World Cup Watch
Only 82 days to go now. Yes, Poland has qualified for Germany 2006 but what about Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, those dynamos of communism's ex-imperium? Why didn't they qualify? To be sure, sections of the robotic Soviet realm such as the Czech Republic, Serbia & Montenegro and the Ukraine are in this year's tournament, but the remains of Nep stadium in Budapest speak of broken dreams, mismanagement, fallen heroes, melancholy and the end of "socialist football". If you'd like to learn about what happened to the legacy of Puskas and Hidegkutti, "Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football" by Jonathan Wilson is recommended. While you wait for the book to be delivered, check out Wilson's football writing at the Financial Times. Here he is on the decline of Manchester United:
"For once, atmosphere is perhaps a better indicator than results, and the mood is not good. There is a feeling of marking time until Ferguson finally retires. Where players once flocked to Manchester, Chelsea is now seen as preferable. Even worse, Liverpool's rise, and particularly their European success, has cast United's failings into sharper relief. And then there is the Glazer takeover and the acceptance of a debt beyond football's comprehension. It feels like a Faustian pact, but although the club's soul has gone, there has been no sign yet of Helen of Troy."
Anyone who can place Goethe and Homer in Old Trafford deserves our attention.
