I’m quite pleased that every single prediction I made in my last post (Van Persie scoring, Holland continuing on good form, Turkey exiting against Croatia, Spain losing to Italy) turned out to be wrong. I still think Germany will win it, but at least we’ve got the prospect of two interesting semi-finals along the way. And who’d have thought that Turkey would be in the last four? Awkwardly, it was me that set up the office sweepstake, so if I win I probably have to give the money away anyway. I’m already being accused of some sophisticated type of cheating involving insider knowledge and a direct personal line to some of the tournament’s key players.
Category: Sport
Quarter finals
I’ve resisted writing about Euro 2008, because I could wibble on for a very long time without having very much to say. I drew Turkey in the office sweepstake, which seemed like a poor choice at the time but they’re still in it, at least for the next five hours. More promisingly, I drew Robin Van Persie for the golden boot, which if Holland keep up the form they started off with might get me somewhere.
Before the tournament started I confidently predicted Germany would win. Now I’m not so sure, even though they looked good against Portugal (my second choice) last night. Mainly, though, I just don’t understand football. How can a national team maintain the same characteristics over decades and across completely different players and coaches? But history still works better than form as an indicator of a team’s chances. As I said to my beloved last night, Portugal should win because they’ve looked three times better over the competition, but traditionally, Germany win difficult knock-out games. And lo and behold, they breezed it. It’s all very odd, and means that my latest tip for the trophy, Spain, will probably go out on Sunday. That’s what Spain do after all, isn’t it?
Silver linings
- We don’t have to lose to Arsenal every week next season
- We get to play Charlton
- We run no risk of upsetting Derby County’s record of the lowest points tally and earliest relegation from the Premiership since its inception
- I don’t have to try and find a pub to watch the final in when I’m on away at the seaside for the bank holiday weekend
- The first one again
Bristol City, part two
I realise I was confused when I wrote about conceding goals “at home” before the last game, because as far as I know there’s no away goals rule in the play-offs, which means a 1-0 win tonight would be enough to take us into extra time and penalties. I was caught out by this the last time we were promoted, when it ended up 3-3 over two legs between Palace and Sunderland but they had scored more away goals and I thought it was all over. I think I was even about to leave the pub when I realised that the players weren’t leaving the pitch.
But I’d still rather win 2-0, please. I can’t bear penalties, even during regular play, and a shoot-out is enough to send me outside, cowering with the smokers.
Oh well. At least Man Utd won the Premiership. I don’t love them, but I love them more than I love Chelsea (or Arsenal).
1-2
Well, I got the scoreline right, just the wrong way around. But we’ve got time to bring it back to a win tomorrow night – and, as my brother pointed out, if we don’t make it we’ll be able to stay in the Championship and win games, rather than having to play in the Premiership and lose 9-0 to Liverpool every week.
(We were rubbish, though.)
Bristol City
I’ve got a good feeling about tomorrow’s game. They’ve had a better season than we have, but we’re in flying form. Still, it’s tough to play at home first because you know that if you let a goal in you’ve given yourselves twice as much work to do.
Fingers crossed. I think we’ll win 2-1.
5-0
Boris’s victory, maddening and saddening though it is, failed to mar an otherwise wildly successful weekend. I’ve never been to a Palace game where we won by anything like as huge a margin. Burnley had nothing to play for, but the other side’s indifference hasn’t stopped us failing to set the game on fire in the past, and the team played really smart and well-put-together football. Particularly pleasing was the fact that every goal was scored by someone different. Full match write-up here.
Even more pleasing was our 5th-place finish, which sees us meet Bristol City in the playoffs. We managed to get tickets for the home leg, which takes place this Saturday. Two games in a week! I am a genuine bona-fide fairweather fan. Good.
It was weird, though: I can’t remember having been to a game where we’ve led by more than one goal in the final minutes. Even when we’re winning I’m used to spending that last quarter of an hour in a state of arm-chewing tension, but you can’t even make a pretence of that when you’re five goals ahead. I felt strangely cheated.
In other news, Ronnie won the snooker and tfl.gov.uk won the People’s Choice for Government website award in the webbys. And it was a three-day weekend. I know I should be more upset about Ken – and I am, really I am – but I can’t seem to shift this good mood. It’s probably not worth fighting it, is it?
Man U v Chelsea, Palace v Burnley
Last night’s game was lots of fun, despite it not ending with the result I was hoping for. The upside of Chelsea winning is that I can support Man U in the final: if Liverpool had got through I’d have been supporting them and heading for almost certain heartbreak. It’s also kind of cool that the two teams who are (realistically) fighting for the Premiership will now also meet in the Champions’ League final. I haven’t been so interested in the English Premiership in years. Well, since 15 May 2005.
Anyway, none of that is nearly as exciting as the culmination of the Championship campaign this weekend. Palace are still in sixth, and can be overtaken by any or all of Wolves, Ipswich Town or Sheffield Utd if we fail to beat Burnley at home on Sunday. Startlingly, tickets for this game have nearly sold out (according to the club’s website, at least), so me and my fellow fairweather matchgoers may have to take the unlikely step of booking in advance.
I’m also going to have to take a radio for listening to the other results, and a piece of paper and a pencil for working out what they all mean. Wish me luck.
Selhurst Park
Good news: apparently Simon Jordan has secured the lease on Selhurst Park for another 25 years.
Bad news: he still wants to move the club elsewhere, according to this article from the BBC:
“I’d like to see Palace move away from Selhurst Park, I’d like to stay in the Borough and I’d like us to move to a stadium which is more befitting of the ambitions we have for the club.”
In which “Borough”, I wonder? I guess he means Croydon, since that’s where they are now. I’d like to see them move back to Crystal Palace proper, although there’s not an obvious spot, unless they pull down the athletics stadium and start again.
I’d also like to see fewer random capitalisations, beginning with that “B”.
Reasons to be cheerful: numbers 5 and 6
I’ve a treat lined up after work today: I’m going to see my genius hairdresser (I’m still not linking to her). I wasn’t sure how long it was since I’d last been, but I see I last posted about her on February 22, almost exactly eight weeks ago. Having short hair is very labour-intensive – when it was long I would have a haircut about once a year, and I’d usually do it myself.
The odd thing is that as soon as I make an appointment to have it cut because it looks raggedy and awful, it starts to look fine, and I have second thoughts. Logically, I think this means I should make a hairdresser’s appointment every day, but never go, thus guaranteeing a lifetime of good hair days.
And the second rtbc is that as I was travelling back from lunch in the lift, two men had a conversation about Palace’s promotion prospects, and they agreed that they were good. I’m not sure I agree, but it was good to hear nonetheless, and all the more welcome for being unexpected. People, generally, are not nice about CPFC.
Glad All Over 