It could just be that he's not that good

The hate-mongering business as set up by the left to justify their social engineering and exclusion policies in order to change society into the way they believe it should be (ie not one anybody with common sense or decency would wish to live in) constantly throws up cases where prejudice is assumed simply because of the colour of a persons skin, or religion (or the now vast other 'special' groups out there) Quite often it's in the interest of the hate industry to make such cases media events, after all, if they don't, people might start asking pointed questions as to why we are employing them...
The Sun.

ONE of Britain’s oldest youth football clubs has been accused of repeatedly subbing the same boy — just because he’s Asian.
Furious mum Fehnez Khan reported the team to cops and the FA — claiming her nine-year-old lad Jaedon was the victim of race hate.
The raging parent insisted: “My son was the only coloured boy in the side and I am sure that was why he wasn’t given as good a chance as the rest.”
The conveyancing assistant, 42, even hired two undercover coaches to watch Jaedon play — and she said they couldn’t understand why he was often taken off.
But officials from Knowle FC in Solihull, West Mids — which was formed in 1926 — have angrily denied any suggestion of racism.
They told cops the youngster was only ever substituted or put on the bench for football reasons.

Ah the classic 'is it cos I is black' cri de coeur of someone who refuses to accept any other explanation other than the one where it has to be prejudice, as we all know that prejudice is rife in our society. After all it must be, we're constantly being told it is by the race industry and the moronic left.
The real explanation though is somewhat more prosaic...

They quizzed the parents of nine players, including one Asian boy, who said Jaedon was a weaker squad member.

In other words he simply wasn't good enough for the team, not necessarily useless, just that if you are in a squad of very good players then you might just struggle to keep up with them, or your game style simply does not suit the teams style.
It's usually not because your skin colour doesn't fit.
That however does not stop the race/hate-mongers deciding to leap into action as it gives them an excuse to get their cause into the press as well as getting a wad of cash in compo should they get their way.
Altogether now... ♪It's never your fault, it's never your fault. Always the victim, it's never your fault.♫
(To the tune of the Sloop John B chorus) 
The sooner we get a government with the balls to dismantle the hate industry and move us all to the same status rather than believe some animals are more equal than others the better.

Throwing your toys out of the pram

What is it about the political left and childish behaviour (to go on top of malevolent, genocidal, eugenetic, dictatorial behaviour to name but a few) It's like they simply cannot accept that other people might have different views and go out of their way to denigrate, minimise or more usually misrepresent them. Take anything that sniffs of right wing thought (whether it's right wing or simply a different type of left wing) and suddenly the toys go out of the pram...
BBC.

Ex-foreign secretary David Miliband has resigned from the board of Sunderland football club over new head coach Paolo Di Canio's "past political statements".
Mr Di Canio has previously described himself as "a fascist, not a racist".
Mr Miliband had been serving as the club's vice-chairman and as a non-executive director.
He said he wished the club "all success in the future. It is a great institution that does a huge amount for the North East".

One can only assume that the huge amount Sunderland do for the North East is for the vast amusement of Newcastle fans... but I digress.
I was aware of Millipede D's association with Sunderland, though that wasn't the main reason for disliking him, I mainly disliked him because he was simply another Blair clone with all the economic ineptitude that goes with such a position. Bluntly, anyone of the left of the political spectrum should not be allowed anywhere near the countries finances, they simply haven't a clue and mistake political dogma for economic policy. (Think magic money tree, union corruption and spending more than you take in)
Still you have the amusing story of Millipede D quitting his (well paid) position of non executive board director of Sunderland AFC because the new manager admits he holds fascist views (not racist but fascist) which is quite laughable as Fascism is a credo or political movement of the left as it simply does not accommodate free markets or capitalism. However it's not orthodox leftism so that immediately makes it right wing (it isn't) and a threat to leftist orthodoxy (which it is as it appeals to the working class far more than Marxism being of a nationalist pride in your country bent)
However anyone holding political views that the left cannot subvert or twist is seen as a threat so the extreme gesture is called for and most people will never know just what it is that Di Canio said or believes (it isn't in the BBC article surprise, surprise) Milliband is a creepy Marxist who Sunderland (and his constituency of South Shield's) are well rid of, I wish Di Canio well (but not that well, I am a Newcastle fan after all)

The idiocy that is Shariah

Owing to being born in the North East of England and the son of a proud Newcastle United supporting fanatic for my sins I am and always will be a member of the Toon Army, despite the fact I now live far away in Kent and the club have more or less priced me out of the market for attending matches, not that the tend to win anything really major, but I live in hope.
That said, I never expected the Toon ever to be involved in a dispute with the muslim council of Britain over an issue involving Shariah...
Telegraph.

