The Jewell of PkvDenial

Here’s a question for all you deep thinkers. Can a fairytale really have a happy ending?

Imagine the classics today; Cinderella could never marry the prince, the problem of female binge drinking coupled with a march towards a 24 hour boozing culture simply wouldn’t allow her to leave the ball by midnight. Sleeping Beauty would be Pkvliterally a 50/1 shot to get a decent kip with all the ASBO ridden teenagers roaming the streets, and if Jack is gullible enough to swap satta king a cow for a handful of magic beans, he’d be well advised to steer clear of the betting exchanges.

I ask this question because Wigan’s charge to the Cup final is nothing short of a modern day fairytale, but like the examples above, a happy ending is highly unlikely. I would love to see Wigan win it, I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, although the wife usually needs convincing. The head must always rule the heart when punting though; Man U demolished Wigan 4-0 in the league, a reversal is unlikely. Get on United at 8/13 to win the match in 90 minutes.

Van Nistelrooy had the cheek to berate Harry Kewell for going down easily last week; he’ll be having a pop at Celine Dion next for having a long face. Van the man is a worthy favourite at 7/2 to open the scoring in the Cardiff showpiece; he’s 9/2 to bag a pair.

Gary Neville’s had a bad week, he’s been fined £5,000 by the FA for doing the Haka in front of devastated Liverpool supporters, and news has just broke that the police are struggling to find the identity of the burger throwing scally, although they’ve safely ruled out Wayne Rooney. It’s 12 games without a goal for Roon the loon, the big lad’s due, he’s available at 5/4 to score at any time.

Whatever the outcome on Sunday evening, Wigan’s charge to Cardiff has brought a little romance back to the Cup, and win or lose, the great sport of football will be the winner. Or to be more factual, football and Man Utd will be the winners, Wigan will lose heavily. A 3-0 win for United is available at 10/1, give it some thought.

Back to the Premiership, before the Barcelona match, Jose Mourinho compared the Chelsea pitch to an ugly scientist. I took offence to that, my wife looks a lot like Stephen Hawking. However, I’m not one to hold a grudge, especially as Jose’s boys will make me a few quid this weekend. Pompey have played Chelsea five times in the Premiership, the Champions have won either 2-0 or 3-0 every time. At 11/4 for either outcome to occur, my valueometer has just exploded.

Newcastle are like a new team since Graeme Souness left, unfortunately, still not a very good one. The stats show a dramatic improvement for the Toon since Souey was chopped, but there’s a question mark over the Villa and Southampton wins. Everton are the visitors to St James’ Park and their recent form is sensational; not for the first time, I’m playing away from home. Tuck in to the Toffees at 2/1.

Liverpool should be backed at 1/2 to see off Man City; as soon as Psycho handed Robbie Fowler to the Reds on a silver plate, sod’s law demanded that he’d break his goal scoring duck against the team that gave him away. By the way, don’t pass this on to Steve McClaren; he’ll probably bid £3 million for the duck.

How quickly things change. On a cold day two weeks ago, McClaren was an awful manager who couldn’t be trusted in the transfer market and a relegation battle was on the cards. Today, it’s a little bit warmer. Luckily for Boro, Albion are in an even worse state, McClaren’s men are the call at 7/4.

PkvDairy goes again

I often panic over nothing. When the wife trapped me into producing little gambling gurus, i did worry that they may end up with my intelligence and the wife’s looks, which would have narrowed down their future career prospects to ‘circus attraction’. Luckily, they’ve ended up with the wife’s brain, and curiously, the milkman’s looks. I say curious, as the wife and I are lactose intolerant; we have absolutely no time for lactose, and we’re not shy in speaking of our displeasure.

