Animals!

Neil Clack

Description

Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986, David Beckham's red card and redemptive penalty, and Alf Ramsey's infamous description of the 1966 Argentinians as "animals" ...England versus Argentina is a fixture which has been crammed full of controversy since the teams first met in 1951. Neil Clack, a British journalist resident in Argentina, set out to uncover the truth behind the bitter animosity between the two nations and to find out why so many fail to distinguish between the horrors of the Falklands war, the strictures of British Imperialism, the terrors of Argentinian military dictatorship and the relative banality of football. From "the Impossible Goal" and 1966 allegations of "spying" and "conspiracy", through a scandal involving Bobby Moore and a brawl in the 1977 "friendly" to Ossie's trembling knees and the Carlos Tevez transfer fiasco, Clack discovered that the passions which accompany England versus Argentina run high as he unearthed a remarkable tale packed full of suspicion, name-calling, fisticuffs and intrigue.

Sujets

• Inglaterra
• Argentina
• England
• Argentine

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 02 avril 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781908051271
• Langue: English

Extrait

ANIMALS!
ENGLAND v ARGENTINA
Neil Clack
CONTENTS
Foreword: Ricardo Villa
Acknowledgements
Preface: Buenos Aires, May 1997
Introduction: Masters and Pupils - A Brief Potted History
Match 1: The Match of the Century
Wembley Stadium, Wednesday 9 May 1951
Match 2: The Impossible Goal
Monumental Stadium, Buenos Aires, Thursday 14 May 1953
Match 3: Rain
Monumental Stadium, Buenos Aires, Sunday 17 May 1953
Match 4: Argentine Butchers
World Cup group match, Estadio Braden Copper Co., Rancagua, Chile, Saturday 2 June 1962
Match 5: The Nations Cup
The Nations Cup, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday 6 June 1964
Match 6: Animals
World Cup Quarter-Final, Wembley Stadium, Saturday 23 July 1966
With The Animals
Match 7: Sons of the Animals
Wembley Stadium, Wednesday 22 May 1974
Match 8: The Animals Reprisal
Buenos Aires, Sunday 12 June 1977
Match 9: Mutual Respect
Wembley Stadium, Tuesday 13 May 1980
Match 10: The Hand of God
World Cup Quarter-Final, The Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Sunday 22 June 1986
Match 11: Spit and Polish
Wembley Stadium, Saturday 25 May 1991
Match 12: The Hand Of Lettuce
Second Round, 1998 World Cup, St Etienne, France, Tuesday, 30 June 1998
Match 13: The Meaningless Friendly
Wembley Stadium, Wednesday 23 February 2000
Match 14: Beckham s Revenge
World Cup Group Game, Sapporo Dome, Japan, Friday 7 June 2002
Match 15: Game Owen
Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday 12 November 2005
Epilogue
Bibliography
Photographs
I doubt very much whether today s game in Geneva will be played as if the result is of secondary importanceThis just does not happen in games between these countriesDifferent cultures, different styles, different mentalities somehow mean these games have a badge of honour about them and that does not apply in other internationals.
In one half of the pitch there will be England, who, for whatever reason, have lagged behind at international level for many many years, but we must remember did give the game to the worldIs it that arrogance over such a long time which has upset the likes of Argentina, who, in the other half, think that there is a European prejudice against them? Do not talk about this being just a game of footballThere is too much history to dismiss it as easily as thatPride and honour are at stake.
Ex-England manager Graham Taylor before England faced Argentina in a friendly in November 2005.

