:: The Wendy House ::

My nail-file is banned from US plane hand luggage.  I can take my laptop on a flight.  I wonder how Air Transport Security are planning to deal with suicide laptops.

khaki cargo pants & t-shirts

Wendy: dress in clothes your mother would think you look good in. Casual with a hint of smart because you are representing the company to these customers.

male colleague: Khaki’s and logo’d t-shirt Ok?

Wendy: a popular choice!

the day started with Nike’s controversial double-page spread in UK main newspapers, on poster-boards, and broadcast into my home by a Canadian news reporter based in London.  It’s published online in this article by the Sun newspaper featuring young aggressive English Soccer star Wayne Rooney.  I want a copy.  

Why is it personal? 

• Mum is English
• Dad is a Swedish speaking Finn (feel the loyalty tensions)
• England have not beaten the Swedish soccer team since 1968 (England humiliation at lack of success in their national sport)
• English Soccer team manager is “Sven Goran Ericson”,  you guessed it,  a Swede.  He gets my prize for either ‘outstanding platitude’ or ‘driest wit’ for this comment on England’s chances: “Sooner or later we have to beat them“.
• match outcome determines who plays the home team, Germany. 

I wore my 2000 England soccer strip to work and watched the game in a works canteen with three huge overhead screens in the company of people from Sweden, Paraguy, Britian and some other countries judging by their complections and the languages I could partially over-hear. 

First half 

Within the first 2 minutes Michael Owen was taken off injured.  No foul play.  He’s a striking star only not due to strike during this match. 

England carried the half by persistently attacking.  They made multiple,  poorly executed, strikes.  They kept giving-away mutliple corner-kicks (set-plays) to Sweden.  I don’t know what planet Sweden were on at this time but they managed to fluff multiple goal opportunities provided by England.  Towards the end of the first half (34mins) Joe Cole scored an outstanding goal with a long,  curved shot that no-one was expecting.  Joe Cole’s footwork was consistently amazing throughout the match,  his feet seemed to hover over and around the ball whenever it was near them,  teasing the Swedish players who appeared unable to place a foot near it when in his possession.  Defintiely my man of the match.  That kind of teasing,  humerous,  footwork qualifies him as a playful cutie in my books.  The England fans spontaneously sang the national anthem.  It sounds low and melodic in the predominantly male voices.  I miss singing at live matches.  Wendy-soppiness was beginning to set-in at this point.

Score at half time: (England 1 Sweden 0)

Second half

Sweden came back clearly revived and on the attack, scoring an exceptional goal within five minutes play.  They continued to look the better side throughout the second half.  After 70mins Sven substituted Nike posterman Rooney with Garrison.  Rooney stomped off to the box, where, like a petulant child he pulled his boots off and threw them down.  He was not a happy bunny and wanted everyone watching to know.  A poor exhibition from someone representing their country.  Five minutes before the end of the game Garrison scored for England.  The cheering could have raised the canteen roof!  The England crowd starting singing the National anthem again.  I was nearly moved to tears.  In the 90th, last, minute Sweden scored a goal with a long shot that easily passed two poorly coordinated England defenders.  Ouch.  Sven’s ’sooner or later’ didn’t include today’s game.

final score:   England 2  Sweden 2

What,  no mention of Beckham?  Was he on pitch?  Yes.  He took a couple of corners that failed to set-up any goals.  He was almost invisible which doesn’t seem a good way to play during a competitive international match.  The USA ESPN sports commentator was more harsh in his comments on Beckham’s play.  It was painful, enlightening, listening to a less partisan commentator on an English game. I missed Gary Lineker’s commentary.  You can’t fault his insightful descriptive talent: 

“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

The referee’s performance was also notably different from the referee in the USA-Italy game.  Th referee of England-Sweden prioritised ‘play-on’ where the advantage was with the appropriate side over delivering yellow-cards.  Card’s weren’t even guarrantteed after fouls that stopped the game. To my suprise the Swede’s were much more proliffic in their production of fouls than the English.  I was impressed by, and proud of, the quality behaviour of the English team on pitch focussing on legitimate means to win the game. 

Now Sweden play Germany (Saturday) and England play Equador (Sunday).