Newcastle United's Muslim players have been warned that wearing the club's shirt with the logo of new sponsors Wonga on the front could infringe Sharia law.
The Muslim Council of Britain's (MCB) intervention is the latest batch of criticism the club has received since signing a four-year £24 million sponsorship deal with the short-term loan company on Tuesday that will also see the club's ground revert to its long-standing title of St James' Park.
There is nothing illegal about Wonga’s enterprise, but the firm’s charge of 4,214 per cent APR on its internet-based payday loans has been criticised by local MPs, consumer groups and trade unions.
Newcastle's starting eleven against Manchester United contained four practising Muslims, Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé, Cheick Tioté and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Under Sharia law, a Muslim is not allowed to benefit from lending or receiving money from someone, which means that earning interest is not allowed. Muslims comply by interest not being paid on Islamic savings, current accounts or Islamic mortgages.

Once again we have the unelected loons of the MCB trying to stick their noses in where it doesn't belong, this is not an Islamic country and (supposedly) our laws apply though we've seen numerous examples in the past of our laws and traditions being shunted aside as the powers that be suck up to the islamo-barbarians.
How advertising a service breaches shariah law is beyond me, however making no sense whatsoever in order to promote an agenda is nothing new for muslims, or indeed many of the leftoids or political classes in general. But, no one is making Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé, Cheick Tioté and Hatem Ben Arfa take out the loans and I'd guess that advertising something that isn't particularly shariah isn't really covered by shariah law anyway. It's just another way for the MCB to annoy the rest of us and get some publicity for their lunacy.
As for Wonga? They provide a service, no-one actually makes you take out such a loan and yes the interest is high, but it's high because it is short term and anyone taking one out ought to be aware of the various caveats involved.
This ought to be a matter for the club and players, as ever though where muslims are concerned there's the whole do as we say or else attitude that they wear like a second skin. Personally I think Newcastle United ought to tell them where to go, but we all know how the 'minority special interest' arguments go these days.

 

England 0 : 0 Italy England go out on penalties.

What is it with penalties and England sides? Yes we struggled, yes Italy were far the better side, yes they were deserved winners. But, how come our players can't take penalties to save their lives?
It's truly weird...

Collective punishment

It's a favourite of those in authority. Can't be arsed to deal with a minor problem, opt for a blanket ban.
Telegraph.

A primary school has banned children from playing football at break-time during Euro 2012 to stop fights - and has asked them to play chess instead.
Pupils have been told kickabouts and all other ball games are off limits at playtime during the tournament.
Instead, staff at Hall Road Primary, in Orchard Park, Hull, hope pupils will skip and play with outdoor chess sets.
Deputy head teacher Kristina Frary said the ban was needed to prevent injuries and allow staff to get on with teaching.
She said: "Passions are running high, especially with the Euro 2012 football tournament. Potentially, that's why children are wound-up.
"We have had a sequence of fall-outs and they were all centred around football.
"It was only a small number of incidents - maybe half a dozen - but we have decided to have a break."

So instead of being prepared to deal with a half a dozen incidents, all the kids who want to play football have to suffer? Wouldn't it have just been easier to 'sin bin' the ones who can't control themselves and to let the rest enjoy the pleasure of kicking a ball about to let off steam?
I do wish the powers that be would just leave us alone, to see that in life as in sport there are winners and losers. To allow small disputes like these to be treated as a breach of the rules, rather than as an excuse for collective punishment.
Kids are competitive, kids fight, you punish the guilty, not the innocent.
What''s so bloody hard about that?

England 1 : 0 Ukraine

Not vintage England by any means, though we haven't really seen any signs of that in this competition. Still, all they had to do was not lose, tricky bit was, they were playing the host nation who had to win. Good defending, a simple goal and a blind touchline referee all contributed to a good result. Yes there will be those who say the Ukraine should have had a goal and that we were lucky. Yes we were, but these things even out, remember Lampard and a similar no goal against Germany back in South Africa?
As it is, we're not going home (yet) and we face Italy on Saturday night.

