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jenni_blogI've missed a lot of days in a row, so here are Days 6 through 12.
DAY 6 - WHICH FOOTBALL MOMENT HAS MADE YOU THE SADDEST?
Despite the fact that there have been so many tragedies in football - accidents, murders, suicides, etc. - the one that has affected me the most was the death of the owl mascot of Junior in Barranquilla.
It happened in February. I was devastated, more so because I was watching the match on TV and saw it happen, whereas with other tragedies I learned about them from reading what happened after the fact.
Also, this was a defenceless animal who was kicked by a player and subsequently died from shock. It was a cruel, unnecessary act that resulted in the death of a beautiful animal, a mascot of the team beloved by fans.
They player who did it, named Luis Moreno, of the Colombian team Pereira, was fined only a few hundred dollars and suspended for three matches. This is sad, more so when it has been discovered that this man did not seem to learn from his mistake - he has recently been suspended once again for brutally kicking another player.
DAY 7 - 5 THINGS YOU LOVE
1) The colourful history behind the sport. Reading about it in books and magazines, or online and watching videos.
2) The excitement that football matches generate - the way I feel when watching a game - the anticipation and the feeling when 'my' team wins.
3) The great variety of football tournaments - from league games to cup finals all the way to the World Cup.
4) I admit it - seeing attractive men running around in revealing costumes, kissing and manpiling - I am as much a fangirl as serious fan.
5) Going to live matches as well as watching on TV. Each one has its own perspective, but there is nothing like the experience of being at a live match.
DAY 8 - 5 THINGS YOU HATE
1) Hooligans and the associated violence.
2) Teams that play too 'professionally' - to me this means without joy and passion - when the attitude is that of "when the money is this good anyway, why should I give 100%?"
3) I used to find this pet peeve annoying in the past, but not so much anymore, since I quit all the sites and communities where this attitude is prevalent: it is fangirls who think they own the players. I've got news for you, honey: YOU DON'T! And everyone else is entitled to their opinion too, as well as YOU. So quit yer bitching and find something important to waste your time on!
4) When teams change a perfectly lovely kit to an ugly one! For example, the traditional red & white of Sevilla FC is beautiful, and an away kit of opposite colours - white with red - is also nice. But that flaming pink monstrosity of a few years ago (2007?) was absolutely hideous. What must the players have thought while wearing it? And it wasn't a nice Palermo pink - it wasn't even pink - something approaching salmon but more pinkish and practically flourescent. *shudders* I think it bothered me more when I was there and in the fan shop and it hit me right between the eyes!
5) I hate all the Spurs' players injuries! I hate that my team is so crippled atm! It has spoiled so many things this season that 'could have been'...*sigh*. Get well soon Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, Vedran Corluka, Luka Modric, Roma Pavlyuchenko, Jonathan Woodgate, William Gallas, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Alan Hutton :(
Day 9 – If you were the president of your favourite club and money was no object name one player you would buy and one player you would sell?
Okay, the club would be Tottenham Hotspur. I know they need another striker, and I'd buy Hugo Rodallega from Wigan. First, he is extremely talented and can play in the EPL. Second, he wouldn't cost as much as he is probably worth. I'd give him a chance.
I'd sell Jermaine Jenas. There's nothing wrong with him, but he isn't quite up to the standard of Spurs. He'd probably be better at another team, like, say, Wigan.
Day 10 – If you were the manager of your favourite club, what would you change in terms of starting team, tactics etc? Transfers not allowed!
It's hard to argue with Harry, but starting up front, I think the strike partnership has always worked for Spurs in the past...it's just finding that 'perfect' combination again like they had with Berbatov and Keane. But at the beginning of the season, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch were working really well together in that 'Mutt and Jeff' combination. I'd keep using them until Hugo Rodallega gets there. Too bad Jermaine got hurt and Petey has gone off form recently. But I think you always have to use Jermaine if you've got him in your team. He can also work as a useful substitute for Gareth Bale, running up and down the left flank, or for Luka Modric, running patterns through the midfield. In the midfield I wouldn't change much. They need Tom Huddlestone back for sure. Maybe Harry could try a double pivot system like Pep Guardiola or like Mourinho is now copying. However, that might change things too drastically for Spurs in the midfield. Worth a try, perhaps, as it bolsters things a bit defensively. The back line is great as it is, except for the boys getting injured too much. For sure the partnership of Ledley King and Michael Dawson is pretty awesome. If only Ledley's knees weren't knacked. Michael plays SOOOO much better when Ledley is there. Not to take anything away from Michael, though...he is an amazing young defender who will only get better. He reminds me of a much younger John Terry on the back line. The two fullback positions are neatly covered. Assou-Ekotto is one of the best left backs I've ever seen, IMO, and too bad Charlie Corluka doesn't have more pace, but his crosses are wicked and he can keep possession like no other. Alan Hutton is another really good right back as well.
Day 11 – Who is your favourite manager?
No question - Harry Redknapp.
Day 12 – Favourite ever match?
Holy shit, it's still the UEFA Cup final of 2007 between Sevilla FC and RCD Espanyol. Best match I've ever seen and I've seen some real classics. This one went back and forth and had spectacular plays to watch, the most notable one being Andres Palop's astounding throw distribution into the running path of Luis Fabiano, who scored a spectacular goal. Sevilla won it. The game was made all the more poignant because Antonio Puerta was in it. (He died that same August.) Not to mention that Espanyol's captain, Dani Jarque, also passed away a couple of years later. :(
DAY 6 - WHICH FOOTBALL MOMENT HAS MADE YOU THE SADDEST?
