishing you luck Roy. Not that Leo pigs need it.
The Anonymous Widower 