The British (also known as Britons, informally Brits, or archaically Britishers) are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories, and their descendants.[22][23][24] In a historical context, the term refers to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the Forth.[23] British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which are acquired, for instance, by birth in the UK or by descent from British nationals.
Mr. Longden, It has not escaped our attention that a certain sporting event is fast approaching, and that our respective nations will soon be meeting on the fields of South Africa.
My Ambassador has asked me to see if your Ambassador might be interested in a small wager? We will understand if you decline, given the outcome of the last such encounter.
Sincerely, Philip Breeden, U.S. Embassy, London
________________________________
From: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
To: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Breeden,
Even for such an exceptionally optimistic nation as the United States, I am struck by the confidence with which your Ambassador proposes this wager. It is testament, I assume, to the generosity of your great nation ??? since the British Ambassador does not anticipate paying out.
Your email does not specify the exact terms of the wager. May I suggest that, in the event of an England victory, the US Ambassador agrees to entertain the British Ambassador at a steak-house of his choosing in downtown DC? And in the event that the United States is able to engineer a fortuitous win over England, then my man will entertain yours at a London pub of his choosing. Loser pays.
Your reference to a previous sporting encounter between our two countries puzzles me. Since the history of English football is long and extensive, in contradistinction to US soccer, I regret that I cannot immediately recall the encounter to which you refer. No doubt it is remembered fondly on these shores; we have quite forgotten it, however.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Yours sincerely, Martin Longden British Embassy Washington DC
________________________________
From: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
To: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Longden ,
It is with great pleasure, and no small measure of anticipation, that the U.S. Ambassador accepts the terms of the wager. I am surprised, given the well known love of the British for history, that you have forgotten what happened the last time the ???special relationship??? was tested on the pitch. Of course, given the result, you are to be forgiven for having misplaced that particular episode in your memory banks. I refer of course to the victory of the U.S. over England in the 1950 World Cup.
It is true that our soccer (a fine English word we have kindly preserved for you) history is not as long and illustrious as yours. However, as your generals noted during WWII, we have a unique capability for quickly identifying and advancing talent.
Game on!
Sincerely, Philip Breeden
________________________________
From: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
To: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Breeden,
Very well; it???s a bet!
Incidentally, you should know that the Ambassador takes his steak like American soccer victories ??? somewhat rare.
Ex-Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith talking balls...
World Cup 2010: Alan Smith says bounce of the Jabulani ball is sure to baffle all
It seems to happen every time. A new ball is designed for the World Cup and, within days, every goalkeeper starts to have a good moan. Too light. Swerves in the air too much. Not fair on keepers.
Well, it has happened again, only this time the complaints are more concerted than ever. None of England's goalkeepers are fans of the Jabulani, which ironically translates as 'happy' or 'rejoice'.
Neither word could be attached to Brazil's Julio Cesar, who was positively scathing in describing it as "a ball you'd buy in the supermarket". Worryingly, that is just one criticism of many from a list that includes comments from Iker Casillas of Spain and France's Hugo Lloris. As if to confirm the fear, Joe Cole predicted that keepers would be "petrified" of what this ball could get up to.
That did it. I had to get hold of one to test it myself, just to make sure these players were not exaggerating. So, thanks to the England camp, I took a couple across to one of the pitches at their plush training complex at Royal Bafokeng.
And it did not take long to understand all the fuss. No matter how I hit it, the white and gold Jabulani kept doing the oddest of things, both in the air and on the ground.
I tried a curler, for example, with the inside of my right foot, and instead of the ball bending gradually to the left as you would expect, it somehow defied the laws of physics by momentarily veering to the right halfway to goal. Was I seeing things here? Just to make sure, I tried it again and, amazingly, the ball reacted in the same way.
Yet the opposite happened when I struck it with my instep on the half-volley. It was heading narrowly wide when, a few yards from the target, it swerved violently to the left to find the top corner. Blimey, this is good, I thought ??? a tracking device implanted in the ball that finds the net however you hit it. I would have scored 50 a season with that kind of help.
But would it work with volleys? Well, yes and no. Launching the ball out of my hands, the ball tended to dip up and down rather than move from side to side.
