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Photo courtesy of David Beckham Zone

In deep mourning.

Blogging will resume as soon as I get over my abject misery.

24 Comments »


  • Sarah McCarty
    November 22
    9:09 pm

    What? Did Beckham die or something?

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  • chandy
    November 22
    9:12 pm

    Karen
    I can’t say I’m sorry, cause, truly?, I’m not. See, I live in Zรผrich and am so not looking forward to the rowdies of this game bombarding my beautiful city and as we all know, England leads the pack.

    Still, you’re very likable, so I do feel a teensy weensy bit of, heck, I don’t know.

    Chin up. Take heart in knowing the better team won.

    Chandra

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  • Angela James
    November 22
    10:55 pm

    Wow. Huge shock for England. I’ll be McClaren is going to be job hunting soon. I’m sorry, Karen, I know how that sucks! Josh and I were at the game a few weeks ago where our “home” team, DC United, got knocked out of the finals for the MLS Cup here in the States. It sucks when your team loses on their way to the finals, dammit ๐Ÿ˜‰

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  • eggs
    November 22
    11:03 pm

    Sarah mccarty said…
    “What? Did Beckham die or something?”

    It’s worse than that, Sarah. England lost a football game to CROATIA – along with their chance to compete in the 2008 European Championship. I’m surprised you didn’t feel the disturbance in The Force when it happened.

    Remember that scene in Star Wars where Princess Leia watches the Death Star blow up her peaceful home planet of Alderon? That’s kind of how Karen is feeling right now.

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  • Lynne Connolly
    November 22
    11:11 pm

    Venables and The Other Bastard Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned have gone. Sacked. Too late. I’m rooting for Mourinho, but he says he doesn’t want it. It is a bit of a poisoned chalice when players like Scholes and Carrick refuse to accept England caps.
    What were they thinking, putting Crouch up front on his own? He needs somebody to play off, and you saw the difference when Beckham delivered that wonderful pass, goal guaranteed. Not Mentioned could have put Wright-Philips up front with Crouch. Yes, so Rooney and Owen were off but they aren’t the only good strikers England has. And what’s with the lack of a right side midfielder?
    They’re talking about Scolari, Mourinho, O’Neill and others for the job. My money’s on the last two because Scolari is all about the Italian style and you know where Sven spent much of his management career? Italy.
    But he’s doing fine with Man City now so it makes you wonder if there’s not something weird going on with England.
    The Force shifted hard last night.
    Could have been worse. Could have been Manchester United (who know how to play).

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  • Shannon Stacey
    November 23
    1:08 am

    I thought Beckham played in the US.

    I’m so confused.

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  • Dawn
    November 23
    9:20 am

    Not that I know anything about football, but I understand that there is a dearth of English players in the premier leagues because the managers are buying foreign players.

    That doesn’t bode well for England at the moment, but I’m hoping that my nephew who plays for Coventry City U18s will be able to take one of the slots when he comes up.

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  • Karen Scott
    November 23
    11:44 am

    What? Did Beckham die or something?

    It’s nearly as bad Sarah, we got dumped out of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, so we wont be making the finals in Switzerland and Austria next year. It’s a bit like having to stay at home whilst everybody else goes to the prom with handsome dates.

    Chin up. Take heart in knowing the better team won.

    The thing is we really didn’t deserve to win, we were effing abysmal, and you are right, though it pains me to say it, the better team won.

    I have to say though, the English rowdies normally spend a fortune whenever they go away, so you will probably miss their spending power, if nothing else.

    Venables and The Other Bastard Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned have gone.

    Halle-effing-luja Lynne! I can’t believe we paid him all that money for doing sweet FA.

    As for the FA, they all need to be shot, they couldn’t make a sound decision if their lives depended on it.
    By the way, I’ve been saying for years that Venables was over-rated, and his stint as assistant coach just proves it. He’s been living off his performance at Euro ’96 for over ten years now and it’s ridiculous. He did crap at Leeds, and he certainly didn’t set the world on fire at Middlesbrough, so what made him so special?

    It sucks when your team loses on their way to the finals, dammit ๐Ÿ˜‰

    It sucks so hard I want to cry. I hate the fact that come next summer we’ll be at home, missing the prom. I think TTG and I will have to book our hols that month compensate for the lack of football action.

    As for Maclaren, he’s taken his ยฃ2.5m severance pay, and gone on holiday to Barbados with his wife. Bastard.

    I thought Beckham played in the US.

    He also plays for our national team Shan.

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  • Karen Scott
    November 23
    11:45 am

    That’s kind of how Karen is feeling right now.

    Yep. Yep. Yep!

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  • Sarah McCarty
    November 23
    12:06 pm

    Okay. thnaks for filling me in. I KNOW being knocked out is bad. Very bad. {{Karen}}

    But, on the bright side, there’s always next year!!

