djwalker
06 Apr 2004, 12:20 AM
This is one of the few times I'll ever watch a game when I already know the outcome.
I'm watching 1st Division Millwall and 1st Division Sunderland play their semifinal FA Cup match. The winner gets a chance at glory, playing for one of the most prestigious prizes in the game, against some Premier side, the name of which escapes me for the moment. Something United, I think.
But this is pure football, no, pure sporting at it's best. Two sides playing their guts out, full bore for 90 minutes, leaving nothing on the field at the end (three cliches in one sentence, I should get a prize for that).
Naturally I'm rooting for the underdog. I'm an American, after all, despite my somewhat suspicious love of soccer. I also like the idea of Dennis Wise being a player/manager. He's as fiery as they come, and still has the skill to change a game. It turns out he's also got the ability to turn and average 2nd Division team into potential world beaters. A rare skill in any game.
As a player, think of Wise as Tie Domi, but slightly less pugilistic and somewhat more talented. As a coach, think Herb Brooks, but more loved by his current players. I don't mean to disparage the late, great man, but it was his goal to be unliked by those he was coaching. Wise, not so, it seems. Both men are able to make players walk through fire for them and do things nobody thought possible.
I also like watching Paul Durkin call a football game. Unflappable, fair, willing to consult with assistants, not trigger happy with the cards but never one to lose control. That I've seen, anyway. You who see more English matches than I do may feel free to correct me if I'm being effusive.
Plus there's no atmosphere quite like English football atmosphere. That kind of crowd could make a curling game compelling.
I may make a rare foray into the world of pay-per-view for the final.
I'm watching 1st Division Millwall and 1st Division Sunderland play their semifinal FA Cup match. The winner gets a chance at glory, playing for one of the most prestigious prizes in the game, against some Premier side, the name of which escapes me for the moment. Something United, I think.
But this is pure football, no, pure sporting at it's best. Two sides playing their guts out, full bore for 90 minutes, leaving nothing on the field at the end (three cliches in one sentence, I should get a prize for that).
Naturally I'm rooting for the underdog. I'm an American, after all, despite my somewhat suspicious love of soccer. I also like the idea of Dennis Wise being a player/manager. He's as fiery as they come, and still has the skill to change a game. It turns out he's also got the ability to turn and average 2nd Division team into potential world beaters. A rare skill in any game.
As a player, think of Wise as Tie Domi, but slightly less pugilistic and somewhat more talented. As a coach, think Herb Brooks, but more loved by his current players. I don't mean to disparage the late, great man, but it was his goal to be unliked by those he was coaching. Wise, not so, it seems. Both men are able to make players walk through fire for them and do things nobody thought possible.
I also like watching Paul Durkin call a football game. Unflappable, fair, willing to consult with assistants, not trigger happy with the cards but never one to lose control. That I've seen, anyway. You who see more English matches than I do may feel free to correct me if I'm being effusive.
Plus there's no atmosphere quite like English football atmosphere. That kind of crowd could make a curling game compelling.
I may make a rare foray into the world of pay-per-view for the final.