World Soccer - November 2012

Hello Football Fans, after reading November 2012's 'World Soccer' magazine I was left with nasty taste in my mouth. Not only does it cost a ridiculous £4.10 but there is a clear air of disgust for English Football throughout. Petulant comments can be quite funny, sarcastic even more so, but their magazine was a full on attack on English Football this month. I usually only buy the magazine when traveling on long journeys, after a recent long weekend away, I read this little beauty front to back.  

Right so where should I start with the summary, the first readable pages open on Page 8 & 9, with a section dedicated to Hero's and Villains, a minor point but who's bottom of the villains? Yes of course that bad boy MOTD's Gary Linker, apparently he had to apologise for a remark made about players "eating grass" on Al Jazeera TV, after a goal scored by a Muslin Player for Montpelier against Schalke. Whilst I didn't notice this when I read it first time round, I'm sure 'no yellow cards' Gary didn't realise what he was saying, the subtle link to a cow is far too intellectual. Anyway the point here is that Gary is bottom, the only link to English Football. Italian Bari Defender, Andrea Masiello's Match Fixing scandal is even above & No mention of the Serbia England U21 game. Maybe that was just a gaff oversight.   

Page 10,'Goals we'd like to see again,' Take a look at the absolute brilliant tekker's in World Soccers ratings this goal came second, surprisingly no mention of any British Goals, Contenders could have been Ben Arfa Newcastle vs. Villa, Simon Cox Forest vs.Wigan. Perhaps I'm just reading to much into this....?

Right, realising this might be beginning to sound like a good old moan, I'll just highlight two further articles without trying to add any emotion, if its possible. Page 15 of football's high brow magazine,was dedicated to a grumpy old man's view on Stoke FC. Titled "Intimidation, Tony Pulis-Style, is the symptom a very English disease." (by Paul Gardner,) Surely this article was going to be a cracker.  If 'Clueless Pulis' needed to motivate his players, I have no doubt that if he had read the column, he would have blown the article up on to A3 & stuck it in the changing room to motivate his players. To quote the Article it start's with...

"It's difficult to take Stoke City manager Tony Pulis too seriously as he battles with his sport identity crisis wearing his baseball cap as he encourages his footballers to perform like rugby players." 

The article seems no less than full of hate for Stoke...

"..It is no longer possible to sustain the idea that Pulis is simply a bad joke. Shawcross, for a start has a formidable record of sending opponents to hospital..."

Adjectives such as Medieval, Primitive and Dreadful are littered throughout. 

It's definitely worth a read just if you want to chuckle. Lastly & I won't go into detail here, I'll just leave you with the theme's which are in bold between the written text, pages 18 & 19, from the self acclaimed 'Voice of Football' Brian Granville's article. I think I'll skip the next edition of World Soccer hopefully they'll turn on some other country. I fancy reading 442 next month, I'll let you know how it goes...

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"Terry: A horrid, complex and contradictory affair"

"If John Terry is, at the least, a non-racists liar, as the commission suggests, why did the magistrate' court acquit him?"

"English Clubs Embarrass themselves in Europe."

"Things have gone so wrong for City in the Champions League they seem doomed not even to qualify for the knockout stage."
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