31
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32
2006 World Cup - Germany / Sancho proposes to his girlfriend during T&T vs England!
« on: June 16, 2006, 11:02:05 AM »World Cup player proposes by text
BBC.CO.UK
A footballer's girlfriend was asked to become a footballer's wife during Thursday's World Cup match when England played Trinidad and Tobago.
But the question was not popped by Brent Sancho, 29, central defender for Gillingham and Trinidad & Tobago.
It was asked for him by BBC South East Today's Geoff Clark, who watched the match in Kent with Brent's girlfriend.
Jana Herbert-Fiu, 24, played a strong defence, promising to text her reply to the BBC on Brent's return.
Jana, who runs a nightclub in Port of Spain, Trinidad, said she wanted to see him down on one knee in person.
The footballer from Maidstone had sent a text message to the programme three hours before kick-off which said: "Can you tell her Brent says he loves her more than anything else and would like to spend the rest of his life with her.
"Will she marry me?"
33
Football / Re: Anybody say Contract for glenn ?
« on: June 16, 2006, 08:06:52 AM »
The new 'brain drain' - if we keep exporting our best football talent, our PFL will never, ever really develop.
Because our PFL isn't 'world class', we keep exporting our football talent...
Because our PFL isn't 'world class', we keep exporting our football talent...
34
General Discussion / Re: It's my BIRTHDAY TODAY!
« on: June 15, 2006, 04:43:06 AM »
It's mine too 
35
Football / Re: ITS A LUCKY DAY!
« on: June 15, 2006, 02:04:13 AM »
Congratulations redbelt!! I'll combine my birthday vibes with your lucky streak, and who knows what could happen! 
36
2006 World Cup - Germany / Re: London Based Supporters - get paid £100 to Watch T&T vs England
« on: June 13, 2006, 02:11:54 PM »
I think is a term of endearment 
37
2006 World Cup - Germany / London Based Supporters - get paid £100 to Watch T&T vs England
« on: June 13, 2006, 09:20:50 AM »
Are you in London and want to make £100 watching T&T play England?
Pitch PR is organising an experiment measuring England fans and opposition fans' heart rates/excitement levels throughout the World Cup and how this is affected by betting.
They're looking for 10-15 London-based T&T fans
The experiment will be carried out in offices in Hammersmith - and will be very straightforward - no needles etc(!) - just a heart rate monitor.
They would pay the group of fans to participate (£100) in the experiment and would ask that half of the fans bet this fee on the game to add to the excitement - and potentially making a lucrative evening for them! Also food and drink will be provided.
For more information, contact me (sin) by tomorrow morning at the LATEST.
Pitch PR is organising an experiment measuring England fans and opposition fans' heart rates/excitement levels throughout the World Cup and how this is affected by betting.
They're looking for 10-15 London-based T&T fans
The experiment will be carried out in offices in Hammersmith - and will be very straightforward - no needles etc(!) - just a heart rate monitor.
They would pay the group of fans to participate (£100) in the experiment and would ask that half of the fans bet this fee on the game to add to the excitement - and potentially making a lucrative evening for them! Also food and drink will be provided.
For more information, contact me (sin) by tomorrow morning at the LATEST.
38
Football / Re: ALL CONGRATS HERE PLEASE!!!
« on: June 10, 2006, 07:15:15 PM »
I'm not ashamed to say that I real cry today. I couldn't believe it. Vibes it up my Warriors. Thank you for making me so incredibly proud to be a Trini.
39
Football / Re: Dog Injured????
« on: June 10, 2006, 07:43:49 AM »it's true he's out...might be a blessing in disguise......means that guys will have to minimize their mistakes and play their A game...
This is the World Cup. Injured, healthy - no matter. There's no room for anything else but our A Game.
40
Football / Re: Tiny islands, big kicks - Los Angeles Posseeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« on: June 10, 2006, 07:38:50 AM »Nice article from Friday's Los Angeles Times....
"Tell dem we reach/Everybody reach/Go and tell yuh family/We going World Cup in Germany," goes one ditty by the TnT Soca Boys.
But how the man could confuse Iwer with the Tnt Soca Boys?
I've already emailed him to complain
41
Football / Re: Thread for the T&T vs Sweden Game.
« on: June 10, 2006, 05:18:00 AM »Good morning football fansI have one question.Anyone have link for Warriors song that are writen by swedes ? Two guys that also sing
Best reg
Hi Swedishguy, check out http://socarebels.com/
The link to the song is on the front page.
42
Football / Re: beenie not playin yorke an latas together
« on: June 09, 2006, 08:02:07 PM »
Beenhakker: "We're trying to cut out unforced errors. We gave the ball away three times against the Czech Republic and lost 3-0. It means there may not be room for Yorke and Latapy. We simply can't pick too many 'creative' players because we'll be looking to regain possession for long periods."
See the fully story here
See the fully story here
43
Football / Re: UK Guardian and the Independent Take on The Warriors
« on: June 09, 2006, 07:58:36 PM »
Soca Warriors will go to war with courage and a Caribbean smile
Dominic Fifield in Hanover
Saturday June 10, 2006
The Guardian
Leo Beenhakker could not help himself. The Dutchman broke away from scrutinising the threat posed by Sweden this afternoon to reflect on the joyful frenzy whipped up by his adopted Trinidad & Tobago side's first qualification for the finals with expectation swelling back in the Caribbean. "People ask me: 'What do you think of the prospect of confronting Germany in the second round?'" he said. "But, really, who's to say Germany are going to get into the second round?'"
The traditional Dutch-German antipathy was, for once, delivered with tongue in cheek, though there is belief among the Soca Warriors that their first appearance on this stage may not prove painful. They may have a potentially awkward blend of eager youngsters from the English lower leagues and Scotland alongside ageing celebrated players, none of whom has ever featured at a major finals, but their coach boasts the experience to compensate.
The 63-year-old is one of football's nomads. He has suffered the disappointment of Holland's meek showing at Italia 90, the delight of winning league titles in Spain and Holland and the unlikely success of steering Trinidad & Tobago here.
Beenhakker's enthusiasm is infectious. "It was a personal triumph to pull this off," he said. "When I took over [in April 2005] it looked like mission impossible - three qualifying games and only one point. It was a cricket country. From the moment we qualified it's been all football. It's a wonderful feeling knowing you've made 1.3m people so happy. "If you work as a coach for 40 years, you lose more times than you win, but I've had the luck to work with several great teams. But what we've achieved here with Trinidad means an awful lot to me.
"I don't know how my guys will react to the pressure yet. Only Dwight Yorke has experienced anything like this but I hope Sweden are assuming they'll win. Listen Sweden, you are the favourites! Take it easy on us! But we are still confident. Any positive result in this tournament would represent a fantastic success."
The Soca Warriors should not be underestimated. Where their previous sides have been gung-ho, Beenhakker has instilled defensive organisation. It says much for the respect instilled by a renowned disciplinarian - that experienced players such as Russell Latapy have all but accepted they will play a bit-part role here, with Yorke deployed in an unfamiliar midfield berth. But today they will be without the centre-back Marvin Andrews, who has renewed knee trouble. "It's in our nature to play offensive football which left us a bit disorganised at the back," said Latapy, the 37-year-old Falkirk midfielder. "Leo organised us but allowed us to retain this attacking style. That has made us a better team and we trust the coach because he's got us this far."
"I haven't changed the culture around the team. I've accepted it," added Beenhakker. "We're trying to cut out unforced errors. We gave the ball away three times against the Czech Republic and lost 3-0. It means there may not be room for Yorke and Latapy. We simply can't pick too many 'creative' players because we'll be looking to regain possession for long periods.
"When we started there were 196 teams taking part and we've made it to the last 32 - that is remarkable. Now we are the same as 24 countries here: to try and stay in the tournament as long as is possible."
"We will play with a smile, a lot of courage and a lot of pride. Sometimes you can compensate for what you lack in ability with those qualities. Sometimes the so-called smaller team can beat the bigger team."
Sweden, without a win in their opening fixture since 1958, should beware.
