The best team won

First of all, England.  If someone told me that one side would have scored four goals by half time in the 3rd/4th playoff, I would have been depressed thinking that England surrendered again.  But we had not. France may have expected the team that allowed Argentina to play football to face them, but a changed line up with the pace that is a strength of the team brought belief and four goals.  The good thing about the game is that our two talismans were not playing for the first half, but we did need Jude for the final half with his goal to settle nerves.  I watched the game with my wife.  We actually have not watched any games together, this being the first one.  She did watch the game when we got back from Portugal, but I was off collecting our dog at the time.  What a game to watch together!  I may try to convince her that she is the lucky talisman and should watch more games with me in the future!  She has a soft spot for Saka after the abuse he has received in the past.  She is one of many who sent him messages of support after the abuse he got from that penalty miss (and he thanked her as well) in the 2020 final. 

As for the final, Argentina have regained the record for the most number of players sent off in a World Cup Final. They were a dirty team against us in the semi-final and while not as dirty in the final, they still were. They also got away with a lot of tackles that should have got a yellow card as well as managing to get a valid goal disallowed. Their behaviour after the end of the game is inexcusable, though based on what has happened before, I suspect that FIFA will let them off.  

Unlike 2006, when bad sportsmanship was rewarded, this year, the best team won.  Football would have been worse if Argentina had lifted the trophy.  I am glad, that on this occasion, the right result occurred.

Dirty cheating gits

Yes we lost. It appeared more of a surrender. What gets me is that the Argentine team were so dirty. At least until we scored. After that, they played football and we let the comeback team of the tournament do the same again. While I do not know as much about football as others, I would have kept pace on the field rather than taking it off. When we were defending, there was no threat that the Argentine team had to worry about. We have many players with pace who would have allowed us an outlet to punt the ball upfield to, not just Saka, but others as well.

But while many in the Argentine team were dirty gits, Messi was not. He was amazing. Anyway, two more years until the next tournament. And Arsenal will need to ensure that our players get time to rest. 

Why I hate the Argentinian football team

Sorry, but there are a few football teams that I hate. Italy are one (though I love the country). Argentina are the other.

Growing up there was The Falklands War when a failing right wing dictatorship, which murdered left wingers like me, invaded the islands deciding that the population of The Falklands had no right to decide who rules them and invaded them. A conflict ensued, people were killed as a result and the islands were liberated. After that, England played Argentina in a World Cup game in which Argentina cheated, as well as also scoring one of the best goals ever in a World Cup.  Argentina went on to win that World Cup but four years later caused the worst final I ever watched. Their players were disgraceful and behaved like animals. 

I don’t blame Argentina for beating us in the game that Beckham lost for us by getting sent off, but I remember them taunting the England players afterwards.

The video below is interesting. I did think that they were to follow the normal left wing view of giving The Falkland’s to Argentina, and I am glad to see that they mentioned the rights of the Falkland Islanders. I disagree with their views on the sinking of the Belgrano. It was a warship which was looking for the British fleet. But I am surprised that they did not mention the lack of multiculturalism. Unlike other South American nations, the team of Argentina has been all white very often. It is right that we look at the past of Britain, taking pride in the great things our nation has done and accepting when we have been in the wrong. That same scrutiny should also be applied to Argentina and what happened to its black population.

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Not sure I would recommend this as a film. I watched it with my wife and daughter, both of them having watched the original. I have heard enough about the original that I was able to catch up on how the plot developed. By plot, I mean a weak one. It is funny enough that I enjoyed watching it, but I am glad I did so on streaming. I would be very disappointed had I paid to watch this in the cinema.

Would I watch it again? No. While this is not a film to go out of your way to watch, if you don’t mind the usual Sandra Bullock films that are produced, watch it if it is on. And if you do, this is a film you can watch while being on your device, as I did. Which may be why I do not dislike this as much as others who have watched it. 

On a better note, I watched the Norway game with my daughter. I have been saying that we have to be cautious of a team that beat Brazil, and while it appeared to be one way traffic in the first quarter, I said to my daughter that I expected Norway to attack in the second. They did, they scored, but England held on to defeat them with two amazing goals. We may face Argentina in the semifinals, if so, I do not fear them. 

Ready or Not 2

 I liked this film.  I watched it because I loved the original, but this is not anywhere as good as the film it follows.  Like Ready or Not, it has a lot of gore, too much in my view, but the plot is not as good. Which is understandable. The original film had the shock of the plot reveal, while the sequel was never going to do the same. Like the original, I would term this a black comedy rather than a horror film. You do not have to have watched the original to enjoy this. While the original is better, I am glad I watched this. I doubt I will watch it again, but I am tempted to revisit the original again.  If you are to watch either, do NOT watch the trailers as like with many films, it spoils the experience.

Count Binface on democracy in Great Britain

Count Binface has spoken in the past about democracy in Great Britain, and he is so right. Elon Musk has commented about our tyrannical government. He is so wrong. There are arguments for and against our first past the post system and I have commented about Proportional Representation in the past. But the best argument for our current system is the way that someone like Count Binface has a chance to follow the likes of Martin Bell in being elected against a political party with far greater funding.

Comparing Louise Haigh to George Cottrell

There are levels of fraud and crime.  Comparisons have been made by Reform UK Ltd about how Louise Haigh, a Labour MP who had to resign as a Minister in November 2024 over an issue with fraud involving a mobile phone in 2013, her pleading guilty in 2014.

George Cottrell had been caught agreeing to launder money for undercover agents posing as drug traffickers in an FBI sting operation in 2017. Cottrell was a backer for Nigel Farage before and after his conviction. 

The Thai based billionaire Christopher Harborne is the man who donated the five million pound gift to Nigel Farage, to use in security, or it may have been given to thank Farage for Brexit (the story changes). While he is an innocent man, concerns have been raised about money laundering. 

And of course, there is Ben Delo. He has a conviction and earned a pardon from Trump.  Living in Hong Kong, he gave Reform UK Ltd the total of four million pounds before the rules on donations were changed. His conviction relates to US Banking laws. 

So, while Louise Haigh has a conviction for fraud involving a mobile phone, there are degrees of wrongdoing, and her crime, while wrong, are not on the same level as the backers of Reform UK Ltd. I do not think comparing her probably returning to government can be compared to the concerns with the Reform donors.