Transfer window

Day -134 WorldCup2018

Rather than anecdotal personal stories that I think are kind of funny maybe I should just stick to plain (boring?) facts.

The World Cup in Russia starts on June 14th. The opening match is between Russia and Saudi Arabia. I am looking forward to it.

Today was transfer deadline day for clubs in Europe. It is only really in England where much attention is paid to it. Arsenal spent a lot of money on a player who won't be at the World Cup, Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who transferred from Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea loaned Michy Batshuay to Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea bought Olivier Giroud from Arsenal. A happy merry go round.

Leicester's Riyad Mahrez thought he was going to Manchester City for a lot of money but Manchester City thought it was too much money. So now he's staying at Leicester and probably sulking for a few weeks. Then he'll realize that he should probably start playing good football again so another team will want to spend a lot of money on him in the summer. He also tried that last summer and nobody paid a lot of money to take him away from Leicester. Third time a charm? Or destined to remain a reluctant Leicester hero forever?

And on July 15th the World Cup will end and a lot of players who many of us have never heard of will of a sudden be valued at over £50m by agents all over Europe.

A fan: this is what we live for

Day -135 WorldCup2018

This one could be a justification(?), an explanation(?) of what makes us crazy football fans happy, how our minds tick, especially in this age of silent forms of media. Huh? Allow me.

It could be the World Cup. It probably will happen during the World Cup. It could be frantically trying to follow your local team's very important match while you are on a family holiday. Whatever the circumstance, there are many similarities. Those in the know will nod their heads ('ah, yes, it's happened to me"). Others who don't feel the inescapable (call it ridiculous) need to follow a football team, or any team might think, "ok, I see". Or maybe still think we are all ridiculous.

Today was a good example. The team that I have followed, supported, willed to win every Saturday since 1981, Aston Villa, were playing a crucial match in the Championship (English second division) at Sheffield United this afternoon, evening in England. Before today Villa were fifth in the table, United seventh. Teams 1 & 2 get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Teams 3 to 6 enter the playoffs to earn one more spot. It's a tight race. A win for Villa could have seen them move into second place, depending on Derby County's result. A win for United and they would be only a point behind Villa.

So that's the background. Now here's the scene. I'm at work but have to leave at halftime to catch a train home. At work I've got twitter and BBC text on in the background. Really, I was working. Nothing happening, apart from reports on constant United attacks and moans from Villa fans about how terrible they are today.

I walk to the bus. Phone battery is low. Will it last? Still no score. I get on the train. Twitter and BBC are both still alive on my dimmed screen, now in battery saving mode. The last "battery under 10%" warning has come up. I text Kristine to tell her why calls or texts may go unanswered. How long do I have? It's around the 75th minute and that flashing light is teasing me, taunting me: "ha! you might not to get to see the final result." Cruel, cruel technology.

BBC gives me the facts: United have the better chances, an onslaught even. Villa are holding on. Twitter gives me what the fans are thinking and seeing. As always the comments range from "awful and abysmal" to "this could be a hard earned, well earned point". With the battery ready to give up at any second I feel I have to choose. Close one window. But I can't. What if one updates quicker than the other and I miss a goal.

Then the first, potential "oh no" moment happens. "Derby just scored", somebody tweets. It's about the 85th minute. BBC are not confirming it. How many times can I refresh without my phone dying? That would increase their lead over Villa to 5 points. Still no confirmation. Why not?

Now before I get to the 90th minute let me add one detail to the scene. I'm on the upper level of a GO Transit train. GO trains proudly advertise that the upper level is a "quiet zone" on all rush hour trains: phones must be on silent and no phone conversations. What is rush hour? When is it? Nowhere does it say it on any of its' posters. Happy hour in most bars lasts at least 2 hours. So how long does rush hour last and when does it start and end? An important detail, which could have been more important if I wasn't by myself when the 90th minute came around and this happened.

"Snoddy, what a goal." "Snodgrass, you beauty!" "Snoddy, 1-0". Robert Snodgrass scores for Villa. And what does the crazy football fan in the quiet zone on the train do? Only thing I can do. I send a yesssssss!!!! tweet to my Scottish friend who always updates me on Villa scores when I'm not able to follow. And he's Scottish. And so is Snodgrass. I have to celebrate and it's the first outlet that comes to mind. I refrained from professing my love for all things Scottish. But I was close.

And what about that Derby goal? Ruled out for offside. Scored, but not counted, by another Scot. Derby draw, Villa win. Villa in third, one point behind Derby. A long way to go yet. This was one match. There are many more to be won or lost. But "turning point in the season" comes to mind.

