Recent Comments by i_cola

Top of the World!

Anyone who plays with the skull-crushing intensity that KG does would have trouble keeping it together outside of game time. Add in the fact that he's just won the championship and I think he's entitled to go completely hatstand. Give him a couple of weeks to come back down to earth and them get him back in training to keep his mind off prowling round scaring children and TV interviewers.

posted by i_cola at 05:39 PM on June 19, 2008

US goalkeeper Hope Solo talks about World Cup fiasco

"(of which they then got outplayed all over the park)." Thats "pitch" Both are perfectly acceptable. Park is more of an English colloquialism rather than that defined in the rules. 'Goaltender' & 'benched' on the other hand make this Englishman's skin crawl. :-)

posted by i_cola at 04:15 AM on December 08, 2007

Knicks Disappoint The Entire World

*sigh*

posted by i_cola at 08:07 AM on November 22, 2007

Stephon Marbury Leaves Knicks, Threatens to [Euphemism] Isiah Thomas

When I saw Marbury miss the 3 pointer at the end of the Miami game I knew this season was over. You get paid a dump truck full of money to make shots like that or make enough shots during a game not to have to try & scramble a tie in the last second. I'm with MrNix...everyone looks like an idiot and it ain't getting better. Meh.

posted by i_cola at 05:31 PM on November 14, 2007

No Place Like Home

He refers to Celtic as 'boys in green stripes'. What an idiot.

posted by i_cola at 04:36 PM on November 14, 2007

Go Raiders!

posted by i_cola at 05:22 PM on January 26, 2003

When I see this image,

This is as good...if not better...and the aftermath was pretty good... The context...

posted by i_cola at 01:15 PM on January 26, 2003

USA v Germany by the numbers.

elsontano: And Columbus Crew hold the honour of having the first purpose-built 'soccer' stadium in the US right? jbou: Go for the Revolution...they used to have the highest support & I've heard that the crowd are the most passionate in the MLS. Fox or ESPN used to show live Premiership matches on PPV and there was a really good 2 hour highlights show on a Monday somewhere along the way...no doubt NER fans could point the way.

posted by i_cola at 09:58 AM on June 21, 2002

USA v Germany by the numbers.

Damn, damn, damn! Ah well. The better team lost by the sound of it...

posted by i_cola at 08:27 AM on June 21, 2002

Italy cries foul!

Totti deserved it for cumulative infringements. He'd twatted a Korean defender & got away with it & had been going down like a porn star on piece rates throughout the game. More Italian hilarity here In answer to the original question...YES!

posted by i_cola at 09:23 AM on June 19, 2002

England beat Argentina....

Bzzzz...bzzzzt....bzzzz! The best thing was that we won by playing football & working together, not kicking & diving our way to victory. Nicky Butt & Rio Ferdinand as star players out of 14 class acts. BTW, France, Germany & Argentina could all go out next week ;-)

posted by i_cola at 09:09 AM on June 07, 2002

Now every team at the World Cup has played. Thoughts so far?

Have a listen here...

posted by i_cola at 06:45 AM on June 06, 2002

Now every team at the World Cup has played. Thoughts so far?

One thing I forgot - the Uraguayan national anthem. Jaunty horse riding dictator music, goes on for ages & you think it's going to end 3 times before heading off at a tangent. A classic of the genre!

posted by i_cola at 06:35 AM on June 06, 2002

Now every team at the World Cup has played. Thoughts so far?

Ah yes...you have the ability to count the number of games & not groups, which I have not yet mastered ;-)

posted by i_cola at 12:49 PM on June 05, 2002

Now every team at the World Cup has played. Thoughts so far?

An average of 5.33 goals per game is pretty amazing for starters...even if you take out Germany v Saudis it's 5 Refs - generally excellent but the ref for Brazil v Turkey was so bad. Simple things like keeping players 10 yds back at free-kicks & then the whole penalty & Rivaldo incidents... And the balls. They're like sodding baloons!

posted by i_cola at 12:24 PM on June 05, 2002

Oh my gosh. Now this is an upset.

zombywoof: Agreed. The US may not even need to beat S Korea and they should go on to batter Poland... ...if you can win the group then a nice little tie v Mexico on the cards... USA in the Quarter finals?

posted by i_cola at 09:09 AM on June 05, 2002

The United States will win the World Cup...

or, 'Be cool, close yer tags' *ahem*

posted by i_cola at 06:29 AM on June 05, 2002

The United States will win the World Cup...

tieguy: Indeed it is. In origin. However, as the writer says, the use of the word is not. Be cool, say 'footie'. ;-) **legging it home 4 Rep. of Ireland (not Eire as we're being pedants!) v Germs. C'mon Robbie!**

posted by i_cola at 06:28 AM on June 05, 2002

The United States will win the World Cup...

