When Nobby Stiles, footballer for England and Manchester united, is to sell his 1966 England World Cup winner’s medal, along with a great deal of other memorabilia, he is expected to receive £300,000. The estimate for the medal alone is £150,000. But of what value would it be to you? I wonder which Mr. Stiles values more: having won the world cup, or having the artefacts to prove it. In his position, you would choose the former, as would I, as would Mr. Stiles. This is the case for all of us with a sporting achievement, or nearly all of us. What we value is the moment of winning, and the pride of success, particularly where it is hard-won. Spectators win no prizes, but it is that same feeling that Liverpool fans will remember feeling when they came back from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan in the Champions league final. And if you went out, bought a cup, inscribed ‘world’s best snooker player’ on it and left it on your mantelpiece, it would have no value, because there are no happy memories for it to trigger, no real snooker championship of which it might remind you. What matters to true sportsmen is not medals or money, but to play up and win the game, as Henry Newbolt might have written had he not been addressing cricket. So Mr. Stiles may cherish his medal as a reminder of his success, of the enjoyment of the team spirit and the game, ad of the euphoria of winning the world cup, but intrinsically, it is simply a piece of metal. So we shouldn’t criticise him for selling it. It’s just a piece of metal. It is the memory of ’66 that matters.

The final of the most eagerly anticipated athletic event of the sporting calendar is drawing closer with each minute. The tension is rising. At 19:30 BST…the end…

One would think it’s Armageddon. No, it’s only the World Cup final. But it may as well be Doomsday.

This year’s final features two formidable European teams, Spain (who were early favourites) and the more-surprising Netherlands who have shown real flair and played entertaining, fast-paced football, pulling out some outrageous goals to qualify through each stage.

Spain have been a consistently strong side with smooth passing being the predominant feature of their playing tactics. Under the management of Vicente Del Bosque, they have taken advantage of their readily-available talent. The Spanish approach to football has often been commended by a myriad of footballing experts for majority of the players in the Spanish league are natives, showing a stress on the importance of rearing home-grown talent. Arguably, this is the downfall of the Premier League, which comparatively depends more on foreign players, leading to a weaker national team.

Liverpool’s Fernando Torres has been a massive disappointment this tournament. El Niño has seemingly lost his scoring prowess during the tournament and I predict that he probably won’t start the game on Sunday. Contrastingly, his strike partner David Villa is stealing the show, storming his way up to the Golden Boot for the entire Cup and looks set to nab it. It will be interesting to see what Del Bosque decides to do with his team – fortunately, he has an array of creative midfielders at his disposal.

Spain enter the game with high expectations, both from themselves and the world. After their complete domination in Euro 2008, they were clear favourites for the World Cup this year and have met their minimum requirements. One must consider that the expectation placed on them could shake them as they remain a particularly young side. However, having set a world record of 15 consecutive victories as a unit, the youthful side prove that it is skill and talent rather than experience which succeeds.

Similarly, the Netherlands consists of a young squad directed by Bert van Marwijk, who has barely altered anything of his predecessor’s (Marco van Basten) team. Netherlands qualified with 100% victory record and are so far the only team in the tournament to not have lost a match, which clearly demonstrates their power and could also prove to be a crucial factor in the match – their technical skill may not match that of Spain, but their creative flair may cause an upset for the Spaniards. They are not a particularly favoured team and very few would have honestly chosen them as contenders for the title, despite their big stars such as Robben, van Persie and Sneijder, all of whom are core to the team’s success, flow and creativity. As seen throughout the tournament, it is their moments of genius which give the Dutch team the edge against their opponents.

Surprisingly, the Dutch enter the match with a better history of success, having reached the final twice but unfortunately losing on both occasions. Spain have already exceeded themselves this year, previously only reaching a best of the quarter-finals. Could this be an omen? Will Holland find themselves third-time lucky?

Personally, I don’t think that the Netherlands will topple the might of the Spaniards. Spain have played like champions (despite a temporary blip against Switzerland in the group stages). The Netherlands aren’t as structured as Spain and often rely purely on creative sparks rather than technique, which could prove costly if one of their key players has a bad game. Spain also possess creativity but also have a foolproof plan of passing to cut teams open and ensure an end result.

