Parroting

So the Germans are the first team to go through. I’m glad, for several
reasons involving general Germanophilia and the fact that some of the
interest leaches out of the World Cup if the host team are knocked out
too early.

Also, I’m pleased for Jurgen Klinsmann. At least I think I am. He is a
likeable man but there is something odd about his affect; hard to put
your finger on but it’s there. I remember a couple of things. He was
something of a hate figure to England fans when he arrived at Tottenham
in 1994, owing to his egregious diving in the 1990 World Cup, so when
he scored his first goal he celebrated by doing an elaborate swan-dive.
Lots of people thought that showed he was a good sport...It made me
think, though, of that category of person who is so eager to show they
get the joke that it makes you wonder if, deep down, they ever actually
get any jokes at all. And then when he gave a press conference to
announce he was leaving Tottenham, he held it at the Comedy Club.
Geddit? Because Germans don’t have a sense of humour, so he holds a
press conference at the Comedy Club, yok yok...Even hacks, who are the
keenest people in the world at showing that they’ve got the joke too,
felt that was a bit odd.

Still, you have to give him credit for living in California. How about
that for working from home? He doesn’t just live in a different
country, or in a different continent, but on the far edge of a different continent.
This also shows how, when national sterotypes are contradicted, nobody
knows what to say. If he were French or from a Latin country the papers
would be full of stuff about his being detached, laid-back, shruggy. As
it is, they reach for the received-opinion file—which doesn’t have
anything in it about the not at all rare phenomenon of the New Age
German—and draw a blank.

But the long-distance thing is a hoot. I think this trend should be
encouraged. After the World Cup, when Steve McClaren takes over the
England manager’s job, it is essential that he moves to Antarctica.
Deal with that, paparazzi scum!

Other business. 1. Hard to know who to want to win today in Costa Rica
v Ecuador. On the one hand, Ecuador are still (after 18 games) the only
country to have beaten a richer, bigger country. On the other hand, a
country with no armed forces and lots of parrots will always be
popular. We South Londoners feel a particular bond with Costa Ricans
over the question of parrots.

2. There was a brief moment yesterday, while the Saudi Arabian players
were celebrating their second goal against Tunisia, when the ref ran
towards them and it looked as if they were all going to be booked for
over-prolonged prayer. That would have been funny.

Comments

[Geoff Roberts]

Yes, Klinsmann. He has adopted a new persona for the season. All smiles on the outside and hard as iron. Chocolate egg shaped like a hand grenade. he HATES LOSING and he probably admires Bush!