Dominic Fifield in Hanover
Saturday June 10, 2006
The Guardian
Leo Beenhakker could not help himself. The Dutchman broke away from scrutinising the threat posed by Sweden this afternoon to reflect on the joyful frenzy whipped up by his adopted Trinidad & Tobago side's first qualification for the finals with expectation swelling back in the Caribbean. "People ask me: 'What do you think of the prospect of confronting Germany in the second round?'" he said. "But, really, who's to say Germany are going to get into the second round?'"
The traditional Dutch-German antipathy was, for once, delivered with tongue in cheek, though there is belief among the Soca Warriors that their first appearance on this stage may not prove painful. They may have a potentially awkward blend of eager youngsters from the English lower leagues and Scotland alongside ageing celebrated players, none of whom has ever featured at a major finals, but their coach boasts the experience to compensate.
The 63-year-old is one of football's nomads. He has suffered the disappointment of Holland's meek showing at Italia 90, the delight of winning league titles in Spain and Holland and the unlikely success of steering Trinidad & Tobago here.
Beenhakker's enthusiasm is infectious. "It was a personal triumph to pull this off," he said. "When I took over [in April 2005] it looked like mission impossible - three qualifying games and only one point. It was a cricket country. From the moment we qualified it's been all football. It's a wonderful feeling knowing you've made 1.3m people so happy. "If you work as a coach for 40 years, you lose more times than you win, but I've had the luck to work with several great teams. But what we've achieved here with Trinidad means an awful lot to me.
"I don't know how my guys will react to the pressure yet. Only Dwight Yorke has experienced anything like this but I hope Sweden are assuming they'll win. Listen Sweden, you are the favourites! Take it easy on us! But we are still confident. Any positive result in this tournament would represent a fantastic success."
The Soca Warriors should not be underestimated. Where their previous sides have been gung-ho, Beenhakker has instilled defensive organisation. It says much for the respect instilled by a renowned disciplinarian - that experienced players such as Russell Latapy have all but accepted they will play a bit-part role here, with Yorke deployed in an unfamiliar midfield berth. But today they will be without the centre-back Marvin Andrews, who has renewed knee trouble. "It's in our nature to play offensive football which left us a bit disorganised at the back," said Latapy, the 37-year-old Falkirk midfielder. "Leo organised us but allowed us to retain this attacking style. That has made us a better team and we trust the coach because he's got us this far."
"I haven't changed the culture around the team. I've accepted it," added Beenhakker. "We're trying to cut out unforced errors. We gave the ball away three times against the Czech Republic and lost 3-0. It means there may not be room for Yorke and Latapy. We simply can't pick too many 'creative' players because we'll be looking to regain possession for long periods.
"When we started there were 196 teams taking part and we've made it to the last 32 - that is remarkable. Now we are the same as 24 countries here: to try and stay in the tournament as long as is possible."
"We will play with a smile, a lot of courage and a lot of pride. Sometimes you can compensate for what you lack in ability with those qualities. Sometimes the so-called smaller team can beat the bigger team."
Sweden, without a win in their opening fixture since 1958, should beware.
44
Football / Soca Warriors will go to war with courage and a Caribbean smile
« on: June 09, 2006, 07:15:18 PM »
By Phil Shaw in Cologne
Published: 10 June 2006
Independent.co.uk
In a tournament sprinkled with stellar talents from Juventus, Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid, Trinidad & Tobago stick out like a sore thumb for a squad drawn from clubs as disparate as Port Vale, Sydney FC, Los Angeles Galaxy and Falkirk. But on their World Cup debut against Sweden in Dortmund today, they may face a goalkeeper whose pedigree also combines the modest and the exotic.
Rami Shabaan, whose brief stint at Arsenal was followed by unfulfilling loan spells at West Ham and Brighton, is vying with John Alvbage for the vacancy created by the absence of Andreas Isaksson. The latter was concussed by a ferocious shot from his Rennes colleague Kim Kallstrom in training this week, which ensured that one of his internationally inexperienced deputies will play against T&T. Neither had played for his country before the start of the year.
Shabaan, Stockholm-born of Finnish and Egyptian parents, is now playing with Fredrikstad in Sweden after trial spells at Dundee United and Sheffield United last year failed to secure a hoped-for return to Britain. A close friend of Freddie Ljungberg, whom he credits with his place in Lars Lagerback's squad as well as with support in the aftermath of a messy divorce, the 30-year-old played just three Premiership matches while at Highbury, although he is still arguably less of a big-game rookie than Alvbage, 23.
On a superficial level, the game between two sides from England's group appears a mismatch. Sweden are competing in their 11th World Cup and have a final and two semi-final appearances to their name, along with a reputation for Scandinavian solidity.
T&T are, if Dwight Yorke will pardon the expression, virgins in this tournament. The smallest country ever to reach the finals, they have a population of just 1.3 million (a mere 50,000 of them on Yorke's home island of Tobago), while they lost 5-0 at home in the nations' only previous encounter, in 1983.
Nor do the Soca Warriors come into the game in the kind of form that suggests they could upset opponents whose organised, unflappable style has taken them to four successive world and European finals tournaments. During a tortuous qualifying campaign, T&T beat only Mexico of the three other North and Central American sides that made it to Germany, earning a top-four finish largely by amassing points against the makeweights of St Kitts & Nevis, Panama and St Vincent & Grenadines.
More recently, after losing all three warm-up internationals - to a severely understrength Wales team, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, and conceding eight goals while scoring only twice in the process - T&T scraped past a German third-tier team, St Pauli, 2-1 on Monday.
The combination of Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should carry too much craft and clout for Marvin Andrews and Dennis Lawrence, of Rangers and Wrexham respectively.
Larsson, 34 and looking to finish his career back in Sweden, played in his first World Cup 12 years ago, but showed his potential to be a force in this competition last month, coming off the bench in his farewell game for Barcelona to help turn the Champions' League final against Arsenal.
Many Scots have travelled to support T&T, and not only in the hope of seeing them humble England. Andrews, Russell Latapy, Kelvin Jack, Colin Samuel and the splendidly named Jason Scotland - signed up as a columnist by a Glasgow Sunday newspaper so that they could run the nostalgic logo "Scotland at the World Cup" - all play in Scotland. Such was Larsson's popularity at Celtic, however, that there will be a smattering of hooped shirts alongside the kilts.
Intriguingly for Messrs Owen, Crouch and possibly Rooney, there have been rumblings in the Swedish press that Lagerback's centre-backs, Olof Mellberg and Teddy Lucic, are beginning to show their age. T&T's Stern John, in his Birmingham City days, has had the better of Aston Villa's Mellberg, and with 65 goals from less than 100 caps he boasts a record for his country that allows some scope for optimism.
T&T also possess a great asset in the knowledge and wisdom of their coach Leo Beenhakker, 63, whose experience includes stints with Mexico and his native Netherlands as well as Ajax and Real Madrid. In tandem with Yorke, whom he lured out of international retirement and installed in a new midfield role alongside the Stafford-born Chris Birchall, he performed one minor miracle by securinga place in Germany.
The trick now is to conjure another. Even a draw against Sweden, who are England's supposed "bogey" team, would give Sven Goran Eriksson food for thought.
* Marvin Andrews has been ruled out of today's game with a recurrence of a knee injury.
Published: 10 June 2006
Independent.co.uk
In a tournament sprinkled with stellar talents from Juventus, Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid, Trinidad & Tobago stick out like a sore thumb for a squad drawn from clubs as disparate as Port Vale, Sydney FC, Los Angeles Galaxy and Falkirk. But on their World Cup debut against Sweden in Dortmund today, they may face a goalkeeper whose pedigree also combines the modest and the exotic.
Rami Shabaan, whose brief stint at Arsenal was followed by unfulfilling loan spells at West Ham and Brighton, is vying with John Alvbage for the vacancy created by the absence of Andreas Isaksson. The latter was concussed by a ferocious shot from his Rennes colleague Kim Kallstrom in training this week, which ensured that one of his internationally inexperienced deputies will play against T&T. Neither had played for his country before the start of the year.
Shabaan, Stockholm-born of Finnish and Egyptian parents, is now playing with Fredrikstad in Sweden after trial spells at Dundee United and Sheffield United last year failed to secure a hoped-for return to Britain. A close friend of Freddie Ljungberg, whom he credits with his place in Lars Lagerback's squad as well as with support in the aftermath of a messy divorce, the 30-year-old played just three Premiership matches while at Highbury, although he is still arguably less of a big-game rookie than Alvbage, 23.
