Football.

[curiouswombat]

Well what a footballing day! We have the total tragedy - well in our house - of the Czechs being eliminated - the daughter has gone into mourning. She thinks she may have to join her friend who supports Argentina - but I don't think I can bring myself to do that - even if they were playing Brazil, who I like to see beaten I must say. (ArgentinavBrazil - hmm - it would be a tough call - how about if they both lost?)

But the Aussies - great stuff! But my goodness what a match - I mean really why DID the Australian coach play the AC Milan number 2 goalkeeper - who was originally a Croatian when there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Mark Schwartzer? (Australia's usual goalkeeper, and Middlesborough's number one keeper - so plays in the Premiership week in, week out.) And the English referee was awful - I think his mother must have been scared by a koala or something - he missed a blatant hand-ball in the Croatian goal-mouth, denying the Aussies a penalty, then booked a Croatian twice, but forgot to send him off! What on earth would the situation be if that player had then scored? Thank goodness he didn't! Then he finished the match by booking the same guy for a third time - got to be one for A Question of Sport!

And well done the country of my in-laws! I think I'll be a Socceroo for the next round!

Comments

[bearfacedcheek.livejournal.com]

Ah so Isle of Manites don't support England either then?

I'm welsh, but I'm a big fan of the premiership so I always start off thinking, this time I'll back England, then the media and the pundits start all the usuall, "England could win it this time" bollocks and I find myself hoping Equador beat them in teh next round.

You got any particular affiliation with the Czechs or do you just like them?

I'm hoping for a win for Spain or *whispers very very quietly* Germany this time

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

I find myself hoping Equador beat them in teh next round.

Well, the way we've been playing so far I wouldn't be surprised, and it would make the rest of the tournament much less stressful for me without all the pundit's expectations giving everyone false hope. I've lived in England for so long now I've become an assimilated English person - but had Wales qualified I'd certainly have been cheering them on.

I'd like the Dutch to win, but I think it might be Argentina this year worse luck.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Quite a lot of locals are supporting England, but like you, the fact that there is so much about them on the news is a bit offputting, and we feel no major affiliation for them in our house, even though if you loked at our birth certificates we were all born in England! (Me by accident in Liverpool 6 weeks early, when my Mum was waitng for the boat, D-d in North Tyneside where she spent the first six months of her life before we came home, and S2C's family are Borderers, from Berwick - which is neither Scotland or England! - and the debateable lands - so like many borderers he doesn't feel terribly English either.) We will cheer them on sometimes though!

The daughter has supported the Czechs since Euro 98 - I admired the fact that they had done so well then, having only just become a country such a short time before, and she just liked the look of them I think, possibly an early crush on Pavel Nedved - I mean blond hair and killer cheekbones.... She hopes to go to Prague to study or work sometime in the future. I think the fascination for the country came from supporting the team!

I wouldn't mind Spain or Germany winning - but please, please not Brazil or Argentina.

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

Argentina is one team I could never bring myself to support. I was cheering on the Aussies (even though I quite like the Croatians, particularly their checked shirts), and texting Chris (who was at the airport in Paris with no football on anywhere) with the scores of both matches. This involved quite some texting during the second half of the Japan/Brazil game.

Hopefully that ref will be sent for some retraining.

I'll be cheering on Engerlund on Sunday, but won't actually enjoy the match - too stressful. I much prefer watching the other teams play.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

What - you mean the French didn't have the football on at the airport? And they call themselves a footballing nation? Pah!

I love the Croatians table-cloth kit as well - but the Aussies getting through is such a fun idea!

I will be cheering England against Ecuador as well, but it is less emotional than the Aussies or the Czechs matches!

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

you mean the French didn't have the football on at the airport?

Nope, and on Wednesday evening he couldn't find a bar or hotel showing whatever match was on. Everywhere was taken over by some sort of music festival they were having, and he says it wasn't even good music.

So I'm really really going to be cheering for Togo to beat France today!

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Of course it wasn't good music - it was in France!

[caliente-uk.livejournal.com]

I was so pleased that Australia went through! I've been following their progress with interest. I'll (of course) be supporting England on Sunday, but as spikereader said, it will be too stressful to enjoy it properly! And yes, the English ref was awful! The worst one I've seen in this World Cup so far.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, at least Ghana's still in it. :-(

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'll happily cheer Ghana on your behalf.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

What the heck, I'll root for 'em too -- although, since I'm not actually watching the games, it'll probably be more effective coming from you.

[verboseartistry.livejournal.com]

But the Aussies - great stuff! But my goodness what a match

Ah, yes, we Australians are quite proud of our Socceroos. And by quite proud I mean we pretend that we like soccer despite the fact that over 80% of our population doesn't know when the World Cup is until the News tells us our team has made it in. Then, of course, we're behind them 110% and have been for years, real soccer fans each and every one.

I assume our fervent support of the Socceroos is because they're doing well this time. We love winners down here but only if they're ours. It's why we love cricket and rugby and AFL, because we win all the time. Soccer is just one of those, "Well, we're winning this week so of course the sport is interesting" things.

Which, of course, I'm entirely behind. 110%. Have been for years. I'm a real soccer fan. And will have been until we get kicked out, in which case I go back to my usual indifference.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The British have got rather that way about cricket! When there was a possibility of England winning the ashes people had suddenly been cricket supporters all their lives - till the next time the England team lost. Their current matches seem to be against Sri Lanka - I heard a one line mention at the end of a half hour sport programme to that effect a couple of nights ago. ;~)

I guess football/soccer has become somewhat more played in Australia since the arrival of former Yuguslavians in the 90s, as they wouldn't play any of the things Australians usually play - and then the Greek community would probably join in - and once you have enough of something to produce a reasonable team, others do show some interest.

Actually your team are enthusiastic, and fun to watch - and can now claim to be one of the best 16 of the 220+ nations with national teams - not bad eh?

Much more fun than watching England play cricket for sure!

[verboseartistry.livejournal.com]

Much more fun than watching England play cricket for sure!

I can't imagine a whole lot that isn't more fun than watching England play cricket.

Of course, we as a nation take pride in mocking those who sent us here on the convict ships. It's a perverse sort of pride that I understand oh so well.

Actually your team are enthusiastic, and fun to watch - and can now claim to be one of the best 16 of the 220+ nations with national teams - not bad eh?

We can say that about practically every sport there is, mainly because it's rare to have more than sixteen contenders for a sport. I do think that, purely from a statistical point of view, Australia is the greatest sporting nation in the world. Something to do with a twenty million population dominating an impressive number of popular sports. Of course, I'm hardly equipped to deal with this sort of discussion. My aversion to sport and beer make me a cultural outcast. Why, if I didn't drink bourbon I imagine I'd never get invited anywhere.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We can say that about practically every sport there is,

Ah - no - football is probably the only game in which any team can be one of the best of 220 rather than best of 9 or 10! Your soccer players really are getting quite good.

Actually I think you are right about the Aussies being the world's greatest sporting nation - and now that you are even getting good at football you've got the world conquered. (Well apart from the sports only Americans play!!)