I bring this to your attention because little PkvGoliath is quite bright; he’s trying to remember animals by associating them with football. Whenever Ruud Van Nistelrooy comes off the bench for Man U, he shouts ‘horsey’, as Peter Crouch heads wide he cries ‘donkey’ and when Chelsea are playing, he shakes his head and murmurs ‘cheetahs’. It seems that everyone has cottoned on to Chelsea’s lack of sportsmanship, referees will be next. Any Chelsea player to be booked for diving / simulation against Birmingham is an 11/2 shot.

Amongst all the theatrics, there will also be a game of football. You’ve got to fancy Chelsea to take three points home from St Andrew’s, but 1/3 does not Madhur matka represent value. Playing the correct scores can solve this conundrum; Chelsea to win either 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 is a 5/4 shot; now we’re cooking.

Phil Neville scored a beauty last week, unfortunately, it was an own goal, against Liverpool. His brother must have been literally seething. Everton are the lucky beneficiaries of a home fixture against Sunderland; they’re 3/10, certainties doesn’t really cover it.

You can’t get rich backing Everton, so taking an interest in a bookings market may prove to be a profitable play. Duncan Ferguson is a fearsome character, like Jason Donovan, he’s done a little bird in the past. Big Dunc took only nine minutes to find his name in the book last week in the Merseyside derby; he’s a 7/2 shot to have his name taken again.

Bolton’s Reebok stadium is a genuine fortress, but Manchester United have a tasty army. Wayne Rooney missed a couple of golden chances against Birmingham last week (If they were chicken legs, he would have put them away), but remains a class act. A rested Van Nistelrooy is back in favour and the talented wobbly-legged Ronaldo has already helped himself to a pair against Bolton earlier in the season. United are available at 10/11, its time to go to war.

Unfortunately for Villa fans, Milan Baros has a get-out clause in his contract that can be triggered if a bid is received for £7 million pound or more, virtually ruling out a potential transfer. The poster declaring ‘We’re not fickle, we just don’t like you’ sums up the supporters’ frustration towards O’Leary’s inability to motivate; an Aston Villa divided amongst itself can not possibly survive at Highbury. Arsenal may rest a couple of players with one eye on Wednesday’s 2nd leg against Juventus, but in all honesty, I’d back Arsenal’s reserves at 2/7 at home to the Villa.

Jermaine Jenas didn’t enjoy his time at Newcastle, he compared his time there to living in a goldfish bowl. On a related note, it’s a fallacy that goldfish only have a memory span of a few seconds, Rio Ferdinand may have, but that’s a different kettle of fish. JJ is set for another disappointing trip to the North East, Spurs will have to settle for a draw, an 11/5 shot.

It’s been said that Middlesbrough’s Emanuel Pogatetz could start a ruck in an empty room, and still finish runner up; but don’t tell him who said it. The Austrian defender has either been booked or saw red in 14 matches this season, it’s 6/4 that he sees another card when he faces Joey Barton and Co. Man City have been depleted by injuries and suspensions, the Boro are the weekend nap at 11/4.

Football Comes Home To Indian MatkaBerlin

What could be a more authentic World Cup experience than watching the host nation strut its stuff in its capital city? Germany’s clash with Ecuador on Tuesday afternoon in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium may have lacked some of the traditional tension Indian Matkathat one expects on the Madhur matka final game of the group, with both teams already having moved into the second round with a minimum of fuss, but there was a great deal of excitement in the 66,000 crowd.

The German fans were in party mood and sang their national anthem lustily, just as they had a few minutes earlier when FIFA played their, now traditional, pre-match songs. ‘Football’s coming home’ and ‘All Together Now’ make their appearance just before the players make theirs on the pitch. The English (Liverpool) pop music has been entertaining the fans much more than the English national team have managed so far (or Liverpool for the past few years).

There were a good number of Ecuador fans on Berlin’s wonderful S-Bahn and in the stadium, their yellow-shirts too bright on a sunny afternoon. One such clad middle-aged South American women asked a German fan on the train to the stadium: “Who is your number nine?”

It proved to be a difficult question and newspapers had to be consulted. Eventually, the answer came. “Mike Hanke.”

