The World Cup: Here it comes...
Thu, 2002-05-09 21:59
#1
The World Cup: Here it comes...
Dear All
Some of you will hate me for this but it’s only a couple of weeks away.
I am so excited.
To raise a bit of cash ABC should run a sweepstake £5 entry limited to the amount of teams involved and the winner gets a book token or something. It would get us all talking and bring in members who don't normally contribute to the forums.
We could also have a World Cup poetry competition (again an entry fee) for the best football poem produced over the period of the tournament.
We could always send Fish and Liana knitting patterns for the duration to keep them occupied.
Love it or hate it but for the next six weeks or so the whole nation is going to be on Planet Football.
I am glad the headless chicken McCmanaman did not make it.
I have been lauding Joe Cole all season and now he gets his chance.
I fancy Spain or Italy. Argentina will disappoint (Veron, very poor) and England (yes England) will surprise.
Have a think about the sweepstake and the poetry competition you good folk at ABCtales. It could be a nice little earner and without doubt be a laugh and will bring us altogether.
Ralph
stormy
lolololololololololol
shaddup Paul, Liana is already needled with us.
fish
i am knitting you all world cup football rattles as i think knitted ones couldnt be seen as dangerous weapons ...
i have decided to attempt to take an interest in this contest ... and will be filling in my free wall planner on a daily basis ... i have read this thread intently and will be dropping pearls of wisdom into all conversations ...
it is important that we bond with our simple male counterparts ... dont you think liana? ...
*casts on*
stormy
bloody hell, I remember football rattles. you two will be playing crochet next!
I'm still trying to get used to the idea of bacon sarnies and beer for breakfast. In fact, I'm still trying to come to terms with having to get up early to catch the matches live.
fish
i think the idea will be to stay up all night storms ... i shall be holding world cup pajama soirees in my front room so that everyone can admire my antimacassars ...
i am even prepared to make bacon sarnies ... you bring the beer ...
Andrea
Not much hope then, is there?
:-)
James Andrews
He might be a raging shavenheaded nutter and a red card waiting to happen but he don't half storm down the wing. Anyway, have been saying for months that Beckham can't win us the World Cup. He'll be very significant but the only man who might win us for it is young Mr Owen. And I'm a Leeds fan.
Andrea
The Clogs'll win fer sure...
May I attend one of your soirees, Fishcake?
I shall wear my best flannel nightie - no slippers...
Andrea
The Clogs'll win fer sure...
May I attend one of your soirees, Fishcake?
I shall wear my best flannel nighties - no slippers...
Andrea
The Clogs'll win fer sure...
May I attend one of your soirees, Fishcake?
I shall wear my best flannel nightie - no slippers...
andrew pack
I am far, far more concerned about the loss of Gerrard than Beckham. Becks is a top player, but I really felt this was the tournament where Gerrard was going to triple his value, a midfield engine who also has Robson's ability to tackle and time runs into the box, can actually dribble a bit and has Hoddle's ability to pick out a pass.
I would actually go for young Mr Mills above Owen Hargreaves. Given Ashley Cole's impetuousness and the fact that Rio and Sol (though both class players) clearly can't play together, it is simply too much to also stick in a right back who doesn't know what he's up to. But I fully expect teams to be winding him up. Just as long as he chins Veron good and proper before getting sent off, I don't mind.
fish
is there an echo?
andrew pack
Bryan Robson not getting a game?
The only real argument for not taking Le Saux (particularly now Dyer is injured) is that his temperament is suss, which it clearly is, but the snarler from Leeds is in, and Eriksson has said that that was not the reason.
You're obviously older than I thought Ralph - odd the way you sort of assume everyone is the same age as you until you hear different. Nice that our back three is the same, and a lot of the midfield.
Ralph
I am old Andrew.
What do you mean old? You wanted Brooking.
But you can't deny Bobby Moore.
I once shared a single train carrige with him on a late night train to Southend.
I am writing a story about it.
Cheers mate
Ralph
andrew pack
Is Andrea forgetting that they didn't even make it ? Not gloating, as I've remarked before, I think the event will be poorer for their absence, but I will gladly bet with Andrea at generous odds that the Dutch don't win the 2002 world cup.
And as for Nike - when did anyone see Thierry Henry score with a header ? And how come poor Rio gets stuck in a three with Cannavaro and Rosicky ? Who wants to play three-a-side with two centre halves, when other people have got Totti and Henry or Ronaldo and Figo ?
Mark
"England have ALWAYS won the world cup when a West Ham player has been in the squad"????????
We've only won it once and since then, there have been only a few West Ham players in squads (1982 Brooking - did we win? no).
Felt I had to point that out as I am passionate about this!!!!!
Vicky
I hate to be the one to tell you this guys but England is NOT going to win the world cup. Do you know why? Because I'M gonna be watching.
