EPL Talk » Greece

It’s Arrogant to Call Internationals Boring

Richard Whittall — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:00:40 +0000

Gentleman, let us put away childish things.

Yes, international breaks can provide some godawful football. Yes, it doesn’t seem fair for a player to risk injury for a team he plays with only five times a year and miss games for the club that employs him on a weekly basis. Yes, nations like Lichtenstein don’t give much bang for your underdog dollar when facing Germany.

But to call international football boring, to curse the name of the foreign sounding manager who would dare call up your club star to represent the nation that raised him, to rant on whatever message board or blog that will let you about the inanity of Wales versus Finland, France versus Lithuania, is arrogant in the extreme.

Hatred for the international break comes from the same school of thought that calls for the abolishment of the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, and the speedy introduction of the European Super League. If the same nations always seem to advance in international tournaments, the absurd logic goes, why not give them an automatic berth and have everyone else duke it out over the summer?

Well, for one, things change in international football, if maybe not fast enough for the club supporter who mentally erases the club season just as soon as it’s over. Hungary were considered a global footballing power in the 1950s, along with Austria in the 1920s. Yugoslavia, Denmark and Greece have more European Championships than England. Hell, Uruguay twice as many World Cups as England. Brazil was once considered small potatoes in South America, and Argentina didn’t participate in international tournaments for two decades out of fear of embarrassment. Who’s to say Ivory Coast, South Korea, or even the United States won’t one day win a World Cup?

Sure, these are established footballing countries with ambitious national programs, but what about San Marino and the Faroe Islands? These tiny nations are unlikely to take a national tournament by storm, but is it fair to take away the right of nations to compete in the most popular game on the planet just because you get a bit bored one Saturday or Wednesday out the season? If you ask any professional footballer, they will often point to international caps as the highlight of their career. It could be something curmudgeonly club-shirted punters, Best-Of DVDs in hand, might never understand.

The Pleasure Of Watching Spain v Sweden In An Irish Pub

The Gaffer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:28:05 +0000

Earlier this week I wrote an opinion piece about how the experience of watching football matches on TV are oftentimes better than seeing the games in person. Well, I want to take that back. That’s because watching a match on TV in a pub is better than both watching matches at home and in person, but it has to be the right type of pub.I found that pub this afternoon when I met up with my friend Ron from Romford, England — a fellow Miami Fusion fan from the good old days when we had a team in South Florida. We met some unlikely guests at the establishment, which definitely made the whole football watching experience more enjoyable.One of our unlikely guests at the Slainte Irish Pub in Boynton Beach was former professional footballer Ivan McKinley who used to play for New England Revolution, DC United, Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. Now retired from playing professional football, he and his family live in the area.For those of you who don’t know McKinley, he was pigeonholed as a rough and tough defender who still has the notoriety of receiving the most number of red cards in MLS history. The South African defender was one of the better defenders the Fusion had. Never afraid to throw his body to block a shot or go up for a header against the top strikers, McKinley was definitely a huge hit at the Fusion.We all gathered at the pub to watch the Spain against Sweden match, which was yet another firecracker. This tournament is really turning into an enjoyable experience with so many wonderful matches and exciting football on display. The Sweden against Spain game was no exception. The match had plenty of drama around the two goal areas with Spain starting out very strong but Sweden gaining confidence as the match went on.This was the type of match I watched purely for enjoyment sake. Between knocking back a glass of Magner’s Cider, chatting with McKinley and watching the match in HD on plasma screens, I wasn’t able to concentrate on the tactics or the specifics but had the pleasure instead of just watching the match.All three goals in this match were sublime and examples of why Euro 2008 is more entertaining than Copa America 2007 ever was. The first goal by Fernando Torres for Spain was a perfect example of the Spaniard making something out of nothing and reaching out to redirect the ball into the corner of the net.The second goal was an example of the strength that Zlatan Ibrahimovic possesses. While most strikers would have fallen to the ground or been knocked off their feet by the physical Spanish defender, Ibrahimovic managed to shrug off the physical challenge, twisted and turned to carefully slot the ball into the back of the net.The third goal was a work of art as David Villa stayed calm under pressure in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper and knocked the ball into the corner of the net. The impressively taken goal reminded me a lot of Fernando Torres’s goal for Liverpool against Chelsea earlier last season.With Spain, Portugal, Holland and Croatia already qualified for the next round, those are four teams that play extremely attractive football and it’s quite plausible that one of them will end up being champions of Europe this summer. I can’t wait.After the match ended, the beer kept flowing as the crowd in the pub started singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in full voice (there were a couple of Liverpool supporters there). A little later I had a chance to chat with McKinley a little more and heard him recount his stories of training with both West Ham United and Reading. Unfortunately because he was unable to get a work permit, he couldn’t sign for either club. But he did share a story about turning up at West Ham’s training ground early one morning a couple of hours before the players arrived. Then manager at the time Harry Redknapp asked McKinley what he was doing and proceeded to invite the South African to join him for breakfast!Overall it was a wonderful day. The Greece against Russia match was bearable and I managed to catch the one and only goal for Russia before heading off to run some errands. I have a feeling I’ll be returning to the Slainte Irish Pub a few more times before Euro 2008 concludes.

