Watch this space

It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought I'd point to an excellent story on Soccernet that pretty much sums up what I think about the whole Portugal-as-pantomime-villians situation. I do plan to post more often once I run into some free time. The following passage sums up the entire situation far more eloquently than I could ever manage:

Portugal's major crime, of course, is nothing more serious than eliminating England. It is simpler to vilify Ronaldo, and add his name to a list of the reviled that, rightly or wrongly, already includes Urs Meier and Diego Simeone, than accept Rooney's dismissal as a correct decision and pinpoint England's failure at their own feet. Instead, there is an element of hypocrisy in the crusade of the likes of Alan Shearer, himself booked for diving during Euro 2000, against the Portuguese. Many others are jumping on the moral high ground, no matter how shaky its foundations are; frankly, their holier-than-thou attitude stinks.

Firstly, I don't think Ronaldo is to be blamed for Rooney's red card. Anyone who watched the game without their "Cross of St. George" glasses on will tell you that, contrary to reports, he never mimed a card gesture in front of the referee (as if to tell him how to do his job). The vilification that he is bound to receive upon arrival in Manchester is symptomatic of the English public's inability to lose without making excuses. In '86 it was that cheating Argie Maradona, using his hand an all that (just don't mention that second goal to them). In 1990 penalties did them in, so if you really think about it, England scored a moral victory in that World Cup. Let's not talk about 94, but in 1998 it was that stupid boy from Manchester (don't we all hate Manchester United? Let's just pin the blame on those guys) who got himself sent off, so the valiant English defence couldn't hold out against the Argentinian onslaught.....on penalties. Fast-forward four years later, and a 'golden generation' were robbed by those cheating Brazilians, using the laws of physics and such-like to their advantage. To add insult to injury, the same boy from Manchester hurdled a tackle near the opposition penalty area, which lead to them conceding a goal.

This time around, it was a bunch of boys from Manchester who contrived to rob England again. Forget the laughable squad, the archaic tactics, the insipid play, the sycophancy of the manager, the constant excuses and the overall lack of goalscoring opportunities. If there's one thing I know after following football for all these years, it is that the English press love a scapegoat, even more so if that scapegoat plays for a certain Manchester United. As a fan, I say "bring on the hate".

Meanwhile, isn't it fun to see Henry's dives go completely unnoticed by the media, at least compared to the Portuguese incident? One wonders what would have happened if France had knocked England out of the World Cup. Ah, the possibilities....