Camden Sports - Football | Euro 2008

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - MATCH POINT by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 26 June 2008

Cesc did Fab to send the boring Italians home

THINGS I learned watching Euro 2008 (and Wimbledon) this week:

1. CESC Fabregas has one of the coolest heads in the tournament. If John Terry was watching the Spain versus Italy quarter-final of Euro 2008, let’s hope for his own sanity he picked up a few tips on how to score a penalty to win a shootout. Fab did Fab – and sent the most boring Italian team home empty-handed.

2. WATCHING Wimbledon was better when Jeremy Bates was flying the flag. Remember Jezza? Long before Henman Hill or Murray Mound was packed with people who bought tickets to Wimbledon just so they could stare at a big screen, Jeremy Bates spent the 1990s struggling his way through a few rounds each year and it was great. He’d get beaten by the first seed he came across but went down displaying a perfect British “musn’t-grumble” stoicism. Instead of being downright irritating like Henman or fluffy-haired precocious like Andy Murray, Bates just got on with the job. It was just good old Batesy. Not that good in singles, passable at doubles. And out by the end of the first week. They were happier days.

3. ARSHAVIN would be a good bet for the Premiership. It was disappointing Holland could not sustain their march through the tournament – I guess their collapse was predictable given that country’s history of underachievement. From their downfall, however, emerged Andrei Arshavin as one of the stars of the tournament. He left the Dutch chasing shadows. It would be fantastic to see him doing the same in the Premiership.

4. ROGER Federer is a bit like Raef. When Roger Federer wins Wimbledon he goes backstage, gets out his white blazer and accepts the trophy in what he thinks is a little bit more style than shorts and a T-shirt. It just makes him look more and more like his looky-likey Raef Bjayou, the most entertaining of the losing contestants from The Apprentice. They’re both dapper world champions Raef at talking nonsense and Federer at tennis.

5. ITV might have missed the point of it all. Andy Townsend, Sam Allardyce, and some other so-called experts have been pretty mind-numbing as studio coverage during ITV’s Euro 2008. Their spirits can’t have been helped by being locked in the Going For Gold studios instead being flown out to the tournament. Now the channel isn’t showing the final and you have to wonder why they bothered with any of it.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: