World Cup 2006 (III) - conclusions 1st round

So, the first round is wrapped up... Jeez, this tournament is a mixed bag indeed. The entertainment we expected hasn't been delivered. The gap between the 'smaller countries' (asian and african countries) and the european football is smaller again in terms of individual quality of the players. In terms of team play and tactics, there still is a considerable gap. Since many european countries showed poor play, the matches were hardly worth a mention in football history.

Big disappointments for me are: Sweden, France (big time!), Brazil, England, Holland (yep, tough but true...) and Croatia. Countries that surprised me are: Aussies with their huge mentality and, I hate to say this, Germany. I don't know if this Dutch manager Guus really has magic hands but he some how manages to get these very average players to play football. Their physical game and never ending mental power make the Aussies a tough team to play against. And Germany? Well, Germany seems to be made for tournament play. No matter how average the individual quality is, as a team they manage to improve their game along the way.

What about our Dutch team? The manager Marco van Basten always said that he wanted to play an attractive game with the typical Dutch wing attackers. During the qualification for the World Cup the Dutch team were never brilliant but picked up the points quite easily. Now at the World Cup, the intentions of the manager never really picked up. In fact, the Dutch team plays an 'unDutch' way: very defensive, slow and boring. Many key players seems to have problems with their physique and too many players are playing way below their usual level. Together with a very vulnerable midfield, it's looking like the Dutch team is having trouble to form a balanced team.

Our next match is against Portugal. The Portuguese team hasn't changed much since the last big tournament. This seems to result in a very well oiled team. We got our ass kicked at the last European Championship by Portugal, so we do have some revenge feelings. But with the condition of the current Dutch team, I'm not sure we will repay the debt...

World Cup 2006 (II)

Just back from the World Cup match Korea vs Togo. It was in a few words: hot, amazing atmosphere, hot and overwhelming enthusiasm. The match itself wasn't very good, barely average. But Korea won and that's what almost 60% of the crowds cheered for.

Rotterdam to Frankfurt is about a 4 hours drive. We ended up in a hotel in the city of Schwalbach am Taunus, just next to Frankfurt. How weird to find out that the hotel we booked via the internet turned out to be run by a Korean family. In fact, there seems to be a little Korean community in this area. It's funny to wake up in the middle of Germany and you hear people talking Korean outside. But we came here for a mission: the World Cup!

We decided to leave the cars at the hotel and travel to the football stadium using the underground. It sure was the fastest way, but boy a journey it was indeed! The underground was jam packed with fans heading for the stadium. Now I know how an anjovis feels when it's canned and gets ready for shipment! The security wasn't as strict as we thought. In fact, the tickets weren't checked on the correct names as we all were warned. Such an event is, besides a celebration of the game, especially a commercial event. The beverages we were carrying weren't allowed to pass the gates. Obviously the beverages and food bought inside the gates were the cash cows.

The Frankfurt stadium has a capacity of almost 50,000 attendants and it was filled to the roof. Outside the stadium the party was already going on. Both people from Togo and Korea were enjoying themself with cheering or making music. Let's start with the game!

The first group matches have been played and it's not really clear how the teams should be judged. Which teams are playing at their best and which teams will disappoint? The real battles have yet to start. Some really interesting few weeks are waiting!

FIFA World Cup 2006

The FIFA World Cup football championship has started. So, far the big countries didn't impress me. In fact, Germany and England played pretty disappointing during their first match. I mean Costa Rica and Paraguay aren't really what they call 'angstgegners'.

We all agree that the Brazilian team is the team to beat. I think they have a great team with big names, but as with big teams they tend to shine when all goes right. If things aren't working out, the machine tends to stumble since most big names aren't used to work for their money when things go wrong. The current Real Madrid team is a fine example of a team with all big names, but not playing as a team. But, there is a long way to go so teams might pick up the mood and improve their game.

Today our Dutch team will play their first match. We have a new manager who has some refreshing ideas about the game and the players he selected. But I dunno, the fresh approach was never really tested nor did was his idea really shown by the team. We'll see this afternoon when the Dutch team plays against Serbia Montenegro. Let's hope Marco doesn't make a similar big mistake Dick made in Portugal!

My guess is that the Dutch team might go through to the semi finals, but for the top score we lack the real quality in the defense. Especially our central defense isn't top notch. Our midfield is pretty good as are our attackers.

We will be attending the match South Korea against Togo in Frankfurt Germany on 13 June, so that should be fun! We will leave tomorrow for Frankfurt. The weather looks fine: sunny & warm. Stay tuned for some nice impressions of this big event!

The Adams Family travels (II)

Early April Bill Taylor and I were talking about the new fishing season (see posting of 4 April 2006). This resulted in having a little trip for the Adams family. Today Bill sent me some pictures of the Family taking a swim in the Clark's Creek in the Catskill region. Looks like Bill had a nice outing with his dad. That quad rod looks mighty nice indeed.

My next trip to the trouts will be a trip to the Czech Republic (formerly part of Czechoslovakia) during the last week of July. I've never been to the Czech Republic, so I'm really curious. There seems to be some nice streams filled with graylings. So, keep posted!

Thanks for the nice pictures Bill!