Sweden 2 : 3 England

Well what a difference a substitute can make. From being in a comfortable 1:0 up in a pretty boring first half through a quality Carroll goal. England seemed to blow a few fuses right at the start of the second half and ended up 2:1 down due to some sloppy defending. Credit to the manager for acting immediately by putting Theo Walcott on and turning the match around, Walcott was on 22 minutes, was on the ball 11 seconds, and made four passes (all successful), and had one assist and one goal.
England looked to have thrown it all away with the kind of horror start to the half that has grown men breaking down in frustrated tears. But credit where it is due, they rallied and with the help of an inspired substitution from Roy Hodgson to introduce Theo Walcott, they battled their way to victory.
But you have to ask yourself just why is watching England such a stressful and painstaking experience, even when we are winning?

France 1 : 1 England

Hmmmm.
Ok for once I was impressed by an England side that actually played as a team and not as a bunch of primadonnas. We created several good chances and apart from one close header left France to long range efforts sadly one of which they scored from.
What we do appear to be missing is a goalscorer, though Rooney will return for the final match as to whether he'll disrupt the team or enhance it remains to be seen.
Still I'll give them a 7 out of 10 for this performance.

Moronic Labour

You can almost guarantee that the race industry will attempt to inveigle itself into all aspects of our lives. You can pretty much guarantee that the political classes for whom it suits particularly those on the left of the political spectrum will come out with something so ridiculous that it just beggars the imagination.
Mail.

England players should walk off in protest and abandon the match if any of them are racially abused during the Euro 2012 football competition, Labour said last night.
The unprecedented call for a pitch protest by Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander came amid a growing political row over the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
And the view received strong support in a snap poll, which suggested six out of ten backing players who walk off.
Mr Alexander said that if, as many fear, black England players are abused when the team plays Ukraine on Tuesday week, the match should be stopped – with the points awarded to England.

Now I don't know who these people in the snap poll are, but they clearly understand about as much of the game as Wee Dougie.
If the England players walk off the pitch in protest about anything without the permission of the referee, that's known as forfeiting the match and the points go to the other team. This is usually followed up by FIFA imposing sanctions on the nation involved.
Now as Wee Dougie is a Scotsman perhaps he should just stop commenting on an English team and mind his own, or perhaps he'd just love England to be kicked out of the competition for breaking the FIFA code of conduct, he is a Scot after all and their sympathies when it comes to the English are suspect to say the least. Not that the press helps matters by producing Scottish editions highlighting the England teams progress, but that's just part of the ongoing 'British' mentality that pervades the MSM in the UK.
Either way, the race industry is talking out of its arse when it comes to what England's players can and cannot do within the framework of the rules of the game and the code of conduct they are expected to follow.
No-one likes overt racism or racism in general, however it's something that FIFA/UEFA will deal with after the match. It's not something the players are expected to do anything about during the match.

Capello Quits

Fabio Capello has quit as England manager
BBC.

Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager, the Football Association has confirmed.

Capello quit after a meeting with FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley.

An FA statement read:  "The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager."

On Monday, the Italian, 65, publicly challenged the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

The FA's statement continued: "The discussions focused on the FA Board's decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capello's response through an Italian broadcast interview.

I've avoided the Terry case here on the grounds that for all I suspect that he's being hung out to dry by the race industry he is like Joey Barton a bit of a thug who happens to be a halfway decent footballer.
However I do believe that Capello had the right to field the team he wanted and that the F.A. had no business telling him who he could and couldn't play, bad publicity or not.
I wonder who they'll pick next to take up the poisoned chalice that is the England football managers job?

Well played Germany

Well it's all over for another 2 years at least assuming we qualify for the European Championship and with this squad not even that's guaranteed, certainly not if they play like they played in this world cup, I hardly think the mighty Wales are quivering in their boots at that performance.
No doubt there will be massive inquests and a lot of shouting over what went wrong, but it can be summed up fairly easily, We Weren't Good Enough! Not by a long way and not even enough to go down fighting. Oh sure some could point out the disallowed goal might have changed the nature of the game, it might have, but that wouldn't have improved our dreadfully playing squad for the next round. These players do well in the premiership, however they are surrounded (and I suspect carried) by talented foreigners too. Rooney might just as well not have turned up and don't get me started on Heskey!
It seems once again that only the England fans have the passion and belief in our country, certainly our squad doesn't seem too. The flags will be packed away and people will feel robbed, not by Germany, but by the England squad. Germany showed us how it can be done, will we learn? I suspect not, we never do.