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  • Lynne Connolly
    November 23
    4:12 pm

    Dare we hope for Mourinho? He says he doesn’t want it, but I bet he’ll think again. It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice and he probably wouldn’t want to work for the FA

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  • Karen Scott
    November 23
    4:57 pm

    Lynne, I am praying for Mourinho. He would get our players believing in themselves, and he wouldn’t take any crap from any of the egotistical idiots that are currently in the team. We desperately need him cuz he’s a winner.

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  • Lynne Connolly
    November 23
    6:24 pm

    O’Neill might be good. I saw what he did at Leicester, taking the team into the Premiership. It dropped out almost as soon as he left. Harry Redknapp might be okay. Don’t want Capello, another Italian and they play differently.
    But it has to be somebody really strong. Sven has done well with Man City and he did well before the England job, so something happened while he was in the job to stop that. Mourinho doesn’t take any shit and he’s my personal favourite for the job.
    Besides, the man is hot. Not as hot as (sigh) Ginola but hot. And very entertaining to watch when he’s on the sidelines. Chelsea v Man U was a bit like Fergie v Mourinho.

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  • Lynne Connolly
    November 23
    6:27 pm

    Shan, the country have the right to call up any player they want to cap (ie offer a place to). Some players have ruled themselves out, like Carragher and Scholes, but most really want it. And if they do, the team they play for is obliged to release them for the match, plus training time beforehand.
    LA Galaxy hate it when Becks is called up but they have to swallow it. It’s in the contract.

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  • Angela James
    November 23
    6:41 pm

    LA Galaxy hate it when Becks is called up but they have to swallow it. It’s in the contract.

    I think that you might be doing a bit of a disservice to the Galaxy. I saw an interview with Alexi Lalas a few months back (before Beckham was injured) and he was very even keel about it. Yes, part of that is just good PR, but I felt, from his interview, which was extensive and included him being nailed in my callers, about this (it was actually on a “radio” TV show) that they understood how this worked–because the US MLS cup teams certainly have to do the same for their US players (for instance, the Galaxy has to let Donovan go, and has done, and not been able to use him for the first half of a game because of it). They understand what a big deal the international games are and while it might not be the optimum, I don’t think saying they “hate it” is fair to the team (and I’m not a Galaxy fan, lol, but I am a Beckham fan ๐Ÿ˜‰ )

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  • Jennifer McKenzie
    November 23
    11:02 pm

    My sympathies, Karen. I don’t follow soccer, but I do believe I felt the disturbance in the force.

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  • Sam
    November 24
    12:46 pm

    From another soccer fan:
    ((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))

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  • Anonymous
    November 24
    3:41 pm

    More {{{{{hugs}}}}} from another soccer fan. It sucks to lose (as a US soccer fan, I know the feeling all too well).

    Felicia

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  • Dionne Galace
    November 25
    6:23 am

    ummm… will you review my book when you get back, you lazy cow?

    *grin*

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  • chandy
    November 26
    9:45 am

    Dionne Galace said…
    ummm… will you review my book when you get back, you lazy cow?

    *grin*

    Gosh, this is why I just adore the British, especially the female Brits. Y’all have humour galore!. Love the way you are with each other, hence why I peruse Karen’s blog. Don’t stop, please!

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  • Lynne Connolly
    November 26
    11:56 am

    Humour?
    Hmmm. I’m too scared to ask Karen to review mine, but I’m more of a chicken than a cow. Still if she wants to take a look, I was positively giggled recently, so I’m getting a bit braver!

    Did you see the draw for the World Cup playoffs? Yep, Croatia again! But I have a feeling Becks will be long gone by then. Already in semi-retirement, he won’t be match-sharp any more, or fit.

    Monday prayer – Mourinho, Mourinho, Mourinho!
    Now they’re talking about Harry Redknapp, God save us! Twitching to glory!

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  • Karen Scott
    November 26
    4:22 pm

    Gosh, this is why I just adore the British, especially the female Brits.

    Chandy being called a silly cow is par for the course over here, it really isn’t anything to get offended over, even when said with malice.

    Lynne, I too am praying for Mourinho, but Fabio Capella’s name has been bandied about, and the odds are in favour of him.

    I’m pretty optimistic about our chances at the World Cup qualifiers, cuz by then I think the saviour of England will be with us.

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  • Meriam
    November 28
    12:33 am

    Romance readers who like football? I’ve *got* to be a part of this…

    I’m also hoping for Mourinho. That way, if the football continues to be dire, at least the manager will provide entertainment and visual gratification off the pitch.

    I’m quite keen on Jurgen Klinsman, too – though the idea of a German managing the English football team makes me laugh.

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  • Kate Pearce
    November 28
    7:55 pm

    Gah…I just saw this thread-I am so gutted. so typical of England to mess up at the last minute. Now if a few more Englishmen actually played in the premier league they might do better ๐Ÿ™‚
    and of course, they should have kept Becks on originally and they wouldn’t be in this mess.

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