To conclude, I predict a Spanish win as they have shown that they can still drill out a result in a deadlock (against Germany in the semi-final, where neither side looked to have a particular dominance over the other, although there were sporadic moments of sheer footballing delight). They have both creativity and technique: a winning formula.

So England are out.

Even if you’ve only had the most cursory glance at the football over the past few weeks you’re sure to have heard about England’s defeat to Germany.

Now, most football fans I know out there have either given up or started supporting their next favourite nation. But the real question is, if you’re not half English and half something else, who is there to support as a full-blooded Englishman?

Well, if you can take the pain Germany is the natural choice, as we share quite a bit of our gene pool with them, since we’re all from the same Anglo-Saxon descent. But I have a feeling anyone watching that savage defeat isn’t quite ready to switch support from Rooney to Klose, though they both get red  cards (how could anyone ever forget Rooney’s temper?) and score goals (well, not yet for Rooney, but there’s always next world cup!)

We certainly can’t support their opposition, the Brazilians, out of anything more than a love of their skill, and ability to move the ball. The same, unfortunately is true for the Argentina team, the Netherlands and Uruguay. Paraguay have yet to prove themselves, but as brits we have no link to them.

That leaves us with Spain and Ghana. Spain are the old enemy, whom we constantly fought in the 16^th and 17^th century, and even later, thanks to Queen Liz, and Sir Francis Drake.

So Ghana is the only team we have left. Ghana might seem like a strange choice because they’re an African team, not even from Europe, and they’re members of La Francophonie, so they can’t have anything to do with us, can they?

Well, yes, actually. From the 16^th and 17^th century England has had colonies in Ghana, and it was even a protectorate of the crown between 1874 and 1957.

Michael Essien

The England camp has been subjected to much controversy lately, yet the critics seem now to have been hushed thanks to Defoe’s goal against Slovenia, giving the team the victory required for them to progress to the knock-out stages. The fear of complete failure is over for both Capello and the team, but how far will England actually progress?

Their next opponents are the much-loved Germans. The deep-rooted rivalry between the two countries promises to deliver plenty more juicy punchlines for the press. Germany are a formidable side – albeit slightly unpredictable in their results. Despite having lost their second match, they came away seemingly unaffected and got the job done against Ghana to qualify. Always a potent side in tournaments, Germany are always contenders to walk away with any competition cup, although they aren’t favourites for this year’s World Cup. There seems to be a certain flair lacking from the team: like a VW Golf, they are reliable but not particularly flamboyant.

This aforementioned lack of creativity may prove key to their undoing. They sometimes lack that spark to save themselves, which England however have demonstrated in the Slovenia match. Unfortunately, whilst they didn’t score again, they had plenty of opportunity and play certainly looked promising. There was a passion evoked from the players after the goal and one would hope that the momentum of such a victory will give them the enthusiasm and drive to continue in a similar fashion. After all, a little inspiration can go a long way, especially against a team such as Germany, who appear to just drill out results.

However, that strong, German reputation of getting results could intimidate the England squad. They may be unwilling to take risks and chances on the assumption that Germany will still conquer them, which is a key danger. We have previously seen Capello’s apprehension for change which ultimately led to the draw with Algeria. Will he stick with Defoe or revert back to Heskey? Hopefully not the latter as we have seen how ineffective it is in comparison with the former. Although you lose the height by picking Defoe, you gain pace and a real desire to dodge in and out of defenders. Germany’s defenders did show weaknesses in their performance against Ghana with blunders which Defoe could certainly exploit. UPDATE : Defoe will be in the side.

England have the added advantage of crucial German injuries to the likes of Schweinsteiger, Ozil and Boateng, which could lift England’s chances and has already rattled German coach Joachim Low. What is certain is that he is not taking England lightly, despite their inconsistency and has stated that he believes that England will be ‘incredibly dangerous’ due to the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney, although the latter has not found that infamous goal-scoring run which makes him one of the most feared strikers in football.