It's the STRANGEST thing but I swear if I watch a football match England ALWAYS looses. I don't watch them often cause I hate the game ....but the world cup? I mean come on it's modern day warfare...I have to be patriotic....but we'll LOOSE guys we always do.
Interestingly enough it works the opposite way round with rugby...wonder why that is?
Ralph
Andrew
Relax. This crisis will throw up a hero just like Hurst , Gasgcoine and Owen.
He will be Joe Cole.
Remember Toto Schilachi. No one at all had an idea about him and look what he did.
Ralph
Paul Morgan (ge...
Judy Garland's dog?
funky_seagull
yeah man my bro's in Korea at the moment.. so he'll be watching it for real..
martin_t
still fancy the french myself, and think an african team could surprise (not surewhich african team tho) England will do well, at least a quarter final place and with a little luck...who knows...
planet football is here....and it is a wonderful world..
I'm in for the sweepstake...
*hands crumpled fiver over*
James Andrews
Great idea Ralph. By the way, the two best footy books ever written are "How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won The FA Cup" and "The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro".
Polish Mark
Watch out for Poland...my boys are gonna surprise a few people.
andrew pack
It all hinges on that first game for us - although I think it could be one of those groups where 3 points from 3 games is enough to take the second team through (in an Italy style), a win against Sweden would seal it and make life easy - we traditionally start badly, but this isn't an option with this group.
Italy. Any side with Totti in it is in with a chance. I would have said Argentina, but having had to tolerate Veron all year for United, I can't believe he's their playmaker. He always looked okay at Lazio, but he's hardly going to phase Rio and Sol.
And I'm so chuffed Joe's going, I hope he gets on for a few games.
andrew pack
Okay Ralph - a bit of dreaming, inspired by old copies of Kick! magazine which regularly ran a World XI, just in case martians invaded and fancied a kickabout. My team, from World Cups I remember (so 82 onwards)
England :-
Shilton (picks himself)
Controversial 3 at the back, because I'm not mad about defenders
Butcher Walker Adams (though I think Rio may end up being better than any of em)
Beckham Gascoigne Platt Robson Waddle (was struggling for left-sided midfield player there...I'd love to have Brooking in the side somewhere)
Beardsley Linneker
Sorry Michael, you're on the bench. That pairing, particularly 86, with Linneker wearing the cast and sweeping the ball into the net.I can't imagine how many goals Gary would have scored playing in the 99 Man Utd side.
Over to you Ralph.
Mark
I vote we all chip in to send Vicky on "holiday" to Siberia with no acces to tv for the duration.
martin_t
has to be banksie in goal doesn't it.....?
andrew pack
Alvin Martin was also in a lot of squads (in the defence of Brooking, he did get us there, and was injured for all but the last twenty minutes of Spain 82). Maybe it's me, but I suspect that Bobby Moore (West Ham) also played in Mexico 70.
So the stat is more of a "All objects that are not black are not crows" statistic - England have never won the World Cup WITHOUT a West Ham player on the team. England have also never won a World Cup that Eusebio didn't play in, which doesn't augur so well.
Vicky - can you at least not watch the England v Argentina game ?
Andrea
Oh, bloody hell, I went and did it three times...for shame! Sorry Fishcake.
*Throws new pc out of window*
And no, I hadn't forgotton, Andrew. I was being...well...as devestated as I can possibly manage to be about the peculiar phenomenon that is footie - which ain't a lot, thankfully.
Vicky
Which game was that Andrew? When's it on...I'll mark it in my diary...
Tony Cook
Likewise so excited my bits are all aglow.
England could do it - but France are the form horse and will take some beating. They're a good, well organised side. Don't underestimate Argentina. That is one heck of a good football team and Veron will come good amongst his compatriots. They're the ones to watch out for - and that Ballack has looked incredible for Bayer Leverkusen so don't write off the Germans.
OMG (as Fish would say) I've got my World Cup jitters back as well.
andrew pack
Re - today's news. @!#$.
Am now going down the bookies to put large sums of money on Michael Owen doing his hamstring before the Argentina game.
At my count, we have two fit world class players, one who has been looking a bit suss since the aforesaid hamstring injury and one who has been lacklustre all season for United. We also have a skipper with a broken foot, a right back who has either never played there at international level or is a raging shavenheaded nutter, a left back that jumps in every time someone tries to dribble, a forward who can't score and can't even dive properly, a left-sided midfield player who has never played there for his club or country (I'm guessing it has to be Joe Cole) and a holding midfield player in Nicky Butt who doesn't start regularly for his club and has a groin strain.
And the Press still asked Eriksson yesterday if England will win the World Cup.
Paul Morgan (ge...
Did anyone see the cartoon today that pointed out that England have always won the World Cup when there was a West Ham player in the squad?
Liana
*knit one purl two*
Paul Morgan (ge...
Who scored for knit?