Just stop it!

I was out shopping today and couldn't help noticing the tabloid headlines.

Herr we go, again = The Sun
Jermania, now it's er Germany = The Mirror
JOB DONE NOW FOR THE HUN = Daily Star

Dear Lord, the puns are bad enough but the jingoism is embarrassing. No wonder certain people hate England, it's borderline racist and seriously wrong. England put in a reasonable performance against a rather poor Slovenian side and the gutter press are bigging it up as if it was a classic. Germany are a totally different kettle of fish and one of the better looking sides in the competition which has had a good few non performers go out (Yes we're looking at you France) as well as the odd upset (Hello Italy). I'm not saying England will lose and go out, but, the tabloids are making it seem as if this will be easy, it wont, matches against Germany seldom are and I doubt we'll manage a 5:1 thrashing this time.
The insults against the Germans are not helping and quite frankly a disgrace and make the English look like a bunch of racist idiots, despite it being the British press. No wonder "Anyone but England" becomes a way of life for some people.
With friends like the tabloids, the English are accumulating enemies we don't really need.

The ABE's will just have to wait

Better.

Still a lot of improvement needed, but much better.

Just for once don't let us down!

I love watching football, from kids and adults playing in the park right up to champions league. The skill level of course is highly variable but the passion and commitment isn't, at least usually.
I've felt very let down by the England team over the last 2 matches, I've seen pub teams with more zest for the game playing in my local recreation ground. These England footballers seem to have forgotten that it is England they represent, not the F.A. not themselves, but England and the fans, not "this country" or "our country" but ENGLAND! We expect them to show some pride in this, some passion, a sense of commitment, not the stumbling and lethargy of the last 2 matches.
No doubt eventually the real reasons for such a poor performance of late will come to light, but most fans feel very let down anyway and wont accept anything other than the fact that you showed a total lack of commitment to them. You were booed off the pitch in your last match and struggled to understand why, it wasn't because all you could manage was a draw, it was because you didn't look like you were interested in playing! You treat the fans and your country with contempt, whether willingly or not and we expect so much better than that. Perhaps patriotism is an unknown concept for you in your high paid pampered life but it isn't for the hordes of England fans who have draped their cars and houses with our flag, they love their country in a way you seem to have forgotten. We want to believe you can do well, we've seen you play well for your club sides so know you can do it. So for once show some bloody pride and don't let the English down.

If we are to be coming home tomorrow at least let it be because we went down fighting!

Right, lets try this again. Come on England!

Our footballers, who are in South Africa

England is your name

Our World Cup has come

let glory be won

In Cape Town as it is in Wembley

Give us today a longed for victory

And forgive us our doubts

As we forgive those who score against us

Lead us not into offside traps

But deliver us to victory

For ours is the dream

the hope of the glory

For England

For ever

Today

Dream on

If people could predict football results as easily as say figuring out how much change they have in their pocket then the football pools would have gone out of business before they'd even had a chance to get going. Yet this guy is already predicting England's world cup exit.

Telegraph.

Dr Ian McHale has converted a well known mathematical model to predict which teams are most likely to progress through the competition.

The "ordered probit", used in business and medicine, shows that England has a six per cent chance of winning the tournament. 

That means it will win its group stage, then beat Serbia in the second round before narrowly succumbing to the French in the quarters.
The model, similar to one believed to be used by bookmakers, does not just take into account the form sheet but also the luck of the drawer.
It predicts that Holland are the favourites with almost 12 per cent chance of lifting the Cup narrowly ahead of Spain and Brazil.
Dr McHale, a sport statistician at the University of Salford, said: "England have an easy run up to the quarter final and then it is a very level match with the French. Unfortunately even if they win that they meet Brazil or Holland."
Dr McHale, whose work featured in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s magazine, predicted the form of the teams by studying nearly 9,000 matches over the last eight years and comparing this with their Fifa world ranking.
He then played the form books through a million different scenarios using the statistical model which showed the most probable progression of each team.
The results follow closely the bookies although Holland jumps from fifth ranked to first ranked because of recent improvements in form. That makes them a good bet at the current 10-1 odds.
In the rankings England drop from 4th favourites to sixth under the system but France jump from eighth to fifth.
Portugal, which is officially third ranked ream in the world, is ninth favourite because it has such a tough drawer.

