Lacking in Excitement

Jesus, the all British affair of Wales v Northern Ireland was shit. We had Martin Atkinson as ref as well so the entire pitch was peopled with Brits. It was like a post Brexit version of what the Euros could become and it wasn’t pretty. It looked like a reserve match where a couple of first team players were getting a run out to regain fitness. The first half was as bad a half of football as we’ve seen at these Championships. It got marginally better around the fifty minute mark when Wales had a shot and Northern Ireland crossed the halfway line for a short while. And then it reverted back to sheer soporific boredom until Gareth Bale decided to take control and hit a great cross into what we now call the corridor of uncertainty. And that was that. I’m starting to think that Wales could actually win the bloody thing.
All three knockout games yesterday were pretty poor. I watched some of Switzerland v Poland and it was OK I suppose. The Poles were much better but the truth is, it’s hard to care either way. As a neutral, all you really want are lots of goals, incidents and possibly a bit of ludicrous pushing and shoving. We didn’t get much of any of that although Shaqiri’s goal was lovely and penalty shoot outs are always dramatic.
Modern footballers are just a bit too good nowadays. A bit too well drilled. Very few people make mistakes anymore. Everybody’s first touch is perfect so it’s just a case of defenders shepherding players away from danger. Nobody takes risks anymore. They pass it backwards and forwards across the defence and the opposition push up to deny them space to turn. And then it goes back the other way. In the past, passes might be hit vaguely in the right direction but players would mis-control the ball and give the opposition a chance. Tackles would come flying in and players were scythed down with some regularity. Who wouldn’t like to see Cristiano Ronaldo scythed down once in a while.
Talking of CR7, I had to work last night so I missed almost all of the Croatia v Portugal bore fest. My friends tell me that basically nothing happened for one hundred and twenty minutes. I got home in time to see the goal. Ronaldo hit a first time shot that the keeper somehow managed to save but Quaresma nodded in the rebound. It was funny to watch Cristiano celebrate separately from the rest of his ecstatic team mates. Almost as if he’s not quite part of the collective.
Here’s hoping that today brings something a bit more exciting.