Who made the poppy a political symbol? For those who collected the flower from fields in France 90 years ago and many bereaved relatives at home it was a symbol of respect for loved ones lost, but it can be used politically and has been shamelessly politicised in Scotland in recent years, where the symbol of national loss has been exploited.
In itself, the poppy is not political, it occupies the same territory as the black armband, but even this worldwide symbol of respect has been exploited for political ends by footballers in the past.
I can understand why many in England are furious that Fifa consider the poppy a political symbol and have banned England for wearing it against Spain this week, but since a few live to exploit the flower for political ends, the Fifa decision is correct.
Before making the decision someone at Fifa would have undertaken cursory research into the subject. Searching Google for “poppy football” a few weeks ago would have returned this (now archived) result. I’m sure you recall; a banner at Celtic Park, which didn’t make the news on the day it was displayed, or on the next day, was badgered by someone into the news on day three. Celtic were the target of that exercise, the England team are now collateral damage.
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DBBIA
I’m keeping the real good ones back for the Autobiography, which will be ghost written by BRTH, if we can agree on the licensing and royalties.
Have to agree football is a simple game to many so called experts like to baffle us and in many cases the players. We have to look at it in a simple fashion both sides assuming no one has been orderded off have 10 outfield players if when defending each of the ten men pick up one of the opposition players and sticks with his player like glue it is very difficult for the attacking team to score.The problem exist when the defending team player losses his man by going to sleep or by having lesser skills now when that happens the offending player needs coaching in the basics of marking aplayer.Simple.H.H.
jimmybhoycampbell at 10:25
I like the bit about defenders starting closer to the goal, though it could impede the keeper’s chances of getting to an otherwise easy take/punch. A weakness might be that the opposition could simply crowd the back post area, behind your own defensive formation, thereby getting a blind-side run on your defence, or inviting a ball beyond the back post, which could cause confusion. Equally, the penalty box near to the corner taker could be exposed, depending on how many you placed there, cf. a short corner passed back to taker could draw defenders forward en masse, exposing the back post to a long ball.
I look forward to hearing how you get on, with whatever tactic you choose …
FF
tooheys new says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:15
The zonal system does not work when the players are incapable of following orders or lack concentration.
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i know that NO system works when the players are incapable of following orders or lack concentration…..
im speaking from experience like.. :)
jimmybhoycampbell
INcambodia
Christine Grahame
http://www.bentjudges.com/DMD_Law.html
Dontbrattbakkinanger says:
10 November, 2011 at 07:54
Watchin’ the ole ‘Frozen planet’ last night, brilliant,brilliant stuff as usual from ole clever clogs Davie Attenborough.
The musk ox, most of whom appeared to be sportin’ the oole Mo Bangura tribute wig, demonstrated a beautiful zonal defence in keeping the wolves at bay
DBBIA brilliant
I think we should send AT JM GP a video of that
might help out the old sieve in the winter months ahead
Folly Folly says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:18
jimmybhoycampbell at 10:25
I like the bit about defenders starting closer to the goal, though it could impede the keeper’s chances of getting to an otherwise easy take/punch. A weakness might be that the opposition could simply crowd the back post area, behind your own defensive formation, thereby getting a blind-side run on your defence, or inviting a ball beyond the back post, which could cause confusion. Equally, the penalty box near to the corner taker could be exposed, depending on how many you placed there, cf. a short corner passed back to taker could draw defenders forward en masse, exposing the back post to a long ball.
I look forward to hearing how you get on, with whatever tactic you choose …
FF
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FF
thanks for your input….. i would be hoping that my zonal defenders have a decent run into their next zone, not just a step or 2 and thus moving our of the GK’s way.. re the back post area, yes it could be a problem but that would be a zone that would be attacked by one of my defenders..
jimmybhoycampbell
INcambodia
tooheys new @ 11:15
Good point about Barnes, and his system. Didn’t he use that system at the deathstar when Berkovic put us 2.1 up only for Paul Lambert to give away a penalty for getting his teeth smashed out. I always wonder how differently things may have worked out for Barnes if we had won that game
ole james Murdoch desperatley needing a zonal defence
in the media and culture committee at the moment
Using the seen nothing, heard nothing, it was sumday else defence
Mmm —— Jobsworth ——
Convicted match fixer – Luciano Moggi , ex General Director of Juventus [ sentenced to 5 years and 3 months -a sentence he will never serve] , mouths off in today’s Italian media —
I paraphrase —–
I was only doing my job .
