By Pippinu -
November 22nd 2009 @ 12:13am
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Thierry Henry’s multi-skilling pleases FIFA
In recent months, Craig Foster has written a series of scathing articles aimed at denigrating the football codes that use an oval ball, the AFL in particular.
His thesis was that anyone who can walk on two legs can put their hand up to be a professional AFL player, the indigenous game being so utterly devoid of skill, while professional soccer players need to be blessed with almost superhuman, extra-terrestrial powers to make a go of it.
Until recently, I had had my doubts about what Fos was saying, but having watched Thierry Henry handball France into the 2010 World Cup, I am starting to understand where he is coming from.
Watch Thierry Henry carefully on this clip.
Note the expert manner with which he controls the ball with his left hand then guides it back down onto the boot, retaining perfect balance, wheeling round with the archetypal 70 degree angle, reminiscent of Captain Blood’s legendary pose.
Of course, the one give away that Thierry is not playing Australian football is that he does a quick two shoe shuffle to get the ball back onto his favoured right, rather than hit it immediately with his left.
If would appear that the God like skill demanded of the world game does not extend to any great proficiency with the non-preferred foot.
Nevertheless, one can’t argue with the end result – except for the Irish that is.
Ironically, they too tend to prefer a form of football that involves the use of hands, and as it happens, a round ball.
Henry could do no worse a form of penance than offer to replace Tadgh Kennelly at Kerry County, the reigning All-Ireland champ’s.
As for what it means for the world game, well, to be honest, it means absolutely nothing.
We all understand that the World Cup needs the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany and France (winners of the last 10 World Cups).
FIFA knows that all this will blow over in a few days, and they are left with their preferred attendee: France.
In the modern age, any nod towards retaining a semblance of romanticism in the game must be fleeting at best.
History tells us that the world’s population has always been able to gloss over the one great flaw in the world game: that one moment of insanity; one freak accident; one imbecilic referee’s decision; one inexplicable oversight; one moment of utter discrimination, is sufficient to produce that single game determining goal, often with very little association with what has occurred in the other 90 minutes.
That’s why talk of video refs and the like are all quite misguided. It’s as if there is some inherent logic as to who should win or lose a game, who is meant to proceed or drop out of tournaments.
Let us all be reminded that the two of the last four World Cups have been determined by means of a penalty shoot-out.
What happens during the actual 90 minutes is of secondary importance.
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(34)
Robbos said | November 22nd 2009 @ 5:15am | Report comment
This article was written by a bitter & angry man & only written to provoke very much in the same way as Shock jocks uses controversy to attract attention.
I thought the Roar was trying to clamp down on code Wars? This is an article that bags one sport in preference for another sport using alot of incorrect innuendos.
Luke W said | November 22nd 2009 @ 7:36am | Report comment
Hopefully any semblance of Fos in Pippinu articles will be fleeting at best. Talk about flogging a dead horse, Pip.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
Robbos and Luke W
Thanks for the comments.
It’s just one perspective (of millions) that have arisen from the Thierry Henry incident.
I felt compelled to write it because the still shots of Henry bringing the ball down onto his boot reminded me so much of a classic shot of Jack “Captain Blood” Dyer.
Indeed, Henry handled the ball so much, that if it had been an AFL game, the ump would have been tossing up whether he should award a mark.
How the ref could have missed it is beyond me – but it’s all ok – this is FIFA’s preferred outcome anyway.
Listening to the talkback from around the world on BBC overnight, I feel vindicated in everything I have written above:
1. the rest of the World much prefers to see France in the World Cup;
2. the rest of the World see absolutely nothing wrong with what happened, that’s it’s just part of the game, and wish to see no changes to the game at all.
Joe FC said | November 22nd 2009 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Zero out of 10 Pippinu.
Luke W said | November 22nd 2009 @ 10:14am | Report comment
Take out the first three paragraphs, and you have made some great points; especially that there is no doubt that the bigwigs at FIFA would much prefer to see France in the World Cup finals than Ireland.
