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Post by wayved on May 6, 2006 0:53:07 GMT -5
F(*K the World Cup.
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Post by maarts on May 6, 2006 1:01:04 GMT -5
No.
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angel
Struggling Artist
I lived my dreams today, I lived it yesterday
Posts: 285
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Post by angel on May 6, 2006 4:01:34 GMT -5
yeah try not to, buddy
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Post by maarts on May 6, 2006 6:20:01 GMT -5
Perhaps that answer was a bit curt. Wayved has always been straightforwardly honest and deserves more than this, so Glen, let me try to explain a bit what this World Cup is about for me.
Soccer or voetbal in my language is something I grew up with. Ever since I was a child growing up in the south of Holland I have been brought up with soccer. I never played it myself outside school or via the company I used to work for but I was an avid watcher. Been a fan of PSV Eindhoven for a long time as that was the most competitive team in the Dutch league hailing from the south. During the time I visited matches from that team I have seen the greats play at Philips Stadium: Romario, Ronaldo, Gullit, Rijkaard, Koeman, to name a few. I have been a few times in England on invite from a friend and he was a mad Tottenham-fan- seen some matches of them at White Hart Lane, amongst them one against Liverpool, my 'other' favourite team. I was in awe of the atmosphere in the stadiums. Forget this negativism about hooligans or whatever, to hear the chants roll across the terraces and the cheers at a goal scored is like reaching orgasm.
I find the intricacies of soccer the best thing about the sport. Like Americans can dissect the game of American Football in its strategies, so do I with soccer. It requires amazing skill. It's not only visible in the talented people who can dribble the ball past their opponents, but also in the skill of the defender, using his power, body and determination to conquer the ball for his team. I can enjoy a keeper making a great save, a player taking a free kick and sending the ball almost to pin-point perfection into the upper deck of the net, a great one-two, the speed of wingers passing their man on the run...it has everything. Drama, passion, controversy even. There's nothing like it for mine. And so many people to share it with as so many fans there are around the world. It is being dubbed The World Game here in Australia, one of the fledgling soccer nations, making their second appearance on world level, the first one being in 1974 and not being succesfull.
Soccer for mine is not about the expensive kits and boots. It's not about the lifestyle of David Beckham, the spending habits of superclubs like Chelsea or Real Madrid or the hairstyle of Ronaldinho. It's the back and forth of the ball. It's the tactics of teams and coaches to exploit their own strengths and the other's weaknesses. It's about the passion and atmosphere to be there amongst thousands of fellow supporters cheering your team on, the extension of the dullness of your own lives coming (hopefully) to a satisfying climax. It's about winning.
The Dutch national team has been like a field of dreams for my people for so long. Internationally acknowledged as one of the top nations in soccer, yet never have won the World Cup is one of the paradoxes in the game. I only have the remembrances of the 1978-World Cup finals in which the Dutch played brilliantly throughout but fell at the last hurdle, being beaten by host nation Argentina. The history of this tournament is riddled with great matches, memories and heroism. Every match we would look, even when teams were playing that we had absolutely no affinity with but we could cheer along with the Africans and Asians (we all adopted the courageous South Koreans battling to their semi-final four years ago when the World Cup was played in their home country and Japan) or look admiring at the skills of the South Americans and even their northern brothers who always managed to turn up to play and give their best.
The World Cup is the ultimate prize every soccer loving country wants. Not to dismiss other sports but this is the biggest prize in sports, in a tournament where truly all four corners of the world are represented by their best teams. I like watching baseball and football but I always found it laughable that the winners in those competitions would call their champions 'world champions' even though, mostly justifiable, those sports are being competed at the very highest level in the States. But this is different. You literally are on top of the world winning the World Cup.
In 1988 the Dutch won the European Championship and that was something I'll never forget! The celebrations we had in Amsterdam are some of the wildest I can imagine and top every single championship PSV has won. I won't claim that soccer is like a religion in the same way that the Brazilians celebrate but to see the usually sensible, sober Dutch dress themselves up in the stupidest Orange costumes to support their national team is the ultimate tribute a sport can get.
I really, really can't wait till next month. I'll be watching every single game, even when it means getting up at 4am.
This rant hasn't contained a single exaggeration, I really love this game so much.