“He’s terrible!” Said the woman of the Wolfsburg striker. “He’ll never score.”

“He hasn’t played yet,” replied the non-plussed white-shirted fan.

“ As I told you, he’s terrible.”

The strikers that did play, Lucas Podolski and especially Miroslav Klose, enjoyed themselves against a hole-ridden Ecuadorian defence and midfield. To be fair to the South Americans, who had comfortably seen off Poland and Costa Rica to go top of Group A, Colombian Coach Luis Suarez rested five players in preparation of the second round clash, later confirmed to be against England.

It was easy for the Germans and when Klose put the team ahead with a fine finish from inside the area in the fourth minute, the result was never in doubt. The reported bad feeling between the strike pair, brought about when Klose told the press that his fellow Polish-born striker needs to be “less tense” and “move more”, looked to be absent when the two hugged happily after Podolski’s second half-goal.

For some reason, FIFA had made a mistake with my press pass and instead of being in the printed press section, I was lumped in with the television boys. Being surrounded on all sides by Ecuadorian commentators speaking so fast that sweat was pouring down their faces was an interesting experience, more so that the procession that the game turned into.

Talking to a couple of these guys after the game, none were too concerned about whether they faced England or Sweden. “England haven’t showed their power yet,” said the commentator for RCO TV, “and I don’t think they will. They are a strong but limited team. I am confident that we can beat England or Sweden.”

Perhaps the fans were the same as none seemed remotely concerned about losing the game and were singing and dancing outside the stadium after the game in much the same way as they done before.

Will they be dancing on the streets of Quito on Sunday?

After two days when you would not have known there was a Football competition going on, the supporters are back, the city of Berlin was packed and everyone was wearing their colours. The streets would soon be packed with the masses and they would gather wherever they could to see the game as apart of a crowd.In addition to the Fan fest and the TV’s in bars I also noticed that several cinemas were showing games live on big screens for free.

Went to the game early as we needed a ticket for one member of our party. The price at the main station was €500 earlier in the day but now in the early afternoon it was down to €300. Just as well because we wanted a ticket for €150. The Satta kingGermans have a more realistic view, than supporters from other countries, of the prices paid for football tickets and will not pay ridiculous sums. Thanks to this the price indeed comes down and the ticket is ours.

After the match people declared that they were nervous about Michael Ballack taking a penalty, but then someone added “…. but he is not Chris Waddle or Gareth Southgate”. After the discussion about the game it was time to party (so Mene told me). We headed for Berlin Zoo and the Breitscheidplatz the former centre of West Berlin. As we poured out of the S-Bahn we could hear the cars on the street below. The area was almost at a standstill play bazaar as every car appeared to have someone hanging out a window waving a flag. The party consisited of drinking lots of bottled beer on the streets as the Germans launched into one song after another, while the traffic was motionless but the cars rocked from side to side as the occupants joined in.

After spending some time in East Berlin, I headed to my digs to pick up my belongings in time to make the train for my final game of this trip.

Saturday 1st July Berlin. Frankfurt.

After a few hours sleep on the train, it was time to find accomodation in Frankfurt. feeling tired I decided to use the tourist information office to find somewhere to stay. Apparently Frankfurt had been busy for the last few weeks, and it was proving impossible to find reasonably priced accomodation in the centre. And so I was despatched towards the stadium I was told there was a guest house near the stadium and that I should go to the stadium train station and ask for directions from there. Off I went, only to find that when I got to the train station no-one had a clue where my accomodation was. The stadium is situated in a forest (hence the name Waldstadion!) so it wasn’t easy to work out which way to go, but I was confident it was nearby from what I had been told earlier.

I found someone who had a satellite navigation system and they offered to help. It showed my accomodation as being 2.5km away!!! Not happy about this I tried to work out what was going wrong. I realised that the GPS was going by road and that we were right next to the railway line. Therefore my accomodation should be on the other side of the railway line and would not be more than 10 minutes away. My friend in the car was confused as I walked off in the opposite direction.

