Monday, July 03, 2006
Sports Roundup
Brazil gave us all a timely reminder of how the best side on paper can crap out at a big event. It ain't a round-robin baby, it's straight knockout.
Easily the most talented lineup at the World Cup the Brazilians looked absolutely clueless in the face of an enthusiastic, skillful opposition. I couldn't believe how they could barely string together any passes, gain any field position, vaguely threaten the French goal or even appear that interested. If you don't have it mentally as well as physically over your opposition you are screwed in the era of professional sports.
**********
Warriors going great guns at the moment. On Saturday night they won a game that they would have lost most of the time. I'd be surprised if they can beat the Bulldogs in the weekend, but if they beat the Eels at home they should be sitting only 2-4 points outside the top eight with 6 games left.
What's with the Warriors crowds this year?
They are averaging 8,558 per game at home and aren't attracting many across the Tasman either. There were 6,597 for the Souths game and 6,806 at the Roosters game. Their home average is the worst in the NRL by about 500.
The 6,240 for the game v Newcastle was the lowest crowd in the competition this year. In fact you have to go back to round 18 of last year to find a lower crowd.
I'm going back through the record books to see when Newcastle have played in front of a smaller crowd and I'm back to round 5 in 1999 v the Magpies at Parramatta (neutral venue), 192 games ago.
I think the Broncos played in front of a smaller crowd than the 7,746 in the 1990s v the Sharks.
But seriously those crowds are truly atrocious. A sad indictment on how piss poor the management of the club has been over its existence and also one of the fans who as I've mentioned before just aren't that loyal. Given the number of freebies that are given away to Warriors games as well you are really only talking about 5,000 or so diehards in a city of 1.4 million. Feeble.
unless it picks up it will be the lowest yearly average in the clubs history, surpassing the 8,858 from 1998 when they finished with a 9 win, 15 loss record, averaging less than 18 points a game conceding over 21. Compare that to this year when they have the third best attack averaging 25 points per game (only Newcastle have scored more tries) and the fifth best defence averaging 19 against.
If they hadn't been docked those 4 points they would now be sitting in 7th spot.
**********
In more shocking and unbelievable news the English cricket team sucks, professional cyclists are drug cheats, and it's cold in winter.
**********
The All Blacks will play their first test match of the year on Saturday.
Prediction, it will be cold, the ref will blow his whistle a lot. Dan Carter will whack over a few penalties. We will score a couple of tries. Aussie will get a couple. We will win by about half a dozen. I will be blogging sometime after the game about how I was completely wrong with all my predictions.
**********
And what's with the fucking weather forecats being wrong all the time?! I realise it's not an exact science but when they tell me the night before that it's going to be wet in the afternoon so I don't bother getting on the roof to paint and it's gloriously sunny all day, then FUCK! I was looking to tomorrow when they were saying it will be fine. But oh, know, it's supposed to be bloody wet now tomorrow.
*********
Bugger this, I'm off for a run/walk/walk/stop/walk/lie down.
Easily the most talented lineup at the World Cup the Brazilians looked absolutely clueless in the face of an enthusiastic, skillful opposition. I couldn't believe how they could barely string together any passes, gain any field position, vaguely threaten the French goal or even appear that interested. If you don't have it mentally as well as physically over your opposition you are screwed in the era of professional sports.
**********
Warriors going great guns at the moment. On Saturday night they won a game that they would have lost most of the time. I'd be surprised if they can beat the Bulldogs in the weekend, but if they beat the Eels at home they should be sitting only 2-4 points outside the top eight with 6 games left.
What's with the Warriors crowds this year?
They are averaging 8,558 per game at home and aren't attracting many across the Tasman either. There were 6,597 for the Souths game and 6,806 at the Roosters game. Their home average is the worst in the NRL by about 500.
The 6,240 for the game v Newcastle was the lowest crowd in the competition this year. In fact you have to go back to round 18 of last year to find a lower crowd.
I'm going back through the record books to see when Newcastle have played in front of a smaller crowd and I'm back to round 5 in 1999 v the Magpies at Parramatta (neutral venue), 192 games ago.
I think the Broncos played in front of a smaller crowd than the 7,746 in the 1990s v the Sharks.
But seriously those crowds are truly atrocious. A sad indictment on how piss poor the management of the club has been over its existence and also one of the fans who as I've mentioned before just aren't that loyal. Given the number of freebies that are given away to Warriors games as well you are really only talking about 5,000 or so diehards in a city of 1.4 million. Feeble.
unless it picks up it will be the lowest yearly average in the clubs history, surpassing the 8,858 from 1998 when they finished with a 9 win, 15 loss record, averaging less than 18 points a game conceding over 21. Compare that to this year when they have the third best attack averaging 25 points per game (only Newcastle have scored more tries) and the fifth best defence averaging 19 against.
If they hadn't been docked those 4 points they would now be sitting in 7th spot.
**********
In more shocking and unbelievable news the English cricket team sucks, professional cyclists are drug cheats, and it's cold in winter.
**********
The All Blacks will play their first test match of the year on Saturday.
Prediction, it will be cold, the ref will blow his whistle a lot. Dan Carter will whack over a few penalties. We will score a couple of tries. Aussie will get a couple. We will win by about half a dozen. I will be blogging sometime after the game about how I was completely wrong with all my predictions.
**********
And what's with the fucking weather forecats being wrong all the time?! I realise it's not an exact science but when they tell me the night before that it's going to be wet in the afternoon so I don't bother getting on the roof to paint and it's gloriously sunny all day, then FUCK! I was looking to tomorrow when they were saying it will be fine. But oh, know, it's supposed to be bloody wet now tomorrow.
*********
Bugger this, I'm off for a run/walk/walk/stop/walk/lie down.
Comments:
One thing I found amazing in the France/Brazil match was how many times Ronaldo plain just fell over when he had the ball in an attempt to win cheap penalties.
Funny thing was while he did it about 4 times that I saw only once did the ref give a penalty (which was crap Ronaldo had taken a dive) and left Ronaldo lying on the ground looking stupid.
I would have thought perhaps Ronaldo could have tried beating the opposing players with the ball once in a while.
Funny thing was while he did it about 4 times that I saw only once did the ref give a penalty (which was crap Ronaldo had taken a dive) and left Ronaldo lying on the ground looking stupid.
I would have thought perhaps Ronaldo could have tried beating the opposing players with the ball once in a while.
I liked watching Zidane play. He actually tries to stay on his feet when he has the ball.
I'd like to see harsher penalties for players who deliberately foul players (which happens every 60 seconds or so of the ball being in play in soccer).
They should not only have a free kick awarded against them they should also concede a penalty once they give away 10 fouls. Similar to basketball after a set number of fouls the opposition start going to the free thrown line.
Either that or the offending players must leave the field for 5 minutes immediately.
And players who dive without being touched are sent off on the spot.
Football has faced the same old shit and will always be totally flawed so long as fifa makes half arsed attempts to stamp it out.
I'd like to see harsher penalties for players who deliberately foul players (which happens every 60 seconds or so of the ball being in play in soccer).
They should not only have a free kick awarded against them they should also concede a penalty once they give away 10 fouls. Similar to basketball after a set number of fouls the opposition start going to the free thrown line.
Either that or the offending players must leave the field for 5 minutes immediately.
And players who dive without being touched are sent off on the spot.
Football has faced the same old shit and will always be totally flawed so long as fifa makes half arsed attempts to stamp it out.
Post a Comment