On a superficial level, the game between two sides from England's group appears a mismatch. Sweden are competing in their 11th World Cup and have a final and two semi-final appearances to their name, along with a reputation for Scandinavian solidity.
T&T are, if Dwight Yorke will pardon the expression, virgins in this tournament. The smallest country ever to reach the finals, they have a population of just 1.3 million (a mere 50,000 of them on Yorke's home island of Tobago), while they lost 5-0 at home in the nations' only previous encounter, in 1983.
Nor do the Soca Warriors come into the game in the kind of form that suggests they could upset opponents whose organised, unflappable style has taken them to four successive world and European finals tournaments. During a tortuous qualifying campaign, T&T beat only Mexico of the three other North and Central American sides that made it to Germany, earning a top-four finish largely by amassing points against the makeweights of St Kitts & Nevis, Panama and St Vincent & Grenadines.
More recently, after losing all three warm-up internationals - to a severely understrength Wales team, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, and conceding eight goals while scoring only twice in the process - T&T scraped past a German third-tier team, St Pauli, 2-1 on Monday.
The combination of Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should carry too much craft and clout for Marvin Andrews and Dennis Lawrence, of Rangers and Wrexham respectively.
Larsson, 34 and looking to finish his career back in Sweden, played in his first World Cup 12 years ago, but showed his potential to be a force in this competition last month, coming off the bench in his farewell game for Barcelona to help turn the Champions' League final against Arsenal.
Many Scots have travelled to support T&T, and not only in the hope of seeing them humble England. Andrews, Russell Latapy, Kelvin Jack, Colin Samuel and the splendidly named Jason Scotland - signed up as a columnist by a Glasgow Sunday newspaper so that they could run the nostalgic logo "Scotland at the World Cup" - all play in Scotland. Such was Larsson's popularity at Celtic, however, that there will be a smattering of hooped shirts alongside the kilts.
Intriguingly for Messrs Owen, Crouch and possibly Rooney, there have been rumblings in the Swedish press that Lagerback's centre-backs, Olof Mellberg and Teddy Lucic, are beginning to show their age. T&T's Stern John, in his Birmingham City days, has had the better of Aston Villa's Mellberg, and with 65 goals from less than 100 caps he boasts a record for his country that allows some scope for optimism.
T&T also possess a great asset in the knowledge and wisdom of their coach Leo Beenhakker, 63, whose experience includes stints with Mexico and his native Netherlands as well as Ajax and Real Madrid. In tandem with Yorke, whom he lured out of international retirement and installed in a new midfield role alongside the Stafford-born Chris Birchall, he performed one minor miracle by securinga place in Germany.
The trick now is to conjure another. Even a draw against Sweden, who are England's supposed "bogey" team, would give Sven Goran Eriksson food for thought.
* Marvin Andrews has been ruled out of today's game with a recurrence of a knee injury.
45
Football / Re: Adidas London Sell Out!...but kitbag has kits, so order now!
« on: June 09, 2006, 05:42:02 PM »
I got my Away Kit from Subside yesterday. After three weeks. It nice though.
46
Football / Warrior Fans in London - Watching the Sweden Game
« on: June 09, 2006, 05:40:46 PM »
Inclusion of an event on this list should not be construed as in endorsement on my part - in other words, if the lime you choose buss, I will not be held responsible Descriptions of events are generally direct quotes from promotional materials I've received.
--
Masque Bar & Lounge Barbican
1-5 Long Lane, Barbican
(2 mins from Barbican Tube)
Description: Football and after party till 2am; Free entry.
More info: Terrence on 07760137323
---
PoisonUK World Cup Lime at Herbal
10-14 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA
(10 mins from Old Street Tube; 55 & 243 buses go past it)
Saturday 10 June T&T V Sweden from 2pm
Giant Screens throught the Venue
Biggest Roof Terrace screen
After Party till 3 am with the Steel Pan men and the PUK Girlz.
Entry £3 and a free drink on entry
More info call 020 7 490 4466
---
Sonic Disturbance presents We Win Already at Digress
Digress Bar, City Point, 1 Ropemaker Street, EC2Y9AW
(Tubes: Moorgate and Liverpool Steet)
Football and Afterparty, 4pm - midnight
Music by DJ Markee & Specialists
Caribbean Food and Warriors gear on Sale; Entry £6
--
Trinidad and Tobago Association Football Lime (Association House)
(Directions: Manor House station (on the Picadilly Line). When you exit the station, walk up Green Lanes alongside Finsbury Park for about 5 minutes. Association House is on your right at the corner of Hermitage Road. If you're taking the bus, you can take Buses 29, 341, 259, 279 depending on where you're coming from.)
The telephone numbers at the Association: 020 8800 5857 or 07940 232 293.
Caribbean Food and Warriors gear on sale; soca on rotation
Cost of entry: £1
---
World Cup Lime at the Base Bar
Base Bar, 33 Camberwell Road SE5
Sky Sports & BBC plan to be in attendance to capture the exciting atmosphere of us Soca Warrior fans watching the game live! There should be half-time interviews etc.going out live during the game from various venues including the Base Bar. After the game we will be celebrating in true Warrior Nation style with DJs Soca P, Bliss, Princess G, Redboy, Ninjaman Lloyd, etc. Plus Live PA's and Steelpan soloists will be on hand to add to the expected Carnival atmosphere after the games. There will be Carib in the bar and Roti/BBQ in the kitchen courtsey of a qualified Trini chef. What more could you ask for... okay, there will be Caribbean Rum in the bar too for those who prefer rum, allyuh happy now...
---
Live Big Screen World Cup Action at Stratford Rex
361-365 Stratford High Streeet E15 4QZ
(Tube: Stratford)
Live football on the big screens at the Stratford Rex; 4pm
Info: 07957973714 or 02085559966
--
Famous 3 Kings Pub
Address: 171 North End Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9NL
Tel: 020 7603 6071
Descriptions of events are generally direct quotes from promotional materials I've received.--
Masque Bar & Lounge Barbican
1-5 Long Lane, Barbican
(2 mins from Barbican Tube)
Description: Football and after party till 2am; Free entry.
More info: Terrence on 07760137323
---
PoisonUK World Cup Lime at Herbal
10-14 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA
(10 mins from Old Street Tube; 55 & 243 buses go past it)
Saturday 10 June T&T V Sweden from 2pm
Giant Screens throught the Venue
Biggest Roof Terrace screen
After Party till 3 am with the Steel Pan men and the PUK Girlz.
Entry £3 and a free drink on entry
More info call 020 7 490 4466
---
Sonic Disturbance presents We Win Already at Digress
Digress Bar, City Point, 1 Ropemaker Street, EC2Y9AW
(Tubes: Moorgate and Liverpool Steet)
Football and Afterparty, 4pm - midnight
Music by DJ Markee & Specialists
Caribbean Food and Warriors gear on Sale; Entry £6
--
Trinidad and Tobago Association Football Lime (Association House)
(Directions: Manor House station (on the Picadilly Line). When you exit the station, walk up Green Lanes alongside Finsbury Park for about 5 minutes. Association House is on your right at the corner of Hermitage Road. If you're taking the bus, you can take Buses 29, 341, 259, 279 depending on where you're coming from.)
The telephone numbers at the Association: 020 8800 5857 or 07940 232 293.
Caribbean Food and Warriors gear on sale; soca on rotation
Cost of entry: £1
---
World Cup Lime at the Base Bar
Base Bar, 33 Camberwell Road SE5
Sky Sports & BBC plan to be in attendance to capture the exciting atmosphere of us Soca Warrior fans watching the game live! There should be half-time interviews etc.going out live during the game from various venues including the Base Bar. After the game we will be celebrating in true Warrior Nation style with DJs Soca P, Bliss, Princess G, Redboy, Ninjaman Lloyd, etc. Plus Live PA's and Steelpan soloists will be on hand to add to the expected Carnival atmosphere after the games. There will be Carib in the bar and Roti/BBQ in the kitchen courtsey of a qualified Trini chef. What more could you ask for... okay, there will be Caribbean Rum in the bar too for those who prefer rum, allyuh happy now...