Sure enough after 10 minutes I came accross a clearing, and found my accomodation. Sellotaped to the door was a note saying that reception was closed and that I should call a number for help. Having chosen, still, to avoid mobile phones I now looked rather silly as I had no way, stuck in the forest of making the call.

I walked round the building and found a door open. Entering the building I found a pay phone and dialled the number. No answer!! I knew it would make no difference not having a mobile!

Five minutes later as I waited innocently outside, a car drew up and my lodgings for the night were secured.

Now It was back to the city centre to watch the afternoon’s game. I headed for the Fan Fest which was on the banks of the river Main which runs through the city, with two large screens floating on the river.

As I got there the signs were just being put in place to say that the area was full. So I decided to move round watching the game from various vantage points during the afternoon. As the game ebbed and flowed it was clear that the whole city was breathing football. The streets were quiet, even the police in their green and white party van (as the germans sing) were watching on portable TV’s. The only noise to be heard coincided with the action in the game.

During the evening game France got their rewards for a positive display of football, it is this type of display that Sepp Blatter has been encouraging and it has been a feature of this tournament that apart from the Ivory Coast, teams that have played positively have done well.

FIFA have talked about changing the ticketing, but how can I complain, when I got to see the games I wanted. Ok so, I became addicted to my computer in search of tickets and I had to pay a little bit more sometimes but I accept this. The lesson FIFA can learn is that too many tickets have this time gone to sponsors whose guests are impressed by lavish hospitality. I think I have the solution.

Following on from the massive gatherings of people in Korea to watch their teams games, the Fan Fests have been a resounding success and over 10 million people watched the opening round of games at these events. Some of which have…V.I.P. areas. Why not let the sponsors have their own screening where they can show their own products at half time or every time the action stops and leave the match tickets to the actual supporters.

I can foresee that in future FIFA may introduce these events worldwide as they could then attract even more sponsorship!!! Also official merchandise is available at these sites and there must have been a huge increase in the revenue received from merchandising.

Mein hosts have been excellent , and a big thank you to all. I have thoroughly enjoyed travelling all over the country, and although at times it has been hectic I wouldn’t change things too much.

Vierundfunfzig, vierundsiebzig, neunzig…………..zwei tausend zehn?

It was something of a wrench to leave Frankfurt, a cosmopolitan city that had really thrown itself into hosting the World Cup. It is not only the main entry point by air for visitors to Germany, its location makes it a convenient staging point for many other venues – leading to a real sense of being in the middle of the world’s greatest tournament.

After spending time in the rather isolated host city of Leipzig play bazaar the even more isolated non-World Cup venue of Dresden, it felt good to be coming back to Frankfurt for a flying visit, one that featured not only the Portugal – Iran fixture but also a welcome recharge of those World Cup batteries.

Unfortunately, there was little time to head to Frankfurt’s ‘Fan Fest’, a gallery of riverside seats looking out onto a giant screen in the middle of the Main. Nearby were lots of amusements and stalls to keep Frankfurt families and football fans alike well-entertained and well-refreshed.

Not being able to head to the river or any of the seemingly thousands of friendly bars and pubs that had big-screen televisions, friendly atmospheres and great beer wasn’t too much of a hardship as my route from the main station led in the opposite direction – the WaldStadion – as did those of thousands of fans from around the world.

The Iranians on the concourse and platforms could be heard first and then seen but only as a jumble of flags and a mass of white-shirted bodies jumping up and down. Their opposite numbers were there in similar numbers but with the difference in volume being that of sound.

As I had only decided to come to the game at the last minute, I was on the waiting list for a press ticket. That wasn’t going to be a big problem after checking FIFA’s official media website and learning that only two other people were in a similar position. With an average of over 500 press seats per venue, there was always a number of no-shows, leading to tickets to be redistributed an hour before kick-off.

