A 1-1 draw with Holland is a fantastic result for Australia. However, the truth be told, we were very lucky not to be hammered by three or more goals. But then, it was also one of the poorer attacking performances by Australia since Hiddink took over. Australia was unable to string many passes together. They looked very tired at times. Schwarzer was absolutely brilliant and has surely cemented his place in the starting lineup. He pulled off several unbelievable saves. What pleases me is that even when Australia went down to 10 men, we didn’t crumble under the pressure that Holland applied. Our defence looked much better in the second half. This result will give the team a lot of confidence going into the World Cup, especially after our group opponents Japan could only manage a 1-0 win over lowly Malta on the same day.
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Two-all
Despite appearances, I am actually barracking for Australia in the football match tonight. My rather unpatriotic wife, however, who seems to have found the keys to my blog, is a completely different story. This morning I wake up, and she’s wearing orange. We go to her parents house for morning tea, and what does she take? She takes Dutch eclair biscuits (Bokkenpootjes). Not to mention there’s been a little Dutch doll sitting next to the TV taunting me ever since Australia qualified for the World Cup.
I hope Australia wins tonight. I’m predicting a 2-2 draw, though I’m not sure why. However, there’s a niggling thought that keeps popping into my head telling me the score will be 3-2, and I just hope it’s in Australia’s favour.
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Holland vs. Australia tonight
GO HOLLAND!!!!
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Political Correctness
I abhor political correctness in all its forms. Some months ago, I watched a news or current affairs story on how some groups have urged the title and lyrics of Baa Baa Black Sheep to be changed because they could be viewed as racist. In addition, it seems there’s a problem with Humpty Dumpty being sexist. Finally, Fairy Penguins can’t be called that any more because these days the word fairy connotes homosexuality in addition to its regular usage as the name given to a class of tiny, imaginary humanlike creatures typified by Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. The other day I was also told how the title of a Nickelodeon cartoon had to be changed in the UK because the word bender is associated with homosexuality. In the USA, the word flamer is avoided by cartoons and computer games because it is also used to describe a homosexual. The question is, who exactly is suggesting bans on all these words, as in the case of flamer, bender and fairy, it’s surely not individual homosexuals who take offence at such terms. I’m left wondering whether one day there will be any words left in the English language which haven’t been blacklisted by some special interest group or another.
For the record, the suggested alternative to Baa Baa Black Sheep was Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep, but then that surely calls into question the sexual orientation of the sheep, and it probably won’t be long before the same people are calling for a ban on the word rainbow.
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Australia 1, Greece 0
Amazing what World Cup qualification can do for a fledgling football nation, isn’t it? More than 95,000 spectators filled the MCG on Thursday night – a record for the revamped stadium and for a game of football in this country. They all came to watch Australia beat the reigning European champions. On paper, the team that Greece fielded on the night looked stronger than the team that won the European Cup final a year and half ago. But their performance at the MCG was very ordinary. The game wasn’t all that exciting, save for Skoko’s spectacular goal. I think the playing surface was sub-standard, which contributed to a number of passes and shots at goal going astray. That was unfortunate because under Hiddink Australia has begun to cultivate a neat passing game which is great to watch when it comes off. There were glimpses of it on Thursday night around the Greek’s penalty area, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it during the World Cup. The "friendly" match against Hiddink’s native Holland in a week or so will be a much better barometer of how the Australians are progressing.
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Give SumoSalad a Miss
Karen and I had dinner at SumoSalad tonight. We were after a light meal having had a rather big lunch. We both found our meals to be very ordinary. The main problem was that one our meals didn’t contain the ingredients it was supposed to contain. Reminder to self not to eat there again.
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Misspelling in the wild
In the spirit of Inchoate‘s "A misplaced apostrophe in the wild", I bring you the following instance of incorrect spelling courtesy of a Foxtel Digital advertisement that’s been running on News.com.au for a while now.
I prefer chocolate. So does Charlie.
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Married!
Karen and I were married in a beautiful wedding ceremony at Mount Tamborine at 1pm on Saturday, April 15. Thanks to all who came to help us celebrate our special day.
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Well done, Anthony
The ever-reliable Inchoate informs me that Anthony Towns has been elected as the new Debian Project Leader! A hearty congratulations to you, Anthony! The Debian Project has a very capable leader at its helm.
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Blake’s 7
Some time ago, Karen bought us season one of an old BBC sci-fi series called Blake’s 7. Karen has already seen the whole series, and really liked it. We’ve finished watching season one together, and I’ve got to say I love it too! Naturally, it appeals to my inner geek, but the political intrigues are what hooked me. Avon rocks!