As for a powerful thump off the deck with my laces, the ball flew forward in a fairly straight line before oscillating wildly in flight like an excited fly.
Up until now, all these deviations added up to bad news for keepers and promising news for players trying their luck. But then something happened that widened the implications. Standing by the goal, my photographer retrieved a ball and side-footed it back along the floor. And even though it was not travelling with any real pace it still managed to swerve on its short journey.
That means every single player in this World Cup is going to have to concentrate hard when receiving a pass, even if it is a simple, 10-yard job. As for a raking 40-yard effort, some people are going to end up looking stupid because they can not control the approaching missile.
It might even be the same with judging the bounce, because the England lads have witnessed some extraordinary reactions when this ball rears up in front of them in training. At the moment, they can not make up their minds if the type of grass used in Bafokeng is responsible or if it is this darned ball playing tricks again.
Brazil's Luis Fabiano highlighted the basic point, revealing that "all of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. I think it's supernatural."
Cole, in slight contrast, was loath to make a big thing of the issue when quizzed. "First of all, it's the same for everyone," he said diplomatically before admitting wistfully that the unpredictable nature of these balls took "a bit of the skill out the game".
Now that would be a travesty if proved correct in a tournament when the world's best players deserve the best equipment.
For their part, Adidas defend their corner with pride. For a start, they claim the Jabulani is the roundest ball ever made and, as for all these complaints about its erratic movement, they blame the high altitude, as if the ball had not been specifically designed for use in this country.
Their publicity blurb, in fact, has proved unwittingly prophetic when it talks about a 'grip and groove' texture that provides 'unmatched flight characteristics'.
Well, you can't argue with that. This ball behaves like no other I have ever kicked in my life.
William Gallas, the experienced Arsenal and France defender, is refusing to speak to the press during the World Cup in protest that coach Raymond Domenech has handed Patrice Evra the armband for the tournament, according to the Daily Mail. Gallas, 33, is by far the more experienced of the two men in international terms.
William Gallas, the experienced Arsenal and France defender, is refusing to speak to the press during the World Cup in protest that coach Raymond Domenech has handed Patrice Evra the armband for the tournament, according to the Daily Mail. Gallas, 33, is by far the more experienced of the two men in international terms.
I feel a lot better about the French already.
LOL, Gallas, great talent that he was, is such a stroppy little shit. However, as fantastic as he is (best left back in the world?), choosing Evra as the captain seems a highly odd choice indeed. Mind you, how the hell is Domenech even still there. Odds on France going out in group stage?
William Gallas, the experienced Arsenal and France defender, is refusing to speak to the press during the World Cup in protest that coach Raymond Domenech has handed Patrice Evra the armband for the tournament, according to the Daily Mail. Gallas, 33, is by far the more experienced of the two men in international terms.
I feel a lot better about the French already.
LOL, Gallas, great talent that he was, is such a stroppy little shit. However, as fantastic as he is (best left back in the world?), choosing Evra as the captain seems a highly odd choice indeed. Mind you, how the hell is Domenech even still there. Odds on France going out in group stage?
such a beautiful mess is the FFF squad. i must say i have had a soft spot for that team since '98 and Euro '00. In fact following FFF got me following Henry which later got me following Arsenal. That said, the waste of talent on this squad borders on embarrassing. I know Domenech is out anyway, but I think the FFF would have done better to boot him before the cup.
As for Gallas, again, i think he is a talented player, but this dude is undoubtably a pain in the ass to play with. I hate to say i almost look forward to seeing him move on from Arsenal and that is coming from a dude with Gallas on the back of my replica kit.
so hype for tomorrow though. had surgery today on my foot, so i have to work from home tomorrow. the pains of recuperation i guess
Comments
LEAGUE CODE = 382961-90179
Dude, wait what?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_people
Whatever you want to call yourselves, you are about to get a good ol fashioned ass kicking.
wow, that second goal starting at :53 was :face_melt: :face_melt: :face_melt:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/preparing_for_the_world_cup.html
The steaks are high.
http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/usa-vs-england-ambassadorial-world-cup-wager.html
From: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
To: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
Subject: World Cup Bet
Mr. Longden, It has not escaped our attention that a certain sporting event is fast approaching, and that our respective nations will soon be meeting on the fields of South Africa.
