h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That was the 0-0 draw that went to penalties, yeah? Bloody awful.
Actually, after all the Ronaldo hype the France-Brazil final last year was pretty appalling too.

I usually find that semi-finals yield more entertainment than finals, not just in football.

As a Newcastle Utd supporter, the last two FA Cup finals have been torture. It was like cheering on a spaniel fighting a lion.
Best game was 1996/7 season. Newcastle having been decimated 4-0 at Wembley by Man U in the Charity Shield, we whopped their arses at St. James's Park in a 5-0 win crowned by Phillipe Albert's lob over a stranded, flapping Peter Schmeichel. And the 'Tino Asprilla/Keith Gillespie double act against Barcelona at home in the Champions League in '97 was pretty unforgettable too.

It's wierd how such a pointless game has the power to make me have a great or a rotten weekend.

Very well done again TWF! I liked the "United" bit - being in the States, I've only heard about Manchester United, and wondered about it.....liked the footnotes too. Nice touch!

It's odd that we call ourselves the "United States." Seems as though we are anything but united.....

Hey JTG, any word on whether the footy article's going to make it?

BTW TVF & JTG, Last night's clubhouse time-travelling was an unfortunate mixture of seeing Austin Powers 2 and a bottle of vodka.
All the evil's out of my system and I've now got my Mojo working again.

Sorry WF. That would be cheating. [Sadistic laugh a la Phantom of the Paradise]

Was it a quarter-final in USA 94? Germany - vs- Belgium... Great match!

*shrugs*

OK - Some Great International Matches:-

Yugoslavia v Germany at France 98 - Result 2:2
France v Brazil at The 'Tournoi' France 97 (Lyon) - Result 1:1
Holland v England at Euro 96 (Wembley) - Result 1:4
Scotland v England at Euro 96 (Wembley) - Result 2:0
Republic of Ireland v Italy at USA 94 (New York) - Result 1:0
England v Scotland (Friendly ?!?) 77 (Wembley) - Result 0:1
England v Germany World Cup Final 66 (Wembley) - Result 4:2

Actually Scotland lost 2-nil to England in the Euro 96 match, which included the amazing flick and kick by Paul Gascoigne.

What about Brazil v England in Mexico? Gordon Banks' "greatest save ever". Also a quarter final, wasn't it?

First round I believe and it has been called the greatest save in World Cup history. Any save against Pele had to pretty good the way he was playing then.
I must admit, as I was 3 at the time, that I haven't seen the whole match - just the save and the goal that won the match for Brazil.
Admittedly, I was -1 when we won the World Cup but I have seen that '66 match so many times that I feel I was there. Actually, if Hoddle's right about reincarnation then maybe I was, as a badly behaved disabled ladybird or something.

Such a shame Georgie Best never had a crack at playing in the World Cup as an honorary Englishman/Scot.

Italy v Chile (2:2) in France 98 was a good match, especially with Baggio having the bottle to take the match-winning penalty after his disaster in USA 94. Same goes for Stewart Pearce's pen in the shoot-out against Spain in Euro 96.

BTW I just saw MadMunk has finally outed the secrets of the blue boxes, so I've done a test version of my football article at http://www.h2g2.com/P135497
Not sure if all these boxes actually help or hinder the flow of it though.

Mmmm... don't think so. Chops it up too much I think. Still, they'll come in handy at some time or another. I learned the trick from Fenchurch.

Has there been much by way of comparison between the present Man U. and the Red Devils of the the glory days?

Yeah, it's a persistent argument between the two camps. Same goes for Chelsea now vs. the Blues of the early 70's.
Most disinterested people tend to agree that the teams these days are so fit that they'd run the earlier teams (at the same age naturally) ragged. Still, I can't believe that the football brains of Best and Charlton would be completely neutralised by Stam and the rest of the modern team.
Have a look at
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/low/english/talking_point/newsid_326000/326665.asp
Damn, I must stop advertising the Beeb especially now I'm leaving and Des Lynam (BBC Match of The Day anchor) has defected to ITV after 32 years.

Thanks. That was interesting.

With the benefits of the new science/witchcraft of sportsmedicine and kinesiology and all that stuff behind them, no doubt the present team could make *any* team of the past look ridiculous. But thinking back, players like Best weren't just brilliant, they were revolutionary. They changed the game the way the Beatles changed pop music.

Or is that just sentimental crap?

I was watching the swimming - my old sport -from the Pan-Am games last night (It's in Canada, this year)... men's 200m breaststroke. It occured to me that part of the reason that these youngsters are breaking records like mad is that the rules have been changed to let them. If David Wilkie were to line up against last night's field, no doubt he'd finish last; but playing by the rules that limited his performance, he'd be the only one not disqualified.

On the other hand, look at Formula One where the strictures of car design get tougher and tougher each year, even though the lap times stay fairly constant.

Juan Fangio vs Nikki Lauda vs Jackie Stewart vs Graham Hill vs Michael Schumacher vs Ayrton Senna...?


With all the drugs in sport these days, I'm actually surprised that swimmers don't fizz when they dive in the pool.

Speaking of "old jokes"...

I saw this T-shirt in a sporting goods store once, with the caption...

"The older I get. The better I was."

...ahem.

JTG

Hmmm just got the good 'ole rejection email from Mark Moxon saying how a sub-editor couldn't use anything from my article.

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=5002&thread=16675

Of course if the official article contains references to the words Football, Goal, Ball or Referee I'll be straight onto my solicitor

Sorry to hear that WF. Were there any other comments? I don't really understand that one.

Sub-eds don't "use" material. We basically just proof-read; making the odd adjustment if it is felt the thing is good... but a little wobbly.

JTG

Oh well, it's all good experience. Hell, Decca turned down the Beatles

That's the spirit. Better luck next time.

JTG

Don't go ANYWHERE. I have been looking for you!

O-oh!

It's got to the stage where I can't give out my name anywhere on the Internet because of hate mail. They're after me - I can tell. No - honestly, I do get a lot of hate mail. But I don't care, hahaha! (By the way that was an evil laugh) And I know all about YOU - John-the-Gardener, or should I say (drum roll) John Kitt... oh, damn, forgot it. Kitten? Kit-bag? Kitty-litter? Doh! As you may have guessed I'm terrible with names.