scouser
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Posts posted by scouser
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Did you just hear that?
Out of the France 23, 5 play in the French league.
Out of the Senegal 23, 21 play in the French league.
[This message has been edited by scouser (edited 31 May 2002).]
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Where did you lot go to school then hey? Very different where I was. Oh well, each to his own.
I'm going to shut up now and watch the France game.
Have a good one
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Football'z part of being a scouser.
You just have to make that biggest decision of life at an early age
- Liverpool or Everton
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Football fans - which is more important to you - boarding/skiing or football? They are close, but I've grown up on football since I was a wee scouser, so football wins out. The next month is going to be awesome.
[This message has been edited by scouser (edited 31 May 2002).]
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Football related
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Fledgling football nation Japan no novice at "kemari" football
TOKYO, May 31 (AFP)
For a World Cup host, football or "sakka" (soccer) as it is known here, has a remarkably short history in Japan, but priests and samurai warriors were kicking a ball around in another version of the game around 1,400 years ago.
Just a few kilometers (miles) away from the clash between England and Sweden in Saitama on Sunday, a handful of colorfully dressed Japanese "footballers" will demonstrate "kemari", a much older version of the game.
There is no winner or loser in kemari, just about eight or ten people standing in a circle dressed in puffy kimonos and duck-billed shoes trying to kick a "mari" or ball -- traditionally made of deer hide and barley -- to keep it in the air continuously.
"You don't bend your waist or your back, and you have to kick the ball with just a slight lifting of your foot," said Tokihiro Yamashina, the 77-year-old chairman of the kemari preservation society based in the ancient capital Kyoto.
"You have to kick the ball elegantly, and when you do so continuously with this determined form, it is a delight to the fans and really satisfying for the players."
Nineteenth century English trader James Mollison wrote in his memoirs that British sailors brought football to Yokohama even before 1873 when the navy was known to have introduced the sport at its academy in Japan, according to a brochure published by the city's government.
Japan only joined football's world governing body FIFA in 1929, and the professional J-League was not established until 1993.
Kemari, on the other hand, is thought to have come from China along with Buddhism 1,400 years ago, and while it enjoyed wide popularity from the eighth to early 14th centuries, it never really had the potential to take off as a major sport.
Compared to the 140,000 high school footballers in Japan, Yamashina estimates there are fewer than 100 kemari players across the country. The average age of his Kyoto group, with some 30 members, is about 60 years old.
The group usually plays on pitches measuring 10x10 meters (30x30 feet) in Kyoto temples, which traditionally had a willow, cherry, pine and maple trees for corner posts.
But the kemari kickers have been asked by the Saitama prefectural government, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Tokyo, to show off their skills.
"I think there will still be a few people who come and watch," Yamashina said of the Sunday morning event at the Saitama Super Arena, despite the competing attraction of World Cup action at the nearby Saitama Stadium 2002.
He admitted kemari shared little with soccer despite its football moniker. "The only thing that's the same is you kick the ball with your foot."
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Oh yeah.
But not many more hey?
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Some maybe but theres hardly any left?! I thought.
Name some decent places that are skiers only >>>
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The month of TV and football begins.
Until now, I haven't been the biggest Sky fan, but they are laying on some (potentially) awesome coverage.
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I just look at the charges and gasp. Something like 25,000 yen for a private lesson. I know you can take group ones, but are they really worth it?
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Hey I missed that one. Watch your mouth cal!
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It certainly does slow-poke.
Not too sure about USA chances though, but good luck to all.
(Especially Owen and Heskey).
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Going back to the original q, I always thought the places high up in Hokkaido got the first snow.
Hiroshima is indeed surprising. A joke, surely?
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Hi Sachiko
Scousers are that most friendly of breeds - from Liverpool!
Not to be confused with wooly-backs and mancs, OK?
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Hundred posts. Good number for number of goals scored by the winning scorer of the WC I think.
Hey football fans - check out
http://www.footballnews.co.uk/comps/worwcf/
for all the up to date news - it rocks
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When does Fuji get it's first snow on it's head?
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Really good football news website folks.
http://www.footballnews.co.uk/comps/worwcf/news.page?webnews1
Seems Swedens striker Ljungberg may have an injury..............
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Quote:I want him to come to my room and practice many energetic thing with me. Hihi
You're a naughty one aren't you echineko? I like that.
You are going to have to "reveal yourself" to us all here, you know that don't you. Send in your pics to the site and I'm sure they'll post them so we can all enjoy. -
I'd rather teach myself and just enjoy it rather than fart1ng around trying to be technically correct all the time.
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A mate in the UK posted this to me last night:
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'At The First Sign Of Trouble... Run!!'
