Wednesday 14 April 2010

FRANCE

THEY ARE:
France needs no introduction for any Englishman. In France we hold a long standing disdain and rivalry.

AS A FOOTBALL NATION:
The French footballing legacy is a strong one that begins with Michel Platini a player that at one time was considered toe-to-toe with Maradona on the skills front. He never quite got that far but he certainly has a fine legacy of his own. Post Platini after a few lean years they came back as a force

MY OWN EXPERIENCE:
They were long time underachievers until in 1998 they surprised the World Cup by defeating the much fancied Brazilian team that included Ronaldo (the other one), winning 3-0 in the final on home turf. Two years later they then won the 2000 European Championships for a second time.

IN 2010:
They are not really a very good team despite having a number of fantastic names in their squad. The players are getting old now but the real issue appears to be with their Eugene Levy lookalike manager Raymond Domenech. He is not a popular and eccentric with it, something I am sure he now plays up to. Regardless of what happens, he will get the blame for the failure in these finals.

FAMOUS PLAYERS:
Obviously most famous is Platini but also one of my all time favourite players in Eric Cantona. After issues with The Man he never really quite achieved what he should have on the international level. In recent times Zidane and Henry have been world beaters.

MOST OBVIOUS REFERENCE:
The Eiffel Tower.

AWAY FROM FOOTBALL:
The French have a reputation for being snobbish but stylish and kings of cuisine and culture. In a way should such snobbishness exist it is deserved. The country has produced people such as Serge Gainsbourg. It is pretty magnificent.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM FRANCE THAT I KNOW:
None.

QUOTE FROM A FRENCHMAN:
Sadly none.

DO I LIKE THEM:
Yes I do. As a nation of people they carry themselves well and fortunately should England have to play them I don’t think they would be too difficult to defeat.

FINAL COMMENT:
My French teacher at school was Mrs Moulton. She was a badass.

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