Sometimes when it rains it pours. Sometimes so much happens you don't where to begin. Sunday yielded a veritable goldmine of material for this weeks posting and it all started before the game even began.
My chauffeur rocks up to my place at around 8:10 for our 8:30 kickoff. Martin, you may recall, wears white boots and is the subject of some ridicule amongst the rank and file. Here's the rule: when you're good enough you can be flash otherwise stick with the basic tried and true gear. I'll let others decide if he can get away with wearing boots outside the norm. Anyway apparently he needed new boots so imagine my horror when he proudly displayed his brand spanking new shiny WHITE boots. The man has no shame. "Just got them yesterday" he says, "I need to break them in". Hopefully they'll get muddied up sometime soon.
The game gets underway with me in goal for about 25 minutes of the first half. That just about enough time to demonstrate my full range of goal keep prowess such as flapping hopelessly at corners and crosses, positional awareness that maximizes the opposing attackers target area and lightning reflexes that allow me to see the ball hit the back of the net. Remember no-one wants to be in goal so we have to drag the team-mates between the sticks kicking and screaming. I stepped up to get my shift out of the way so now I'm good for a couple of weeks at least. During my allotted shift I got to take up a midfield position because our new recruit Fuad got injured. Here's the logic - you're injured so we'll stick you in goal where upon we expect you to leap about like a spawning salmon.
We're winning the game fairly easily - up about 3 -1 at halftime with Ronaldo and Gui scoring and some nice if not over-the-top back heels and flicks going on. When we start winning the midfield tend to abandon their defensive duties entirely because everyone wants to have a pop at the goal. Martins claiming a couple of assists I think but since I was in goal I can't claim to have seen everything. I can claim an assist for Ronaldo and I must say it was a beauty but also arrogant according to white boots. Pot - kettle - black - calling - something, something.
Here's what happened. I'm on the left, midway in the opposition half with the ball at my feet, team mates screaming for a pass, defenders approaching. Now if you've ever seen good players on the telly, particularly Brazilians, they have a technique whereby they flick the ball to a team mate. It's not a side foot or a drilled pass but you stand behind the ball, slip your foot underneath it and flick your foot forward without so much as swinging a leg. Anyway I flick the ball to Ronaldo, he spins and slots the ball in the right hand corner. I'm totally chuffed and as I stroll back to our half I hear 'that's a bit arrogant'. Maybe but I'm definitely adding that move to my list of things you need to accomplish in your footballing career.
The second half was a barn stormer because we were playing a man down so the other team came into the game more. Now you can see one of the advantages of getting your goal keeping duties out of the way! Ronaldo and Martin get the short straws for the goal keeping duties in the second half. They protest mightily of course and a phrase utilizing the words prima dona comes to mind. During Martins shift the opposition get a break away whereby it's 2 on 1 - where the one is the goalie - yeah White boot boy. I get back as he is stopping the first of 2 shots and then I stop another 2. The fact that they had 4 shots on goal is one thing but what's more surprising is that they didn't score from any of them. That's a complete shocker, when with all due respect, you consider the quality of our keepers. I think however he's earned his stripes and we'll demand he goes in every week.
There's more to come folks...
My chauffeur rocks up to my place at around 8:10 for our 8:30 kickoff. Martin, you may recall, wears white boots and is the subject of some ridicule amongst the rank and file. Here's the rule: when you're good enough you can be flash otherwise stick with the basic tried and true gear. I'll let others decide if he can get away with wearing boots outside the norm. Anyway apparently he needed new boots so imagine my horror when he proudly displayed his brand spanking new shiny WHITE boots. The man has no shame. "Just got them yesterday" he says, "I need to break them in". Hopefully they'll get muddied up sometime soon.
The game gets underway with me in goal for about 25 minutes of the first half. That just about enough time to demonstrate my full range of goal keep prowess such as flapping hopelessly at corners and crosses, positional awareness that maximizes the opposing attackers target area and lightning reflexes that allow me to see the ball hit the back of the net. Remember no-one wants to be in goal so we have to drag the team-mates between the sticks kicking and screaming. I stepped up to get my shift out of the way so now I'm good for a couple of weeks at least. During my allotted shift I got to take up a midfield position because our new recruit Fuad got injured. Here's the logic - you're injured so we'll stick you in goal where upon we expect you to leap about like a spawning salmon.
We're winning the game fairly easily - up about 3 -1 at halftime with Ronaldo and Gui scoring and some nice if not over-the-top back heels and flicks going on. When we start winning the midfield tend to abandon their defensive duties entirely because everyone wants to have a pop at the goal. Martins claiming a couple of assists I think but since I was in goal I can't claim to have seen everything. I can claim an assist for Ronaldo and I must say it was a beauty but also arrogant according to white boots. Pot - kettle - black - calling - something, something.
Here's what happened. I'm on the left, midway in the opposition half with the ball at my feet, team mates screaming for a pass, defenders approaching. Now if you've ever seen good players on the telly, particularly Brazilians, they have a technique whereby they flick the ball to a team mate. It's not a side foot or a drilled pass but you stand behind the ball, slip your foot underneath it and flick your foot forward without so much as swinging a leg. Anyway I flick the ball to Ronaldo, he spins and slots the ball in the right hand corner. I'm totally chuffed and as I stroll back to our half I hear 'that's a bit arrogant'. Maybe but I'm definitely adding that move to my list of things you need to accomplish in your footballing career.
The second half was a barn stormer because we were playing a man down so the other team came into the game more. Now you can see one of the advantages of getting your goal keeping duties out of the way! Ronaldo and Martin get the short straws for the goal keeping duties in the second half. They protest mightily of course and a phrase utilizing the words prima dona comes to mind. During Martins shift the opposition get a break away whereby it's 2 on 1 - where the one is the goalie - yeah White boot boy. I get back as he is stopping the first of 2 shots and then I stop another 2. The fact that they had 4 shots on goal is one thing but what's more surprising is that they didn't score from any of them. That's a complete shocker, when with all due respect, you consider the quality of our keepers. I think however he's earned his stripes and we'll demand he goes in every week.
There's more to come folks...
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