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Football cliches
Jun. 12th, 2003 12:20 amTonight saw the return match between Slovakia and England. Football is one of the few sports that fires the blood, ransacks the soul and reminds you that you are alive. Tonight was a typical England match.
England have long subscribed to two footballing cliches. "There is no such thing as an easy international match" and "It's a game of two halves". Tonight they reaffirmed that credo. Slovakia are not the most accomplished of footy teams. But for the first half of tonight's fiasco, it looked like their manager had thrown 50 crisp notes towards Dave the Turk, regular in the Dog and Duck, Hackney. 50 crisp notes which ensured that "9 mil Mick" would pay a visit to each and every player in the England team, with an offer that it would hurt to refuse. We'd probably have been better fielding 11 stunned badgers.
Thankfully, there comes a proverbial second half. Someone had lifted the enchantment from our players. They could actually play. At a level that is higher than school first 11 football. In fact they were actually quite good. Good enough that I stopped wishing that they'd all curl up and die from embarassment, and started actually hoping that they'd win. Thankfully between Darius Vassel (which is a great RP name) and Michael Owen (Which is not), I actually began to think that they might. Sure enough they did.
Tonight was proof positive that England have the talent to go a long way, but also a long way to go to realise that talent. Still 2-1 against Slovakia is a result to walk away with. It's a win. I just wish that it had been a comfortable one.
England have long subscribed to two footballing cliches. "There is no such thing as an easy international match" and "It's a game of two halves". Tonight they reaffirmed that credo. Slovakia are not the most accomplished of footy teams. But for the first half of tonight's fiasco, it looked like their manager had thrown 50 crisp notes towards Dave the Turk, regular in the Dog and Duck, Hackney. 50 crisp notes which ensured that "9 mil Mick" would pay a visit to each and every player in the England team, with an offer that it would hurt to refuse. We'd probably have been better fielding 11 stunned badgers.
Thankfully, there comes a proverbial second half. Someone had lifted the enchantment from our players. They could actually play. At a level that is higher than school first 11 football. In fact they were actually quite good. Good enough that I stopped wishing that they'd all curl up and die from embarassment, and started actually hoping that they'd win. Thankfully between Darius Vassel (which is a great RP name) and Michael Owen (Which is not), I actually began to think that they might. Sure enough they did.
Tonight was proof positive that England have the talent to go a long way, but also a long way to go to realise that talent. Still 2-1 against Slovakia is a result to walk away with. It's a win. I just wish that it had been a comfortable one.