You know it's bad enough that the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish are fixated on our early demise but statisticians too? Hasn't the guy heard of lies, damned lies and statistics? Football is so much more than columns of figures to be number crunched and spew out a predicted result. Every football fan knows upsets happen and prays it isn't their side on the receiving end as you usually don't hear the end of it for years, decades sometimes. We still get the occasional mention of the 1950's USA upset here, wonder what the good Doctor would have made of that.
Most England fans have figured we wont win it, though we'll do our best to cheer our side on and keep our fingers crossed after all, upsets do happen and we do have a reasonable squad who did very, very well in the qualifiers and whilst we may not be as good as say Spain or Brazil, all they need is one bad day, a bit of bad luck or a set of poor refereeing decisions to ruin their tournament as well.
What I and others want from England is that they play with pride and passion, with a bit of fire in their bellies, something that has been missing from England squads in major championships since the 1990 World Cup.

As Sir Terry Pratchett wrote: "The thing about football - the IMPORTANT thing about football - is that it is not just about football."

Statistics can never take that into account.

What on earth has he been smoking?

Football, I'd hoped to avoid the subject for blogging after my last little foray as I enjoy watching the sport and enjoyed playing it when a lot younger. But I can't believe this...

Scotsman.

DAVID Cameron yesterday announced that he would be flying the flag of St George over Downing Street for the World Cup and called on MPs wherever they come from in the UK to cheer on England.
With England the only team from the home nations in the World Cup in South Africa, Mr Cameron has made the unprecedented decision to exchange the flag of England for the Union Flag which normally flies over Downing Street.
Mr Cameron's comments came during Prime Minister's Questions after an appeal from a new Tory MP to get properly behind the team.
He was urged to show his support for the English team by Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon), who said: "I ask you to do a great thing for the people of England and cut through the bureaucracy and nonsense and fly the flag of England over Downing Street for the duration of the World Cup."
Mr Cameron replied: "There was some question that this was going to have a cost impact but I've managed to cut through that and I can say that at no additional cost to the taxpayer the flag of St George will fly above Downing Street during the World Cup."
Then, pointedly looking up at the SNP members, he added: "For the purposes of this I'm looking at all the benches here and I'm sure that everyone in this House, no matter what part of the United Kingdom they come from, will be cheering 'come on England'."

If ever I needed a clue that Cameron does not understand both football and the English in relation to the rest of the UK that was the defining moment.

1. Football fans do not support their nearest rivals to win anything, it's a bit like trying to get Newcastle fans to cheer Sunderland, Celtic/Rangers, even Millwall/Charlton it just doesn't happen.
2. England are not Britain, it's not like the Olympics where the whole of the UK are involved, it's just one country England, not Scotland, not Wales and not Northern Ireland and expecting them to support us is is ridiculous, they don't particularly like us as a country in the first place.
3. The very fact that England are there whilst the other home countries failed to qualify is not going to make their fans transfer allegiance, they'd rather we all failed than one rise above the others, it's a type of tall poppy syndrome.
4. Anyone but England has more or less been the Scottish motto since 1998 when England have qualified (save Euro 2008) for every major competition and they haven't, they find this hard to forgive, we aren't supposed to be better than they are (in their eyes) and it has since been adopted by the Welsh and possibly the Irish.
5. We're English, not South Scottish or Eastern Welsh, we wouldn't support them and they don't support us!

 Then, pointedly looking up at the SNP members, he added: "For the purposes of this I'm looking at all the benches here and I'm sure that everyone in this House, no matter what part of the United Kingdom they come from, will be cheering 'come on England'."

They wont, nor do I expect them too, it's possible Cameron was just in a jokey expansive mood, however that was an insult to the Scots and would have been taken that way by some. We might get a grudging "Well done" if England do win it, though I wouldn't place money on that and I know they'll be dreading it if we do win as 1966 will be nothing compared to what will happen for the next 50 odd years. Mostly they'll be hoping that we fall flat on our faces, it's what rival fans do.