Not showing up is not a problem for the world governing body as long as the tickets are cancelled before hand so people can be upgraded from the waiting list. Not showing up and not letting FIFA know is a big no-no and the fact that over 250 people had, probably wisely as it turned out, in England’s opening game with Paraguay led to every media organisation receiving e-mails that warned of future repercussions for repeated offences.

Possible withdrawal of accreditation privileges wasn’t on the minds of Iranian fans that were in massing outside the stadium, they were more concerned about their beloved national team crashing out of the tournament after only 180 minutes of play.

Portugal’s laboured victory over Angola in the opening game may not have impressed the watching world but it did earn a valuable three points in a group that may not have had any death-like connotations but was not straightforward with teams from widely differing geographic locations.

That win and Iran’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mexico six days earlier in Leipzig meant that the situation was fairly simple. A Portugal win sent the European team into the second round and Team Melli out.

Portugal were on top from the outset and remained that way for the majority of the ninety minutes. Christiano Ronaldo was at times wasteful (failed tricks that had the nearby Jorge Baptista throwing his arms up in frustration) but his direct running, shooting and crossing caused problems for a slow Iranian defence and Deco was impressive in midfield.

Iran seemed reluctant to move the ball forward quickly, preferring to walk the ball from one end of the pitch to another and it was little surprise that they rarely troubled the Portuguese defence and goalkeeper.

Still, Branko Ivankovic’s team defended well for most of the game with the under-fire Ebrahim Mirzapoor making some good saves but it was a touch of class from Deco in the second half with a smart shot from outside the area that did the damage.

Iran really should have been back on level terms but substitute Rasoul Khatibi held on to the ball too long in a one-on-one situation and dragged his shot just wide and soon the Iranians were two down and heading home.

There are two broad types of fans, those who attend matches in the flesh and those who don’t. OK, it is impossible to get tickets these days to Premiership games so one is forced back into the armchair with the remote control and a PC to mull over the media coverage of the sport.

But there is a third type and that is the fan who travels to away games but not the match. A scarce species in the domestic game and at qualifiers but found in huge numbers (e.g. 80,000 English fans in Cologne) at a World Cup or European Championship Finals.

What made this World Cup for me were the legions of travelling fans, the vast majority without a cat’s chance in hell of a ticket, who came to the host country to cheer their team alongside thousands of others in the same boat. Previously travelling to a World Cup entailed having a ticket or attempting to obtain one, but no longer.

If someone says they are going to a satta king World Cup now one automatically does not assume it is to get inside the stadium, or even near the host city.

This has been a phenomenon I have only noticed previously with Welsh rugby fans, who, when the dragons are playing in Dublin for instance, will travel to a random Irish city to watch the game and then sail home the day after.

At this World Cup I witnessed several such ‘odd’ gatherings such as legions of Croatian fans, bedecked in their tablecloth flag and with replica shirts, scarves and face paint on the occasion of their nation’s match with Brazil in Berlin, but they were stood in front of a big screen in Hamburg.

Some of the best fans left the tournament too early – the Australians, Koreans, Polish and Dutch and once again it was confirmed to me how the fun level diminishes after the first round.

It really was a supporter’s World Cup, as the fan fests confirmed. Let’s face it the footy wasn’t that memorable. Take away Italy’s classy execution of the host nation in Dortmund, Zidane’s thuggish au revoir to the sport and that Argentina goal against Serbia that let every man on the field plus the groundsman and a few ball-boys have a touch before it crossed the line and it was not a WC to remember on the field.

Australia’s comeback against Japan was somewhat memorable, as was Custer’s last stand when a nine-man USA held off the eventual winners Italy, plus the card-fest of Portugal v Holland but overall it was more an Italia 90 than a Spain 82.

There were no Cameroons of 1990 or South Koreas of 2002. Only T&T;’s draw with Sweden had a whiff of the plucky underdog heroism we eagerly anticipate each World Cup. And Zidane apart, whom we knew rather well already, were there any real stars to savour this time?