---
Live Big Screen World Cup Action at Stratford Rex
361-365 Stratford High Streeet E15 4QZ
(Tube: Stratford)
Live football on the big screens at the Stratford Rex; 4pm
Info: 07957973714 or 02085559966
--
Famous 3 Kings Pub
Address: 171 North End Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9NL
Tel: 020 7603 6071
47
Football / Match of the Pray - Latapy's Diary in the Daily Record
« on: June 09, 2006, 04:47:15 AM »
9 June 2006
LATAPY'S WORLD CUP DIARY: MATCH OF THE PRAY
DailyRecord.co.uk
WORLD CUP 2006: TODAY'S THE DAY... Latapy's WORLD CUP DIARY
No need for archbishops now we've got Marv doing services before games
WAY back when I first started playing for Trinidad & Tobago in 1989, we had a ritual of stopping off at church on the way to games.
I don't usually talk about religion but there's no getting away from it when you are from Trinidad and Tobago.
To give you a little idea of how steeped in faith my islands are, let me tell you that our No.1 fan is no less than the Port of Spain's Archbishop.
He travels to our games and will sometimes say a word to us as a group on the eve of matches. He'll be here in Germany too.
But he might not get so much of a look-in at these Finals. Sorry, your Grace but we've now got our own fully-qualified man of the cloth sitting right next to us in the dressing room.
You all know about Marvin Andrews' work away from football - not that he distinguishes between what he does on the field and how he spends his time off it - so we're certainly delighted to have him as our pastor on match days.
Advertisement
Tomorrow and the opening of our World Cup bid against Sweden will be no different.
When we get to the stadium in Dortmund, we'll follow our usual routine in terms of getting ready to play the game. And just before we run out the tunnel, we'll complete that ritual with Marvin leading us in prayer.
He'll have a very simple message although he might have something a little bit extra to say on this occasion.
Basically, he'll thank the Lord for getting us to these Finals and for getting us to the dressing room safely.
Then he'll ask God for protection once we get out on to the pitch but he'll ask Him to protect both teams from injury. He doesn't ask God to give us the results we're looking for, that's not the point. But it's a special moment in which we all share. I don't know if other teams do that but I doubt many other sides have someone with Marvin's qualifications.
In terms of the actual football, the key to doing well in any tournament is peaking at the right time. And that's something Leo Beenhakker knows a lot about having managed a Holland squad famous for their fall-outs, not to mention giant club institutions in Ajax and Real Madrid.
Obviously, Leo's been concentrating on different aspects of what we have to do at different times over the last few weeks. Fortunately, the emphasis now will increasingly be on rest ahead of Sweden.
I'll be honest, I wish we had the luxury of being together for two or three months ahead of the Finals, as some of the other nations have enjoyed. Everyone saw how Guus Hiddink welded South Korea into such a strong force at the last tournament.
Guus has told Leo he would never have reached the semi-finals had they not been given that opportunity.
Unfortunately for us, that's not been possible. We have had to fit in a lot in a relatively short space of time and while there might be some things we'd have liked to have spent more time on, we have quite a lengthy list of things we're not so good at - all of which needed working on.
Still, we're as ready as we'll ever be and the truth is we can't wait for Sweden. I think alot of people in England have been overlooking the Swedes, just assuming the group will be sewn up for them with wins against Paraguay on Saturday and then us next Thursday.
But by my reckoning, Sweden have three outstanding front players who could damage just about any team in the competition.
He may be almost as old as your very own Methuselah here but Henrik Larsson showed once again his world-class ability in last month's Champions League final. Few at Barca, apart from maybe Frank Rijkaard, really knew just how good Henrik was when he first left for Spain but everyone else certainly found out that night in Paris.
I'm quite friendly with his team-mate Deco, who has kept a home near to mine in Oporto from his days at my old club, Porto.
We'll share a drink when we're both back chilling on breaks and I can tell you they know fine well what a loss his returning to Sweden with Helsingborg is for them. Deco already knew that having been on the opposing side that night in Seville ...
Fortunately, Marvin also knows what a handful he will be. Also on our side is the fact we have one of the tallest players at 6ft 7in in our squad, Dennis Lawrence. In saying that, though, Henrik is also one of the most agile players I've ever seen in the air.
I remember watching him as a young substitute at USA 94 and having played against him often enough in Scotland - when people didn't always give him the credit he gets now - there's something quite comforting about knowing I'll have played on the same stage as Henrik right at the end of our international careers.
With Henrik, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Freddie Ljungberg the pick of a very strong bunch, Sweden is probably an even tougher test for us than England.
Most of our players play in England or Scotland - and their style of play will come naturally to us. But while I expect both teams to be a little cautious initially, and I think Sweden will show us more respect than the English pundits have, we have to guard against it turning into a rude awakening.
Football isn't only about great players with extraordinary talents. It is also a game of errors and we've been working hard to try to limit the number of unenforced mistakes we make.
Mexico are no mugs and we beat them to earn our play-off berth against Bahrain.
But if we managed to limit the errors in qualifying, especially after Leo came in for the run-in, we know we have to reach an altogether different plane now.
If I'm honest, I'd have to admit we're not yet at the level I'd hoped we would be. But, equally, we are a much better team now than we were before Leo took charge.
Praise be for that...
LATAPY'S WORLD CUP DIARY: MATCH OF THE PRAY
DailyRecord.co.uk
WORLD CUP 2006: TODAY'S THE DAY... Latapy's WORLD CUP DIARY
No need for archbishops now we've got Marv doing services before games
WAY back when I first started playing for Trinidad & Tobago in 1989, we had a ritual of stopping off at church on the way to games.
I don't usually talk about religion but there's no getting away from it when you are from Trinidad and Tobago.
To give you a little idea of how steeped in faith my islands are, let me tell you that our No.1 fan is no less than the Port of Spain's Archbishop.
He travels to our games and will sometimes say a word to us as a group on the eve of matches. He'll be here in Germany too.
But he might not get so much of a look-in at these Finals. Sorry, your Grace but we've now got our own fully-qualified man of the cloth sitting right next to us in the dressing room.
You all know about Marvin Andrews' work away from football - not that he distinguishes between what he does on the field and how he spends his time off it - so we're certainly delighted to have him as our pastor on match days.
Advertisement
Tomorrow and the opening of our World Cup bid against Sweden will be no different.
When we get to the stadium in Dortmund, we'll follow our usual routine in terms of getting ready to play the game. And just before we run out the tunnel, we'll complete that ritual with Marvin leading us in prayer.
He'll have a very simple message although he might have something a little bit extra to say on this occasion.
Basically, he'll thank the Lord for getting us to these Finals and for getting us to the dressing room safely.
Then he'll ask God for protection once we get out on to the pitch but he'll ask Him to protect both teams from injury. He doesn't ask God to give us the results we're looking for, that's not the point. But it's a special moment in which we all share. I don't know if other teams do that but I doubt many other sides have someone with Marvin's qualifications.
In terms of the actual football, the key to doing well in any tournament is peaking at the right time. And that's something Leo Beenhakker knows a lot about having managed a Holland squad famous for their fall-outs, not to mention giant club institutions in Ajax and Real Madrid.
Obviously, Leo's been concentrating on different aspects of what we have to do at different times over the last few weeks. Fortunately, the emphasis now will increasingly be on rest ahead of Sweden.
I'll be honest, I wish we had the luxury of being together for two or three months ahead of the Finals, as some of the other nations have enjoyed. Everyone saw how Guus Hiddink welded South Korea into such a strong force at the last tournament.
Guus has told Leo he would never have reached the semi-finals had they not been given that opportunity.
Unfortunately for us, that's not been possible. We have had to fit in a lot in a relatively short space of time and while there might be some things we'd have liked to have spent more time on, we have quite a lengthy list of things we're not so good at - all of which needed working on.
Still, we're as ready as we'll ever be and the truth is we can't wait for Sweden. I think alot of people in England have been overlooking the Swedes, just assuming the group will be sewn up for them with wins against Paraguay on Saturday and then us next Thursday.
But by my reckoning, Sweden have three outstanding front players who could damage just about any team in the competition.
