Better than Cola: England football

With the Euros firmly underway...(we're two games in and any chance I had of winning some wedge is apparating by the day), I wanted to to do one more bit of football writing, as I know I have a mixed audience and many of you are currently lamenting the now nightly coverage provided excellently by Mr Lineker and co on the beeb and Adrian (satan left teste) Childs on three.
As a welshist Im afraid I know not what it feels like to support my nation at an international tournament, but maybe this gives me the impartiality to embolden my current opinion onto your much meligned brain boxes. Ive a lot of english friends, the vast majority of which are football fans, this is generally how I know people (note to self, expand life with new hobbies), so far I have yet to speak to one that holds any kind of faith in the national teams chances at Euro2012, in fact, many dont even think that qualification from the group stage is possible.
Now on paper, this maybe the weakest england side ever (1992 euros contends), but as the old adage goes, the game isnt played on paper.
There is little expectancy, a refreshing change from the norm from england fans, with expectations low maybe England can embrace that underdog spirit that so historically follows them. An underdog spirit that has in the past seen both Denmark and Greece lift the trophy, both lacking depth of squad and both boasting maybe one or two definitive world class players, England certainly boast better than both of these sides did in their winning years.
The Euros are not the World Cup, the world cup will always be master to the favorites, but in the Euros teams dont have the time to settle into their football, they have to get out and get points on the board from the first whistle in the world cup goals are king and a tasty forward moving side can put the world to rights (Holland 2010, Brazil 1994), but during their time going forward the strategy is get more goals, concding one or two a game wont matter. But, in the Euros, the key is being an efficient, ball keeping, defensively astute TEAM (spain 2008, germany 2006). In 2008 Spain boasted some high quality players, but also, a spattering of unknowns such as Marchena and Marco Senna, who both played their way into the team of the tournament thanks to sheer grit and work ethic.
If you look at the England squad starting at the back they are not shy of pedigree, Joe Hart is as good in sticks as any other gloved dribby at the tournament, perhaps the world, it pains me to say it but as much of an odious little dick shovel that he is ashley cole is the best in the world at his job (maybe philip lahm). John (Adolf) Terry, well ive made my feelings about this scumbag clear in the past but even I cant deny his pedigree at this level is without argument. Moving into the middle I would say losing Lampard is a blessing, its been Lampard and Gerrard without question for so long and its never worked, but no man could ever drop either without the fury of the fucking sun newspaper and its baldheaded bad breathed readers, but lets face it, theyre the same player and Gerrard has always been the better of the two. Now Scott Parker in with him is a great plan, Parks is a 1920's englishman who is so delighted at being selected for his country he will run and tackle until his little legs just straight and drop off, exactly what is needed in that space. All around these stalwarts are the new generation, Rooneys quality will shine when he returns (I think he'll be needed in that last qualification game, as I can see england needing a win to go through), but then you have the likes of Young, Oxlaide-Chamberling, Carroll and Wellbeck who are unproven, yes, but theyre all playing at the highest level and will not show any fear in this competition if Woy has anything to do with it. I expect to see them playing football exactly as they should as exuberrant young talents, unafraid to take on the mights of players like Puyol and Mexes, knowing firmly the english old guard will be backing them up with strong tackling and accurate passing.
The pundits are saying the side HAS to take something from France on Monday, granted this is a big ask and it brings with it one massive problem win or draw with le bleus and I can guarantee that all of a sudden every flag toting, geoff hurst bumming idiot will be tattooing the trophy on his back with winners underneath it. Looking at the group its far more realistic to expect england to creep through with a loss, a draw and a result against the Ukraine or even a weak Sweden side. If they come up against Spain, as predicted, sure its a hell of an ask but the english side can out muscle and outpace the current Spain side so if they can weather the storm of 70% possesion and what should be an experienced midfield then theres no reason they couldnt take something.
If the current group make it to the knockouts they're performing above expectation. Roy is the right man to coach the team there. He will make sure the team are well drilled, the set pieces will be bang on and he will have got the team all pulling in the right directions. Scott Parker anchoring the midfield stops the recent problems England have had in teams getting between the bog standard three lines of play (def, mid, fw) and with ashley young playing just off the forward one then England have the option to close down all over the park.
So look at the England side like this, yes its an ageing side, yes there are players missing in key positions and yes some fans have doubts about the manager. But as the Europeon Championships often does, it will mimick the football being played on the continent this past season. So to the England doubters, the fans who are unbelievably not getting behind their nation I say one word...