I never did anything I wasn’t told to do.
My employer gave me the phones .
My employer gave me the SIM cards .
Question —– When you are the General Director of Juventus who is your employer / who is your boss ?
That would be the Agnelli family , owners of Juventus / Fiat / Chrysler and numerous other big businesses.
If you read all of that blog on that woman Grahame, it is absolutely damning.
As someone who was an SNP voter and a supporter they can go and do one. I will no longer give any support for them.
It would be unfair to call all of them the same but one is one too many.
I personally would want Scottish independence but not with creatures like that in charge. It is an affront to decency and the SNP should be ashamed after courting votes not only from Catholics but from other ethnic minorities as well.
I am deeply saddened by this and concede to others who told me so all along that I held romantic notions of Scotland rather than looking at the reality.
A sad day but if it kills this bill then all the better. It is an “even it up” event and if that woman is what that blog says it is poisonous.
Fortunes Favour Mibbes says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:08
‘Christine Grahame is a fan of zonal marking at Holyrood –’
Well if the allegations are true she seems to be more in favour of one to one man marking.
Particularly elderly, married men.
Though not, it would appear, Catholic ones.
It’s a horrible mental image.
http://holyroodconfessions.blogspot.com/
MurdochauldandHay says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:31
Good to see him squirming.
Dan
Zonal marking or man marking when Jock Stein was our manager Italian football provided the top European clubs and they were all based on a negitive defensive system it had a name which escapes me at the moment.However,Jock did not worry about reputations and he chose in the European Final to attack Inter when Billy Mc Neil asked” Boss what do we do when they attack us” Jock Growled ” attack them even harder” Jock Stein, Shankly,Busby and Brian Clough all kept the game simple and all were very succesfull managers now a days we listen to pundits ex footballers mostly who cant get a job in football spouting all sorts of rubbish about tactics including Zonal marking.H.H.
Oh no, not the old zonal marking debate.
BarryBhoy says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:10
‘I read a blog piece which showed that Barcelona, despite being one of the shortest teams in world football, had been so successful with their application of zonal marking. I believe they had only lost 3 goals from 137 corners.’
I suspect Barca’s record would be just as good whatever system they used.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:37
Catenaccio.
Ernie Lynch Thanks fell thats the name it just wouldnt pop into my head. H.H
Two previous studies provide corner kick data. A random sample of English Premier League matches found that a goal was scored once every 36 corner kicks (Taylor et al, 2005). This study also reported that of 217 corners attempted only 31% resulted in a shot. A study of the Euro 2008 tournament (31 matches) showed that 313 corner kicks resulted in 26 shots (8%) and 5 goals – a 1:63 goals to corner ratio (Dunn, 2009). No information the origin of the goals scored was provided so we assume that they were from a corner kick shot into the goal. Note added Jan 28: Lee Dunn confirmed that all of the goals scored at the Euro 2008 were, in fact, scored by the attacking player making first contact with the ball. Thus his ratio of 1:63 is very close to 1:75 value for the World Cup.
So, how difficult is it to score by a corner kick? These results suggest that it is quite difficult although this depends, in part, on how a goal from a corner kick is defined. The range is anywhere from 1 goal for every 36 to 70 corners attempted. Or, slightly less than 2% of corner kicks result in a goal. However, the same might be said for other goal scoring opportunities. Relatively few goals are scored by other means. Unlike basketball where more than 50% of attempted shots may result in a goal, only 8% of the World Cup shots found the back of the net. The problem is goals are difficult to score period. Given this, it is important for teams to take advantage of every opportunity, not matter what the odds. The lone goal in Spain’s 1-0 semifinal win over Germany was scored from a corner kick headed past the keeper. Clearly, this was an offensive opportunity that changed the outcome of the match. So, while it may be difficult to score off of a corner kick, they remain a critically important part of the game.
http://www.scienceofsocceronline.com/2010/12/corner-kicks-by-numbers.html
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:37
Zonal marking or man marking when Jock Stein was our manager Italian football provided the top European clubs and they were all based on a negitive defensive system it had a name which escapes me at the moment.However,Jock did not worry about reputations and he chose in the European Final to attack Inter when Billy Mc Neil asked” Boss what do we do when they attack us” Jock Growled ” attack them even harder”
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sure but that was then…. i wonder what Big Jock would have answered to that question if he had been managing in this day and age?
would he say “attack them even harder”?