Despite the fact that there have been so many tragedies in football - accidents, murders, suicides, etc. - the one that has affected me the most was the death of the owl mascot of Junior in Barranquilla.
It happened in February. I was devastated, more so because I was watching the match on TV and saw it happen, whereas with other tragedies I learned about them from reading what happened after the fact.
Also, this was a defenceless animal who was kicked by a player and subsequently died from shock. It was a cruel, unnecessary act that resulted in the death of a beautiful animal, a mascot of the team beloved by fans.
They player who did it, named Luis Moreno, of the Colombian team Pereira, was fined only a few hundred dollars and suspended for three matches. This is sad, more so when it has been discovered that this man did not seem to learn from his mistake - he has recently been suspended once again for brutally kicking another player.
DAY 7 - 5 THINGS YOU LOVE
1) The colourful history behind the sport. Reading about it in books and magazines, or online and watching videos.
2) The excitement that football matches generate - the way I feel when watching a game - the anticipation and the feeling when 'my' team wins.
3) The great variety of football tournaments - from league games to cup finals all the way to the World Cup.
4) I admit it - seeing attractive men running around in revealing costumes, kissing and manpiling - I am as much a fangirl as serious fan.
5) Going to live matches as well as watching on TV. Each one has its own perspective, but there is nothing like the experience of being at a live match.
DAY 8 - 5 THINGS YOU HATE
1) Hooligans and the associated violence.
2) Teams that play too 'professionally' - to me this means without joy and passion - when the attitude is that of "when the money is this good anyway, why should I give 100%?"
3) I used to find this pet peeve annoying in the past, but not so much anymore, since I quit all the sites and communities where this attitude is prevalent: it is fangirls who think they own the players. I've got news for you, honey: YOU DON'T! And everyone else is entitled to their opinion too, as well as YOU. So quit yer bitching and find something important to waste your time on!
4) When teams change a perfectly lovely kit to an ugly one! For example, the traditional red & white of Sevilla FC is beautiful, and an away kit of opposite colours - white with red - is also nice. But that flaming pink monstrosity of a few years ago (2007?) was absolutely hideous. What must the players have thought while wearing it? And it wasn't a nice Palermo pink - it wasn't even pink - something approaching salmon but more pinkish and practically flourescent. *shudders* I think it bothered me more when I was there and in the fan shop and it hit me right between the eyes!
5) I hate all the Spurs' players injuries! I hate that my team is so crippled atm! It has spoiled so many things this season that 'could have been'...*sigh*. Get well soon Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, Vedran Corluka, Luka Modric, Roma Pavlyuchenko, Jonathan Woodgate, William Gallas, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Alan Hutton :(
Day 9 – If you were the president of your favourite club and money was no object name one player you would buy and one player you would sell?
Okay, the club would be Tottenham Hotspur. I know they need another striker, and I'd buy Hugo Rodallega from Wigan. First, he is extremely talented and can play in the EPL. Second, he wouldn't cost as much as he is probably worth. I'd give him a chance.
I'd sell Jermaine Jenas. There's nothing wrong with him, but he isn't quite up to the standard of Spurs. He'd probably be better at another team, like, say, Wigan.
Day 10 – If you were the manager of your favourite club, what would you change in terms of starting team, tactics etc? Transfers not allowed!
It's hard to argue with Harry, but starting up front, I think the strike partnership has always worked for Spurs in the past...it's just finding that 'perfect' combination again like they had with Berbatov and Keane. But at the beginning of the season, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch were working really well together in that 'Mutt and Jeff' combination. I'd keep using them until Hugo Rodallega gets there. Too bad Jermaine got hurt and Petey has gone off form recently. But I think you always have to use Jermaine if you've got him in your team. He can also work as a useful substitute for Gareth Bale, running up and down the left flank, or for Luka Modric, running patterns through the midfield. In the midfield I wouldn't change much. They need Tom Huddlestone back for sure. Maybe Harry could try a double pivot system like Pep Guardiola or like Mourinho is now copying. However, that might change things too drastically for Spurs in the midfield. Worth a try, perhaps, as it bolsters things a bit defensively. The back line is great as it is, except for the boys getting injured too much. For sure the partnership of Ledley King and Michael Dawson is pretty awesome. If only Ledley's knees weren't knacked. Michael plays SOOOO much better when Ledley is there. Not to take anything away from Michael, though...he is an amazing young defender who will only get better. He reminds me of a much younger John Terry on the back line. The two fullback positions are neatly covered. Assou-Ekotto is one of the best left backs I've ever seen, IMO, and too bad Charlie Corluka doesn't have more pace, but his crosses are wicked and he can keep possession like no other. Alan Hutton is another really good right back as well.
Day 11 – Who is your favourite manager?
No question - Harry Redknapp.
Day 12 – Favourite ever match?
Holy shit, it's still the UEFA Cup final of 2007 between Sevilla FC and RCD Espanyol. Best match I've ever seen and I've seen some real classics. This one went back and forth and had spectacular plays to watch, the most notable one being Andres Palop's astounding throw distribution into the running path of Luis Fabiano, who scored a spectacular goal. Sevilla won it. The game was made all the more poignant because Antonio Puerta was in it. (He died that same August.) Not to mention that Espanyol's captain, Dani Jarque, also passed away a couple of years later. :(