Euro 2008: Better Than World Cup 2006 So Far

The Gaffer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:32:21 +0000

I’ve finally had a chance to catch up on watching some of the Euro 2008 matches I missed. The jet lag hit me later in the week, so I found myself watching many of the games this week at weird hours on DVR.The one thing about football is that it can be so subjective. Earlier in the week, I found myself watching the 1-0 Croatia win against Austria game on the giant screen TV at the FanZone in Zurich. To me, Croatia looked like a very hard working team in the first half who were playing some wonderful football. Especially impressive was Ivica Olic, the Croat striker who plays for Hamburg, who was a workhouse throughout the game putting in an incredible performance. If ever there was a player who would do well in the Premier League, Olic is it.In their game against Austria, Croatia changed their tactics in the second half, which allowed Austria to press forward more. And it was the Austrians who impressed me, putting to bed all the fears about them being the worst team in the tournament.So I was surprised when I returned to the States and was hearing and reading the comments about Croatia looking weak in their first match. Against Germany, the Croats showed their true strength in their 2-1 win and it’s now Germany — many people’s favorites to win Euro 2008 — who risk getting knocked out of the tournament depending what happens in their final match against Austria.The other thing I found surprising when I returned to the States was the perception among many that this has been a boring tournament thus far. Sure, it’s easier to enjoy the atmosphere and games when you’re experiencing them in Switzerland, but still, the tournament to me has been one of the most exciting football events in quite some time, even more so than World Cup 2006. The France against Romania nil-nil match was horrible, but aside from that, I’ve enjoyed all of the other matches.Speaking of Romania, their 1-1 draw against Italy on Friday was a brilliant match to watch. So much goalmouth action with balls hitting the post or goalkeepers pulling off incredible saves. Buffon’s penalty save, too, was amazing to watch. Romania could have easily won the match in the first half, while Italy showed in this game their masterful technical touches — beautiful flicks, excellent ball control, deft passes and wonderful creativity — something which is desperately lacking in the Premier League and on the England national team.Italy, though, has to feel cheated by the goal that was ruled offside. On replay, it’s clear that the goal should have counted. But when I watched it in real-time, it looked to me to be offside, so I empathize why the referee and assistant referee thought the whistle should have been blown for offside.I’ve been writing about how impressed I’ve been about Holland since Monday and they completely blew me away again on Friday with their 4-1 win against France. In fairness, the French are to blame for this scoreline as they had plenty of chances to score. Just as in the match against Italy, the Dutch took full advantage of the chances they had with their clinical finishing.While Holland and Croatia continue to impress, Portugal can be added to that list. In their first game against Turkey, I thought the Portugese looked very entertaining with Pepe, especially, being a revelation. Portugal also looked breathtaking in the 3-1 win over Czech Republic. So far this tournament, the Czechs have done very little to impress me.For all of the bad press Austria got from the pundits and their own fans before the tournament started, I’ve been more impressed by the Austrians than Switzerland. Austria deserved to get the 1-1 draw against Poland earlier this week, and the penalty decision by Howard Webb, I believe, was a correct one.Speaking of Switzerland, the national team was dealt a cruel blow when Alex Frei was injured in their 0-1 loss to Czech Republic. But in the Swiss 2-1 loss to Turkey, it was Turkey’s Arda Turan who was the relevation. The Galatasaray winger scored two beautiful goals. The first, a beautifully taken header, and the second was an amazing shot in the last minute of the game, which will be one of the goals of the tournament.The one group I haven’t had a chance to watch so far this tournament is Group D because I was traveling throughout the day on Tuesday and missed Spain’s demolition of Russia and the entertaining game between Sweden and Greece. I’m looking forward to seeing those matches on Saturday.