He may be almost as old as your very own Methuselah here but Henrik Larsson showed once again his world-class ability in last month's Champions League final. Few at Barca, apart from maybe Frank Rijkaard, really knew just how good Henrik was when he first left for Spain but everyone else certainly found out that night in Paris.
I'm quite friendly with his team-mate Deco, who has kept a home near to mine in Oporto from his days at my old club, Porto.
We'll share a drink when we're both back chilling on breaks and I can tell you they know fine well what a loss his returning to Sweden with Helsingborg is for them. Deco already knew that having been on the opposing side that night in Seville ...
Fortunately, Marvin also knows what a handful he will be. Also on our side is the fact we have one of the tallest players at 6ft 7in in our squad, Dennis Lawrence. In saying that, though, Henrik is also one of the most agile players I've ever seen in the air.
I remember watching him as a young substitute at USA 94 and having played against him often enough in Scotland - when people didn't always give him the credit he gets now - there's something quite comforting about knowing I'll have played on the same stage as Henrik right at the end of our international careers.
With Henrik, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Freddie Ljungberg the pick of a very strong bunch, Sweden is probably an even tougher test for us than England.
Most of our players play in England or Scotland - and their style of play will come naturally to us. But while I expect both teams to be a little cautious initially, and I think Sweden will show us more respect than the English pundits have, we have to guard against it turning into a rude awakening.
Football isn't only about great players with extraordinary talents. It is also a game of errors and we've been working hard to try to limit the number of unenforced mistakes we make.
Mexico are no mugs and we beat them to earn our play-off berth against Bahrain.
But if we managed to limit the errors in qualifying, especially after Leo came in for the run-in, we know we have to reach an altogether different plane now.
If I'm honest, I'd have to admit we're not yet at the level I'd hoped we would be. But, equally, we are a much better team now than we were before Leo took charge.
Praise be for that...
48
Football / Proof that Latapy reads the forum - Latapy's Diary in the Daily Record
« on: June 07, 2006, 06:09:31 AM »
7 June 2006
LATAPY'S WORLD CUP DIARY
Russell Latapy
The Daily Record
TRINIDAD internet message boards were busy yesterday morning with comments about some pictures of the team from the night before and our win over St Pauli.
It was our final warm-up and there was plenty to talk about with Jason Scotland on the scoresheet, Atiba Charles getting himself needlessly sent off and yours truly being handed the captain's armband as DwightYorke enjoyed a well-earned rest - although not from the endless TV interview requests!
But the thing people back home were posting messages about was images of thousands of fans, arms outstretched in what at first glance looked like a Nazi salute.
We are in Germany and people don't always look behind first impressions, do they? If you were to see these pictures out of context, it would be easy to imagine that was the case.
But when I looked up from the field and saw the arms outstretched, it didn't take long to figure out what was really happening - our fans were dancing.
You have to understand, back in Trinidad the place is undergoing a whole different kind of World Cup fever. If you think England's gone crazy, you should see it on our islands.
Right now there are actually about 20 different World Cup hits doing the rounds. The biggest one at the minute is called the "Football Dance". It was launched by a guy called Colin Lucas at our big presidential send-off in Trinidad and you hear it everywhere you go.
They were blasting it out through the loudspeakers at St Pauli's stadium right up until kick-off, backed by the carnival girls doing their thing for the 20,000 fans who'd packed in to watch the game.
The way these dance numbers work, it's like a preacher who starts it - and then the crowd responds. So that's what the crowd were actually doing when they were raising their arms. Glad that's dealt with!
As I say, the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic, and I'm really happy about that because the whole thing about the World Cup finals is the showcase it offers our country.
We're not just the smallest nation competing in these finals, we're the smallest ever to have made it this far. And that's a big thing for a place like Trinidad and Tobago.
It's great for us to be opening up our culture to the world at large and the game in Hamburg showed just how galvanised the German fans are in this region.
They love their football here anyway but while everybody likes an underdog, let's face it -everyone has us down as probably the biggest underdog ever to make these finals!
But I'd like to think we are also known for being friendly and happy I people and that's something that seems to have rubbed off on the locals, even before our arrival.
They've already set up a mock beach in Rotenburg's main square, ready for a big party on Saturday night when we kick off against Sweden.
I'd like to think that after our games, we might even get to let our hair down a little and join in with the locals for some of their fun. The manager, Leo Beenhakker, will cut us a bit of slack that way - that's the way he's always run these things.
It was a funny sort of game -played on a bumpy pitch with the guys obviously concerned about picking up an injury.
That was the main reason Charles was sent off. I don't think anyone could reasonably claim the game was on the edge of a full-scale brawl.
But it didn't alter what was a terrific atmosphere. Even the Celtic fans in the St Pauli crowd were cheering myself and Marvin.
I gather there's been a long tradition of St Pauli fans supporting Celtic but even then our loveable underdog status seems to have overcome any kind of Old Firm rivalry.
LATAPY'S WORLD CUP DIARY
Russell Latapy
The Daily Record
TRINIDAD internet message boards were busy yesterday morning with comments about some pictures of the team from the night before and our win over St Pauli.
It was our final warm-up and there was plenty to talk about with Jason Scotland on the scoresheet, Atiba Charles getting himself needlessly sent off and yours truly being handed the captain's armband as DwightYorke enjoyed a well-earned rest - although not from the endless TV interview requests!
But the thing people back home were posting messages about was images of thousands of fans, arms outstretched in what at first glance looked like a Nazi salute.
We are in Germany and people don't always look behind first impressions, do they? If you were to see these pictures out of context, it would be easy to imagine that was the case.
But when I looked up from the field and saw the arms outstretched, it didn't take long to figure out what was really happening - our fans were dancing.
You have to understand, back in Trinidad the place is undergoing a whole different kind of World Cup fever. If you think England's gone crazy, you should see it on our islands.
Right now there are actually about 20 different World Cup hits doing the rounds. The biggest one at the minute is called the "Football Dance". It was launched by a guy called Colin Lucas at our big presidential send-off in Trinidad and you hear it everywhere you go.
They were blasting it out through the loudspeakers at St Pauli's stadium right up until kick-off, backed by the carnival girls doing their thing for the 20,000 fans who'd packed in to watch the game.
The way these dance numbers work, it's like a preacher who starts it - and then the crowd responds. So that's what the crowd were actually doing when they were raising their arms. Glad that's dealt with!
As I say, the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic, and I'm really happy about that because the whole thing about the World Cup finals is the showcase it offers our country.
We're not just the smallest nation competing in these finals, we're the smallest ever to have made it this far. And that's a big thing for a place like Trinidad and Tobago.
It's great for us to be opening up our culture to the world at large and the game in Hamburg showed just how galvanised the German fans are in this region.
They love their football here anyway but while everybody likes an underdog, let's face it -everyone has us down as probably the biggest underdog ever to make these finals!
But I'd like to think we are also known for being friendly and happy I people and that's something that seems to have rubbed off on the locals, even before our arrival.
They've already set up a mock beach in Rotenburg's main square, ready for a big party on Saturday night when we kick off against Sweden.
I'd like to think that after our games, we might even get to let our hair down a little and join in with the locals for some of their fun. The manager, Leo Beenhakker, will cut us a bit of slack that way - that's the way he's always run these things.
It was a funny sort of game -played on a bumpy pitch with the guys obviously concerned about picking up an injury.
That was the main reason Charles was sent off. I don't think anyone could reasonably claim the game was on the edge of a full-scale brawl.
But it didn't alter what was a terrific atmosphere. Even the Celtic fans in the St Pauli crowd were cheering myself and Marvin.
I gather there's been a long tradition of St Pauli fans supporting Celtic but even then our loveable underdog status seems to have overcome any kind of Old Firm rivalry.
49
Football / Re: bar in london to watch saturdays game
« on: June 06, 2006, 11:27:18 AM »
No excuse? No visa darlin 
50
Football / Re: London based Soca Warriors fans not going to Germany
« on: June 06, 2006, 07:14:13 AM »
MODS: Could we please combine all these London meetup threads so the London based could get all info in one place? Thank you!
51
Football / Re: Terry Fenwick badtalking us in the UK press
« on: June 05, 2006, 04:50:50 PM »Dont be fooled- when these crackers are with theor own kind . most of them bad talk we . Left right and center.
