If you’ve managed to avoid the sound of a Vuvzela these past few week then I am baffled as to how you are managing to read this post. Anyone anywhere with any arrangement of conversation, news reporting or any technology befitting of the modern age will know the World Cup has been concluded. In the favour of the Spaniards and the English.
What?
This tournament has been tainted by the curse of the Nike advert. Drogba (essentially absent), Cannavaro (knocked out in groups), Walcott (absent), Rooney (didn’t really show up), Ribery (aggresive & pointless), Ronaldinho (absent) and Christiano Ronaldo (21 shots, 9 on target, 1 goal) all played well below the expected threshold. One goal between each of these players which fell on the back of Ronaldo’s head before dropping hap-hazardly (and totally out of his control) to his foot 2 yards from an open goal. What does this have to do with England winning the World Cup this year?
None of the stars shone as brightly as we knew they could – even Arjen Robben (this years firecracker on the pitch) wasn’t playing at his absolute best. During the last 120 minutes of the 2010 Africa World Cup one star the tabloids had left behind took his rightful place in history: Howard Webb.
Our home-grown hero (ex copper and hard-man at that) broke records by ‘awarding’ a staggering 14 yellow cards and 1 red.
Kay Webb [wife], who was unable to watch much of the game because she was too nervous, told GMTV she thought the 38-year-old Yorkshireman was ”brilliant”.
”I have every confidence in him,” she said.
Resting on his shoulders were the expectations of an entire planet (give or take a few), and we’ve all seen it go horribly wrong before. Too many times have I heard about the plight of a referee recieving death-threats in the post due to a horrible decision. It goes without saying that the technology debate will be rife following this tournament, but our English record-setting hero did brilliantly in the meantime.
The game and the cup ended with a single goal from the right boot of Andres Iniesta who has had one of the better few weeks/months of the worlds players. I expected more from the Dutch side who managed to fall flat on their face in classic orange style (de ja vu 2008), there was a freekick towards the end that should’ve been left for Mr Persie, Robin Van.
Many of us made clear our dislike of Mark Lawrenson’s banter, and we found ourselves slowly coming to terms with the fact that we were missing ITV and it’s vans for sale adverts. There’s something inherently linked between football and vans, so it became something of a familiarity to have a football interlude that allowed a quick snippet of some vans. I’m only talking like this because the Worlders are over. Sad times.
Well done Spain, well done.
Oh yes.. you too Paul.