A few of the happiest photos from South Africa 2010 have been the product of Radidgamer‘s seemingly one-track mind. All quarter finalist pictures here, with the exception of Stig Nygaard‘s woman of Ghana, are his work …
If you happen to be English, French, Italian or Portuguese, and like football, life could seem a little grim just now.
Image: Rapidgamer
JOYOUS UPDATE from Le Cafe Marly, opposite the Pyramid at the Louvre, where I followed BBC coverage of the penalty shootout. Ha’way Paraguay – even if Maud, the Spanish waitress (really a student at the swish Science-Po happening to be doing a bit of waitressing), thinks they’ll be a pushover in the next round. My thanks to Peter Allen, who texted the Spain v Portugal score to my night train .
Sod’s law dictates that at kickoff time I’ll be inside the Louvre interviewing people about a forthcoming exhibition called Routes d’Arabie. I’d rather be watching Paraguay v Japan.
Rob Hutchison gave us a juicy flavour of the tale of how a few stray Sunderland fans met for a highly partisan evening for Paraguay v Italy, our boys in red and white stripes putting in a show of honest endeavour to snatch an unexpected draw. It wouldn’t be right to let the occasion pass without the main course, served up by Clive Stevenson, who explains the widespread Vamos Paraguay phenomenon among SAFC fans and reveals more of a memorable night out (and its sequel) …
See also: Ha’way Paraguay, Vamos Sunderland
Well, the story started a bit before that Rob, and I wish I could use the old Hot Chocolate lyric It started with a kiss…
… but I’m afraid it started with a deep sense of betrayal and rejection that came with the news that all of us expected, that the striker who scored 24 goals last season, only two behind the bizarre result of an experiment to clone a bulldog with a can of Campbell’s condensed vegetable soup and almost two dozen ahead of a lump of wood, was left out of the England squad.
The French team is in disarray, a bunch of millionaire tosspots refusing now to train to add farce and heaven knows what else to the disgrace of Nicolas Anelka and his yobbish verbal assault on the admittedly hopeless Raymond Domenech.
From our own correspondent in a corner of London that is forever Paraguay. A little later than expected, Rob Hutchison …
Marcos Angeleri is one of the players who we’ve been led to believe should be interested in the forthcoming Premier League timetable, published today …
The fixture list is out, giving fans the chance to start making the plans they know Murdoch may ruin and sending those earnest football data people out on patrol.
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) …
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?
It was perhaps too much to hope that Salut! Sunderland‘s non-English team of choice in South Africa would hang on …
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