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Saturday 6 October 2007

We Won!!!

We bloody well won!!!! Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 comments:

Vicus Scurra said...

Not you as well?
"We" did not win. "We" weren't playing. I didn't see Pither at loose head prop. The England rugby team won (at least that is to whom I assume you are referring, unless you have a passion for Ebbsfleet United or Cowdenbeath). It was an exciting game, between two mediocre teams, won entirely by the team with the stronger pack, specifically the forward line. None of the power, skill, cohesion of the team of 4 years ago, and a game that was forgettable. As always we can take delight in seeing an Australian team lose, but then the bloody All Blacks, who are up there with the best teams ever (and almost all of them come from New Zealand also) go and lose, so there is no joy left in the competition. Unless Fiji win it.

Barry Lawrence said...

Vicus,

As one who is still recovering from a debilitating injury, I feel compelled to offer you advice which will, hopefully, prevent a similar accident befalling your good self - come down off your high horse!
Sport, my dear chum, is competitive. The very nature of said competition is to foster, in adults and civilised people, good natured tribalism. That tribalism spreads out from, in this case, the 15 gladiators out on the field to their legion of supporters in the stands and at home watching it on the television. There is nothing wrong whatsoever, therfore, in aligning yourself to a sporting team and consequently referring to it as "us" or "we". It is healthy. There is a gulf of mind numbing proportions between that and rabid nationalism in which the primary desire is to subdue other nations, enslave them and then impose on them your culture, values and rule of law. Do you never refer to La Famille Scurra as "we", on occasion, or would that too appear too divisive and parochial? Do you never describe yourself as "English" as opposed to "A person who lives in England"? I hardly think either reference would cast you in the mould of someone who wants to annexe the Sudetenland or instigage your own, private, Final Solution.
Having to shout "Come on you 15 people in white shirts to whom I have absolutely no emotional or other attachment and hence cannot align myself with in anything other than a non-partisan way!!" must surely have taken the edge off the afternoon for you?
As to the game itself (if you will forvie me inverting a sentence for once), I don't recall having referred to the match as a classic. I do, however, take issue with you over it being "forgettable". Winning a World Cup quarter final by just two points against the earth's most successful ever World Cup nation in an incredibly hard fought game which could have gone either way right up until the final whistle is something I will not forget in a hurry. The side (sorry, "We") had all of the power of the team of four years ago and more, even if the level of skill was not there. The performance was also a master class in scrummaging, rucking, mauling and tackling. Forward play is dismissed by the free-flowing Southern hemisphere types in a snotty way. Well, yesterday, in both Cardiff and Marseilles, its beauty, skill and effectiveness came back to haunt the Antipodeans.
I, like you, consider the All Blacks (sorry, New Zealand) to be one of the greatest team to have emerged in recent years. The very fact, however, that they faltered coming up against the first real competition of the tournament speaks volumes about their readiness to claim the crown all thought was theirs by right. The French snuffed out their game brilliantly and showed how they can be beaten. Both games could have gone either way at any moment, both were truly exciting and both were shining examples of what a fantastic game rugby can be. It is a pity that those four sides had to meet in the quarter finals as, with the exception of South Africa, they are by far the best in the tournament.
Vicus, you have out-morosed me, for once. Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Yeah but it's just a bunch of posh thugs chasing an egg. Certainly not played by real men. Unlike football. I mean, look at the bravery and real toughness shown by footballers such as the Milan goalkeeper on Tuesday night...

Big Ears

Barry Lawrence said...

BE,

You have just highlighted ONE of the reasons I lost my love of that other type of football, a game for which, until about 15 years ago, I would have sold my soul.
Goodbye football, hello shorts!!

WEDNESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2007

SHORTS DON'T MATTER! 1. From the greatest programme ever made about association football, Barnstoneworth United FC manager Mr Dainty delivers one of the finest English soliloqiues of all time.......and afterwards, spare a thought for the club steward's wife Vera (YOU ONLY HAVE TO WATCH HALF OF THE CLIP!!).

Monday, 12 November 2007

Not everyone who agonises over their life is a painter. Some of us agonise because we're NOT painters.

....And On the Subject of Great Public Services

I know most of you have heard this marvellous song by those doctors who are the Amateur Transplants......but I think the video is a nice addition. P.S. If there are kids in the room I'd shuffle them out before hitting play.

...There's More

On the subject of those great doctors, here is their version of More Than Words which presents their challenging views on women outside Watford. The very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither, coming from Cumbria, is a huge fan. Again, get those kids out of the room!

Leave Britney Alone, Ok!!!

Oh...........my............God!!!!! My heartfelt thanks go to BGT for this. I won't say much more, I don't need to. Mr Loony of Loonytown, USA (I think it's a bloke, anyway), says it all. I fear he may be wound too tight for.....well.....well for everywhere, really!

Tuesday, 18 September 2007.

I wish I'd sung this! For non-Americans, and with apologies to all the smart arses out there who already knew, the FCC is the Federal Communications Commission and it monitors TV and radio output in the States - a sort of broadcast police - while the EPA is the Yanks' so-called Environmental Protection Agency, a body which does exactly the opposite of what it says on the can. (P.S. We went to the same school, you know? Eric and me, that is, not George, Martha, Dick and Condoleeza and me. I don't think they went to school.) P.P.S. Please see below if you are I Like The View, Malc or Doris.

To Make You Laugh and Cry

I was listening to this on a Sunday, the very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither is a Catholic, Tom Lehrer is one of my all-time heroes and this is one of his best.............no other reasons. On a more sombre note (and with thanks to Fish for coming up with this Woman's-Own-passes-the-time-in-the-dentist's-waiting-room nonsense), why not get a computer to tell you that you are a waste of space and your life is a sham of a mockery of a farce? Ok, it's from one of those poxy dating sites but...go on, take the test. You ain't got much to beat!!
This Is My Life, Rated
Life: 4.2
Mind: 4.1
Body: 2.7
Spirit: 8
Friends/Family: 1.6
Love: 0
Finance: 5.9
Take the Rate My Life Quiz
Apparently, in my case, "computer say 'no!'"

I First Saw This When I Was Little - And Loved It! I Hope That Explains a Few Things

Fuck, Fuckety, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck

It has been pointed out to me that, particularly for one whose profession is supposedly literary, my language is getting worse. My use of the "F" word is, I am told, far too prevalent and hence loses impact. To those who share this view I suggest you watch the following:

Tony Blair Isn't a Burglar - But If He Was.........

In the spirit of Gustav Holst's Jupiter and Manfred Mann's Earth Band, I feel like raising a smile today. The Big Green Thing alerted me to this and, for no other reason than to raise a smile on an otherwise crap Wednesday, I think it has to be shared. Grantham shall not have him - when he gets out of prison.

Life On The Edge - No Net.

I was wrong when I feared it might be a dull weekend, what with my pals being away, my soon-to-be ex-wife in rehab and only the dogs to play with. How wrong can a man be? This much fun must surely be illegal? Just click to see the japes and hoots I am having! Click again to see how things got REALLy exciting! Tomorrow we're going to chase pigeons.

The Good Old U.S. of A. - Guardians of Freedom and Democracy. Nothing to Be Scared of, Then?

Be honest........

IT'S THE QUIZ OF THE WEEK! JUST SCROLL DOWN AND HIT "FULL QUIZ".