And the phone? It keeps playing it's cruel tricks on me. Half an hour later on the bus home my pocket buzzes and it's Kristine calling me. So much for all those final warnings and flashing lights. So much for the "we are never going to see this through to the end." Cry wolf, I tell you.

Today it was the train and the phone. Sometime in June and July it may be an important meeting, or internet problems. There will be obstacles but the challenge in overcoming them to keep updated is almost as exhilarating as it must have been for those Villa fans in the stadium today as the clock hit 90 minutes.

Hooligans and terrorists

Day -136 WorldCup2018

On a lazy day I scanned Google for the latest World Cup news. It's easy to put a story together from a few headlines.

"No tolerance for hooligans at Russia World Cup - UK police chief ."

"SAS squad 'to guard England team during Russia 2018 World Cup amid fears of ISIS terror attack'."

"World Cup 2018: Hotels in Russia hike prices by up to 18,000% to cash in on flood of England fans."

"Russian World Cup campsite with chipboard loos and water from well charges £63-a-night."

So the police are going to busy with dealing with hooligans and the threat of terrorism. Chances are anybody English having a good time after a few beers will be dealt with in a no-nonsense, probably over the top way by police with no patience for drunken idiots. And they'll all be called "hooligans".

The campsite with chipboard loos is in Kaliningrad where England play their final group match. Fans can rent a two person tent there for £63/night or pay $3,125 for a three person apartment which normally costs £17.

Between hooligans, terrorists and daylight robbery hotel owners it's not easy running a World Cup.

The greatest? Roger Federer.

Day -137 WorldCup2018

The day cannot go by without a cross-sport mention of Roger Federer, the man who just keeps on going and going and who seems nowhere near retirement. Twenty Grand Slam titles and counting. And he's 36.

Can there ever be a footballer equivalent? It's a hard comparison, an individual vs team sport. Sir Stanley Matthews played top division football in England until he was 50. That alone is an amazing feat, to keep himself in good enough shape to be playing at that level. And he came back from a number on injuries. He, and his team's, only won one FA Cup but his dedication and self-discipline to keep going is admirable.

Pele was probably the greatest in terms of honours won: three World Cups, and a number of Brazilian and South American Championships with Santos. And he scored over 1200 goals. That he is the only player to have won three World Cups should probably make him the Federer of football. It's not easy to have been young and spectacular in 1958 and older and still quite brilliant in 1970. Like Federer that takes a lot of self-motivation.

Regardless of whether there is a football equivalent today really should be the day to remember Federer as one of the greatest athletes ever.

Kabul

Day -138 WorldCup2018

If I always want to be positive and celebrate the joy of the World Cup, do I mention the horrible suicide bomb attack in Kabul today that killed 95 people? Yes, I do. Because it was always my intention to record events that happened over theses 1000 days. I usually turn to football as a distraction, or comfort, for people who have suffered a terrorist attack like this but I wonder if the poor people of Kabul, living under the threat of attack for so long can even think of football, or cricket.

It's another case of what do I know? What do most of us know who have never lived through something like this. We enjoy our weekend football and look forward to summer football in the even years. And some of us hope, still like we did when we were young and innocent, that football can make everybody happy and end the want for any wars. We can always hope.

Alexis Sanchez

Day -139 WorldCup2018

Still playing on despite the injury. There's none on the bench so I'll carry best I can. I'll do it for the team.

'Twas the first day that Alexis Sanchez played for the "greatest team in the world, the team and manager he had always dreamed of playing for" after the team and manager he really thought were the best in the world decided he wasn't that great of a player worth spending silly money on.

First World Cup subs

Day -140 WorldCup2018

I'm injured, rolling around on the grass, one hand on my shin, the other furiously waving at the bench that I need to be taken off. But the physio has come on, in his tracksuit and carrying his sponge and bottle of water, followed by the doctor in his suit. They both tell me that we have used three subs already, so can I suck it up and sort of look useful? If we go to extra time we can take advantage of the new rule allowing a fourth sub, but until then...can you walk?

So I'll soldier on. What the hell? What's one day amongst 1000.

Did you know that the first substitution in a World Cup qualifying match happened in 1954? Horst Eckel of Germany was replaced by Richard Gottinger in a match against Saarland. (This was the only time that the region of Saarland, at the time occupied by France participated on its own in a World Cup before returning to join West Germany).

The first substitution allowed in a World Cup finals was in 1970. The Soviet Union brought on Anatoliy Puzac for Serebrannikov.

And if there are any spelling errors here today, I blame the lack of rule for the allowance of a substitute countdown-er. The international association may be hearing about this.