Sunday’s match promises to be one of real excitement due to the unpredictability of both teams entering the tie. I wouldn’t like to give a definitive verdict on who I believe will win, but England do look like they have a real chance, especially if they live off the momentum and take advantage of Wednesday’s victory. Although we probably wouldn’t like to see it, this match could potentially go into penalties as it seems that there is little to separate the sides, although England may well have the upper hand as they have proven that they have finally settled into the swing of the World Cup.

by Jaz Sansoye

An unpopular view perhaps? But then, I’ve been incensed by England lately, and there have been three real reasons.

Number one is the Rooney incident. If you haven’t already heard, Rooney threw a cursory comment at a media crew, saying “Nice to hear your own fans booing you,” sarcastically. This man is paid £150,000 a week, and yet somehow, he still has the audacity to blame the crowd for their reaction to his appalling performance. 14 top-flight players, all on dazzling salaries, and heralded as some of the greatest players in the world, still failed to play well. Some call it confidence, but then for that to be a factor would assume that these men ought to be affected by confidence. As title-winners and cup winners in the Premier League, they have absolutely no right to be, because they are expected to be skilled and paid to play professionally.

There can be no excuses for such an appalling level of football. Each of these players should be able to perform on their own if necessary, and so no amount of un-preparedness should hinder them greatly. Fabio Capello’s methods have worked elsewhere despite a team not knowing their goalkeeper until just before the match. As much criticism as he may deserve, each of the footballers had to fail as a player to produce that result, not just the manager or the coach.

And then, remember what the beautiful game is all about. In England, we have a history of supporting the underdogs, and also a history as the founders of football. We were innovators, introducing wing play, or Etonian field game tactics in the 1880s, and also, crucially, the men who spread the game and determined the rules at the very start. Whilst we have never been Brazil or Italy, with their fluid style of football, neither have we ever been the stilted goalless side that we have become in recent years.

Who should triumph then is up to the players on the pitch, players who are supposed to be proud to play for their country and yet time after time, when it is necessary, fail to deliver the goods.

This is obviously an extreme point of view, and if you don’t agree that’s fair enough, and tell us so by commenting below.

UPDATE : I suppose, in the end, I’m glad England got through, but only seeing as they’ve upped their game. Good luck to the lads for the game against Germany now!

By all accounts the World Cup so far has been poor. We’ve seen the rise of the Asian teams, including a heroic display from Korea DPR against Brazil, unfortunately finishing the game as a 2-1 loss, a magnificent triumph by Japan over Cameroon, despite being heralded by the entire African continent as an overwhelming sense of patriotism for their continent sweeps over Africa. Then yesterday, in what can only be seen as a tragic result, South Africa slumped to a 3-0 loss against Uruguay. It would take a miracle for South Africa to qualify now, but then, this World Cup is already a miracle we’re told.

Apart from the ball, that is, which everyone warns is a nightmare for goalkeepers, and yet has somehow lead to 7 less than the lowest number of goals in this first round of games ever.

And then, of course, there are the Vuvuzelas. By all accounts a traditional symbol of South African football, which is said to have begun in the 1890s (the football, not the Vuvuzelas!), and which have now spread so fast as to have necessitated a ban from Wimbledon. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop, said this in response “For those of you saying you don’t like the vuvuzelas… You have come to South Africa, and you will enjoy EVERYTHING South African. Everything!!” But nevertheless, the largely negative commentary at the start of this world cup seems to have settled on the opposing viewpoint.

And, as always England seem to be performing abysmally. Despite being picked in an easy group, England lowered themselves to a 1-1 draw against the USA, and yet again England fell foul of victory because of a goal-keeping error. So what, I ask, is the solution, the ultimate revenge to an England squad that fails to include some of our best talent – Walcott the shock exclusion, and a premier league full of foreigners.