They still believe that we are hewers of wood and drawers of water.
And we still calling white people 'crackers'.
We're not helping ourselves with comments like these. And men want to rail up (and rightly) on Warner for his racist remarks about Jennings when we doing the same damn thing.
52
Football / Re: After the World cup, WHAT then?
« on: June 05, 2006, 04:19:09 PM »de ting ent even start and day want people to tink bout after
is it me
we MUST think about after - because if there's no vision for the future, there will be no future for T&T football.
53
Football / Re: My Name is KND and I is a Socawarrior!
« on: June 05, 2006, 04:17:48 PM »
i am sin, a soca warrior and a proud member of the warrior nation.
54
Football / Re: T&T top GROUP B
« on: June 05, 2006, 04:03:31 PM »
You can check out an interview I did with Meagan (and a pic) here:
http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/a-real-warrior-princess.html
http://trinidadtobago.worldcupblog.org/1/a-real-warrior-princess.html
55
Football / Re: Thread for the T&T vs FC St Pauli game.
« on: June 05, 2006, 09:32:37 AM »
NIce...thanks man...I had to cancel lunch wit a bess ting fuh this game..she vex but ah sorry...Warriors come first
big up point alive
I just hope fellahs could handle the same treatment.
e-man, you are indeed a legend. oconnorg, much appreciated.
56
Football / Re: Questions for 73 squad and Strike Squad
« on: June 05, 2006, 09:02:46 AM »
Questions to both squads:
1) What is your T&T Dream XI?
2) Which keeper would you like to see start at the World Cup, and why?
3) Which young player (under 25) currently on the national squad has the most potential?
4) Which young player not currently training with the national team should be picked for campaign 2010?
1) What is your T&T Dream XI?
2) Which keeper would you like to see start at the World Cup, and why?
3) Which young player (under 25) currently on the national squad has the most potential?
4) Which young player not currently training with the national team should be picked for campaign 2010?
57
Football / Re: bar in london to watch saturdays game
« on: June 05, 2006, 08:57:23 AM »
Hi Sandra
There a number of options, depending on where in London you are. At the moment, I am aware of
The Masque Bar and Lounge and the Base Bar
There are two branches of the Masque Bar - one at 24 York Way Kings Cross and the other at 1-5 Long Lane, Barbican. Both bars will be showing the match, but there's a big trini party planned at the Barbican after the game. I'm going to be at the Barbican because it's close to home and I know the DJs there pretty well - promises to be a very decent lime.
If you're in South london you might want to check out the Base Bar. Here's a snippet from their World Cup promo:
Base Bar, 33 Camberwell Road SE5 which was featured recently (Wednesday 17th May) on ITV1's 'Sure Fans United' look out for T&T vs Sweden game live on Saturday 10th June & T&T vs England game live on Thursday 15th June both at the Base Bar direct from Germany when both ITV & BBC plan to be in attendance to capture the exciting atmosphere of us Soca Warrior fans watching the game live! There should be half-time interviews etc.going out live during the game from various venues including the Base Bar. After the game we will be celebrating in true Warrior Nation style with DJs Soca P, Bliss, Princess G, Redboy, Ninjaman Lloyd, etc. Plus Live PA's and Steelpan soloists will be on hand to add to the expected Carnival atmosphere after the games. There will be Carib in the bar and Roti/BBQ in the kitchen courtsey of a qualified Trini chef. What more could you ask for... okay, there will be Caribbean Rum in the bar too for those who prefer rum, allyuh happy now
Further east, the game will be showing on a big screen at the Stratford Rex
There a number of options, depending on where in London you are. At the moment, I am aware of
The Masque Bar and Lounge and the Base Bar
There are two branches of the Masque Bar - one at 24 York Way Kings Cross and the other at 1-5 Long Lane, Barbican. Both bars will be showing the match, but there's a big trini party planned at the Barbican after the game. I'm going to be at the Barbican because it's close to home and I know the DJs there pretty well - promises to be a very decent lime.
If you're in South london you might want to check out the Base Bar. Here's a snippet from their World Cup promo:
Base Bar, 33 Camberwell Road SE5 which was featured recently (Wednesday 17th May) on ITV1's 'Sure Fans United' look out for T&T vs Sweden game live on Saturday 10th June & T&T vs England game live on Thursday 15th June both at the Base Bar direct from Germany when both ITV & BBC plan to be in attendance to capture the exciting atmosphere of us Soca Warrior fans watching the game live! There should be half-time interviews etc.going out live during the game from various venues including the Base Bar. After the game we will be celebrating in true Warrior Nation style with DJs Soca P, Bliss, Princess G, Redboy, Ninjaman Lloyd, etc. Plus Live PA's and Steelpan soloists will be on hand to add to the expected Carnival atmosphere after the games. There will be Carib in the bar and Roti/BBQ in the kitchen courtsey of a qualified Trini chef. What more could you ask for... okay, there will be Caribbean Rum in the bar too for those who prefer rum, allyuh happy now
Further east, the game will be showing on a big screen at the Stratford Rex
58
Football / Re: I had a dream
« on: June 05, 2006, 07:26:12 AM »
World cup fever hitting me hard. This morning I dream I had Shaun Fuentes job and that I was interviewing Latas, and I tell him good luck, score one for me on mih birthday.
Wake up crying.
Things bad
Wake up crying.
Things bad
59
Football / Adjusted Ranks of Soccer Eminence (or, how T&T could be ranked 18th worldwide)
« on: June 05, 2006, 07:18:12 AM »
From Soccerblog.com
Would it surprise anyone to know that if size and money were removed as factors driving success that the world’s top-ranked soccer power would be Cameroon? They didn’t even qualify for the World Cup. How can any ranking system declare them to be number one? Read on for the short answer. (A longer, more academic discussion has been demoted to the footnotes since eyes tend to glaze over with the prospect of statistical blather.)
This ranking is not saying that Cameroon is better than Brazil. What it says is that once certain factors influencing success (income and population) are taken into account, what's left over is a different kind of measure of the country’s commitment to the sport.
Approach:
The way to achieve this modification is with a statistical technique that attempts to explain as much variation in FIFA points as possible using measures of other variables, namely, per capita Gross Domestic Product and population.* Note that this is not meant to be the most accurate model of FIFA point levels – it’s meant instead to be a way of explaining that part of the ranking that is due to good fortune. By looking at the rankings after the effects of these advantages are removed, we’ve essentially leveled the playing field. Any other variables that could help explain FIFA standings (e.g., how long ago soccer was introduced in that country, whether it has a well-supported professional league, percentages of kids who play in the youth system) are factors we would not want to exclude since they’re part of what it is we’re trying to measure.
Before listing the results of this new ranking format, I should mention that I’m no great fan of FIFA rankings even as just a starting point for modifications. Plenty of people have commented on the biases inherent in the system. Now if the Czech Republic reaches the finals and the US makes it to semis, I’ll happily eat my words, but most people agree there is too much emphasis on older results. That being said, I needed some ranking to start with and FIFA’s is the one cited most often.**
Results:
So, now that I’ve explained the intent as well as the caveats, let’s take a look at the results. Starting with the top 100 FIFA-ranked teams as of last month and applying our filter, we see the table below. Our new index, the Adjusted Ranks of Soccer Eminence (AROSE, for short***) shows a very different picture compared to the FIFA table.