On a final note, I am part of the rest of the world that sees absolutely nothing wrong with that happened. If you take away the emotions and weight riding on the match, its just another handball in a football match. 99 times out of 100 the referee or the linesman spot it, but every now and then they won’t. I feel sorry for Ireland, but I completely agree with Roy Keane’s comments. They should have defended the set piece better, and taken one of their many chances in either leg.
midfield general said | November 22nd 2009 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Off the topic but I wonder what we should make of Socceroos performance against the Irish a couple of months ago. We comprehensively outplayed a team who went close to knocking out France and Italy in qualifiers. Ireland could’ve been having an off day, but probably not. Then we bombed against South Korea a couple weeks later just when I was getting optimistic.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Mid General
Good question – I too have mulled this one over – the performance agaisnt Ireland (away), for a 3-0 win, looks pretty special in context.
dasilva said | November 22nd 2009 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
I found some humour there
ALthough I do disagree with the video replays
I believe that Football can take advantages at natural breaks of play in the game to stamp out errors by referees.
When there’s a goal scored or if there’s a penalty given. A video referee can easily decide to overturn the decision without wasting much time as there is already a stoppage of play. Give the video referee a maximum of 60 seconds to overturn the decision looking at replays can get rid of any major mistakes and we wouldn’t slow the game down.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
das
It’s certainly true that given teams will sometimes celebrate up to two minutes upon scoring a goal – one cannot argue that there’s no time to do a quick 10 second check of the video.
That’s the logical answer.
But logic doesn’t come into it.
The conservatives don’t want it.
On top of that, it’s become increasingly clear to me over the last few years that the bulk of the World’s popoulation quite simply does not get exercised about this sort of stuff.
Whatever happens happens and you move onto the next game.
I would think that is a great way to go about things – if I honestly believed that all teams are affected equally in such matters – but I know that’s not the case – especially when we’re talking about the WC.
AndyRoo said | November 22nd 2009 @ 3:54pm | Report comment
They should at least trial it somewhere, I am sure Scotland, Australia or the Americans would be willing. Give it a few ears and once it’s working bring it in for Brazil in 2014
dasilva said | November 22nd 2009 @ 4:42pm | Report comment
Well the problem with FIFA being a world game is that it’s such a stagnant game that makes it so difficult to bring out changes.
If any changes in rules need to be made, well there’s so much political crap to get it done.
The world game nature makes it inheritably conservative.
________
Pip on the side note, I would like your opinion on my article about Craig Johnston. You were following the socceroos in the 80s and therefore offer a unique prospective on his legacy over australian football.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/11/16/craig-johnston-a-great-australian-success-story/
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
das
just wrote something.
Rob said | November 22nd 2009 @ 5:27pm | Report comment
Pointless dribble Pip, why didnt you just go to the beach if you had nothing better than this to say
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
As our Irish friends are discovering – at the end of the day – it’s all pointless.
Art Sapphire said | November 22nd 2009 @ 6:58pm | Report comment
The Wisdom of Roy Keane – unedited. Great Stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fXh7VpObbg
Check it out when a reporter’s phone goes off halfway thru the interview.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 7:25pm | Report comment
Heh, heh – that’s a fantastic clip – seen it a few times on Fox News already – it’s hard to argue with.
The one thing that Keane says that rings true above all else is what he says about mental toughness – even football fans understate this – even someone like Fos does (technique without mental toughness is of no value to anyone).
About what Keane says about Ireland failing to clear the ball – it’s true – but when you see the clip – the players basically stopped, waiting for the ref pick up on Henry – Keane mentions this as well – it’s all part of the mental toughness – or lack thereof.
Art Sapphire said | November 22nd 2009 @ 8:15pm | Report comment
Cantona confirms Irish lack of mental toughness – to be sure
“What shocked me most was that at the end of the match, in front of the television cameras, this player (Henry) went and sat down next to an Irish player (Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne) to console him, even though he’d screwed them three minutes earlier.”
‘If I’d been Irish, he wouldn’t have lasted three seconds.’
‘I think that Raymond Domenech is the worst coach in French football since Louis XVI,’ to be sure, to be sure
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 8:20pm | Report comment
Heh, heh – I read that too and chuckled.
I have to admit – seeing that the ref had missed the handball right at the death knell – as an Irish player I would’ve:
1. Had an absolute urge to smash Henry’s face in (afterall, what does a red card matter at that point?); and
2. refused point blank to restart the game and mugged the 4th official, afterall, at that point, why bother with a restart when you have just been screwed over big time? Why add any semblance of normality to the game by restarting?
dasilva said | November 22nd 2009 @ 8:30pm | Report comment
Pip
Ireland only needed one more goal to go through by away goals
I think they had about 15 minutes left in the game to score the winner so I don’t think getting yourself a red card would do Ireland any favours.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 8:35pm | Report comment
I might have felt good about it!!