But if you had been there you would have come away beaming at the memories. For me it was Japanese & Trinidadians in Frankfurt, Tunisians in Stuttgart, Spanish in Cologne and Germans in Munich. And some of those were on days when their countries were not playing there.

Forget the expense, the corporate takeover, the disappointing games and travel headaches, there really is nothing compared to attending a World Cup Finals in person. Once you get the bug your life will come to be defined by four-yearly cycles. I met a man at his eleventh WC for instance, and I am sure he was not alone. He was not a nerd either, but an apparently normal guy with a wife, kids and career.

You might need a bullet-proof jacket for 2010 if the scare-stories are correct but what the heck, paint it in your national colours and come along. A television in your own country is simply no comparison.

Portugal Progress Without Persian Pkv PokerProtest

It was something of a wrench to leave Frankfurt, a cosmopolitan city that had really thrown itself into hosting the World Cup. It is not only the main entry point by air for visitors to Germany, its location makes it a convenient staging point for many other venues – leading to a real sense of being in the middle of the world’s greatest tournament.

After spending time in the rather isolated host city of Leipzig Pkv Pokerand the even more isolated non-World Cup venue of Dresden, it felt good to be coming back to Frankfurt for a flying visit, one that featured not only the Portugal – Iran fixture but also a welcome recharge of those World Cup batteries. Indiansatta

Unfortunately, there was little time to head to Frankfurt’s ‘Fan Fest’, a gallery of riverside seats looking out onto a giant screen in the middle of the Main. Nearby were lots of amusements and stalls to keep Frankfurt families and football fans alike well-entertained and well-refreshed.

Not being able to head to the river or any of the seemingly thousands of friendly bars and pubs that had big-screen televisions, friendly atmospheres and great beer wasn’t too much of a hardship as my route from the main station led in the opposite direction – the WaldStadion – as did those of thousands of fans from around the world.

The Iranians on the concourse and platforms could be heard first and then seen but only as a jumble of flags and a mass of white-shirted bodies jumping up and down. Their opposite numbers were there in similar numbers but with the difference in volume being that of sound.

As I had only decided to come to the game at the last minute, I was on the waiting list for a press ticket. That wasn’t going to be a big problem after checking FIFA’s official media website and learning that only two other people were in a similar position. With an average of over 500 press seats per venue, there was always a number of no-shows, leading to tickets to be redistributed an hour before kick-off.

Not showing up is not a problem for the world governing body as long as the tickets are cancelled before hand so people can be upgraded from the waiting list. Not showing up and not letting FIFA know is a big no-no and the fact that over 250 people had, probably wisely as it turned out, in England’s opening game with Paraguay led to every media organisation receiving e-mails that warned of future repercussions for repeated offences. Indiansatta

Possible withdrawal of accreditation privileges wasn’t on the minds of Iranian fans that were in massing outside the stadium, they were more concerned about their beloved national team crashing out of the tournament after only 180 minutes of play.

Portugal’s laboured victory over Angola in the opening game may not have impressed the watching world but it did earn a valuable three points in a group that may not have had any death-like connotations but was not straightforward with teams from widely differing geographic locations.

That win and Iran’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mexico six days earlier in Leipzig meant that the situation was fairly simple. A Portugal win sent the European team into the second round and Team Melli out.

Portugal were on top from the outset and remained that way for the majority of the ninety minutes. Christiano Ronaldo was at times wasteful (failed tricks that had the nearby Jorge Baptista throwing his arms up in frustration) but his direct running, shooting and crossing caused problems for a slow Iranian defence and Deco was impressive in midfield.

Iran seemed reluctant to move the ball forward quickly, preferring to walk the ball from one end of the pitch to another and it was little surprise that they rarely troubled the Portuguese defence and goalkeeper.

Still, Branko Ivankovic’s team defended well for most of the game with the under-fire Ebrahim Mirzapoor making some good saves but it was a touch of class from Deco in the second half with a smart shot from outside the area that did the damage.

