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armchair pundit
Sep. 9th, 2004 12:24 amWe played Switzerland at soccer tonight. You know, the sissy European football game, where it's actually about hitting the ball with your foot (also your head, chest, and other parts not including your hands). They've beaten us in the past, most notably to deny us a place in the last major tournament, so tonight's result ("another glorious draw for Ireland", as I put it to a friend based in Switzerland) was at least an improvement on past form.
Armchair Pundit assessment of the game: we threw away some wonderful chances; in particular, "don't stop trying to score until the ref blows the whistle for offside". Also, both sides were lacking somewhat in gentlemanly conduct1 but I think on balance the Swiss got away with a lot more than the Irish. Case in point, one of the less, er, mid-european-looking players who fouled consecutively without warning from the ref, while Irish players were collecting yellow cards for lesser infractions; when he finally got carded late in the second half, there was a round of applause in the pub (which, er, I may have triggered). On the whole, it was a largely uninspiring match, lit up only occasionally by a few moments of genius. PFEH.
1. Quote someone smarter than me: Rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen; Soccer is a gentlemens' game played by hooligans.
Armchair Pundit assessment of the game: we threw away some wonderful chances; in particular, "don't stop trying to score until the ref blows the whistle for offside". Also, both sides were lacking somewhat in gentlemanly conduct1 but I think on balance the Swiss got away with a lot more than the Irish. Case in point, one of the less, er, mid-european-looking players who fouled consecutively without warning from the ref, while Irish players were collecting yellow cards for lesser infractions; when he finally got carded late in the second half, there was a round of applause in the pub (which, er, I may have triggered). On the whole, it was a largely uninspiring match, lit up only occasionally by a few moments of genius. PFEH.
1. Quote someone smarter than me: Rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen; Soccer is a gentlemens' game played by hooligans.