Dan – More on the Christine Grahame allegations.
Grahame is certainly a witch-faced old hag, and quite possibly holds negative views towards Catholics, but if that guy worked for her for years and could only come up with a handful of off-the-cuff comments as evidence of her wickedness, Judge Philvis is going with “not proven”. (thumbsup)
voguepunter@1014
read your post and was totally disgusted by the comments attributed to Ms Grahame.
E-mail of complaint sent to my local MSP
Headtheball says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:37
Oh no, not the old zonal marking debate.
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is it better than poppy debate or hungers tax debate? :)
philvisreturns 10 November, 2011 at 11:46:
All it took was one “joke” email from Hugh Dallas.
philvisreturns says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:46
Yes at the moment not proven. Guess time will tell with this one.
Dan
Dan says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:12
It’s an eye opener,I used to believe you had to be intelligent to go into politics.
voguepunter says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:50
‘It’s an eye opener,I used to believe you had to be intelligent to go into politics.’
If you’ve half a mind to go into politics, that’s more than enough.
The Honest Mistake (Sickened) – All it took was one “joke” email from Hugh Dallas.
Sure, but there was actual proof of that, not the word of a self-admitted disgruntled ex-employee.
Also, having allegedly said words to the effect of “they’re thick as thieves because they’re both Catholics!” isn’t in the same category as sending out a “joke” email implying that the Pope is a danger to children.
So, no smoking gun. (thumbsup)
voguepunter says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:50
Lol yep I too once believed that.
Think you need to be intelligent to understand that Zonal marking though. :0)
Dan
tomtheleedstim says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:44
I hope this is not setting the tone for our “date” this evening
ernie lynch says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:52
As I said before,all self serving lying bassas.
Dan says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:54
Zonal marking???????? whit’s that???
philvisreturns 10 November, 2011 at 11:54:
Comments made in front of a number of witnesses is surely as damning as an email?
philvisreturns
It is a little more than off the cuff remarks given their frequency and nastiness.
Politics is a cutthroat business but you cannot have people making comments like that.
ernie lynch @ 11:36
I dsagree. She’s definitely a zonal marker…in a zone of her own.
The allegations in that blog by her former employee of 9 years are national news. Well they would be anywhere else.
That’s what makes the conclusion so worrying.
“I am not just saying she is not fit to be Convenor of the Justice Committee. It is my considered view, knowing the abhorrent views she does hold, that Grahame is not fit to be an MSP.
On the 20th of October I passed these allegations to the Chief Executive of the SNP and also the SNP Chief Whip, but neither have responded or acknowledged the complaint.
So much for being tough on sectarianism! ”
They won’t deal with this though, they would risk losing the bigot vote, especially if this comes out and they take action against her. That these allegations are that she is prejudiced against more than one minority will be a worry for them.
That they can’t even consider dealing with an issue like this pre-independence should be ringing alarm bells in everyones’ ears.
Imagine people like her running your country. The OO would love it though.
Spare a thought for Paul Lennon of Thai Tims fame, he has to choose 44 from 680 weans,who will fly to paradise to sing and meet the Celtic support.
Ps CFC have provided £20k for the Thai Tims adventure, well done Celtic!
Vinny
HH
voguepunter says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:56
Dan says:
10 November, 2011 at 11:54
Zonal marking???????? whit’s that???
_________________________________________________
Well you have Christine Grahame marking the big catholic centre forward. James Murdoch defends against Tom Watson, Rupert Murdoch’s wife tackles defends against the guy attacking her husband.
Dan
Snake P
I sympathise with you re voting SNP and feeling conned. I didn’t due to my shallow entrenched views that maybe Labour would come good and act as they are supposed to.
Unforunately, Salmond is the most capable politician in Scotland and exploiting the weaknesses of the opposition as Blair did for many years. He is now using the mandate that he achieved in an almost presidential manner and mirroring many of Blairs mistakes by responding to the tabs. However, as much as he might follow the Blair route his underlings are far more like the Tory right having been kept quiet for years but now smell blood. Hopefully, the Graham accusations will start to undermine theri cause. On the plus side at least he can’t take us into an illegal war