Therefore, in answer to Glen's 'Fuck the World Cup', I truly can say 'No'!
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Post by phil on May 6, 2006 6:33:37 GMT -5
That's nice, Maarts ... Now, please, tell us how you really feel about Futbol !  ! |
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Post by maarts on May 6, 2006 6:40:39 GMT -5
.......
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Post by phil on May 6, 2006 6:43:31 GMT -5
I have that exact same feeling ... !!
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Post by kmc on May 6, 2006 7:16:10 GMT -5
I'll be in a constant state of nerves from the moment this thing kicks off until Brazil run its course.
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on May 6, 2006 12:19:01 GMT -5
There's been a cloud of despond over England since Rooney's broken metatarsal, but now the country is slowly coming back around to the idea that we've still got some class players - Gerrard, Lampard, Owen, Beckham, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Ferdinand - and could still go a longway in this thing. Ah, that old optimistic delusion, eh?
But the sense is we can't win it anymore without Fat Boy Rooney, so let's just try to get to the quarters or semis. Who knows, he may be fit by then.
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Post by maarts on May 6, 2006 17:12:32 GMT -5
I had Rooney pegged for a red card or two, so he wouldn't be that involved. He is passionate and good but he draws too much on that and get a bitt too excited and rash in the duels. I'd say that the key to England success is Lampard's incisive passing, Beckham regaining some sort of form, Crouchy's knack for goals and keeping Sven out of the papers and Ulrika's bed.. England should do better than the quarters. You deserve nothing else, Heysoos!
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on May 7, 2006 22:51:32 GMT -5
I really like Maarts' futbol-obsessive post.
I'd like to add, to the list of reasons he mentioned that inspire love of soccer in so many, that its such a technically beautiful game, its so easy to watch. Thats why we call it the Beautiful Game.
Futbol heightens everyone's emotions, more so than any other sport, imo. I've seen my dad, a man who is so much the epitome of latin macho that when my sister was almost dying he remained stoic for everyone else, shed a tear or two while watching Spain play a few world cups back.
a bit of black humour: when Escobar scored an own goal in the 94 World Cup, I remember one of my uncles over in Bogota was fuming. He was livid. I've not seen people get that angry.
Well...we all know what happened to poor Escobar. I've always kind of suspected my uncle...and how convenient, after the murder he left Colombia for a few years to "travel". Hmmm. To travel or to kill more national players?!..
No-one really likes that uncle, he's very shady.
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Post by kmc on May 8, 2006 10:00:26 GMT -5
When England scored first on the Brazilians (shoddy defending on our side) during the last Cup, my brother Leo broke out in tears, went nuts, could hardly be appeased. Futbol does bring out the craziest in people. I love it.
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Post by maarts on May 19, 2006 21:44:42 GMT -5
Great weeks in soccer, great FA-Cup Final, great Champions' League-final! Now let the jockeying for position begin for the world Cup. Patrolling through some vids, came up on this one. Anyone looking forward to a clash between England and Germany? www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIUp19bBoA |
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on May 21, 2006 4:29:15 GMT -5
The FA Cup match was a classic, wasn't it? What can you say about Steven Gerrard? Sensational equalisers.
The Champions League match was shaping up that way too, until the sending off. Then it turned more into a plucky, backs-against-the-wall, attack vs defence kind of game. Credit to Arsenal though, they nearly held out and they kept Ronaldinho pretty quiet. But Barcelona have had luck at crucial moments all season in the tough European games - the same Norwegian ref couldn't wait to send off Del Horno when they travelled to Chelsea, and in the semis against Milan no-one else in the world except for the referee could see anything wrong with Shevchenko's disallowed goal in the Camp Nou. Then in the final Eto'o was offside in the sending off incident, and offside again for the equaliser. Both times the linesman failed to do his job.
As for the link - you have to love Boris Johnson. You can almost see him getting all confused: "What? Where am I? Oh, jolly good show, dashed Gerry has a sniper on the bridge - Cry God for Harry and St George!"
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angel
Struggling Artist
I lived my dreams today, I lived it yesterday
Posts: 285
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Post by angel on May 23, 2006 7:37:35 GMT -5
i know this has nothin to do with football (well there is kind of a connection, i guess) - are the the spice girls or girls aloud? I'm confused, jesus!
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