The English attitude is, we taught them to play like this and now they want to beat us - the teacher denying the superiority of the pupilThis provokes annoyanceTo win against England would be a homage to Ernesto Grillo and Diego Maradona and all those who have ever played against EnglandAlways something memorable happens.
Robert Perfumo, ex-Argentina captain and TV analyst before the same match.
FOREWORD BY RICARDO VILLA
WHEN I first signed for Tottenham, I struggled in the beginning to adapt to a different style of play - of course, the language is always a barrier as well.
The main problem was that my position didn t exist in England. I was an Argentinian no.10, an enganche (hook or link) as it s called in my country - the free man who plays behind the strikers. But English football demanded I tracked back and ran harder in a standard 4-4-2 midfield. That was tough.
Before I established myself in the Tottenham midfield, the manager Keith Burkinshaw said to me one day, Ricky, you re a tall lad, have you ever played as a striker? So, they put me up front in a training session, and played all these crosses and high balls up to me, but I couldn t head a ball. That wasn t my role, nor how I was used to playing.
We have these little differences in our football, differences that were there right from the beginning, in the first match between our two countries in 1951, and, amazingly, considering all the changes football has been through, can still be seen today. We have a different football background in terms of style of play, and yet we share the same football culture in so many other ways. Are there two more football-obsessed nations in the world than England and Argentina?
This is the story I always wanted to read. It s the complete story and the truth, or as near as one can get to it. Some of the misunderstandings and anecdotes made me laugh, but it is a rich and serious analysis as well, and the great thing is that it lets the players tell the stories themselves. For me, reading the book brought back to life so many memories of classic matches.
Of course there have always been the controversies too. But somehow they have added to this remarkable tale rather than detracted. Now the whole world cannot wait for the next instalment of England versus Argentina. Because it just might be as good, if not better, as those that have gone before.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FIRST AND foremost, I would like to thank all the players and ex-players who took part in this book. All of them embraced the idea with enthusiasm, gave sparingly of their time, and none asked for money. Memories of being plied with second and third helpings of caramel flan with cream by Carlos Roa, being shown around the Estudiantes training complex by Juan Veron and his father, sharing an after-meal limoncheri (vodka digestif) with Ardiles and Villa, and having my notebook filled with tactical arrows and diagrams by Silvio Marzolini will remain among my favourite memories of Argentina. I wouldn t want to single out one player more than any other, as all were so friendly and helpful, but ex-England goalkeeper Gil Merrick s memory of the 1953 matches was so sharp that he even remembered which horse had won the Derby that year. But then, just a few weeks after we spoke, in January 2010, news reached me that he had passed away, eight days after his 88th birthday. However, I was pleased to see that he received so many fitting tributes from the world of football. A true gentleman.
In Argentina, I would like to metion the staff of El Taller Bar, where a lot of the manuscript was written; Celeste, Gustavo, Claudio, Valeria, Cesar, Iris, Federico, and the incredible Mario provided me with numerous cups of tea (plus the odd glass or two of red wine), and plenty of humour during my late night vigils with pen and paper. Also Marina Casta o, Patricia Gonzalez Schepers, and Alan Moir, for their help and friendship during the writing process, and the Boca Seniors - Eduardo Sen, Juan Carlos Miranda, Pedro, Jaime, Cacho, Marta, Matius - for making me feel so welcome and part of the clan!
To my good friends and colleagues, Juan Pablo Mendez at Ol , Ezequiel Fern ndez Moores of La Nacion, EricWeil of the Buenos Aires Herald, Marcela Mora y Araujo of the Financial Times and author Jonathan Wilson for their expertise and advice, and to Klauss Gallo for checking the text for errors and introducing me to the Wednesday night 5-asides.
In England, much appreciation goes to Richard Drury for his encouraging attitude, in the initial stages, a decade ago, and to my Publisher, Simon Lowe of Know The Score books, for allowing me the freedom to write the book I wanted to write. Thanks too, to Nobuko Yokoyama for taking an interest in my first published pieces back in the late 90s and for helping me during difficult times, and to Gary Firmager for letting me write in Over Land and Sea during all these years.
This book would never have been possible without the dedicated round the clock work of Paul Camillin in the final design, the night before we were due to go to print! I d also like to mention Graham Hales for his professionalism and help regarding the photo section.
No thanks to Darren Cooper, Robert Saggers, Andrew Giddings and Kevin Chapman who kept trying to drag me down the pub and distract me from the task at hand, and who could only manage two e-mails between them (consisting of jibberish nonsense) during all my years away, and no thanks either to the Iguazu Police who arrested me for molesting dogs and threw me in a stinking cell for the night, right at a crucial stage, when I had a deadline to meet (please note, molest has a different meaning in Spanish, the equivalent of disturb or bother - all I did was bark back at some guard dogs through a fence, honest guv).
Last but by no means least, thanks to my mother, for putting up with my outlandish schemes and numerous disappearing acts over the years, and to my father for always taking an interest in whatever I was up to. This book is dedicated to my grandmother and grandfather, who both died within a month of each other, at the grand old age of 95 and 96 respectively, while I was working in Argentina. They are dearly missed.
PREFACE BUENOS AIRES, MAY 1997
AN ENGLISHMAN with an out-stretched arm: Taxi, Se or.
El Taxista: Adonde vamos? (Where we goin ?)
El centro.
Che, de donde sos? (Hey, where you from, mate?)
After previous guises as an Australian and a Canadian had exposed an embarrassing lack of knowledge of basic geography and population size of both countries, and having established that, 16 years on, there was generally no ill feeling towards British citizens over the Falklands (providing, of course, you agreed immediately that it was a stupid war), the passenger knew that it was actually quite safe, and certainly a lot easier, to tell the truth.
Ah, London! exclaims the taxi driver. Beautiful, so clean; the River Thames, the bridges, so ordered, no crime or violence like here. El Taxista was conjuring up, as many Argentines do, an image of England that was outdated by at least half a century, if it had ever truly existed at all.
Tell me, is it right that men wear bowler hats on their way to work? he asks.
By now an experienced cab-rider, the passenger anticipated the next question and the nature of the conversation that was likely to follow.
So, what team do you support, el Liverpool, el Manchester?
Argentina is, as they say, un pais futbolero (a footballing country). Muy futbolero (very footballing)