Just a few days to go until the World Cup, and the abject apathy that exists all over Japan is being roused by a smattering of excitement from the soccer (sa-kka) fans - and by a feeling of terror from many others.
Visitors should also take note of the following incidents:
1) Japanese police have been watching videos of the Hillsborough disaster as an example of hooligan behaviour.
2) A man wearing a Bordeaux shirt was accosted by police the other day. He was poked in the ribs and called a hooligan before being arrested and detained for 45 minutes. The fact that he was simply walking down the street, was a long term resident of Japan and was fluent in Japanese made not a jot of difference.
3) My home city's council has put measures in place to deal with the probable selling of cocaine and heroin. It is also preparing to deal with foreigners burning parked cars and paralysing traffic systems.
4) A senior Japanese politician (Takayoshi Konno) said the following last week: "We must also brace against unwanted babies being conceived by foreigners who rape our women... Clearly we must prepare for the worst."
While such actions can be attributed to a few ignorant morons who clearly haven't a clue about what they are talking, it cannot be denied the overwhelming feeling in this country is that the whole World Cup will be a battle against hooligans.
The Japan Times recently asked people what they thought hoolies looked like.
"I'm not really sure," homemaker Mikako Murata, 29, said. "They're probably not American, although some of those New York Yankee fans might come pretty close. They're probably bald, fat and drunk, with tattoos. I have no interest in soccer, but I'm worried sick about hooligans. I'm thinking about retreating from Tokyo to my parents' house in the hinterlands."
Police have also been ordering oversized handcuffs in preparation for the tournament, barber's shops will close to avoid the illegal use of scissors and car dealerships will be emptied of stock.
Suggesting that the police are looking forward to finally getting some action and that they are out to nab themselves some hooligans can be seen as scare-mongering but there are some things which could potentially happen that visitors must be made aware of.
For one thing, the media have been building up the hooligan invasion solidly for two months now and will be going to England games looking for trouble.
If there is any disturbance for any reason, I advise any foreigners to leave the area as quickly as possible. The police will probably be highly indiscriminate and arrest any foreigners that they see.
Trumped-up charges are possible, and when they say they can keep you for a month without charges they WILL keep you for a month without charges.
It will not matter if you have video evidence of your innocence. It will not matter that hundreds of people saw what happened. It will not matter that you have spent a fortune on tickets going all the way to the final. It will not matter that you are being harshly dealt with. They will not care.
In many ways, I'd reckon fighting fascist police in Italy is preferable to fighting Japanese bureaucracy. There is no such thing as common sense here and people never, ever admit that they make mistakes.
Know now that the courts here have a conviction rate of 97%.
On a lighter note, there are a few more interesting things that visitors may experience in Japan. Like earthquakes.
Earthquakes happen very regularly. Most are a rumble akin to a train going past you on a train platform.
I was watching the Harry Potter film when a 6.5 shake-a-thon occurred.
At first, I was marvelling that the roller-coaster ride through Gringotts Bank was making me feel a little more exhilarated than I thought possible. Then people started screaming.
A big earthquake like this feels like bad turbulence in a plane - only it is a tad more disconcerting when you are four stories up in very large, very dark cinema.
The fact that the locals, who should be used to such things, were utterly petrified did little to calm me. However, when the quake finished two minutes later, we all thought it was pretty cool.
Any quake bigger than that one is not likely to be much fun.
Next week, I'll make a big effort to lighten up a bit.
If you don't hear from me, though, please send a cake with a file in it to Nicholas Ross, Big Medieval Prison, Saitama, Japan.
Essential Japanese Word Of The Week
"Ya Da!" - not a "Yo Moma!" type riposte favoured by rappers and students, but an exclamation along the lines of "Lawks!"
Interesting Japanese Phrase Of The Week
Did you know that Mitsubishi means 'three diamonds' in Japanese and that Mitsubishi's logo is - you've guessed it - three diamonds? Who knew?
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I am also with bobby and OzOzOz on this one.
Penalties, free kicks, set play - the teams need to be able to have secrecy with any new moves they are planning. They may well be the difference between a win or a lose. In the case of Beckham - who is superb at set play - it becomes all the more important.
Also agree on the other point. The players owe the fans zilch - APART from playing their best to win.
No one is saying it wouldn't be "nice" if they did lots of cool stuff while they were here, it's just that is not why they are here.
[This message has been edited by scouser (edited 28 May 2002).]
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Hey gamera. How's the organising going then?
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Realistically?
- One of France, Argentina, Italy, Brazil.
Hope for?
- Ingerland of course. Go Owen!
FRANCE LOSE!!!!!!!!!
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
What a start to the Cup!!!!