Soccer – Not For Me

I have apologised to soccer fans four years ago for not being able to get into their sport. I have explained some of my beefs with the sport. I have commented on my struggles to watch games from the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This year was going to be different. I attempted to watch zero games and got 100% fulfilment in doing so.



I accept that there are beefs people have with my game, and that’s ok. It is also ok to refute my claims about Soccer (it’s not football to me).



As stated by David Letterman on his show, “it’s so dull you need to bring something to entertain yourself” referring to the ad nauseum blowing of the vuvuzela. As if 90 minutes for a nil all draw isn’t painstaking enough. The game consists of maybe 2 minutes of excitement. No wonder soccer fans in some countries are so angry after a loss, they haven’t had an outlet for their pent up rage from the working week.



How about these players? They are overpaid pansies. The diving we see in soccer is ridiculous. Some get taken off on a stretcher after a dive only to get up unaided and walk to the bench.



The card system seems inconsistent. Maybe I just don’t know the rules well enough. Some soft ones are given straight red when others just get yellow. It confuses us novices. Then again, the umpires in my game have strange inconsistencies.



In saying all that, I acknowledge the skill involved in playing soccer. Perhaps before you take a shot a my sport think about this, I have played soccer, would you give mine a go??

An Arrogant Bunch

If it’s Craig Foster’s aim to convince me to support Australia’s bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 then he is going the wrong way about it. In a recent article in the Sun Herald and in a conversation with Les Murray on SBS he came off as arrogant and conceited. Even suggesting that other sports don’t matter and that football [soccer] would inevitably take over Australia.

It’s true that soccer (I refuse to call it football) is the only truly international sport, but Foster should not be so arrogant when the local A League is on the decline despite the addition of new teams. Soccer does have the highest participation rates in juniors, yet our top competition can only be compared to the 3^rd or 4^th division in England.

Les Murray even got in the act on SBS recently, referring to the behaviour of rival codes as belligerent, inconvenient and unaustralian. He even suggested that we try and attain the bid before sorting out what he considers to be minor details. Getting three other codes that garner more support in Australia to shut up shop for three months is not minor!!

These two want other codes to just lie down and let them have their way. They use the examples of other countries and how they would laugh at the situation we have here. We have a unique situation. I can’t think of another country that has four football codes running professionally.

How about stadiums? We just don’t have them. I’ve blogged about it already. Our best are designed for cricket and Aussie Rules. FIFA want at least 12 stadiums of 40,000 minimum capacities, we have maybe 8. We just don’t have the population to make those kinds of stadiums viable. If Foster’s prediction is true, that soccer will take over Australia, then the sport needs to get cracking on some new soccer only stadiums.

For now, all soccer commentators should pull their collective heads in and show the other codes a tad of respect.

You Heard it Here First

On my other blog, Hammer Time, way back in 2006 I made comment to the fact that Australia's stadiums just don't cut the mustard when it comes time to seriously bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018/2022.

As per FIFA's criteria, for a nation to succeed in it's bid it will have to have 12 suitable stadiums. 10 need to have 40K+ capacity and 2 need 80K+ capacity. On top of that, other facilities need to be supplied for training purposes. Also, as I learnt from an ANZ Stadium tour, the soccer federations are quite picky when it comes to the type of grass used. Infact the stadium had recently been completely returfed for the upcoming international friendly.

There is the suggestion that all other football codes will have to halt so that the soccer, that's right I said soccer, boys can have their party. Rugby League bosses have said they hope to come to some agreement if the bid is successful. but 4 to 8 weeks is a ridiculous request and I hope all other codes at least make it very difficult for FFA boss, Ben Buckley.

But who are we kidding. We don't have the stadiums (read the 2006 post) and building anymore would be a waste of money. Rudd has already sunk $43 million just into the bid.

They've Done It Again

Perennial under performers. Oozing in potential yet producing little. That is how I would describe our national soccer team, The Socceroos.

