So, seconds away, round two … anything – even boxing metaphors – to make the World Cup seem exciting. An event to remember? Certainly not so far, except for the plucky displays put up by unfancied sides against the more favoured.
Pete Sixsmith looks back on a subdued (translation: dull as dishwater) first round …
Well, that’s it, the first round is over and I have seen every team – and so far I have not seen an exciting, end to end game with lots of goals and action and things like that.
Well, a competition I feared would be ignored attracted some cracking responses.
How, I asked, do you caption the following photograph? It was taken by Rob, all round good man and inspiration for this little contest (he suggested it, having snapped the hapless, lifeless magpie in his office car park) …
The trouble we go to in bringing you World Cup “Who Are You?”s. The USA edition went down well and …
Football and opinions are inseparable, as this piece will show. Some observers will probably feel it a little early to be belting out a muscular song questioning Fabio Capello’s managership of England. But
Jeremy Robson – a man of many strong opinions – is not singing from their hymn sheet, and he’s certainly not singing a Capello …
Fabio Capello is a very experienced and highly regarded football manager.
Well, he was to most observers, at least until last Saturday. Great, or even just good club managers often find it difficult to make an effective transition to international management. None of the above apply to Capello’s predecessor, Steve MacLaren, who was a moderately capable manager elevated to a position that completely transcended his abilities or judgement.
We’ve tried hard enough to send him on his way. Daryl Murphy clearly plays no part in Steve Bruce’s thinking when it comes to Sunderland’s future. But whatever the shortcomings of the Scottish Premier League, a move to Celtic for the 27-year-old, 6ft 3in Irishman would confound those who see him as no better than a Championship player …
If Daryl Murphy’s rumoured move to Celtic happens, the unfashionable, possibly minority view – or, at least, the view of the part of Salut! Sunderland writing this – would be to wish him well and acknowledge the positive aspects of his SAFC legacy.
UPDATE: Thanks for the responses – no shortage of potential winners the competition is now closed (5.45pm UK time June 16). See last comment: winner to be announced soonish ….
Suicidal at the prospects for next season? Bumped into Joey Barton in the Bigg Market? Beaten to death by a musclebound Toon girl gang?
The games have varied between tedious and intriguing, without so far being exactly enthralling. But that statement may depend on which games you’ve seen. I saw hardly any of Germany v Australia whereas Luke Harvey watched it all, and it inspired in him this eulogy to Teutonic efficiency …
The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is quite an impressive structure. Boasting a capacity of 70,000 during its use as a World Cup venue, every seat offers a perfect view to the ongoing match down below.
However, there will have been few better placed spectators during Germany’s 4-0 rout of Australia than the winning team’s goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer.
The German World Cup machine roared to life in indomitable fashion, and 24-year-old Neuer was very much an onlooker for the majority of the match.
It was perhaps too much to hope that Salut! Sunderland‘s non-English team of choice in South Africa would hang on …
This was naturally a work in progress, not meant to go live until tomorrow! It’s up now, by mistake, so …
For
Pete Sixsmith , the first big one comes tonight with our boys – Paraguay (our boys, for latecomers, because they have Paula da Silva, Cristian Riveros AND red & white stripes) – expecting a comfy stroll against Italy. But the first weekend of the World Cup gave Pete plenty to enjoy, admire and deplore …
So, after a couple of weeks of looking back at previous World Cups, the 2010 tournament is up and running. First impressions are quite positive and I particularly enjoyed the sight of the huge dung beetle wandering across the stadium in Friday’s opening ceremony.
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