Blackwashed

[DodgyAgent]

I'm not sure I agree with you there. Those countries tend to specialise in fewer sports. How many great Swedish footballers in history can you name, and how many great Dutch tennis players?

Australians have warm weather all the year round, so their kids can go out and play impromptu games with their mates any time they like. Think cricket - how often do you see kids in the UK having a knock-about, learning ball-skills at the genuine "grass-roots" level?

Tom Okker Richard Krajeck, I know it is not many but considering their population they have at least had a Wimbledon champ in recent years.. I loved his description of women players being fat lazy pigs! I am sure it helps having an Aussie climate, but there is more to it than that.. there is little else to do in Australia other than to play sport. Cultural activities are low, popping over to France or Germany for a weekend is not possible. No decent music bands.. bland food, and despite the climate none of the richness of the Mediterrenean cafe culture. You only go to a pub for a fight.

So it is surfing, footy beer and cricket for your average Aussie. We certainly do not have the right balance, but I believe that the Aussies are further from a decent balanced society than we are.

The Lions lost fair and square and there are no questions about who was the better team, but before the Aussies and Kiwis start saying that their teams are coming from a disadvantaged base compared to the UK, then we can all play that game.

[DodgyAgent]

Also an Aussie colleague of mine just here tells me that even at soccer Australia are better than England as the last time they played, Australia won. Can't comment on that but he seems pretty sure of this fact.

Your colleague's statement doesn't deserve a serious reply. That would be like saying Holland are better at cricket than NZ, because they beat them once.

The game against Australia was a friendly, and under Sven friendlies are completely meaningless; he uses them as an opportunity to test different players and tactics.
England are a very strong team. The fact that we don't dominate is simply because football is a game played around the world and there are a number of exceptionally strong nations that could win the World Cup; Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland, England -and then a number of strong nations just behind that group; Portugal, Czech Republic, etc.
By contrast, the number of great teams in rugby can be counted on a few fingers.

England usually do well in the major competitions, whereas Australia never qualify (despite being in a qualifying region with the Cook Islands!!!).

It is very much like software. The Aussies come over here and tell us that they use the most up to date software, development tools etc etc. There is however a reason for that, If the product does not work then it does not matter in Australia. It is a software Christmas Island for trying things out without having to worry about the consequences.

[Mailman]

Excuse me but don't New Zealand pick the best players from pretty much the whole of the Pacific Ocean islands? There was talk of putting together a Pacific team for the Tri-Nations which would put the All Blacks back to a similar level to Argentina.

Any, most people just assume people from New Zealand are Aussies anyway.

Actually no...99.99% of Islanders selected to play for the All Blacks were either born in NZ or moved here with their parents when they were children.

The one Islander that wasnt borne here was picked up by Wesley Boys college in Auckland a number of years ago (and he had to go through a waiting period before he could be selected). Of course the English media neglect to say that Wesley Boys College has always offered scholarships to Island children who are both strong in school and sports activities.

Then lets not even get in to the arguement about how NZ is just another Pacific Island and also has the largest population of Pacific Islanders in the world.

If the IRB was so concerned about growing the sport in the Pacific Islands why arent they investing more money in their game? Ill tell you why, because the IRB isnt interested in growing the game in the Pacific Islands.

Secondly, if England was so concerned about Islanders being selected to play at international levels then perhaps you guys should start looking to your own islands. Im sure you could russle up a couple good players from Jersey, the orkneys, Falklands and the Shetland Islands. If you cant then perhaps you should grant these people their independance?

Why are so many of you lot over here AND never want to go back? All the Kiwis I know are going to live in Aussie after the UK kicks them out...

Simple...its all to do with economics and perceived quality of life. One soon realises that there is no place like home

Regards

Mailman

[wendigo100]

Re: great Swedish footballers in history

Gunnar Nordahl, Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm.

Names that trip off the tongue when picking the best teams of all time.

Are they from the 1958 team?

[WageSlave]

Names that trip off the tongue when picking the best teams of all time.

Are they from the 1958 team?

They are from the great Milan side of the 50s, and the Swedish side that won Olympic gold in 1948.