Off Topic Other Sport

I have often thought how very silly it is to get too passionate about football, but with one of the most sensible, loyal, and efficient managers they've had in years, QPR are still screwing things up royally. They're gonna have to fight just to stay in the Championship league. Wish there was a vaccine to protect against this dreaded Déjà-vu syndrome. Maybe there is? Will have to check.

 

And yet they’ll all be in their toppers glad handing our royals next June at Ascot and not a single word of dissent will be written in the press

 

Peculiar thing this 'manager being hunted' syndrome. Last year my son's team, Middlesbrough, were playing attractive football (even I had to admit it) and rising towards the top of the league when suddenly their manager was approached by a Premier League side (although 1st Division in my parlance). He declined and everyone was cheering his loyalty, but they then declined along with him. They immediately fell to pieces and ended up in the lower half of the 2nd division (got it right this time). By mid-October he was gone.

 

Strange that the World Cup starts today and there has been no mention of the actual football on here. Shows you what a good lot we are on 606 and all frown on the whole shame this World Cup brings to the name and game of Football.
However, I do look forward to Wales doing well. This has nothing to do with me being 1/8th Welsh (my worst 1/8th), but for a sentimental reason and memory of the 1958 World Cup. I knew nothing about football then, really, but my Dad did. He was unfortunate to join the army in 1939 as a 20 year old, but fortunate not be sent to France. He was a good footballer and was picked out to play for first his regiment and then division side. So, for the two years before he was sent overseas, his physical training amounted to playing an enormous amount of football with and against many of the finest players in English Football. He came out of a Football purist but was not enticed to try his hand at the professional game.
His purist thoughts rubbed off on me, even if his footballing talent didn't. In 1958 he was insistent that Wales was the best team of all the home nations. He was a huge fan of Ivor Allchurch and of course the magnificent John Charles. It wasn't because he was a 1/4 Welsh too (in fact his wartime experiences of the Welsh nation were not too positive: he was a gun sergeant and his 25 pounder gun did not fire the whole time he was in Libya. Frustrated as hell he one day took a shell apart and found instead of propellant found it contained sawdust instead. Manufactured in Bridgend, that's the UK for you) it was his purism.
As it was Wales did best of the Home Nations and were rated the 5th best team in that WC. So good luck to Wales, and though I agree with Tamerlo on many football things I will be hoping England play good attacking football and do us proud.

 

Bustino, I don’t have too many memories about the 1958 World Cup, being only 10 years old.
Yet I do remember England’s goalkeeper, Burnley’s own Colin McDonald, whose career was tragically finished the year after by a multiple leg fracture. Colin was a wonderful keeper. Very sad.
Obviously, my principal memories concern the winners, Brazil.
I think Pele, Vava, and Didi got the goals in the final but, although Pele was the 17 year old press sensation, there’s no doubt that Garrincha was the superstar of both 1958 and 1962 competitions.
Born with a deformed spine and one leg inches longer than the other, he wore his boots on the wrong feet, and I’ll never forget his unbelievable free kick which spiralled and curved into the net.
His dribbling was fantastic but it was sad that he became an alcoholic and died at around 50 years of age.

 

Think Garrincha was known as 'Little Bird'? Did not know about his deformed spine and the oddities with his legs. Pelé was definitely jealous of him, especially after Garrincha's fantastic performance in that World Cup in Chile, 1962. 'Little Bird' was Brazil's greatest-ever footballer IMHO.

 

Swannie, I have to respect your opinion re. Garrincha being Brazil’s greatest, because his natural talent was unsurpassed.
Yet, personally I should always rate Pele the greatest player I’ve ever seen, because he was the “complete player.” His goals with head and feet; dribbling; creativity; passing; intelligence; and longevity of performance mark him down as the best.
For largely the same reasons, I should rate Di Stefano as the next best I saw- and he was 30 years old when I first saw him on TV win his first European Cup medal for Real Madrid
What must he have been like when he was younger, playing for River Plate?

 

Would hate to choose between them over those 2 tournaments, they were both selected by journalists to be in the 'players of the tournament' team in 1958. I can only remember seeing them in the '62 World Cup. They both had poor tournaments in '66, but Pele was supreme in '70.
You have to wonder how England would have done in '58 if Munich hadn't happened. 3 solid England players were lost that February: Byrne, Taylor and Edwards. Those people who saw Edwards believe he was the greatest English player ever. Such a tragedy. Even the depleted England side drew with Brazil in the group stage. In fact England drew all their group games but were knocked out in a play-off for 2nd place in the group by USSR.

 

Poor start by Wales, though they improved in the 2nd half.
Can't fault England's start. Thought Trippier was having a great game until he made one of the worst passes I've ever seen. Bellingham was impressive, and at times the game seemed to revolve around him. My concern going forward is Maguire. He seems a stiff to me, and his biggest contributions seem to be at the other end of the pitch. That's not his day job.

 

Wales seemed clueless in the 1st half. I'll never get used to goalkeepers giving 5-yard passes to defenders, with 3 opposition players in the penalty area.

 

Being a l2 coach and bringing youngsters through the ranks with it , i must say it is far better for them . At first i was sceptical but when you have a keeper at 8yrs old who can not kick well it does really help plus it brings on the playing out from the back with confidence. So in my personal opinion i think the change is spot on through all levels .

 

Yes, you can’t fault England’s start, but the opposition was dire.
In fact, England always seem to have an easy opening group in the World Cup- for as long as I can remember. Coincidence?
Wales on the other hand seemed clueless and, despite getting all the post match publicity, Bale was useless-likewise Ramsey.
I feel that this competition is very open, especially since the “traditional favourites “ are either absent or downgraded.
Perhaps we might have a surprise winner?

 

Yes, they do seem to have had some easy opening games, but amazing how many times they have fluffed it. Uruguay in '66 for a start.

 

Nice to see the Argies up against it.

 

Maguire is just not good enough. Madness even selecting him for the squad. Southgate has taken this form of nepotism just too far, and it may well prove a costly error for England? I agree, Iran were absolutely dire. Worried about the USA team, they're not bad at all, and history suggests England are the USA's rabbits football-wise?

 

RIP mad giraffe - aka Doddie Weir. Sadly he has lost his long battle with MND

 

Was I the only one that noticed during the Forest Green Rovers v Alvechurch FA Cup match on the BBC that the pitchside electronic advertising boards on the opposite side of the ground to the TV cameras had clearly been hacked as they kept displaying white-on-black text “Just Stop Oil FFS”?

Obviously somebody needs to sort out their network security if some deluded Generation Z activist can get on it that easily. My guess is that the boards were brought in just for the one game as it was televised. It will be back to static boards against Cambridge on Saturday.

 

That's a good hack, no one disrupted, message was obviously seen , fair play I say .
No doubt you disagree with the message ,but the method is good!