AROSE Country (FIFA Rank)
1 Cameroon (15)
2 Czech Republic (2)
3 Senegal (29)
4 Portugal (
5 Denmark (11)
6 Uruguay (22)
7 Costa Rica (26)
8 Netherlands (3)
9 Brazil (1)
10 Croatia (24)
11 Nigeria (12)
12 Cote d'Ivoire (32)
13 Tunisia (21)
14 Paraguay (33)
15 Argentina (
16 Sweden (16)
17 Jamaica (44)
18 Trinidad & Tobago (47)
19 Spain (5)
20 Republic of Ireland (30)
21 Greece (19)
22 Mexico (6)
23 Turkey (13)
24 Romania (25)
25 Honduras (41)
26 Bahrain (54)
27 Egypt (18)
28 Bulgaria (38)
29 Ecuador (39)
30 France (7)
31 Serbia & Montenegro (46)
32 England (10)
33 Zambia (56)
34 Guinea (52)
35 Colombia (27)
36 Togo (59)
37 Morocco (36)
38 Italy (14)
39 Iran (22)
40 Poland (28)
41 Zimbabwe (55)
42 Switzerland (35)
43 Slovakia (43)
44 Norway (40)
45 Saudi Arabia (34)
46 Ghana (50)
47 Mali (65)
48 Iraq (52)
49 Angola (58)
50 Korea Republic (30)
51 Bosnia-Herzegovina (63)
52 Israel (47)
53 Finland (49)
54 Germany (19)
55 USA (4)
56 Qatar (76)
57 Uzbekistan (59)
58 Japan (17)
59 Latvia (69)
60 Guatemala (61)
61 Estonia (79)
62 Ukraine (41)
63 Slovenia (71)
64 Belarus (64)
65 Panama (81)
66 Albania (86)
67 Russia (37)
68 Australia (44)
69 Congo DR (70)
70 Kuwait (73)
71 Cuba (79)
72 Scotland (62)
73 Oman (82)
74 Jordan (83)
75 Wales (74)
It’s interesting to see which teams rose and fell the most compared to their FIFA positions. Cameroon is a fairly small country (population 16 million) and very poor (GDP per capita of $1,900) with a FIFA ranking of 15. When their disadvantages are statistically isolated and purged, though, they move to the top of the list. Maybe Roger Milla and the Indomitable Lions that made it to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy created a legacy of overachievement. Several other African nations climb to higher ranks, too. Senegal looks impressive in the number 3 slot, up from a FIFA rank of 29. Cote d’Ivoire went from 32 to 12. Smaller nations like Uruguay and Costa Rica also look like bigger successes by this criterion, as do Jamaica, T&T, and Bahrain.
On the flip side, football superpower Brazil falls from #1 by FIFA’s accounting to #9 by the size and wealth-adjusted measure. Their fall-off is attributable to their big population (fifth largest in the world). Spain, Mexico, France, and Japan slide, too, due to their size and/or wealth. The most precipitous drop, though, goes to the US. We had a sneaking suspicion that it would. Despite growing strength and support, US soccer can’t really brag about its success relative to the nation’s advantages. (Bruce Arena et al. can and should feel good about their improvement, though.)
Before anyone starts assuming a political agenda here, like world-wide socialism to even things out, I should emphasize the goal of this re-ranking system. It’s not a statement of what should be. It’s more a statement of what might be if size and money were not driving forces. We applaud the smaller, less wealthy soccer nations for devoting so much of themselves to competitions on the world stage and hope to give them their due with a risen AROSE status.
Footnotes:
* For those who are not familiar with the approach I used – regression analysis – the best way to understand it is to visualize a scatter plot of points where a country’s FIFA point total is measured in the vertical dimension and the per capita GDP is measured in the horizontal dimension. Let’s keep it simple for the time being and not consider the additional impact of population. Since FIFA points and per capita GDP are positively related, the cloud of points on this plot will have a general upward slope. Regression analysis provides the best fitting straight line going through these points. To extend the analysis further, you can think of a scatter of points in 3 dimensions where population is the third variable. The regression in this case provides the best fitting plane through the 3-D scatter. The new ranking index is based on how far above the plane (good) or below the plane (bad) the actual FIFA point total is. Natural logs were used to transform the data entering the ordinary least squares regression to improve explanatory power. More technical details are available upon request, as is the raw data that went into the analysis.
** I may come back to this modified ranking later with a more suitable starting point. The Elo system is a candidate as is one I’m developing myself. FIFA itself plans a system after the World Cup that counts only the last 4 years of results.
*** Some may argue that the O from “of” should be excluded from the acronym, especially if they don’t like what it says about their teams.
[Submitted by Dr. Statto]
Would it surprise anyone to know that if size and money were removed as factors driving success that the world’s top-ranked soccer power would be Cameroon? They didn’t even qualify for the World Cup. How can any ranking system declare them to be number one? Read on for the short answer. (A longer, more academic discussion has been demoted to the footnotes since eyes tend to glaze over with the prospect of statistical blather.)
This ranking is not saying that Cameroon is better than Brazil. What it says is that once certain factors influencing success (income and population) are taken into account, what's left over is a different kind of measure of the country’s commitment to the sport.
Approach:
The way to achieve this modification is with a statistical technique that attempts to explain as much variation in FIFA points as possible using measures of other variables, namely, per capita Gross Domestic Product and population.* Note that this is not meant to be the most accurate model of FIFA point levels – it’s meant instead to be a way of explaining that part of the ranking that is due to good fortune. By looking at the rankings after the effects of these advantages are removed, we’ve essentially leveled the playing field. Any other variables that could help explain FIFA standings (e.g., how long ago soccer was introduced in that country, whether it has a well-supported professional league, percentages of kids who play in the youth system) are factors we would not want to exclude since they’re part of what it is we’re trying to measure.
Before listing the results of this new ranking format, I should mention that I’m no great fan of FIFA rankings even as just a starting point for modifications. Plenty of people have commented on the biases inherent in the system. Now if the Czech Republic reaches the finals and the US makes it to semis, I’ll happily eat my words, but most people agree there is too much emphasis on older results. That being said, I needed some ranking to start with and FIFA’s is the one cited most often.**
Results:
So, now that I’ve explained the intent as well as the caveats, let’s take a look at the results. Starting with the top 100 FIFA-ranked teams as of last month and applying our filter, we see the table below. Our new index, the Adjusted Ranks of Soccer Eminence (AROSE, for short***) shows a very different picture compared to the FIFA table.
AROSE Country (FIFA Rank)
1 Cameroon (15)
2 Czech Republic (2)
3 Senegal (29)
4 Portugal (
5 Denmark (11)
6 Uruguay (22)
7 Costa Rica (26)
8 Netherlands (3)
9 Brazil (1)
10 Croatia (24)
11 Nigeria (12)
12 Cote d'Ivoire (32)
13 Tunisia (21)
14 Paraguay (33)
15 Argentina (
16 Sweden (16)
17 Jamaica (44)
18 Trinidad & Tobago (47)
19 Spain (5)
20 Republic of Ireland (30)
21 Greece (19)
22 Mexico (6)
23 Turkey (13)
24 Romania (25)
25 Honduras (41)
26 Bahrain (54)
27 Egypt (18)
28 Bulgaria (38)
29 Ecuador (39)
30 France (7)
31 Serbia & Montenegro (46)
32 England (10)
33 Zambia (56)
34 Guinea (52)
35 Colombia (27)
36 Togo (59)
37 Morocco (36)
38 Italy (14)
39 Iran (22)
40 Poland (28)
41 Zimbabwe (55)
42 Switzerland (35)
43 Slovakia (43)
44 Norway (40)
45 Saudi Arabia (34)
46 Ghana (50)
47 Mali (65)
48 Iraq (52)
49 Angola (58)
50 Korea Republic (30)
51 Bosnia-Herzegovina (63)
52 Israel (47)
53 Finland (49)
54 Germany (19)
55 USA (4)
56 Qatar (76)
57 Uzbekistan (59)
58 Japan (17)
59 Latvia (69)
60 Guatemala (61)
61 Estonia (79)
62 Ukraine (41)
63 Slovenia (71)
64 Belarus (64)
65 Panama (81)
66 Albania (86)
67 Russia (37)
68 Australia (44)
69 Congo DR (70)
70 Kuwait (73)
71 Cuba (79)
72 Scotland (62)
73 Oman (82)
74 Jordan (83)
75 Wales (74)
It’s interesting to see which teams rose and fell the most compared to their FIFA positions. Cameroon is a fairly small country (population 16 million) and very poor (GDP per capita of $1,900) with a FIFA ranking of 15. When their disadvantages are statistically isolated and purged, though, they move to the top of the list. Maybe Roger Milla and the Indomitable Lions that made it to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy created a legacy of overachievement. Several other African nations climb to higher ranks, too. Senegal looks impressive in the number 3 slot, up from a FIFA rank of 29. Cote d’Ivoire went from 32 to 12. Smaller nations like Uruguay and Costa Rica also look like bigger successes by this criterion, as do Jamaica, T&T, and Bahrain.
