tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33779660.post2637237455449662302..comments2023-12-22T01:47:49.178-05:00Comments on oh you beauty: England at Euro 2012 (Statistics)natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10043601945557998732noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33779660.post-63012280426109415582012-06-26T20:40:30.943-04:002012-06-26T20:40:30.943-04:00Being Amurkin' and therefore without a rooting...Being Amurkin' and therefore without a rooting interest in the Euros, I was initially not inclined to cheer for England (a) because John Terry and (b) because Roy Hodgson. But the collective likability and sizable number of LFC folk involved overpowered my initial impulse, and so I laid my loyalty at the feet of the English lads, thinking that, best-case scenario, some of the Liverpudlians would bring honor to the club and enjoy a summer of confidence-building, and worst-case scenario Roy Hodgson would look like an idiot and I can continue to mock him.<br /><br />Frankly, both best-case and worst-case happened here: Carroll was strong; Gerrard was sublime; Johnson was effective everywhere he was on the pitch, and it *was* seemingly everywhere; and Henderson...well, Henderson didn't play down to the low English expectations of him. <br /><br />And Hodgson still plays with his mediocre style that basically puts each game's fate into the hands of the particular soccer gods specifically tasked with mediating set pieces, penalty kicks, and the crossbar.<br /><br />So I hope what is learned from the Euros is that Hodgson is a joyless and often disastrous manager; and all that self-righteous tut-tutting about the 2011 Liverpool signings being talent-less is re-decided by the English media on appeal.Alcatrazzledazzlenoreply@blogger.com