The Round Ball Game - II

[eighthobstruction]

....tickled by my non-footie loving ex' [who is a secretary of a Labour Party Constituency]....wishing for Gareth Sothgate to replace Keir Starmer....

[Serial_Apologist]

....tickled by my non-footie loving ex' [who is a secretary of a Labour Party Constituency]....wishing for Gareth Southgate to replace Keir Starmer....

Southgate's non-committalness on most subjects, amusingly sent up on today's Dead Ringers, would not be any solution!

[teamsaint]

Southgate's non-committalness on most subjects, amusingly sent up on today's Dead Ringers, would not be any solution!

Sounds perfect to take over from the current leader....

[teamsaint]

Rip Paul Mariner 1953-2021

Very sorry to hear this news. He was an excellent player in a terrific Ipswich team that seemed to have goalscorers in every position.

[jayne lee wilson]

Southgate's non-committalness on most subjects, amusingly sent up on today's Dead Ringers, would not be any solution!

But where it matters - what happens on the pitch - his tactical decisions show constant forethought - subtle and decisive, with the outcome always in mind...

Not bad principles from which to govern, really...

****

Barney Ronay on Southgate after the Denmark match, (Guardian Saturday...)

" A bit frazzled, but still dapper and trim and looking, as ever, like a kindly infantry officer who secretly writes poetry..."

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jul/09/gareth-southgates-special-qualities-can-be-lost-amid-political-squabbles

[johncorrigan]

Buddies managed three points in the opening game of the Scottish League Cup today without playing, after Dumbarton forfeited due to guess-what. Reckon it's going to be that kind of season as we go forward.

[jayne lee wilson]

Quick reminder....
Copa America Final, Argentina v Brazil, is live tonight on BBC1/iplayer from 00:45.....
From the Maracana, but with only 7,800 fans allowed in....

***
Anyone else see this through? Bad luck if you did.....

Fractious, bad-tempered stop-start affair, littered with niggly fouls, which only came to life in the last quarter or so. Tackles really crunching in near the end (bloodied socks, look away now, etc), and an amazing miss by.....Messi, dithering on the ball close in.
Little atmosphere in the sparsely-filled stadium. Argentina worth their 1-0 win though.

Gianni Infantino, glimpsed high in the stands, is now rushing to the airport to board a plane for London...

[gurnemanz]

I well remember the young Gareth in a No 4 shirt at Selhurst Park. A very good article about his character and early development on the Palace web site which might be of general interest.

https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/features/gareth-southgate-the-making-of-the-man-aiming-to-bring-football-home/2021-07-11/

[Parry1912]

***
Anyone else see this through? Bad luck if you did.....

No. I was going to watch on the iPlayer but saw the result by accident.

I watched a couple of the earlier games and they weren’t especially memorable. They don’t even have extra time - straight to penalties after 90 mins.

Still, I enjoyed the photo of Neymar crying on the BBC website.

[DracoM]

Yep........Copa game was a tragic betrayal of footie IMO

[teamsaint]

***
Anyone else see this through? Bad luck if you did.....

Fractious, bad-tempered stop-start affair, littered with niggly fouls, which only came to life in the last quarter or so. Tackles really crunching in near the end (bloodied socks, look away now, etc), and an amazing miss by.....Messi, dithering on the ball close in.
Little atmosphere in the sparsely-filled stadium. Argentina worth their 1-0 win though.

Gianni Infantino, glimpsed high in the stands, is now rushing to the airport to board a plane for London...

Way past my bed time that one !! Lets hope tonight is as good as that sounds bad.
Need to find a way to slow those lightening fast Italian breaks. ( They remind me a bit of Liverpool a few years ago in that way.)

[muzzer]

Very disturbing scenes in the west end on Twitter. Leicester Square already looks as if there’s been a riot. Shops advised to close. For all the plaudits earned by this team, this is just disgraceful.

[ardcarp]

My first time to post here, I think. Just to make a comment on the downside of football fans (a small minority I am sure), A grand-daughter of mine is doing a holiday job waitressing at an Italian restaurant in a small but well-known seaside town. She is working there this evening. Apparently the local police, unbidden, have contacted the restaurant to assure them that there will be an 'enhanced police presence' nearby tonight. How sad that it should be necessary.

[teamsaint]

My first time to post here, I think. Just to make a comment on the downside of football fans (a small minority I am sure), A grand-daughter of mine is doing a holiday job waitressing at an Italian restaurant in a small but well-known seaside town. She is working there this evening. Apparently the local police, unbidden, have contacted the restaurant to assure them that there will be an 'enhanced police presence' nearby tonight. How sad that it should be necessary.

An “ enhanced police presence” isn’t alway “necessary”. They do like a bit of overtime, and some of them like, well, other aspects of these situations.


And, just to make a different point really, if football didn’t exist, some ( mostly young) people would find other release valves. Especially after the deprivations of the last 16 months.

[ardcarp]

An “ enhanced police presence” isn’t alway “necessary”. They do like a bit of overtime, and some of them like, well, other aspects of these situations.


And, just to make a different point really, if football didn’t exist, some ( mostly young) people would find other release valves. Especially after the deprivations of the last 16 months.

Point taken teamsaint. I must say that booing an opposing side's national anthem is a bit...er...offside. Not really cricket!