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Before the tournament, no one even thought of him in such terms.
Now Wayne Rooney is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo as the biggest disappointment of the World Cup.
World Cup 2010
(we …) just like watching Brazil
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When the odds were checked a minute ago, Brazil were still the bookies’ favourites, marginally ahead of Spain, to win South Africa 2010. We could even, at a pinch, have an all-South American final four; that would take a mighty performance from Our Lads against the Spanish.Jeremy Robson takes a cool-headed look at the past and explains, in this discussion of the importance of geography, how that would buck the World Cup trend …
When the World Cup comes round every four years, there’s one historical fact that is always trotted out in the build up to the tournament. Namely, that the winner of the competition when it’s held in Europe has nearly always been European, and conversely when it’s held in South America the winner has always been a nation from that Continent.
Who’d be the most hated man in England?
How do we choose the next England manager? We no longer turn to a committee of octogenarian football administrators, but there are always the sports editors of the tabloid press, TV pundits and Glenn Hoddle’s spiritual healer. And if they can’t help, says Luke Harvey, we could do better than consult ancient Chinese history …
The empire, long divided must unite; long united must divide.
Perhaps a quote taken from Jonathan Hu’s novel recalling the 206 BC-220 AD period of ancient China needs a bit of a stretch to apply to today’s England national football team. But in my view, it can be used to offer an accurate portrayal of a collection of footballers in utter disarray.
Ghana for the cup – if heart triumphs over head
It may be the withdrawal symptoms of a curious gap in the football. It may be a righteous response to Salut! Sunderland’s ever-so-slightly tabloid lapse. But Bill Taylor has been out and about in Toronto again, snapping away at the flags and reflecting on the coming finale of the World Cup …
If he hasn’t been pulled over by the police for the potentially hazardous additions to his vehicle, this Toronto roofer is no doubt now flying his Portuguese flags at half-staff.
Sod’s law … but vamos Paraguay all the same, like
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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.
Vuvuzela: lip service to tradition – or mindless cacophony?
It is no longer much use ranting at England, but we can still get hot under the collar about vuvuzelas. Should their inventor, along with whoever inflicted the Mexican wave on the world, be tied to a ton of stone and dropped into the deepest stretch of the Orange River? Probably, though at least L’Equipe’s cartoonist found a use for them after France’s exit (the caption, in case you missed the earlier reference, reads “Good riddance”). Here are some thoughts from Claire Thomas* …
The vuvuzela – South Africa’s pleasant sound, or just a noise?
If you have been watching the World Cup, you will have noticed the continuous sound of the vuvuzela buzzing all around the stadium like a swarm of bees. Does it make you want to throw your remote at the TV screen at any given opportunity – or do you welcome the sound with open ears?
World Cup: a mid-tournament survey
Anyone want to claim credit for this neat summing-up of England’s fate?
Meanwhile, Salut! Sunderland‘s friends at Football United tell me their mini Global Football Monitor 2010 survey is now live.
World Cup Soapbox: time for a fresh start
There’s constructive criticism, there’s the occasional understandable tantrum, and there’s downright cruelty to footballers. I thoughtPete Sixsmith had already been as damning as it was possible to be in his assessment of England at group stage. But comparing yesterday to our worst times as Sunderland fans – has the man no heart? …
As Joan Dawson put it when the fourth goal went in: “We’re Sunderland fans, we are used to rubbish like this.” It didn’t make the abysmal performance seem any better, but it did throw things into perspective a wee bit.
Terry and Upson as Breen and Collins; Barry as Shaun Cunnington; Rooney as David Rush; Johnson as Cec Irwin, Steve Whitworth, Bernt Haas and any other ineffectual show pony full back you care to name … this was a performance that had me looking into the past and being able to equate the national team with all the worst things I have seen at Sunderland over the years.
Why football’s technology-free days are numbered
We will never know whether Lampard’s goal might have inspired England to better things in the second half. Germans will counter that we’ll never know about Wembley 1966 either – in each case, of course, the match would have continued at 2-2. ButJeremy Robson has no doubt that such a spectacular error, compounded by the offisde Argentinian goal later, will finally force football to accept the inevitable …
Regardless of what Fifa might have been saying about the use of video technology, it’s a safe bet that there will soon be goal line cameras used to make crucial decisions.
Until now, there have been a host of reasons put forward to halt the use of technology in aiding assistants. The occasional decision in the odd game has never previously considered as providing sufficient weight to the argument for installing the nevessary equipment.
World Cup: the inquest begins
The morning after a bad England performance is usually a good time to be out of England, or at least out of reach of the papers.Jeremy Robson is out of England, but it doesn’t stop him entering rant mode. Never mind the controversy, he says, feel the lack of depth …
Not let down, or disappointed, but humiliated. It’s as simple as that.
I didn’t expect England to win the World Cup, far from it. My expectations were not high. I wasn’t optimistic when I saw Capello’s squad and witnessed the preparations he was making while banking 6 million quid for the trouble.