Iran really should have been back on level terms but substitute Rasoul Khatibi held on to the ball too long in a one-on-one situation and dragged his shot just wide and soon the Iranians were two down and heading home.

Why You Must BandarqqGo in 2010

There are two broad types of fans, those who attend matches in the flesh and those who don’t. OK, it is impossible to get tickets these days to Premiership games so one is forced back into the armchair with the remote control and a PC to mull over the media coverage of the sport. Indian Matka

But there is a third type and that is the fan who travels to away games but not the match. A scarce species in the domestic game and at qualifiers but found in huge numbers (e.g. 80,000 English fans in Cologne) at a World Cup or European Championship Finals.

What made this World Cup for me were the legions of travelling fans, the vast majority without a cat’s chance in hell of a ticket, who came to the host country to cheer their team alongside thousands of others in the same boat. Previously travelling to a World Cup entailed having a ticket or attempting to obtain one, but no longer.

If someone says they are going to a BandarqqWorld Cup now one automatically does not assume it is to get inside the stadium, or even near the host city.

This has been a phenomenon I have only noticed previously with Welsh rugby fans, who, when the dragons are playing in Dublin for instance, will travel to a random Irish city to watch the game and then sail home the day after.

At this World Cup I witnessed several such ‘odd’ gatherings such as legions of Croatian fans, bedecked in their tablecloth flag and with replica shirts, scarves and face paint on the occasion of their nation’s match with Brazil in Berlin, but they were stood in front of a big screen in Hamburg.

Some of the best fans left the tournament too early – the Australians, Koreans, Polish and Dutch and once again it was confirmed to me how the fun level diminishes after the first round.

It really was a supporter’s World Cup, as the fan fests confirmed. Let’s face it the footy wasn’t that memorable. Take away Italy’s classy execution of the host nation in Dortmund, Zidane’s thuggish au revoir to the sport and that Argentina goal against Serbia that let every man on the field plus the groundsman and a few ball-boys have a touch before it crossed the line and it was not a WC to remember on the field.

Australia’s comeback against Japan was somewhat memorable, as was Custer’s last stand when a nine-man USA held off the eventual winners Italy, plus the card-fest of Portugal v Holland but overall it was more an Italia 90 than a Spain 82.

There were no Cameroons of 1990 or South Koreas of 2002. Only T&T;’s draw with Sweden had a whiff of the plucky underdog heroism we eagerly anticipate each World Cup. And Zidane apart, whom we knew rather well already, were there any real stars to savour this time?

But if you had been there you would have come away beaming at the memories. For me it was Japanese & Trinidadians in Frankfurt, Tunisians in Stuttgart, Spanish in Cologne and Germans in Munich. And some of those were on days when their countries were not playing there.

Forget the expense, the corporate takeover, the disappointing games and travel headaches, there really is nothing compared to attending a World Cup Finals in person. Once you get the bug your life will come to be defined by four-yearly cycles. I met a man at his eleventh WC for instance, and I am sure he was not alone. He was not a nerd either, but an apparently normal guy with a wife, kids and career.

You might need a bullet-proof jacket for 2010 if the scare-stories are correct but what the heck, paint it in your national colours and come along. A television in your own country is simply no comparison.

Wenger in firing line as Arsenal Togel Singaporefail to reinforce

Wenger.Jason Cowley, author of that memorable book about Arsenal and the end of the old First Division, ‘The Last Game’, has penned a pertinent take on the current dilemma for manager Arsene Wenger.

Starved of funds for reinforcements and with his best players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri wanting to leave, the Frenchman’s dream of an Ajax on the Thames looks to have stalled perhaps for good.

With no trophies for six seasons Madhur matka and prospects of a title Togel Singaporechallenge or Champions League success slim, Gunners supporters are increasingly questioning the status of their semi-iconic coach, who revolutionised English football’s approach to management and took Arsenal from their historic Highbury home to a new stadium at Ashburton Grove.

