Dear Guly, Your home nation of Brazil is renowned throughout the world as being exponents of the most beautiful interpretation of the game but did you know that it was a Saints player who introduced your great country to the game. James Miller was admired as a great footballer when he played in the red and white stripes of Southampton in the 1890s. At that time Southampton FC was one of this countryâs top clubs so that when he went to Brazil to join his father who was helping to build your railway network it was only natural that he should tell everyone about the great game and the really super team for whom he had played while in Hampshire. As you can well imagine the natural movement and agility of your countrymen meant that they quickly took to the game and established a number of teams and a national league. On forming the national team the important question of what colours the team should wear had to be settled and everyone at the time said it has to be red and white stripes in honour of the great football team where their founder had learned all of his football skills at their famous academy. The president of Brazil said no. The team should respect the honour of Southampton FC and the sacredness of their red and white shirts and play instead in Southamptonâs change strip of yellow and blue which conveniently were also the colours of their Brazilian national flag. Now my reason for telling you this important story is that as you know the Saints are revered in your great country and anyone who insults Southampton FC by association is insulting your great country. Quite a long time after the formation of your national league and an even longer time after Southampton FC had been founded a bunch of upstarts along the south coast decide to copy us and form a club of their own. Sadly for them they didnât have a Charles Miller to teach them how to play the game properly. However they had a modicum of success and suddenly like a lot of new kids on the block they started to get a bit cheeky and started to say really rude things about the Saints. By association they were also therefore insulting your great national team and cast a slur upon the heritage of football in your great country. It is for you to address this terrible insult and take revenge upon our upstart neighbours by giving them a lesson in Brazilian football this Sunday. Or as they say in your country: âVá buscar os bastardos.â
Are you going to do one of these for every national we have in the team, Godders..? Right, let's see how busy we can keep you... Hooiveld, De Ridder [Dutch] Fonte [Portugese] Bialkowski [Polish] You got those to go. PS ...and don't forget the English. Go on, inspire Lambert. I'm sure needs it.
You could start with the Anglo-Dutch wars including the daring Raid on the Medway of 1667. As for Portugal, I am sure Jose would not want to allow the 1890 British Ultimatum to go forgotten. David Connolly, well you won't need to think too hard about that one.
De Ridder is Belgian - very easy mistake to make. Fox is Scottish and I vaguely remember someone saying that Lambert was eligable for Northern Ireland through a grandparent.
You're definitely improving with age Godders! Off topic I know but this sort of thread is a brilliant contrast to all the abuse and negativity that seems to have taken hold lately. Thank you for lifting my spirits!
Yeah, I was really lazy and didn't bother to check on De Ridder's nationality. I think Wikipedia says Fox is English, and I also thought Frazer Richardson was Scottish, but he isn't apparently. Well, with that name you'd at least suspect he might be. Lambert being a Scouser automatically makes him vaguely eligible for NI.
It's just that from 1995 to 2001 I lived in Kent, and we used to go around the area a lot. Rochester Castle is bloody interesting and I think that is where I read the story of the Medway Chain. I also think Samuel Pepys' diary records the event of the Dutch Raid.
I speak with many tongues but sadly most of them false. Google translator is the best friend of the linguistically inept. I could have lied and said yes but that would not have been in the spirit of a true Saint. My French however is more than acceptable but that is symptomatic of a good state school education in Berkshire.
Yeah I thought you were using google translate. I can speak portuguese though But I don't speak French