Actually the answer is simple. A Stoke Season ticket. With a squad largely comprised of Englishmen and a smattering of others, reliable mid-table finishes (12th and then 11th in recent years), full capacity crowds in their stadium week in, week out, nothing epitomises British football more than Stoke City. They even have their fair share of heroes, including Sir Stanley Matthews, whose ashes are buried in the centre circle of the pitch. Just like every other British club they have their own derby, nicknamed the Potteries derby, however it’s unlikely that they’ll ever play against each other again, amusingly, as Port Vale are in the Second League, and Stoke the premiership.

If that’s not enough, quality food is also on offer at Delilah’s Bar, which even serves great pies, thanks to the sponsorship of Wrights Pies!

Are you already a fan of Stoke, or have you just been enjoying the World Cup? Comment below and let us know!

Links :

Why Delilah? : Stoke City Fan Site
Stoke City on the BBC

With the eyes of the West on Johannesburg, the showing by North Korea was full of hard work, tears, shaven heads, the colour red and resulted in ultimate failure after supression. Ring any bells?

North Korea’s path to the final was paved with a solid defence and the touch of character that made Ji Yun Nam and comrades run themselves ragged. The fact that North Korea have achieved the impossible in avoiding a commercial tag and taking to the field with players that are hardly known outside of the littered (we can only guess) streets of Pyongyang is something of a modern wonder.

The story here was the lack of a story, of history, behind the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as they like to be known. No relief or shame due to handballs haunted their model fans, all dressed immaculately in matching red and blue uniforms which made them appear as if they were on a school trip. The burst of tears from talisman Jong Tae Se helped remind the crowd of the emotion inherent in the Koreans. Rumours abound over dictator Kim Jong-il’s direct communication with coach Kim Jong-Hun, one can only compare the same situation with worry if the same was to occur in the UK. David Cameron’s slip referring to the England cricket captain as ‘Colin Wood’ would suggest we are better off preventing him from influencing the sporting sphere.

Captain Jong Tae-se

The gap in the 55th minute between the the Korean goal keeper and the post seemed minimal but appeared a chasm to the classy Maicon as a slipped the ball through with a powerfully deft effort. The same applies to the media in the country – Kim Jong-Il’s administration seeks to create a facade that this gap between the rich and poor is small, but it takes superficial Western constructs such as football to show that the gap between the reasonable and oppresive is easy to open up. The resulting theatrics from the celebrating Brazilians no doubt served as an insult to the  communtist state. You cannot fault the industry, of the football team. However their ideology needs to change from an unwelcoming and unexciting sweeper based formation to something more ambitious. They have been welcomed by the underdog cheering football community which represents the wider political leaders of the world. Just as the showing in Johannesburg can provide confidence to fulfil the world cup dream and go further than ever before, the opening up to the Western way of life can provide confidence in the ‘outsider’ system for the Korean politicians and take them places unfathomable in previous years.

Serenely nestled amongst looming hills on the edge of a placid loch, the neighbouring animals could be forgiven for thinking they’d be in for a quiet night.

Drop in thousands of heavy duty amps and 30,000 excited Scots for three days and this paints rather a different picture. On arrival the vast array of waving flags signpost an alcohol-fuelled weekend which is not for the faint hearted. My greeting was from an inebriated highlander urinating on our (swiftly changed) camp site. We later befriended ‘Fraser’ in the true spirit of the festival – the easy-going air of drunkenness was conducive to easy friend making with temporary neighbours. Akin to the slums of Mumbai, the sprawling mass of stretched fabric levelled everyone from all walks of life to one living standard in the mud. Rarely does one talk so uninhibitedly with a man that has been dressed as a parrot for three days.

Views from the Highland festival

In this beautiful environment, the music is secondary. Although the offerings were still at the top of their genres; founder of four years ago, Fat Boy Slim, opened on the Friday to an amicable crowd and duly roused the hedonists. The first damp squib of the England world cup match was contrary to the Highland weather and took second stage to Leftfield, playing for the first time in ten years. Sunday saw the eagerly awaited line up of Vampire Weekend followed by The Strokes. The former laid the foundations with an energetic performance spurred on by the crowd’s pro-American vocals. The climax of the occasion followed as lead singer, Julian Casablancas, started the crowd pleasing  by saluting the revellers as ‘rad’ before he initiated his set with a fiery rendition of New York City Cops. Seventeen songs later, the crowd left feeling suitably invigorated and thirsty for more.