On the flip side, football superpower Brazil falls from #1 by FIFA’s accounting to #9 by the size and wealth-adjusted measure. Their fall-off is attributable to their big population (fifth largest in the world). Spain, Mexico, France, and Japan slide, too, due to their size and/or wealth. The most precipitous drop, though, goes to the US. We had a sneaking suspicion that it would. Despite growing strength and support, US soccer can’t really brag about its success relative to the nation’s advantages. (Bruce Arena et al. can and should feel good about their improvement, though.)
Before anyone starts assuming a political agenda here, like world-wide socialism to even things out, I should emphasize the goal of this re-ranking system. It’s not a statement of what should be. It’s more a statement of what might be if size and money were not driving forces. We applaud the smaller, less wealthy soccer nations for devoting so much of themselves to competitions on the world stage and hope to give them their due with a risen AROSE status.
Footnotes:
* For those who are not familiar with the approach I used – regression analysis – the best way to understand it is to visualize a scatter plot of points where a country’s FIFA point total is measured in the vertical dimension and the per capita GDP is measured in the horizontal dimension. Let’s keep it simple for the time being and not consider the additional impact of population. Since FIFA points and per capita GDP are positively related, the cloud of points on this plot will have a general upward slope. Regression analysis provides the best fitting straight line going through these points. To extend the analysis further, you can think of a scatter of points in 3 dimensions where population is the third variable. The regression in this case provides the best fitting plane through the 3-D scatter. The new ranking index is based on how far above the plane (good) or below the plane (bad) the actual FIFA point total is. Natural logs were used to transform the data entering the ordinary least squares regression to improve explanatory power. More technical details are available upon request, as is the raw data that went into the analysis.
** I may come back to this modified ranking later with a more suitable starting point. The Elo system is a candidate as is one I’m developing myself. FIFA itself plans a system after the World Cup that counts only the last 4 years of results.
*** Some may argue that the O from “of” should be excluded from the acronym, especially if they don’t like what it says about their teams.
[Submitted by Dr. Statto]
60
Football / A Tobagonian Perspective on the Soca Warriors
« on: June 05, 2006, 04:01:26 AM »
Soca Warriors chances
On the Beat
Opoku Ware
Monday, June 5th 2006
TobagoNews.com
As promised, this column intends to keep our readers engaged in different aspects in the build-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament. This week we will examine the contingents of nationals being sponsored by Government and the THA to attend the tournament in Germany. It would also be important to continue to examine our Soca Warriors chances in the competition.
...
Now to the World Cup of Football. It is clear that the sport of football and the national cultures of the participating teams will be the highlight of the event in Germany, on and off the field, respectively. Therefore, any nation, which has earned qualification for the competition, should make maximum use of the opportunity and for a nation like Trinidad and Tobago, which is not sure, when again it may qualify for such a high profile tournament, such an opportunity must not be wasted.
It is against this background that I cannot understand the thinking by the government and the THA in terms of some of the persons they have selected to be sponsored by taxpayers' money to travel to Germany.
For example, I have heard no mention of the Original DeFosto Himself being selected on the Trinidad contingent even though he had one of the biggest songs on Germany World Cup 2006. I do hope De Fosto is on the trip for he is deserving. For sure I do know that Super Blue, the original Soca soccer Calypsonian has not been selected.
It was Super Blue who led the T&T cultural assault in the 1989 World Cup campaign and maybe such a trip could be of some help to him in his personal battles at present. Here is where the Calypso organisation should have made its voice heard, instead of trying to determine 'who is a calypsonian'.
As for the THA contingent, again we have 'missed the boat', while we must be elated by the family members of the Tobago players on the national team making the trip to Germany. However, the selection of the Tobago contingent can be classified as an insult to the Tobago football fraternity.
Such an opportunity should have been used to enhance the sport of football on the island.
This is why preference to the trip should have been given to those who have made and are making dedicated efforts to develop football in Tobago.
It is quite disturbing that the authorities have blanked former national junior football coach Peter Granville who has and is contributing massively to the development of soccer both in Tobago and Trinidad. Bertille St. Clair would have been my first choice Tobagonian for the Germany trip with Peter Granville as number two, but I doubt St. Clair would have chosen to go in such a manner. Therefore, Granville must be Tobago's number one choice. Since obtaining his coaching qualifications from the English FA, Granville has done extensive coaching in Tobago and Trinidad.
He even coached several players on the Soca Warriors team including Colin Samuel, Kelvin Jack, Silvio Spann, Brent Sancho, Cornel Glen and Jason Scotland.
Granville has also coached a number of Tobago teams including Plymouth's Stokely Vale, Speyside's Sidey's, Calder Hall United and now Tobago's only professional football team, Tobago United. What about the other hardworking Tobago coaches such as Terry Williams of phoenix who runs a coaching school at Bon Accord.
Where is Rhodil Clarke? What about Tony Keith who has been doing excellent work among our young footballers for many years? What about some of the stalwarts who have contributed on the field of play in Tobago over the years? Instead, the THA have chosen persons to go to Germany who have never 'kicked a lime' in their lives.
What can they learn in Germany to bring back to the sport in Tobago. It is surely a mockery of a golden opportunity, no wonder our society is heading in the direction it is.
On the Beat
Opoku Ware
Monday, June 5th 2006
TobagoNews.com
As promised, this column intends to keep our readers engaged in different aspects in the build-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament. This week we will examine the contingents of nationals being sponsored by Government and the THA to attend the tournament in Germany. It would also be important to continue to examine our Soca Warriors chances in the competition.
...
Now to the World Cup of Football. It is clear that the sport of football and the national cultures of the participating teams will be the highlight of the event in Germany, on and off the field, respectively. Therefore, any nation, which has earned qualification for the competition, should make maximum use of the opportunity and for a nation like Trinidad and Tobago, which is not sure, when again it may qualify for such a high profile tournament, such an opportunity must not be wasted.
It is against this background that I cannot understand the thinking by the government and the THA in terms of some of the persons they have selected to be sponsored by taxpayers' money to travel to Germany.
For example, I have heard no mention of the Original DeFosto Himself being selected on the Trinidad contingent even though he had one of the biggest songs on Germany World Cup 2006. I do hope De Fosto is on the trip for he is deserving. For sure I do know that Super Blue, the original Soca soccer Calypsonian has not been selected.
It was Super Blue who led the T&T cultural assault in the 1989 World Cup campaign and maybe such a trip could be of some help to him in his personal battles at present. Here is where the Calypso organisation should have made its voice heard, instead of trying to determine 'who is a calypsonian'.
As for the THA contingent, again we have 'missed the boat', while we must be elated by the family members of the Tobago players on the national team making the trip to Germany. However, the selection of the Tobago contingent can be classified as an insult to the Tobago football fraternity.
Such an opportunity should have been used to enhance the sport of football on the island.
This is why preference to the trip should have been given to those who have made and are making dedicated efforts to develop football in Tobago.
It is quite disturbing that the authorities have blanked former national junior football coach Peter Granville who has and is contributing massively to the development of soccer both in Tobago and Trinidad. Bertille St. Clair would have been my first choice Tobagonian for the Germany trip with Peter Granville as number two, but I doubt St. Clair would have chosen to go in such a manner. Therefore, Granville must be Tobago's number one choice. Since obtaining his coaching qualifications from the English FA, Granville has done extensive coaching in Tobago and Trinidad.
He even coached several players on the Soca Warriors team including Colin Samuel, Kelvin Jack, Silvio Spann, Brent Sancho, Cornel Glen and Jason Scotland.
Granville has also coached a number of Tobago teams including Plymouth's Stokely Vale, Speyside's Sidey's, Calder Hall United and now Tobago's only professional football team, Tobago United. What about the other hardworking Tobago coaches such as Terry Williams of phoenix who runs a coaching school at Bon Accord.
Where is Rhodil Clarke? What about Tony Keith who has been doing excellent work among our young footballers for many years? What about some of the stalwarts who have contributed on the field of play in Tobago over the years? Instead, the THA have chosen persons to go to Germany who have never 'kicked a lime' in their lives.
What can they learn in Germany to bring back to the sport in Tobago. It is surely a mockery of a golden opportunity, no wonder our society is heading in the direction it is.