Ding dong the witch is dead. Wake up – sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed. International football is off our tellies now for at least another month* and I’m not sure you’ll find many complaining about the wait. As James Richardson said on Football Weekly last week, it’s like paying to watch a film at the cinema only for it to be segued halfway through with a documentary short. You wouldn’t mind seeing the short at a later date- say, at the end of the season- just don’t interrupt my bloody film with it.
But hey, let’s not be a complete stick in the mud. Here’re a couple of Spurs-themed highlights from the last few days, in amongst all the tumbleweedery and widespread ennui…
Bale’s ThunderBork versus Scotland
Yes, the collapse for the winning penalty was dubious. Yes, Shaun Maloney sounded like a brainwashed Soviet drone when he told reporters that he didn’t think he’d fouled Bale but probably must’ve done because how else could he have fallen on the floor like that? And, yes, the whole diving thing is getting a little tiresome. But my, that was some goal. Scotland backed off and backed off, Gareth accepted the invitation and RSVPd with an absolute whallop into McGregor’s top right-hand corner. Sizzle me timbers.
Adebayor Sends Togo to the ACN
The only footage I found of this appears to have been filmed on a Casio Illuminator. From what I can gather, in front of a large, bestirred crowd at the Stade de Kégué, Adebayor stretches one of his elongated limbs from a deep cross to fire home Togo’s second, thereupon taking them to the African Cup of Nations in January. Bad news for Spurs, of course, but genuinely heart-thawing to see the big man celebrate (pre-planned dance-routine as standard) with his teammates. Heaven knows they’ve had a tough couple of years.
And In Other News..
It’s not all been good for the heroes of Tottingham this international interlude. Not like this. Last night Danny Rose was embroiled in some rather ugly goings-on in Serbia as the England U21s qualified for Euro 2013. Sent off for having the temerity to be offended by some fairly blatant racial abuse, the young left-back must wonder where FIFA’s regulatory priorities lie. Kicking a football into a crowd or, well, you get where we’re going with this. Paul Ince is understandably shooting fast and loose with his call for Serbia to be banned for the next five tournaments (his son Tom was also present) but clearly them in Zurich need to do something that’s actually going to mean something and not just hand out an inconsequentially small fine.
* Not strictly true, of course. Look, I wrote this before last night’s torrential downpour, how was I supposed to know they’d reschedule the bloody thing for today? I’M JUST ONE MAN!
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Bale’s goal could hardly have been more perfect. There’s not a keeper in the world who’d have kept that out so perfectly placed was the shot. Right into the top corner, no fuss. As you rightly said; whallop.
I think Ade’s January trip to the ACN is a pretty big blow. That said, I suspect it will put extra pressure on AVB and Levy to bring in another forward. A youngster perhaps. Someone who’d be OK playing backup to the main pair. Or maybe they’ll just bring Kane back from his loan.
As for the Rose incident – what can be said? Serbia as a nation should be ashamed of what their countrymen subjected our black players to. Utterly unacceptable.
The thing I find almost as disgusting as the incident itself is manner in which FIFA and UEFA handle countries like this: minimal slap on the wrist and job done.
“Kick it out of football”, they claim. It’s a nice sounding sentiment but ultimately meaningless until such a time as FIFA and UEFA are willing to enforce a mandatory code of conduct on participating countries’ respective football associations.
Perhaps Rose should not have reacted (easier said than done unless you have yourself personal experience of being racially abused by thousands of people behaving like thugs/lynch mob for nigh-on two hours), but from what I saw he did little wrong, really.
I suspect, like with the Lazio racism fiasco with Tottenham a few weeks back, this will be swept under the carpet as quickly as UEFA are able to.
Just remembered the Kick It Out thing is an English FA thing. Anyone know the name of the international equivalent?
It seems Nazio was fined 32K for the monkey chants at the Lane:
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/top-football-stories/lazio-fined-32-500-for-racist-taunts-1-2587655
Nice work Platini; you showed them.
That fine is lower than John Terry’s fine for the Anton Ferdinand thing, and lower than Nick Bendtner got for showing his sponsor/advertising.
UEFA have their priorities all jumbled up.
Does Modric actively want to be hated by all Spurs fans? What is he thinking!?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19976356
Think its the usual journalist set-up job
‘Would you like Gareth Bale to come to Real Madrid?’
Whats he going to say?
‘Nah he’s rubbish, innit’
If he was smart he’d have said he didn’t have a view on the matter and that Bale’s career is his own business.
If someone asks me what I think someone else should do, I tell them to go ask that person!
That said, yes, the hacks do have a way of twisting things.
Completely unbelievable bullcrap coming from the Serbian FA about the impecable behavior of their fans. I saw a brief clip this morning and the monkey chants were clear as day. Can’t wait for Platini to bottle this one as well.
Word!
I had a strange dream last night where the following phrase burned itself into my subconscious:
Ph’nglui Mglw’nafh AVB Tottenham wgah’nagl fhtagn.
Iä! Iä! AVB Fhtagn!
Civilisation, as we know it, ended, as mankind, and all of its petty achievements; science, mathematics, art and culture, were revealed as pointless and, ultimately, futile, and slid into the dank abyss into which everything that we, as a species, know of or have ever even conceived of is doomed to end up.
Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham.
You’re just showing off now, KayBee. We don’t play Chelsea at the Bridge until April yet you’ve already got your prediction in!
PS – YAY for no more bloody internationals… for a month(ish).
Now the Serbian FA is accusing Rose of lying!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/18/danny-rose-england-serbia-racist-chanting
This is beyond outrageous.