This was truly an event of which the eponymous monster would have been proud.

Teenagers are celebrating the end of exams; children are gazing out of the classroom beckoning the end of term and even adults will be sitting at their computers looking up exotic locations to jet off to this summer….. It’s official: summer is here.

Having already experienced two mini heat waves, I’m certainly looking forward to a hot summer with the Met office already forecasting higher than normal temperatures for the start of July! Of course, they’ve had to scrap their long term forecasts: you might remember that barbecue you bought last year that went unused or those plants that died from this year’s “mild” winter…

Here at Echo Blog, we are trying to give you the information you need to kick off your summer. Whether that be the right clothes to wear on the beach (no, the flowery board shorts aren’t enough of a statement anymore), or finding out how celebrities and politicians are coping in the heat, we hope to provide it all.

If you keep an eye on our Sports section, you can find out more about the World Cup as we roll out information and views on the tournament. This is also an area where we’d love to see your comments so you can keep us up to date with how we’re doing.

For that gadget you must have in your suitcase, or that film you must go see on a rainy day just check out our Technology and Entertainment sections. And, for those of you on Facebook or Twitter, keep up to date with our posts on our fan page or follow us: “ThinkEcho”. We’re all really looking forward to this summer and we hope that you will continue to join us as we watch Echo Blog escalate to new heights.

It is hard to believe that it is just four years since Twenty20 cricket sprouted, amongst eager anticipation, its first bud, in, not the current T20 capital, India, but in the ancient county grounds of England and Wales. At first, it was not welcome here, we failed to see that it held more commercial and entertainment value than, for example, Pro40.

How could we possibly believe that the younger, slower and duller brother of one day cricket was going to last longer than a Duracell bunny, who has recently had a terrible accident involving an angry wife and a combine harvester?

Twenty20 has not only failed to have such misfortune, but also has more vibrancy and stamina than Duracell bunny’s brother, Dirk Kuyt. This summer however, it all seems to be about to kick off over here. I speak now as England has just made it to the final of the T20 world cup inWest Indies, in contest against Australia.

We have been spectacular in this tournament. Putting aside the catastrophes of the group stage when an Irishman only just managed to knock out Ireland instead of us, we have knocked aside any contenders with a combination of big hitting, and even bigger hitting.

This is the best England one day team I think anyone has ever seen.

I think they’re just as surprised as we are. Full credit goes to the bowlers, particularly Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann, for how they have bowled, and in some cases batted, but in my opinion our strength has easily been out batting. Player of the tournament should be between Pieterson, Morgan and Kieswetter, who have blown away all and any team that have sauntered in our direction. But everyone in the team has been superb, Michael Lumb has opened very well, Paul Colingwood has captained well and contributed quick and vital runs. Even Ryan Sidebottom has taken down his early tournament critics with some amazing spells.

The reason I say all this about our world cup is because I think that this is the perfect example of how we seem to once again be heading towards leading the world in a new format. The IPL looks to be good on the pitch, but crumbling off it. We missed the chance to have our own global tournament before they snatched it up, but now we have another. The success of our team in the World Cup may provide the spark needed to ignite a Cricket Premier League in Britain, maybe to rival our Football league as it sinks deeper into the red.

The counties have been in talks throughout the off season over what to do with twenty20 cricket in the country. There are talks of creating franchises such as those in the IPL and NFL. Our Twenty20 specialists, who have done so well in the West Indies, would provide a solid base in such a tournament, but I think that the tournament needs to be created quickly, in order to maximise the global appeal. We don’t need to disturb the irreplaceable mode that is First Class or Test Match cricket, for it is the backbone of the game. We are just providing the lifeblood needed to make the game commercially viable, more prolonged and more popular.

Yes, Twenty20 has at last been welcomed in this country. The bud has opened and now we await to be awed by the splendour of its petals.