In case anyone else is sharing my amusement at France's World Cup woes, I bought a copy of L'Equipe (the French sports paper) for the first time this morning. It kicks off with 7 (seven!) broadsheet pages detailing just how pissed off the French press are with the performances to date. For your amusement, and because I'm not that quick at translating (any corrections gratefully received), here's the start: Hopeless! (or Despairing!) One did not ask them to be like flamboyante Argentina against Serbia-Montenegro. Just to win. And then, if possible, also to achieve, to finally show desire and liveliness, to defend well and together and, especially, to be physically stronger until the end. To be the Blues, it is cruel as it has been in times gone by . . . for that which was needed of France against South Korea was achieved after an hour of play, yesterday, in Leipzig. But a match of football never stops at the sixtieth minute. And, on the morning following this second consective draw (1-1) by the Blues in this World cup 2006, five days after the 0-0 against Switzerland, one is not reassured. Désespérant! On ne leur demandait pas d'être l'Argentine flamboyante face à la Serbie-Monténégro. Juste de gagner. Et puis, si possible, mais aussi pour y parvenir, de montrer enfin evie et vivactité, de défendre haut et en bloc et, surtout, d'être supérieurs physiquement jusqu'au bout. D'être les bleus, c'est cruel, comme jadis . . . il aurait pour cela fallu que France-Corée du Sud s'achève à l'heure de jeu, hier, à Leipzig. Mais un match de football ne s'arrête jamais à la soixantième minute. Et, au lendemain matin de ce deuxième nul (1-1) d'affilée concédé pas les Bleus dans cette Coupe du monde 2006, cinq jours après le 0-0 face à la Suisse, on n'est pas plus rassurés.
You should try reading Steve Howard in the Sun His daily rants are starting to give me the right hump. I know we haven't exactly set the world cup on fire, but they way he carries on, you'd think we'd lost the first two 4-0.</p> God know's what he'd be like if we drew, or even conceded a goal!</p>
It's the sheer volume of the stuff that impresses me You'd think they'd get fed up of complaining after a few tens of thousands of words but it's not until page 8 that they start talking instead about how Switzerland are probably going to top their group (which, let's face it, is not a major change of subject either).
RE: You should try reading Steve Howard in the Sun Media overactions are starting to wind me up. Alan Green is the same on Five Live....no shades of grey with that lovely person. It's either the greatest game he's ever seen or the worse (usually the latter) We've performed poorly against weak opposition (as always) We will start to improve against less negative opposition (as always) We will perform well this tourmament, our players are too good for us not to.
RE: You should try reading Steve Howard in the Sun Aye, Alan Green is a lovely person too. I've stopped reading the tabloid articles about England, and listening to radio shows like Talk Sport and 5live. Its all negative ******. </p> I can't wait till we put in a great performance just to see what they come out with. </p>
