so now after having been drinking in the pub since 1230 i'm starting to sober up ...

but

having watched a truly quality end to a quality world cup with 20 good friends, there are ,,,as the title says "somethings that just make you smile"...well done Brazil and to the co- hosts for a spectacular event

(so i didnt make glast. this year,,,,but next year ...........;) )

Here here - a great spectacle which other than a few hiccups in the ticketing arrangements went very well for all concerned in the organisation of the event.

Great to see the Asian nations finally embracing football in numbers too.

The only problem is that we have to wait another 4 years for the next dose:D

I don't follow football but one thing I have learnt from the few world cup games that I have watched is just how fragile and incredibly brave many soccer players are.

Fragile because the merest touch from an opposing player can result in them rolling on the ground in paroxysms of agony clutching parts of their body that were not even in contact.
Is this what is known as "shooting pains" ?

Incredibly brave because mere seconds after these seemingly crippling injuries, which would send most of us mere mortals to hospital, they can shrug off the effects and are up and running again as if nothing had happened.

:D

Here here Henry... seems to be a fair bit of that going on. I dont mind soccer to watch but the one thing that gives me the sh!ts above anything else to do with the game is that.

Henry - I agree!

I am an avid soccer fan, but they need to up the security at the turnstiles - that way they might get rid of the snipers that are obviously in the crowd felling the players at regular intervals. :mad:

However, the magic spray that the physios use should be made available to casualty departments worldwide. ;)

Agreed Henry - nothing worse as a bloke to see some of these guys rolling around in "agony" having been hit with the ball. Where you or I might rub the offending spot whilst muttering something to the effect of "SH*T - that hurt", some of these prima donnas go down poleaxed.

I must say so also that it appears the closer to the top of their profession these guys get - the more apparent is the play acting.

During a different lifetime in the UK, I used to go every week to Division 2 and 3 games - and in all honesty the play acting in those games was minimal.

Retribution for a heinous foul was usually dished out in the form of an equally heinous (plus a modicum of interest) incident involving the original perpetrator.

Just another thing that the "man-in-black" has to watch for these days.

JD

This subject has been grist for the documentries. I saw a hilarious series of clips on 'Oscars' for the best performance. Put together this collection of players diving to the ground in absolute agony was priceless.

What made it even funnier was that they had carefully taken examples where the fouls/tackles had been anticipated a tad early, so in most cases these worthy thespians were obviously hurling themselves to the ground almost entirely unaided.

It was quite eyeopening and made one wonder if these chaps don't actually recieve instruction in the art of agonised expressions/rolling around/ hobbling etc.