100% agree wonky. Did you also see Kate Walsh,Hockey captain,returned and played with a titanium plate in her jaw. Could you imagine any footballers doing that? It makes me feel very humble to see the commitment of our GB representatives (male footballers apart)
I have to say here Supers, that is the main thing that annoys the hell out of me over people's calling Beckham an attention-seeking tosser! That man has spent so much time, practising and polishing his skills, yes he's made an awful lot of money, but he's earned it through his dedication and setting up football schools to benefit youngsters!
agree, hence i only said 99%!! but he's a rare case, someone you'd say would run till he stopped breathing, just to play for his country. however, the vast majority of footballers... can you imagine them coming off a football pitch to the extent where they were emotionally drained, could barely walk and have given everything their body could give? ok, different sport, different discipline, but as a straight comparison, i think they'd be rare to find.
Beckham is definitely someone who is fully committed. This is maybe what GB needed in the football. I've also heard a lot of GB athletes saying the crowd helped them along. I don't know what it is like to hear the crowd as an athlete but from going to the swimming last week whenever a British swimmer came out the crowd was amazing! Incredibly loud and fully behind the athlete.
Stuart Pearce has said that all the GB squad will return to their clubs much the better for being part of the Olympic movement. I bet they have all fcuked off home by now and won't be cheering on their Team GB compatriots from the sidelines but more like in front of a 50 inch TV screen. Olympic spirit is the tradition of all heptathletes doing a lap of honour at the conclusion of the last event. And ALL taking a bow from the crowd. Like Supers said, modern day football is something to despise in reality but unfortunately, we just can't do without it.
Typical of the sort of stupid comment you get from managers at all levels, trying to make something out of nothing, a bit of "success" out of total failure. Until people in football in this country start calling spades spades and sows ears sows ears, things will never improve. So-called Team GB were shown up for what they were, lacking in technique, lacking in speed of thought, lacking in tactical appreciation, indeed lacking in virtually every respect. But they'll go back to their clubs "better for it"!
I'm going to try to put some of it into words, but hell everyone I'm still buzzzzzzzzing, I haven't really slept since 4 O'Clock saturday morning, and I don't feel tired, I have just had the most amazing incredible 2 days. I've just crashed our system at work by sending out about 200 photo's of my experience. Alarm goes off 4am Saturday, we have tickets for the red eye out of Norwich 6am, and have been told to be at the park 2 1/2 hours before the first event. I could run there the way I feel!!! Train was packed right from the start, lots of bleary eyed but expectant people, arrived at Stratford about 7:40am. ****ing hell; the people!!!!! There's thousands and thousands and thousands of people. Walk to the ground was about 15 minutes, EVERYONE is smiling, the greeters are smiling and shaking hands and kissing people, it's already very emotional!! Security took about 5 minutes thanks to the ARMY, big big thanks to them, they were fantastic, even if they did confiscate my water bottles, still don't get that!!! Anyway WE'RE IN, we're in the Olympic park, me and Mrs Delia take time out for a hug, and are soon joined by a load of complete strangers, wtf? Still who cares, group hug, it seems the thing to do! I'm on a mission to explore everything, but first some coffee and breakfast, time out to calm down a bit! It's getting up for 9am now, get second coffee and go into the stadium to find our seats, WOW WOW WOW, it is sensational, take time to stand and stare, take it in, even though it'a only half full (first event 10am) the place is buzzing you can feel the excitement, it's in the structure, it's in the air, it's everywhere!! Find seats settle in take about 12000 photos! 9:30 Lady pole vaulters come out to warm up, and are greeted by a massive cheer, I have goosebumps and nothings happened yet. Getting close to start time, the place is electric, I apologise in advance to the lady sitting to my right, as I will probably go mental when we get underway. Jess Ennis appears, CHRIST ALMIGHTY, the noise, the cheering, the place has gone mental, my turn now, I have the lady from my right in my arms and we're jumping up and down, I find my flag it's being waved to death. I look at the faces around me, people are actually crying and smiling and dancing. Still nothing's happened, just the athletes warming up!!! Hell Great Britain what a noise, what support, even I'm crying now! Now it's all kicking off, Jess doing the long jump, 100m heats, Jess is cheered down the runway, the noise rising with every step, go Jess, even from where I'm sitting, it's a good one, the stadium is up and screaming, it's a PB jump, even louder noise, my ears are tingling, if fact everything is tingling. How the hell she is coping with this is beyond me, she waves to the stadium, we wave and cheer even louder back. 100m heats, the British runners get the same treatment, it is truely amazing. Bolt is in one of the last heats and gets his cheers and wins easily, funny, I don't get the same kick from him as for the Brits, still I guess it's our time, it's our games, this is our show and it's f*****g massive! 