Idiot fans

Day -303 WorldCup2018

Malta play England on September 1st in the next round of qualifiers. I'll be driving to New York on the day. A few stops may be in order.

The Malta FA website today proudly posted picture of the fresh coat of paint at the National Stadium and the new bathrooms. All looking good for the English supporters. It's sort of like when the Queen or the Pope comes to Malta. All of a sudden a number of roads and roadsides are spruced up. I'm all in favour of a clean, working toilet at the stadium. I'd be happier with a miracle on the pitch, and then hope no English supporters decide to take out their frustration on the new toilets.

I thought of English supporters today when I read (delayed I know) about the incidents at Middlesbrough last Saturday when Sheffield United fans took to the pitch to celebrate a last minute equalizer, which was then deemed not a goal. The anger continued in the car park where bemused looking Middlesbrough fans, older couples and families, watched the away fans run in and clobber anybody who they came across. And I know football hooliganism in England is nothing like it used to be, but I still think what idiots they are. I hope they watch themselves on TV and think: I really am a plonker.

Kyle Walker clone

Day -304 WorldCup2018

I keep getting this too late at night when I'm at a point where the thoughts in my head generated during the day have dissipated and shrunk to: was there any football today?

A few weeks ago I read a Tottenham story that made me laugh but I only remembered it today when I saw the name of the player again. And now it seems like very old news. Spurs sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City and then who do they have in their team for a per-season friendly, in the same position: Kyle Walker-Peters.I thought it was a joke. Really, They lose one Kyle Walker at right back and, boom, there's another one to take his place.

That Kieran Trippier is injured just adds to the surrealness of the situation. Walker goes, Trippier finally gets his chance to be the regular, he is injured in Spurs' last big pre-season friendly, Walker-Peters put in a man-of-the-match performance in his place in the opening match of the season and Trippier is back to fighting for his place with a Kyle Walker (Peters).

Brighton, Neymar, Qatar

Day -305 WorldCup2018

Brighton and Hove Albion. That's what this first weekend of Premier League football has been for me so far. I came home to the second half of their match against Manchester City and it immediately felt special. Brighton in the Premier League. The crowd was loud and enjoying themselves in the sun. Brighton had a few chances early in the second half and the volume got louder. Even after City scored twice it was still possible for the dreamer to feel romantic about Brighton being in the Premier League. The last time Brighton were significant was when they took Man. United to an FA Cup replay in 1982 (83? 84?). It was the same season they were relegated into lower division obscurity. Now they're back, and you just have to feel happy for their fans. If Brighton can do it, any team can. Even Huddersfield, as Frank de Boer found out today.

So who's going to get fired first, De Boer or Antonio Conte? I think Conte will walk first, disappointed at the lack of transfer activity. His team was good enough to walk away with the league last year but the same players are now apparently not good enough. And he only got to spend about $200m on new players. "But Pep got to spend that much on a new defence."

Speaking of ridiculousness, has that fight happened yet between the street fighter and the other fighter, who we call a boxer? It's kind of gone off my radar.

Petrol and water. Fighters and Neymar. Everybody complains about the price of petrol which over here is now well over $1/litre. Yet nobody bats an eyelid at buying a half litre bottle of water for $2, or close to that, from the same petrol station where they just filled up their car with that incredibly priced petrol. (Not that I'm saying that it isn't ridiculously high, but we can turn on our taps and get water for free, kind of). And while we all scoff at the $300m paid for Neymar, have I read any criticism of the $100m-$200m each fighter will earn for their exhibition of dumb toughness. Football fans are lambasted for feeding the beast, the clubs and the TV companies that support the silly transfer fees. So what about the fans (fans of what exactly?) who are paying outrageously silly money to watch, live or on pay per view TV, two guys beat each other up?

It's not just football that's gone crazy. Mind you, the Neymar deal has little to do with TV and tickets. It's all because the Qatari government wants to put itself on the football map. And now because of them Philippe Coutinho is worth over $100m and some guy who just made a name for himself with Red Bull Leipzig is also going to be (supposedly) worth that much. And it will go on and on. Think about it: the Qatari government have created a very false economy.

But that shouldn't distract from the fact that I think that fight is a dumb sporting event.

However it may help me not think about Aston Villa's 3-0 loss today. Indeed.

Neymar

Day -306 WorldCup2018

Happy English Premier League opening weekend! Let the fun begin. But before it really gets going on the pitch the bigger question is how long before the of-course-he's-going-to-go-to-Barcelona Coutinho drama will go on for. A trillion pounds on offer, all thanks to the Qatari government, and Liverpool are trying to make us believe they are being all "Oh, we're not a selling club" kind of club.

The offers will keep going up, off he goes and Liverpool will splash more ridiculous money on a couple of players they've been talking to already.

Such is the English transfer season, now on steroids following the Neymar bombshell.

And the 4th best team in the world are.....

Day -307. WorldCup2018

There was football on somewhere today, probably. But I didn't see any. Too busy remembering a new name in another sport and wondering where he will be a year from now: Dennis Shapovalov, conqueror of Rafa Nadal in Montreal. The new Canadian phenom. Out with the old? In a year from now when Russia 2018 is all over I may need the excitement of Shapovalov winning the US Open.

Oh, and I did find out today that Switzerland are the 4th best football team in the world according to the Fifa rankings and Poland are 5th. Two teams who have done so much in the last couple of years. Ahem. Both ahead of the European Champions, Portugal.

Colchester: check!

Day -308 WorldCup2018

You can all happily share in my excitement at Aston Villa's magnificent win against Colchester in the Carabao Cup. I read that first as the Caribou Cup which didn't seem that far fetched at first until I remembered I'm talking about football in England, not wildlife in Canada.

It was a hard fought 2-1 win. Colchester missed a penalty and numerous chances. A valiant effort then from the Villains, against a team in the fourth division. Onwards and upwards! Colchester today, Cardiff City on Saturday. Big days for Villa.

Thinking about Colchester

Day -309 WorldCup2018

And I was wrong. Aston Villa play Colchester tomorrow night. One not to be missed. But if you cannot find an online stream anywhere, illegal or not, do not worry. By this time tomorrow I will have a result and opinion for you. Until then, goodnight football fans wherever you are. Which really, by my own reasoning, should be good -night, -morning- or -afternoon because you are all somewhere different.