[Razor]

Of all ridiculous statements I've heard from the British press this past week, this one takes the cake:

***************************************

Euro2000-New ball proves potent weapon
By Mitch Phillips

SPA, Belgium, June 14 (Reuters)(DS) - The ball being used at Euro 2000 moves more quickly through the air and travels further than other balls and has an exaggerated response to deflections, according to England assistant coach Les Reed. The ball has a liquid gel cushion under the surface wich the makers say allows it to snap it back into shape more quickly and behave in a truer fashion.

However, games so far suggest it is causing problems for
goalkeepers with its movement and speed off the foot.
Reed said on Wednesday that Luis Figo's spectacular
long-range goal for Portugal on Monday took only the slightest of deflections off the foot of England defender Tony Adams but flew off at an acute angle, leaving goalkeeper David Seaman helplessly wrongfooted. Seaman was also left flailing air in the second half when he failed to cut out a corner but coach Kevin Keegan defended him, saying the ball moved "all over the place".

Reed, who has a special responsibility for analysing
England's opponents, said the properties of the new ball were changing the way teams play. "It moves so quickly and seems to dip suddenly, so teams are now working on inswinging corners and free kicks," he said.

"Teams know that if someone can just get a touch it will fly in and that's very hard to defend. "It also seems to travel a long way. We've seen centre halves send headers huge distances while people are confident of sending passes half the length of the pitch. "It's definitely different but I think the players are getting used to it now." Adidas, the makers of the ball, were unavailable for comment.

It has become a trend for organisers to link with manufacturers to launch a new ball at major tournaments but the experiment has a mixed record of success.

The ball introduced at the 1978 World Cup appeared
impossible to keep down while the ball used at France 98 had similar problems and was blamed for the lack of long range goals and goals from free-kicks.

*****************************************

So let me get this straight: it was the BALL that beat England?! It had nothing to do with Figo blasting a ball on a line for 30 meters or for Rui Costa curling the ball around a hapless Scholes to Joao Pinto?

Idiots. Plain and simple.

FORCA PORTUGAL!

 

[RedEagle]

We have to take the English in stride...you know that they are too arrogant to give Portugal credit for cleaning their "Big Ben's"

First when our assistant coach Cacador ripped the English defense apart before the game they all thought that he was crazy and playing mind games.

But afterwards all the English experts were looking at Ince,Adams and Phil Neville as the culprits....These guys are just idiots!

The only ones I have respect for are George Best, and Bobby Robson! Cause with all their alcohol and sexual ambivalence problems they are still men enough to speak the truth!

 

[SkyLight]

Read the article properly and u will see that this guy is using the Figo goal as an EXAMPLE of how the new ball moves, not as an excuse for a pretty shambolic England performance - though Portugal were obviously very good + didn't let them play.

As for your other comments on 'English arrogance' which u keep mentioning over and over again, read the majority of the English press the day after the match and you will see that not only was the England performance slated but Portugal's performance was given great credit and many people (incl commentators, writers etc) were saying how good the Portuguese team were and what a threat they will be when they progress in the tournament. As for the pronunciation of 'Nuno Gomes' that someone mentioned in another post ' well hey, the English have never been very good at languages apart from their own.

 

[Dani Portista]

The English pronounciation of "Conceicao"

I haven't heard many English commentators here say Coneceicao properly but it makes me alugh at some of there attempts!

Con-chey-ko
Con-chey-cow (Angus Loughran)
Con-say-so
Con-chey-chow

And I thought Coelho was easy to pronounce for the English but I have heard:

Cul-how
Cool-ho

But the worst has to be
Culch-ko (Angus Loughran - dunno if any of you have heard him but he is a Eurosport commentator who probably can't even pronouce his own name let alone Humberto Coelho)

 

[Badge]

Lets get a couple of things in order here

1. I do not speak Portuguese. Neither do British commentators. You cant scorn them for not gettng pronunciations right. Thats YOU being arrogant and petulant this time. Can you guys get pronounce Irish players correctly for example bearing in mind we have our own Irish language?

2. George Best is not English.

3. The game is over. Quit hanging on to what the bloody English media have to say. You should be looking forward to the next game.

There you go. Best of luck against Romania. Go on the Germans.

Ciao

 

[Marco]

Badge,


I watched the pregame show in Portuguese. In the pregame show when announcing the line-up of the british the Portuguese commentator made AN EFFORT to properly pronounce the English PLayers names. He didn't turn their names into portuguese names (Miguel Owen) like the British do with every foreign name they see. The british announcers were ignorant in the fact that they were butchering our names and for assuming we are just like our neighbors the Spanish. Its Jorge not "Horhe".

 

[Badge]

Look they do the same with Irish names but you have to laugh not get all stroppy about it. On the same subject I remember in Mexico86 Brazil played their matches in the Jalisco stadium. Josimar was playing for Brazil. Our Irish TV commentator got both "J" pronunciations correct. When people wondered why he said Josimar in the Halisco stadium he explaind the differences in languages. Everyone has happy and that bit more educated. Having been at many business meetings in Lisbon I can only say that Portuguese sounds to me almost Russian in the way its spoken. Weird huh?

 

[Razor]

That's interesting that you say that, Badge. I used to think that too before I started to learn it. All the "sh" and hard "c" sounds sounded sort of Russian to me, too.

For the record, I do understand your point on the Gaelic pronounciations (which I try to stick to - my mother's Irish), but I agree with Marcoa on the general British belief that Portugal is part of Spain. Evidenced by the numbers of Brits who vacation in Portugal who proclaim their suprise that "they don't speak Spanish here!". To the Germans' credit, they seem to make an effort to speak the language when they visit.

Anyway - let's enjoy the win over England and get ready for Romania!

Forca Portugal!

 

[Badge]

Well in all my years I've never met anyone who thought Portugal was Spanish. Met loads who thought Ireland was part of Britain though. Looks like we're all in the same boat. Are'nt persecution complexes great.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

HI guys,
I know that Brazil has nothing to do with this. I like Portugal as a coutry (after all my past realatives are portuguese), and i like Britain cause after all I lived their.
No country in the world can get all the pronunciantions correct. Even if you consider a Portuguese saying brazilian players name is it a bit weird. The same goes to an American saying English football players, it will not be the same and it will be rather strange.
When people say RONAAAAALLLLLLLLLDO, is wrong..it is Ro-Na-L-Do....and he is not Ronaldo to us Brazilians he is Ronaldinho.....the Nike boy
About the one sided view, that's the opinion of the country, but I did see on ITV or BBC (can't remember who showed the game) that people were just talking about Rui Costa and Figo how they would be a danger......and they were!

 

[Ola]

persecution complex my arse!

What the f... does Portuguese have with sounding like Russian or Chinese or Dutch!

It is quite obvious Badge that you haven't come in contact with the masses of WHITE TRASH that descend ever summer into Portugal from the UK. You know. Those lads on the dole, sunburnt in union jack T-shirts who consume large amounts of beer, who get into fights in nightclubs in Albufeira and then bitc_ about a restaurant 'outside' of the UK not having beans and bangers for breakfast or having that meal of nobelity - fish and chips wrapped in newspaper and laced in grease. God forbid!

Saw what you want Badge (you are entitled to you opinion) but I've seen it every year when I go to Portugal and I've seen it especially in Asia where I lived for some years. Brits are extremely self-centered and UK-centric (period)!



[Edited by Ola on 16-06-2000 at 03:56]

 

[Badge]

Ola

You sound like exactly like a British *******. Racist ****head. You're now putting me right off Portuguese people all of a sudden.

 

[Ola]

Badge

What I said was simply based on my observations. If you are put off w/ Portuguese people, well too bad. What can I say? I'm sure you'll get over it.

Sure, it is a stereotype what I said, however to every stereotype there is a bit of truth. The truth remains Badge. Like it or not, Brits have a pathetic reputation throughout Europe for their behaviour and more importantly their attitudes toward others.

 

[Badge]

OK so. Where exactly are you from so I can hit you with some stereotypes? I'm sure you wont like it but if you say there's truth in every cliche then you'll have to face up to it. so....come on , your background. I'm not defending Brits abroad (hey I've more reason to despise that nation than most) , I just hate this kinda petty ignorance.

 

[ST]

Geeez..what is this? Ola, u cant be serious with this crap. I too have seen the tourist hords that venture to our Portugal every summer cos Im there then, but come on... Sure there are brits who act like wankers but also swedes, germans and others who misbehave to say the least. Could it perhaps be that a lot of tourists simply behave like jerks no matter where they come from, especially when going to a country they think "lesser" than their own? I cant believe any intelligent person would think in terms of these ignorant stereotypes. As u probably know, there are alot of portuguese ones too which im not to happy about. Judge every individual separately instead of resorting to unfair generalizations..

 

[Badge]

I remember being in the Algarve on holiday. The rudest most ignorant *******s we met were a bunch of Portuguese Bikers. We did'nt tar the entire Portuguese people with the same brush though. Now, football......

 

[ST]

Yeeeeees, football! I had a feeling we were here for the beautiful game

 

[Ola]

And we are here for the beautiful game called FOOTBALL.
The fact remains that the comments and attitude displayed by the British press and public is a perfect reflection of British society as a whole! Lets remain on the topic of football and lets examine the horrific press coverage the Leeds and Gala.... game received. Lets examine how when push comes to shove the xenophobic attitudes of Brits in general come out. The British media (Wales, IRELAND and SCOTLAND excluded) is a pretty good indication of public attitudes in England.

As for where I am living, well that's easy...Canada, you know the colonies mate.

 

[Dani Portista]

OK Badge, you can go in the red corner, and Razor can go in the blue corner

 

[SLB]

Headline in the news of the world the day before england.
BUNCH OF WIMPS, PORTUGAL ARE FOOLS WITH A DODGY KEEPER.
Although I do credit some press who have recognised portugal as a good footballing nation some of the way some of the press have reacted to englands defeat you would have thought that england lost 3-2 to India or somenoe like that, I mean Portugal arent actually that bad.