What an absolute waste of an evening. The whole match was so boring and the England team worse than a disaster. The ITV team weren't much better, coming up with such insightful comments as Keegan's "they need to play better than that and win..." (or words to that effect). How profound is that!
Algeria at times looked the better team but they didn't help make the match entertaining football - they appeared to be playing not to lose rather than playing a game to win. Although to be fair a lot of the time it didn't look as though the England team were even trying not to lose. There was a short period of improved play somewhere in the middle of the match, if I recall correctly, but then it seemed that doubt and frustration set in and the England team just let the situation get the better of them. What are they paid their obscene salaries for if not to keep their heads in demanding situations. It's time they started delivering. However, if Capello's regime is as described by Keegan (I think it was) - that he "rules with a rod of iron stares" - then you can forgive them for being a bit confused.
Since the football was so dull my mind started wandering - first to the team kits - and I noticed how the England team scrub up rather well in their all white strip - the shorts seem to have changed design for this tournament too - the look almost like tailored shorts, much more structured than previously, and faintly reminiscent of the colonial policeman's style from other times and other continents. I like them, a lot more than the limp skirt-like pale green Algerian ones. In fact, they could almost have been dressed in camouflage, the green quite close to the green of the turf. Is that another excuse to add to the climate, altitude, ball, vuvuzelas, pressure - they couldn't see where the opponents were. Perhaps green kit should be banned.
And Rooney complained about being booed off the pitch by the England "supporters". I'm not sure what I think about that. On the one hand, you don't kick someone when they're down if you're truly a supporter, and boy do the team need support to get their heads up again. But on the other hand, how much does it cost to fly to S Africa, pay for a World Cup ticket and hotel accommodation, not to mention using holiday time for the occasion? And if you paid through the nose to go to a top-flight music festival expecting to see The Beatles (oops, sorry, different generation - Arctic Monkeys? - help me, I'm struggling for a contemporary equivalent to Paul and his pals) wouldn't you boo if you got served up a 5th rate tribute band. I've certainly walked out of a concert before now - not actually booed but the silent equivalent!!
I'm afraid that's all I've seen of or about the football yesterday. But here's a light-hearted comment on the Germany-Serbia game, which you might enjoy and I'm delighted to say Serbia won 1-0. I particularly enjoyed the Serbian goal-scorer's celebration where he ends up disappearing into the moat between crowd and pitch. Unfortunately we don't see how they get him out, which I assume they do: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/collections/p0087lwp
And finally, a quotation, as usual, but not the best I'm afraid. Even the journalism is a bit lack-lustre! This is Kevin Keegan, reflecting (does he do that?) on Rob Green's destiny now that he's been dropped in favour of David James: "It doesn't put him in the bin and put him away totally". Maybe not for Rob Green, but I'd add my support if someone suggested doing that with Keegan.
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