My Ambassador has asked me to see if your Ambassador might be interested in a small wager? We will understand if you decline, given the outcome of the last such encounter.
Sincerely, Philip Breeden, U.S. Embassy, London
________________________________
From: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
To: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Breeden,
Even for such an exceptionally optimistic nation as the United States, I am struck by the confidence with which your Ambassador proposes this wager. It is testament, I assume, to the generosity of your great nation ??? since the British Ambassador does not anticipate paying out.
Your email does not specify the exact terms of the wager. May I suggest that, in the event of an England victory, the US Ambassador agrees to entertain the British Ambassador at a steak-house of his choosing in downtown DC? And in the event that the United States is able to engineer a fortuitous win over England, then my man will entertain yours at a London pub of his choosing. Loser pays.
Your reference to a previous sporting encounter between our two countries puzzles me. Since the history of English football is long and extensive, in contradistinction to US soccer, I regret that I cannot immediately recall the encounter to which you refer. No doubt it is remembered fondly on these shores; we have quite forgotten it, however.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Yours sincerely, Martin Longden British Embassy Washington DC
________________________________
From: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
To: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Longden ,
It is with great pleasure, and no small measure of anticipation, that the U.S. Ambassador accepts the terms of the wager. I am surprised, given the well known love of the British for history, that you have forgotten what happened the last time the ???special relationship??? was tested on the pitch. Of course, given the result, you are to be forgiven for having misplaced that particular episode in your memory banks. I refer of course to the victory of the U.S. over England in the 1950 World Cup.
It is true that our soccer (a fine English word we have kindly preserved for you) history is not as long and illustrious as yours. However, as your generals noted during WWII, we have a unique capability for quickly identifying and advancing talent.
Game on!
Sincerely, Philip Breeden
________________________________
From: Martin Longden, British Embassy Washington DC
To: Philip Breeden, US Embassy London
Subject: Re: World Cup Bet
Mr. Breeden,
Very well; it???s a bet!
Incidentally, you should know that the Ambassador takes his steak like American soccer victories ??? somewhat rare.
Sincerely,
Martin Longden
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/england/7815134/World-Cup-2010-Alan-Smith-says-bounce-of-the-Jabulani-ball-is-sure-to-baffle-all.html
^^^ Default American overseas policy.
:oh_snap:
^^^ TERRORIST
One man's 73rr0r157, another man's freedom fighter.
Ain't that right, Nelson?
:freeway:
I feel a lot better about the French already.
LOL, Gallas, great talent that he was, is such a stroppy little shit. However, as fantastic as he is (best left back in the world?), choosing Evra as the captain seems a highly odd choice indeed. Mind you, how the hell is Domenech even still there. Odds on France going out in group stage?
My favourite reaction to a goal by a manager, @ 4.44
and bonus selection just for balance:
Parade of Famous Africans notoriously short. INfamous possibly longer, but less welcome.
finding borderline racist opinion in the daily mail may be like shooting fish in a barrel, but it's still pretty shit.
link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/10/world-cup-daily-mail-letter
^^^ DARN TOOTIN'
I chose names I recognized until I ran out of money, and then went with cheap names I liked...
made sure to pick donovan, as that little prick's gonna have like four goals in the first game against ingerland
http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2256165/
such a beautiful mess is the FFF squad. i must say i have had a soft spot for that team since '98 and Euro '00. In fact following FFF got me following Henry which later got me following Arsenal. That said, the waste of talent on this squad borders on embarrassing. I know Domenech is out anyway, but I think the FFF would have done better to boot him before the cup.
As for Gallas, again, i think he is a talented player, but this dude is undoubtably a pain in the ass to play with. I hate to say i almost look forward to seeing him move on from Arsenal and that is coming from a dude with Gallas on the back of my replica kit.
so hype for tomorrow though. had surgery today on my foot, so i have to work from home tomorrow. the pains of recuperation i guess
http://worldcup.vevo.com/
BEP now :/
vs
It's the jaw. It's scoring in Fergie time to stay in the WC. F*ck, I love football.