EURO 2012 WEEK 2 REVIEW

Carroll's top of the range header 

Well that’s week 2 over . The tournament still is a head turner . With two amazing stats , There still has yet to be a nil nil draw which is great, with every team having a go. But to me, what’s more amazing is that there has been no penalty's convertions only one given , and not  many penalty claims , To the credit of the players on whole they have just got on with it .

The four teams who have improved after the first games after playing OK . France Germany Spain and (yes) England . Russia look good but never improved on the first game performance . In tournament football you have got to look for teams who steadily improve game by game . So Russia’s game against Greece will be a true indication whether they are contenders .

You would expect Germany and Spain to improve game by game . As for France they look the real deal . Taking the hour long stop due to the Thunder storm in their stride . Looking solid in every department .

As for England the 3 Liverpool players , defence ,midfield , attack . Where the back bone of the team . There were a few tweets saying Gerrard looked a bit tied , But he still managed to run the full length of the pitch to nearly score in the last 5 minutes . Gerrard is a player who not only gets second winds but third and forth winds as well . Carroll was a threat all match big and physical , holding the ball up and laying it off . As he has did for Liverpool towards the end of the season . His goal was something from the pages of Roy of the Rovers ,classic centre forward goal from a great Gerrard ball . Glen Johnston looked strong and fit making some perfectly timed tackles , nearly proventing Sweden’s first goal . My only worry with England at this stage is that Rooney might throw a spanner in works . I would have on the bench . To stay in line with the old saying “Why mess with a roof that does not leak”

Tournament Entertainment value so far 8/10 more more more  

Euro 2012 review week 1

Dzagoev -Russia makes it 3-1

Well we have had round of matches and its been good . With the exception of the Dutch and the Irish being the only disappointment . Every other team has shown they are not just there to make up the numbers.

After the first round games the teams to impress me the most are the Italians Russians Ukrainians and yes England for discipline . The Germans are doing what the Germans do a slow unspectacular build up . The Polish Czechs Danish Croatian s Greeks have all shown they have something about them . With the Dutch Portuguese French Spanish Swedish have no doubt quality in their ranks but all look beatable . So taking every in account the Tournament is wide open . Which sets it up for week 2 very nicely .

Stand out players so far

Dzagoev -Russia    Click link to watch highlights http://footyroom.com/russia-4-1-czech-republic-2012-06/

Arshavin -Russia

Pirlo -Italy

Cassano Italy

Di Natale Italy

OPENING MATCH REVIEW

OPENING MATCH REVIEW

POLAND V GREECE

1st Game, 1st Goal, 1st Draw, 1st Yellow card, 1st Red card, 1st Penalty, 1st Penalty saved. 1st Keeper off

We seen the best of both teams and the worst . Poland won first half should of been game over .

Greece the second half . Ref was in game to much a bit card happy . One sending off right one wrong .

Entertainment value 7/10

click here for highlights  http://footyroom.com/poland-1-1-greece-2012-06/

The Russians are Coming

The Euros are here I like tournament football , I usually get it right to the last four . I backed Uruguay in the last world cup E. W of course . But I was a big fan of Uruguayan football Suarez and co 18 months before the world cup . Was over the moon when Liverpool sighed Suarez . Well to be honest it was my son that gave me the nod on Suarez . He picked him up on FIFA . Then checked him out in real life on U-tube . But I was watching at him at Ajax . So who is going to be the Uruguay of this tournament ? .

I keep thinking Russia the winter break Not many of the team play out of Russia so they will be fit . Losing just one game in the qualifiers to shock home defeat to Slovakia .Dick Advocaat is a tried and tested manager . Arshavin going back home, their hosting the world cup 2018 . Russian money, look what it did to Chelsea . The tournament is being played in a former Soviet state ie big support . Russian football is going to go though a huge change over the next eight years . This could be the start of them climbing the world rankings . Their Tournament build up reminds me of the build up Brazilian sides , would have before their players started playing all over the world It would be to much to say they could win the thing, but it is my tip for a good E.W bet . For what it is worth here is my eight quarter finalists .

Russia
Poland
Germany
Italy
France
England
Spain
Holland

!!!!THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE!! CLICK TO WATCH HIGHLIGHTS http://footyroom.com/russia-4-1-czech-republic-2012-06/

Bad Security, Traveller Scape Goats, and Dogs

My other memory’s of 1990 besides the magical day I spent with Ry Cooder, Was all the shit with security and travellers . I will also throw dogs into the mix as well . Lets take dogs first I would always take my dog Swan to the festival . He was a perfectly formed staff handsome light fawn friendly with humans and other dogs a real star every one loved him especially kids . He would breeze round the site in a Cuban hat and a pair of shades, I kid you not . Feargal Sharkey once offered me £500 on the spot for him . That year he was on the Pyramid as we were setting up he went to the middle of the stage had a shit then went to the corner had another shit .The stage manager went mad . The lighting crew shouted down “LEAVE HIM ALONE ITS A SIGN” He would always be wandering into the crowd . He came once back minus collar I am sure I spotted it the next day round the neck of some punky type . But they had left his home back stage pass beautifully made by my daughter . I will scan some shots and post them up .