What about avoiding to re-start – what happens in that circumstance? The ref might have to stop the game short of time – that might have actually helped the Irish more.
AndyRoo said | November 22nd 2009 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Have you seen the clip of the Ireland georgia game earlier in qualifying.
The irish weren’t offering to replay that game.
Pippinu said | November 22nd 2009 @ 11:05pm | Report comment
At no point have I thought a replay was an option.
I’m saying, at that very point, immediatey after knowing you have been dudded – why kick off to restart the game?
The dream is gone – cause a ruckus, force the ref to abandon the game – put the spot light on him. What’s the point of continuing with the game?
What are the rules if the ref is forced to abandon the game at the 77th?
Freud of Football said | November 22nd 2009 @ 11:24pm | Report comment
Credit to the Irish for not thinking like Pip.
One of the most disappointing things I’ve seen in sport was Ranatunga cracking the shits and leaving the field after Murali was called for throwing. Whether he chucks or not is irrelevant, the umpires, referees, assistants, officials in general are there to make such calls, if you don’t like it, don’t play from the beginning, you can’t have a sook and run off like a 7-year-old every time things don’t go your way.
This was a FIFA sanctioned professional football match in front of a crowd of tens-of-thousands watched by millions more across the world and yet you suggest Ireland should literally drag the game down to the lowest of lows because the referee didn’t see a handball?
dasilva said | November 22nd 2009 @ 11:45pm | Report comment
I’m quite sure it’s a 3-0 loss forfeit or something like that
However considering that Ireland had a chance to come back and win the game and so the dream hasn’t been extinguish yet. Forfeiting the game isn’t an option
Pippinu said | November 23rd 2009 @ 8:00am | Report comment
Freud
At that juncture – what purpose does honour serve?
Pippinu said | November 23rd 2009 @ 8:03am | Report comment
…see out the final 10 minutes so that you can then flop on the ground feeling sorry for yourself while suffering the double ignominy of being comforted by Henry himself?
“Well played chaps, you gave it your all, rotten luck what? C’est la vie”
Gibbo said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
its definately a 3-0 forfeit on the fifa playstation games… i’ve tried protesting bad calls on there only for it to fall on deaf ears.
Pippinu said | November 24th 2009 @ 4:59pm | Report comment
Gibbo
good call!
I find the FIFA and FM games are pretty close to the mark in all matters such game politics and off field shenanigans.
jus de couchon said | November 23rd 2009 @ 1:20am | Report comment
The Henry cheating exposes soccer for the hypocracy it embraces . That one incident sums up what football has become , a sport driven by money and false idols. T Henry has traded on his public personna as a great and honest sportsman to gain enourmous sponsorship deals. He will no doubt be banking on the short attention span of most foot marble fans to forget. Unfortunately hes probably right.
Pippinu said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:15am | Report comment
In the Herald Sun this morning they write about how the Swedish ref considered quitting – it appears that he has been astounded by the backlash.
He is very clear that it wasn’t his fault or that of his assistant refs.
They didn’t spot the clear offside.
They didn’t spot the French player attempt to handball while it was in the air (missed by an inch with a raised hand).
They didn’t spot Henry handling the ball not once, but twice – and very clearly at that.
It’s not their fault that they couldn’t spot three clear cut infringements in the space of two seconds.
What the hell were they watching in those two seconds?
AndyRoo said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:37am | Report comment
Pip, that’s not fair. If you see where the ref was standing he was unsighted.
When I didn’t know to look for the handball I didn’t spot it first time either.
The offside however…..
Pippinu said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:41am | Report comment
…and the first French bloke who tried to handball it while it was in the air.
This attempt to get a hand to a ball in the air is becoming far, far too common in the modern game.
You will recall that Simunic did it twice against us three years ago. He was pinned once, but got away with the second, which was actually clearer.
At least one player tries it on in almost every game you watch these days – at all levels.
pothale said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:31am | Report comment
Pip – they were waiting for Gallas to put the ball in the net, so they could point to the centre spot and blow the whistle, obviously.
What more do you want from them – multi-tasking?
Pippinu said | November 25th 2009 @ 8:34am | Report comment
Well – this article is all about multi-skilling!!
Henry looks like he could be a handy Gaelic footballer, the way he managed to bring the ball down with his hand – although his reluctance to use his left foot would be frowned upon by the average Irish fan.