world cup >>
usa ’94, four years after the glories of italia 90; gazza’s tears, roger milla's jig and pavarotti's belly, we had a summer of ‘soccer’ to look forward to, albeit with no involvement from graham taylor’s less than mighty three lions.
from the moment diana ross missed a penalty in the opening ceremony i realised this world cup would only be appreciated with an open mind. i was 14, the plan was to watch the games at ‘yoof club’ with a bunch of girls i was trying to get off with. during the opening game (germany v bolivia) a girl who i won’t name (caroline) asked who the team were in black... give me strength! stupid questions aside this was a confusing time for a 14 year old boy. girls or football? girls or football? after caroline's question it had to be football... (the ref and linesmen if you still haven't got it).
the following weeks (at home, minus the distractions of ‘yoof club’) i found myself suddenly feeling and looking rather green thanks to wolves’ officially-world-cup-class striker david kelly taking his place in ireland’s squad of journey men, who qualified as irish thanks to their grandma’s next door neighbour visiting dublin once in the 60’s. after ray houghton’s winner against italy, my (now open) mind turned to setting loose a horse on the local council estate to mark my new adopted nationality*. so come this summer, with no wolves players in the once more mighty three lions squad (where's craddock?!) i’m supporting algeria. come on adlene guedioura! make wolves proud! oh hang on, just remembered algeria are in england’s group. bugger. make us proud anyway, just not against england…
*note to the rspca, this did not happen.
from the moment diana ross missed a penalty in the opening ceremony i realised this world cup would only be appreciated with an open mind. i was 14, the plan was to watch the games at ‘yoof club’ with a bunch of girls i was trying to get off with. during the opening game (germany v bolivia) a girl who i won’t name (caroline) asked who the team were in black... give me strength! stupid questions aside this was a confusing time for a 14 year old boy. girls or football? girls or football? after caroline's question it had to be football... (the ref and linesmen if you still haven't got it).
the following weeks (at home, minus the distractions of ‘yoof club’) i found myself suddenly feeling and looking rather green thanks to wolves’ officially-world-cup-class striker david kelly taking his place in ireland’s squad of journey men, who qualified as irish thanks to their grandma’s next door neighbour visiting dublin once in the 60’s. after ray houghton’s winner against italy, my (now open) mind turned to setting loose a horse on the local council estate to mark my new adopted nationality*. so come this summer, with no wolves players in the once more mighty three lions squad (where's craddock?!) i’m supporting algeria. come on adlene guedioura! make wolves proud! oh hang on, just remembered algeria are in england’s group. bugger. make us proud anyway, just not against england…
*note to the rspca, this did not happen.
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