And they're beating you again! 40 mins gone & USA 3-1 up!!! Go USA! I'd love the US to produce a decent men's footie side in the same way I'd like the same for Oz... No matter how much some in the US may sniff at footie, US sports fans cannot resist a winning team. If Team USA does well at this World Cup then all you UnitedStatesians who've been following the game before now can hopefully feel some smug pride in having been around before the bandwagon got rolling... Again, I say, go USA!! ;-)

posted by i_cola at 04:43 AM on June 05, 2002

"Look, kid, the match was over before it started anyway..."

And guess which recently re-elected FIFA president's son is involved with the ticketing op?!?

posted by i_cola at 09:35 AM on June 03, 2002

Biggest World Cup upset since Cameroon vs Argentina, 1980.

No matter what...footie rules. World Cup threads running on SpFi, MeFi & MeTa at the same time :-) The reason France lost was: Playing Henry wide - fine 4 years ago but he's got more power now & it was obvious from the 10th minute that France were weak at the front. Le Beouf: Always likely to be the weak link along with Barthez's occasional mistakes. Don't jump in so far from your own goal. Oh, Trezeguet, don't grin like an idiot when you scoop a chance on to the post that should have gone in. You want to score every time & should be banging your fists on the ground when you miss like that. You were never going to score after that. France played like champions 30 mins & then just slacked back for the rest of the game. Zizu - with him France would have won by 3. Pires would have given France some width. They're looking a bit thin with their 2 best players out...

posted by i_cola at 05:14 PM on May 31, 2002

I had LeBouef & Barthez down as possible weak links in an otherwise awesome French squad and waddayaknow... Senegal win...brilliant! That is a major shock. vacapinta: where did you get to watch the match in the end? (re: MeTa query)

posted by i_cola at 08:26 AM on May 31, 2002

86: MLS picked up the rights to screen the World Cup for free (no US network wanted 'em!) & have struck a deal with ESPN & ABC - schedule here - altho' I'm not sure of the PPV situation in the US. I think that the main Spanish-language network in the US will be broadcasting too. From what I've heard, MLS may do well on the back of the main US sports going more PPV. The finance & organization seems to be getting better too but I think you're right about the caliber ;-) It'll be interesting to see which of the minority-sports-playing New World countries (ie USA & Australia!) do best at football (soccer) in the coming years. At the moment I'd say the US but Oz have a lot of potential... Last time I was in the States (99) there was PPV of the English Premiership Sunday games and a pretty decent round up program shown in the week. In England, the whole pay-channel & PPV idea has gone arse-up in a big way. Reports here with a more general overview here. Slight (!) digression...back to the main event...

posted by i_cola at 04:50 AM on May 17, 2002

I'll third the Maradonna goal...and... Keith Houchen (Coventry City v Spurs 1987 FA Cup final) Robert Pires (Aston Villa v Arsenal 2002) Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal v Newcastle 2002) ...come to think of it, there are too many... A cracking goal which will be hyped into the sun in the run up to WC2002 but there really are at least 30 ahead of it...

posted by i_cola at 11:41 AM on May 16, 2002

England World Cup squad

Ned: Them were the days when players could drink like fish & still turn out ;-) I'll bet half a shandy will have li'l Joe on his back... Let's hope that the key players can recouperate a bit too. Scholes looked totally knackered last night v Arse

posted by i_cola at 07:58 AM on May 09, 2002

England World Cup squad

No major surprises. Danny Mills will be the main bone of contention due to his general thuggery & lack of international experience. Owen Hargreaves seems to be in for his utilitarian abilities (I think he's currently playing right back for Bayern) and Joe Cole gets in over Steve Mac 'cos..? For experience? - SMac won't go to another championship & JC is the new Gazza with fitness? Sheringham? Yeah, why not...

posted by i_cola at 07:05 AM on May 09, 2002

Kevin Keegan must be chuckling now...and so am I as I predicted that ManUre 'woulnd't win shit this season' from the point Jaap Stam got ditched... My other half is not so impressed ;-) Ben: Good question - I'd hope so. Didn't they have a presentation at Anfield after they nicked it in the last seconds of th 89 season?

posted by i_cola at 09:46 AM on May 07, 2002

I should point out that in England we refer to the 'uniform' as a 'football strip'. Which is just asking for trouble really ;-)

posted by i_cola at 09:08 AM on May 07, 2002

Well, first off, how does the link indicate becoming a tradition?

Also, I don't see the connection between Juve fans' joy at winning the top football (soccer) competition in Italy being expressed with a bit of souveneir grabbing - which has happened to umpteen Pop, Rock, Film & Sports stars in countires all over the world - & hooliganism.

There is sports-related violence in the US too.

[Disclaimer: I work for the magazine I linked too, but not as a writer. And this is my first post. And I'm British. Just kill me now...]

posted by i_cola at 07:59 AM on May 07, 2002