Andrew Donegan · @piebald77
18th Jun 2012 from Twitlonger
Forget about the Premier League (apart from the dramatic last day of the season and goals from Cisse and Crouch), because, ultimately, major tournament soccer is where it’s at. One of the reasons is that The Euros and the World Cup are on terrestrial TV, and hopefully always will be. Other reasons include pressure of the spotlight producing nail-biting drama. They bring football to the masses, to the people, and, especially, most importantly, to the kids. During the group stages, there are two games on every day. In the Euros, due to fewer, and arguably better teams, there’s more chance of seeing a big clash. There’s never a better time to embrace the sport. Sure, the monopoly that is Sky play umpteen games a day on their Super Sundays including La Liga and Serie A, but these are merely inferior battles compared to the war that is nation against nation. It opens your mind, thinking of all the different people watching in different countries. In prisons, in homes, in bars, in parks, and everywhere else.
Spain v Italy. Germany v Holland. England v France. Brazil v Argentina. There’s something about these fixtures that speaks to the inner infant soul. There’s something about the colours of the home shirts. And the colours of the matching crowd. There’s something about seeing the Mexican waves, and the cutting edge stadia, and sexy fans in face paint. This is the time of year, every two years, when children are doing keep-ups in the yard or garden. This is the time when adults finally have that kick about in the park. When the streets go empty, when the pubs get loud. When lonely people tune into BBC or ITV and forget that they are alone. When people jump and sing and hug each other, or shout and yell and throw their empty pint glasses at the outdoor screen in the beer garden, then go out and scratch German cars because they won on spot kicks.
This is when footballers are born and made, both at ground level and pro. All that lucky fringe player who got called up late because someone got injured has to do is have a couple of good runs skinning people down the wing in an international finals and guess what, his price rockets up by 10 million big ones. If you have the best World Cup then you’re the best player in the world, even if you sat on the bench with the water bottles for the last four years, no arguments on that one from anybody whatsoever. That’s why there are problems with Wayne Rooney being world class, because he played like a blind clone in South Africa 2010. Sorry, but when you have a howler of a World Cup, you cease being World Class until the next one comes around.
Everyone is supporting their nation, but you’re not a proper fan unless you watch EVERY game. You have to take in the whole tournament. You’re not a proper fan unless you fear the upcoming HOLE in your life when the competition is over.
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE SAYS: Having listened to this, the fact can’t be ignored that it’s boring most of the time. 90 minutes a game! It’s sooo stop and start, it’s frustrating. The ref never let’s play go on. They are nothing but a bunch of cheating turf gobblers who go down as if shot at the slightest opportunity. The commentators get so excited they almost blow in their pants. What’s with these retro kits too? Shouldn’t they get better each year, instead of going backwards? And day glow neon boots suck. Why wear bright green ten-a-penny Nike Mercury boots when your team colours are red? Why gel your hair, are you not planning on heading the ball? Pansies. Think I’ll stick with Rugby League.