Weekly review 14/7/14.

5 Responses to Weekly review 14/7/14.

1. Dai Woosnam says:

   July 14, 2014 at 9:58 am

   Good morning, Paul.
   Nice analysis of the World Ciup.
   I really agree with you that Germany were a trifle fortunate, seeing the chances that Argentina missed.
   That said, I do not like cheats, and the way the Argies kept the Germans waiting at half time was redolent of identical shenanigans in that final v Holland in 1978.
   Mind you, the Germans were lucky to have 11 men on the pitch yesterday, as their giant keeper deliberately took out Higuain when punching that ball. The Laws of football are simple: winning the ball is not enough, if in winning it, you clean-out an opponent between the ball and yourself. Whatever the degree of intent here, it was a clear penalty, and he was the last man.
   As for the Golden Ball: it seems to me that it should have gone to the mesmerisingly brilliant Robben …though I guess his admission that he had dived in the Mexico game, went against him.
   Finally, one last beef from me: why do all these players nowadays feel the need to bring their nippers on to the pitch after the game?
   So they are making a statement that they don’t use condoms! Big deal…NOT…!!!
   If they want to tell us they can produce sperm, they can tell us just that on their individual websites. They have not got to parade their nippers to the watching world. They are as bad as those cretins with “baby on board” signs on the back of their cars: I keep wanting to ram them.
   Oh no…I can feel my blood pressure rising …
   Don’t even get me started on that Angela Merkel.
   At least that Kirchner woman – who I normally despise – won some brownie points from me last night by staying out of camera shot ..if she turned up AT ALL that is.
   Kindest, as ever,
   Dai.
2. The other Bob Wilson says:

   July 15, 2014 at 9:46 am

   Hello Dai. I thought the decision to penalise Higuain was a ridiculous one by a referee who, while not being hopeless, didn’t strike me as good enough to be given the job of taking charge of such an important match. That said, Neuer had to go for the ball and, having seen what his fellow countryman got away with against France in 1982, I would have said restart the match with a throw in would have been the correct decision.

   I think I’ve just become used to seeing children sharing in laps of honour/celebrations these days, but, thinking back to how I felt when I saw Alex Higgins beseeching his family to join him when he won the world title (again in 1982 I think or was it 1980?), you’ve probably got a point.
3. Dai Woosnam says:

   July 16, 2014 at 1:08 am

   Yes Paul, you are sooo right re Hurricane Higgins. That was a particularly nauseating example.
   I have often tried to understand why this whole phenomenon exercises me so .
   True, in my dreams, I am the Founder Member of the British branch of the King Herod Appreciation Society, but joking apart, there must be some real reason why it gets my dander up so.
   And after a lot of thought, I think it is this…
   The players bring out their kids as though they were showing a video of their greatest goals!
   They are tacitly boasting “look what a fine specimen I have produced!”
   Now the Laws of Nature decree that occasionally some of these athletes just MUST produce severely handicapped and deformed kids. But we never seem to see THEM.
   Yes sometimes, a very brave and severely handicapped child will lead out a team as a mascot, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he will not be the progeny of one of the team.
   In my bleaker moments, I figure that there is something somewhat Hitlerian about it all.
   Kindest,
   Dai.
4. Dai Woosnam says:

   July 17, 2014 at 1:57 pm

   Paul,
   Just saw these SPLENDID photos on Wales online.
   They will mostly be known to you.
   My favourite Robin Friday one is there, and that picture of the Aberfan coins on the blanket.
   But maybe ALL of these are not familiar to some of your readers.
   Click on this link then scroll down to the gallery.

   http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/cardiff-city-tour-steven-caulker-7444554

   Thee one I find most amazing is the poor crowd that turned out to see Bob Marley, less than 5 years from his early death. I can see it is raining heavily, but …hey, I mean to say…a GIANT like that seemingly without honour in such a musical city!

   If only he had the pulling power of John Paul ll, eh?
5. The other Bob Wilson says:

   July 20, 2014 at 6:09 am

   Thanks Dai. Those photos are great – my favourite is the one of that bloke sleeping off his hangover in the Canton Stand.

   I can remember that it bucketed down on the day of that Bob Marley concert – it was held in June, so there’s proof that it wasn’t always a case of dawn to dusk sunshine that summer! As some defence for the people of Cardiff and district, I would say that it was probably a year or so before Bob Marley became known to a mainstream audience – I knew of him in 1976 and debated with myself whether to go to the concert, but it was support band the Cate Brothers who would have been the reason for me attending if I had decided to go.

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