400m heats, Oscar Pistorius, the blade runner, is presented to the crowd, massive massive cheers for him, bloody hell can I take any more of this? I think I've regressed 45 years, I'm a loopy teenager again, having the time of my life! Jess throwing the javelin now, every one of those Heptathlon girls are getting cheered, they are putting on one hell of a show, Jess throws close to her PB, and now leads by close to 200 points, it's in the bag it's got to be!!! She leaves the stadium to bedlam, EVERYONE is standing clapping, waving, cheering, leaping around! That's our session, we have to leave, I'm knackered, but buzzing!! Fantastic morning. Going to explore the park now, sat and watched the Ladies tennis final on a massive screen by the river with 30,000 other people, had a look at the Aquatic centres, awesome buildings. Arrived at the Velodrome, it was just opening, needed some lunch so started to look round, spotted a ticket office, asked Mrs Delia if she fancied it if I could get tickets, why not she said, but don't go mad!!! Huh, mad is what today is all about, returned £200 poorer but with 2 tickets. How much she asked, Oh not too bad I said, it is finals today so it's worth it, I had forgotten the price is printed on the tickets, she's a bit arsey with me, but we got to see the 3 girls win gold! Once again the atmosphere was astonishing. **** the money it was worth it, as I've been telling everyone here. I WAS THERE!! and it was WONDERFUL!!!!! Sundays report to follow!! ILD OTBC
Thanks Superman, Kickitoff & Gandy. I don't think that's even 10% of what I experienced, it's just so difficult to put it all into words. As I said I'm still buzzing, it has to be the biggest high I've ever been on!! I've been to Music concerts, Grand Prix's, Cup Finals, I've Sky Dived but this was something else, it was as if the whole nation was there screaming and cheering!!!!! ILD OTBC
Ild you lucky git getting into the velodrome as well!! I'm still trying to get athletics tickets with no luck so far
Sounds very much like my experience ILD, glad you loved it. Like you, I can say I was there. I saw the world's greatest olympian in Phelps as well as other great swimmers including Kirsty Coventry, Le Clos and Rebecca Adlington. The noise in the Aquatics centre was incredible! Especially when there was a Brit was swimming. Just out of interest, ILD, how did you get the tickets for the velodrome, as I thought you could only get them from the internet? Also, just sorted my photos from last week. Can't wait to go back next week!
Just been to wembley to see Japan vs France, was good but didn't feel like I was at the games as not stratford (luckilly went to the park last weekend)
Wonky, I have no idea why that happened, all the announcements were saying you could only buy tickets on line, but I have a feeling that we only heard that outside the park, so maybe once you were inside you could? There seemed to be ticket offices outside every venue, so it's all a bit odd. I had spoken to loads of people who told me they had bought tickets over the phone, so I can't honestly answer your question. All I know is it was an official London 2012 booth, I went and asked and the rest you know! I don't think there was many tickets available as I saw a lot of people with placards asking for tickets, still I'm not questioning it or complaining, still buzzing! What are you seeing next week? ILD OTBC
This is a genuine headline today! Singer Morrissey has slammed London 2012 and likened the 'foul patriotism' to that of Nazi Germany. Sometimes I'm just ****ing well speechless! ILD OTBC
Ah, thanks ILD. Think I may try and get tickets for evening events if possible. I'm going for a day of athletics next week. Very excited (sometimes sport just turns me into a little child) and I am going to take a better quality camera than my iphone as the Olympic stadium looks brilliant. I think I have a seat near the end of the 100m track which will be good for the hurdles and I believe that means it's fairly close to the Olympic flame (correct me if I'm wrong). Some of the crap people have said about these Olympics is unbelievable! Mitt Romney said we weren't ready for the games (I believe to host it). Carl Lewis brilliantly said, some Americans shouldn't be let out of the country! I have also seen some incredibly miserbale and boring people writing letters to the editor in the Telegraph. Including one today saying the 'antics' of the 100m sprinters before the final was childish and there was ridiculous posing. Apparently this ruined a good day of sport and sportsmanship! He also went on to say that the efforts of the 100m sprinters is nothing compared to the efforts of Jess Ennis and Ben Ainslie! The French can't stop moaning either and have suggested we are cheating in the cycling. Chris Boardman, who does the cycling technology, replied saying that all that matters is the wheels are round! Some people are idiots!
One of my directors rang me this morning, he said he'd seen my photo's I'd published internally. I said I was still buzzing from it, and he said he wasn't really into Athletics!!!! I just said the experience of being at an event like that was worth being there on it's own, plus there's more going on than just "Athletics", and that was a daft thing to say!! He is an Arsenal fan so I guess he's allowed to be daft!!!! ILD OTBC