All a far cry from ’96 when Wenger left Nagoya Grampus Eight for London full of high-minded dreams of transforming a club and country’s soccer culture.

Writing in the Evening Standard, Cowley opines,

“It’s obvious, too, that what he once offered when he arrived in London in 1996 and what gave him such a competitive advantage – knowledge of sports science, new ideas about diet and the use of technologies such as Prozone to monitor and improve players’ performances, and so on – is now routine.

Wenger the continental sophisticate once seemed like a very progressive and modern figure, part-boffin, part-romantic visionary. Now, more than ever, he is beginning to resemble a man out of time, one who has stayed too long in the same job and who is forced to look on, perplexed and anguished, as the game changes around him, and in ways he does not like and over which he has no control. This new season could test him to the very limit”

Premier League 2011/12 opening fixtures:

Sat 13th Aug – Blackburn v Wolves, Fulham v Aston Villa, Liverpool v Sunderland, QPR v Bolton, Tottenham v Everton, Wigan v Norwich, Newcastle v Arsenal.

Sun 14th Aug – Stoke v Chelsea, West Brom v Man Utd

Mon 15th Aug – Man City v Swansea

-Sean O’Conor

Monday Missive

*ITALIAN STADIA LIKE PIZZERIAS? How times change. In Italia ’90 we all marveled at Italy’s football grounds like Milan’s fortress-like San Siro, Turin’s caverous Stadio delle Alpi, Bari’s space-age San Nicola and Genoa’s wonderfully quirky Luigi Ferraris, wishing we could have such soccer cathedrals at home.

North Korea Togel SingaporeWorld Cup Song

North Korea launched its official World Cup song which has already rocketed to the tops of the charts in Pyongyang. A stirring orchestral number, the song praises the hard work and socialist dedication on behalf of the team in reaching only its second World Cup after its heroics at the 1966 tournament in England.

Final US Squad announced

USA.US coach Bob Bradley has gone for safety first in his final 23-man squad for the World Cup Finals.

Mindful perhaps of the way a defensive approach Togel Singaporehelped the US almost win the Confederations Cup last summer, the lack of match fitness of AC Milan’s Oguchi Onyewu and recent defeats to the Netherlands and this week, the Czech Republic, Bradley has picked seven defenders and four strikers.G – Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves)

D – Oguchi Onyewu (Milan), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (Start), Jonathan Spector (West Ham), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

M – Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Ricardo Clark (Eintract Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Stuart Holden (Bolton), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

F – Josmer Altidore (Hull), Herculez Indian Matka Gomez (Pachuca), Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

In goal the US look sound with three England-based keepers of whom Tim Howard is the confirmed first choice.

The defence has questions over it however, following some inept individual performances this season, although it all came together in South Africa last year when it mattered. FC Dallas’ Heath Pearce, previously first-choice left-back, was left out after he fluffed his last chance following a poor showing against the Czechs on Tuesday.

Midfield has no surprises with DaMarcus Beasley, a mainstay of the team four years ago, completing an unlikely comeback having looked out of the picture a year ago.

Up front, Bradley surprisingly dropped Hawaiian-born target-man Brian Ching, whom Landon Donovan has said is his preferred partner up front, in favour of Real Salt Lake speedster Robbie Findley. Fulham’s Eddie Johnson, who at one point seemed the future of US forwards, also misses out. With Charlie Davies injured, American striking options look thin, with a reliance on support from the attacking midfield talents of Clint Dempsey, Donovan and Bolton’s Stuart Holden, the one intriguing face to emerge in US ranks in the last year.

Only four of the 23 play in the US’ domestic league, MLS.

A first choice US eleven to play England on the 12th of June could look like this:

Howard, Spector, Bocanegra, DeMerit, Onyewu, Holden, Feilhaber, Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore, Donovan.

The US face England, Algeria and Slovenia in Group C.