But it was to be his last year . A close friend his kid was bite in the face by a lurcher type dog on the Thursday .Michael knew the family and that was it from then on total dog ban . It was very much the right call more more dogs were on site . Things could of got really out of hand .

Now the security thing that year . From early on we knew things were not in safe hands . Stories of the contract had been given to a joint London / Birmingham posse with shall we say criminal elements involved . I was asked by a friend who was new to the festival to go and retrieve some confiscated Jack Daniels . I entered a tent up at their compound . A big guy sitting behind a wooden fold down table with a array of confiscated drink piled up behind him . Well lets say they weren’t handing much stuff back . But he instantly knew I was not going to be a push over . My friend spotted his bottle . He begrudgingly started to decanter it into the plastic bottle we had provided him . But not before he handed it round to 3 to 4 of his cronies who all took large swigs . Totally out of order ,out of 20 people queuing to get drink back . I was the only one to leave with at least some drink back . They where coining it right from the word go .

But the most damming evidence came in the way of another friend . She had won the contract to do the catering with in the security compound . As the festival progressed I heard reports she was going to pack up and leave site . It turned out she was witnessing torture in the form of beatings and people being tied in chairs and burnt with cigarettes all in the eating area of he catering tent . She complained and was told to shut the fuck up. You just make and serve the food it has got fuck all to do with you . She told me they would be laughing and joking over meals how many people and stalls they had robbed .When she eventually got home she was a physical and mental wreck . So much so she decided to pack up and move to France . I was in the Greenfield on Monday afternoon When I recognized a person from were I live . He was a wrong one who I had run ins with in the past. He was in security gear and high as a kite . He bragged to me how he had a contact in the security . Who had sold him passes t-shirt photo id . He had spent the whole festival being a free lance robber showing me an array wallets and money he had robbed we nearly came to blows there and then . He called me a dick head and swaggered off down the hill .

In my opinion the Travellers thing was the smoke screen the security needed . I think the security knew they had been rumbled they were going to take on the travellers to cover their tracks . So they did, prompting the confrontation to show the travellers were the problem . Knowing the travellers would duly oblige . When all the the time the security were the nastiest thing ever to be in that beautiful valley . But the festival learned a valuable lesson . The security now days is good I have worked with them no worries . The same security for quite a few years now . You can tell they have taken the festival to the hearts which is good every one has got to grow with it . To make sure we never have to work with people like that again

More to come  Norm

2 out of 2 for Roy

WELBECK  TOOK GOAL WELL

Two out of two for Roy ,nothing spectacular but a win is a win is a win . Now for the Euros
CLICK LINK FOR HIGHLIGHTS http://footyroom.com/england-1-0-belgium-2012-06/

DO YOU THINK THE ARCADIA TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM WOULD WORK OVER ALL THE SITE ?

Being involved in Glastonbury for nearly 30 years . One of the biggest problems is crowd movement between the big main stages . IE bottle necks some of them can be very frighting . The huge never ending circle between . Pyramid , Dance, Other Stage , Jazz and round again . With The John Peel Stage becoming more popular going into the mix . The Park helps taking some of the strain out of the circle . But in that circle people travel one way round it , People travel the other way . Creating three very nasty bottle necks . Inevitably people panic in crushes add a bit of mud into the mix and a couple of prams scary stuff . Disasters go through peoples mind Hillsbough ,Heysel,The Pearl Jam gig . The crush in tunnel in Germany ,Not nice.

So as you wander round the chaos of Arcadia the Traffic lights flash red green amber above your head at strategic points . People stop dance laugh then off they go . The crowd travels round Arcadia 9 times out of 10 unhindered .

So would it work all round the site at the bottle necks . Well why not give it ago . As the capacity of the festival rises rightfully so . Plans to illuminate this problem must be in the pipe line surly this system has been tried and tested and must be be a front runner . What do you think ?

So 30 years at Glastonbury I hear you say how do you beat the bottle necks? Well I do beat them, But if I tell you then it will close the door . No it is not the back stage area routes thats cheating . Sod its Glastonbury lets share .

AT GLASTONBURY YOU ALWAYS GO UP THEN COME DOWN , THEN BACK UP AND BACK DOWN AGAIN . Easy no panic