...CHELSEA

Since this a special Euro 2012 edition of better than cola ive included some of my favorite memories of the Euros, unfortunately none of them include the welsh side who i would so feverishly support if they could just muster up a qualification in my life time... pleeeeeeeeease.

Van Basten invents a new angle

Brolin, 20 stone of goal machine

Gazza geniusLAD

Wiltords injury time equaliser

Greek goalie lifts the trophy, the rest of the team are still on the bus they parked in their 6 yard box

Uhhhhhhh.....Football :)

more next wizzle my shizzles xxxo

Well I'm back,
blogging has had to take a backseat recently due to work/drinking commitments, special mentions and thanks to everyone involved in the reformation of the mighty flexoff, it was indeed a fine reunion with remnants of days gone past including the sunburn and the showing having not been to bed as well as the football, and also a massive ta very much to the cains for the jubilee.b.q which was epic London times and a chance to display my chuTAFFney and bunting skills.
What better time to return to posting my outspoken and often melined opinions than on the 'day that football died.'
For those of you that didn't know, I'm a Cardiff City fan, a big one, Ive previously held season tickets galore and travelled as far as the league demands in order to watch my beloved bluebirds show their plucky spirit. If you didn't know this then you probably didn't know that for the last month or so the club has been embroiled in arguments amongst fans and board members over a potential 'rebranding' in order for us to significantly improve relations with potential new supporters and investors in the far east (our owners are a Malaysian corporation and we're now involved in a system of football academies across Asia to improve their grassroots). Any ways about two weeks ago after 'uproar' from the fans chairman of the club Dato Tien Gee (TG) announced that plans had been scrapped among serious opposition to proposed plans (IE the death threats the board received).
Since that revelation, Ive had a suspicious feeling in my guts we hadn't heard the end of things, TG had said that the investors would continue to supports CCFC but the money wouldn't be so forthcoming without this change.
This morning Cardiff City fans worldwide woke up to this...

