England vs Italy
I.M. Beck declares that in football the English are a "superior species" and the Italians are their "poorer... second-rate" European relatives. I bow to his knowledgeable judgement of football history. Allow me to submit a humble suggestion to him.
Along with an Italian coach, an Italian assistant coach, an Italian goalkeeping coach and Italian fitness coach, the English football team should now hire the Italian national team's laundry maid. She would make sure that the lonely star on the England team's red shirts would not wash off. After all, she would have great experience in taking care of the four stars on the Azzurri shirts.
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Bernard Glanville
Jan 27th 2008, 18:35
I wouldn t take anything 'I M Beck' says seriously his opinion pieces tend to be his opinionated rantings which he expects the rest of the Maltese people to share. I mean the man doesn t even have the courage to pen his own name for fear he might be confronted by the numerous individuals he has offended over the years.
Raymond Sammut
Jan 25th 2008, 01:11
Italian footballers are to soccer what the Michelangelos and da Vinci were to classical painting. The Brits are troglodytes by comparison, and may as well scurry back into their caves.
Vincent Mifsud
Jan 24th 2008, 16:05
Try as he might Lou Bondi just cannot hide his lackiness for, and servility to, anything even remotely Italian. Of course, the same goes for Beck and his anglophilia. In both their cases, there seems to be an almost overwhelming desire to come to the defence of nations that are not even theirs!
And another thing: why is association football the be-all and end-all of determining the "superior race". I'd like to see the Italians winning anything at cricket or the English even getting a look-in in international volleyball.
Still, perhaps Beck has the excuse of having his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when he makes his comments. What's your excuse, Lou?
Austin Calleja
Jan 24th 2008, 13:23
Recognizing "Superior species" (like beauty) is in the eyes of the beholder. When it comes to facts and statistics I.M.Beck's declaration fails miserably!
Edmund Azzopardi
Jan 24th 2008, 12:30
The world of football does not consist only of the ''superior species (!!!!!!!) and the Italians.
There are other nations, if you have taken some time to notice whilst all your bickering takes place. The ''superior species'' who claim to have invented soccer could not even find a ''master'' to take care of their own national team !! By the way, if we are now talking of Euro 2008, Germany is the only country which won it three times.
This is fact not fiction.
Horace Portelli
Jan 24th 2008, 12:01
Who are these superior species? How can a team be so superior by only winning a single World Cup way back in 1966... on its home ground? When is there going to be the second time, if that ever happens? And to remind I.M. Beck, these poorer...second-rate European relatives besides being World Cup holders, next Summer are to compete for the European Nations Cup after having finished first in their qualifying group while the superior species can only be spectators...
Karl Grech
Jan 24th 2008, 10:45
If that is the case, I'm happy to side with the "poorer second rate" team, because at least in my life time I have already saw the azzurri lifting two world cups. I don't think that people my age (29) remember seeing such scenes with the English national team involved.