It's hard to believe that they were favourites for the Asian Cup, as they face relegation after the group stage if they don't give Thailand a belting tomorrow.

People are already starting to point the finger. The Media is closely scrutinizing the Coach, Graham Arnold. While Arnold is doubting the players' commitment to playing in this tournament for their country.

The situation isn't helped by opposition teams having the dive and tumble down to a fine art. All you need to do is scrape their jersey and they are down and it isn't surprising anymore to see a stretcher to come out for these sissies. However, it is successful in frustrating the Aussies and it takes their mind off the game.

I only flicked on a get a score update for the Iraq game. Once when I switched on I saw 1 - 0 Iraq leading, and I thought he we go again. Later it was 1 - 1 and my mindset was a bit more positive, perhaps they have finally clicked. One more scorecheck found my positivity to be ill placed as it blew out to 3 - 1 Iraq's way.

It will be a long time before I could be bothered to watch a game again.

Soccer Beefs

I really tried to show some persistence in Australia's Asian Cup debut, but when the game is 90% dull, 8% interesting and 2 % exciting I'm going to want to flick channels occasionally. Then I flick back from CSI and someone has scored. In this case it was the Oman team which made the game more interesting as it would have been slightly embarrassing for the Socceroos to lose their opening game, considering they are the favourites to win the whole show.

The Socceroos seem to under perform when it is most needed. I'm talking mainly of previous World Cup playoffs against Iran and the first time we played Uruguay as I think we all know what happened the most time we played them. Having everything to play for but not matching the importance of the game with their intensity or desperation.

They were lucky to get away with a draw against Oman. Some might say it was some Tim Cahill brilliance. Rather it was a lucky deflection that planted the ball at Cahill's right foot ready to strike at a relatively open goal.

Next time I'll try and watch more and maybe, just maybe I'll catch a goal or two live.

Apologies To Soccer Fans

2005 was by far my worst year of playing footy. It was not very enjoyable indeed. Words cannot really express how bad it was. The only thing that got me through to the end of the year was my strong sense of commitment to the team.

Soon after the end of the season a rather enterprising young man offered a well-timed invitation to play Soccer for Wenty Uniting in the Churches competition. He got me when I was at my most vulnerable, depressed after the end of an ordinary season. He managed to get a few other friends to play, which made it somewhat enjoyable to be starting pre season in October for a completely new sport.

I played the full year of Soccer but never really felt like I was getting into the game. Sure I was playing ok in a pretty good team, and winning games is always more fun than losing. But I could never really get into Soccer even during the Soccer mad period, otherwise known as the FIFA World Cup.

In a way the year was very fruitful. As it made me realise how much I miss playing footy (Aussie Rules). I drove to the ground on Thursday night (26/10) and felt so excited to be starting pre-season in October. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. Probably since I was a junior. It was also quickly evident that the club was able to turn around the misfortunes of 2005. Everyone is smiling and pleased to be there which is the way it should be.

So sorry to Soccer that I couldn’t stay, but thankyou for making me realise how much I love playing the game of Australian Rules Football.

FIFA World Cup

I have been trying to get into the FIFA World Cup. I have found it extremely difficult, and not just because the games are televised in our early morning hours.

Here’s an example of why I think I will never fully get into Football (nee Soccer). Late Saturday night I started watching the England Vs Paraguay match. After 3 minutes the first goal was scored from a David Beckham free kick.

I thought that as this goal was scored so early that there were more to come. I stuck it out till half time but couldn’t fight sleep any longer so I reluctantly trudged off to bed. How justified I felt when I saw the final result remained at 1 – 0. I’m glad England won but to stay up for a result like that I ain’t doing. The same thing happened on Sunday night with Holland scoring in the 18th minute and finally beating Serbia & Montenegro 1 – 0.

As Kathy McCabe wrote in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 10th June:

“Maintaining enthusiasm and a vertical position as two teams battle to escape a nil all draw during the FA Cup Final is not my idea of a good time at 5am”

I appreciate and admire the skill involved but it’s not enough to keep me up at night.