That's Aron Gunnarsson (@arongunnarsson1) and Joe Mason modelling our new kits for the season, the home kits being the red and the away kits being the traditional blue and yellow, both kits sporting a new club crest of a red dragon over the old bluebird with the motto passion and fire embroidered underneath. As well as this came the statement from the clubs board that they had decided on Tuesday to go ahead with the proposed re branding of Cardiff City Football club in order to secure the long term future of the club in foreign markets and success in domestic competition.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, outrage, shoutyness, loud disgruntlings. you've killed football, your pillaging our club for personal gain, you ruined our heritage how dare you, im sending back my season ticket, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhh.
Stop (hammer time), I'm a tad confused as to how to feel. I'm a man that has a bluebird tattoo, i chose my car because its blue and i have bluebird memorabilia all over the flat, but its not like we're gonna rock up to the Cardiff City Stadium next season and the team wont be there.
A full re branding causes a team to lose all credibility (read MKDons), but we're not doing that. We're going to play in red and have a dragon on our badge, we're not moving from Cardiff, we'll still sing our Cardiff city songs and we'll still shout bloooobirds, but next season we'll do it with a potential continent full of new fans! Why are we doing it, well red is traditionally a lucky colour in the far east and the dragon is a symbol of ferocity and is again lucky.
I appreciate that the argument could be had that if we roll over and accept these changes then the board will keep bending us over and over again, but I honestly believe that TG and the others have the best interests of CCFC at heart and they are truly in this for the long run.
To the doubters I don't know if you mind a mere 7 years ago when not only our new badge was created (yes...you're up in arms about a badge that is not a decade old itself) but a gentleman named Sam Hamman was lord and dictator of Cardiff city football and his regime to take us forward included the appointment of one Mr Peter Ridsdale. Two gentlemen who can only be described as criminals among football administrators, their adventures included inciting violence with rival fans and creating a false company in order to loan Cardiff city fc £15,000,000 pounds at a payday loan level of interest for Sam and Peter famously told the supporters that every single penny of season ticket money received in 2009 would be spent in the transfer window to insure promotion the premiership, mere months before using it all to pay a tax bill that he'd neglected for a year which almost caused the club to be folded! all of this before presenting the club with a bill for over £1.2 million for his 'services' in mediating a takeover bid!!
It seems to me the same people that are 'up in arms' about this re branding, if we can even call it that, which i don't think we can, its essentially a kit change at best, are the same people that hark back to the glory days of big Sam and pistol peter. Well to you I say you are not the future of MY football club, you are the past, you are a past that myself and others are ashamed of. You are the past of Leeds at home and Milwall away, the past of scarves around faces, the prince of wales blockades and smashing the windows of the Philharmonic when you spy an away team jersey at the bar, you are the past of intimidating the wives and children of travelling fans, being banned from stadiums and being bussed from train stations to ground under police guard. You want to talk about the heritage of our football club, we are the only team to take the FA cup out of England (that doesn't change because we play in red), we played in Europe (in the fucking 60s!) and we've had successful promotion campaigns (we were promoted in 2003 from the old second division, wow!) combine this with successful cup runs (we lost in the fa cup final to far inferior Portsmouth side and again this year to a Liverpool side who were 2 goals down in a penalty shootout!) So I say to you what heritage have we fucking got??? What have we had to cheer about! for 25 years Ive watched the boyos be constant nearly men, the perennial underachievers while all the while you ask any other football fan what they think of Cardiff city they say 'thugs.'
I'm getting behind this change, I'm ready for the barrage of abuse from other clubs fans I'm ready for the inflated ticket prices and I'm ready to order my new red home shirt. Because in exchange for my loyalty my football will now enjoy proposed plans to expand the CCS to 30,000 seats, a brand new training facility which will bring jobs and revenue to the local area, an end to all historic debt (currently around 14 mil and accumulating an interest of around 100% per annum, cheers again sam and pete) and a guaranteed investment of £100,000,000 into the club, as much as possible of which will be made available as transfer and additional wage budget for Malky. If this is the kind of evil the Malaysians are up to then LONG LIVE TG!
To the guy who left his scarf outside the club, to the twitter moron who accused us of appeasing 'foreign devils', i don't get why you don't understand that we could not survive the way we were! we certainly couldn't progress! to those guys, I'm glad you're boycotting the games and sending your tickets back, it gives us real fans a better chance of getting tickets, don't you dare come crawling back if this pays off for us you're not welcome your not a true bluebird... we may play in red or blue or bright pink for all i care, I'm from Cardiff city, i am Cardiff city, i don't care if we're called the welsh wankers I'm still in the stand cheering.
The bickering HAS to stop, just get behind the fucking club! just let go of that hooligan image and be as ashamed of it as I am and lets take the club forward and let go of the tried so hard but fell at the last cliche.
I'm 27, in my lifetime my football club has achieved precisely zero, Ive never known the joy of lifting a trophy or waving a flag with 'winners' on it. but to top it all of for the majority of my support time line I've had to concern myself more with whether or not the club is going to exist in 12 months time over results and league positions and if the players running out in red shirts every week changes that I'm all for it, if it means we have a dragon on the badge, I'm all for it, if it means we can just go for it, I'm all for it.
COME ON YOU DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!