Sunday, November 05, 2006

Who do you support?

A great afternoon of sport. West Ham-Arsenal, England-New Zealand, Chelsea-Spurs. 6 hours of non-stop grass action.

The Hammers edged out Arsenal at the last minute. Not exactly deserved but well done all the same. I used to live almost slap bang between Upton Park and Highbury so my loyalties are divided. I wanted Arsenal to win because they play the best football and would be well placed to challenge Man.Ure and Chelsea but I'm not sad to see the spirit of the Hammers come through. And let's face it, they need a break.

A below par New Zealand thumped England. YES! A combination of 11 years at public school in the west country and 7 years living in New Zealand makes me a turncoat that wants England to be pulverised every time they play rugby. All those England players only remind me of the bullies and bores I had to endure school with. The New Zealanders remind me of the energy and spirit of the Maori and South Sea Islanders who play for fun but know how to win a game ruthlessly. The All Blacks are possibly the best side ever to play team sport. Unbelievable.

And the biggest, most ruthless team in the land... lost to Spurs. I admire Chelsea for their machine-like tenacity and occasional flair but I've always had a soft spot for Tottenham since the days of Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles. The only shame is it leaves those manc bastards 3 points clear! Grrr.

But who's the real winner today?

Upton Park - 35,000 - full house
Twickenham - 82,000 - full house
White Hart Lane - 36,000 - full house

How many cities in the world could host 3 huge sporting events simultaneously on the same day without the support of an Olympics or similar? London can. And did. And I bet there was plenty going on elsewhere too. And it was sunny.

I love this town.

2 comments:

  1. Is Man.Ure short for Manchester Urinal?

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  2. Well I went to see Fulham on Saturday...Beat Everton with a typically jammy Claus Jensen strike! Then went to fireworks (Yes we took a four month old baby to the fireworks - but not the footie - and he loved the lights and the bangs!) in Hammersmith and struggled home with a buggy on the tube/bus. Hectic day.

    Spent Sunday working out how practical an idea moving to the wilds of Scotland to live in an Eco house would be...

    I love this town. But sometimes I hate it too.

    I mean six people have been shot within a five minute walk of our flat in the three years we have lived there - three shot dead...There are times when I yearn for a bit of quiet. I would also love to live somewhere that generated power rather than used tons of it.

    Oh, BTW anyone into football really HAS to read the Damned UTD by David Peace. Brilliant insight into the nightmare world of footie management.

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